New Security Measures Announced for SAT Test Takers
- Details
- Hits: 4444
Attention parents of high school students: getting into the SAT tests this Saturday may be more difficult that you think. After a 2011 scandal in Great Neck where students hired stand-ins to take their SAT tests, the College Board and the Educational Testing Service vowed to tighten up security and even hired former FBI Director Louis Freeh to review SAT security protocols.
As a result, changes have been implemented in Scarsdale that will impact all students taking exams this Saturday. Dean Michael Gibbs, the SAT Testing Supervisor, has advised parents and students of the following new regulations:
- First, no test taker will be admitted without a valid admission ticket for that morning's test at Scarsdale High School.
- Changes to test center, test date or test type (SAT to Subject Tests and vice-versa) will no longer be permitted. All students must have an admission ticket for a specific test/type of testing room.
- Students may no longer walk in as stand-by candidates. Only students with valid admission tickets for Scarsdale High School will be admitted.
- Students who register late and have specially marked admission tickets will only be seated once all registered test takers are admitted, and only if additional supplies and staff are available.
- As of March 2012, all admission tickets must have a photo on them, and that photo must be recognizable so that student images can be matched to the photo ID the student must bring on testing day. Prior to March, the admission ticket is not required to have a photo, but if it does, it must match the student's photo ID. No student may be seated without photo identification, even if that students is known to test center staff.
- Also new this year: Student's gender and date of birth will appear on the roster and on the admission ticket, and must match that information which will also be on the admission ticket.
- Finally, more stringent cell phone restrictions will be applied. Students are not to have cell phones out at any time during the testing day, even during breaks. If a student does bring a cell phone to the testing center, it should be turned off and kept out of sight until the student leaves the building at completion of testing. Failure to do so may result in the student's dismissal from the test center and cancellation of the morning's testing.
Community Car Wash and Supply Drive for the Children of Pine Ridge Reservation
- Details
- Hits: 4590
The Lakota Pine Ridge Children's Enrichment Project, a nonprofit corporation Founded by SHS Graduate Maggie Dunne, is running its annual Supply Drive for Lakota Children living on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. SHS Pine Ridge Reservation Aid Club (headed by senior Katie Colella), the Scarsdale Congregational Church Youth Action Committee and SHS’s premier a cappella group, For Good Measure, will host a Community Car Wash and Awareness Benefit on October 14, 2012, from 1-3 PM on the grounds of the Scarsdale Congregational Church, to rally community support for the project. Community members are urged to bring items for Lakota children to the car wash, which will also have awareness tables, silent auction, bake sale, refreshments, volunteer opportunities and entertainment.
Through October 20, 2012, Lakota Children’s Enrichment is collecting new or barely used and clean:
- Children's Coats
- Children's Snow Boots
- Waterproof Gloves
- Warm Outerwear
- Books (especially any series of books)
- New or barely used toys (for Halloween and Holiday parties)
- New (or very barely used) running shoes of all sizes (for two schools that are trying to implement proper sports programs for their students grades K-8).
Donations may be dropped off (or brought to the October 14 car wash) at the Scarsdale Congregational Church Parish House, One Heathcote Road, lobby (Red brick building at intersection of Heathcote and Post Roads) by October 20, 2012
OR at Scarsdale High School Post Road entrance (boxes in hallway).
Pine Ridge Reservation is home to the Oglala Lakota Nation and is one of the poorest regions in the USA. Today, mail is not delivered to residences, cell phones, Internet access and computers are not affordable for most, water access and mass transportation are limited, schools struggle to keep teachers, drop out rates are as high as 70%, and health care and housing are sub-standard. The tribe reports a population of between 28,000-35,000 with an average live span of 48 for men and 53 for women; infant mortality rates are as high as parts of the “developing world.”
On September 11 2012, United Nations Human Rights expert James Anaya issued a report on America’s indigenous communities and concluded that unless genuine movement is made toward reconciling misdealings and continuing harms, "the place of indigenous peoples within the US will continue to be an unstable, disadvantaged and inequitable one, and the country’s moral standing will suffer."
The following is an excerpt of a letter published in the UN’s report, which was sent from a child living on an adjacent Reservation.
“Life here is very hand to mouth. Out here, we don’t have the finer things. You get what you get and you don’t throw a fit. And I’m going to be honest with you, sometimes I don’t eat. I’ve never told anyone this before, not even my mom, but I don’t eat sometimes because I feel bad about making my mom buy food that I know is expensive. And you know what? Life is hard enough for my mom, so I will probably never tell her. My parents have enough to worry about. I do not know what you can do, but try your very best to help us. Please help us. We can do this. Yes we can!”
Last year the Scarsdale community sent 5000 pounds of donations of mostly new items to the children of Pine Ridge Reservation and the Fall drive supply provided clothing, boots and warm outerwear to thousands of children and families. Lakota Children’s Enrichment thanks the Scarsdale community for its continuing support.
You can follow Lakota Pine Ridge Children’s Enrichment’s efforts on Facebook, Twitter (@Lakota_Children) or its blog at http://lakotakids.blogspot.com/ .
Y.E.S. Matches Students and Jobs
- Details
- Hits: 4246
Youth Employment Service of Scarsdale, or Y.E.S., is open for business. For over 40 years, Y.E.S. has been providing, at no charge, a jobs clearinghouse service for Scarsdale youth and Scarsdale businesses and residents.
Y.E.S. matches bright, reliable youth 14 years old and up with employers in homes and businesses in Scarsdale looking for help on a one-time, short-term or longer-term basis. Jobs run the gamut, from babysitting, tutoring, arts and crafts help, computer and office work to catering and birthday party help, gardening, leaf raking, snow shoveling and painting. Through its website, employers and students can post and access job opportunities online 24/7.
In addition to the website, Y.E.S. maintains an office at the high school, open Monday through Friday 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM during the school year.
Y.E.S. is not affiliated with the high school or funded by the school district or any PTA or other organization. Y.E.S. is a stand alone, nonprofit community organization run entirely by parent volunteers and dependent solely on donations from the community to cover its costs to provide its services, primarily for website maintenance. Donations of any size are welcome and may be given online, at http://scarsdale.ny.hs-ses.com, or by mail to Y.E.S. at 2 Brewster Road. Anyone wishing to volunteer a couple of hours once every few weeks at the Y.E.S. office at the high school should contact [email protected].
Through its unique service, Y.E.S. offers the young people in our community the experience and responsibility of holding a job while helping local employers fill their needs.
Halloween Happenings in Scarsdale
- Details
- Hits: 3364
The Scarsdale Parks and Recreation Department will be holding their Annual Halloween Window Painting Contest and Parent/Child Halloween Window Painting program on Sunday, October 21st from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm. All students who live in or attend public or private schools in Scarsdale in grades 1 – 10 are eligible to participate in this event.
In addition to the window painting programs, there will be a Costume Parade held in the Village streets by Chase Park. The parade line up begins at 2:45 pm in front of Chase Park. The parade will start at 3:00 pm. Special entertainment and refreshments will be provided after the parade. All Pre-E and Elementary School children are welcome to participate in the costume parade.
The deadline to participate in the Halloween Window Painting programs is Wednesday, October 10th. Please register online at http://reconline.scarsdale.com .
For questions, call the Recreation Department at 722-1160.
New Playground Dedicated at Fox Meadow School
- Details
- Hits: 4638
At the Fox Meadow picnic on the evening of September 10, a new playground was dedicated at the school. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was the culmination of “Operation Blacktop,” a year-long project by Mr. Besancon’s fifth grade class who researched playground equipment, polled students on what they liked and raised close to $2,000 to fund the project. These funds were supplemented with donations from the Fox Meadow PTA and the Fox Meadow Neighborhood Association to pay for the new equipment and build the new space.
Fox Meadow Principal Duncan Wilson greeted the fifth graders who returned to the school for the dedication, saying, “It’s not just test scores and grades you remember … it’s the kind of work you did with Mr. Besancon.” In an email, Wilson said, “We are very proud of the students' efforts. To me, it represents a great example of real life problem solving- the kind of thinking and communicating that we want our children doing.”
