Tappan Zee High School News

January 2014

South Orangetown Central School District

From the Principals Desk

Upcoming Events:
Mid-term Exams Jan. 27-30 2nd Semester begins Jan. 31 8th Grade OrientationFeb. 6 at 7 PM PTSA Meeting and TZHS Antique Road Show Feb. 10 With the many moving parts involved at Tappan Zee High School, it can be challenging to stay informed regarding important events, timelines, and information. We recognize that ongoing challenge and are working hard to make sure you can find most of what you need to know right on our high school home page: http:// www.socsd.org/ tzh/ tappanzeehigh.htm Seeking information regarding club meetings or building-wide events,? Please review our calendar of upcoming events. Curious about the ways our young people are getting involved or being celebrated? Please click on the Building Highlights along the right margin of our homepage. Youll also find links to other things relevant to the high school in a list of buttons along the right margin of the page. Here you will find a link to the PowerSchool Portal, upcoming lunch menus and payment options, daily announcements, and a link to some of our district-wide curriculum and instructional resources. Along the left of the homepage, you will find a series of important links to resources like teachers websites, office hours, information for students, and documents and resources from our Guidance Department to assist in planning for a strong high school and college career. A tab along the top links you to our PTSA webpage. If you have suggestions as to other strategies or resources for us to implement to make it easier for you to remain informed on important things related to the high school, please share your ideas.

Inside this issue:

Principals Notes Mid-Term Exams 8th Grade Orientation
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Mid-Term Exams
Mid-term exams are scheduled from Monday, January 27 through Thursday, January 30. Full details are available via the TZHS website. Students are required to attend school only during their scheduled exams. We also encourage students to attend review sessions with their teachers and to utilize resources available to them in the Learning Center, including working with peer tutors who will assist with lastminute review. Please note: if inclement weather leads to school cancellation during exams, we will attempt to reschedule missed exams during the regular exam block but may need to reschedule these exams for Friday, January 31st. We will notify you of amended plans.

Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind.

8th Grade Orientation Redesigned

In response to parent

Henry James

and student feedback from previous years, we have modified the structure of the program to offer more clear guidance to families in selecting coursework for the fall. Incoming freshmen will have the opportunity to choose the

courses and extracurricular activities that best align with their interest and aptitude; the structure of this year's orientation will provide an overview of many of these choices as well as an opportunity to ask questions directly of Tappan

Zee High School teachers and students. Current TZ student leaders will also guide parents and 8th graders on a building tour, stopping to showcase various elements of the curriculum. Please plan to join us. We look forward to meeting you!

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Interact Valentines Dinner

Each year, senior citizens in our community enjoy a night of food, entertainment, and dancing. This event is an annual hit. Students in our Interact Club serve a dinner, which is largely donated by local businesses and restaurants in our community. Students provide excellent musical entertainment and then lead the dancing later in the evening. If you know of a senior citizen in our community who might enjoy this night out, please encourage them to reach out to Ms. Celona at jcelona@socsd.org by January 31st to reserve a seat.

A Recap of Parent-Teacher Conferences

Despite an earlier weather-related cancellation and a technical glitch in the sign-up process, the second of our two Parent Teacher Conference dates (January 9th) had a strong turn-out of the parents of nearly 140 of our students. (This is in addition to the 160+ families who came out for conferences on December 6th.) These conferences allowed a quick opportunity to touch base regarding student progress. We know how important it is to maintain a strong partnership with you in your child's education, so please reach out any time there are questions, concerns, or things you would like to share to help further your child's success in school. Our teachers also host regular office hours and are available to work with your students at those time; be sure to encourage your child to make arrangements with his or her teachers as needed. As proven time and time again, a close home-school partnership helps students to maximize their success in school, and we seek to continue such a partnership with you.

Tappan Zee High School

15 Dutch Hill Road, Orangeburg, NY 10962 Grades 9 - 12 School Hours: 8:15 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Main Office: 680-1600 Fax: 680-1950
http://www.socsd.org/tzh/tappanzeehigh.htm