Greenacres Residents Told to Expect Noise and Construction Traffic as School Renovation Begins
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The renovation and expansion of Greenacres School will begin as soon as school lets out on Wednesday June 26. According to a notice from the district residents should expect noise, traffic, and the takeover of some recreational space for construction use.
Notices have already been posted to advise that asbestos remediation will take place by contractor NCS.
The Greenacres Neighborhood Association forwarded a letter from Assistant Superintendent Stuart Mattey to residents outlining work that will be done in the coming weeks including:
Installation of fencing to delineate the construction staging area and construction zones.
Creation of a staging area on the eastern third of the asphalt play area on Huntington Avenue to provide a secure space for contractor trailers and storage.
Fencing on the school side of the sidewalk, encompassing the school’s parking lot and continuing around the front of the building on Sage Terrace.
Asbestos removal and dumpsters containing hazardous waste outside the building that will be sealed and locked.
According to Mattey, “Both of these areas will only be accessible to authorized individuals.”
The district is asking residents to avoid the area while this work is being done.
External construction work on the addition along Huntington Avenue will begin immediately, with preparation of the site, including any necessary tree and shrub removal, followed by excavation for the addition’s foundation. Work on the addition will continue for the next 15 months, concluding in late summer of 2020.
A total of 11 classrooms will be renovated and completed by the end of this summer. Renovations on the remaining parts of the building will take place in the summer of 2020. Inside the school, construction crews will start interior renovations, beginning with demolition and related asbestos removal.
Mattey reports that the work will start first thing in the morning and may continue into the evening as required to complete the work in a timely fashion. He warns that residents will “experience sounds typical for any large construction site.” If you have questions or concerns, contact John Trenholm, Director of School Facilities, at [email protected] at 721-2440.
Mattey says that this summer there will be “more traffic in the immediate area of the school, including construction worker vehicles, delivery trucks, and cement trucks (during certain times).
He continues, “As we are all aware, parking can be challenging in the area, and this will be further complicated by the additional vehicles. In order for you to identify which cars belong in the area, construction workers will be given small placards, which they will display on their dashboards. The Scarsdale Police Department is aware of the increased volume of vehicles anticipated for this project and will be strictly enforcing all traffic and parking controls. You may contact Scarsdale Police with any concerns about traffic or parking enforcement.
International Early Childhood Music Program Brings Teacher Training Workshop to Scarsdale
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Become a Music Together teacher and begin a fulfilling and flexible career!
Music Together, the award-winning, international early childhood music and movement program developed in Princeton, New Jersey, is offering an exciting three-day Teacher Training Workshop at Starlight Starbright Music, 78 Garth Road, Scarsdale, July 12-14, 2019. Participants who successfully complete the three-day training become eligible to teach Music Together classes, either at an existing location or by applying for a license to open and operate a Music Together center of their own.
Being a Music Together teacher is a flexible, fulfilling, and exciting part-time career choice. The thousands of successful Music Together teachers around the world are musicians, actors, dancers, stay-at-home parents, educators, and retirees. No formal academic degree is required to become a Music Together teacher.
The upcoming three-day workshop provides opportunities to learn about how to assess children's rhythmic and tonal development, techniques for presenting Music Together materials, strategies for lesson-planning, and much more. There will also be live early childhood music demonstration classes on each day of the workshop, teaching children and their parents using the Music Together curriculum.
Since 1987, Kenneth K. Guilmartin, Founder/Artistic Director of Music Together, has been a pioneer in teaching parents and caregivers how to nurture their children's musical growth. "Our mission is to enable children and the adults who love them to become comfortable with musical expression and to develop musically at their own pace," says Guilmartin. "Childhood music development is a natural process, just like language development. Every child is born with the ability to make music. Our teachers provide the right environment to nurture and support that music making. We welcome teachers to the Music Together community who are passionate about music education and supporting the bond that music creates between young children and their parents and caregivers."
The cost of the three-day Music Together Teacher Training is $525. Graduate credits, CMTE credits, and CEUs are available. For additional information and to register, visit www.musictogether.com or contact Chris Marietti at (800) 728-2692 x326 or [email protected].
Music Together is an internationally recognized, developmentally appropriate early childhood music and movement program for children from birth through grade two. First offered to the public in 1987, the Music Together curriculum, coauthored by Guilmartin and Lili Levinowitz Ph. D., is based on the recognition that all children are musical. All children can learn to sing in tune, move with accurate rhythm, and participate with confidence in the music of our culture, provided that their early environment supports such learning. Music Together offers programs for families, schools, at-risk populations, and children with special needs in over 3,000 communities in 40 countries. The company is passionately committed to bringing children and their caregivers closer through shared music-making and helping people discover the joy—and educational value—of early music experiences. More at www.musictogether.com and www.facebook.com/musictogether.
Attorney and Commentator Mimi Rocah Discusses Trump, Mueller and Barr
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So how does a very successful lawyer with years of experience in the U.S. Attorneys Office end up as a legal pundit on television? According to Scarsdale resident and MSNBC commentator Mimi Rocah her decision to enter the world of media was accidental.
In fact, she says, when she was an attorney involved in prosecuting high profile cases, the press was frowned upon. Her goal was to keep the press at bay and the specifics of her work under wraps.
But a comment by President Trump caused her to reconsider her plans. In late October 2017 she had made a decision to leave the U.S. Attorneys’ Office and became a criminal justice fellow at Pace University School of Law. Discussing the terrorist attack at the bike path in lower Manhattan that killed eight people, she heard the President call our justice system "a joke” and a "laughing stock."
Rocah said, “I couldn’t believe what I heard. I decided I wanted to go on TV to respond.”
Rocah took a night off from her job at MSNBC to speak to locals at an evening sponsored by the Scarsdale Adult School on May 21 at Scarsdale High School. Attorney Mike Shuster posed questions and the two had a fascinating conversation about the current political scene.
Discussing the difference between her work as a lawyer and her appearances on television, Rocah said, “The law is about nuance and looking at the case from different perspectives. On TV you have to shorten everything into a short sound bite.”
About the Mueller report she said, “There was a huge hiccup in the rollout – it was deceptive and misleading by Attorney General Bill Barr – I was surprised. I am surprised when people are unethical and misleading….Barr could have released the executive summaries or waited and released the whole report. Instead he released a summary that was inaccurate.”
She continued, “The Democrats need to get the information out to the American people. The information is so damning. Hearings are one way to do that. They need live testimony, little summaries and excerpts.”
Should Mueller testify? Rocah said, “Congressman Jerry Nadler tabled the idea of Mueller testifying before Congress. I disagree. He is the first person they should get. It would get the report out. His testimony would be reserved and conservative. It’s important to find out if the investigation wound up due to pressure from Barr. Mueller has come out relatively unscathed. It would be a great service to the public for him to testify.”
Rocah was one of 1,000 former federal prosecutors who signed a letter saying that Trump’s conduct was obstruction of justice. She said, he “He falsified evidence and told people to lie to cover it up. We rely on the integrity of witnesses – and Trump tried to get rid of the process. He engaged in witness intimidation and witness tampering when he told Manafort, Flynn and Cohen to “stay strong.” She continued, “When Cohen turned, Trump threatened him – and Cohen’s father-in-law. When you look at the conduct it so obvious that it is obstruction. These cases should be taken seriously. Mueller essentially said, but for the fact that Trump is the President he would have charged Trump with obstruction.”
Asked if she felt that the office of the Southern District is operating correctly, Rocah responded “Yes. The people who are in charge there know of the independence of the office. But I don’t think they are going to indict Trump. They had evidence of campaign finance violations regarding the payoffs of the women – but they are not prosecuting him. They are not bringing charges. This is a proven felony. Congress could have acted on that a long time ago.”
Asked if there were things that are working that give her encouragement Rocah replied, “I have less faith than I used to because of Bill Barr. Trump is enabled by an Attorney General who acts as his defense lawyer. I knew of people who respected him who have been shocked by Barr’s behavior. That is the most frightening and discouraging thing.”
She added, “If Trump is not elected in 2020, I do think he will be indicted possibly for things he did before he was in office or for things that he did while in office.”
And will the Attorney General suffer for his vile behavior?
Rocah predicted, “I think his reputation will suffer. This will be his legacy – as Trump’s Roy Cohn.”
Styrofoam Banned in Westchester County
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You will no longer see styrofoam food containers and coffee cups in Westchester. According to County Legislator Ben Boykin, on Monday night, June 3rd, the Board of Legislators voted unanimously to regulate usage of expanded polystyrene containers (EPS) in Westchester County. The new laws ban the use of EPS for any kind of takeout food packaging or utensils in stores. It also bans the use of EPS packing foam in Westchester. EPS is dangerous to the environment, as it is not biodegradable and clogs landfills for decades. Westchester County is joining Nassau County, Suffolk County, and New York City in imposing more regulations. The law will take effect immediately.
Commenting on the news is Michelle Sterling, Co-Chair of the Scarsdale Forum Sustainability Committee. Sterling said:
"We are thrilled about the passage last night by the Westchester County Board of Legislators to ban the use of Styrofoam in food service. Styrofoam is toxic when it is manufactured, toxic when it is disposed of, and toxic for us to eat out of - in particular hot liquids have been proven to absorb some of the polystyrene into the liquid which we then ingest. These products should have been banned from food service long ago! Luckily the Board of Legislators heard our voices and voted for our health and the health of our environment. This vote by the Board puts us on the right side history and is a proud day for Westchester County!"
Will plastic bags and straws be next?
Juniors Get Their Day In the Sun
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On Tuesday, May 21st, Scarsdale juniors were thrilled, following an assembly on college essay writing, to hear the announcement of Junior Olympics. Every year, juniors wait anxiously for the day they get to miss all afternoon classes to compete passionately for their elementary schools. Although the day of Junior Olympics is a surprise, students were prepared and decked out in beaded necklaces, colorful face paint, and elementary school apparel with personalized nicknames. As soon as the announcement was made over the loudspeakers, students ran to their cars to get ready with their friends. Events include trivia, tug of war, a pie eating contest, capture the flag and more.
Students also elect their captains, who are in charge of ordering shirts and have the honor of representing their schools in the pie eating contest. This year the captains were:
Quaker Ridge: Ariel Stern, Charlotte Kelson, Mark Ifrah, and Rishabh Gharekhan
Edgewood: Sophia Salazar, Maddie Amoriello, Zach Medvinsky, and Fisher Waterhouse
Greenacres: Michelle Singer, Jocelyn Lewis, Ben Kashar, and Teddy Constan
Fox Meadow: Bela George, Jess Solodar, Bohan Ma, and Andy Morin
Heathcote: Coco Dweck, Olivia Silberstein, Michael Callahan, and Sam Friedman
After hours of fierce competition, the winner was announced to be Fox Meadow Elementary School. The day was perfect for a renewed sense of camaraderie among classmates and the nostalgia of elementary school was a good escape from the stress of junior year.
