Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Dobbs Ferry school board votes to approve grade-weighting for HS students.
In Dobbs Ferry, there has never been any incentive—other than students' own desires to challenge themselves—to take honors or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses. Grades were not weighted; which meant that an "A" in a Regents class was worth the same amount in a student's overall Grade Point Average (GPA) as an "A" in a more advanced class. As of September 2012, that will all change. Dobbs Ferry's Board of Education voted Thursday to begin weighting grades based on a course's difficulty level. "I believe this will give students more of an incentive to challenge themselves," said first-year Superintendent Dr. Lisa Brady. "I think it will also lead to more diversity in IB courses because students who wouldn't have otherwise considered …
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Do you know where Tmbuktu is? At least one Irvington 4th-grader did!
I'll be the first to admit it: I had NO IDEA Timbuktu was in Mali. Heck, I'm not even sure I'd have known it was in Africa—(If you'd held a gun to my head and said, "Guess!" I'd most likely have said it was in India...) But Irvington fourth-grader Zachary Rosman was unfazed by this final question during the annual Main Street School geography bee on Friday. "I think I knew Timbuktu was in Mali because I read a book about it once," said Rosman, who edged out fifth-grade runner-up Ari Greenberg with that question. "You have to apply past knowledge to new situations," Rosman said with confidence later that afternoon. "You find unexpected things in books." Greenberg said the hardest question he answered correctly during the finals of the bee …
41.039123
-73.867399
Main Street School
101 Main St, Irvington, NY
/articles/student-geography-wizards
271671
/locations/6408621
Saturday, February 18, 2012
A comparison of Dr. Kristopher Harrison's contracts.
On Thursday night, the Irvington Board of Education and Dr. Kristopher Harrison officially sealed the deal that the New Jersey administrator will serve as the district's next leader. The contract runs for five years—from July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2017. Harrison will start with a base annual salary of $249,124; by his fifth year, it will have increased incrementally to $264,372. By comparison, Harrison came to the Mendham Township School District in New Jersey in 2008 with a base salary of $165,800 with 3 percent increase each year, according to Asbury Park Press' staff database. Harrison's contract was renegotiated with the Mendham Township School District in 2010, after Governor Chris Christie imposed a 3 percent tax cap on …
Friday, February 17, 2012
Irvington Middle School students and teachers had a blast on Thursday, bringing everything they've learned about Ancient Greece to life.
Marching into the "olympic arena" holding the banners of the Ancient Greek city-states they represented, Irvington Middle School students were excited Thursday to escape from their daily routine and spend a day back in Ancient Greece. An interdisciplinary activity organized by teachers Carol LaBella and Stephen DiGiovanni, the sixth-grade students had the opportunity to compete in "Ancient-Greek-Style Olympics," make (and eat) traditional ancient cuisine and even re-tell Greek tragedies. Though it was school's first-ever Ancient Greece Day, activities went off without a hitch and IMS principal David Sottile was extremely proud of his staff for their enthusiasm and effort in making it such a success. Watch clips from Thursday above. Have …
41.041122
-73.864182
Irvington Middle School
40 N Broadway, Irvington, NY
/articles/chariot-races-and-toga-ed-teachers-mark-ims-first-ancient-greece-day
1256926
/locations/6399103
Dr. Kris Harrison was welcomed into Irvington community with open arms Thursday night.
In a ceremonial board meeting held in the Irvington Public Library, New Jersey Superintendent Dr. Kris Harrison was voted unanimously to lead the district, signing a contract that runs from July 1 until June 30 2017. Harrison was lauded for his commitment to student achievement, open involvement with parents and community members and attention to detail in devising district budgets. As Irvington Mayor Brian Smith said, the district has experienced turmoil in the past—which he believes has hindered its opportunity to thrive—and he and five all members of the Board of Education and the district's administration, teachers and parents, hope that Harrison's appointment will mean a new start for the Irvington Union Free School District. Watch …
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Interim Superintendent Timothy Connors and Business Director Maureen Caraballo present the proposed preliminary 2012-13 district budget to the Board of Ed. Monday.
By the Numbers: Draft Administrators' Plan: $42,708,466 Current Budget: 42,028,394 Percent Increase: 1.62% Dollar Increase: $680,072 Total Tax Rate Increase 1.98% Total Tax Levy Increase: 1.83% Tax Rate Per $1000 Assessed Value: $746.38, up $14.52 from current tax rate. ________________________________________________________ Superintendent Timothy Connors presented his preliminary budget to the Board of Education and an audience of about 20 community members Monday—many members of the Citizens' Advisory Committee and PTSA. The budget increases spending on instruction by about $300,000, a percent change of 1 percent. One of the major concerns of parents in attendance was class sizes of current sixth graders as they move to seventh grade …
Kris Harrison of the Mendeham Township School District has been named Irvington's next superintendent of schools.
The Irvington School District Sen the following announcment this morning: The Irvington Board of Education has announced that Kristopher M. Harrison will be appointed as the Superintendent of Schools on Thursday, Feb. 16, according to John Dawson, Board President. Harrison is currently the Superintendent of Schools in Mendham Township School District, N.J., a position he has held since 2008. The appointment will be effective July 1. Speaking for the Board, Dawson said: “We are extremely pleased that Dr. Harrison will be joining the Irvington School District as superintendent. Dr. Harrison impressed the Board with his vision, innovative thinking and hands-on approach to education leadership. His track record in the Mendham School District …
Monday, February 13, 2012
Hundreds of Hudson Valley wrestlers compete.
The Section One Wrestling Championships for Divisions I and II were held at Pace University in Pleasantville on Sunday. Hundreds of wrestlers from schools throughout the Hudson Valley competed across 15 weight classes. Fox Lane won the Division I team championship and Nanuet won again in Division II. Results of individual matches are with the attached photos.
41.12447
-73.806639
861 Bedford Rd, Pleasantville, NY
/articles/pace-hosts-section-one-wrestling-championships-2875cdc2
/locations/6366531
Friday, February 10, 2012
Help support the Middle School Activity Fund so that every Dobbs Ferry student has the opportunity to have exciting out-of-the-classroom experiences.
A group of Dobbs Ferry parents and teachers organized a comedy night fundraiser held Thursday to help make sure that—reguardless of his or her family's resources—every 8th-grader would be able to go on the annual trip to Washington D.C. "This year we received a $1,000 anonymous donation, so we're happy to say we have all the money we need for every kid to go to Washington," said teacher Donna Tirella, who helped organize the event. However, she said the activities fund still needs supplementing to make sure that every 6th and 7th grader can go to Medieval Times and Philidelphia—and to roll over some cash for next year's trips. Members of the People's Improv Theater company based in New York City performed sketches and played unscripted …
41.01845
-73.869532
Dobbs Ferry Middle School
505 Broadway, Dobbs Ferry, NY
/articles/dfms-fundraiser-helps-all-8th-graders-go-to-washington-video
232231
/locations/6352859
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Hillside 3rd-grader Zachary Unger performed his opening night Wednesday in an Off-Broadway revival of "Merrily We Roll Along."
For the next two weeks, Hastings' Zachary Unger will fall asleep in the car on the way home from New York City after appearing in the revival of Stephen Sondheim's musical Merrily We Roll Along at the New York City Center. Performing the role of Frank Jr., Unger is on stage only during the first act, but his mom Dana said he wouldn't miss the final bows for the world. "So we're getting a little cot for his dressing room so he can sleep during Act II and then come out for the curtain call." His parents are also bringing pajamas and a toothbrush to the theater so he can change and be ready to go to sleep right after the show. Despite having been in two professional-level productions simultaneously this month—the other was a workshop called …
J. Lynn
11:34 am on Sunday, February 19, 2012
Congratulations to all of the Irvington kids who competed. It's great that our schools are emphasizing geography and that kids now learn about distant places in a fun way. Knowing about people and cultures beyond our own is critical in our global environment. more ›