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News & Announcements

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UPDATED: TWO MORE PERFORMANCES! 2018-19 Winter Concert schedule

Two performances remain this week, Tuesday at PCMS and Wednesday at PCHS, in the 2018 schedule of Winter Concerts.

Tuesday, December 18, 7 p.m.
Middle School 6th Grade Chorus, Show Choir and 7th & 8th Grade Chorus — Director Mark Zizolfo
6th Grade Band and 7th & 8th Grade Band — Director Linda McDermott
Jazz Band — Director Ken Kraut

Wednesday, Dec. 19, 7 p.m.
High School Concert Choir, Select Choir — Director Linda Ventura
Concert Band, Jazz Band — Director Michael Miceli

Thursday Dec. 20 – Snow date for Middle School and High School Concerts

Previous performances in this year's winter concert lineup:

Monday, Dec. 3, 7 p.m.
Edison School Third Grade Singers, Fourth and Fifth Grade Glee Clubs, Fifth Grade Band — Directors Michael Johnson and Anthony Sabia
Concert will be held at Port Chester High School.

Wednesday, Dec. 5, 7 p.m.
JFK Magnet School Third Grade Singers — Director Kristen D’Avanzo
Concert will be held at Port Chester Middle School.

Thursday, Dec. 6, 7 p.m.
Park Avenue Third Grade Singers, Fourth & Fifth Grade Glee Clubs and Fifth Grade Band — Directors Kristin Fleming and Anthony Sabia
Concert will be held at Port Chester Middle School.

Monday, December 10, 7 p.m.
King Street Third Grade Singers, Fourth & Fifth Grade Glee Clubs and Fifth Grade Band — Directors Kristin Fleming and Ulysses Torres
Concert will be held at Port Chester Middle School.

Thursday, Dec. 13, 7 p.m.
JFK Magnet School Fourth & Fifth Grade Glee Clubs and Fifth Grade Band — Directors Kristen D’Avanzo and Ulysses Torres
Concert will be held at Port Chester Middle School.

News & Announcements - Port Chester Schools
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Sign the Petition and Help Port Chester Obtain Rightful School Foundation Aid

Please help Port Chester Public Schools obtain our rightful school aid by contacting state-elected officials and others who influence state funding for education.

One way to do this is by signing the petition urging our legislators and education leaders to fund Port Chester's Foundation Aid now!

Foundation Aid was established a decade ago to ensure that all students receive their constitutionally guaranteed right to a sound and basic education, regardless of their zip code. The failure to adhere to the original 2007-08 Foundation Aid formula has cut our state aid by more than $168 million over 10 years. This comes at a time when costs have risen and our enrollment has grown by more than 800 students. Read more here!

PORT CHESTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Port Chester named to Advanced Placement Honor Roll

The Port Chester-Rye Union Free School District has been named to the College Board's AP District Honor Roll, one of just 373 districts in the U.S. and Canada and the the only one in Westchester so honored.

News & Announcements - Port Chester Schools
School District and Local Clergy Plan 2019 MLK Commemoration

School District administrators and members of the clergy gathered at Board of Education offices for a meeting to share news and plan for the group’s annual Interfaith Martin Luther King, Jr., commemorative event.
News & Announcements - Port Chester Schools
TAMARACK TOWER FOUNDATION ANNUAL TURKEY TROT 3.5 FUN RUN/1.7 WALK

Please Join us Thursday, November 22, 2018 for the Tamarack Tower Annual Turkey Trot

Attached is the flyer and registration form for your information
- Turkey Trot Flyer 2018 pictures.docx
- Turkey trot Registration 2018.docx
JOHN F. KENNEDY MAGNET SCHOOL
Middle School winter sports registration is open

Beginning with the 2018-19 school year, the Rams will use FamilyID, a new online sports registration clearance program. Click here for registration. Find more information on the district homepage

PORT CHESTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Halloween is a hit across Port Chester Schools

From superheroes to movie monsters to all sorts of crazy characters, the Port Chester Schools community - students and staff alike - embraced the Halloween spirit, making for a fun (and instructional!) day at all our schools. Take a peek at the pictures attached here.
News & Announcements - Port Chester Schools
Pajama Day a hit with JFK students

On any dreary, rainy day it can be understandable to want to stay in, keep your pajamas on and maybe spend the day reading a book. The reality is there is work to be done, or school to attend.

Students at John F. Kennedy Magnet School found an easy solution. They had to be in school, but why not just keep their pajamas on?

Sept. 28 was Pajama Day at the Port Chester school and students embraced the concept fully, coming into the classroom in their flannels, in some cases bringing along a stuffed friend. Even some of their teachers joined in the comfort.
News & Announcements - JFK Magnet School
Winter sports registration using FamilyID to begin soon

Beginning with the 2018-19 school year, the Rams will use FamilyID, a new online sports registration clearance program. Scroll down page for registration links and a presentation on FamilyID. Registration for high school winter sports beings Oct. 8; middle school winter sports registration begins Oct. 8.
PORT CHESTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Celebrating Students, School Year at JFK

Children at John F. Kennedy School capped off the school year with a week full of celebration. They participated in the Kindergarten Moving Up Ceremony, the Fifth-Grade Moving Up Ceremony, and a PTA-sponsored fifth-grade luau.
News & Announcements - JFK Magnet School
JFK 2018-2019 Supply Lists
JOHN F. KENNEDY MAGNET SCHOOL
Port Chester Residents Approve Redesigned PCMS Bond Project

Port Chester community members passed the school district’s $11.025 million Bond Project by 60 percent. This now allows the district to begin emergency safety improvements at Port Chester Middle School.

With over 1,600 residents voting on June 5 in the PCMS gymnasium, 966 were in favor and 646 were opposed to the bond.

“We are thankful and express our sincere appreciation for the community’s support of this repair bond,” said Superintendent Edward Kliszus. “Your support permits us to bring the middle school into the 21^st century with new windows, the removal of the concrete panels and scaffolding, and the installation of electronically controlled heating ventilator systems.”

The bond was created in response to a cantilever failure at the middle school in October 2017, which resulted in building damage and the school’s closure for six days. It resolves these vital safety concerns and ends the $30,000 monthly rental of scaffolding to stabilize the building’s current cantilevers. It also funds the replacement of 50-year-old windows with energy-efficient and insulated windows that will save 8 percent annually in energy costs.

“It is the community’s ongoing support of the schools,” said Dr. Kliszus, “that has enabled our students to enjoy not only academic success but beautiful school buildings in which they can be nurtured and educated in a safe environment.”

This is the second time that Port Chester residents voted on the PCMS Bond Project. It was initially put up for a vote in February at $12.5 million; however, was defeated by 51.4 percent.

PORT CHESTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS
ELC Update 6/18/18 Parent Presentation
- ELC Parent Presentation at JFK 6 18 18 2.pdf
JOHN F. KENNEDY MAGNET SCHOOL
VIDEO: Building A District for the Digital Age

Virtual field trips, a coding club and peer-to-peer teaching. These are a handful of innovative ways that children in the Port Chester School District are increasingly receiving an education rife with integrated advanced technology.

Our district is dedicating itself to dynamically improving the digital skills of students and teachers so that they can handle the new world that technology is shaping. It helps them broaden their academic opportunities and reach their scholastic goals.

Over the past few decades, classrooms have changed technologically – and they will continue to evolve. No longer do students sit through a “computer class;” technology is now used throughout the day and in most classes as a versatile tool. It helps students better understand concepts, think more critically, expand their creativity and adapt to new situations.

To explore our technology programming and hear first-hand accounts from students and teachers, click here to watch our new video: “Building A District for the Digital Age.”

PORT CHESTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Port Chester Community Passes 2018-19 Budget, Two School Board Members Elected

The Port Chester School District community passed the 2018-19 budget, ensuring that vital academic programs are funded for another year.

On May 15, nearly 2,000 residents headed to the polls to cast their votes. The proposed $97,227,468 budget was passed by 1,197 to 729 votes. Community members Christopher Wolff and Luigi Russo were elected to the Board of Education.

“We deeply appreciate the community’s support of the budget’s passage,” said Superintendent Edward Kliszus. “This will permit us to fund our schools adequately and to provide for the academic needs of the many children in our care.”

The budget fulfills its pledge of remaining under the tax levy cap by using existing revenue and implementing budget cuts. It retains vital academic programs that students need for their success and achievement. It also prioritizes general and humanities offerings, athletics, Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses, and numerous support programs for our most vulnerable children.

“It is the community’s ongoing support that has enabled our students to enjoy significant successes,” Dr. Kliszus said, “as recently memorialized in U.S. News & World Report’s national and state school rankings.”

PORT CHESTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS
School Board Approves 2018-19 School Year Calendar

Click here to view the academic calendar for the 2018-19 school year.

PORT CHESTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS
POSTPONED: 2018 Flag Football Tournament

The Flag Football Tournament, which was originally scheduled for May 31, has been POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.
- Flag Football Tournament.pdf
PORT CHESTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Port Chester Team Honored with Innovative Partners Award
Teachers and supervisors from Port Chester Public Schools were part of a group that received a prestigious innovation award for its participation in the Lower Hudson Computer Science and STEAM Academy.

The Lower Hudson Regional Information Center’s Technology Leadership Institute bestowed academy members with the Outstanding Innovative Partners Award at the Transforming Education Leadership and Learning Awards. The celebration took place on March 29 at the Edith Macy Conference Center in Briarcliff.

The academy is a multi-year, district-level program for administrators and classroom teacher-leaders to collaboratively design, implement and evaluate a full-scale, comprehensive K-8 program in computer science/coding and/or STEAM that is unique to each district. It addresses systemic inequities in providing essential academic programs in the areas of computer science and engineering.

The Lower Hudson Computer Science and STEAM Academy members were recognized for their innovative spirit and dedication to identifying computer science and STEAM as core disciplines. The academy was highlighted for its level of commitment, willingness to take risks and openness to challenging pre-existing assumptions. The districts were also celebrated for their high-impact work and desire to share their expertise while forming a community of practice.

Port Chester’s academy members are:

Jamie Levidis (supervisor for elementary math/science)

Michael Ritacco (supervisor for middle/high school math/science)

Jessica Kingsbury (elementary enrichment/technology)

Katherine Hohman (middle school science)

Daniella Roman (middle school science)

Kevin Hanlon (middle school math)

The other local school districts that are part of the Lower Hudson Computer Science and STEAM Academy are Croton-Harmon, Mahopac, Peekskill, Suffern and Yorktown.
PORT CHESTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Important Message about Digital Safety

It was brought to our attention late yesterday that a minor-aged student posted a potential, non-specific digital threat directed towards Port Chester High School. All such threats are taken seriously. Police were immediately notified, and the individual was identified as a current PCHS student. That individual has been removed from the school and will face consequences consistent with the District Code of Conduct and New York State SAVE legislation.

Please use this incident as a teachable moment for you to ensure that your child uses social media safely and responsibly.

PORT CHESTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Presentation on Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Would you like to learn more about Historically Black Colleges and Universities but don't know who to ask?

Dennis Richmond will present the HCBU Initiative to the Port Chester/Rye Branch NAACP on Tuesday, June 5, at 7 p.m. at its monthly membership meeting at the Carver Center, 400 Westchester Avenue. This event is for you if you are in the 6th through 10th grade, a guidance counselor, a parent or guardian or a middle or high school administrator.

Admission is free. Light refreshments will be served. For more information, email to pcrnaacp@gmail.com or 914-980-6160.

PORT CHESTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Important 2018-19 Budget Message

Please click here to read an important message regarding the 2018-19 Budget from Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Edward Kliszus.

PORT CHESTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Important Notice to Parents Regarding School Safety and the ELC

Please see the letter, linked here, to the community from Superintendent of Schools Dr. Edward Kliszus. (Para la versión en español de este documento, haga clic en este enlace.) There are two subjects of this letter. First is the matter of school safety in the wake of the Parkland, Fla., tragedy. The second is in regards to the decision by the Board of Education to close the JFK Early Learning Center at the Holy Rosary School at the school year's end.

PORT CHESTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS

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Districtwide Early Dismissal

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CLOSED - Holiday Recess

Holiday Recess

CLOSED New Year's Day

CLOSED New Year's Day

PTA Meeting

Board of Education Meeting

CLOSED Martin Luther King Jr. Day

CLOSED Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Second Marking Period Ends - Elementary Report Cards Issued

Grades 3-4 Movie Night

Football Super Bowl Jersey Day

PTA Meeting

Grades 4-5 Valentine's Day Dance

Board of Education Meeting

CLOSED Winter Recess

CLOSED Winter Recess

Kindergarten Registration

Elementary District Choral Rehearsal