Plus results of budget vote and board elections
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
~ from Members of the CCSD Board of Education

On behalf of the Board of Education and the Administration of the Chappaqua Central School District we would like to thank the community for the overwhelming support of this year’s budget.  It is a victory for the students of the district and for education in Chappaqua.  The 82.4% of the voting community’s approval is a record pass rate for a Chappaqua budget.  We believe it is a mandate to preserve and expand educational programs while remaining fiscally responsible to the tax payer.

Saturday, November 8, 2014
~ from CCSD website

At a ceremony on October 29th, 68 students were inducted into the Cum Laude Society, which is an academic recognition program (determined by a specific GPA) for members of the senior class. Students must be enrolled in Greeley for four or more complete semesters to be eligible.

Tuesday, November 4, 2014
by Eleanor Sadik-Khan, SHARE Executive

S.H.A.R.E., or Students Have A Responsibility Everywhere, the umbrella volunteer organization at Horace Greeley High School, invites you to its fifth annual Spelling Bee, a fun fund-raiser for the Horace Greeley Scholarship Fund.

Tuesday, September 16, 2014
~from R21K *

What’s happening in the basement and am I responsible?  My tenth grader is having a party and 30 seniors are on my lawn; what do I do?  Why didn’t my daughter go to her friend’s house for the Homecoming Dance pre-party?  If you don’t have a good answer to these and other parenting questions, come join us on Tuesday, September 23 at 7:00 p.m. in the Greeley auditorium for a panel discussion on strong>The Consequences of Being Clueless: What you need to know to help your kids and you navigate the teen years safely.

Tuesday, September 2, 2014
by Alicia Kalish

The Chappaqua School Foundation (CSF) is hosting a preschool event at Kidville in Mt. Kisco on Wednesday, September 3, 2014 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. for children ages 0-5. This is the CSF’s first preschool event and is intended to help educate younger families in the District about CSF’s mission to enhance the education of Chappaqua’s students by funding meaningful initiatives beyond the scope of the school budget.

Wednesday, August 20, 2014
by Douglas Weill

Registration is now open for field hockey clinics in the Fall.  The New Castle Field Hockey Association (NCFHA) will run high quality, structured developmental programs for 3rd/4th graders and 5th/6th graders on Saturdays, from Sept. 6th through Nov. 8th.  The sessions will take place during the afternoon at the Horace Greeley High School at the Barn Field.  Specific times will be determined over the coming weeks, with consideration given to avoid conflicts with lacrosse and soccer programs.

August 22, 2014

Editor’s Note: On Wednesday of this week the following message from Greeley Principal Robert Rhodes went out to high school students and their families instructing them on how to resolve course schedule conflicts with their counselors during the week before school begins.

Thursday, May 15, 2014
~ from the Chappaqua PTA

Are you wondering whether your voice will matter at the school district budget vote on Tuesday, May 20th?  Do you think that because the Board of Education’s adopted budget stays under New York State’s tax cap that your vote is somehow less important?  Are you wondering whether a “NO” vote is a good way to communicate your personal dissatisfaction with a district decision, practice or program?  Have you wondered what would happen if the budget were voted down?

Wednesday, May 28, 2014
by Meaghan Townsend

Looking for a great way to have fun, support the environment and get involved in the New Castle community? Come to the Chappaqua Train Station on Saturday, May 31st from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. for a morning of fun and eye-opening entertainment! For the first time, Horace Greeley’s environmental club S.T.O.P. (Students and Teachers for Our Planet) will not only be hosting an exciting new art expo demonstrating the negative impact of single-use bags, but also supporting the movement to transition to more environmentally-friendly reusable ones.

Thursday, May 15, 2014
~ from the League of Women Voters of New Castle

Three candidates for one Library Board position will take part in Candidates’ Night on Thursday, May 15th, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. The event will be held at the Chappaqua Library Theater, 195 S. Greeley Avenue, Chappaqua, and is being sponsored by the League of Women Voters of New Castle. Candidates’ Night is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.

April 25, 2014
by Maggie Christ

Here in New York State, we’re in the middle of testing season. If you’re a parent of a child in grades three through eight, you know that the beginning of April brought three days of the English Language Arts tests, 70 to 90 minutes each day (depending on grade level), or, when you factor in set-up time, roughly five hours out of the week devoted to testing. Testing continues next week, with three days of NYS math tests, for a similar amount of time. Also, not only do the children miss instructional time while they’re taking the tests, their teachers are pulled out of class to score the exams, and substitutes have to be hired (at an additional cost to the school system).

April 4, 2014
by Victoria Tipp, on behalf of the Chappaqua Central School District Board of Education members Jeffrey Mester, President; Karen Visser, Vice-President, Alyson Kiesel, Warren Messner, Victoria Tipp

A significant number of laws and regulations (commonly referred to as “mandates”) are formulated at the state and national level without input, feedback, or cost-benefit analysis from local school districts, and often result in unintended negative educational and fiscal consequences. Our elected representatives are better informed about local concerns and their magnitude, and are most likely to respond when they hear directly from individual constituents. We encourage you to contact them.

March 14, 2014
by Christine Yeres

When Board of Ed and Town Board officials met on Wednesday to talk about issues common to both, BoE President Jeffrey Mester brought up the recurring “Sell Bell” mantra and asked Superintendent Lyn McKay to explain why it’s not in the cards.  They also discussed development at Chappaqua Crossing and Summit Greenfield’s tax certiorari claims totaling $6.5 million.

Spring sports began today!
Monday, March 10, 2014
~ from the CCSD Board of Education

In its February 26 meeting, the Board of Ed made the following spring coaching appointments.

Monday, March 3, 2014
by Christine Yeres

Last Tuesday, Superintendent Lyn McKay presented her proposed budget of $116,856,988 for School Year 2014-2015, an increase over the current year’s budget of $ 2,028,900 or 1.77%.  The budget shows a loss of 12.2 “full-time equivalent” teaching positions, corresponding, according to McKay, to population shifts at the three school levels.  Figures for the next school year show 27 fewer elementary students, 60 fewer middle school students, but an increase of 46 students at the high school. 

Monday, March 3, 2014
by Christine Yeres

Last Tuesday’s Board of Ed meeting was packed, not so much by budget-watchers, but by students, parents and one parent-and-teacher who had all come to plead that the Board find a way to retain tech teacher and wrestling coach Mike DeBellis in next year’s budget.  John Harrison, a resident of Chappaqua with three children (one in the wrestling program) in CCSD and Chair of the History Department at Scarsdale High School, told board members a story of “how my own professional life has benefited by some of the decisions this school district has made over the last few years.”

February 21, 2014
by Jeffrey Mester

Dear Editor,

You recently published an article by me updating the community on upcoming events in February.  I would like to follow-up that article with a reminder that this Wednesday, February 26th at 7:30 p.m. immediately following the public hearing on the Veterans Tax Exemption, Superintendent Lyn McKay will be presenting her proposed budget for the 2014-15 school year to the Board of Education and the community.

The district would like to invite ALL members of the community, those with children in the district and those without, to attend and provide feedback.  As always, there will be a chance for the public to comment and ask questions immediately following the presentation.

February 21, 2014
by Jeffrey Mester, President
CCSD Board of Education

Editor’s Note: The Board of Education’s public hearing for the Veterans’ Tax Exemption has been rescheduled for 7:00 p.m. this Wednesday, February 26, in Greeley’s Academic Commons.  Assistant Superintendent for Business John Chow has estimated that enactment of the exemption might cost an average $60 per property, per year.

As a follow-up to my article published on February 3, again we encourage members of the community to attend the meeting at 7:00 p.m. this Wednesday, February 26, and give us feedback.  Because there is a legislative deadline of March 1st there is a distinct possibility that the Board will be voting on a resolution either at the hearing or later that evening at the regularly scheduled Board meeting.

Info Sessions on Tue. Feb. 11 and Thu. Feb. 13
February 7, 2014
by Warren Hart

If you’ve ever had a visit from the Chappaqua Volunteer Ambulance Corps, you may have noticed a high school student as part of the crew. The CVAC Youth Corps is made up of 22 juniors and seniors who help on calls and who help keep the ambulances ready to respond. It’s a great opportunity for students to grow, build skills, and help their community.

February 1, 2014
by Christine Yeres

Remember the old “Contrast and compare . . . ” assignments?  From time to time, I find it instructive to look in on Scarsdale’s “hyper-local” news coverage.  With our Town Board and Board of Ed members meeting jointly next week—at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 5, at Greeley’s Academic Commons—I checked to see what Scarsdale is thinking and talking about.

A “high-performance” school district with roughly the same population and number of households as New Castle, Scarsdale is grappling with some of the same issues that are front-and-center here, too: Pressure from Governor Cuomo to consolidate services; prodigious school budgets (Scarsdale had to go to its public for approval a second time last year); and property revaluation (well on its way to completion, now with a debate about whether to tax condos as single-fee).  This is a take-home exam—take-home and open-book!

Monday, February 3, 2014
by Katri Backman-Koster

On Thursday, February 6th at 7:00 p.m. the Greeley PTA is hosting a New Driver Orientation for students and parents in the Greeley Auditorium.  While this event is targeted primarily to students who have recently turned or will soon turn 16, we strongly encourage all new drivers to attend prior to applying for senior year parking privilege at Greeley.

January 31, 2014
by Ellen Davis

Get ready to board the S.S. American for a fun filled cruise as the Seven Bridges Theater Company gets ready to set sail with “Anything Goes.”  You will certainly “Get a Kick” out of the performances on Friday, February 7th at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, February 8th at 7:30 p.m. and a Sunday matinee, February 9th at 2:00 p.m.