ALMS Weekly Newsletter

Hello ALMS Families,

We hope this newsletter finds you well and warm in this chilly season, and happy Groundhogs Day! Apparently we will get an early spring! We are excited to share with you some of the news, events, and achievements of our school community over this past week.

We have some incredible projects to highlight where students created infographics and presentations on non fiction topics and the Progressive Era respectfully. A big thank you to Ms. Kaplan, and Ms. Mazzola for doing incredible work with our young scholars! See below for descriptions and videos from both works.

There is also some more exciting news in the ALMS Sports world. We have linked a LoHud article below for you to peruse about our talented student athletes! Also with the Winter Sports season coming to an end in the next few days and weeks, we would like to thank all of our student athletes, coaches, and staff who support our school programs!

We would also like to draw your attention to our Yearbook team. They are including more information regarding early yearbook purchases, Advertisements, and more!

As for upcoming school events, we will see another Bongo's Bingo event on Tuesday, 9th period. If your child is interested in participating, please have them see Mr. Silviotti and/or Ms. Bongo about tickets! The Student Council is also gearing up for their annual Valentine's Day Boutique. See the flyer below for additional information. We will also be highlighting some informative and stellar Black History Month projects.

We hope you enjoy reading this newsletter and stay updated on what’s happening in our school. We appreciate your support and involvement in your child’s education and well-being.

Warm Regards,

Camille Edwards-Thomas

• February 1st-29th - Black History Month
• February 7th - PTA Meeting
• February 10th - Black History Month Celebration at NRHS - All are invited!
• February 13th & 14th - Student Council's Holiday Boutique
• February 14th - Valentine's Day
• February 19th - President's Day
• February 19th-23rd - Mid-Winter Recess - NO SCHOOL

Ms. Kaplan's classes have been working on their non-fiction infographics where students grouped together, picked a topic that interested them, researched, planned and created infographics on Canva using maps, images, text, and videos! See below for a snapshot of what they were able to create!

Taking a Stand is a celebration of the social reformers of the Progressive Movement. It is because of their dedication and commitment to our great nation that America grew and evolved into a greater place "for the people, by the people."

Student researched, created posters, and presented their reports to students, faculty, staff, administration, and parents. They closed out the event with a powerful TED Talk by Clint Smith (linked below).

The New Rochelle team won the overall championship and they can now call themselves Westchester County Champs!

ALMS' own Elisa Crisp won the 55m event and is officially the Westchester County Champ! She finished with a time of 7.38 seconds!

Elisa also ran in the 4x200m relay which placed first; Other ALMS students, Natalia Girardi and Olivia Solomon ran in the 4x800m relay which also placed first. Olivia also ran in the 4x400m which got 2nd, and in the 1000m she placed 3rd.

I know I speak for the ALMS school community when I say congratulations to all New Rochelle students who participated!

1. Yearbook Orders

The 2023-24 ALMS Yearbook is still on sale! Please click here to order a yearbook today. Only students who pre-order yearbooks by February 28, 2024 will be guaranteed copies in June. Do not delay, order today!

2. Yearbook Ads

Very limited space is still available in our ALMS Yearbook for families and friends to celebrate eighth grade students with recognition ads. Jostens makes the process very easy. Please click here to create a recognition ad for your eighth grader. The final deadline for all ads is Thursday, February 8, 2024. This deadline cannot be extended.

3. Yearbook Boosters

You can also celebrate your eighth grader with a booster ad. A booster ad is a message with 100 characters or less (no pictures or font choice). Booster ads cannot be completed on the Jostens website. Please click here to submit a booster ad for your eighth grader. The deadline to submit boosters is Thursday, February 8, 2024.

On Thursday March 7th the Student Council will visit the Willow Towers Assisted Living Facility in New Rochelle. Student Council members are excited to spend time with seniors in our community. Students are planning to make approximately 50 small gift bags for residents. Donations would be appreciated. The Student Council is grateful for your support.

Dear Parents/Guardians:

We hope all is well with you and your family. It felt like yesterday when our eighth-grade students came to us as eager sixth graders. As the start of their final marking periods of middle school approaches, we are looking ahead to the next phase of their lives.

Over the last few weeks and moving forward, we have been ramping up our efforts to prepare them for their transition to high school. This includes meeting with their counselors for course selection and a virtual orientation for families and parents that provides greater insight into life at New Rochelle High School.

The 8th-grade year culminates with a series of activities designed to celebrate the achievements of our students. These include the 8th-grade Formal Dance at the VIP Country Club, a day trip to Holiday Hill, Awards Night, and the Transition Ceremony. The dates and costs for each event are in this message. Please look for further details on each event as the dates approach.

Throughout your child’s time here, they have been held to our school's highest academic rigor and expectations. We want to remind you that basic requirements must be met to participate in any/all end-of-year eighth-grade activities. Participation in these events is contingent upon students meeting behavioral and academic standards. Please note the following:

Academic Exclusions:

● Students with failures in two or more major academic subjects will be excluded from participation in 8th Grade Activities

Behavioral Exclusions:

● Students who continually engage in violations of the code of conduct

● Students who demonstrate ongoing rude and disrespectful behavior towards adults and others

● Students who continue to be late and or attempt to cut class

If you are concerned that your child may not meet the academic and/or behavioral qualifications/expectations, please contact your school counselor. Mr. Smith, the 8th-grade Administrator, can field any inquiries about your child's eligibility for participation in upcoming events.

We look forward to the coming months and exciting times ahead. Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Edwards-Thomas, Principal

Mr. Smith, Assistant Principal

Ms. Carew and Ms. D’Ippolito, 8th Grade Co-Advisors

Dear Rising 9th Grade Students,

The application for the 2024-2025 NRHS PAVE Program is now officially open!

What is PAVE?

PAVE, which stands for Performing and Visual Arts Education, is a unique opportunity for you to dive deep into the world of art and performance right here at school. During the coming days, your current 8th Grade Performing and Visual Arts Teachers will be speaking to you about this special High School program.

Applications and Auditions:

• Click Here for the 2024-2025 PAVE Audition Criteria

• Any interested student who is thinking about auditioning for PAVE should complete the PAVE Application by February 12, 2024.

• This will help us secure an audition time for any interested students

• Students will receive confirmation of their in school audition times the week before Mid-Winter Recess

• Visual Art Audition Materials are submitted via Google Classroom. The art portfolio materials are due on February 26, 2024.

There will also be PAVE Informational Sessions at the upcoming Middle School PTA Meetings:

ALMS: Wednesday, January 10th, in person, 7pm

IEYMS: Tuesday, January 16th, via Zoom, 7pm

You can also find more information on the The District Website, which features a page for PAVE and the New Rochelle HS Performing and Visual Arts Program.

CLICK HERE to complete an application for the 2024-2025 NRHS PAVE Program

Sincerely,

Matthew M. Lucero

Director of PreK-12 Performing and Visual Arts

The school district renewed the tutor.com license for middle and high school students! See the attached fliers for more information!

Click to enlarge the images below!

Please see the fliers and QR codes below for more information about SEPTA!

Click to enlarge any images below!