News from Our Schools 11/25/20

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News & updates

November 25, 2020

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Thanksgiving

Message From Dr. Marrero

Dear New Rochelle Community:

Thanksgiving this year is particularly meaningful because it inspires unprecedented levels of gratitude. Our entire community has rallied with strength, innovation and boldness to continue providing our students a quality education – and protect their safety and well-being – amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a year with so many challenges, that truly is something to appreciate.

First, we thank our resilient students, who quickly acclimated to remote, in-person and hybrid classroom environments. They’ve truly kept spirits high with their enthusiasm and pride. We also thank our parents, teachers and staff, and so many others, who have tirelessly and passionately formed an outstanding partnership to champion quality education. They have found creative and engaging ways to cultivate our students' love for learning and keep them connected.

Overall, we are stronger for our efforts and we look forward to brighter days.

The foundation of the City School District of New Rochelle is our community. On behalf of our District and Board of Education, please accept my heartfelt gratitude for your commitment to ensuring our students’ success. You make a difference in their lives each day.

Please do your part to keep New Rochelle healthy, and enjoy a safe, meaningful and restful Thanksgiving.

Respectfully,

Dr. Alex Marrero

Interim Superintendent

City School District of New Rochelle

Local Administrator Named CSDNR's Next

Head of Student Support

Dr. Jackielyn Manning Campbell is no stranger to New Rochelle or to meeting challenges head-on. During a 16-year career in education, mainly in Mount Vernon and White Plains, her roles have included principal, assistant principal and several top administrative posts.

Now she is the next Assistant Superintendent for Student Support Services of the City School District of New Rochelle. She starts on Dec. 14, 2020, and already has several goals and aspirations.

“I hope to provide parents with an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding

of how our partnership is beneficial to continued student growth, focuses on how we support students’ social and emotional needs, and creates safe and supportive spaces for student learners,” she said.

Since March, Dr. Manning Campbell has served as Director for Human Resources in the White Plains City School District. Before that, she served 14 years in the Mount Vernon City School District, most recently as Associate Superintendent for Student Support Services. Her appointment in New Rochelle hits closer to home than other roles – literally.

“I am a member of the community and have lived in New Rochelle since 2001,” she said. “I currently have two children in the school district.”

She will replace the recently retired Dr. Anthony Bongo in a top position that gives her a seat on Interim Superintendent Dr. Alex Marrero’s cabinet.

“Dr. Manning Campbell’s experience and approach to education make her an ideal fit for this important role,” Dr. Marrero said. “What’s more, her understanding of the Westchester area and devotion to the community will make her a perfect partner with our parents and supporting community organizations.”

She will oversee special education, guidance, the medical director’s office and pupil services. Her aim will be to ensure that all students have the skills and are provided the supports needed to thrive both in school and beyond.

“We are an integral partner with the families from the time a student enters our educational system through graduation, inclusive of college and career pathways for success,” she said.

Though Dr. Manning Campbell’s ties to New Rochelle hold special meaning, her ambitions for the District remain the same as in her other roles: an emphasis on equity and access to services and programs for all students in the District.

“My hope is to create this focus through a network of inclusive and transparent support by including teachers, school counselors and building administrators,” she said.

Dr. Manning Campbell holds a bachelor’s degree in health services administration and a master’s degree in elementary education from Lehman College, and a second master’s degree in administration and supervision from Mercy College. She received her doctoral degree in executive leadership from St. John Fisher College in 2012.

Reminder: NR Fund

Taking Grant Applications

As a reminder, the New Rochelle Fund for Educational Excellence’s annual grants program is accepting applications.

The organization, which partners with the District, helps engage the community to develop, fund and implement high-quality educational and enrichment programming to encourage students to show their true selves and broaden their educational experience.

Previous NR Fund grants have supported a wide variety of programs across the District, including a chess program, gardening and greenhouse activities, an adult-sized robot and performances of the critically acclaimed off-Broadway show Addy & Uno, a musical that celebrates "the beauty of differences," featuring puppets operated by live actors.

The deadline to apply for a grant is Jan. 20, 2021. Grant guidelines and an application can be found here.

Data Dashboard Offers Information About Districts

The City School District of New Rochelle website, nred.org, now offers a Parent Data Dashboard to increase transparency and make information about school performance and other school-level data easier for parents and the public to access.

The dashboard covers every New York State school district and is also available at the New York State Education Department’s (NYSED) public data website. Please visit NYSED’s Data Help Center for additional information.

NYSED developed the portal as part of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which emphasizes equity in education for all students and expands measures of school accountability and student success.

The Parent Data Dashboard provides the following data about the District as a whole and about individual schools:

· Student Enrollment and Ethnicity

· Average Class Size

· School Climate

· Accountability Status

· Assessment Results

· Financial Transparency

· Graduation Rate

· College, Career and Civic Readiness

Information is grouped by the school and/or district. Student privacy is protected.

NYSED invites comment on the Parent Data Dashboard via an online feedback survey available in 17 languages. NYSED will use this feedback to help the website and data offerings evolve.

Isabelle Balachandran and Brittney Benjamin

Sifting Through Data,

Studying Mice

To Understand Cancers

The students in New Rochelle High School’s Science Research Program explore a dazzling range of topics under the mentorship of professional scientists from some of the top institutions of learning and exploration. Each week in this column, we’ll learn about two students’ activities. In January, researchers in grades 4 through 8, many of them mentored by the high school students, will present their research in the second annual Research Fair.

Isabelle Balachandran, junior

Mentor: Dr. Abhi Dey, Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Isabelle Balachandran’s research took a step toward slowing metastatic -- or stage 4 -- cancers, the direst forms of the country’s second-largest cause of death.

Using sources such as the Human Protein Atlas and GeneCards Database, she sifted through data for 70 varieties of cancer looking for those with a high rate of a protein called KIF-19. Where KIF-19 was prevalent, she found, the patient survival rate was low. She identified 27 cancers where that was the case.

“This is a protein that, if we can target and silence it, would hopefully slow down the spread of metastatic cancer,” Balachandran said.

While she helped bring the medical field a step closer to impeding the progress of the most difficult-to-treat cancers, she benefited from working alongside her mentor Dr. Abhi Dey and Dey’s colleague Dr. David Sharp.

“I gained the experience to mine through databases and to think not only as a student but as someone who is in the science world.”

Brittney Benjamin, senior

Mentor: Dr. Katia Basso, Columbia University

Brittney Benjamin sought a connection between genetics and lymphoma. Her research focused on a protein with the name MEF2B, which, when it mutates, is a major contributor to lymphoma. She studied data on mice bred to delete the MEF28 to see what impact that made. The protein’s effect on lymphoma remains unclear, but Benjamin’s research helps further the understanding of how lymphoma develops.

She has held an interest in science since she was a child, and was inspired to turn to medicine because of her mother, a nurse.

“That passion for medicine stemmed from my admiration of my mom who got to combine her compassion with science to help others every day,” she said.

Several years ago, she took a particular interest in genetics. Her lymphoma research arose from her admiration of Dr. Katia Basso’s work with cancer at Columbia’s Irving Medical Center.

“By studying the molecular origins of diseases like lymphoma, I hope that I can continue to provide the insight necessary for the creation of more effective medical treatments,” she said.

Donated food stacked at Jefferson Elementary School.

Schools' Staffs

Donate, Distribute

Thanksgiving Meals

About 150 families around New Rochelle will enjoy Thanksgiving Dinner thanks to the efforts and generosity of City School District of New Rochelle social workers, teachers and others.

It’s tradition for school social workers and others, to gather donations of frozen turkeys, vegetables and more to be delivered to families in need. That was more challenging during the coronavirus pandemic, but these dedicated, selfless contributors got it done.

At Jefferson Elementary School, staff, parents and community members delivered 20 baskets of Thanksgiving feasts to families this week. Each basket held a turkey or ham, mashed potatoes, fresh vegetables, canned goods such as corn and cranberry sauce, soup, rolls and more.

“This experience made me so proud to work for a school where people are eager to support their community, especially in times of need,” said school social worker Idalia Mendez, who spearheaded the effort with School Psychologist Dr. Michelle Memoli.

The turkeys were donated by The Presbyterian Church of New Rochelle.

The same pride and sense of purpose emanated from schools all over the District.

New Rochelle High School Social Worker Maria Morris and members of the school’s English as a New Language department spearheaded the donation of non-perishable food items, Thanksgiving staples and supermarket gift cards for more than 50 families in need. Ms. Morris along with teachers Barbara Gillingham and Irene Reda collected donations of rice, beans, pasta and more to create 26 baskets for families. An additional 32 families received supermarket gift cards.

Albert Leonard Middle School staff collected donations to provide meals to 10 families. Social workers Jeannette Martinez, Hans Bernier and Jennifer Costello, as well as teacher Karen Johnson and the PTA, led the effort. Each family received either a basket of Thanksgiving staples or a supermarket gift card.

Isaac E. Young Middle School staff passed out flyers for local churches and community organizations that were providing families with meals this Thanksgiving.

At Trinity Elementary School, gift cards from Stop & Shop and ShopRite came from an anonymous donor and expanded the offerings school staff distributed, including turkeys and non-perishable food items.

“It was so generous that we were able to cover more families that I even thought we could,” said school social worker Nelsie Febles. She led the effort with counselor Melissa Kelly, which brought food or cards to 25 families.

Staff members from Henry Barnard Early Childhood Center, led by school social workers Jennifer Mott and Christina Travieso, made the trip to Basket Brigade in Hartsdale on Friday to collect turkeys and baskets of food for eight families.

At George M. Davis Jr. Elementary School, 21 families received donations of either non-perishable food bags, baskets filled with fresh turkeys and Thanksgiving fixings or a gift card to Stop & Shop. The initiative was led by school social worker Heather Cayanan. The Davis staff also donated five boxes of non-perishable items to the Hope Community Food Pantry, an effort that was spearheaded by teacher Ricky Marchione.

A team of volunteers led by William B. Ward Elementary School social workers Lianne Archer-Grascia and Alicia Hardy-Josephs distributed Thanksgiving meals to five families. The items were donated by Ward teachers and staff. Community involvement is ongoing, linking families to other community partners for more frequent food distribution.

Bags of food waiting to be distributed at New Rochelle High School.