IHS Weekly Blast 4/10/2020

  • Dear Irvington Students and Families,
     
    Thank you for another incredible week! Our teachers, students, and staff continue to work hard and communicate with one another as we continue to engage in distance learning together.
     
    As learning becomes more fluid, students are using new ways to demonstrate their knowledge and skills. We're thrilled to see our students use technology as a tool to communicate and collaborate and generate positive interactions. It is also important to remember our responsibility as digital citizens to continue to treat ourselves and one other with kindness and respect at all times. With that in mind, I am sharing a copy of our Acceptable Use guidelines that we provided to families in September. Please take a few moments to review the guidelines so that we can all be certain that the decisions we're making are in all of our best interests.  
     
    Thank you again for your partnership. And Happy Holidays to all celebrating!
     
    Best always,
    Juliet
     

    A Letter from the New York State of Health
     
    Food Distribution Update
    This is an update regarding the hours that the Irvington School District is providing food during our school closure period. Beginning Wednesday April 8th, the distribution at the Main Street School parking lot will be from 9am - 10am. Food will then be distributed in the Tarrytown Crossing/Tallyrand parking lot near the playground from 10:15-11:15am. Both breakfast and lunch are available for a “Grab and Go” pickup. Parents may pick up food for their children. Additionally, every Friday we are distributing meals for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Food is available for free for all Irvington UFSD students. This means that no child or family will be identified as being eligible for Free or Reduced Lunch when going to receive food. Students and families are asked to pick up the day’s food and return home and maintain social -distancing. Please continue to look for community messages and check our website for further updates.
     
    Peer Leadership and CBF Applications
    ATTENTION RISING SENIORS
    As a reminder, your completed applications are due to Ms. Forman, Mr. Lund and Ms. Pappalardi on or before April 17th. If you have any questions related to the application, please contact Ms. Forman, Mr. Lund or Ms. Pappalardi.

    ATTENTION RISING JUNIORS
    As a reminder, your completed CBF applications are due to Ms. Samuelson on or before April 17th. If you have any questions related to the application, please contact Mr. Samuelson.

    June Regents Exams are Canceled
    As you know, the NY State Department of Education recently announced that all June Regents exams are cancelled. This decision is consistent with the cancellation of the NY State Math, ELA and Science exams at the elementary and middle levels.
     
    While there are several types of situations in which students are exempt from the Regents, most of our students fall into one two categories: Students who are currently enrolled in classes ending in Regents exams and who pass those classes in June are exempt from the exam. In addition, students who are currently preparing to take an exam for a class in which they are not enrolled and for which they have previously earned credit are also exempt from the exam
     
    As you know, many of Irvington High School’s classes cultimate with the Regents exam serving as the final assessment. We are now working to determine how student learning will be assessed in the absence of these exams.  Please refer to the email blast from 4/8/20 entitled "June Regents Exams are Canceled" for more information.
     
    AAPPL Exams Canceled
    Due to the current school closure, we will not be administering the AAPPL Presentational Writing nor the Interpersonal Listening and Speaking assessments for French and Spanish students.  World Language Teachers will be sharing more information with students regarding in-class assessments as we move forward.
     
    Senior Corner
    As a reminder, we have adjusted deadlines so that students will not be submitting anything to mentors until early May, as opposed to early April. Each senior should receive an email from their teacher mentor on or before April 30th. If such an email is not received, please email Ms. GM.
     
    In addition to working with the District administration to determine the format for Senior Internships, work is continuing with our District-level team to consider all other Senior Activities including Prom, Senior Dinner, and Graduation. Please email Ms. Ippolito at or your senior class officers with any ideas you may have.

    Wellness Corner
    Resources from our extraordinary IHS Counseling Team:
     
    RELAX
    Jen Monness, of Meditation lab, is offering meditation sessions for Irvington families. Just like you did at school, you can participate in mediation at home! To access these meditation videos, please follow this link and enter the password "SpringMedLab". You can use the videos as many times as you would like.
     
    The Monterey Bay Aquarium has guided meditation videos with jellyfish, turtles, and other relaxing critters.
     
    The Center for Healthy Minds (connected with the University of Wisconsin) is now sharing their Healthy Minds Program App for free.
     
    THE ARTS
    Take a free MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) online class! Click here to view the many courses available.
     
    The Met is releasing live recordings of operas from past years for free.
     
    Broadwayworld.com is broadcasting "living room concerts" - big-time Broadway performers singing from their homes, often accompanying themselves. You can sign up on their website to receive alerts when new ones drop.
     
    Do you know about Kanopy? LA Library's film catalog. Watch great indies, foreign films, and more for free. All you need is your library card!
     
    Want to feel like a kid again? Check out these crafts that will get your hands dirty while making your mind clear!
     
    Not sure what craft is right for you? HGTV has an online quiz that can help you decide what your next project should be! Check it out here!
     
    STAY ACTIVE
    Active by POPSUGAR is offering Free at-home workout tutorials. There’s no excuse now!
     
    NIKE is now offering their subscription service for no charge. This service includes studio-style streaming workouts, progressive training programs and expert tips from our elite Nike Master Trainers.
     
    READ A NEW BOOK
    Need some musical inspiration? Here’s a list of 100 songs to lift your spirits!
     
    Want to listen to a new heartwarming story every day? Check out Storycorps’ catalogue of uplifting true tales. StoryCorps’ mission is to preserve and share humanity’s stories in order to build connections between people and create a more just and compassionate world.
     
    Need a new podcast? Here are some to look into:
     
    LEARN (OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL WORK)
     
    The San Diego Zoo offers live cams on many of their animals. See what the baboons are up to while we’re all stuck in our homes.
     
     
    If you like the idea of learning, take any one (or more) completely free classes at Coursera. Thousands of courses in Arts & Humanities, IT, Literature, Languages, etc.
     
    Here is a list of 450 Ivy League courses that you can take online for FREE.
     
    Not tired of learning? TED Talks are free and amazing.
     
    Take up your own STEAM project. MIT hosts a site of projects that may give you some inspiration.
     
    Disney Imagineering fans, get ready! If you’ve ever been one of many guests who’s visited a Disney theme park and found yourself inspired to dream, build and create, there’s a FREE online program you just can’t miss! 
     
    PLAY
    Want a new game to play? This article lists some of the highest rated family focused games currently available! Test your knowledge! Take a trivia quiz here: http://quizfreak.net/
     
    For more Wellness Resources from some of our incredible students at IHS, please click on the sheet below: