STEAM Day Planned for November 14, 2015
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Scarsdale gets STEAMy this November! What do science, technology, engineering, art and math have in common? More than you'd ever imagine--and Scarsdale's kids will have a chance to learn all about it on STEAM Day 2015. This first-ever event, scheduled for Saturday, November 14 from 9 am to 12 pm, will be hosted by the Parent Teacher Council.
STEAM is one of modern education's hottest new learning methods, blending science, technology, engineering, art, and math. On STEAM Day, fourth through sixth graders will meet with professionals who concentrate in these disciplines, and enjoy STEAM presentations and workshops. Following the format of the famed PT Council's Young Writers Workshop, students will attend a keynote presentation followed by two workshops of their choosing.
Watch for STEAM Day registration information coming this fall.
Community members active in STEAM-related fields are urged to volunteer as presenters; the event is eagerly soliciting volunteer organizers as well. Contact co-chairs Ophira Cukierman (ocukierman@gmail.com), or Amy Goldstein (abgold1@yahoo.com).
Sign up for the Scarsdale Summer Tennis Youth League
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The Scarsdale Summer Youth Tennis League is now celebrating it's 31st season. Organized by the New York Junior Tennis League and the Scarsdale Recreation Department, the program is for boys and girls between the ages of 6 and 18.
Round Robin Matches will begin weekday evenings between 6 PM and 8 PM on Monday, July 13 at the Middle School Tennis Courts and continue for 4 weeks into early August. Players can choose to play one or two hours per night.
A player can get 32 hours of tennis matches over four weeks for just $ 40 and receive a participation trophy and a Scarsdale NYJTL tee shirt. The program concludes with a tennis tournament and a pizza and ice cream party.
Tennis matches will be held for all skill levels : beginner, novice, intermediate and advanced. The Summer Youth Tennis League will build on the successful Spring Short Court Tennis Program with 200 players held by the Recreation Department.
Youth and parents interested in the Summer Tennis League should contact Bob Harrison, at 914 646-4054 or by email at proscars@aol.com.
Applications can be picked up at the Recreation Department at Village Hall or found at www.scarsdale.com/recreation.
Lemonaid Raises Over $75,000 in Scarsdale
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The Robin Hood Foundation, named for the legendary hero of Sherwood Forest who stole from the rich to give to the poor, seeks to redistribute wealth, but does it the legal way. This past weekend, the foundation ran its annual Lemonaid program, in order to raise funds to aid some of New York's neediest.
The Lemonaid program of Robin Hood began more than ten years ago, with the goal of fighting poverty in New York City. The idea is simple, donations go to food pantries and shelters in order to help the poor and homeless eat or have a place to stay. Robin Hood advertises that $1.20 donation pays for a meal, a donation of $30 pays for a metro card for a week, and one of $100 pays for one family to stay a night in a safe homeless shelter. The Lemonaid program involves children in the charity process, and these children have helped to raise more than $1 million in over ten years. Robin Hood as an organization has raised over $2 billion since its conception in 1988. What's more, since the funding for the Robin Hood programs is separate from donations, coming from a Board of Directors made up of celebrities and Wall Street Executives, 100% of donations go directly to organizations to fight poverty.
Scarsdale residents have participated in Lemonaid for the past 10 years, and each year has been more successful than the last. On Sunday May 31, over 100 families participated in the program and raised more than $75,000 for the poor in the NYC area. Area chair Linda Plattus thanked the entire community for their contributions, saying that this event is "an amazing day where kids learn about Robin Hood's mission and then rally together with their friends to collect money in support of the fight against poverty." Stands were set up all over town; in the village in front of Zachys, Metro Deli and Decicco's, and at the five corners.
Last year, the Scarsdale and Greenwich areas combined to raise over $100,000 to fight poverty in New York City, and this year, Scarsdale raised three-quarters of that on its own.
Robin Hood Executive Director commented, "Lemonaid is one of our favorite events of the year because it's an easy and fun way for children and their families to help others. All of us at Robin Hood appreciate the giving spirit of kids and thank them for their enthusiasm, creativity and concern for others. They inspire us."
Kids and families who want to set up their own Lemonaid stands in the future can download a how-to kit at www.robinhood.org/lemonaid or contact lemonaid@robinhood.org for more information.
Scarsdale Trustees Support Ban on Plastic Bags and Polystyrene Containers
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Free plastic bags any polystyrene containers at retail stores in Westchester County may soon be banned if the Westchester County Board of Legislators passes an ordinance preventing their use. At the Scarsdale Village Board meeting on Tuesday night June 9, the Scarsdale Trustees adopted a resolution to support this ban, sending a message to the county.
Environmentalists have argued for years that plastic bags and containers are non-bio-gradable, clog sewers, pose a danger to marine life and release harmful chemicals into the environment. The Sustainability Committee of the Scarsdale Forum issued a report in November 2014 recommending that the Village support the County's proposed ordinance to ban the use of plastic bags and polystyrene containers at the point of sale, and the Scarsdale Trustees voted unanimously to approve the resolution.
Michelle Sterling, who heads the Forum's Sustainability Committee and has been urging the Trustees to move forward with the resolution said, "I'm glad our Mayor and Board of Trustees have listened to their residents who are in support of doing more to protect the environment. I think that this is an important step for Scarsdale and I'm proud that our town is able to provide an example of environmental leadership for other communities in Westchester County and New York State."
Those who use the plastic bags they get at stores for their own refuse will now have to purchase bags for disposal of items at home.
We asked Sterling her thoughts on this and she said, "Studies of LA County (where the ban is in place) for example have shown that grocery stores tend to embed 2 to 5 cents per plastic bag and 5 to 23 cents per paper bag into food prices. Thus, by eliminating the cost to retailers of providing bags free of charge LA County found its ordinance saved approx. $18-$30 per customer per year. Would you spend more than $18 - $30 a year on plastic bags for kitchen trash? I doubt it. "
Sterling continued, "Furthermore, New Yorkers use 10 billion single use carry out bags per year. The NYC Department of Sanitation collects more than 1,700 tons of single use carryout bags per week which equates to 91,000 tons of plastic and costs the city $12.5 million annually to dispose of. Plastic bags are also a major component of litter - and there are costs associated with litter clean up. People may think that they are not paying for their trash disposal because they don't deal with it or that they are not paying for litter clean up because they don't deal with that either - but we are paying for it! We are paying over $100 a ton in tipping fees for Peekskill/Charles Point incineration and that doesn't include what we are paying for having our trash trucked to Peekskill."
Red Cross Safety Town Program to be held in June
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The Metro New York North Chapter of the American Red Cross and the Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps announced today that Safety Town, a national program that teaches critical safety skills to pre-school children, will be held at the Scarsdale Congregational Church the week of June 22, 2015 with morning and afternoon sessions.
Safety Town is a dynamic interactive week in which children entering kindergarten in the fall of 2015 learn about safety in the home and their community from public safety experts. This year's five-day program will include five key safety themed days:
• The Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps will bring an ambulance, which the children will tour and learn about the lifesaving equipment. SVAC volunteer emergency medical technicians will give instruction on basic home safety proceedures such as poisonous substance awareness and how to call 911.
• A Scarsdale Police Department officer will teach all aspects of personal safety. Each child will be fitted with a bike helmet to use for activities during the program and take home at the end of the week.
• The Scarsdale Fire Department will bring an engine on site. The children will be able to explore the equipment and learn about fire safety in and out of the home from SFD personnel.
• An animal control officer from the Scarsdale Police Department will discuss safety around pets and other animals.
• A school bus will be on site to teach the children bus safety.
Each day's activity will be reinforced by the instructors with lessons, games and coloring books. Children will take home handouts and will be encouraged to review the material with their families.
Some activities and instruction, such as car and pedestrian safety, will be held on an 1,800 square-foot tarp duplicating a small town complete with streets and wooden buildings. The children, wearing their helmets, will ride around the town in pedal powered cars.
Safety Town will be hosted by The Metro New York North Chapter of the American Red Cross in partnership with the Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps and will be held at Scarsdale Congregational Church at 1 Heathcote Road, Scarsdale, NY. The $195 per child fee includes five daily two and one-half hour sessions, snacks and educational materials. Parents may register their child for either the morning or afternoon session. Attendance will be limited to 100 children per session.
For more information about Safety Town, please contact:
Mary Jones 203-869-8444, ext. 145; mary.jones2@redcross.org or visit www.redcross.org/ct/greenwich
Kathy Pascale 914-722-2230; safetytown@scarsdalevac.com or visit www.scarsdalevac.com and click on the Safety Town link.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or visit us on Twitter at @RedCrossNY.
About Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps (SVAC)
Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps ("SVAC"), provides the Scarsdale community with advanced life support 911 ambulance service to patients of all ages experiencing a medical emergency. Advanced life support is the highest level of pre-hospital care available, which SVAC provides 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. SVAC is staffed by a combination of paid paramedics and volunteer emergency medical technicians, and other appropriately trained volunteers.
