Scarsdale High School PTA

From the PTA President

Julie Hoofnagle

juliehoofnagle@me.com

914-698-0394 

September 2009

If you have not already, please consider supporting the SHS PTA by becoming a member. Our organization's success depends on parents and teachers joining the SHS Parent-Teacher Association. Here are some ways that the SHS PTA supports programming, events and materials that benefit students, staff and parents of SHS.

  • Mini Grants for faculty for academic enhancements
  • College and Career Center helps with college planning
  • College Night for Juniors in June
  • Parent - Teacher Conferences in October
  • Supports and donates to the Scarsdale High School Scholarship Fund for College
  • Principal's Coffees with Freshman, Sophomore, Junior & Senior parents
  • Senior Options Committee
  • Senior Activities
  • Summer Activities Fair in December
  • Production of SHS Student Directory each year
  • Volunteer Service and Club Fairs in September
  • Volunteer Service Awards Assembly in May
  • Informative and interesting guest speakers at 5 PTA meetings during academic year
  • New Families to district Welcome and Buddy Program
  • Staff Appreciation Luncheon in September
  • Multicultural families meetings and events
  • Gift to SHS each year
  • Coordination with liaison organizations C.H.I.LD., YES, Task Force on Drugs & Alcohol, The Teen Center, Compact Committee, Maroon & White, Friends of Music & the Arts, S.T.E.P., The Adult School, Scarsdale Coalition Against Family Violence and Scarsdale/Edgemont Family Counseling

SHS PTA dues are $20 per family. You can join the PTA by clicking the this link Join SHS PTA. You can register and pay your dues online with PayPal which accepts major credit cards. You can also order directories online and make a donation to the SHS Scholarship Fund for College. If you prefer to mail in your membership dues of $20, you can print out the membership form that is attached at the bottom of membership link page.

Thank you for your support,

Julie Hoofnagle

August 2009

 

I hope you have enjoyed your summer. Many PTA Committees have been working over the summer in planning for the 2009-10 academic year. We are grateful for their efforts and anticipate a productive year ahead. I encourage you to look around the PTA website, you will find useful information, including our Daily SHS Calendar, PTA Meetings, Parent/Teacher Conference dates and a 'Join the PTA' membership link that allows you to pay your membership dues online.

Here are some important upcoming dates:

September 3rd - Freshman Orientation 9am to 1pm 

September  8th  - Freshman Orientation 8:30am to 2:45pm 

September 8th - New Student Orientation 8:30am in Little Theatre

September 8th & 9th - The A-School Orientation 8am to 3pm

September 9th - First Official Day of School at SHS (full day - starts 8:05am)

Freshman Orientation begins on Thursday, September 3, 2009, at 9:00am with an opening assembly, an opportunity for Freshmen to meet with their deans and secure their schedules, and guided tours of the building.  At 12pm their will be  a welcome barbecue lunch sponsored by the Peer Counseling Program on the Brewster Lawn.  Please plan to pick up your Freshman at 1pm on September 3rd. Freshmen should bring $5 for the barbecue lunch. There is no bus service for September 3rd.  Orientation continues for Freshmen  on Tuesday, September 8th. Freshmen should report to the auditorium by 8:30am and bring a lunch or lunch money for the day. After various activities during the day, Freshmen will be dismissed at 2:45pm.  Bus service is provided on September 8th. 

The A-School Orientation is September 8th and 9th from 8am to 3pm each day. Only A-School students, Freshmen and new students are reporting for their respective orientations on September 8th. The first official day of school is Wednesday, September 9, 2009.

Join us for our first PTA meeting on Wednesday, September 23, 2009, at 7:00pm in the Little Theatre at SHS.  We will have our New Families Welcome and a reception for SHS's new Dean, Nancy Costa. Our guest speaker for this meeting is Dr. Suniya Luthar, a Professor of Clinical and Developmental Psychology at Columbia University's Teachers College. Her recent work has focused on children in affluent communities, and her findings on problems among these youth, particularly pertaining to substance use and anxiety. Her talk is entitled "Overdrive: How Too Much Ambition Can Harm Kids." Join us as we hear more about this unique challenge affecting today’s families. Dr. Luthar will present us with her research, and give us practical ways to shift the tide in our own families.

Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held on Wednesday, October 14, 2009,  (L-Z) and on Thursday, October 22, 2009, (A-K).  Please save both evenings because we rely on more than 200 volunteers for each conference night. 

The SHS PTA is now accepting membership payments online.  You can also order directories online and donate to the SHS PTA Scholarship Fund for college. Use the following link to join the SHS PTA. You can still by check if that is your preferred method. The link also provides a mail in membership form.

Enjoy the rest of your summer.  If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at juliehoofnagle@me.com.  I look forward to seeing you in the fall and welcome your participation in the PTA!



Best, 

Julie Hoofnagle