Summer Projects, New Offerings, Increased Safety &
Wellness Measures, and Appropriate Use of AI
What we did over the summer was concentrate on flooring. F. E. Bellows Elementary School’s wooden classroom floors were old and worn so thin they could not be refinished properly, so they were replaced with vinyl tiles. The Daniel Warren Elementary School nurse’s office received the same new flooring and fixtures. The High School Gymnasium floor at the Athletic Center was stripped, relined, and refinished. The biggest job was in the northern wing of the High School, where the 1957 structure has settled. Structural foam was applied to fill small voids below and stabilize the floor, and the wing received new tile.
The District Registration Office, located in the High School building, was moved and expanded, creating a more welcoming space for our new arrivals.
We are progressing through the process of reconfiguring a gravel lot left over from our completed capital project. The new area will feature paved parking, more green space, and a safe walkway for students.
This fall, we are offering two new courses at the High School: Introduction to Business and Introduction to Psychology to provide an alternative to the existing AP Psychology.
Middle School students will have access to Introduction to Science Research and the One World Sustainability project-based learning program. NYSED approved The District’s applications for the Seal of Civic Readiness and the Visual and Graphic Arts Pathways, which will further expand opportunities for students.
After a multi-program pilot by teachers across both Daniel Warren and F. E. Bellows Elementary schools, K-5 teachers will be implementing the Eureka2 Math curriculum. New enrichment experiences for students in grades 3-5 include workshops involving Crime Scene Forensics/Investigations and Robotics and Coding Challenges, as well as student favorites such as Stop Motion Film Making and Bridge Building.
Our Athletic Department will kick off the year with its Hall of Fame ceremony on September 9, honoring the class of 2014’s three-sport athlete, Thomas Pipolo.
The Office of Special Services and staff has expanded integrated co-teaching opportunities across all schools to provide classes at all grade levels. Social/emotional care for student support, parent learning opportunities, and faculty professional development will be increased through our new partnership with Effective School Solutions, a provider of school-based mental health programs for youth. ESS offers professional development to help school faculty and staff better assess and handle troubled students.
To ensure greater school safety, Rye Neck has invested in personnel, technological, and structural safety improvements. New security positions through K.H. Briger will provide each campus an unarmed guard with a law enforcement background in addition to school staff. New safety plans recommended by the Altaris Group, the District’s security consultants, include expanded safety teams, more extensive staff training, and clearer communication for students and families. The increased presence of both the Village of Mamaroneck and Rye City Police departments, during lockdown drills and randomly during the school day, has improved emergency coordination.
Rye Neck has made technological changes as well to ensure greater safety. We have the latest visitor screening systems at each building’s main entrance; greater staff access to the silent alarm system; a new walkie-talkie system like these Best quality Walkie Talkie Hand Radios with greater range to allow communication across the District; and an upgraded phone system. Structurally, Rye Neck is beginning the process of replacing interior classroom door hardware to allow automatic locking and has reequipped some exterior entry points with more secure doors; a new entryway for the High School has been designed; and Daniel Warren received a new fire alert system.
Like most schools, Rye Neck is watching the way Artificial Intelligence evolves, specifically when it comes to large language models like ChatGPT and Google Bard. As educators, we see the impact this technology can have when used correctly. Our staff has been exploring its use to personalize learning. Some of the programs we use to supplement instruction rely on AI to determine a student’s understanding of content and suggest activities suited to their needs. We’ve seen teachers use it to break down complex texts based on a student’s reading level and even translate resources for our international students. In these ways, AI can mitigate some of the challenges teachers face when differentiating instruction so they can spend more time working with their students.
The biggest difference between adults using AI and incorporating it into our educational structure with students is mastery of foundational skills, like reading, writing, and problem-solving. Adults making recommendations about the use of AI in classrooms have completed their education and possess that solid foundation; but we cannot expect students to have the same perspective and understanding. Today’s students are incredibly tech-savvy and look for ways to simplify or streamline getting their work done; some may be inclined to use it to gain an advantage over their classmates, so we have to have practices in place that teach them to use this technology appropriately.
We already incorporate lessons on digital literacy, citizenship, and ethics into our town hall meetings, computer classes, and lessons at every grade level; using AI is just an addition to that growing list of topics. This past winter, we started having conversations with staff to get a sense of what they’re seeing in their classrooms and how we can support them as this technology evolves. From those discussions, our administrative team at the MS/HS level began drafting a new academic integrity agreement that combines language from our Code of Conduct and plagiarism agreement to include information about the use of AI. We expanded our access to plagiarism prevention services that include AI detection tools such as the Free Turnitin Alternative. We found resources to help teachers facilitate discussions with their students about acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI when it comes to schoolwork. We think this approach will create more teachable, proactive moments, rather than a punitive reaction.
