Education A S P EC I AL S EC T I O N O F T H E R E C O R D - R E V I E W ✍ JA N UA RY 1 5 , 2 0 1 6
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STRENGTHS
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math student was a miserable literature student, he may have the fortitude and creativity to get through it with his self-esteem intact. He will also have some empathy for a fellow classmate struggling through a quadratic equation, making him a well-rounded and successful member of society.” Rippowam Cisqua School’s head of upper campus Bill Barrett and director of studies Larry Dwyer see the biggest change in students in their middle school years. They noted improvement that is “intellectual, physical, social, emotional, ethical and moral” adding, “During these pivotal years, students demonstrate strengths in different areas at different points along this continuum of growth.” Smaller classes are a cornerstone of private schools like Rippowam Cisqua School and it can often be easier for teachers to connect with every student to bring out their strengths. “At Rippowam Cisqua School, we create and support an intimate learning experience where our
n the world of helicopter parents, trophies for everyone and shielding our children from the world, one has to wonder if there are times we are doing a disservice to our children. Are they leaving the nest unprepared for the world? Are colleges overrun by oversensitive, spoiled soon-to-be adults? Over a decade ago, in 2004, Psychology Today published an article called “A Nation of Wimps.” A quick summary: If we don’t allow our kids to get germs and get the occasional boo-boo or a bad grade, what will happen down the road in the face of real adversity? What happens when a professor gets on a student’s case? Or students get into an argument about a socially charged issue? There are no referees in college, no one to diffuse such situations. “I think that many schools have recognized this challenge and created opportunities within their educational programs for students to experience independence, function in real-world settings, challenge themselves and occasionally even encounter failure,” said Michael Kay, head of school of Solomon Schechter School of Westchester. • National not-for-profit Achieve talked to over 700 college professors and 400 employers/hirers and what was 28 percent in 2004, is now 14 percent that students are ready for college and has dropped from 49 percent to 29 percent for the work place. That’s staggering. • The Harris Pool surveyed over 1,500 college freshmen for The JED Foundation, Partnership for Drug-Free Kids and The Jordan Porco Foundation for The First Year College Experience survey last year and found, according to an article on the NBC News website, “60 percent of freshmen said they wished they had ‘more help getting emotionally ready for college.’” The less prepared the student felt, the lower his or her GPA was that year. The article continued: “Half of the students said they felt stressed ‘most or all of the time’ and more than a third felt anxious or did not fell as if they were ‘in control managing the stress of dayto-day college life.’” • Another study released last year was a five-year College and Career Readiness survey by YouthTruth of San Francisco. According to that study, 45 percent of 165,000 high school students were confident in the next two steps of their lives:
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Opportunities abound for students who develop talent BY TODD SLISS
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-plus students have a lot going for them in the classroom. That we know, and that’s whether the grades come easy or through tireless effort. But what about a B student? Or a C student? He or she is likely not getting all Bs or all Cs, instead maybe a mix some higher grades, middle ground grades and lower grades. Often those higher grades come in subjects the student enjoys more, so while trying to improve the weaknesses is important, so is nurturing that love or like of the strengths. When turning to the college process, those strengths become even more important than ever and can lead to success for the next two or four years of school and into the workplace. Perhaps someone who struggled in science and math did well in languages and other classes where the written or spoken
INSIDE
word was the focus goes on to become a journalist (wink, wink). Or someone who is strong with art or music becomes an artist, a musician or a teacher. Or the creative soul becomes an editor or author. The math standout who loves sports could work in professional baseball. The choice can actually be easier compared to that A student, but the options are still plentiful for every student who can identify and exploit at least one strength or talent. “Every student has at least one strength on which she can hang her hat,” said Laura Rice of the Learning Resource Center in Mount Cisco. “It might be academic, social or artistic. Having a special talent can be a great source of self-esteem and confidence. As they say, ‘Success breeds success.’ The confidence a strong math student feels may inspire her to try upper level science classes which may lead to her future career as an astronaut.” The number of students who are “globally proficient” is not as high as people think. And the work students have to put in for the same result, whether it be an A, B or C, can vary greatly.
“Many students study for hours for every good grade they receive,” Rice said. “These students develop excellent problem solving skills and perseverance for when times are tough. Still other students work twice as hard only to attain mediocre scores. They must fight frustration and think creatively to accommodate for their weakness.” Weakness doesn’t always have to be a weakness, Rice said. In fact, it can develop into a positive as long as a student perseveres and fights off any frustration that comes with the struggle. The ability to work through that weakness, which can be a struggle, will benefit that student in the present and future. Not facing that adversity can be detrimental to a student later on. “The strong student who sailed through high school and enters an Ivy League school filled with equally skilled classmates may become anxious when he meets his academic equals or superiors,” Rice said. “He may lack the problem solving skills or study skills that are necessary when faced with problems that are no longer elementary. But if our star
Common Core continues to evolve under protests BY ANTHONY R. MANCINI
A Traits of successful people come from within ................................................ 3A Perfect Harmony: Music and the brain .......................... 4A Education Notebook: Preschools .... 5A Helping high school grads transition into adulthood .................................. 6A Education Notebook: Private Schools .......................... 8A-9A
BY TODD SLISS
fter a number of years of seeing Common Core standards implemented throughout public schools in New York State, parents are concerned about the difficulty of some of the new benchmarks, particularly with younger students. Many fear that some of the goals of the Common Core program are too hard for their children — and in looking at the way match problems are now solved, too hard for the adults! — and there has been a movement for parents to opt their children out of the standardized testing that is used to conjunction with the standards to measure student performance. “We are we are working very, very hard. Teachers, administrators, parents and students are working very, very hard every single day to keep our kids really enriched and engaged in a powerful educational experience in our schools despite the challenge of the Common Core presented to us and the challenges that the implementation of revised standards would presents to us,” said Doug Berry, assistant superintendent of instruction at the Dobbs Ferry Union Free School District, which has more than 1,450 students enrolled. “We are going to continue to do that. We’re going to continue to stay the course and do what’s right for kids.” The Common Core State Standards Initiative was first introduced in June 2010 and is now implemented by 42 states, with New York having adopted the
standards in January 2011. The standards are designed to provide a common curriculum throughout the country in English and math from pre-kindergarten through the end of high school with a stated goal of having students ready for careers and college once they graduate. The standards break down goals per grade and some states have had the ability to tweak the standards to achieve a better fit to their curriculum.
For example, one of the goals for second grade students in English is to write opinion pieces where they introduce a topic or book; state an opinion; support their opinion; use linking words such as “because,” “and” and “also” to connect opinions and reasons; and write a conclusion. Another English goal for second grade students has them writing narratives where they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events;
include details to describe actions, thoughts and feelings; use temporal words to describe event order; and provide a sense of closure. New York added some of its own educational goals as well. For instance, younger students are asked to create and present a poem, narrative, play, art work or response to an author or theme studied in class. In mathematics, second graders are expected to add and subtract within 1,000, measure and estimate length, tell time from analog and digital clocks and solve word problems with dollar and cent amounts and coin denominations. States were incentivized to adopt the Common Core standards as a way to help their chances achieving federal Race to the Top grants. They were also incentivized to implement Common Core in exchange for the federal government waiving goals that have not been met as outlined in the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act. In December, the No Child Left Behind Act was replaced by the Every Student Succeeds Act and has the goal of ending the practice of the federal government trying to influence states to adopt Common Core standards. There has been a large movement protesting New York’s implementation of the Common Core standards. Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino ran under the Stop Common Core party line in 2014 when running for governor, in addition to running as a Republican and other party lines. Astorino Continued on page 2A
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EDUCATION
FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 2016
Common Core program continues to evolve Continued from page 1A
achieved more than the 50,000 votes on the Stop Common Core party line, which allows the party to automatically appear on any ballot in New York State as long as it fields a candidate. It was subsequently renamed the Reform Party. Berry said one of the most difficult hurdles of the Common Core was introducing it and getting used to its practices. “Our transition to the Common Core was challenging and what made it challenging was the that the time constraints that we were under,” he said. “We were put in a position of having to make some significant changes in some areas to our curriculum across the district in a very short amount of time. We certainly approached that from the way that we do with all sorts of issues — we tried to and to be as effective as we could.” The speed of the transition was among one of the biggest criticisms of implementing the program in New York. The state ended up delaying the implementation of some of the high school Common Core standards until 2022. Berry said standards implemented in kindergarten and first and second grades in particular have been particularly of major concern to parents and educators. For example, some school administrators and instructors say some of the standards are either too easy or too difficult for a particular grade and would like to see them switched around. Berry said his district would like to see certain goals of Common Core switched between grades. “The Common Core standards are in many ways a mixed bag and thus there are some very good pieces to it,” he said. “We have had some concerns along the way for developmental appropriateness with some of the standards that are put in place, specifically with in our primary grades — grades k, one and two — that certainly came to question. I don’t think that experience for us is unique. That’s pretty much what most people have found to be true. Education is always going through shifts and changes those who worked in the field for a long time have kind of learn to adapt to those shifts and changes so whatever may come in our way, we do our best to implement it.” It is a goal of the Dobbs Ferry School District not to let the Common Core standards overtake and crowd out other important parts of education such as social development, especially in the younger years. “One of the things we always take great pride in is that we are a very child-centric school district,” Berry said. “One of the things that we know is that a key part of what goes on in kindergarten through second grade is the social and emotional learning that takes place. We never want to see those pieces of our program get squeezed
out.” Berry said that as teachers become used to the Common Core standards, they become less of an issue to teach. He said teachers are used to changing standards, certainly not a new concept in the everchanging education field. “I think that there’s certainly a greater comfort among our teachers and that they have a much better grasp of what the standards are and what it is that were asking kids to do and so there’s a greater comfort in that regard,” Berry said. “I do think that for some within our school there are still some concerns that linger with regards to Common Core and where we are, but at the same time in education, we’re used to change. It happens quite frequently in education and we learn to adapt.” There is a movement by parents to opt students out of standardized assessments and that has led to Governor Andrew Cuomo to reexamine the situation once more through a task force that announced an overhaul last month. Dobbs Ferry does not encourage parents to opt their students out of tests. He said while a student would not be punished academically for not taking one of the assessment tests, the test is a good indicator of whether or not a student should receive additional academic support services. Berry noted the tests are not used alone in determining student performance: “They do provide us with a certain amount of information with regards to student performance on that particular date and time. It’s a snapshot. It’s one day.” Something like a student have having a rough night could throw off test results, which is why other methods of assessing performance are needed, Berry said. “On one particular day, a kid might’ve had a sibling who is sick overnight and they didn’t get a good night’s rest the night before,” Berry said. “The kind of assessments that good teachers do over the course of the school year gives us knowledge and understanding of where kids are and what they are able to do.” Berry does not want the resistance to standardized testing to ruin the idea of assessment for some parents: “One of the things that I worry about quite often is that with all the conversation around state assessments and opting out and about teacher evaluations being tied to assessments is that we’re creating an environment in which parents view all forms of assessments as being negative. That is directly opposite to what most educators would tell you: assessment is a key part of what we do as educators. Good teachers do it every single day. It takes any number of forms from informal assessments to formalized assessments.” Mr. Berry said he is optimistic about potential future implementations of new federal social studies and science standards because they are being reviewed at the state
level. “Standards aren’t new — there’s always been standards across all subject areas,” he said. “What’s come out most recently is New York State recently published a new framework for social studies in this state and what’s encouraging is that I think they learned from the experience of the rollout of ELA Common Core because the social studies framework was being implemented in a much more time sensitive way.” William Porter, the director of admissions at The Harvey School in Katonah, said since Harvey is a private school it does not need to follow the Common Core curriculum and standardized testing that public school need to follow. That’s been an even bigger draw for private schools the past few years. “As an independent school, Harvey is not obliged to follow the Common Core standards and, as such, we do very little standardized testing,” Porter said. “Although we have a very clearly delineated college preparatory curriculum, our teachers are given the freedom to prepare their own lessons and teach to their strengths. With small class sizes, caring teachers and lots of extra support, we don’t ever feel that we are teaching to the test. In fact, many of the people who come through our admissions office are attracted to us specifically because we are not bound by Common Core standards.” Brendan Byrne, the head of The Harvey School, said some parents might decide to enroll their children in a private school as an alternative to the state standards that are imposed on public schools. “Families have considered independent education for many reasons in the past, but certainly in recent years frustration with the implementation of the Common Core standards has prompted parents to consider alternatives to their local public schools,” Byrne said. “The implementation of both the Common Core standards and a controversial new teacher evaluation created challenges for both educators, parents and most importantly students. The state education department and the governor’s office are attempting to gather feedback from concerned citizens of the state through surveys and a task force. What changes, if any, come from these efforts remains to be seen.” Byrne is married to a public school teacher, which gives him a unique perspective on education. He advocates for parents to consider their options and make the best choice for their families. “I think the most important thing for parents in Westchester to consider is that it is OK for them to take ownership over their child’s education and seek out the school, be it public or independent, that will provide the best learning experience for their child,” Byrne said.
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students are known, nurtured and understood as individuals and learners,” Barrett and Dwyer wrote. “As a result, teachers are able to challenge students and help them lead from their strengths, while at the same time understanding and developing the areas of needed growth. When teachers differentiate instruction effectively, all students have the opportunity to engage in the class at the appropriate level, learn from each other and as a result ben-
efit from the unique talents and abilities children bring to the classroom each day.” The website careerealism.com identifies “5 ways to realize your talent potential” and they are: 1) Recognize your talent. 2) Identify what makes you unique. 3) Nurture and develop your talent. 4) Express your talent. 5) Organize a personal board of directors that focus on your talent. This list can apply to a worker at any time in his or her professional develop-
ment — or to make a career change — but it can also apply to a high schooler. Parents are always looking for and finding ways to boost their children’s résumés, and many have helped their children do just this by specializing their activities and leadership roles based on their strengths in and out of the classroom. Sometimes a little push in the right direction isn’t a bad thing, especially when the student takes that opportunity and makes the most of it on the way to the next destination in life.
Katonah Art Center moves to Goldens Bridge The Katonah Art Center — known by staff and students as KAC — began a new chapter this winter with a move to the Goldens Bridge Community House at 65 Old Bedford Rd. in Goldens Bridge, about five minutes from KAC’s former location. The community house was built in 1912 as a schoolhouse for children and has since been home to the Westchester Exceptional Children’s School, the original home for Northern Westchester Center for the Arts (NWCA), and until recently, Lewisboro Parks and Recreation for many years. The building underwent renovation in preparation for KAC. KAC founder Loren Anderson is thrilled with the relocation: “As soon as you enter the building, you feel how special the space is. The upstairs ceilings are extremely high, most of the woodwork is original, and the windows are over 10 feet tall, perfect for our gallery and art studios.” Significantly larger than the Katonah Art Center’s former home, the new building allows for better parking, two large fine art studios, a pottery studio (triple the size of the old one), a spacious children’s art studio and party space, a specialty studio with dedicated space for metalsmithing, printmaking and fused glass, and a bigger computer lab, which will house iMac computers and two Makerbot 3D printers. The grand opening faculty exhibit is located in the new building’s Anderson Chase Gallery and features paintings, pottery, drawings and sculptures by KAC’s extensive faculty. For more information, call 232-4843, email office@katonahartcenter.com or visit www. katonahartcenter.com.
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EDUCATION
FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 2016
THE RECORD-REVIEW/PAGE 3A
Traits of successful people come from within BY EVE MARX
A
great deal has been written about the characteristics, traits, and habits of highly successful people, but one big thing is known — there is no one single quality or attribute common to successful people. In addition, “success” has multiple meanings, including, but not limited to, the standard Webster dictionary definition, which is all about money and affluence. The trait most lauded and common to successful people is that they read every day. Successful people are often known to be generous with praise towards others, and that they know how to forgive. Successful people are believed be continuously learning. It’s often remarked upon that successful people readily accept responsibility for their failures, and that they are comfortable talking about ideas. The single characteristic that comes up over and over is the ability to set goals and develop plans. Anthony R. Davidson, Ph.D. MBA, and dean of Manhattanville College, said, “Well-educated, highly successful people have a number of things in common. They are unrelenting, lifelong learners who never pass up an opportunity to acquire new skills and additional credentials, and most importantly, increase their knowledge. They identify key people who are role models and/or mentors and maintain those relationships. They continually strive to frame their career successes within the context of the richness and fullness of life, and all the world has to offer. They have thick passports.” Jean Mann, director of marketing and enrollment services at Manhattanville College added, “Successful people are able to accomplish goals and they are goal directed. Having a Master’s degree may give you the gravitas to ask for more money. When you have an M.S. after your name, it gives you more confidence, but that doesn’t necessarily lead to success. You have to be able to commit to something. Structure deadlines metrics for success and doing homework. In the real world there are deadlines and metrics.” Dr. Eileen “Lee” Dieck, co-chair of Ethical Leadership, a signature program at The Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, said, “Much has been written about how the commonalities among the highest performing people that go beyond IQ to in-
clude EQ — an ‘emotional quotient’ based on emotional intelligence.” That EQ, as it’s called, is considered the “something” in each person that is somewhat of an intangible. “Our EQ affects how we manage behavior, navigate social complexities and make personal decisions that achieve positive results,” Dieck said. “The five basic characteristics of EQ are self-awareness, empathy, motivation, self-regulation and social skills.” Dieck said that while EQ has received a lot of attention in business and industry leadership, the qualities of emotional intelligence are increasingly receiving focus in education as well. “The Masters School, a grade 5-12 day and boarding school, has been building student EQ through a curriculum that aims to develop students’ self- and social awareness, critical thinking, effective decision-making, creative problem-solving and goal-setting,” she said. “This EQ development is supported by the school’s Harkness teaching methodology. In all classes, students and teachers engage in discourse around an oval table, practicing creative and critical thinking, and deepening their under-
standing through exposure to a multitude of opinions.” The challenge of applying one’s emotional intelligence in daily life is made more complex by the diverse world students will live and compete in, Dieck said. “Our students are able to learn as part of an incredibly diverse community from around the country and around the world,” she said. “Through our school’s Leadership Project, students are asked to envision themselves as leaders in this complex world, working to make their communities better and stronger. The result is students who appreciate that in order to succeed.” While no one likes to talk about the traits and characteristics of less successful people (and let’s not be so quick perhaps to label failure), there are specific characteristics common to individuals who seem to have failed to launch. Those traits include watching television for hours every day, fear of change and grudge-holding, blaming, and criticizing others. Engaging in negative gossip is believed to be a nonsuccessful person characteristic. Contrary to popular opinion and perhaps in Presidential candidates, brag-
garts and people who might be considered “know-it-alls” tend to do worse in the world, as well as people who don’t set goals and who feel the world owes them a living. Parent Nicole Goudey-Rigger said perseverance and mental toughness are qualities she hopes to instill in her children. “Success in life is about hard work,” said Goudey-Rigger, owner of the Westchester business Pets A Go Go. Goudey-Rigger studied political science at Columbia University. “I absolutely try to teach that concept to my children every day,” she said. “At every challenge life presents to you, you have a choice to accept defeat or fight.” Goudey-Rigger said served her well to have had children after a battle with cervical cancer, as well as to develop a thriving new business after her previous one collapsed. Catherine Downs, a mom who also owns and operates a pet-oriented business, said she tries to instill in her children a strong sense of independence. “Independence from an early age breeds street smarts and common sense, which truly successful people possess,” Downs said. “A few failures along the way make you strong, too. Book smarts are an added bonus, but not as crucial — a smart person can learn from any situation.” Which brings us back to the concept of having a high EQ or Emotional Intelligence. Robert Horne, Director of Marketing and Communications at the Masters School said, “The challenge of applying one’s emotional intelligence in daily life is made more complex by the diverse world students will live and compete in. Our students experience learning as part of an incredibly diverse community from around the country and around the world. “Our students are asked to envision themselves as leaders in this complex world, working to make their communities better and stronger. The result is students who appreciate that in order to succeed; it’s not just how smart you are, but how you are smart.” Coming up with your own definition of “success” is a good place to start, and if you’re looking for tips and ways to get to that point, a simple online search of “habits of successful people” will give you more lists than you can handle from morning habits to night habits and short lists to long lists. There is plenty out there to take home with you for sharing with your children, the future successes of America.
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EDUCATION
PAGE 4A/THE RECORD-REVIEW
FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 2016
Perfect Harmony:
Music and the brain BY DEBORAH MOLODOFSKY with
T
Shane Newmark Dolch
wenty years of experience as both the head of Amadeus Conservatory of Music & Theater, as well as a violin teacher, concert artist and mother, has taught me that children who study music excel in math, science, languages and creative thinking. Albert Einstein, who began playing violin at age 6, said his discovery of the theory of relativity was “the result of musical perception.” Stanford University’s Thomas Sudhof, who won the Nobel Prize in medicine last year, gave credit to his bassoon teacher. James Wolfensohn, former World Bank president says, “Music functions as a ‘hidden language’ which I would characterize as a universal language, one that enhances the ability to connect disparate or even contradictory ideas.” When a person plays music they are seeing patterns of notes, translating their patterns and interpreting them… all simultaneou sly. The notes are a language, the patterns mathematical and the interpretation creative. Professor Nina Kraus, a neurobiologist at Northwestern, spent two years tracking 44 6- to 9-yearolds in a program in Los Angeles that gave free instrument lessons to children, and then measured their brain activity. She found a significant increase in the music students’ ability to process sounds, which is key to language, reading and focus in the classroom. Kraus was quoted as saying, “A musician has to make sense of a complicated soundscape,” which translates into an ability to understand language and to focus, for example, on what a teacher is saying in a noisy classroom. Music and academic organization
Music can even help with core studying skills and getting in to college. Learning music stimulates the executive function of the brain, helping kids take responsibility for their studies and to be more orga-
nized with their time. A study of 48 preschoolers at the University of Toronto published in 2011 found that verbal IQ increased after only 20 days of music training, five times that of the control group who were given visual art lessons. Lead researcher Sylvain Moreno found that music training enhanced the children’s executive function, their brain’s ability to plan, organize, strategize and solve problems. He found the effect in 90 percent of the children, an unusually high rate. Music, brain size and IQ
If I were to tell you that music literally made your brain bigger and made you smarter, you would probably think I was being a shameless marketer of music education. So here are some studies from recent articles by Joanne Lipman published in the Wall Street Journal and New York Times and from The Guardian so you can hear it from the scientists: • In a 2009 study in the Journal of Neuroscience, researchers used an MRI to study the brains of 31 6-year-olds, before and after they took lessons on musical instruments for 15 months. They found that the music students’ brains grew larger in the areas that control fine motor skills and hearing, and that students’ abilities in both those areas also improved. The corpus callosum, which connects the left and right sides of the brain, grew as well. • E. Glenn Schellenberg, a University of Toronto psychology professor, devised a 2004 study to assess musical study’s impact on IQ scores. He randomly assigned 132 first graders to keyboard, singing or drama lessons, or no lessons. At the end of the school year, the IQ scores of the music students increased more than those of the other groups. Music training and key academic skills
In 2013, the German Institute for Economic Research compared music training with sports, theater and dance in a study of 17-year-olds. The research, based on a survey of more than 3,000 teens, found that those who had taken music lessons outside school scored significantly higher in terms of cogniContinued on the next page
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Perfect harmony:
Music and the brain Continued from the previous page
tive skills, had better grades and were more conscientious and ambitious than their peers. The impact of music was more than twice that of the other activities — and held true regardless of the students’ socioeconomic background. The other activities also had benefits: kids in sports showed increased ambition and those in theater and dance expressed more optimism. But when it came to core academic skills, the impact of music training was much stronger. This is not to say that kids shouldn’t do sports, theater or dance if that is what they love. The interesting thing about this study is that when it comes to core academics, music was at the top of the list. In fact, many times, physical activity is a helpful precursor to music study helping a person to settle down and concentrate. Music and language
In an increasingly global economy, many of us are seeing the need for our children to learn additional languages such as Chinese or Spanish. The sound of music trains our ears to speak other languages, while learning to read and play notes helps us with vocabulary, grammar and syntax. Lisa Henriksson-Macaulay, the author of “The Music Miracle: The Scientific Secret to Unlocking Your Child’s Full Potential,” wrote an article “Are musicians better language learners?” in The Guardian in 2014. She is from Finland where the average person speaks three to five languages and was curious to see if Finland’s custom of early music training — where even babies and toddlers learn core music skills through songs and games — might have an influence on their ability to speak foreign languages. As music training boosts all the language-related networks in the brain, Henriksson-Macaulay, expected it to be beneficial in the acquisition of foreign languages. Reading through many research papers from peer-reviewed scientific journals, she discovered, in her words, “Music training is the only proven method to boost the full intellectual, linguistic and emotional capacity of a child.” According to the studies she read, just one hour a week of learning music is enough to fully benefit the brain, including an all-round boost in language skills and a significant increase in IQ. So if you worry about the burden of time and practice for your family, this is great news! Music training plays a key role in the development of a foreign language in its grammar, colloquialisms and vocabulary. One recent study found that when children age 9 and under were taught music for just one hour a week, they exhibited a higher ability to learn both the grammar and the pronunciation of foreign languages compared to their classmates who had learned a different extracurricular activity. So, what is music doing to our children’s brains that is so helpful with language? In The Guardian, Henriksson-Macaulay wrote studies found that showed when “children start studying music before the age of 7, they develop
bigger vocabularies, a better sense of grammar and a higher verbal IQ. These advantages benefit both the development of their mother tongue and the learning of foreign languages. During these crucial years, the brain does 95 percent of its growth. Starting music training during this period also boosts the brain’s ability to process subtle differences between sounds and assist in the pronunciation of languages — and this gift lasts for life, as it has been found that adults who had musical training in childhood still retain this ability to learn foreign languages quicker and more efficiently than adults who did not have early childhood music training.” Just by adding music to your child’s repertoire you will be helping them with their linguistic skills for life. Music and success
Multiple studies link music study to academic achievement. But what is it about serious music training that seems to correlate with outsize success in other fields? A 2013 New York Times article by Joanne Lipman, asked this exact question. After interviews of highly successful people from government to arts to business, Lipman found: • Condoleeza Rice trained to be a concert pianist. • Alan Greenspan was a professional clarinet and sax player. • Hedge fund billionaire Bruce Kovner is a pianist who took classes at Juilliard. • Paul Allen began violin at 7 and took up guitar as a teen. • TV broadcaster Paula Zahn played cello. • NBC chief White House correspondent Chuck Todd played French horn and attended college on music scholarships. • NBC’s Andrea Mitchell trained to become a professional violinist. • Both billionaire Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen and Google cofounder Larry Page played sax in high school. • Steven Spielberg is a clarinetist and son of a pianist. • Former World Bank president James Wolfenson has played cello at Carnegie Hall. Many people are put off studying music because all this talk of “practice, practice, practice,” can seem daunting and intimidating. But this is just one side of the coin. Having music in your life and household is enriching and rewarding. Much like the “Mindfulness Practice” which is being introduced in schools, playing for the sheer pleasure of the moment is great for our brains, too. Whether it’s a recipe for Carnegie Hall, a gig at a local dive, a family singa-long or chilling alone in your basement playing an instrument, music fills the body and mind from an early age to an later one with both aesthetic and academic results. Deborah Molodofsky is founder and CEO of Amadeus Conservatory of Music & Theater in Chappaqua. Shane Newmark Dolch is founder of SGN Consulting.
EDUCATION
Education Notebook
A pair of 2s at Landmark Preschool.
Landmark Preschool expands program Landmark Preschool, in existence for over 40 years, grew from the belief that children benefit from a joyful introduction to learning and offers the type of structure that gives children a sense of security and confidence as they explore their world. This fall, the early childhood program opened its doors in Bedford, offering a morning drop-off program for 2-year-old children and a parent-child Fun for Ones program. “It has been a terrific start to the year,” director Ann Hirsch said. “Landmark is an exciting place for child development and we are thrilled to have a Bedford campus.” The Landmark program balances socialemotional, cognitive, and physical skill development. Experienced teachers and specialists teach early literacy instruction and math skills, art, science, technology and music instruction. Children also frequently enjoy outdoor play on the new playground and cooking activities in the classroom. “Children are, by nature, very curious,” Hirsch said. “Our comprehensive curriculum is fun and taps into a child’s natural curiosity.” Hirsch said the keys to being able to deliver the Landmark curriculum are experienced and talented teachers and small class sizes. “Our teachers provide differentiated learning strategies to best meet each child’s interests and needs, all in a nurturing and supportive environment,” she said. “Students engage in a variety of activities designed to foster a love of learning and develop readiness for reading, writing letters and understanding basic math and science concepts. Our low teacher-student ratio allows us to meet each child where he or she is developmentally and to provide the appropriate challenge or support as that child moves through the program. We are constantly introducing and building skills and take time to assess our students to determine who needs more support, who needs more challenges.” Hirsch and the staff are proponents of incorporating a variety of learning tools in the classroom. Whether learning how to write letters in shaving cream or exploring color on a light box activity table, Landmark students use many materials to enhance their learning. When building the Bedford campus, Hirsch made sure Epson BrightLinks were installed on classroom walls. The interactive screens and age-appropriate software offer young children a learning experience using a medium they are comfortable with. “The Internet is an amazing resource and enables us to tap into all kinds of information,” Hirsch said. “When our teachers talk about our solar system, we can visually see how astronauts brush their teeth in space. If someone asks a question like, ‘Do worms have eyes?’ we can find that out. We do not spend hours on the board,
THE RECORD-REVIEW/PAGE 5A
but rather choose very deliberate activities, even making some of them ourselves, to help our students grow.” Landmark is accepting applications for the 2016-2017 school year. The program is expanding to include a drop-off 3-yearold program in fall 2016, and possibly a 4-year-old program. Landmark Preschool is a division of Ridgefield Academy, a non-sectarian, notfor-profit k to grade 8 independent day school that educates over 600 Westchester and Fairfield County students enrolled across its four existing campuses. Visit www.landmarkpreschool.org.
Soundview Prep School: The answer you’ve been searching for.
Bet Torah Nursery registration time Registration for Bet Torah Nursery School is underway for families wishing to enroll their children in preschool programs for fall 2016. Two-, three- or fiveday morning classes are offered for 2 yearolds from 9:30-11:45 a.m. Children in the 3s and 4s program meet Monday through Friday from 9:15-noon. The program is designed to promote cognitive, social, emotional and physical growth of each child. An outstanding, nurturing and creative staff strives to provide opportunities for children to learn through play each day. The curriculum includes regularly scheduled visits by music and movement specialists. Special events throughout the year include monthly Gan Shabbat Saturday morning services, several Shabbatini Friday night services with dinner, school-wide assemblies and celebration of the Jewish holidays. Bet Torah Nursery School is located at 60 Smith Ave., Mt. Kisco. Parents wishing to arrange a tour of the school or receive information about the program should call Amy Portnoy at 666-7595. Visit www.bettorah.org. Bet Torah serves as a leading center for Conservative Judaism in Northern Westchester.
Learning center for toddlers to K For a child’s introduction to learning in a school environment, parents have ThistleWaithe Learning Center, a Montessori preschool located on 6.5 acres in South Salem as an option. This place of beauty and learning is dedicated to the mind, body and heart of each child and inspires the youngest learner to inquire, explore, and savor their world. ThistleWaithe sparks curiosity and sets the foundation for critical thinking and problem solving. The indoor classroom offers a treasure trove of materials that invite exploration and bolster children’s skills. The outdoor classroom is a unique space of wonder where young learners can unlock the vast mysteries of the natural world. Children chart their own course for vibrant discovery through observation, inquiry and practical application. Toddlers from 18-36 months, and children 3-6 years of age are carefully guided by Montessori-certified head teachers. A kindergarten class offers a customized curriculum. Wrap-around care from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., after school activities and half-day summer programs are available. ThistleWaithe also has a satellite campus conveniently located in the heart of Katonah with a half-day program. For information, call 977-3662 or email information@thistlewaithe.org.
Families choose Soundview Preparatory School because of its rigorous college preparatory curriculum, its strong music and art program, and its uniquely personalized learning community (grades 6-12) that fosters self-confidence and individuality.
Soundview Preparatory School
370 Underhill Avenue, Yorktown Heights, NY 10598 (914) 962-2780 • soundviewprep.org ROLLING ADMISSIONS • CALL TODAY TO SCHEDULE A TOUR!
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• Experienced • Weekly Science ExplorationTeachers • Weekly Science Exploration • Innovative curriculum • Weekly Science Exploration • Science Exploration • Weekly Yoga • Experienced Teachers • Yoga • Weekly science exploration • Yoga • Yoga • Special Music and Movement • Weekly Science Exploration • Fun Music with letters and numbers • Special and Movement • Special Music and Movement • Special Music and Movement • Beautiful Outdoor • Playground Yoga• Yoga • Beautiful Outdoor Playground • Beautiful Outdoor Playground • Beautiful Outdoor Playground • Innovative Curriculum Special Music and Movement •• Nature programs • Innovative Curriculum • Innovative•Curriculum Innovative Curriculum • Fun• with Letters and Numbers Special music and movement • Beautiful Outdoor Playground • Fun with Letters and Numbers +2 • Fun with Letters and Numbers • Fun •with Letters and Numbers +2 Introductory Karate •• Beautiful outdoor playground Innovative Curriculum + 23 3 • Introductory Karate 3 • Introductory Karate • Introductory Karate •• Intro to Karate • Spanish Language Classes Fun withClasses Letters and Numbers • Spanish Language • Spanish Language Classes • Spanish Language Classes • Spanish language classes • Nature Programs • Introductory Karate • Nature Programs • Nature Programs •Programming Nature ProgramsClasses • Thematic Music • Spanish Language •Call Thematic Music Programming 764-4360 for more information • Thematic Music Programming • Thematic Music Programs Programming • Nature
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St. Matthew’s School A Pre-School Offering Excellence and Enrichment for Early Learners St. Matthew’s School
Programs available for 2, 3, and 4 year olds A Pre-School Offering Excellence and Enrichment for Early Learners Programs available for 2, 3, and 4 year olds
The school is located on the grounds of the historic St. Matthew's Church and enjoys the use of its beautiful property and woodlands. St. Matthew’s School of the historic The school is located on the grounds 382 Cantitoe Street, Bedford, NY The school is located on the grounds of the historic St.its Matthew's St. Matthew’s Church and enjoys the use of Church andbeau enjoystiful the property use of its beautiful property and woodlands. and woodlands. For more information or to schedule a tour please contact Stephanie Scanlon, Director, St. Matthew’s at 914.234.7890 or visitSchool us online at 382 Cantitoe Street, Bedford, NY www.stmatthewsschool.org
For more information or to schedule a tour please contact Stephanie Scanlon, Director, at 914.234.7890 or visit us online at www.stmatthewsschool.org
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EDUCATION
PAGE 6A/THE RECORD-REVIEW
Country Childrens Center Serving the needs of working families from Katonah, Bedford Hills, Goldens Bridge, Yorktown and Mt. Kisco for 48 years
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Preparing kids for college’s real life experiences C ontinued from page 1A
college and the working world. In our towns, we don’t worry too much about academic preparedness — most kids leave here ready for that challenge. But there is so much more to college and life. Things you’re on your own for in college vs. high school, perhaps for the first time: • Dealing with not getting into a class. • Problems with your roommate. • An issue with someone’s “offensive” Halloween costume. • Handling a bad grade, whether you deserved it or not. • Waking up on time for class. • Filling out paperwork. • Dealing with a bully. • Doing your own laundry. • Buying books. • Finding a job. • Getting extra help. • Finding balance between academics and social life. • Getting sleep. • Removing yourself from a bad situation. • Shopping for everyday essentials.
Speak your mind.
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Transitioning from high school to
others have the onnext life stage can be a time of extheirs... citement for young people, but it can also be a time filled with uncertainty. in Letters
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Whether one is off to college, entering the workforce or starting another big adventure, he or she may need extra of Excellence emotional support at first. Experts say that parents and caregivers can play a big role in ensuring the transition is a An IntegratedSubscribe to success. Montessori Curriculum The Record-Review “Whenever your child is going through a major life change, it’s im244-0533 Full- and half-day programs portant to consider his or her mental available: health and general well-being,” said Dr. Thomas K. McInerny, president • Toddlers (18-36 months) of the American Academy of Pediatrics 2 x 6.5 • Primary (3-5 years) (AAP). • Kindergarten With that in mind, AAP offers the • Wrap-around care following tips for parents and youth navigating this important time of life:
914.977.3662 • information@thistlewaithe.org
Speak your mind.
...or hear what others have on theirs...in Letters
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• Taking care of your own mental and physical well-being. Yes, it’s overwhelming and a major change from what you’ve been used to as a teen. Hey, it’s a big change for Mom and Dad, too, especially if they didn’t recognize this years earlier and help ease you into the transition. “I once received an admissions essay from a candidate that expressed what an effective communicator he was and how successful he was at all means of communication, verbal and written,” Manhattanville School of Business assistant director of recruitment and admissions Monika Pottgen said. “However, it was his mom who was the one calling me and asking all his questions over the course of his application. It truly is important for students at all levels to remember to continue to value all forms of communication to succeed.” For Pottgen, even the way we communicate is having ramifications. Relying on technology to communicate — we use our phones not to converse, but to do everything else — has shielded people of all ages from human contact, whether it be in person or the vocal contact of a phone calls. “Perceptions, and how one Getsensitivity a little communicates are all related,” Pottgen education... said. “It is interesting to see the changing
Learn it. in Schools
communication skills of today’s students. Working in admissions at the Manhattanville School of Business, I work with a young adult population interested in our accelerated bachelor’s and master’s degree programs and I spend lots of time daily answering questions through the computer instead of speaking on the phone. Personal interaction seems to be avoided, and this may translate to increased sensitivity.” Schechter Westchester has shaped its senior year curriculum in order to better prepare student in their final pre-college year. “In short, while there is definitely legitimacy to the concern that the nurturing environment of high school may have become too nurturing — thus, ironically, rendering the transition to college more challenging — schools have succeeded in finding ways to engage students differently in their final months and prepare them more effectively for the independence of university life,” Kay said. Traditional classes are held from September through January. “Even within some of these courses, the learning style shifts to more creative, experimental, discovery-based approaches,” Kay said. “In our engineering and entrepreneurship program, for example, students establish their own companies, brand themselves, create websites, design
products to solve real-world problems and then fabricate prototypes in our makerspace. They pitch their products to investors, who critique the work as they would their real-world investments.” Then that real world experience kicks in for February and March when seniors head to Poland and Israel for the trip of a lifetime where they get to walk in the “footsteps of Jewish History.” “While the trip is obviously closely supervised, students gain experience in dormitory living and other elements of independence that serve as important models for the university experience,” Kay said. Then come the internships and independent projects from April until the end of the school year, like many do for the final six weeks of public high school. “Recognizing that the traditional expectations of a high school classroom may not resonate with second-semester seniors, especially those who have just spent two months living in another country, we have found that the trials and tribulations of the workplace, where parents typically cannot be called upon to intervene with the supervisor, serve as considerably better preparation for the independence of college,” Kay said. Ready to leave the nest.
Helping high school grads transition into adulthood
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• If your child is going to college, emotional health. • Once your child is settled into his make sure he or she is familiar with the Subscribe to ser- or her new routine, keep in close contact health and mental health support and try to get frequent readings about vices onThe campus.Record-Review • If your child has a mental health how he or she is doing academically and 244-0533 diagnosis, such as ADHD or depres- socially. While you can’t stand sentinel sion, be sure to ask the college staff outside the dorm room, you can remain what kind of medical information they supportive from a distance. • Is your child entering the workwill need related to your child and how x 5 refills if needed. force? Even if he or she is remaining at to set 1.5 up prescription Talk to the college about special hous- home for a time, life will still change ing and academic accommodations, if dramatically. Be sure to give your son or daughter extra space as a young adult, necessary. • Contact your child’s pediatrician, but offer help navigating new responsiwho can be a good source of advice. bilities, such as paying bills and managIn addition to ensuring your graduate ing health care responsibilities. • Once a teen graduates and leaves has had all the vaccines and other preventive health care recommended for home, alcohol, drugs and sexual acthis stage of life, your pediatrician can tivity may become much more accesalso help you prepare the way for your sible. Making poor choices can have young adult’s continuing mental and life-changing results. Continue to have
Be resolved to be involved.
conversations about peer pressure, good decisions and consequences. • As always, stay connected and be attuned to the warning signs of depression and other mental health issues. Look for “red flags,” such as excessive sleeping, excessive moodiness, obsessive body-image concerns and personality shifts. • When it’s time to “graduate” to an adult doctor, your pediatrician can arrange for the transition to care by an adult health care provider. Parenthood doesn’t end when your child turns 18. By offering emotional support, you can make the transition from high school to the next life stage a smooth one. More health tips can be found at www.HealthyChildren.org. — StatePoint
College: Footing the bill without sacrificing your future Subscribe to “It can be a daunting process, but well The Record-Review. worth the effort, especially if it means
Families who have children heading off to college are likely navigating an array of options when it comes to actually paying for higher education. A new white paper by Prudential Financial titled “Paying For College: A Practical Guide for Families,” seeks to dispel some of the misconceptions surrounding loans, grants, scholarships and available tax benefits. If the bad news about financing a college education is that it can be complex and time-consuming, the good news is that families willing to educate themselves on the process (and familiarize themselves with the potential pitfalls) can develop a strategy that does not break the bank for students or the parents.
large amounts of debt or not 244-0533avoiding dipping into retirement savings,” said
Caroline Feeney, president of Prudential Advisors. “If it seems too intimidating, don’t be afraid to seek guidance because there is a good chance you’ll be able to put the right payment strategy in place that works for your family.” Creating a plan
While earning a college degree is certainly a worthwhile pursuit, the skyrocketing costs of college tuition can leave many students laden with burdensome levels of debt. Parents can also struggle, often sacrificing retirement
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savings to help their children. According to Feeney, “We urge families to tap into school resources, guidance and financial aid counselors, as well as the experience of a financial professional who can help them make critical decisions with respect to leveraging existing financial resources in a way that helps protect longer-term financial security.” The report provides a roadmap for financing a college education. It provides basic, foundational information about qualifying for undergraduate financial aid, taking out public and private education loans, and taking advantage of potential tax deductions and credits. It also offers targeted advice for single, as well as divorced parents. Seeking aid: knowledge is power
One of the primary goals when researching college payment options is identifying all of the sources that do not result in long-term debt. For families who lack the resources to save in advance or to fund that education on a
pay-as-you-go basis, seeking all types of financial aid is essential. Some considerations include: • Becoming familiar with the application deadline and requirements for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). • Learning the pros and cons of aid sources available, including grants, scholarships, work-study programs, tax credits, and tax deductions. • Researching the variables that affect a student’s access to financial aid, including choice of school, how much and in what form the family has saved for college, and how adept the family is at working through the process of applying for help. Once they do their homework, families may be surprised to learn about more effective ways to qualify for grants and scholarships, and if student loans must be taken out, how to navigate the new repayment options that have become available. Divorced and single parents also have special provisions available to them that are worth looking into. “Every family has unique circumstances to consider,” Feeney said. “Investing time with a financial professional who can help guide them through resource planning can help alleviate some of the stress associated with understanding the process and making sure that the family’s finances are well handled.” To learn more, visit www.prudential. com/payingforcollege. — BPT
Westchester’s premiere community music school since 1944
Comprehensive music education for students of all ages by a world-class faculty in a warm and familial environment • Private Instrumental and Vocal Instruction • Music Classes and Programs for Young Children • Musicianship Classes • Chamber Ensembles • Large Ensembles including Four Orchestras and Choruses • Jazz Instruction
478 Erskine Road, Stamford, Connecticut | longridgeschool.org | 203.322.7693
• Adult Instruction and Enrichment Programs
25 School Lane, Scarsdale, NY 10583 hb@hbms.org • www.hbms.org Tel: (914) 723-1169 Joan Behrens Bergman, Executive Director
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Parenting: Checking up on your teen’s mental health Parents know to take their children to the pediatrician for physical checkups, but mental health is as important as physical well-being. A child’s teenage years can seem stressful. Teenagers enter high school, where they must make new friends. Increased academic and athletic competition can make teens feel inadequate or overwhelmed. Parents can help their teenagers navigate these difficult years. First, parents should ask their pediatrician to evaluate their teenager’s mental well being. Pediatricians develop close relationships with their patients, so teenagers might feel more comfortable discussing sensitive subjects, like depression, stress and relationships, with their doctors instead of their parents. Teenagers need a trusted adult to speak with, whether that adult be parent, pediatrician, teacher or counselor. Make sure that your teenager knows that stress, sadness and anger are normal, and that talking about her feelings can really help her cope. Remind her of the people who can help her, and tell her that reaching out is a sign of strength, not weakness. Second, parents should make sure they’re not putting too much pressure on their teenager. Too-high expecta-
tions can often become damaging, but parents should still make sure that their teenagers have strong support systems at home. “Kids tend to live up, or down, to the expectations of their parents,” said Dr. Renee Jenkins of the American Academy of Pediatrics. “Teens who understand what standards are expected of them stand a better chance of setting realistic goals for the future.” Third, parents should help their teenagers feel empowered to change circumstances for the better. If your teenager says she feels stressed, help her identify the source of her stress. Ask your teen to brainstorm about possible solutions to her situation. Discuss the pros and cons of her suggested approaches, making sure to consider future ramifications. Decide on the best course of action. Parents can help teens learn from their mistakes, gain better judgment and develop stronger senses of identity — the tools that will help them through the rest of their lives. For more information on children’s and teens’ mental health, visit the American Academy of Pediatrics at www.aap. org and search for “mental health tips.” — NewsUSA
Restaurant skills carry students through many different careers One in three Americans get their first jobs in restaurants, and half of all American adults have worked in the restaurant industry at some point in their careers. Restaurants are the nation’s second-largest private sector employer, offering skills and career opportunities to millions. A majority of employees who work in the restaurant industry are proud to do so, and while not everyone stays in foodservice forever, the industry still prepares them to succeed in any career path they choose. Teamwork, professional behavior, time management and communication are all skills learned in the restaurant industry. These skills are applicable to any industry, and serve to prepare students and young people for their careers. It is not only possible, but common, for employees to move from entry-level positions to those of management, and even ownership. Nine of 10 restaurant managers, supervisors and chefs, and 8 of 10 restaurant owners’ first restaurant job was in an entry-level position, according to “Who Works in the U.S. Restaurant Industry? A Nationwide Survey of the Restaurant Workforce.” The upward mobility offered to employees in the restaurant industry allows for growth and fosters a belief that it is a place where people of all backgrounds can open their own business. “The opportunities available in the restaurant industry are endless,” said Steve Kramer, vice president of communications and external affairs, National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. “Few industries offer the upward mobility found in restaurants and foodservice careers, and those who start in an entry-level position have the means to achieve a longlasting and fulfilling career.” Last year, the U.S. Department of Labor
published the first-ever Food and Beverage Service Competency Model, officially codifying the skills learned at each level of a restaurant career, and profiling the employability and technical skills essential to achieving life-long career success in the industry. The model is made up of nine tiers. The first two include personal effectiveness and academic competencies measured in any industry. Skills include motivation, critical thinking and dependability. Because these base skills learned in a restaurant are so important for any job, the industry is effectively training America’s workforce. Data, as well as anecdotal evidence, suggests that no matter what career they end up in, people who have worked in the restaurant industry never stop using the skills they’ve learned there. With the opportunity for upward mobility, skills-building and a fulfilling, longterm career, the restaurant industry offers a unique blend of opportunities not usually found in other industries. These traits make it a good choice for your first job, a second career or a life-long commitment. — BPT
EDUCATION
THE RECORD-REVIEW/PAGE 7A
Maximize study, fun with cost-effective technology Today’s youth are well-versed in transitioning their computers and phones from school to home and futurists believe that will be even more necessary in coming years. Project Tomorrow’s recent Speak Up Data shares that, “Students in a blended learning environment (utilizing both physical books and online digital resources) are more likely to self-direct their learning outside of school.” The best tech device options allow your student to learn and play anytime, anywhere and in any environment. The critical items to consider are devices that allow full access to learning applications; nine-plus-hour batteries; keyboards; easy connectivity; a backpack-friendly weight; powerful browsers that allow for fast-loading videos; access to school assignments and research tools. Cost-effective technology such as the Intel processor-powered Chromebook is being embraced by entire school districts for its fostering of streamlined education allowing faculty and IT administrators to communicate with students at school and at home. As a bonus, your student can also use a Chromebook to socialize with friends and engage in fun learning apps and popular gaming sites. “This is a whole new definition of what school looks like,” said Alice Keeler, author and Google for Education certified innovator. “Students can ask questions by posting to the stream in Google Classroom 24/7, and since other students have access to the stream, students are able to learn from and help each other.”
The ability to handle such multi-tasking is projected to serve youth well in the coming decades as technology evolves, according to a 2012 survey by the Pew Research Institute. Fifty-five percent of respondents agreed that by 2020, “The environment itself will be full of data that can be retrieved almost effortlessly, and will be arrayed in ways to help people young and old navigate their lives.” The Intel-powered Chromebook addresses that need for multitasking with several advantages over ARM processbased models. That’s partly why school district IT specialist and education speaker Kyle Pace calls it “the biggest nobrainer in education.” “Schools must begin leveraging these tools to bring students into the world of working in the cloud, communicating, collaborating and creating on the web,” Pace said. “We can’t afford not to give our students this type of access — at school and at home.” — BPT
Small School… Big Opportunities… Endless Possibilities.
260 Jay Street • Katonah, NY 10536 • 914.232.3161 admissions@harveyschool.org • www.harveyschool.org A coeducational college preparatory school enrolling students in grades 6–12 for day and in grades 9–12 for five-day boarding.
Come visit us at our Admissions Open House:
Wednesday, January 27 at 9 a.m.
Above & Beyond “Blues Band is a place where labels—student, teacher, athlete, scholar—disappear. Students discover freedom on stage and the confidence to let their voices ring out.” Bob Leinbach, Music Teacher
(914) 238-0388
Summer Theater & Art Day Camp 2016
Come Have Fun!
Monday - Friday 9:00 - 4:00 June 27 - August 5 Six Week Session 1-5 week sessions also available
Amadeus Conservatory of Music & Theater 201 King Street, Chappaqua, NY 10514 St. Matthew's Church, 382 Cantitoe St., Bedford, NY 10506
amadeus@amadeusconservatory.com amadeusconservatory.com
info@stlukesct.org | 203.801.4833 | www.stlukesct.org/takealook5 St. Luke’s is a secular, college-preparatory day school for grades 5-12.
EDUCATION
PAGE 8A/THE RECORD-REVIEW
FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 2016
Education Notebook
When knowledge is the prize
St. Patrick’s School introduces new ‘books’ for grades 6-8 On a recent morning at St. Patrick’s School in Bedford, middle school students in Anthony Sepe’s ELA class hung up their jackets and pulled out their books to begin the school day. But the tomes they opened on their desks to start their new vocabulary lesson were not made of ink and paper. Instead, the students unpacked new Chromebooks, which the school introduced into the classroom for all students in grades 6-8 in fall of 2015 thanks to a technology grant from the Archdiocese. “Each middle school student has received an individual Chromebook, which they carry with them from my class to the science lab to their social studies class... wherever they may be learning during the day,” said Sepe, who also coordinates technology for the school. “We have been experimenting with all the new learning applications available to us, including exciting presentation tools and note-taking apps, to differentiate and supplement our traditional classroom and homework experience.” With the new Chromebooks, St. Patrick’s middle school students use the Google Classroom app to receive and submit assignments, take practice tests, share ideas and communicate with teachers and other students regarding schoolwork.
BY SONIA BELL
Dreams are realized at Stamford’s The Children’s School The Children’s School in Stamford has dedicated itself to growing the hearts and minds of young children. The school is keenly aware of its purpose: to inspire and support the awakening of young minds to the dream of what is possible within themselves. What insights will bloom as children use their senses to understand their world? How will their deciphering of words on paper or hearing Spanish in the classroom expand their capacity for language and their ability later to journal in writing workshop? What cognitive connections will be forged as fingers manipulate beads or as sorting and grouping objects gradually leads to the abstract problem-solving required by mathematics? “The years between 3 and 8 are a time of extraordinary growth and change, which is why we refer to this life stage as the magic years,” said Maureen Murphy,
Director oF colleGe coUnSelinG St. lUke’S School
They have easy access to word processors, presentation tools and numerous educational applications. Students can also reference the internet for research and informational purposes. Additionally, while the Chromebooks remain at school at the end of the day, students can submit homework and continue to access the school day’s materials from home, thanks to working in the Cloud. While enjoying all the benefits of the new technology, the school has managed to seamlessly incorporate it into the traditional classroom experience for which it is known — one that includes handson demonstrations, caring and effective teaching and one-on-one instruction. “The new Chromebooks offer exciting ways to use technology in the classroom and help us to meet the demands of the middle school curriculum,” principal Sharyn O’Leary said. “While they don’t replace the supportive faculty and the experiences our teachers bring to their classrooms, we believe the Chromebooks will be a fundamental add-on in the organizational and academic support for our students, and in preparing them for high school, where many of these tools are already being incorporated, and beyond.”
head of The Children’s School. “Children’s sense of wonder at the world they are discovering is matched by a burgeoning recognition of their own autonomy and independence. At this age they are eager to play, explore and experiment, their inquisitiveness and enthusiasm at full flood.” The Children’s School takes extraordinary care to honor young children’s natural curiosity, their utter fearlessness as they learn. As educators, the staff takes seriously the words “Every day, everywhere, our children spread their dreams beneath our feet.” Children explore the learning environment freely and with confidence, knowing they can take risks and stumble because they can tread softly. They come to understand that it is the process, not the end, that is the true engine of learning. Visit www.childrensschool.org or call 203-329-8815 to arrange a visit.
Knowledge is the prize that leads St. Luke’s students.
The Harvey School in Katonah sees record enrollment When The Harvey School in Katonah opened this fall for its centennial year, it registered its largest September enrollment in the school’s 100-year history. The 366-student enrollment in grades 6-12 exceeds the previous high water mark of 362 established two years ago. Admissions director William Porter said Harvey’s catchment area is a wide one: “We have a geographically diverse student body from three different states — New York, New Jersey and Connecticut — and from over 100 different ZIP codes.” Harvey’s five-day boarding option for students in grades 9-12 is one factor contributing to the increase in overall
You have the capacity for anything.
OPEN HOUSE
January 29 at 9 a.m.
Growing Hearts & Minds
Several years ago, a colleague asked St. Luke’s faculty to assist in the creation of a document called “The Meaning of Grades.” I let out a loud chuckle, thinking this was a joke, but the look on the faces around me let me know my guffaw was, at best, inappropriate and at worst, insensitive. This was a serious matter. I needed to be brought up to speed because somehow, I had missed something big. Some time between the end of “Charlie’s Angels” and the beginning of “Downton Abbey,” the meaning of grades changed. Grades no longer reflected skill and knowledge; instead they became currency for college admission. Students began to believe that if they accumulated a certain number of grades in a particular range, they would be admitted into a particular college. The correlation between grades and knowledge was gone. When I earned (yes, I earned it… my teacher did not give it to me) a quarter grade of a C-plus in biology, I was concerned because I wasn’t grasping some of the content. I hated the idea that I didn’t have a full understanding of the material, which is what that C-plus represented. I did not care about the grade. I just knew that that C-plus knowledge in biology would come back to haunt
me when I needed to build upon what I learned later in the year. And that if I heard the word mitosis mentioned at any stage of my life, I would cower in fear because it would remind me that I never could remember which was mitosis and which was meiosis. Back then, the grade represented what I knew or didn’t know. It told me where my skill level was at that specific period of time and how well I understood what was being covered. When I was growing up, we defined ourselves as students. Our job was to learn. Now, many students define themselves as college applicants. Once they get to college, they define themselves as applicants to internships, graduate schools or high-paying companies. Our job at St. Luke’s is to recapture an idea that has fallen into extinction: knowledge is the prize. When students enter my office frantically stating that they will never get into X college with a B-minus in history, I calmly explain that you can’t grovel and beg your way to intellectualism. Mastery of a subject isn’t acquired by asking for extra credit points. Not always having the answer is what school is all about. I also remind them there is something exhilarating when you get that tough final question on Jeopardy right, even though there is no grade attached to it and no monetary reward. Just knowing the answer is reward enough. Visit www.stlukesct.org.
Serving children ages 3 to 8 www.childrensschool.org
school enrollment. “Our current boarding enrollment of 34 exceeds our previous high opening enrollment in the dorms by one,” Porter said. The growth also comes as a result of its third-year International Student Program (ISP), which has generated strong interest from students who live abroad. The school’s ISP has 19 students enrolled, 15 from mainland China, two from Taiwan, one from Korea and another from Haiti. Six of the 19 are new to Harvey this year. In addition to the diversity that having an international program fosters, Harvey’s financial aid offerings also promote a richness of campus life, which
Porter believes makes Harvey unique. “We have one of the most diverse student bodies in the region, geographically, ethnically, racially and internationally, while still maintaining a warm, friendly, small-school structure,” he said. Harvey, a co-educational independent college preparatory school, is situated on a 125-acre campus that features separate buildings which house an upper school, a middle school, an arts center, a library, a new athletic center and an ice rink. With the recent opening of the John G. Davis Tennis Center, Harvey students have one more campus facility to serve their journey for self-discovery. “With all that is transpiring at Har-
vey these days, we have truly become a ‘small school, with big opportunities and endless possibilities’ as we proudly say,” Porter said. Porter and his admissions team will host an open house Wednesday, Jan. 27, from 9-11 a.m. Visitors will have the opportunity to meet Porter, middle school head Brendan Byrne and upper school head Phil Lazzaro, who will speak about Harvey’s academic mission, goals and program features and offer a Q&A segment. In addition, there will be a tour of the school while classes are in session. To register for the event, visit www. harveyschool.org. For information, call 232-3161, ext. 138.
EDUCATION
FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 2016
THE RECORD-REVIEW/PAGE 9A
Education Notebook Long Ridge School fosters curiosity The Long Ridge School, an independent day school for 2-year-olds through fifth grade, is located on a 14-acre woodland campus in North Stamford. The school serves students from Southern Connecticut and Westchester County. At Long Ridge, teachers work with each child’s natural curiosity to build critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The school believes children should explore, experiment and experience the joy of learning in a caring, exciting and challenging academic community. Interdisciplinary themes connect the curricular areas and excite children about learning, lend context to new information, help children learn to make logical associations and develop their critical thinking skills. The school’s greatest strength is the expertise and dedication of the faculty. The teachers at Long Ridge have an average of 24 years teaching experience and most have advanced degrees in early childhood or elementary education. Classroom teachers are supported by specialists in art, music, science, Spanish, library and physical education. The school teaches students to think independently, to learn how to learn and to participate actively in their own educations. Long Ridge students are motivated, successful individuals who score well on nationally administered achievement tests. They go on to a variety of public and private schools, well-prepared for their next schools and a lifetime of learning. Founded in 1938, The Long Ridge School attracts children from diverse economic, racial, religious and cultural backgrounds. Visit www.longridgeschool.org or call 203-322-7693.
The importance of play in early childhood education
New Canaan Country School places tremendous value on the imagination and curiosity of children.
NCCS: cultivating curiosity in kindergarten BY BETH O’BRIEN heaD oF e arlY chilDhooD Children, as we know, are born inquisitive. The more they seek to understand, the more they learn. At New Canaan Country School, we place tremendous value on the imagination and curiosity of children. Like any other cognitive skill, curiosity is one which, if cultivated properly, will set our students on course for a lifetime of future success. People who are curious find new experiences and novel ideas compelling and are more open to intellectual challenges.
At NCCS, our goal in kindergarten is to promote agency, which is the child’s ability to act upon the world, to explore, to make choices. We nurture agency by planning lessons that capture the child’s imagination and spark a desire to know. We do this by deliberately designing spaces with inviting materials and by intentionally giving children time during the day to initiate, to advocate and to choose. We embed opportunities for exploration and research into each lesson plan and activity, making time for play because we know curiosity flourishes when children are given time to tinker, invent, design and create in a social context.
We know that curiosity is vital to intellectual achievement. The cultivation of curiosity in your child today supports the intrinsic, self-motivated, life-long learner of tomorrow. Come see it in action at the country school. New Canaan Country School is a coed, independent, day school serving students ages 3 and 4 through ninth grade on a 75-acre campus at 635 Frogtown Road, New Canaan, Conn. For a list of upcoming admission events, visit www. countryschool.net/visit or contact director of enrollment Nancy Hayes at (203) 801-5608 or nhayes@countryschool. net.
‘Tinkering’ is serious business at Ridgefield Academy The word “tinker” often calls to mind images of someone idly passing away time, lost in an impractical activity. At Ridgefield Academy (RA), however, tinkering is serious play that leads to relevant learning. New this year, RA’s Tinker Lab is a place where students grades k-3, have a chance to work and play with a variety of materials, exploring STEM concepts and solving problems creatively in the process. This sounds impressive but what, exactly, is a Tinker Lab? One look at the empty lab and you immediately sense the possibilities for learning. Every corner and table is stacked with Legos, blocks, dowels, pipes, marble runs and more. Add students to the mix and the purposeful buzz in the room is palpable. Sometimes following independent curiosity and, at others, fulfilling design challenges presented by teachers, students are busy building, hypothesizing, testing theories and making adjustments. They’re celebrating their successes and learning from their setbacks. And whether they’re aware of it or not, they’re also very busy making connections between science, engineering and math concepts. This interdisciplinary process, called integrated learning, is a key component of a Ridgefield Academy education. By giving students the opportunity to see the relationship between multiple disciplines and apply what they’re discover-
because everything is much more engaging when it’s tangible and relatable, when they can experience it for themselves. “There’s no point in our grown-up lives where we say, ‘OK, it’s math time for 45 minutes and then I’m going to switch to reading and then science time after that.’ In the real world, our day-today activities represent integrated disciplines. The real world always integrates subject matter. If we want students to make sense of the world around them, we need to incorporate that world into our teaching. Our Tinker Lab and similar learning models are great places to make all of that happen naturally.” The Tinker Lab, then, isn’t just a place for students to learn information. It’s also a place for them to learn how to Ridgefield Academy’s Tinker Lab allows learn, a place to begin asking the quesstudents to explore STEM concepts. tions that help them to shape their own education, empowering them to be proing during a hands-on project, they not active components of their own learnonly see how the skills they’re learning ing. It’s a place where not having all of in the classroom have a practical appli- the answers is a good thing, because cation in the real world, they also recog- finding the answers is part of the learnnize their own power to make an impact ing process. on that world. Why is this so important? Because in “If we pull learning out of books and a world where technology is evolving at put it into a real world application, we a faster rate than we can keep up with, just see a greater resonance with stu- educator Karl Fisch says, “We are curdents,” said Basil Kolani, director of rently preparing students for jobs that the Center for Innovative Teaching and don’t yet exist, using technologies that Learning. “We start to figure out what haven’t been invented yet, in order to interests them. We also start to change solve problems we don’t even know are their minds about what interests them, problems yet.”
To be effective, then, education must shift from teaching students what they need to learn to how they need to learn. Kolani said this uncertainty is not only OK, it’s one of the best parts of being an educator and a student. “In the face of an unsure future,” he said, “and of ever-changing data and technology, if the outcome we want for our students is for them to be adaptable, we have to focus on communication, innovation, open-mindedness and creativity. What we really need to provide them with are the skills they’ll need to reason, problem-solve and to be versatile. Some of the best teachable moments occur as surprises that pop up in the form of an unexpected question, observation or summary. That’s when the magic happens; that’s when we really learn.” Ridgefield Academy is a preschoolgrade 8 independent day school near Ridgefield, Conn., serving students from Fairfield and Westchester Counties. Founded in 1975, the school’s challenging academic curriculum is enriched with programs in public speaking and community service, STEM labs, performing arts opportunities and interdisciplinary digital arts projects. Contact Kara Morgan at 203-8941800, ext. 126 or kmorgan@ridgefieldacademy.org. Visit www.ridgefieldacademy.org.
Professionals who work with young children have always recognized the importance of play. When early childhood educators watch children interact in an unstructured, openended setting that they are directing, they see development in action. “For years as I witnessed these interactions with children, I felt it was what they should be doing; it all made sense,” said junior pre-kindergarten teacher Lisa Adorno, the early childhood coordinator for Rippowam Cisqua School in Bedford. “I hear the students’ vocabularies growing; I see their interactions becoming more cooperative. Magically, they are discovering their own potential.” Recent advances in brain research have helped professionals like Adorno understand why it makes sense. In fact, the research she finds most relevant to her work focuses on two skill sets: executive functioning and selfregulation. These skills account for the ability to follow directions, focus, communicate, think critically, make connections, regulate impulses, solve problems, take turns and exhibit self-control. Young children need to explore, use their senses, interact, touch and manipulate objects to help make sense of the world around them. Frequent opportunities to engage in open-ended play scenarios help to foster and grow all of these abilities. While soccer and ballet certainly have their own importance in providing fun and physical activity, dramatic and imaginative play offer a far deeper purpose. Consider a simple game of playing family or doctor, two very popular themes with young children. Decisions must be made, roles assigned/ assumed. Certain expectations and rules lead the play. Children must communicate in order for the play to move forward. Let’s assume we follow the game of doctor. It is somehow known that whoever plays the doctor must be gentle and caring (children rarely give aggressive shots to each other). The sick child must appear somewhat scared or nervous and the doting parent must soothe. If the child pretending to be the doctor were to act nervous or scared, the play would come to a screeching halt. It just wouldn’t make sense to those involved. Many complex ideas must be kept in mind for the play to continue; the children must inhibit impulses that don’t fit the role. While dramatic play is childdirected, this does not mean the teacher is not involved — quite the opposite in fact. “The teacher’s role is to be right on the edge of the play, listening, learning where exactly those students are,” Adorno said. “Only then can you move them along.” Children love repetition. They will play the same idea day after day. To make the play more productive, it is the teacher’s job to make subtle suggestions that extend the idea. Persistence is a wonderful thing to instill
Play is an important aspect of the Rippowam Cisqua School. in children. If the teacher can lead the children towards deeper understanding of the world they are trying to figure out, a simple 10-minute game becomes a 20- or 30-minute interaction. The teacher’s role is to scaffold the play: ask questions, narrate what is being observed (vocabulary!) and take them to the next level until they are able to do it on their own. There is a place for everyone to join in so thinking people who can develop plot and dialogue grow, children who can bring ideas and characters to life. Blocks are another great openended, child-directed activity. Zoos are often a favorite as they are easy to make. Enclose some animals in blocks and there you have it. All it takes is one simple question from the teacher: “When do the people show up to see the animals?” Suddenly sidewalks are being built around the enclosures. As the people figures are added, the block structures are slowly reconfigured to include windows for viewing places. Signage may be added. Parking lots are built because the people must have driven to get there. The ideas deepen, different perspectives are taken and vocabulary is growing. Executive functioning requires working memory (the ability to retain information), cognitive flexibility (the ability to determine what is relevant) and inhibitory control (the ability to resist distractions). Play is the perfect vehicle to develop and grow all of these in an organic manner. Pretend play helps promote development of the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that houses the executive functioning and self-regulation skills. Young children are not equipped to learn through a didactic approach — they learn best through play. Founded in 1917, Rippowam Cisqua School is a co-educational, independent country day school for students in grades pre-k through nine with campuses in Bedford and Mount Kisco. Visit rcsny.org.
YOUR COMMUNITY ART SCHOOL CENTRALLY LOCATED IN WHITE PLAINS
Call for information: 914-606-7500 www.sunywcc.edu/arts email: arts@sunywcc.edu at the Westchester County Center 196 Central Ave.
TODAY
Classes in ceramics, drawing, jewelry, photography, sculpture, painting, digital arts and public speaking/debate for kids
When everY
iS MeAninGFUL, TOMOrrOW WiLL ALWAYS hAve PrOMiSe. What a child experiences today shapes his or her tomorrow. Our purposefully designed learning environment balances academics, socialization and encouragement to add meaning and value to every experience. Country School students progress naturally and confidently from day to day, and year to year—prepared, grounded, joyful and emboldened.
COMe viSiT & exPLOre COUnTrY SChOOL! For dates and details, please visit: www.countryschool.net/visit
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EDUCATION
PAGE 10A/THE RECORD-REVIEW
FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 2016
Ignite.
Invest.
Inspire.
K-8 OPEN HOUSES THURSDAY, JANUARY 28 • 6:30–8 PM FRIDAY, JANUARY 29 • 9–10:30 AM Register Online: ionaprep.org/openhouse For more information, contact Barbara Shattenkirk: 914-633-7744 x418
Get An Early Start on Excellence INVEST Strong Foundation
INSPIRE Academic Excellence
IGNITE Active Learning
Iona Prep’s Lower School offers the only K-8, all-boys program in Westchester.
Quality education that combines a challenging academic program and religious instruction that builds moral character.
Boys thrive in the active environment where teachers help students channel energy into constructive learning.
• Hands-on science programs
• Mentoring and collaborative learning experiences with Upper School students
• Small class sizes, focus on individual student • Students read at a full grade level above the national average
• Technology with smartboards and chrome books in the classroom
• College preparatory journey in a Catholic environment starting from kindergarten. (We offer pre-kindergarten 4 to 5-year-old program.)
• Spanish language program begins in kindergarten
• Varsity-level athletic programs • Exceptional after-school enrichment programs
WESTCHESTER’S ONLY ALL-BOYS K-8 SCHOOL
Iona Preparatory Lower School 173 Stratton Road, New Rochelle, NY 10804 (914) 633-7744