September 18, 2015
I. Welcome
II. Superintendent Report - Dr. Quattrone:
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The Bronxville School has stepped up our communication using digital media. We are on the last leg of the Auditorium online. The finishes look great. It will add value for many years to come and would not have been possible without the Bronxville School Foundation, PTA and private citizens.
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Bronxville Promise: Over the course of last year, after speaking with teachers, parents and kids, we made a focus to concentrate on characteristics that will make your children life long learners, leaders & engaged citizens. We hope this becomes part of the conversation brought home.
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How will we make progress on this? 1) Choice: do the students have a measure of choice? 2) Collaboration: students speaking to each other and accomplishing a task together and this will help build ideas together.
3) Generation and application of new ideas : to look for the kids ’ capacity to apply ideas to real world issues. Goal is to have children look at more complex problems and come to foster new ideas.
III. Director of Technology - Jennifer Forsberg
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She started on June 29 th . She was the former Assistant Director of
Technology in Ossining and was a math and science teacher & special education teacher. She is working with technicians daily - they meet every
Friday to review information from the administration, parents and are in constant communication.
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One of the improvements will be being able to send ‘constant contact’ out to families. We are also on Facebook
– there will be a link. She is working with Syntax, a communications firm and helping to improve the website - please feel free to contact her with ideas. Regarding the infrastructure, there is a new guest network in the building.
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Working with teachers, Brad Ashley is teaching Introduction to Technology in the HS. They have weekly meetings and he is working with teachers K-
12. Looking at tech skills as students enter Kindergarten and where we want them to end up in 12th.
IV. Yearbook Update - Eileen Mann

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Looking for volunteers to help out for candid photos, teen center etc.!
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Photo day is with Life Touch this year. Fill out information on the form, send check and envelope with your child.
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September 30th is photo day. Your child should bring their envelope in with check that day. There are extra forms available in the MS office if you did not receive one. Additionally, you can do all ordering online. Details have been provided in the MS Bulletin and Bronco Beat.
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Yearbooks: Last year we had a few extra yearbooks available. We encourage parents to order your yearbook online. All yearbook orders have to be done online. The site closes January 31 st so please order before. Make sure you complete the order and get a confirm number/email. The link to order the yearbooks should be open by end of
September/ early October. It will be announced on the MS Bulletin and
Bronco Beat when the information comes available.
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We need yearbook photos. The company will come and take photos if we give them dates. If any parents attend sporting events, art shows, teen center, plays, we would love for you to submit pictures. You can email them to Eileen or send to the E SHARE app. The code for is bmsyearbook.
Please contact Eileen Mann at emann@bronxvilleschool.org
if you have any further questions. Keep in mind we are only accepting photos from
2015/16 school year.
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We love to create a yearbook committee with students - they are very proud of the finished product. Yearbook usually has 10-12 students sign up in the beginning of the year. Yearbook meetings are once a week at the library during lunch. There are times when Yearbook committee meets during 9th period in March/ April, usually on Tuesdays and/ or Thursdays.
We work with and around the students ’ schedules. The students are responsible for: layout of pages (templates are pre-made), choosing the photos, working on pages together, setting up the baby page etc. The committee is open to anyone that would like to help. Please contact Eileen
Mann at emann@bronxvilleschool.org
if you have any further questions.
V. MS Council Chair and Committees Report
Grade Chairs:

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6th Grade Chairs: Christine Tormey, Mirella Tronco & Hollis Morris
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7th Grade: Adele Murray, Holly Gordon & Katherine Outcalt
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8th Grade: Joanne Meehan, Elizabeth Ackerman & Priscilla Newman
-8th grade just kicked off the wrapping paper sale kick off to offset the DC trip. Contact Joanne Meehan with any questions.
-7th Grade: Will be kicking off a magazine subscription sales drive beginning 9/28 to offset costs for Williamsburg trip on Nov 17th-20th.
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A9 - if your student is interested, there are 4 great clubs: Homework,
Running, Lego League Robotics and Math Club. (Math and Lego League
Robotics are new) All of the A9 clubs begin on Monday, September 21st.
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Book Fair - Tracey Lee Co-chair book fair. Tuesday February 9th -
February 11th. Students come in with classes and teachers. Prepayment options will be available. Sign-ups will be set up also. Students can earn community service hours by volunteering at the book fair. Please contact Book Fair committee if you are interested in volunteering.
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4More/Community Service - Cindy Randall: Outreach and Community
Service ideas - if you have any ideas please let either Romy Coquillette or
Cindy Randall know of any great ideas you may have. It is a great time in the Middle Schoolers lives to introduce community service. 8th grade advisory program was changed - going to work on speakers and assemblies. First kick off is an assembly with Dr. Joyce Vastola held on
Tuesday, September 29th 7-8:30pm.
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Dr. Joyce Vastola: opening of school was best ever! Kids getting to class on time, smooth transition. Along the lines of character counts, will be focusing on: GRATITUDE; which is integral to character. o Columbia University interns: 4 interns this year. BXV has a great reputation at Columbia. We are fortunate to receive the best and the brightest interns who all work full time everyday. o Dr. Vastola will be hosting a talk on Tuesday, 29th at 7pm in the
MPR. Please come to the talk - will be very interactive. She mentioned the following books as good resources: “How to Raise an Adult” and “How Children Succeed” by Paul Tough.
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Hospitality - Edwina & Susan: Back to School Night on September 24th at
7pm. We still need some savory items for the night. Next event is Teacher
Appreciation - one in October and one in the Spring. We run it with the ES as well. Use sign up genius and please sign up! We collaborate with ES

and HS Hospitality Committee for Holiday Teas. Will need help next year.
Please contact Edwina Sulimirski and Susan McCormick is you have any further questions or want to help.
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New Families: Thank you to all who worked so hard over the summer.
6th grade orientation and Ambassador program that Dr. Wilson has spearheaded and organized was a huge success in its 2nd year.
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Teen Center - Suzette Sands: 6th grade Teen Center, Sept. 25th.
Notification will go out as early as Friday with permission slip and thru the
Bronco Beat. Great opportunity for kids to get together. Rate will be $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Please be cognizant of not scheduling other parties on the same night as Teen Center. Generate enthusiasm for older grades to attend. Don’t hesitate to contact Suzette Sands or Laura Pettee with any questions.
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Performing Arts/Music - They organize refreshments and would love people to volunteer to bring items and help with clean up. Choristers or B
Sharps - Interest meeting Tuesday at 2:30. Pam Simpson will explain everything at that meeting. Meets once a week, there is an audition.
Middle school Musical is April 29th and 30th in the new Auditorium.
Interest Group meeting for an MS Play is in the works.
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Homecoming Journal: Spirit Ad - if you want to celebrate your Athlete we welcome your support. Quarter page is $50 and full page $100.
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PTA - Lisa Rao, PTA President. PTA is in the process of revamping the
Bronco Beat. Will have a new look in the next few weeks….stay tuned.
Only one primary email can receive the email at this moment however.
Please let us know if you do or do not want to be the primary email receiving the Bronco Beat.
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Directory: Sara Zion. Any info that is incorrect or you want changed, please email Sara now in order to have it changed: school@shahzion.com.
Additionally, Sara is in charge for membership for the PTA.
Envelopes are here or you can join online BronxvillePTA.org.
VI. PRINCIPAL’S REPORT - Dr. Thomas Wilson:
• There are many changes in the MS and it is important to understand how they relate to the BXV Promise: MS kids are product oriented and in some ways they are able to form together and get things done and then disperse. It is important to understand how are we connecting with our students/ children.

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How are we using 9th Period? 9th period has ebbed and flowed in terms of its structure. We can offer a true 40 minute period. This is the longest time period to date of this period. Ask your students to take advantage of this. Now for the first time, students are allowed to do their homework during 9 th period. They can show up to a classroom, the library or the cafeteria and get started on their homework. Teachers can still give individual instruction for students that have questions and concerns. This is a huge value add for the community.
Students do better when they are connected socially to the work. They can process the work socially and then continue independently. This encourages leadership, innovative thinking and what it means to be a part of a community.
We hope your students will take advantage of 9th period. They can go anywhere they want. The only thing they can’t do is misbehave. If they misbehave they will be asked to leave. Teachers are talking about 9th period now with students. It will be explained in the 9/21 MS bulletin.
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CHOICE is an important part of what differentiates top schools. There is a real connection between thinking that you can and have a growth mind set. This connects with 8th Grade Advisory. We need to find other ways to support their growth - best way is to have t hem involved in doing things….doing things that think are ‘cool,’ that give them a new skill, new area they want to try out.
Teachers came up with idea of mini workshops in the past…..now we have a paradigm that is very exciting….8th graders are invited to take place in 6 different clubs…(9 potential clubs) Will they get most of their top 6 clubs?…Yes.
Teachers are teaching classes about topics they don’t teach in school. Example:
Auto Mechanics. 8th graders chose their clubs…top 3 picks are in place and then we will re-pick in January. They work on character development in the clubs.
Clubs meet for 3, seven sessions a semester. Club paradigm speaks to ‘choice’.
Similar to the students getting involved in the themes for Teen Center, for students to ha ve a ‘voice,’ it keeps them interested.
• Friday was a national day of character day for education, visit: letitripple.org - all online. Help develop different parts of your character; there are areas where we are all confident.
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Dr. Vastola will speak to students, DeSanto and Brogan will remind the students they will meet with them.
• Hope you are enjoying the bulletins. Marisa Sheumack and Dr. Wilson are working collaboratively on them and are distributing them on Fridays consistently. If you are not receiving them, please let the MS Office know. It is a useful guide for what is happening by grade and in the program every week.

UPCOMING SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER EVENTS:
Friday, September 18th - Character Day 2015
Wednesday, September 23rd - NO SCHOOL
Thursday, September 24th - Back to School Night, 7pm
Friday, September 25th - 6th Grade Teen Center, 7-9pm
Tuesday, September 29th -
Dr. Joyce Vastola’s Discussion, Parent Survival
Guide
Wednesday, September 30th - MS Picture Day
Tuesday, October 6th - 6th Grade Sharpe Reservation Trip
Friday, October 9th - NO SCHOOL
Monday, October 12th - NO SCHOOL
Friday, October 16th - MS Council Meeting, 8:30am, MPR
Friday, October 23rd - 8th Grade Teen Center, 7-9pm