Best wishes to Florence O’Connorwho accepted a position asAssistant Superintendent forCurriculum and Instruction andProfessional Personnel with theYorktown Central School District,beginning Feb. 5.

She has served the Elmsfordschools for the past five years asAssistant Superintendent forInstructional Services. “I will missthe families, students, staff andcommunity of Elmsford,” she said.“There is fine curriculum andinstructional work taking place atthe current time. I know that thiswill continue and grow under theleadership of the superintendent, Dr. Franks-Randall.” Mrs. O’Connorshared that Yorktown is her homedistrict. A search is under way forher replacement. Serving as InterimAssistant Superintendent is AnnBrennan, an experienced school district administrator.

All the best!

5

Dr. Heidi Hayes Jacobs, renowned educational author and consultant, addressedElmsford School District teachers and staff members during Superintendent’sConference Day in late November. The Westchester resident is an expert on pro-viding instructional strategies to encourage critical thinking and strategic planning.

Her two-hour presentation acknowl-edged the challenges that both districtsand teachers face, including how, shesaid, “New York State standards arewritten as though every student spokeEnglish.”

The author of several books, includingthe recently published “Active LiteracyAcross the Curriculum: Strategies forReading, Writing, Speaking andListening,” holds a doctorate fromColumbia University’s TeachersCollege, but the fundamental backboneof her experience comes from her yearsas a teacher of high school, junior highschool, and elementary children inUtah, Massachusetts and New York.

“Elementary school teachers have toknow and teach every subject as thoughthey were Leonardo da Vinci,” she said.

During her presentation, she included analogies that stressed the importance of curriculum mapping and the need to use precise language in instruction. Curriculummaps are being utilized in the Elmsford public schools in mathematics, Englishlanguage arts, science and social studies.

The use of curriculum maps (what is actually taught and when) and communica-tion allows teachers to produce data that helps to make cumulative revisions ininstruction. By sharing data, teachers see what curriculum is being taught in otherclassrooms, as well as what was taught in previous years, and what might be taughtthe following year.

Dr. Jacobs also offered some practical strategies that teachers could use to improvereading and writing in every class. “Every teacher is a language teacher,” she said.“She was absolutely the best speaker we have ever had,” said art teacher Leah Sanft.

Dr. Jacobs is returning to the District for a half-day session on April 27. “We tryvery hard to provide sustained, ongoing staff development opportunities for ourstaff,” said Dr. Carol Franks-Randall, superintendent of the Elmsford School District.

Educator Heidi Hayes Jacobs Visits Elmsford Schools

‘Every teacher is a language teacher.’

Dr. Heidi Hayes Jacobs (l.) with Dr. Franks-Randall.

Elmsford NY 10523

ResidentElmsford NY 10523

Debra Keiser, Editor

ElmsfordPublic

Schools

Non-Profit Org.

U.S. POSTAGE PAID

White Plains, NY 10610

Permit #2013

Blue dotted line shows tri-fold

Alexander Hamilton High SchoolSecond Marking Period

HIGH HONORSAjit Alexander Ebere AnokuteElvia BacaEugene BenderSydney BridgesJuan Carlos CadavidShannon CoombsDavid CossAiyana CrewsLadora A. CromwellJohn FlorioVicky GarciaKathleen GonzalezVelisha GuillaumeJordan HartwigMadeline HirshamRichard HooperJoby JacobAllison JanosDanny JoseNicole KeeneJoel KuruvillaLivia KuruvilaCollin MarianoKavitha Mathew Kesiah MathewZuleima MazoEdward MenendezSoe L. NaingHashem Nasarat

Lynne OnyenehoMilton PautaSara PhilipBenjamin RajanMeagen RiveraPablo RosasNicole Sartori Jessica SatinJulia SatinRebecca Soto Adrian TenuichAlishya ThomasAnish ThomasTancy ThomasRussell TobiasCassandra TreppedaNixon VacacelaShani VargheseSheena VargheseChristopher-Jesse VillanuevaSarah WolinJesse Young

HONORSJovanna M. Albino Bellame AlfaroNeel AnandRichard BeaumontEugene BenderJohn J. CoxRuben K. Cromwell

Deamountria M. DalyRamon DeJesusRebecca DiChiaraJuan Carlos GarciaKazia GarveyChristopher GonzalezJavier GuzmanThomas J. HensonCraig JacobyMichael JanosKirstine T. JessamyDanny JoseDeepthi JoseThomas KearnsJamal LightbourneShereen LightbourneBriana McGheeSusan-Leigh MullerVarun NairMatthew OnyenehoHarold OspinaBryan RamoDylan RazackMatthew B. RiosRebecca RoseKirti SahniErnesto SanchezShanice ShulerShannon StricklandAllen ThomasAlvin Thomas

Jensine ThomasSharon ThomasSherin ThomasStephanie ValcarcelAlison M. Van DetteSheena VargheseAshley VarugheseLouis Villa LariosBryana WilsonSarah WolinA’Jenai Young

CREDIT ROLLAmanda AlzamoreAtiimley A. AtaandeElvia O. BacaLeticia BarrientosJaranea DavisEsosa EkhatorDiane FajardoAndris GomezChristopher GonzalezShea GrahamJonathan HuynhJoji JabobLaura B. JanosKassandra JessamyScott JonesMartha LaneJairo LariosChloe Lemonier

Anthony LopezCameron MarinoEdwin MatailoSharika MathewGenoveffa Mazzella Jenelle MingoArun NairGina Orzuna-RamirezStanley M. PautaSebastian PuertaShaina RajanMichel RavanelliAndrew RazackBetsy SaavedraStanley SamuelStephen SamuelJonathan SchofieldCaridad SchwarzOmar ShellahAna TabaresDerrick VallejosAnnet VarugheseKevin VegaAmanda Watt Bryana WilsonJosh WolinSeth WolinSindi Zhinin

Alice E. Grady Elementary SchoolSecond Marking Period

HIGH HONORSAshley DacostaTyler FernandezGloria FieldsPeter FlemisterCourtney GlickKenya IsabellRobin JessamyD'Yandra LongGopika MathewTerry McDonaldAna Karen Ortiz FloresPrince PaulSakib Rasul

Lily-Suzanne VillanuevaAlana Watt

HONORSMarissa AliceaFelice AprileJanel BatisteTristan BellAngelene Belle DimaanoBradley FennellNicolle GiraldoJusnimrat KohliShawn KuruvilaJovanni LlewellynAden Nasarat

Jenny PaucayAram PeersSteena SamuelAshley ScottAlexandra TeniuchJames TobiasAiyana-Mei TomShiva UnnithanAngel VacacelaJoshua VargheseAdriana Yeosock

CREDIT ROLLIsaac AlexanderKaren Blanco

Christopher CarrenoJay ChawlaJanett ChuchucaKrystal ClarkeChristopher CloughLucas CollazoGiselle CornejoCelina CossShanelle GonzalesChristian GonzalezDalia-Andreya GuallpaMaia HoodTahmel MortonFerial Naber

Andrea Nunez CaicedoMario OlivaJason OrtizChristian PachecoMichelle PalmaSheffin RajanVictor RamirezDair RamirezAlan RoblesEdward SottileShawn ThomasVerenice TorresAndrew VallejosJustin Vega

The information superhighway haspaved a path to the Elmsford schools,and the District has thrown open thedoors to welcome the wheels of change.With changing technology and new for-mats, the District is providing a spring-board to advance student learning. It isstudents’ needs that drive change andgrowth. Comprehensive instructionmore strongly prepares them for a con-stantly shifting technological world.

In classrooms across the District, stu-dents are engaged in their education,using technology in ways that make thecurriculum interactive and exciting.From the Carl L. Dixson and the AliceE. Grady schools, where SMART

Boards have been changing instruction,to the Alexander Hamilton High Schoolwith its digital music lab, students arelearning to use the latest technology,and becoming comfortable inte-grating the technology into otherareas of learning.

Using a three-year technologyplan as a guide, the District’sinnovative initiatives are takingElmsford Schools into the tech-nological revolution, leading ourstudents through the 21st century.

The initiatives are largely directedby the technology committee —a group of teachers, administra-tors and parents – who are con-

stantly engaged in conversation abouthow to best use technology to the stu-dents’ benefit. The committee meets

Dear Elmsford Community,

This issue of Report Card focuses on the new teachers we have hired to educate our mostprecious resource—our students. Our applicants undergo a rigorous, multi-step interviewprocess, and only the most capable candidates prevail and are hired by the district.Whether they are new to the profession or come to us with experience, they are assignedto a colleague who acts as a mentor and helps them acclimate to the Elmsford schoolcommunity. We take great pride in our instructional staff’s ability to provide engagingand enriching learning opportunities for our students. As the year progresses, if you haveany questions, please don’t hesitate to contact any member of our staff at 592-8440.

Sincerely,

Carol Franks-Randall, Ed.D.Superintendent of Schools

Nicole Bissent (l.) and Michelle Suda are among students who use the library-media center for researchand projects.

ElmsfordPublic

Schools

ElmsfordPublic

Schools

MARCH 2007MARCH 2007

TECHNOLOGY TOOLSPut tudents in the Vanguard . . . and into the World

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formally every month after school, aswell as informally on an ad hoc basis.

The framework for the technology planhas worked well, and, in this culminatingyear of the 2004-2007 Technology Plan,the District has reached many of thegoals set forth three years ago. From thecreation of a solid infrastructure to theintegration of that technology in theclassroom, the District is on target.

“We are very happy with having met thefirst set of goals we set for ourselves asa District, and we feel the students arethriving in this technological culture,”said Richard MacLeish, AHHS scienceteacher and computer coordinator.

Bringing all the computers into oneinformation network was essential andhas been among the District’s manyachievements. With the help of MarkBarone, network/technological coor-

dinator, the information network hasbeen standardized. Upgrades havebeen made, accommodating the con-stantly changing needs of the stu-dents and teachers.

Mr. Barone, who holds technical certifications in several areas, con-siders himself the guy behind thescenes. “I am in the background, butI make sure the computer workswhen you turn it on, and I fix itwhen it doesn’t. My job is to keepthe whole District humming,” he said.With a stable network and a robust emailsystem, students and teachers can com-municate easily and swiftly.

Additionally, through SASI and IEPDirect (the District’s student manage-

ment systems), data canbe accessed for informa-tion such as attendance,assessments and grades.Tracking this informationis imperative, in part dueto the No Child LeftBehind legislation thatmakes districts account-able for decisions. Now,test results and other student performance datacan be reported and ana-lyzed on an ongoing basis.

David Leis, systems datamanager, links the datafrom the internal data systems to instruction and curriculum inorder to improve student performance.“Through technology, new tools areavailable that provide us with the capac-

ity to critically evaluate the effective-ness of our curriculum and close thegaps between classroom instruction andstudent performance,” he said.

The availability of these new data toolswill foster a community of empowered

teachers who can utilize the data as a tool to deliver high quality content.They will also be able to design customized lessons directly focused ontheir students’ needs resulting in higherstudent achievement.

The use of technology may be mostapparent as it is utilized in the class-rooms. The District now has 24 SMARTBoards. “My ultimate goal is to have a SMART Board in every classroom,”said Dr. Carol Franks-Randall, superin-tendent of the Elmsford School District.“Initially, teachers applied for them,and they became so popular that nowwe have a waiting list of teachers whohave requested them.”

The interactive whiteboards use a digital projector to show the computerimage on a touch-sensitive display

(board) that connects to the computer.The teacher controls computer applica-tions directly from the board, writesnotes in digital ink and can save thework for later discussion or projects.Students also manipulate images on

Students concentrate on social studies in new mobile computer lab.

TECHNOLOGY TOOLS continued

ElmsfordPublic Schools

www.elmsd.org

the actual board with their fingers orelectronic markers, and because the system uses a projector, the lesson isopened up to the whole class.

Pam Davis, computer coordinator atAlice E. Grady, who is also on thetechnology committee, is “one of theDistrict pioneers of technology,” saidDr. Franks-Randall.

Dr. Davis worked on creating a newmodel for staff development to supportthe technological changes, including theboards. “There is so much technologyreadily available that teachers sometimesneed training to feel comfortable usingit,” said Dr. Davis. As new technology isintroduced, the goal remains to educatethe teachers so that they will more readilyuse these tools.

She spearheaded a program with theEdith Winthrop Teacher Center throughwhich teachers could receive an in-serv-ice credit as they learn how to integratethe SMART Board technology into theirinstruction. While the technology isuser-friendly, it requires that teachers

receive training in how to navigateSMART Notebook software, organizefiles, import images and links, exploreinteractive sites and use the Board withMicrosoft Office applications (Word,Excel, and PowerPoint).

Participants also received training forother resources such as Marco Polo, asearch engine that provides multi-medialesson plans, and Power Media Plus, aWNET resource that utilizes video content for computer use.

Another initiative that Dr. Davis piloted is Robotics, a cooperative ven-ture with Pace University, where college

students come to theGrady school and buildrobots with our students.The program taughtbasic mechanical engi-neering concepts to stu-dents in grades 4, 5 and6. “We learned somuch,” said Dr. Davis.“Concepts like theimportance of symmetry,the relationship betweenaxles and movement,torque, and ratios of sizeto speed all became verytactile. And then ofcourse, there’s all theteamwork.”

Parents will see thetechnology in action asthey access “Moodle” (http://moodle.elmsd.org),which allows teachers tocreate individual websites for their classes,and parents to check onsuch items as daily homework. All of

these tools are here to help stretchcommunication as far as possible.

In this final year of the technologyplan, the committee is charged withdeveloping the next plan. “Now it’stime to look ahead as we develop thenext technology plan that will take us to2010,” said Mr. MacLeish. The Districtcurrently has excellent resources: twocomputer labs, a mobile computer labwith 22 laptops in the social studiesdepartment, and four computers in eachEnglish classroom. Equipping the mathand science departments is next, and possibly a library update as well.

“The next plan is still being developed,and there is room for change, but rightnow, for 2008-09, we foresee integratingvoice mail into email and more

SmartBoards at Grady and Dixson,”said Mr. MacLeish. He also sees video-on-demand (VOD) as an asset.

In 2009–10, amobile com-puter lab in theelementaryschools could be apossibility and, bythen, the computerupgrade cycle will start all over again.

As the world gets more complicated, theElmsford School District will continueto be in the vanguard. Deciding what isin the best interest of the children is ourmain priority. Their future needs areconstantly changing, but by makingtechnological advances, the Districtsupplies them with the tools to educatethemselves at a higher standard.

The digital music lab is an example of today’s technology inElmsford schools. The high school music lab is used to teachgeneral music to grades 7 and 8, and then in grades 9 to 12,students learn how to write their own music.

In recording studio, Jefferson Giraldo, grade 9, is instructed by Paul Benben in the elements of Garage Band, a software program that allows students to create their own music using thecomputer. Mr. Benben, AHHS music teacher and band director,has been working with computers and technology for more than20 years, with more than 90 credits in computer-assistedinstruction.

3

Moodle home page, where parents can checkon their children’s assignments.

4

Alice E. Grady Elementary SchoolFirst Marking Period

HIGH HONORSMarissa AliceaTristan BellAshley DacostaTyler FernandezCourtney GlickKenya IsabellRobin JessamyD'Yandra LongGopika MathewAna Karen Ortiz FloresPrince PaulJoshua VargheseLily-Suzanne Villanueva

HONORSFelice AprileAna Maria BabativaJay ChawlaCelina CossAngelene Belle DimaanoBradley FennellGloria FieldsPeter FlemisterShanelle GonzalesShawn KuruvilaTerry McDonaldAden NasaratMario Oliva

Jason OrtizChristian PachecoJenny PaucaySheffin RajanSakib RasulSteena SamuelAshley ScottAlexandra TeniuchAshley ThomasJames TobiasAiyana-Mei TomShiva UnnithanAndrew VallejosAlana WattAdriana Yeosock

CREDIT ROLLJanel BatisteNateisha BennettKaren BlancoMikayla BrownChristopher CarrenoDerrick James ChangKrystal ClarkeChristopher CloughLucas CollazoGiselle CornejoKadidia EdwardsSavannah GlaabDalia-Andreya Guallpa

Maia HoodJared KeeneJoseph KuriakoseJovanni LlewellynFerial NaberAndrea Nunez CaicedoZachery OsbourneJessica PaladioMichelle PalmaAram PeersAparajita RajamahantyAlan RoblesJason ThompsonNicole Velasco

Alexander Hamilton High SchoolFirst Marking Period

HIGH HONORSAjit AlexanderBellame Alfaro Eugene BenderJuan Carlos CadavidShannon T. CoombsDavid Coss Matthew DarlingRamon DeJesusEsosa Ekhator John FlorioVicky Garcia Zachary A.Glick Christopher GonzalezKathleen R.GonzalesMarielle A. GonzalesJordan A. HartwigMadeline HirshanJoby JacobCraig JacobyAllison M. Janos Joel R. KuruvillaLivia G. KuruvilaCollin MarianoKavitha MathewKesiah MathewZuleima MazoBriana McGheeSoe L. NaingHashem NasaratLynne N. OnyenehoMatthew OnyenehoHarold OspinaSara PhilipBenjamin RajanAndrew RazackMatthew B. RiosMeagen Rivera Nicole SartoriJessica L. SatinJulia Satin Rebecca SotoShannon N. StricklandAlvin Thomas

Jensine Thomas Russell TobiasShani VargheseSheena VargheseChristopher-Jesse VillanuevaSarah WolinJesse R. Young

HONORSSherin AbrahamAtiimley A. AtaandeElvia O. BacaRichard BeaumontSydney BridgesAnthony ColeBriana A. CoombsLadora A. Cromwell Aiyana Crews Diane FajardoEmely FortunaJuan Carlos GarciaJennifer Glen Shea GrahamVelisha GuillaumeJavier GuzmanRichard E. HooperLaura B. JanosMichael JanosKirstine T. JessamyScott JonesDanny JoseDeepthi JoseLorena JuarezThomas Kearns Nicole KeeneSherenn LightbourneEdward MenendezSusan-Leigh MullerArun NairVarun NairGina Orzuna-RamirezMilton PautaLeslie Pena Dylan Razack

Marco RosasPablo RosasKirti SahniErnesto SanchezOmar L. ShellahAdrian J. TeniuchAlishya S. ThomasAnish ThomasSharon ThomasSherin ThomasDenisse ValcarcelStephanie ValcarcelAshley VarugheseKevin VegaAmanda C. WattA’Jenai YoungBriana M. Zambrano

CREDIT ROLLPatrick AdrianoJovanna M. AlbinoEduardo AlvarezAmanda AlzamoraWilliam BarksdaleLeticia B. BarrientosShantel BeckfordRoniece L. BridgeSade BrownNadrica S. ByfieldChris ChontaBrittanny CorderoRuben K. CromwellDeamountria M. DalyAraseli Enriquez Solange G. EscobarErrol D. FordeKazia Garvey Thomas J. HensonKeysha IsabellCeaira J. JessamyKassandra JessamyJessica KearnsJairo LariosJamal Lightbourne

Edwin J. MatailoGenoveffa MazzellaAdam MelonJenelle MingoBrent C. MorantStanley M. PautaStessa PeersKerri-Lynn QuinnShaina S. RajanBryan RamoNicole M. RamoMadalyn N. RiosAriel RobinsonRebecca RoseBetsy SaavedraStanley SamuelDeborah SeguraShanice D. ShulerTancy ThomasAlison M. VanDetteDerrick VallejosLouis S. Villa LariosAprille YoungArielle YoungJoshua Wolin

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