PRSD Pulse

Greetings Pearl River School District Families and Staff,

February was quite the busy month as our K-12 students and educators continued their work in areas spanning STEM, literacy and the arts - rolling up their sleeves to delve into exciting lessons, activities and projects. In addition, we celebrated the important work of our District’s eight school counselors in celebration of American School Counselor Association’s National School Counseling Week (February 5-9) as well as our School Resource Officer Martin Fogarty in alignment with National Association of School Resource Officers’ National School Resource Officer Day (February 15). Throughout the month, our school buildings and classrooms also took part in celebrations for Black History Month, the 100th Day of School, Valentine’s Day, Lunar New Year, PARP, the Rockland BOCES-sponsored 40th annual Rockland Read In and Leap Day.

At Pearl River High School and Pearl River Middle School, a number of selected student-musicians headed to the Rockland County Music Educators Association’s Junior All-County and Contemporary/Jazz All-County Music Festival hosted at Fieldstone Middle School on February 2-3 alongside PRHS orchestra teacher Darcie Pickering. At the middle school level, students across grades 5-7 were treated to cultural music and dance performances from The Vanaver Caravan - as they had the opportunity to learn all about the importance of cross-cultural education and awareness. At the high school level, students took part in a Winter Pep Rally - marking the conclusion of winter sports and celebrating all that winter sport varsity athletes achieved during the season.

At our elementary schools, K-4 students built on their science curriculum as they took part in rotational classroom activities, were visited by experts in the field and attended interactive STEAM assemblies. Tying into our focus on character education, students worked together to craft Valentine’s Day cards to donate to veterans in need, kindly exchanged valentines with peers and classmates, and learned about empathy through clinician push-in lessons. In addition, kindergarteners at Evans Park Elementary held a Lunar New Year Parade as they learned about Chinese culture and history.

With spring in the near future, I look forward to upcoming events and holidays that will soon take place in the month of March. This edition of our monthly PRSD Pulse e-newsletter reflects on much of our work that took place in February as we continue our mission of student success.

Sincerely,

Marco F. Pochintesta, Ed.D.

Third grade Lincoln Ave Lions celebrated a very Hoppy Leap Day - as they made leaps and bounds in math on February 29! Lincoln Avenue Elementary School math teacher Devin Stone led students through an engaging, Leap Day-themed rotational activity that tested their knowledge of multiplication, measurement, expanded form and place values. Third graders excitedly completed math challenges like: Longest Leaps, Fly Catcher, Hoppy Home and Lily Pad Leaps. More on Facebook and Instagram.

Fifth graders enrolled in Technology teacher Vincent Romano's Technology I class at Pearl River Middle School shifted into high gear - as they prepared to put their miniature drag racer creations to the test following an extensive design and building process. Students first began with learning about friction, drag and aerodynamics in automobiles with the goal in mind to design a rolling model of a car using automotive aerodynamic concepts. Mr. Romano guided students through developing orthographic drawings and thumbnail sketches of their ideas before they began building their final wooden model. Using various equipment, PRMS Pirates drilled axle holes, sawed, sanded and painted their final creations. More on Facebook and Instagram.

Kindergarteners in Marissa Gillman's class at Franklin Avenue Elementary School were visited by school psychologist Ellen McCabe for a lesson on empathy - the social-emotional learning focus for the month of February! Through classroom push-ins, both Mrs. McCabe (pictured) and school social worker Natalie Cervantes-Libassi delivered lessons centered on what empathy means and how Franklin Ave Stars can show empathy to others as well as determine how someone else may be feeling based on their body language and facial expressions. Students engaged in an interactive game - taking turns being called up to the front of the class to show their peers how they would appear based on a feeling selected from the Mood Meter by Mrs. McCabe. Challenging their classmates to determine their 'mood' through an engaging challenge like this one, these little learners learned how they can sense other people's emotions and imagining what someone else might be thinking or feeling. More on Facebook and Instagram.

Throughout the month of February, our K-12 students across the District celebrated Lunar New Year with various lessons, read-alouds, and learning activities as our school community rang in the Year of the Dragon! Evans Park Elementary School kindergarteners were immersed in the Chinese culture and traditions that make the holiday so special - taking part in a Lunar New Year Parade as they invited fellow Evans Park Tigers to join in the fun as they carried a designed dragon head and body float throughout the hallways (serving as a symbol of good luck and fortune). Kindergarten students also learned how to write Chinese numbers 1 to 10, colored festive illustrations with the hues of Lunar New Year (red, green and yellow), and explored how to properly use chopsticks. With the help of a wedge of paper and rubber bands to secure the chopsticks together for little hands, students practiced picking up items from their snack. More on Facebook and Instagram.

Before breaking for President's Recess (February 19-23), Pearl River High School students, teachers, faculty, athletics coaches and building administrators gathered together to celebrate the conclusion of winter sports and showcase their school pride during a Winter Pep Rally! Between celebrations of both junior varsity and varsity winter sports teams' season achievements and graduating seniors, as well as interactive student sports challenges, PRHS Pirates excitedly ushered in a new and exciting spring season (which kicks off Monday, March 11)! Seasonal pep rallies aim to cultivate a sense of belonging and unity amongst the school community - serving as exciting opportunities for students to participate in athletics and take part in a special tradition that combines various events and activities that are both entertaining and engaging. More on Facebook and Instagram.

Books are a uniquely portable magic - and students across the District cozied up with a good read as part of the 40th-annual Rockland BOCES-sponsored Rockland Read-In! Serving as the concluding event to a month-long celebration of reading through PARP (Pick A Reading Partner) at our elementary schools, K-4 students took the time during the school day to read books of their choosing and reignite their love for book exploration. Between individual reading time, guest read-alouds, book fairs, library visits, reading-centered activities, and book-oriented classroom lessons, elementary students shared in the joy of all things reading with their teachers and classmates. Centered on the theme, "Reading Is Magical", the PARP program kicked off with spirit activities, various assemblies, goal-setting for reading time and friendly competitions between classrooms for total reading minutes logged. The story continued at home where students also engaged in reading time with family members. More on Facebook and Instagram.

Digital learning is always at the forefront of lessons and project work inside Computer Science teacher Steve Parisi's classroom - and students enrolled in his Video Game Design class at Pearl River High School built on their knowledge of coding and programming! These PRHS Pirates developed basic scene design on their Raspberry Pi kits (central processing unit boards that serve as functional computers) using the Unity Real-Time Development Platform - a game-design programming system - to customize their game environments. Students worked diligently to customize, add and alter objects' scale, color, positioning and rotation through an understanding of C# (C-sharp) - an industry-standard programming language similar to Java and C++. On Digital Learning Day, Video Game Design students are benefitting from innovative project work that prepares them for career advancement and new opportunities in the field. Digital Learning Day (February 15) serves as a testament to the transformative power of technology in education as well as the advancement of digital teaching methods. More on Facebook and Instagram.

What better way to celebrate Valentine's Day than by crafting cards expressing gratitude to those who have selflessly served our country? Student teams - both at Evans Park Elementary School and Pearl River High School - created colorful Valentine's Day card creations with thoughtful messages dedicated to local veterans. Evans Park Tigers joined forces as kindergarteners and their third grade 'Book Buddies' paired up to write letters and draw designs in celebration of Valentine's Day - tying into kindergarteners' current unit focused on writing for other people. PRHS Pirates that serve as members of the Valor Society created festive cards to donate to Congressman Pat Ryan’s Valentines For Veterans Card Drive. The Valor Society was proudly able to send 162 cards to veterans who are mostly alone in nursing homes and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals. More on Facebook and Instagram.

They're 100 days smarter...and aging quite rapidly! Kindergarteners at Evans Park Elementary School celebrated the 100th Day of School dressed as 100 year olds - as they completed a number of 'one hundred' themed activities tying into their curriculum focuses across subject areas. These Evans Park Tigers decorated festive paper hats, took part in a word challenge, created a hundreds chart, and engaged in an activity using the digits in 100. Beginning with a reading of the book, "It Looked Like Spilt Milk" written by Charles G. Shaw, students learned all about abstract art, expressionism and creativity - using those key fundamentals to design their own unique illustration using cut-out digits from the number 100. Little learners turned their original outlines into designs with the 100 digits including a character with glasses, a caterpillar, a butterfly, a house and a wagon. Once finished, students headed to the classroom easel - taking turns when called up to share Red Words they spotted within the word 'one hundred' including 'den', 'on', 'under', and 'no'. More on Facebook and Instagram.

During a designated half-day professional development session, Pearl River High School administrators, staff and faculty took part in various Edcamp-style workshops that furthered their professional learning and developed their knowledge and skills! Beginning with a presentation from Director of Technology Jamie Haug and PRHS Principal Dr. Robert Zegarelli on generative artificial intelligence (AI), those in attendance explored how it can be used as a tool to enhance and support planning, differentiation and administrative tasks. Jamie shared information about the development of the Artificial Intelligence Subcommittee's Guidelines as well as the PRSD Roadmap centered on Generative AI - and how she's working closely with the District's K-12 Instructional Technology Coaches to effectively train both staff and students on the proper uses of it through recalibration of current tools and integration of new technology. Based on their respective departments, staff and faculty then moved to various classrooms for workshops including: IXL Decoding and Diagnostics (presented by Instructional Technology Coaches Jess Kearns and Kim Urlich, and Gr. 5-12 Literacy Coach Dana Silver), Youth Mental Health 101, IEP Data, Revolutionary Thinking, Collaborative Work, All About ENL, and Using AI to Help with Teacher Tasks. More on Facebook and Instagram.

There was no running out of STEAM at Franklin Avenue Elementary School! K-4 Franklin Ave Stars explored hands-on exhibits spanning science, technology, engineering, the arts and math as part of a Mobile Ed Productions STEAM Museum Assembly this week. With the purpose of augmenting their existing science and math curriculum as well as introducing new topics and technologies, students visited various state-of-the-art stations located throughout the Multipurpose Room - browsing at their own pace and managing time between exhibits that appeal to their personal interests. Stations included: electronic digital microscopes, programmable robots, virtual reality expeditions, 3D printing, dinosaur digging, number block building, and construction/design. More on Facebook and Instagram.

A number of talented student-musicians from Pearl River High School and Pearl River Middle School were selected to perform in Rockland County Music Educators Association's Junior All-County and Contemporary/Jazz All-County Music Festival hosted at Fieldstone Middle School on February 2-3! Groups of PRHS Pirates and PRMS Pirates performed amongst band, orchestra and mixed chorus student-selectees from schools located throughout Rockland County. In addition, PRHS orchestra teacher Darcie Pickering (pictured with students) served as Contemporary Orchestra Chair for the event. Congratulations, all! More on Facebook and Instagram.

Lincoln Avenue Elementary School second graders learned all about animal adaptation - and thanks to a visit from an animal expert, they're now zoologists in training! Manager of Professional Development at the Bronx Zoo Wildlife Conservation Society Anine Booth fielded a number of questions from curious Lincoln Ave Lions as she discussed how animals evolve over generations and learn how to adapt to their environment in order to survive. In their science focus, Earth Systems, students gained an understanding of quick versus slow environmental changes - and they applied the knowledge they obtained through this learning session to the unit! Ms. Booth showed students various examples of snake skin, bear skulls and claws, and bear paw imprints for them to study. She explained that zoologists can then use these examples to form an idea of whether an animal is an omnivore, herbivore or carnivore based on certain body characteristics observed. Students then rotated through stations with different animal skulls, bones and teeth; skins and feathers; and paw prints, fins and flippers. More on Facebook and Instagram.

Pearl River Middle School students were treated to cultural music and dance performances from The Vanaver Caravan as part of the Earthbeat: A Journey program! Across grades 5-7, PRMS Pirates first learned about the importance of dance and heritage in the classroom - discussing the various ways in which people from across the world can share stories of and pride in their culture through movement and musical expression. The Vanaver Caravan group - a Hudson Valley-based non profit organization that performs original, world-infused choreography and music both locally and internationally - provided students with the unique opportunity to engage in cross-cultural dance and music education. Students followed along as they 'traveled' across the world to watch and learn about various dances. Following the performances, students had the opportunity to ask questions during a Q&A session - as they expressed curiosity in the performers' and musicians' instruments, costumes and own individual cultural background. More on Facebook and Instagram.

Rotating through four different PNW BOCES Science 21© activities located around the classroom, students in Robyn Smith's class at Evans Park Elementary School learned all about the transfer and conversion of energy! These fourth graders explored different types of energy including mechanical, electrical, light and thermal before delving into the various station activities that incorporate various materials ranging from thermometers and hand warmers, to a solar-powered toy and a flashlight, to a tuning fork and water, to an electrical circuit. With the help of teacher Molly Servello, Evans Park Tigers worked in small groups to conduct their experiments and record their observations - noting patterns and links to their knowledge of energy. More on Facebook and Instagram.