District News: Week of 1/15/18

BULLDOG BRILLIANCE
Irvington Teachers Share Best Practices on Empowering Students

Irvington Union Free School District educators Jennifer DeLisi-Hall and Elizabeth Winnegar presented their best practices during an “Empowering All Learners” conference at Putnam/Northern Westchester BOCES.  
 
Centered around the idea of personalized learning, the conference brought together educators from across the region, including administrators, teachers and instructional coaches, to engage in meaningful discussions and share their innovative work on student empowerment. DeLisi-Hall, an English teacher and department chair at Irvington High School, served on a panel of educators and led a breakout session titled “Empowering All Readers: Engaged Reading Through Accountable Talk.”
 
“The focus was best practices in adolescent literacy, which allow for the fundamental tenets of personalized learning: variety, ownership, innovation, collaboration and engagement,” DeLisi-Hall said.
 
DeLisi-Hall highlighted a variety of strategies she has implemented in her classroom, including providing students with choice so that their reading truly is personalized, as well as in-class reading that allows a teacher to assess, diagnose and coach student needs in the moment. She has also implemented book clubs that provide authentic reading experiences to help students collaborate and make meaning of challenging texts.
 
Winnegar, a third-grade teacher at Dows Lane Elementary School, led a breakout session titled "Empowering All Learners: Elementary Geniuses." During her presentation, she discussed how the implementation of “Genius Hour” at Dows Lane Elementary School and Main Street School has empowered students to pursue their interests, make discoveries and explore a topic in depth each week. It has also allowed them to work independently and take control of their own learning. Winnegar shared best practices and techniques for how other educators can implement the program in elementary classrooms. 

​“The focus was on using the design thinking model for problem-based learning by having students work on a passion project that answers a question or solves a problem,” Winnegar explained.  
 
The conference also included a discussion with keynote speaker Allison Zmuda about ways schools can empower students by providing personalized learning through relevant and challenging work and by creating pathways to innovative pedagogical practices.
 
“We were so pleased to have two Irvington teachers as leaders at this conference,” Assistant Superintendent for Instruction and Human Resources Dr. Raina Kor said. “Both Jen and Liz design their classrooms to be student-centered, empowering learners to engage at high levels of individual growth. As a district we seek to promote innovation in teaching and learning. Liz and Jen are part of a cadre of teachers who actively explore ways to create active and engaging leaning environments here in Irvington.”

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MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. WEEKEND

Irvington schools will be closed on Monday, January 15 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  Schools will have a 2-hour delayed start on Tuesday, January 16 for staff development. 

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GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
January 24, 7:00pm

Please join us for our second General Membership Meeting of the school year.
 
Wednesday, January 24
7:00pm - 8:00pm
​Dows Lane Multi-Purpose Room
 
Agenda items include:
--Information on the Nominating Committee and the vote to elect this year’s members
--Interactive discussion about fundraising. What works? What doesn’t? Should we try something new? The PTSA would love to hear from you as we review fundraising for the next school year
 
Hope to see you there!

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NOMINATING COMMITTEE VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Volunteer to be on this year’s Nominating Committee!
Nominating Committee Member Page
 
The Nominating Committee’s job is to nominate one person to fill each of the nine upcoming openings on the Executive Committee for the July 1, 2018-June 30, 2020 term. 

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SPECIAL NEEDS COMMITTEE & IUFSD PPS DEPARTMENT PROGRAM

Please join us for a presentation on: Preparing for Your Child's Annual Review
 

Presented by:
Stephanie Bellantoni, 
Community Outreach Coordinator, Hudson Valley Special Education Parent Center
Westchester Institute for Human Development
  
Parents are integral partners in the special education process. This workshop will start with the purpose of the annual review, how the CSE team navigates the various sections of the IEP in their discussion and measures parents can take to effectively prepare for the annual review so as to properly engage in the CSE meeting. Discussion will include a review of essential online tools to support your preparation, as well as strategies for approaching differences of opinion and keeping the focus on your child.
 
Two Date/Time Options:
 
Monday, January 22, 2018
10:00 pm - 12:00 pm
Dows Lane Elementary School - Multipurpose Room
 
OR
 
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Irvington High School/Middle School Campus CPR
 
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RSVP to Patricia Riccobono at patricia.riccobono@irvingtonschools.org
 
For more information, please click on: Annual Review Flyer

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BEST OF WESTCHESTER

The Irvington Union Free School District is in the running to receive the coveted title of Best Public School District in Westchester County. Community members can cast their votes in Westchester Magazine’s Best of Westchester competition for 2018.
 
The District was voted as the best school district in the area in the annual Best of Westchester list for two consecutive years. In addition, Irvington High School students’ weather website, Weather in the Hud, was voted by the public as the best local website in 2016 and 2017.
 
The public can vote on a number of categories, including Best Public School District, from Dec. 4 through late January. Let your voice be heard and make IUFSD #1 again in 2018!
 
Vote now at www.westchestermagazine.com/bowvoting.

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IUFSD NEEDS YOU: SITE COMMITTEE VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR ALL SCHOOLS

Now is your chance to become a volunteer at your child's school. Meetings are one Tuesday a month, for about an hour. You can make a difference!
 
Dows Lane School and Main Street School are each in need of two (2) Site Committee Members and the Middle and High Schools are each in need of one (1).
 
If you’d like to volunteer, please contact Donna Friedlander at donna.friedlander@irvingtonschools.org

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