10/4    First Full Day of Kindergarten;
           Lunch and Milk Programs begin;
           After School Clubs begin
10/6    4th Grade Orchestra Practice, 8 a.m.
10/7    5th Grade Orchestra Practice, Band Practice, 8 a.m.;
           Multicultural Breakfast, 9:30-10:30 a.m., Bliedens' Home at
           51 Paddington Rd.
10/11 SCHOOL CLOSED (Columbus Day)
10/15   4th Grade Orchestra Practice, 8 a.m.
10/18   5th Grade Orchestra Practice, Band Practice, 8 a.m.;
            School Play registration opens online for Grades 1 - 5
10/19   American Boys Choir Concert in am for all Scarsdale Schools
            5th Graders at SMS; C.H.I.L.D. meeting, 7:30 p.m., NMPR
10/25   4th Grade Orchestra Practice, 8 a.m.;
            FM Community Forum meeting with Board of Education,
            7:15 - 8 p.m., followed by regularly scheduled BOE meeting,
            8 p.m., NMPR
10/26   5th Grade Orchestra Practice, Band Practice, 8 a.m.
10/29   Halloween Parade, 9:00 a.m., Front Circle

Looking ahead:
11/2 SCHOOL CLOSES AT NOON (Election Day)
11/3    PTA Meeting, 9:15 a.m., NMPR
11/5    School Play registration closes
11/11 SCHOOL CLOSED (Veterans Day)
11/13   Fall Benefit, 7:00 p.m., 42 in Ritz Carlton Hotel, White Plains
11/18   Book Fair, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m., 6 p.m.-8 p.m., NMPR
11/19 Book Fair, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m., NMPR
11/24 SCHOOL CLOSES AT NOON (Thanksgiving recess)
11/25 SCHOOL CLOSED (Thanksgiving recess)
11/26 SCHOOL CLOSED (Thanksgiving recess)
11/30   C.H.I.L.D. Meeting, 7:30 p.m., NMPR

Lunch Programs: Beginning on 10/4 (no lunches on 1/2 days)

Monday - Pizza

Tuesday - Pasta

Wednesday - Obento

Thursday & Friday - Superstar Lunches www.superstarlunches.com

PTA President's Message

Dear Fox Meadow Families,

Well, we made it through September, with all the deadlines and scheduling challenges. It's a hectic time but also exciting-- there's a brand new school year ahead, full of possibilities!

While we're only a month into school, we've already had many terrific events, none of which would have been possible without our wonderful PTA volunteers. I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the following chairs: Jane Fanning and Sharon Hoffman (yet again!) for creating the school directory in time for Open House; Debbie Farfel for running a very successful Membership drive; Susanne Vleck and Lisa Han for making those great Kindergarten gifts; Sherry Berkowitz for organizing another fabulous picnic (and Principal Wilson for letting us use the gym when the weather didn't cooperate); Jenn Love and Beth Zadek for organizing a particularly scrumptious 5^th Grade Bake Sale; Susan Edlitz, Sharon Lippmann and Abby Hoffman for an amazing clothing sale - FM:FABULOUS!; Mei Morin for the incredible array of goodies at Open House; Amanda Jackson and Janine Blieden for getting all of our smiling children photographed on Picture Day!

There are a few other committee chairs who, although their work will continue all year long, have done a great deal of work already and deserve special mention: Laura Koch and Stacey Greenberg for Class Parents; Stephanie Glaser, Emily Kronenberg and Jenn Solodar for Learning to Look; Sara Silverton, Janine Blieden and Aileen Burke for Multicultural Committee; Suzanne Glaser, Jenn Love, Margarita Meyer, Amy Song and Beth Zadek for Fifth Grade Activities; Alisa Kohn and Diane Baylor for After School Clubs; Dorothy Coco for Lice Check; Suzanne Glaser for Website; Erika Radin, Stacey Greenberg and Melissa Roth for School Play and Margaret Trimarchi, Yoko Katoh, Hiroko Ota, Akemi Nakamura, Sloan Greenspan, Lee Maude and Karen Bock for the Obento, Pizza and Pasta lunch programs. Of course, these chairs did not do it alone! There were many volunteers who helped in numerous ways, large and small. We really appreciate everyone's efforts.

Finally, special thanks to the PTA Board Members-- Stephanie Glaser, Kiki Hoffman, Seema Jaggi, Alisa Kohn, Pam Rubin and Judy Stanley-- who take on so many jobs, many behind-the-scenes, that few people know how hard they're working. I would also like to recognize the super-human efforts of Diane Baylor, Seema Jaggi and Suzanne Glaser for putting our Membership, PTA Volunteer, After School Clubs, and Lice & Lunch forms, registrations and payment ONLINE! This was a Herculean task that not only will make our lives as parents more convenient, but also will contribute to a greener future for our children. Look for more paperless-PTA to come!

There are many exciting events coming up this month - check out this issue's calendar. And look for your invitations to our annual Fox Meadow Fall Benefit (formerly Ways & Means) in the mail soon. I look forward to seeing you all at 42, Top of the Ritz on November 13 for a festive evening of "Eating, Drinking & Bidding"!

Sincerely,

Deb Morel

From the Principal's Desk

"Plus ça change, plus c'est la même Chose"?

Think Again

I hope you have had a chance to look at the photo display at the main entrance to the school. As you may recall, the entrance used to contain "The Hall of Presidents" dedicated in 1976. After a year of looking at all of our dead presidents and a few living ones, I asked myself and several of our teachers if there might be a more welcoming display at our front door. For those of you who are passionate about presidential history, fear not! They will return every Presidents Day in a new location.

The images you see are a combination of contemporary photographs paired loosely with photographs from the 1934 book, Willingly to School, by Fox Meadow principal Claire Zyve. There are also several quotations including the following pair:

"The modern public school has an atmosphere teeming with vitality and life . . . . Children are not conforming to a standardized pattern. They are not being shaped into a uniform mold . . . . Why make the questioning child wait till graduate student days in college to start personal researches, when the world is so full of things to learn from, to learn about, if children only get the chance?"

Claire Zyve, Fox Meadow Principal, 1934

"The goals are not new, nor is the learning that follows from them . . . . However, our graduates will need not only to employ the best of traditional scholarship, but also to discover new knowledge and find new solutions . . . . The core curriculum for the future includes a coordinated focus on critical and original thinking; efforts to develop students' capacity to apply knowledge to problems with no clear answers."

Michael V. McGill, Scarsdale Superintendent, 2009

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose? Does the well-known French saying apply? On the surface, yes, but I would like to propose a slightly less glib approach. The similarities between the old and new photographs are striking. A sound elementary education has always been about discovery and about learning by doing. Great schools have always put community first and have found ways to have children, even at a young age, be builders of that community. So maybe what we are calling innovation today is not entirely original.

But innovation does not have to be entirely original to be important. Exploring in a garden, writing a letter, playing in the season's first snow, and discovering what lives in a pond are always important. Each generation of children and each generation of teachers will discover the curriculum and the wonders it holds for the first time. It is, in fact, the sense of wonder and the sense of newness that drives the heart of both the 20th and 21st century curriculum. Seventy years ago, when Claire Zyve wrote her book, we called this a "progressive" education. As the 20th century closed, and most of today's Fox Meadow teachers were just beginning their careers, this child-centered, hands-on approach to learning was joined by other forces in education, namely a push to standardize specific skills in mathematics and literacy as well as a push to measure those skills through testing.

Standards and tests have showed us the importance of accountability, and they do tell a story. But at the same time, there is as much evidence of learning in these pictures as there is in a paper and pencil test. These pictures and those like them on our teachers' web pages tell a story that we must never lose sight of. The challenge of today's Fox Meadow then, is to strike the right balance between old and new. We do have to find better ways to communicate our goals and to measure our progress, but we must also leave room for discovery, creativity and wonder.

So it is with these ideas in mind that I propose a new theme for the main entrance to our school. Like all good entryways, ours should both tell a story and extend an invitation. Our story should be one that both looks forward to the future and looks back to our past. We should invite all who enter our school to look forward with wonder and to meet all of the challenges that the future holds. At the same time, we should invite all who enter to learn that everything we do is built on a past where others have discovered, invented, and achieved. It is therefore an awareness of the past and the future that should be the goal of everyone who comes to Fox Meadow. I looked for one perfect quotation to close, but instead I found two. Both are by 20th Century thinkers, who I am confident never met in life. I hope you will enjoy seeing them together at Fox Meadow.

"In this bright future you can't forget your past."

Bob Marley

"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning."

Albert Einstein

Duncan Wilson

Principal

Principal Duncan Wilson's previous messages can be found in the "Principal's Corner" under "School Information" on the Fox Meadow Elementary School homepage.

Thank You for Photo Day!

Another successful photo day at Fox Meadow!

Thank you so much to Dorothy Coco, Monique Greenberg, Lauren Yang-Guo, Emma Hayter and Sarah Baigent for making the day run so smoothly. Photographs will be returned before Thanksgiving and re-shoot day will follow shortly afterwards (you will be informed of the date nearer the time). Anyone absent or unhappy with their pictures are welcome for a re-shoot. Any questions, please contact Amanda Jackson or Janine Blieden, Photo Day Co-Chairs.

Lunch Makers, Rejoice! Lunch and Milk Programs Start this Week

Lunch and Milk Programs start on Monday, October 4, 2010 and are served to children who ordered* them on full school days as listed below; lunches and milk are not served on half days.

Mondays: Pizza
Tuesdays: Pasta
Wednesdays: Obento
Thursdays & Fridays: SuperStar Lunches (superstarlunches.com)

Please tell your kids the good news and on the appropriate day(s) remind them what you ordered for them. For example: on Monday, "2 slices of pizza and white milk", or on Wednesday, "California roll obento and chocolate milk". Lunch and milk distribution go much more smoothly if the kids know what they're supposed to get. Thank you!

*You can click here to verify that your child's lunch order was received and processed or visit the PTA website and click on "Lice and Lunch Orders Update". NOTE: The Order Update is arranged by purchaser's last name, but lunches will be served by the child's last name.

After School Clubs Begin This Week

The Fall 2010 After School Clubs Session begins on
Monday, October 4, 2010

Last week, all students were notified of their club assignment by e-mail to the address provided during the PayPal checkout process. Contact Peter McKenna at mckennafmasc@gmail.com if you have any club-related questions.

All club lists are FINAL. Absolutely no refunds will be issued to students who withdraw from their assigned club after October 2nd.

Refunds currently due to students out from lottery, lunchtime chess registrants, club changes, etc., will be processed this week and issued directly to your credit card. We appreciate your patience in this process.

We must have your emergency contact information before clubs begin. If you have not completed the on-line PTA electronic membership form, please do so NOW!

REMEMBER:

Remind your 2nd-5th grade children of their club assignment and club location (see Club Grid). Only Kindergarteners and First Graders will be escorted to their club by chaperones.
Notify Peter McKenna if your child will be absent from clubs.
No food is allowed in club classrooms.
Pick-up is promptly at 4:10 PM. Enter the building through the door in the teachers' parking lot.

We are currently planning for the Winter/Spring semester. Your feedback is always appreciated. We welcome new club ideas and current club reviews. Contact us.

Enjoy the semester!

Fifth Grade Keyboarding

Attention all Fifth Grade Keyboarders:

Classes begin this week on Tuesday, October 5th for Section 1 and on Wednesday, October 6th for Section 2. All classes meet from 8:00-8:45 a.m. in the computer room at the back of the library. The full schedule is posted on the Fifth Grade Keyboarding page on the FM After School Clubs website.

Please remember that on days when your regularly scheduled class falls on Day C, the class will be on Thursday instead to avoid conflicting with Orchestra or Band practice.

Should you have any questions, please contact Sheila Tancredi at 721-2720 or Peter McKenna, Club Administrator, at mckennafmasc@gmail.com.

Multicultural Breakfast

Please join us for the Annual Multicultural Breakfast on
Thursday, October 7, 2010
9:30 - 10:30 a.m.
The Blieden Home
51 Paddington Road

Hosted by the FM PTA Multicultural Committee and the Blieden Family, the Multicultural Breakfast is a wonderful -- and delicious -- opportunity to meet other parents from our diverse Fox Meadow School community. Come for the whole hour, or just pop in for a quick bite. Bring a breakfast dish from your (or your favorite) country or culture, or just bring yourself. There will be delectable food to sample, old and new friends to meet and great conversation.

Please RSVP to Sara Silverton at sjsilverton@me.com.

Classical Cafe

What is Classical Cafe?

The Classical Cafe is an opportunity for students who are
studying a music instrument or voice with a teacher or who are taking dance instruction to perform for their peers during lunchtime. Students are screened for readiness and then assigned a date for their performance. Parents will be invited to attend the
performance if their child is performing. Tablecloths,
centerpieces, performer posters, and servers set the tone for
the audience as well as the performers. The Cafe will be held
monthly, and performances will be videotaped and played in the hallway during the week following each Cafe performance.

Classical Cafe Screening Dates:

October 14, 2010 for students whose last names begin with A-M
October 15, 2010 for students whose last names begin with N-Z
Lunchtime in Mrs. Laman's music room

If the child is performing in a group then choose either date
to attend.

Students interested in performing in the Classical Cafe this year
will need to perform for the music teachers on October 14 or
October 15 in Mrs. Laman's music room from 12-1 p.m. Students may bring their lunch. Beginning levels are welcome! Please know that this is NOT an audition, but an opportunity for us to consider the child's level of preparation regardless of their skill level. Students are allowed to change their musical selection or dance prior to their scheduled performance.

Additional screening dates will be scheduled in the spring.

For more information, please see Mrs. Laman's teacher page.

Fall Benefit

The Fox Meadow Fall Benefit

is slated for Saturday, November 13, 2010,
at "42" at the top of the Ritz Carlton Hotel in White Plains

We're gearing up to make this year's event more than just a fundraiser for the Fox Meadow PTA, but also an evening to remember. In order for this benefit to be successful, we need your help in securing goods and services to be donated to our silent auction. All items will have a terrific sign with the name of the vendor and the item description with the value, a minimum bid and a minimum raise. This information will also be entered into our auction catalogue.

Thank you in advance for your support.

Please contact: Julie Rosenblatt, Fall Benefit Co-Chair, regarding your donation and bring all your silent auction items to 12 Fox Meadow Road on or before than Monday, October 25, 2010.

Save the Dates for the School Play Casting, Rehearsals, and Performance

You Can Fly!

The first annual Fox Meadow Play starring all budding 1st through 5th grade actors and actresses will take place on Saturday, February 5, 2011. This year's production will be Peter Pan.

Casting for 3rd through 5th grade students will take place on Wednesday, December 15, 2010, immediately after school. First and 2nd graders need not attend the casting call as they are eligible only for chorus parts.

Rehearsals will take place at school from Monday, January 24, 2011 through Friday, February 4, 2011 from 3:15 until 5:45 p.m. every day after school. First and 2nd graders will only attend rehearsals until 4:15 during the first week and will attend the entire time during the second week. After school clubs are NOT scheduled to occur on casting day or during the weeks of rehearsals.

Registration will be on-line from October 18, 2010 through November 5, 2010. The fee for participation will be $170 per student. Additional information will be posted on the Fox Meadow PTA website soon.

Invitation for Community Comment on Third Year Probationary Teachers

As part of the ongoing evaluation of professional performance, the School District annually publishes the names of professional staff eligible for tenure. Any parent wishing to comment on a teacher's performance is invited to provide communication to Joan Weber, Assistant Superintendent for Personnel and Administrative Services,

2 Brewster Road, Scarsdale, NY 10583.

Written comments from parents should be received by February 1, 2011. As per Board/STA teacher contract, comments will be shared with the teacher.

The following staff members at Fox Meadow are up for tenure this year:

Michelle Boyum

Pam Winders

Nutrition & Food Safety Committee's Tip of the Month: Candy, Candy Everywhere!

Halloween is around the corner, which usually means lots of candy to give and receive. This year we thought we'd take a walk through the candy and chocolate aisles and give a few links to some fun homemade treats you can make.

The Candy Aisle

The USDA suggests eating sweets sparingly, particularly since they are full of sugar, fat and not much else. Buying the mini-sized packs is the way to go and help minimize portions. Some other things to think about are allergies, specifically nuts. Choose candy that is nut-free, making sure that it has not been manufactured on machines that may contain nuts as well. Let's not forget about the teeth. Super gooey gummies, caramel and taffy are very tough to brush off.

Many candy labels claim candy is fat free, which makes sense since sugar is naturally free of fat -- but they should still be eaten in moderation. Here are some comparisons of common candies below:

Twizzlers (4 pieces): 160 calories, 19 grams sugar
Gummi Bears (10 pieces): 87 calories, 13 grams sugar
Candy Corn (8 pieces): 140 calories, 28 grams sugar
Starburst (8 pieces): 160 calories, 23 grams sugar

The Chocolate Aisle

Unlike candy, chocolate does contain sugar AND fat. Look for "fun sizes" to keep portions in check. Here is a comparison of a few common chocolates:

3 Musketeers Bar: 260 calories, 8 grams total fat and 5 grams saturated fat
3 Musketeers Mini Bars (3 fun-sized bars): 190 calories, 6 grams total fat, 4 grams saturated fat
York Peppermint Patty (1 piece): 140 calories, 2.5 grams total fat, 1.5 grams saturated fat
Plain M&Ms (1.69-ounce pack): 240 calories, 10 grams total fat, 6 grams saturated fat

Homemade Goodies

For a homemade Halloween treat try some of these ghostly recipes for under 250 calories per serving:

Ghostly Pumpkin Pudding

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ghostly-pumpkin-pudding-recipe/index.html

Spooky Edible Eyeballs

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/spooky-edible-eyes-recipe/index.html

Homemade Halloween Pops

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/homemade-halloween-pops-recipe/index.html

Chocolate Dipped Fruit

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/chocolate-dipped-fruit-recipe/index.html

Please send comments, suggestions, or recipes to the Nutrition and Food Safety Committee Co-Chairs:
Kira Almeida MS, RD/CDN, CDE (kiraalmeida@gmail.com)
Toby Amidor MS, RD/CDN (toby@namsko.com)

Children's Activities at the Scarsdale Public Library: Wag Your Tale

Join us at the Scarsdale Library for the
opportunity to read your favorite tale to a
furry, four-footed friend.

Story-loving dogs will be available on the
following Saturdays at 3:00 p.m.:
October 9, 2010
November 6, 2010
December 11, 2010

This program is open to independent readers of all ages who would like to practice reading aloud. Registration is required and each child will be allotted ten minutes with a dog. Volunteer dogs and their people are all certified and registered through The Good Dog Foundation.

The Scarsdale Public Library
Finney Children's Room
54 Olmsted Road
Scarsdale, NY 10583
914-722-1300 x3

School Board Nominating Committee (SBNC) Seeks Candidates

Would you like to have input in Scarsdale Board of Education policy, but are unable to devote the substantial amount of time a position on the School Board demands? Consider running for election to be a member of the non-partisan committee that selects the candidates to run for Scarsdale's school board.

The School Board Nominating Committee, which meets several Sunday afternoons between January and March, is the group that identifies, proposes, and nominates qualified candidates to run for the school board. The SBNC consists of 30 voting members, representing each of the five elementary school neighborhoods. Each member is elected to serve a three-year term, elections being held in January. The goal is to identify and nominate the best candidates to serve on the Scarsdale Board of Education.

We are looking for volunteers to run in this year's election. This is your opportunity to serve your community and have important input in selecting those individuals who have ultimate responsibility for policy decisions that directly impact our schools. Excellence in education is highly valued in Scarsdale. To maintain that tradition, consider seeking a position on the School Board Nominating Committee.

Interested in joining? Need more information? Visit www.scarsdalesbnc.com, complete a biographical form on-line on or before November 11, 2010, and submit a candidate petition with ten signatures to SBNC Administrative Committee, P.O. Box H172, Scarsdale, NY 10583.

For additional details about the school board nominating process, please contact the SBNC Administrative Committee's chairperson, Stephen Fridakis at sfridakis@unicef.org.

SBNC Administrative Committee

P.O. Box H172

Scarsdale, NY 10583

Monthly Updates and Weekly E-Blasts
The Fox Meadow PTA welcomes your input! Please help us publicize upcoming events by sending your news to Diane Baylor at foxmeadowupdate@gmail.com for the monthly Update or to Pam Rubin at pamrubin1@gmail.com for the weekly e-blast (or to both of us if you're not sure). See the Update and Weekly Deadlines on the PTA homepage for additional information.

Fox Meadow E-Mail System

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