Dear Families, 

 

Our 5th grade traveled to the United Nations this week as part of their focus on the UN and its larger purpose, including their Universal Declaration of Human Rights as well as the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the UN’s commitment to Peacemaking and Global Disarmament.  They had a fantastic guided tour - they saw an active General Assembly, and they visited the memorial to the transatlantic slave trade called “The Ark of Return.”  What an amazing trip – and they were back by dismissal!  Here is a link to learn more about the SDGs, which are so important to building ethical and conscientious global citizens and are part of our instruction: THE 17 GOALS | Sustainable Development 

 

The Colgate Bright Smiles Bus was parked in our Gate 2 on Tuesday for a day filled with oral health education and prevention.  Kids got free dental screenings and goodie bags to continue taking care of their teeth at home! Thank you to Nurse Juliet for spearheading this new tradition. 

SCHOOL BOARD APPRECIATION WEEK 

This week was officially School Board Appreciation Week.  I want to take this time to personally thank our Board of Education for their unwavering commitment to our school and for their ambassadorship and vision for our amazing District, children, staff, and families. From our impressive capital projects to our Portrait of a Graduate initiative to the many other ways they influence the positive direction and vision of Pocantico Hills, we recognize you and appreciate you. 

1ST QUARTER FLYING BY 

Knowing that conferences are a couple weeks away, if there are any burning questions you have about your child’s progress now, you can always reach out to your child’s teacher for feedback – that invitation is always open!  In addition, for middle school parents, since we’re three weeks away from the end of the first quarter, please log into the Parent Portal to look at your child’s current grades. 

Parent Portal Link 

PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES: NOVEMBER 3 

We’ll once again be holding our first parent-teacher conferences on Tuesday, November 3 (Election Day).  There will be a combination of virtual or in-person options, starting at 9:30am, as well as evening slots from 6:00-8:30 for those who are unavailable during the day.  We’ll have more registration details for you later, but I wanted you to have this day on your radar and understand what your general options will be.  We’re finalizing the PTC Wizard sign-up schedules and will share the links once they’re ready early next week. 

 

Here is the structure: 

**Middle School Grades 5-8: 10-minute conferences (in-person-only from 9:30-11:20am; virtual-only from 12:30pm-3:20pm; virtual-only from 6:00-8:20).  7/8 teachers meet in two-teacher teams. 

**Elementary School Grades JPK-4: conferences in 20-minute increments (choice of in-person or virtual) 

**Related Arts and World Language: conferences in 15-minute increments (choice of in-person or virtual) 

POCO SPIRIT GAMES – COME OUT AND SUPPORT THE HAWKS! 

We had our second Spirit Game this week, and it was another wonderful showing of support!  As a reminder, each of our main fall teams (both boys' soccer, girls' soccer, and girls' volleyball) has a game dedicated to building school spirit with a big home crowd!  We encourage our 5th – 8th grade students to stay and cheer that team on, and we provide extra chaperoning and transportation home for all who want to stay and root for the Hawks! We'll send out a ParentSquare registration form for each one, so we know how many kids we can expect. 

 

If you have a child in elementary school who wants to go, a family member has to bring him/her.  All games start at 4:30 and parking is in Gate 1.

 

Here are the remaining Spirit Games: 

WINTER CLOTHING DRIVE 10/13 – 11/6 

We’re once again partnering with our PTA to run a winter clothing drive that starts next week. Gently used coats and jackets, gloves and hats are all appreciated. 

REMINDER: SWAN LAKE WALK TO SUPPORT AUTHOR VISITS – NOW OCTOBER 23 

Every year, our walk around Swan Lake is in support of a new district initiative, sponsored by our Foundation and PTA - this year it is all about bringing programming to Poco in support of “Author Visits.” As you know, we had to postpone the walk to next Friday due to the weather you see outside today! 

POCO PJ STORY NIGHT – OCTOBER 26 

Put on your favorite PJs and join us for a cozy night of stories, crafts, snacks and family fun!  On Monday, October 26th from 6:00-7:00PM, stop by the Poco Library to hear Creepy Carrots!, Creepy Crayon!, and Creepy Pair of Underwear!  by Aaron Reynolds, read by special guest readers from our Poco staff and community. 

 

The evening will also celebrate the opening of the PTA Scholastic Book Fair and Media Literacy Week.  This is a family event, not a drop-off event.  Come by anytime between 6:00-7:30PM to enjoy a story, make a craft, grab a snack and visit the Book Fair! 

8TH GRADE PARENTS: HIGH SCHOOL SELECTION PROCESS STARTS SOON 

SAVE THE DATE/TIME: THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5 @6:30PM 

It’s hard to believe, but it’s already time for our 8th grade families to start thinking about high school!  We’ll be sending details out to these families via ParentSquare, but our very important kickoff informational meeting will be on Thursday, November 5, at 6:30 in our auditorium.  Please do not miss it – we share information from the high schools, review timelines and events, discuss policies and best practices, and answer any initial questions.  We’re with you every step of the way, but our first meeting together is very important! 

FROM THE PTA 

  

Winter Clothing Drive: 

Now thru 11/6. We're collecting gently used coats, jackets, gloves and hats to help keep our community warm this winter! Donations can be dropped off at the main office, car circle, gym or by Mr. Brown's office. See flyer below for details.  

 

 

Scholastic Book Fair: 

Mon, Oct 26 to Fri, Oct 30. The fair encourages students to read AND raises much-needed funds for our school. Click here for an exciting preview of all our book fair has to offer! The easiest way for kids to shop the fair is by creating and funding your child’s E-WALLET. No more worrying about cash, and their balances show right on the register. Visit our POCO Scholastic homepage in the link above to get started. 

 *Volunteers needed for setup and working the fair. Signup coming soon! 

  

  

PTA Halloween Bash and Trunk-Or-Treat: Fri, Oct 30.  

Trunk-Or-Treat 5:30-6:30 pm, FREE. 

Halloween Bash 6:00-7:30 pm, tickets required: individual $15; family $40. Purchase advance tickets here. Costume Contest, Games, DJ, Food Trucks and more! Sign up to host a trunk here or to volunteer here. See flyer below for details! 

 

Save the Date:  

Tues, Nov 10. Middle School Q&A with Assistant Principal Sheila DePaola and ES/MS Parents Night Out. Details coming soon!  

  

  

Join The PTA: 

PTA membership directly supports the events, programs and extras that make Poco special. Click here to join today! 

  

  

Looking Ahead: 

*Thanksgiving gift card drive 

*Radio City, Thurs, 12/10 

The 6th Grade is once again performing at Radio City prior to the Rockettes! Tickets for POCO families who wish to attend the Christmas Spectacular on 12/10 at 2pm will go on sale via the PTA Website soon.  

  

  

Raise Funds for the PTA-The Easy Way 

*Shop Poco Swag here. 

*Enroll in DeCicco's Supermarket PTA Rebate Program here. 

*Purchase customized labels  here. 

COMMUNITY EVENTS 

Greenburgh Public Library:  Home - Greenburgh Public Library - Greenburgh Public Library at Greenburgh Public Library (greenburghlibrary.org) 

Mt. Pleasant Public Library:  Home (mountpleasantlibrary.org) 

Greenburgh Nature Center:  Home - Greenburgh Nature Center 

Weekly Events at Westchester County Parks:  Westchester County Parks Press Releases 

Rockefeller State Park Preserve Events:  Rockefeller State Park Preserve Events - 9 Upcoming Activities and Tickets | Eventbrite 

Town of Mt. Pleasant Special Events:  Special Events | Mount Pleasant, NY (mtpleasantny.com) 

Sleepy Hollow Village Events:  Village Events | Sleepy Hollow, NY 

 

 

 

 

OCTOBER RECOGNITIONS  

Filipino American Heritage Month  

Italian American Heritage Month  

Polish American Heritage Month  

Global Diversity Awareness Month  

National Bullying Prevention Month 

Economic Education Month  

Cybersecurity Awareness Month  

National Book Month  

October 19-23: Digital Citizenship and Wellness Week 

October 26-30: US Media Literacy Week 

 

 

 

FRIDAY FLYER SUGGESTIONS? 

Any information or features you think would be helpful for me to include in the Friday Flyer?  Just send Anabel (amaya@) and me (abrown@) an email.  The more helpful and timely it is, the better! 

 

 

 

Have a great weekend!  

 

 

Adam 

10/22/2026

10/23/2026

10/25/2026

10/26 - 10/30/2026

10/30/2026