SMS Summer Update
August 1, 2024
SMS SUMMER UPDATE
August 1, 2024
Dear SMS Parents,
I hope that this mid-summer communication finds you while enjoying all that summer has to offer. From a place of both honor and excitement, I address you as principal, now in my second year in this role. Over the past five years at SMS, I have taken great pride in cultivating strong relationships with students, parents, and staff, which form the foundation of our crucial work. As I continue in this role, my aim is to further develop these partnerships as we collaboratively nurture the growth of the children of Scarsdale. SMS has a rich history of pursuing high standards, adopting a forward-looking approach, and fostering a vibrant collaboration between the community and the school.
This year, we are continuing with the theme "Raiders Lead." Our theme conveys the expectation that every student has the potential to become a leader and make a difference within the school community. Focusing on character development, compassion, and effort will empower students to make good decisions, build meaningful relationships, and work toward personal and community betterment.
By emphasizing leadership, SMS aims to foster a sense of agency, self-confidence, and civic engagement and responsibility among our students. Our primary goal is to prepare our students for future challenges, equipping them with the skills and mindset to become active contributors in their communities, demonstrating leadership both within and beyond the school setting.
I invite you to read on as this letter contains a lot of useful information.
Important Dates for Quarter 1
Below is a list of important dates throughout the second academic quarter. All of these dates are posted on our SMS Public Events Calendar, which you can subscribe to.
First Quarter
8/27/24 - 7/8th Grade New Student Orientation
8/29/24 - 6th Grade Orientation
9/3/24 - First Day of School
9/11/24 - 6th Grade Open House at 7:00 pm
9/12/24 - Fall Modified Sports Interest Meeting for students after school
9/17/24 - 6th Grade Pizza Day
9/18/24 - 7th Grade Pizza Day
9/18/24 - 7th Grade Open House with CHOICE at 7:00 pm
9/19/24 - 8th Grade Pizza Day
9/19/24 - 8th Grade Open House at 7:00 pm
9/20/24 - Club Fair for Students
9/26/24 - 6th Grade Parent Coffee at 9:30 am
10/2/24 - 7th Grade Parent Coffee at 9:30 am
10/3/24-10/4/24 - Rosh Hashanah - No School
10/8/24 - School Picture Day
10/9/24 - School Picture Day
10/10/24 - 8th Grade Parent Coffee at 9:30 am
10/14/24 - Columbus Day/Indigenous People’s Day - No School
10/23/24-10-24/24 - Book Fair
11/1/24 - Diwali - No School
11/5/24 - Election Day - School Closed for Students
11/8/24 - End of First Quarter
Opening of School Details
New Student & New Parent Orientation
SMS takes great pride in forming relationships with our students and families and makes a special effort to connect with those students and families who are new to our school. As we shared in a recent email, our new-to-Scarsdale student orientations begin next week. If you are a new family, please see the attached communication that will be sent our separately in the days ahead. Letter to New SMS Families
6th-grade Orientation
We are looking forward to our 6th-grade orientation on August 29th from 8:00-12:00. Please read the attached communication that will be sent out separately to all 6th-grade parents in the coming days. 6th Grade Parent Orientation Communication.
First Day of School
The first day of school for all students is Tuesday, September 3rd. You will be receiving a separate email with your child’s homeroom teacher and room number prior to the start of school. This is the room your child should go to on the first day of school. Students will receive their individual schedules from their homeroom teacher.
School Schedule
Our school day begins at 8:10 and ends at 2:36. Beginning on September 17th, we will run our late bus. The late bus is for students who remain in the building for office hours with their teachers from 2:36-3:30. Our students attend clubs or participate in intramurals. There is no late bus on Mondays because our faculty attends meetings. Please review the 2024-2025 Bell Schedule.
Open Houses
We believe that welcoming parents into the building that your child spends so much of their time in is a valuable experience for both you and us. Open Houses offer a window into your child’s daily experience and help to form a collaborative relationship between our staff and our parents. More information about Open House will be sent once the school year begins, but we ask you to please save the following dates:
6th grade: Wednesday, September 11th, 7:00-8:30
7th grade & CHOICE: Wednesday, September 18th, 7:00-8:30
8th grade: Thursday, September 19th, 7:00-8:30
Parent Coffees
Parent Coffees are opportunities for parents to learn more about SMS beyond the Open House. Faculty members and I share information about a number of programs our students can access beyond and during the school day. Please save the following dates for the first parent coffees of the year:
6th grade: Thursday, September 26th, 9:30-10:30
7th grade: Wednesday, October 2nd, 9:30-10:30
8th grade: Thursday, October 10th, 9:30-10:30
We will send out a separate communication with more details in September, including where in our building these will take place.
Faculty Updates
This year has brought about many changes at SMS. As we prepare for the upcoming school year, I want to share some staffing updates with you.
First, I would like to congratulate Marci Rothman on her new role as our assistant principal. Marci's transition from her interim assistant principal position has been seamless, and we are confident in her ability to lead. Marci's social studies position has been filled by Neil Epstein, who has proven his capabilities as our Fountain 7 social studies teacher leave replacement. Additionally, with Marci becoming a full-time administrator, I am pleased to announce that Meghan Lahey, Popham 7, will be stepping into the role of our Social Studies department chair.
I would like to congratulate Brittany Vella on her move to become the math teacher and teacher in charge of our CHOICE program. Brittany is taking over for Cindy Parrott, who will now be the new Director of Athletics for Scarsdale High School. With Cindy Parrott's departure from SHS, I am happy to announce that Melissa Salvatori, our Cooper 8 math teacher, will be appointed our new Math Department Chairperson. Kayla Glaser will take over for Ms. Vella on Butler 7. Kayla holds an M.S. in Adolescence Special Education and Literacy and a B.A. in Adolescent Mathematics from Iona University. Ms. Glaser previously taught at Hommocks Middle School in Mamaroneck, NY.
Our Cooper 8 team will have a new member this year. With Cara Hiller moving to the CHOICE program, Lily Hamil will serve as our new English teacher. Lily holds an M.S. Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction and a B.A. in Adolescent English Education from SUNY Potsdam and was most recently teaching at Middle School 53, Queens, NY.
Our Fountain 6 will have a new composition next year. With the retirements of Adam Nichols and Lisa Bryan, Matthew Peters has been hired as our new 6th-grade social studies teacher. Matthew holds a B.A. in Adolescent Education with a concentration in Social Studies, as well as a B.A. in History from Manhattan College. Matthew has been teaching at Immaculate Heart of Mary School in Scarsdale. Our new Fountain 6 English teacher will be a name familiar to Quaker Ridge families: John Van Cott. John had over a decade of middle school teaching experience before his tenure at Quaker Ridge, so we are thrilled John will be joining the SMS staff.
Butler 6 will have a new member this year. With Erik Arsten moving to Popham 8 this year, Nicole DeAngelis will be our new Butler 6 math teacher. Nicole holds an M.A. in Teaching and a B.S. in Mathematics from Fordham University. Nicole taught most recently at Putnam Valley Middle School.
In our special education department, we have two new staff members to introduce. Kara Oliveri will be teaching our 8th-grade parallel program. Ms. Oliveri holds an M.A. in Adolescent Special Education from Hunter College, School of Education, and a B.S. in Business Administration from Fordham University. She was previously teaching at MS 297 - The Morton School in New York City. Kathleen Grieve will be teaching in 8th-grade parallel and push-in programs. Ms. Grieve holds an M.A. in Educational Technology, an M.A. in Special Education, and a B.A. in Secondary Education from Pace University and was previously teaching at Eastchester High School.
Michael Mammola will be our new 8th-grade Health teacher, and Michelle DeFeo will be moving to our 6th-grade Health position. Michael holds an M.S. in Health Education and a B.S. in Physical Education from SUNY Cortland. Michael has recently taught at John Jay Middle School, Cross River, NY.
Jennifer Campo will serve as a leave replacement French teacher for Elizaveta Dukalsaya, who is taking a leave of absence for the year. Ms. Campo brings a wealth of experience and was most recently teaching French at the Sacred Heart School in Greenwich, CT.
Emily Preston will serve as a new chorus teacher in our Music Department. Emily holds an M.M. in Choral Conducting from Ithaca College, an M.M. in Music Education from Queens College, and a B.M. from Oberlin College Conservatory. She most recently taught at Boynton Middle School in Ithaca, NY.
Finally, our Technology Department also has a new member. Jared Torres will be our new 6th-grade Computer Science teacher as Michael Cannone moves to our 8th-grade Technology position. Jared holds an M.A. in Teaching from the Relay Graduate School of Education and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Pennsylvania State University. Jared has recently taught at Fox Lane High School in Bedford, NY.
SMS Community Council
We are excited for year two of our new student government structure at SMS, the Community Council. Led by Megan Lahey and Dan Boniello, the new Community Council framework will create leadership opportunities for students in all grades, build community and spirit at both the House and school level and will allow students to have their voices heard. A fuller description of the SMS Community Council can be found SMS Community Council 2024-2025.
Keystone Advisory Program
Advisory programs have long been considered a best practice in schools, especially at the middle school level. Our advisory program is known as Keystone and has evolved over the last eight years to become part of the SMS fabric. Faculty members are assigned a Keystone advisory group of 12-14 students from the same house and grade. Keystone groups meet with their advisor at the start of each day (8:10-8:17). During a typical Keystone period, students may watch and discuss our news show, SMS Today, which both students and staff host. Additionally, once or twice a month, there is an extended Keystone meeting that lasts 28 minutes. These meetings will focus on building community and connections and support other social-emotional learning competencies and character development.
Summer Thinking
As a principal, the summer pace allows me more time to both read and reflect on the state of education and adolescents today. The summer also provides more time to spend with my own family: my wife, who is a fifth-grade teacher, and my children, who will be entering 9th grade, 8th grade, and fourth grade next year. This summer, I have been reading Jonathan Haidt's book The Anxious Generation as a means to connect my professional life with my role as a parent of adolescent children. Haidt, an NYU professor and Scarsdale Schools alumnus, explores the profound impacts of what he terms the 'phone-based childhood' on today's youth. The term "phone-based childhood" has resonated with me since I first encountered it as I contemplate how best to lead SMS and raise my own children. The realities described in The Anxious Generation have compelled me to reflect on these issues as a principal and a fellow parent.
Haidt's insights raise significant concerns about how growing up today is markedly different from what you and I experienced in our formative years. In particular, Haidt identifies four foundational harms of the phone-based childhood that deeply concern me both as a parent and as an educational leader:
- Social Deprivation: Children spend less time in face-to-face interactions with peers, which is crucial for developing social skills and emotional resilience. Increased reliance on online interactions has led to heightened loneliness and social isolation among young people.
- Sleep Deprivation: Pervasive smartphone use disrupts sleep patterns, contributing to issues such as depression, anxiety, and cognitive deficits. Screen exposure before bedtime interferes with natural sleep-wake cycles, negatively impacting mental health and academic performance.
- Attention Fragmentation: Constant notifications and the addictive nature of smartphones impair children's ability to focus and concentrate. This fragmentation of attention affects learning outcomes and cognitive development, making sustained focus challenging amidst digital distractions.
- Addiction: Designed to be addictive, smartphones and social media platforms can lead to behaviors resembling substance dependence. Many children struggle to limit screen time, immersing themselves in virtual worlds that offer immediate gratification but little real-world fulfillment. This cycle can exacerbate mental health issues and hinder healthy social and emotional development.
While we take steps at SMS to ameliorate some of these concerns, such as our focus on social and emotional learning in our Keystone program and our “Off and Away for the Day” policy, our school-family partnership is integral to addressing these issues. I encourage you to consider your child's relationship with technology, particularly their phone if they have one. While Haidt outlines the four harms that hinder students' academic success and happiness, none of these challenges are insurmountable. Small shifts in behavior patterns can lead to significant change.
Our mental health team shared an open letter to our families last spring offering sound advice on how to help regulate our children’s online lives. While books like The Anxious Generation can ironically generate anxiety in parents like myself, I temper these feelings with the realization that every generation faces unique challenges that require adaptation and resilience. Equipped with knowledge about the nature of the problem and actionable strategies for change, we have the power to make a real difference.
Closing Thoughts
While we are all somewhat sad to see summer end, the school year brings about the routine and structure that are good for kids. Over the course of the coming school year, your children will experience great successes and, undoubtedly, what they will perceive to be epic failures. As parents to three children—one entering high school, one entering 8th grade, and one in 4th grade—my wife and I can attest that sometimes middle schoolers do not have the firmest grasp on the current state of affairs. When things are great, they are “the best,” and when things are not great, they are “the worst thing of all time, ever.” Understanding that this is developmentally appropriate helps me, as a parent, guide my children through the sometimes delicate waters of middle school.
At SMS, we as a staff practice gratitude by sharing with each other at the start of each meeting things that we are grateful for. Personally, I am grateful to be surrounded by amazing students and a supportive community, and I appreciate the fact that the work of SMS is about connecting young learners to their life’s passion. What I can offer is that we have a caring and professional staff who are experts at helping both students and parents navigate middle school. If we can help in any way, ask, and we will help.
I look forward to an amazing 2024-2025 school year at Scarsdale Middle School, and all of our staff are excited to welcome your children to SMS.
Warm regards,
Chris Coughlin
Principal, Scarsdale Middle School
ccoughlin@scarsdaleschools.org