Your Letters: In Support of Scarsdale Teachers
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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Dear Editor: This week, May 6-10, is Teacher Appreciation Week. The Scarsdale Parent Teacher Council Executive Committee expresses our gratitude for the incredible work of the faculty and staff at the seven Scarsdale Schools. This week, all of our building-level PTAs are engaging in special events and initiatives to show staff members how much they are appreciated. Our community’s teachers and staff members devote so much time, care, and effort to support and further the learning and enrichment of our children. Every year sees joys, routines, complexities and challenges, and our Scarsdale teachers show dedication, strength, and purpose. The PT Council Executive Committee wishes all of Scarsdale’s teachers a great week and a smooth and fulfilling last few months of the school year.
Best wishes,
The PT Council Executive Committee:
Leah Dembitzer, PTC President
Meryl Satler, PTC President Elect
Jeanette Rosen, PTC Secretary
Rokaya Hassaballa, PTC Treasurer
Beth Cukier, SHS PTA President
Tina Lin, SMS PTA President
Ammr Vandal, Edgewood PTA Co-President
Jeanine Cole, Edgewood PTA Co-President
Jeannie Adashek, Fox Meadow PTA Co-President
Leena Gyftopoulos, Fox Meadow PTA Co-President
Jen Galeon, Greenacres PTA President
Debbie Bhatt, Heathcote PTA President
Erica German, Quaker Ridge PTA President
Scarsdale Parents Band Together to Sign the Wait Until 8th Pledge
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- Written by Wendy MacMillan
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The “Wait Until 8th” pledge, a movement by parents to delay getting a smartphone for their children until the end of 8th grade, is gaining momentum within our Scarsdale community. Last week, Social Worker Lauren Tetenbaum Dorman wrote a Letter To The Editor in which she described the pledge as one way that parents can work together to help our children to be happy, healthy, inclusive, included, and safe.
This week we have learned that parents from kindergarten through 5th grade are banding together and promising to sign the Wait Until 8th pledge including families from Quaker Ridge with students in second grade and fourth grade, families from Greenacres with students in Kindergarten, first grade, thirrd grade and fifth grade, and families at Fox Meadow with students in first grade.
We reached out to Sharon Mayeri Chesler, a Greenacres parent who is helping to spearhead the movement here in Scarsdale for more information about the pledge and why she thinks it is important for our children and our community.
Why is taking the Wait Until 8th pledge important to you and your family?
Chesler: “I see the harm that comes from kids having access to smartphones -- it's addictive (adults have trouble putting their phones down) and distracting, there is access to inappropriate content, and kids can be cruel (in general) and that is exacerbated by the ability to do it anonymously. I understand the need to give your child a phone so you can contact them if they want to stay late after school, but that doesn't require them to have access to a smartphone or unlimited texting.”
Why do you think others should join you in the pledge?
Chesler: “There was a tech discussion at SMS a few months ago and they showed this chart:
The fact that in sixth, seventh and eighth grade 10%-15% of the reason kids got phones was to fit in with other friends who have cell phones, really resonated with me. This is something we can fix if we work together as a community to make our kids healthier and happier.”
Do you have a sense of how many people at Greenacres are willing to take the pledge?
Chesler: “Yes, right now we have 29% of 5th graders, 28% of third graders and 41% of Kindergarteners who have signed. I think the earlier we start sharing this pledge with parents the better. We need the PTA and School District to help us get the word out -- so that when kids get to middle school this isn't the norm.”
Kristen Zakierski, another Greenacres parent, said she is happy to sign the pledge because, “Our primary job as parents is to keep our kids safe - physically and psychologically. The negative impact of smartphones is abundantly clear and delaying their access and educating them about technology is part of that job. It was a no-brainer to me and my husband to make this pledge.”
It seems Zakierski and Chesler are not alone in their concerns about young children having access to too much technology.
Ariana Green, a mother of three in Fox Meadow writes: "At Fox Meadow, we are starting a new group, Go Slow on Tech, because norms around here must change. Scarsdale parents are giving kids devices and access to platforms much too early. Friends with middle schoolers and high schoolers I've spoken with in cities throughout the country say where they live parents are scaling back and only giving their kids flip phones. It's time for that here.
The data is in: The social media-addicted guinea pig kids are not alright. We want to give kids back their childhoods and parents back their tweens and teens. We are thrilled that Wait Until 8th pledges are active in at least three of the elementary schools [I can confirm FM, QR, GA, could be more], meaning parents agree to wait until at least eighth grade to allow kids to be on social media.
The tech companies have figured out a way to make their platforms engrossing and addictive, especially for kids with developing brains and stronger cravings for social acceptance.
It's normal that not everyone gets invited to the ice cream shop or a sleepover. It's not normal that an eleven year old has to witness being left out in real time, as Snapchat shows everyone's location and then kids post TikTok videos of their group sleepover dates for all to see."
Another parent, Courtney Hunter, detailed for us the real-world reasons she believes delaying access to smartphones is critical to the mental health of our children. She writes, “In my professional capacity, I am the VP, Public Policy for Crisis Text Line and a volunteer crisis counselor. Crisis Text Line is a national nonprofit providing free, 24/7 mental health support and crisis intervention services via text, chat and WhatsApp. We receive approximately 4,000 texts per day mostly from young people struggling with anxiety, depression, stress, and other issues like eating disorders, self harm, and bullying. Through this work, I've gotten a front row seat to the challenges that young people are facing today. Smartphones and social media have exacerbated these challenges. Unfortunately, we experimented on an entire generation of young people's developing brains and the outcomes have been horrific. Suicide is now the second leading cause of death for youth, eating disorders and self harm are on the rise.
The pledge is critically important because the only way to limit the harms of smartphones and social media is through collective action. If we are not fearful of our children being left out, we will be less likely to give in and get them smartphones. It's not about limiting communication, but rather, increasing their ability to develop connection. The lack of in real life connection is what is propelling the mental health challenges and the loneliness epidemic we are currently facing. With smartphones, comes access to the internet and inevitably, social media. Even if the apps are not downloaded, the content can be accessible without accounts and there are no limits on advertising to young people. It's like giving a vape pen to a child and saying "I'm not giving you the cartridges to smoke." They still can find the means to access the harmful content.
We have enough research to know how detrimental smartphones are to developing brains, enough to know now what the tech executives have known for years and why they won't allow their own children to have them. However, what we do with that research is up to us. We have the power and ability to change the trajectory of our children's future if we act together. I'm sure the families that are suing social media companies for the death of their children to suicide, eating disorders, fentanyl poisoning, etc. would like the opportunity that is presented to us now.
In terms of an outcome, I am hoping we can come together as a community and stand united to give our children the best future possible. We have been promoting the pledge through word of mouth and emails to other parents in the community, starting with our children's classmates. The opposition I have heard so far is that it's been a right of passage for those entering middle school (6th grade) to get a smartphone. I think for parents with older children that have already given those children a smartphone, it's hard to walk it back now for their younger children which I totally understand.
My question to those in opposition is "what's the downside?" in signing the pledge if we all act together? And yes, we can all get them flip phones, they still make them.”
Courtney Engel, a parent from Fox Meadow who has also signed the pledge, had this to say: “The Wait til 8th Pledge empowers parents to delay giving children a smartphone until 8th grade. Parents can still give their children smartwatches, basic phones, iPads, video games, and screen time.
The beauty of the pledge is that it only comes into effect when ten or more families from the same grade in each school sign. Those families are then contacted and their emails exchanged to kickstart communication and connection. It essentially helps families make a choice that maybe wasn’t as popular in the past by creating a new norm that is also acceptable.
Quaker Ridge second grade was one of the first grades I saw that promoted the effort. And now both Kindergarten and second grade in Fox Meadow have taken the pledge and the list is growing daily. This is very much word of mouth from many parents - and yes, ironically being promoted on social media.
By signing the Wait til 8th Pledge as early as Kindergarten - parents are now able to set their own personal limits with smartphones and social media, and one that hopefully won’t stifle socialization with their peers given that others are on board.”
For more information about the Wait Until 8th pledge see here (https://www.waituntil8th.org/)
Hoff-Barthelson Music School Announces Youth Orchestra Placement Auditions – Register by April 30
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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Hoff-Barthelson Music School is thrilled to announce Placement Auditions for its prestigious Youth Orchestra Program. The Placement Auditions present a unique opportunity for aspiring musicians in grades 2-12 to showcase their talents and become part of a vibrant musical community. Whether your child is a budding virtuoso or just beginning their musical journey, there's a place for everyone in Hoff-Barthelson’s orchestral family!
Placement Auditions are not limited to string players; the School welcomes wind, brass, and percussion instrument enthusiasts to participate as well. Embracing diversity enriches the School’s orchestral family, and the School eagerly anticipates the opportunity to explore placements for wind, brass, and percussion students within our orchestras or other ensembles.
The primary objective of the Placement Auditions is to identify the most suitable ensemble for each student, taking into account their age and skill level to ensure a rewarding experience.
Hoff-Barthelson prioritizes nurturing each musician's unique talents, fostering both musical and personal growth. By joining the HBMS Orchestra Program, participants will:
• Enhance musical skills through regular performances and rehearsals.
• Forge friendships and a sense of belonging by socializing with peers who share their passion for music.
• Experience personal development in a supportive and encouraging environment.
Placement Auditions will be conducted on the following dates at the School, located at 25 School Lane, in Scarsdale, NY.
• Sunday, May 5: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
• Tuesday, May 7: 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm
• Thursday, May 9: 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm
• Friday, May 10: 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm
The registration deadline is Tuesday, April 30, 2024.
"We are excited to welcome students of all levels to audition for our Youth Orchestra Program," said Gabriella Sanna, the School’s Executive Director. "Our goal is to provide a supportive and nurturing environment where young musicians can develop their skills and passion for music."
To register for a time slot and to obtain detailed information and audition requirements visit https://hbms.org/youth-orchestras/, call 914-723-1169, or email [email protected].
Don't miss your chance to embark on a remarkable musical journey with Hoff-Barthelson Music School's Youth Orchestra Program.
About Hoff-Barthelson Music School
Hoff-Barthelson Music School has achieved national recognition as a premier community music school for its unsurpassed leadership in education, performance, and community service. With a faculty drawn from the region’s most talented teachers and performers, Hoff-Barthelson has long been one of Westchester County’s most cherished cultural resources. At Hoff-Barthelson, students find a warm, friendly music school dedicated to the highest education, performance, and community service standards. Students of all ages, aptitudes, and interest levels enjoy a supportive, joyful learning environment; a focus on the whole person; exceptional teaching; and a multifaceted curriculum.
Hoff-Barthelson Music School is proud to be a grantee of ArtsWestchester with funding made possible by the Westchester County government with the support of County Executive George Latimer. Programs are made possible, in part, with support from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.
Photo: Hoff-Barthelson Music School Orchestra students perform at Purchase College. Photo by Steven Schnur.
As The Pendulum Swings Back Towards Testing, Colleges Are Looking To External Assessments Such As AP And Regents Exams
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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(The following was submitted by Harris Zakarin of Regents Review)
Since the start of the pandemic, the biggest news story over the past few years as it relates to high school students has been the shift by colleges to permit students to apply on a test optional basis, i.e., without submitting test scores. It was a quick and immediate shift from traditional college admissions. Almost all colleges across the country (with only few exceptions) permitted students to apply without submitting any test score, including ACT, SAT or AP scores.
That story is starting to change. We are seeing more and more colleges re-examine their admission policies. The pendulum is starting to shift back, albeit slowly, with some colleges, and more likely to follow, requiring test scores as part of the application package as a way of establishing objective measures of student success.
Among the reasons for this shift in policy is the ever increasing skepticism by colleges in relation to high school students’ grade point averages. Grade inflation is real and, as a result, a student’s GPA on its own, while important, is becoming less of a reliable indicator to predict college success. In an October 2023 Inside Higher Ed article, a quote from Emory University’s Dean of Admissions crystalized the problem with grades. He stated that, “[w]e’re not as trusting, frankly, of GPA these days…. Students are trying their hardest…but grades are definitely inflated and not as connected to true class performance as they used to be.”
Data-driven research has caused several universities to update their admission policies. While many universities may remain “test optional” and may not require an ACT or SAT score, they have indicated that, without such a score, they are looking for other external assessments, such as AP scores.
Most recently, Dartmouth announced that it will require students to submit an SAT or ACT score. MIT and Georgetown have already made the shift to requiring applicants to submit these test scores. And Yale announced that it is now “test flexible” and will require applicants to submit scores, which can include either an SAT/ACT score or, in the alternative, scores from AP/IB exams.
And it’s not only the top-tier private universities that are making this shift. Large public institutions have similarly done so. The public universities in Florida, even during the height of the pandemic, always required test scores. More recently, the University of Georgia has reinstituted testing requirements, as has the public universities in Tennessee. UNC-Chapel Hill and UT Austin suggested that they would reinstate testing, and given the shifting environment, it appears likely that they will revisit their plans to do so.
So…what does all of this mean as it relates to AP exams? Colleges are looking for objective measures to validate a student’s grades. For example, while Emory University currently remains test optional for admissions, its Dean of Admissions has stated that the institution is “weighing ‘external assessment’ more heavily than GPA, with a particular focus on AP scores.” Inside Higher Ed October 2023. Likewise, Yale University’s new policy, while requiring test scores, allows students to choose between submitting an ACT/SAT score, or AP scores. If choosing to submit AP scores, the application should include scores from all AP exams that were taken. Yale instituted this policy because it found that, among other reasons, testing can reinforce high school grades.
For similar reasons, scores from Regents exams taken by high school students in New York are likewise important. While these scores are not specifically submitted to colleges by an applicant, they appear on high school transcripts and can clearly be examined by an admissions officer. These external assessments can assist in reinforcing the grades that students receive in their core classes.
Given this apparent shift in admission policies, current high school juniors, as well as sophomores and freshman, should be cognizant of these changes. As students begin to prepare for end-of-year assessments, including AP and Regents exams, they should be aware of the impact that the scores on these exams may have on their future college applications.
Maximize your chances of success on the exam is to attend a review course at Score5AP.com or PassTheRegents.com. Best of Luck!
District Debates the Merits of Introducing A High Level Math Course
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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A decision to include funding for an additional half time math teacher to teach Multivariable Calculus at Scarsdale High School has engendered debate among parents in the community. What could be the problem with offering more math to talented Scarsdale students? It turns out that it’s not that simple.
The issue is that students who follow the course sequence from middle to high school for the highest level math courses don’t end up in this math course. The current curriculum leads to BC Calculus which is now the highest level math course offered.
In order to take this course, students need to “accelerate” or “double accelerate” their math courses by skipping math in a lower grade so that they can take calculus as a sophomore or a junior and then have time for this new course as a senior. As a student would have had to prepare for this step years ago, only a very few students who accelerated or took summer math courses would be prepared for Multivariable Calculus.
There seems to be no precedent for offering advanced level classes that are not part of a curricular path. In addition, there is no AP test offered for this course.
We reached out to Assistant Superintendent Edgar McIntosh who conferred with SHS Principal Ken Bonamo and sent this response to our questions:
He said, “Multivariable Calculus is currently offered as an online course overseen by our teachers. The proposal to make it an in-person experience was driven by the
1) increased number of students qualified to take it
2) desire to meet our students where they are
3) goal of providing the best possible experience for them
And it is true--there is currently no way to do that without the student studying independently and skipping a lower level of math by taking a placement test. (With or without a tutor, this demonstrates exceptional mathematical aptitude.)
We discussed that this may be seen as a new capstone course in math instead of BC (which is already highly rigorous). The reality is that Multivariable Calculus has already had a place in our catalog. This advanced math course offering has been public for a while- just not in an optimal form.
From an educational angle, we know that creating a "double accelerated track" has its complications. We know of two districts that eventually dismantled that pathway because the long-term data suggested that the "coverage rush" in earlier grades created conceptual gaps that impacted students completing the full cycle and even their interest in continuing in STEM.”
Diane Gurden, a parent of two college aged students sent the following email to the Board of Education expressing her thoughts on this addition to the curriculum:
She wrote:
“1) What is the upside of adding Multivariable Calculus? It seems part of the answer is that other schools have it, so we want to look competitive. Do we also feel that colleges are looking for it? Which schools? How many students do we see taking it?
2) What is the downside of adding Multivariable Calculus? Students will most likely take it again in college because there is no AP test for it and I don't know of a college that will let you test out of a college class because you took a high school class. I do know many schools that let you test out of Calculus 1 and 2 with a 5 (and maybe a 4?) on the AP BC Calculus test, though.
3) What is the path for a student to take Multivariable Calculus? I agree that this is a total rework of the current math curriculum, and impacts SMS, too. Because, now, you have to do Honors Math in 8th grade, then level 4 math for 3 years to get to AT BC Calculus, so there is no path there without taking classes or tutoring outside of SHS, and possibly outside of the regular school year.
4) Will adding Multivariable Calculus water down the transcripts of students who are currently taking AT BC Calculus because they are no longer taking the highest level math class offered? This is a valid question and I would also ask if SHS will guarantee that every dean of an AT BC Calculus student will have a disclaimer added to their recommendation, stating that Multivariable Calculus was recently added as an option and was not available across the board to all students in the current class? How many years will that disclaimer be made?”
Paulina Schwartz, a math teacher and Scarsdale parent had this to say:
“I am against this being offered as an add-on course to the current curriculum. I find it concerning that there is no standard curricular path to Multivariable Calculus, and yet we are being asked to fund it. As taxpayers, we would be paying for the addition of a course that no student has access to unless their parents have taken private measures outside of school to push them ahead of the Scarsdale curriculum. If Scarsdale wants to start funding this course, there needs to be a path to it within the schools, where the teachers are choosing which students qualify, not the parents.
Offering Multivariable Calculus this upcoming September as a last-minute surprise now is completely inequitable. I have spoken to the math chair, Ms. Connelly, and there is no way for current juniors that are now in the highest level offered in Scarsdale to now get into this course no matter what they do. They would have had to plan ahead, having no idea that this announcement was coming.
I also do think that there is valid concern that this will dilute the value of BC Calc or AB Calc on a current student's transcript. Will current students effectively be penalized by colleges for having not taken this course (even though it was not offered to them)? “
And Claudine Gecel, the Former PTC Budget Study Chair, a former institutional investor and the parent of a freshman engineering student pointed out: I love math. Our son also enjoyed it in Scarsdale. And my husband, a physician, also enjoys it. Becoming proficient in math is like becoming proficient in a foreign language. But the pandemic shut-downs have reinforced the vital importance of student mental health. Especially when it comes to tweens and teens. Our son is completely loaded up with advanced math core requirements for his engineering pathway. All the colleges that accepted him, did so because he told them about his leadership skills, not his math scores. And his math scores were excellent. As parents, I think we need to be extra mindful of the social opportunities that teens crave. And are crucial for their development. Better to be out socializing, and learning how to navigate the world, then to be taking college math in high school. Both my husband and I were in classes where the teacher wants you to go farther, faster. It’s not always a good idea, and this is an opinion shared by many."
The Board of Education will vote on the proposed budget that includes the extra math teacher at their meeting on Monday night April 8, 2024.
