Dear Nanuet Parents and Community,

In our Nanuet schools the hustle and bustle of holiday cheer is everywhere. Our students and staff are involved in many community service projects designed to bring much needed assistance to myriad groups and organizations including collections of items for the military, our families in need and local community service agencies. It is a privilege for our schools to partner with our Nanuet neighbors in service and fellowship.

We hope that you enjoy our Golden Spotlight this month. The students at Highview are excited to share their experiences with RULER and Family RULER Night. Our children are insightful, smart and working hard to develop their leadership skills. They were instrumental in coordinating Family RULER Night which was a huge success. RULER is an essential part of our social and emotional learning (SEL) program which helps our children recognize and manage emotions and feelings. Our goal this year is to include families so that we have strong school to home relationships.

On behalf of the Nanuet Board of Education and all of us in your Nanuet Schools Family - best wishes for the holidays and the New Year!

Sincerely,

Dr. Lisa Brady

Interim Superintendent

Welcome to the Golden Spotlight! Every month we focus on something special happening at the Nanuet Union Free School District. For November, we checked out the Highview Elementary RULER Family Engagement Night, held on the 16th. The event was an excellent opportunity for our third and fourth grade students to engage their family and friends in the RULER approach for Social and Emotional Learning being practiced in the classroom.

In honor of National STEAM Education Day (November 8), we dedicated a week of social media posts to Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math lessons taking place in our District. “Not only do STEAM lessons spark incredible enthusiasm and interest in our students, but they also prepare our students for a world that relies on critical thinking, collaboration and the ability to solve unique problems in a creative, meaningful way,” says Nanuet Deputy Superintendent Meredith Fox. “STEAM education is so critical in today’s society.” Our posts can be found on our Facebook and Instagram accounts. Here are some highlights:

Elementary STEM teacher MaryRose Palumbo has been working with students on “Animation-ish,” a web based program bringing art work alive in three simple steps. “In our K-2 STEM program we focus on the 4 Cs of 21st Century Skills—Creativity, Collaboration, Communication and Critical Thinking,” says Palumbo. “The Animation-ish program supports creative thinking and imagination as well as boosts technology literacy skills.” Read more in our Facebook post.

Creation, testing and sharing may get the limelight, but no engineering project can succeed without executing the imagining, research and planning phases of the design process. That's where we found Molly O’Riodan’s STEM students earlier this month before they embarked on their “Building a Better Candy Bag,” project. Students reviewed different styles of bags before brainstorming what direction to go with. See them in action.

Fifth grade STEM students have been designing and building spinning tops in the brand new state-of-the-art A. MacArthur Barr STEM lab. On National STEAM Day, these budding engineers were measuring and cutting the dowels which will be used in the center of their creations. The multi-week project has seen the fifth grade class execute every step of the engineering process, from research and design to execution. Click here for more on their projects.

Our Nanuet Knightronz are in the holiday spirit. Led by Nanuet Senior High School STEM teacher Steve Martin, our robotics club students are taking part in multiple tree lighting ceremonies this season. But this isn’t the fir or spruce you would find in your living room. It is a custom built wooden tree that gets topped with a star-laden road cone, carefully put in place by a Knightronz robot. Check out our Facebook post.

November 21 marked the 50th day of school and Kindergarten teacher Carolyn Christiano used it as teaching moment. Christiano had her class rockin’ and rollin’ with 50’s themed crafts, puzzles and paintings. Each activity reinforced the counting skills the class has been working on. “We count every day by ones and tens, working towards 100,” says Christiano. “Celebrating 50 is a great half way point and helps motivate them as they work towards their goal." Before you know it, they will be at the century mark!

G.W. Miller Kindergarten classes made their way to the Nanuet Public Library this month to pick up their very own library card and get a tour of all the amazing things the public library has to offer.
After a sneak peak at the back offices and main area of the library, students headed over to the Children’s section to learn about the books and activities being offered and meet Gigi, the library’s pet lizard! Click here to check out our Instagram Post.

"Technology is like a ladder, to get to the top, you have to start at the bottom.” Highview Elementary fourth graders learned about the tools and weapons used by Native Americans during classroom visits by Marc Gussen, a Naturalist at the Closter Nature Center. “It’s not just the story of Native Americans, it’s the story of us,” Gussen reminded Ms. McGuire's class before walking them through early developments in technology, beginning with the almighty rock. Learn more in our Facebook Post.

Oh the places our Barr Drama Club went this month! Our Middle School stars took the stage for two sold out performances of ”Seussical Kids!" at the end of the month. Check out our Facebook post to see pictures of Horton, The Cat in the Hat, Thing 1, Thing 2 and the rest of the cast! And while you are at it, check out the Nanuet Music Partners Instagram posts on the Nanuet Senior High School production of Little Women.

Nanuet Senior High School students got a sneak peak at some of the many opportunities waiting for them during this month's “Future Development Fair,” organized and led by the members of Nanuet DECA and Junior Chamber. Spread out through the gymnasium were representatives from several different companies, small businesses and government agencies. Students visiting each booth had a chance to inquire about each occupation and consider what their path may be. Read more here.

Three of our Nanuet student-athletes signed letters of intent during a National Signing Day event at Nanuet Senior High School earlier this month: Makaela Larkin (Susquehanna University - Women's Lacrosse), Aidan Kempf (Pace University - Baseball) and Cadence Mullings (Delaware State - Women’s Lacrosse). Click here to see photos of the athletes signing their letters in the presence of family and friends.

December is upon us and our first Winter Concert is around the corner! Join us Monday, December 4 at 8pm for the Nanuet Senior High School concert, being held in the school auditorium. A. MacArthur Barr performances begin on December 6 at 7:30pm with the seventh and eighth grade concert being held in the High School Auditorium. Sixth grade students perform on December 12 at 7pm and fifth grade students take the stage on December 14 at 7pm.

The George W. Miller Elementary School Food Pantry has been selected by the Nanuet Stop & Shop to benefit from the Community Bag Program. The food pantry will receive $1 from every $2.50 reusable Community Bag sold during the month of December at the Stop & Shop located at the Shops at Nanuet.

Nanuet’s newest educators got the chance to reconnect with one another during November's Superintendent Conference Day. A morning session, led by Deputy Superintendent Meredith Fox and Director of Student Support Services Judith Heaney, was an opportunity for district level administrators to check in with new teachers, and their mentors, after the first few months of school. The group discussed student support services, district procedures and available resources.