DECEMBER 23, 2022

Dear Pleasantville Families,

As we head into the winter break, I want to express my gratitude and appreciation. The support of the teachers, staff, parents, Board of Education and community makes Pleasantville the special place that it is. That encouragement has helped me in my first full year here, and I know it has helped our students as they work hard, grow and explore the various opportunities the district offers. 

As a reminder, our schools will be closed from Monday, December 26 through and including Monday, January 2.

I hope you enjoy your time together this week with family and friends, and that the students come back recharged and ready to take on new challenges. 

Have a happy and healthy new year! 

For the youth, 

Dr. Tina DeSa

Superintendent of Schools

An Ornament for the Ages  

In Sheila Moran’s kindergarten class at Bedford Road School, students made paper snowman ornaments with their handprints on the front and a poem on the back.  

“I went to my mom’s house and guess what I found hanging on her tree?” Moran said to her class. “An ornament that I, Mrs. Moran, made when I was in first grade. Your parents will save the ornaments you make for a very, very long time.” 

“Was it laminated?” one student asked, noting that the paper snowflake ornaments the class made were laminated to keep them safe. 

“No. Mine was made of wool, but my mother protected it very carefully,” Moran said.  

In keeping with the winter theme, Moran gathered the children on the carpet for a story and read them a book called “To Catch a Snowman,” by Adam Wallace and Andy Elkerton.  

Celebrating the First Day of Winter 

In Marc Vavolizza’s second grade class, children welcomed their parents – and some grandparents – to their “First Day of Winter Party” on December 21.  

“My practice is always the more the better,” Vavolizza said. “It is a nice time for parents to see what their kids do when they have free choice. Some go right to Monopoly. Some play Uno. Others choose to do origami.”  

Sebastian folded a sheet of paper into a complicated origami shape, which included a pull-tab that would open the folds to reveal a secret message.  

“This is going to be fun,” Sebastian said. Then he shooed his father away, while he wrote his message inside. 

“I Love You,” it read.  

Thanking the Teachers with Lunch 

The Pleasantville Middle School PTA went all out and provided a holiday luncheon for the teachers. PTA Co-Presidents Dyanna Nessel and Eileen Northridge and officers Lana Pattinson and Deirdre D’Attoma presented the teachers with a lovely, and healthful, Greek buffet. 

“They really deserve this,” D’Attoma said. “They work so hard all year.”  

 There were also sweet desserts, gift cards and a raffle for tickets to ARC Stages, a theater arts organization in Pleasantville.  

"What a treat it was to be spoiled by the PTA with this incredible lunch, everything was so fantastic!” said Chorus Teacher Robyn O’Brien. “As a teacher that is new to the school, it was nice to get a chance to sit, eat with and get to know my colleagues. It was also great to meet some of the PTA members and connect them with the children I have had in class! It is nice to know we have such a generous, enthusiastic and supportive PTA here in Pleasantville.” 



Music For Every Taste 

There is no shortage of music ensembles in which students can perform at Pleasantville High School. 

The Winter Concert on December 21 featured the Concert Chorus, Concert Band and String Orchestra. Students also sang in smaller groups like the Razor’s Edge and Camerata and got to swing in the Jazz Big Band and the Advanced Jazz Ensemble.  

“In keeping with tradition, we bring all our ensembles together – the chorus, the band and the orchestra – to perform the finale,” John Vercesi, chair of the music department, said before introducing the closing showstopper.  

Then the young musicians brought the audience to their feet with the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah, which they had only performed together for the first time that afternoon.  

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