Pocantico Hills Central School

Learning - Achievement - Growth - Direction

Important Announcements

  • A Letter to Our Community from the Superintendent Regarding Recent Events

    Dear Pocantico Hills Community Members,

     

    Like many Americans, I have been deeply troubled by the tragedy that has unfolded over the last several days in Charlottesville, Virginia.  As a parent and an educator who cares deeply for students in our community and across our state and nation, I am reminded how critically important it is that we all unite in denouncing hateful rhetoric and violence, and reaffirm our commitment to building an equitable and inclusive future for our children.

    Adults and children alike struggle to process and understand what has transpired, evoking a range of emotions, including fear, anger, confusion, and frustration.  As parents and educators, we have a responsibility to respond to questions that young people are asking, helping them to understand what they are seeing and hearing in a manner that makes them feel safe and hopeful.  By empowering our children through education to be informed and knowledgeable they will be ready to embrace the role they have in making the world a better place. 

    If you are looking for guidance in having these important conversations at home, the following links might be helpful…

    How To Talk To Your Kids About The Violence In Charlottesville

    Teaching Young Children About Bias, Diversity and Social Justice

    https://www.todaysparent.com/family/parenting/how-to-talk-to-kids-about-racism-an-age-by-age-guide/

    We are a community that embraces diversity and honors the rich racial, cultural, religious histories and identities of all our students, families, and staff members.  While we may not have all the answers for understanding and addressing injustices in the world, we as a school community have the resolve to do everything in our power to provide our children a positive climate that attends to race, culture, language, class, (dis)ability, gender, gender identity, sexuality, and religion of staff, families, and students. Our children deserve a world where love is stronger than hate, I look forward to our working closely together to make this our legacy.

     

    Sincerely yours,

    Carol L. Conklin-Spillane
    Superintendent of Schools

    cconklin-spillane@pocanticohills.org

    914.631.2440 x 703

    Superintendent

  • A Message to Our Community

    On behalf of our faculty and staff, I welcome you to the 2017-2018 school year. We are looking forward to a busy and productive year as we launch several new and exciting initiatives.  Pocantico Hills School District has a rich history, natural beauty and charm that makes it a uniquely wonderful place for families to thrive and children to grow socially, emotionally, physically and intellectually. Our goal is to personalize the learning experience for all children, building upon their interests and abilities to prepare them to be life-long learners, skilled communicators, able problem solvers and strong citizens. We are proud of all we do well and are committed to a culture of continuous improvement. I look forward to working with all residents to provide an exceptional educational experience for our children as they move through our system from their first day of pre-kindergarten to high school graduation. We want our school to remain the hub of the community for everyone who lives here, with residents and families enjoying our beautiful grounds and pool throughout the years.  

    With direction from our Board of Education, we have established priorities for the coming year that support the District’s vision for the future:

    • Implementing an organizational structure that provides clarity in roles and responsibilities, distributes leadership, and promotes collaboration through a team structure.
    • Developing a rigorous and comprehensive curriculum aligned with standards of excellence, providing expert consultants to develop curricula and build the capacity of our professional staff in reading, writing, mathematics, science, world languages, technology, physical education and social/emotional learning.
    • Reinventing our world language program in grades K-8 to connect with grade level content immersion in French and Spanish to make language learning a tangible, problem-solving experience that prepares our students to be global citizens.
    • Personalizing learning for every child, shifting from a deficit model of support to one of universal support for all students.
    • Strengthening communication with all District constituents.
    • Maintaining a safe, consistent, and developmentally appropriate learning environment.

    This calendar is filled with important information and highlights of all that lies ahead for the children of this community; we invite you to join us in making 2017-18 a great year and count on you to share your feedback and suggestions. If you have questions or concerns at any time, please give us a call or send us an email.

    Sincerely yours,

    Carol L. Conklin-Spillane
    Superintendent of Schools

     

    Superintendent

  • DRAFT District Safety Plan - A Message to the Community

    Annually school districts are required to develop a District-wide Safety Plan in accordance with the Safe Schools Against Violence in Education Act.  This document represents our commitment to providing a safe and secure environment for our students, faculty, staff and visitors.  The attached draft is available for review in advance of the public hearing which will be held during the Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, August 29, 2017.  On the agenda for this same meeting, following the hearing, is adoption of this plan for the 2017-18 school year.  The public is welcome to submit comments on this draft plan in advance of the hearing.  Please send comments to the attention of our Assistant Superintendent for Business and Operations, Mrs. Mimi Heslin at mheslin@pocanticohills.org.

    Pocantico Hills Central School

  • Swim and Dive Team Information and Registration Packet

    Check out the information and registration packet for the 2017 Swim and Dive Team.

    Pocantico Hills Central School

  • Yearbooks are In!!!

    Didn't get to buy a yearbook at the beginning of the year?  No worries, there are extras!

    Pocantico Hills Central School

  • An Important Message from the Superintendent

    Dear Parents,

     

    A lot of attention is being paid to the new Netflix series called "13 Reasons Why" which was based on a novel about teen suicide. Many teens have been watching this or may want to watch it as it has become very popular. The series highlights many of the current issues that our children struggle with such as gossip, rumors, social media and sexual assault.   Teens and pre-teens are bombarded with subtle and overt messages on these and related issues from many sources, which can result in confusion, worry and fear.  It is worth talking about these stressors at home so you can reassure your child and help them navigate their world with confidence. This series may or may not be appropriate or of interest to you and your family; but the advice holds true for any such resource.  It is recommended that you watch it first or with your children so you know how to have discussions about it.  You can reach out to our school counselor for additional information on how best to discuss difficult topics with your children.

     

    Here is a link to an article highlighting some concerns with this series that can be incorporated into discussions with your teens if they are watching it.

     

    http://700childrens.nationwidechildrens.org/13-reasons-parents-concerned-netflix-series/#.WO_yYvuq9uM.facebook

     

    Sincerely,

    Carol Conklin-Spillane

    Superintendent

    Pocantico Hills CSD

    (914) 631-2440 x703

    Pocantico Hills Central School

  • An Announcement from the Superintendent

    A New Way to Pay for Student Meals and Services Online

    We are excited to offer Pocantico Hills Families the opportunity to use  MySchoolBucks®, an online payment service that provides a quick and easy way to add money to your children’s meal account using a credit/debit card or electronic check.  The system is up and running and available for immediate use in the cafeteria and for After Care Program payments. We plan to use this for Camp payments as well.  You will be able to view recent purchases, check balances, and set-up low balance alerts at no extra cost.  Listed here is a summary of what the program offers and how to enroll.  We hope you find this new service helpful.

    MySchoolBucks provides:

    • Convenience - Available 24/7 on the web or through our mobile app for your smartphone
    • Efficiency - Make payments for all your students, even if they attend different schools within the district.  Eliminate the need for your students to take money to school.
    • Control - Set low balance alerts, view account activity, recurring/automatic payments & more!
    • Flexibility - Make payments using credit/debit cards and electronic checks.
    • Security – MySchoolBucks adheres to the highest security standards, including PCI and CISP.

    Enrollment is easy!

    1. Go to www.MySchoolBucks.com and register for a free account.
    2. Add your students using their school name and student ID.
    3. Make a payment to your students’ accounts with your credit/debit card or electronic check.

    A program fee may apply.  You will have the opportunity to review any fees and cancel if you choose, before you are charged. 

    If you have any questions, contact MySchoolBucks directly:

    Pocantico Hills Central School

  • Attention Parents of incoming Pre K and new incoming Kindergarten Students

    For information on registering your child, please click here.

    Pocantico Hills Central School

  • Board Room Project

    Would you like to help us with the Board Room project by donating school memorabilia?  Click here for more information.

    Pocantico Hills Central School

  • District Academic Intervention Plan

    The New York State Education Department is requiring that school districts develop an AIS policy for the 2016/2017 school year. This policy must include a second measure and must be uniformly applied to all grade levels. Please see attached for more details.

    Pocantico Hills Central School

School Bus Transportation

TRANSPORTATION OFFICE GENERAL INFORMATION

 Who is eligible?

School bus transportation is available to resident students in grades one through twelve who live beyond a quarter mile of the school. Extra consideration is given to children in Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten.

Transportation is also provided for students attending private and parochial schools within fifteen miles of the child's home. Families with children attending non-public schools are reminded that requests for transportation must be submitted to the school district every year by April 1st of the preceding year. Transportation will follow the calendar of the child's school, however, transportation will not be provided when the Pocantico Hills Central School District is closed.

If you have any questions or special concerns regarding transportation schedules, please call Jane Anastasi at 631-2440 ext. 707 or stop by the Business Office.

Bus Schedule Documents

Bus Routes

 Bus routes are developed annually providing stops that are safe and allow the driver to pick up the most children with the least stops. Door-to-door transportation is not provided. Routes are sent home in August of each year.

Please note - these times and locations are approximate and subject to change.

Bus Stops

Bus riders are expected to be at their bus stops at least five minutes before their scheduled time. Please make sure that your child is aware of the assigned bus stop and designated time. These estimated times might vary due to traffic, number of riders and weather conditions.

 

If your child will not be using the bus that day, please call the school at 631-2440 ext 707 so others will not be delayed by unnecessary stops.

Holiday Schedule

The district will not provide transportation to any location on the following holidays:

  • Labor Day
  • Columbus Day
  • Veterans Day
  • Thanksgiving Day
  • The day after Thanksgiving
  • Christmas Day
  • New Years Day
  • Martin Luther King Jr. Day
  • Presidents Day
  • Good Friday
  • Memorial Day