Celebrations

Celebrating community and creating connections, we provide social-emotional learning opportunities throughout the year for students to learn through hands on experiences, lectures, and events exploring culture, history, the arts, and disability awareness.

https://www.nysed.gov/student-support-services/sel

Schermerhorn Program: Grades K-12

Throughout the year, Schermerhorn teachers and staff come together for fun and celebratory events to reinforce our sense of community and provide students with opportunities to practice their social skills in a supportive environment. Activities are designed by staff and focus on problem-solving, fine and gross motor skills, inter-personal communication, and team work.

Additionally, we work to bring awareness to activities that take place on the national level in support of education and disability awareness, helping students understand the larger context of their education in relation to the world off-campus, ex: National Bullying Prevention Month and Braille Literacy Month.

Photos of our most recent events can be viewed in our photo album at www.nyise.org/photoalbum/.

A bulleted listing of select events is below:

September/October/November

Back-to-School Welcome

Blindness Awareness Month and National Bullying Prevention Month
Institute Pep Rally
National American Indian Heritage Month
National Blind Sports Week
National Hispanic Heritage Month
National Literacy Month
Spooky-Ooky Day Trick-or-Treating
Thanksgiving Celebrations
White Cane Day

December/January/ February

Black History Month and Braille Literacy Month
Church of Intersession Performance
Holiday Parties (Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa)
Louise Braille's Birthday
Lunar New Year
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
President's Day
Spirit Week
Winter Concert and Caroling

March/April/May

Asian American and Pacific Island Heritage Month
Autism Awareness Month
Earth Day
Easter
Read Across America
National Arab American Heritage Month
National Reading Month and Women's History Month
NYISE's Birthday (March 15, 1831)
Prom
St. Jude's Trik-a-thon (Readiness)
Touch-a-Truck Event
Teacher Appreciation Week
Women's History Month

June/July/August

Americans with Disabilities Act (June 26, 2025)
Disability Pride Month
Extended School Year Program
Fun Day
Graduation and Moving Up Day
Staff Appreciation Day
Senior Rose Ceremony

Readiness Program (Preschool)

Readiness teachers and staff provide a dynamic roster of events to support our preschoolers and their parents and caregivers.

All events use elements of multi-sensory play, a proven approach that helps develop the children's cognitive, fine, gross motor, speech, and language skills as they interact with their teachers and peers in a fun and nurturing environment.

Supporting parents and caregivers, Readiness staff serve as a valuable resource by hosting educational events, showcasing class projects and activities, and providing insights into the teaching methodologies used in the classroom.

Staff remain in contact with families and caregivers throughout the year, and frequently share activities to continue supporting the children's learning and development at home.

To see a few of these activities, visit our Readiness Resources webpage by following this link https://www.nyise.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=409375&type=d&pREC_ID=2565794

Photos of our most recent events can be viewed in our photo album at www.nyise.org/photoalbum/.

A bulleted monthly listing of select events held within the Readiness Program is below:

September/October/November

Back-to-School Welcome

Parent Orientation Day
Fall Festival Event
Trick or Treating
Pumpkin Picking, Hayrides
Spooky-Ooky Day Trick-or-Treating (with Schermerhorn Students)
Turkey Drive (led by Schermerhorn Student Government Association)
Thanksgiving Celebrations
National American Indian Heritage Month
National Hispanic Heritage Month

December/January/February

Caroling with Schermerhorn Carolers
Holiday Gifts and Celebrations
Visit from Santa
Winter Wonderland Event
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Black History Month
100 Days of School Celebrations
Lunar New Year

March/April/May

Asian American and Pacific Island Heritage Month
Dr. Suess' Birthday
Read-Across-America
Egg Hatching with Quiver Farms
Egg Hunt
St. Jude Trike-a-Thon
Touch-a-Truck Event
Women's History Month
National Arab American Heritage Month
Teacher Appreciation Week

June/July/August

Caterpillar Project
Class Moving Up! Ceremonies
Fun Day
Summer Theme Days: Lemonade Stand Day, Under-the-Sea Day, National Watermelon Day

Residential Program