Dec. 8,1995

Dear Marta and P.I.E.,

On behalf of Mrs. Rocco, myself and the children in the inclusion class, I thank you for your generous contribution to our classroom library! Community involvement in the education of our children is essential to their continued success as they move through the school system. Your ongoing support to this end is invaluable to this process and is deeply appreciated in our efforts.

Sincerely,

Dec. 15, 1995 

Dear P.I.E. People,

Thanks so much for your thoughtful gift of copying paper. Not only has Marta been an invaluable resource in my classroom, the children adore her. Now, in addition to these contributions, she has come through with an important material aid - How perfect! Help, both spiritually and materially. Thanks again. Fondly,

Joan Golden & Class

SET OUR TEST SCORES FREE

Over the last year, Nyack has put considerable time and money into compiling profiles of student achievement for our current 12th graders. The point of these year-by-year results is to outline where our schools are succeeding and failing and to help improve the quality of education. Despite the fact that this is public information, these statistics have not yet been released.

At a Fall meeting sponsored by the district, those few who attended learned that, in general, the statistics showed a "troubling" pattern. African-American students (especially males) do fine until the 3rd or 4th grade. Then, their test results begin to drop and continue below the rest of the school population. That this is happening across the board raises serious questions about our program from special ed. to tracking to the overall curriculum.

We can't answer such questions until we, as a community, SEE the statistics — released, of course, without names but simply as indicators of trends. Some in the current school system are blocking their release for reasons we can only guess at. That's unfair to others both in and outside the educational system who are working hard to try and improve our schools. Nyack should release its findings now.

SATURDAY MORNING READING CIRCLE

    I just got back from our second Saturday Morning Reading Circle: a project that began out of our concern for the education of all the students in our children's classrooms. As a classroom teacher myself, I know how hard it is to reach each student no matter what level he/she is on. To make sure that all students are challenged, without frustrating others, is a very difficult task. 

    As a group, Partners in Education felt that maybe we could help, and the community reading circle began. For two Saturday mornings at the Nyack Library, some concerned parents worked with a variety of students with different academic needs. Before the first session I was nervous. I wondered if kids would come. After all, these children are struggling with reading. Why would they want to spend their free time on that struggle? 

    After the first session, my questions were answered. These children read books, wrote and illustrated books, acted out books, played games, made words by manipulating magnets using phonics, and were read to by an adult. When the two hours were over, the kids didn't want to leave. They loved the attention, and they left feeling successful in their accomplishments. I left feeling energized and motivated to return the following week.

    As the next session approached, I began getting nervous again. Would the children enjoy the second as much as the first? I felt the pressure of not letting them down. Well, I've just come from the second Saturday Morning Reading Circle and it was another success. A few more kids participated and this time we had kids helping kids.

    One boy with a short attention span became very interested in a book about Jackie Robinson. Although it was a challenging book for him to read, but because the topic interested him he was willing to plow through it. While reading we focused on strategies he could use if he didn't know a word: predicting vocabulary that would be on the page, discussing whether it made sense in the story. 

    After reading and discussion, the child wanted to make his own book about Jackie Robinson. We wrote down some facts and became curious about how he died. An older boy was enlisted as a mentor to the younger one, helping him search the stacks. Together, they discovered that Jackie Robinson died of diabetes and a heart condition.

    It amazed me that during this two hour session, this small group of children played games (having to read the directions), used math (counting or adding numbers to move game markers), read and wrote books, and did research. As a teacher, I found it confirmed the importance of "buying into" what you're learning. If the interest is there, so is the motivation to attain the skills to answer questions.

    As a classroom teacher, I relished the opportunity to work in a small group situation where each reader has an adult's undivided attention. Although this was only a very small part of these children's educational experience, I know it was a positive one. If we as a community can assist classroom teachers by supporting readers at an early age, maybe before too long we will be able to say that ALL our students are reading ABOVE their grade level.

Donna Pederson

[If you would like to volunteer for a rewarding experience one-on-one with elementary school children/ or if you know a student eager to participate/ leave a message for me at 358-2033]

by Jim Murphy

ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION (published by MacMillan) is now available. Over 6000 alternative programs and schools are listed. Call Jerry Mintz (516-621-2195) or write AERO 417 Roslyn Rd, Roslyn Heights, N.Y. 11577 if you want to order (or receive an excellent newsletter for $15/yr).

SPANISH LANGUAGE PROGRAM

Although no miracle occurred (the children didn't suddenly become bi-lingual), it's astonishing how much eager minds can absorb when exposed in a lively way to a new language and culture. Through songs, stories, and games, the children began to understand and use Spanish.

We celebrated the success of this pilot program with an after-school fiesta on December 18th. The kids had a great time playing games in Spanish, tasting Christmas pasteles, and eavesdropping on adult conversations in a foreign tongue.

Many thanks to the children for their delight and daring in learning a new language and to their parents for joining us at the party.

pie's long term goal is to bring foreign language into the classroom by making it a part of the curriculum. We'll keep you posted about ways to support these efforts. Any suggestions? Leave a message for Karen Singer or Beth Kling at 358-2033.

If you are among the over 300 people who signed a petition asking Nyack to consider an alternative school — or, among the 50 to 75 people who showed up at a school board meeting last March to support this idea — you may be wondering what happened. So are we.

At that March meeting, the school board voted unanimously for a task force to be formed to look into the idea. This directive to the superintendent has never been followed. A recent follow-up letter from PIE to the school board has yet to be answered.

Whether or not you think the district should be organizing alternative educational approaches, a school board that doesn't follow through on its own commitments sets a bad precedent. Come the Spring, when the board and administration wonder why more parents and community members aren't involved in the schools and/or passing their budget, they might look to this example for an answer.

Teacher contracts are negotiated in secret for good reason. It's impossible to come to a settlement or even have a substantial dialogue if your remarks are in the public domain.

On the other hand, there is probably no single more important decision effecting how our schools will function in the future.

At the moment, Nyack's teachers are without a contract, and the early stages of arbitration have begun. It is no secret the kinds of issues that contracts discuss. Those include straightforward money matters like salaries, retirement inducements and insurance, as well as issues like teachers' availability for meetings, teacher assessment, teachers' job descriptions. Without violating the privacy of this contract's negotiation, it is possible for citizens to give their views to the school board and the teacher's union. If you think we need a contract that supports our teachers, that encourages them to take chances, that gives them the time for preparation and discussion, and holds them accountable for their performance, let the school board & union know in person or by letter. It is appropriate for these negotiations to go on in private, but they shouldn't be happening in the dark.

SITE-BASED: THE PLAN THAT FAILED

In a district where nobody ever seems to agree, there is nearly unanimous consensus on the failure of our site-based plan. Teachers, parents, and administrators alike have been frustrated by the teams' lack of authority and/or direction. The district is hard pressed to name one decision a team has made, never mind anything of significance. Members have dropped off in protest or from simple boredom, and important changes in how our schools work continue to happen without the site-based teams even knowing about them.

Now, the district is being asked to review its plan by this February. Included in the state's questions are whether building teams addressed educational issues, involved all parties, and evaluated student achievement. An honest answer to all three would be a simple NO.

The teams haven't been representative, and they haven't made any progress in talking about education. There's not much to be gained by spreading blame for this failure. We can all take some. But if site-based is going to be anything except a waste of valuable time — if we are going to take advantage of this opportunity to share power and stimulate change — the district needs to construct a plan that works. Given the issues and number of people involved, we do NOT have time between now and February to do that. Don't let the district tell the state we're doing fine. Write your site-based team (if you know who they are) and/or Superintendent Berkowitz.

WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND

In 1995, PIE ran two successful benefit events: the film showing of THE SECRET OF ROAN INISH and a special performance by Paul Peabody and his marionettes.

In case you were wondering what we did with the money, here's how Nyack PIE has begun to repay the generous support of the community:

*a field trip to the Museum of African Art

* the 4 week Spanish language program * a gift box of xerox paper to Liberty's multi-age classroom "' the "birthday book" program initiated in Valley Cottage's inclusion classroom

*the Saturday Reading Circle for elementary school children

* an in-district meeting to discuss Middle School reform

Our first event in 1996 will be a skating trip to Bear Mountain Ice Rink; Tuesday, January 9 (a half-day at school) 12-4pm. That Tuesday is a curriculum day for grades 1-5, so while teachers and administrators meet to better our schools, PIE has an adventure planned. Like the African Museum trip, it will be multi-aged, multi-racial, and multi-educational! The rink is ours from 2 to 3, but we'll need extra adults. If you would like to come, call Marta Renzi at 353-0854.

MY TRIP TO THE MUSEUM OF AFRICAN ART

by Lakeba Johnson, 3rd Grade

Well, we drove there. Daniel, me, mommy, and Robert, Omega, Delphine, Malcolm and Demir. There were other people in other cars.

We went and looked around, and we saw animal stuff and we saw a movie. It was nice. The movie was about some African dancing and everything. And we got to draw a picture of some snakes and animals. We saw that it looked like Indians, but it's not; it's African. And it's nice.

We went and this man talked to us about Africa, and he said he came from somewhere in Africa. He told a story about animals that kept getting eaten and killed, and everybody came to the meeting, and the little boy said, "Mommy! Mommy! There's a little bird flying around me." So the bird went away but then it came back. And then the snake came, and it got stepped on by the person, and it went away.

The man taught us some African songs as part of the story. In the end, the bird sang the song, and then the people started singing. The man said, "What did he sing?" And we all sang along.

Then we had lunch, and then we went home. It was good because it was interesting.

TITLE I

Each year/ Nyack receives over $200/000 in Title I money: the largest federal aid program for primary and secondary schools. Title I is aimed specifically at helping low-income students meet the state's educational standards.

Year after year, Nyack's own statistics have shown that these students have not met standards but have, instead, been disproportionately labeled "special ed" and placed in slower academic tracks, and have generally not been as successful.

Traditionally, Nyack has used Title I money on a few teacher's salaries, but 1996 presents a unique opportunity. The law has now been rewritten. It not only calls for the state to apply the same high standards to Title I students as others (that is, raise expectations ), but it also demands that the district establish a policy to involve parents — AND that parents participate in planning their children's education. Too often. Title I money has been used for a watered-down "catchup" program. There is now an opportunity for Nyack to put money behind ideas like a parent liason to bring low-income parents into the schools.

 If you want a say in how Title 1 money is spent, call the Director of Curriculum's office at 353-7055. And remember, according to guidelines put out by the Center for Law and Education, "Anything less than informed, face to face discussions and decision-making will not meet the legal requirements that schools 'involve parents, in an organized, ongoing, and timely way, in the planning, review, and improvement of [Title I] programs.'"