Every Monday, students from Aaron Crug and Jaclyn Broccoli’s classes gather to brainstorm a menu for the weekly outing of the coffee cart classroom business. Students take orders, offering coffee, homemade pastries, and breakfast items to the middle and high school staff who receive their orders every friday. The activity provides life skills program students with the opportunity to research recipes, develop shopping lists, and take trips to pick up their items.

“My favorite part about running the Coffee Cart is getting the chance to get out into the community weekly,” said Special Education Teacher Jaclyn Broccoli. “On our short trip to Stop & Shop, the students practice so many skills that are not always able to be taught/experienced in the classroom.”

The activity takes students beyond the classroom, to visit other staff members and to businesses in the community. Students practice collaboration, teamwork, problem solving, and decision making, all essential skills for fostering independence.

“The Brew Crew program is more than just serving coffee. It’s a hands-on opportunity for our students to develop social, communication, and job skills that build independence,” said Director of Special Education Shari Kaplan. “It also connects them with faculty in a meaningful way, fostering a stronger school community. I’m incredibly proud of our special educators who lead Brew Crew. They’ve created a program that not only teaches life skills but also builds confidence, responsibility, and connections that will support our students far beyond the classroom.”

Dobbs Ferry

School District Goals

The Dobbs Ferry School District Goals are available on our website! Click here to view our district goals.

District Addresses

Federal Actions

In recent weeks there have been a number of actions at the federal level that are causing understandable anxiety and, in some cases, fear for some of our students and families. While the district does not take a position on political or geopolitical actions or events, we take a very strong position on our two most critical tasks: maintaining a safe, secure, and positive learning environment where all students feel welcome, included, and accepted, and providing the best possible education to all of our students.

For more information that was shared at this week’s board of education meeting, please click here for the full statement regarding federal actions.

Springhurst Elementary and Dobbs Ferry Middle School are now on the third and final year of implementation of the Illustrative Math curriculum for all of our students in Kindergarten through eighth grade. The curriculum shifts the focus of early math education toward what K-8 Mathematics Specialist and Math Teacher Josh Rosen describes as a problem-based curriculum.

“Historically, math is taught in a more ‘teacher directed’ manner,” said Rosen. “Instead of copying and memorizing how a teacher approaches a problem, Illustrative Mathematics is based on collaborative problem solving. Instead of doing a worksheet, students may work through a lesson by thinking independently, collaborating in pairs or small groups, and then engaging in a teacher facilitated discussion. They’re approaching the process of learning math in the same way that mathematicians do math.”

There may only be one correct answer to any given math problem, but there could be multiple diverse approaches to the problem. The methods students come up with may not initially be the most efficient or even totally correct, but they give students a chance to understand the problem on a more fundamental level before learning a more correct solution, rather than just memorizing that single solution. Illustrative math offers students the opportunity to develop more flexible problem solving skills that create a stronger foundation on which to build higher level mathematics curricula.

Springhurst Elementary Student Recognized for Art

Springhurst Elementary fourth grade student Joaquin was recognized for his seriously impressive art skills last week in the New York State Art Teachers Association (NYSATA) flag design contest. NYSATA received over 2400 submissions from all over the state and Joaquin’s design was highlighted as an honorable mention.

Joaquin’s art teacher Olivia Kavanaugh, his principle Dr. Tashia Brown, and everyone at the Dobbs Ferry School District are proud of this accomplishment. Congratulations Joaquin!

Big shoes were left for whoever would take over as Dobbs Ferry Schools District’s Interim Assistant Superintendent of Finance, Facilities & Operations after the departure of the much loved Ron Clamser. With budget season around the corner, Meryl Rubinstein returned to Dobbs Ferry from her retirement in sunny and warm Florida to the cold of a New York winter to give back to a community that gave her so much over 20 years ago.

“Dobbs Ferry is where I first became interested in working in school business administration,” Rubinstein said. “Working in school business allows me to support what’s going on in the classroom and my experience as an elementary school teacher has helped me make every decision with the aim of benefitting students. I’m excited to give back to the place where I started my career.”

Rubinstein will play a critical role in the upcoming budget process and brings a wealth of experience from her time as an elementary school teacher and from a 17-year long career as a school business official.

2025-2026 Preliminary Budget Presentaiton

The 2025-2026 Preliminary Revenue Budget Presentation was shared at this week’s Board of Education Meeting. Please click here to view the presentation and stay up to date on the latest information regarding the financial development and future of the Dobbs Ferry School District.

Seniors Celebrated Before Monday Night Game

Monday night’s girls basketball game was preceded by Senior Night, where Ella Moon, Alexa Vicchio, Abby Dann, Kim Gregorio, and Ella O'Connor were all highlighted for their leadership of the team. Underclassmen decorated the gym and gave heartfelt speeches sharing memories and what their seniors meant to them. Community members and families turned out to show their support from stands.

With the festivities concluded, the student-athletes took to the court with their teammates and came out ahead with a 64-27 win against Haldane. Congratulations to our seniors for your years spent as part of the Dobbs Ferry basketball program, you’ve left an indelible mark your teammates and coaches.

Science Research Student Recognized by Regeneron

Dobbs Ferry High School senior Lily Williams-Ameen was recognized as one of the top 300 scholars in the Regeneron Science Talent Search. Williams-Ameen was selected from a pool of over 2500 applicants after an extensive application process thanks to her work on her science research project. The project, “The Next Generation: An Exploration of Youth Attitudes on Climate Change in Alaska and Northern Canada,” aims to discern underrepresented youth perspectives in Alaska and Northern Canada on the topic of climate change.

“I surveyed over 500 individuals with the help of indigenous organizations,” said Williams-Ameen. “I’d like to see more targeted studies and non-digital surveys in order to highlight more voices. The arctic is going to experience climate change in a more extreme way than the rest of the world. These are young people, they’re the future leaders of their regions, so I’d like to see their opinions on climate change reflected in policy.”

The Dobbs Ferry High School science research course is a way for students like Lily Williams-Ameen to get real world experience researching and compiling data to complete a study. The experience gained through science research gives students the tools necessary to analyze the world in an objective and data-driven way, giving voice to truth and uncovering the reality of the world around them.

Last edition we got some great feedback from you, our readers! Thank you for helping us make the Eagle Eye enewsletter the best that it can be. We’re still collecting feedback, so please share the form with anyone who hasn’t filled it out yet.

Thanks for helping make Eagle Eye the best that it can be!

Sharon Walpole Visits Springhurst Classrooms

Author of the Bookworms curriculum Sharon Walpole dropped by to see our students putting her work into practice in the classroom last week. Check out our website for more information on the Bookworms curriculum.

“There is no substitute for actually seeing teachers in their classrooms!” Walpole said. “Even though they are just starting their implementation of Bookworms, teachers at each grade level invited me to watch them. The instructional team is off to a great start and the Springhurst leadership team is thoughtful and connected, helping create a culture and norms that allows teachers and students thrive with Bookworms.”

Dobbs Ferry School District

505 Broadway

Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522

FOLLOW US