Thursday, March 7, 2013

Wave Hill Events March 22–March 29


 
Just a reminder that our hours changed March 15, when we start staying open until 5:30pm, taking advantage of the increasingly long, lovely days of spring.

SAT, MARCH 23   FAMILY ART PROJECT—UP POPS SPRING!
Up Pops Spring!/Primavera en accion
Look around and see the very early signs of spring. Guest artist Moses Ros invites us to use the everyday cardboard container as a springboard for handmade stamps in fantastic, nature-inspired, pop-up collages and mobiles that celebrate the budding season. Free, and admission to the grounds is free until noon.
ECOLOGY BUILDING, 10AM‒1PM

SUN, MARCH 24     FAMILY ART PROJECT—UP POPS SPRING!
Up Pops Spring!/Primavera en accion
Look around and see the very early signs of spring. Guest artist Moses Ros invites us to use the everyday cardboard container as a springboard for handmade stamps in fantastic, nature-inspired, pop-up collages and mobiles that celebrate the budding season. Free with admission to the grounds.
ECOLOGY BUILDING, 10AM‒1PM

SUN, MARCH 24    WINTER WORKSPACE OPEN STUDIOS—SESSION 2
For the fourth winter, Glyndor Gallery is transformed into studio spaces for artists to develop new work and offer opportunities for public interaction in the context of the garden. Individual artists share their studio practice with the public on this open studios day. Artists include Firelei Baez, Onyedika Chuke, Francisco Donoso, Tessa Grundon, Lina Puerta and Naomi Reis. Registration not required for this drop-in event. Free with admission to the grounds.
GLYNDOR GALLERY, 1:30‒3PM

SUN, MARCH 24    TERRARIUM WORKSHOP
Don’t have a garden or greenhouse? Create your own tabletop landscape perfect for home or office, with Assistant Director of Public Programs Laurel Rimmer. Tiny ferns, creeping fig and other tropical plants thrive in the humid conditions of an enclosed glass jar as if in their own miniature greenhouse. Ages eight and older welcome with an adult. $35 Member/$50 Non-member per project. Registration required, online at www.wavehill.org, by calling 718.549.3200 x305 or at the Perkins Visitor Center.
ECOLOGY BUILDING, 2PM

SUN, MARCH 24    GARDEN HIGHLIGHTS WALK
Join us for an hour-long tour of seasonal garden highlights. Free with admission to the grounds.
MEET AT PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 2PM

MON, MARCH 25
Closed to the public.

TUE, MARCH 26 THROUGH FRI, MARCH 29    SPRING BREAK VACATION WEEK
Take a break from the spring school break and join us for a family walk, or for one, two or three afternoons of hands-on, down-and-dirty, delightfully fun paper-making with renowned papermaker Randy Brozen. 

TUE, MARCH 26      FAMILY WALK: EARLY SIGNS OF SPRING 
Track down hints of spring in the garden. Search for early-blooming flowers, creepy crawly critters and other garden goodies with Assistant Director of Public Programs Laurel Rimmer. Ages six and older welcome with an adult. Free, and admission to the grounds is free all day.
MEET AT THE PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 11AM

WED, MARCH 27    SPRING BREAK:  PAPERMAKING 101
Learn how to make your own sheets of beautifully textured paper and experiment with using different kinds of pulp, with renowned papermaker Randy Brozen. Geared for children between the ages 5 to 10 and a parent or caregiver. $15/Member/$23 Non-member per session includes one child and one adult.  Additional child or adult $10. Registration required, online at www.wavehill.org, by calling 718.549.3200 x305 or at the Perkins Visitor Center. Space is limited.
ECOLOGY BUILDING, 1:30–3PM

THU, MARCH 28    SPRING BREAK:  NEW PAPER FROM OLD
Use a variety of recycled papers including tissue paper, wrapping paper and construction paper, plus assorted bits of chopped leaves and other found materials, to create new papers with different colors, textures and patterns, with renowned papermaker Randy Brozen. Geared for children between the ages 5 to 10 and a parent or caregiver. $15/Member/$23 Non-member per session includes one child and one adult.  Additional child or adult $10. Registration required, online at www.wavehill.org, by calling 718.549.3200 x305 or at the Perkins Visitor Center. Space is limited.
ECOLOGY BUILDING, 1:30–3PM

A 28-acre public garden and cultural center overlooking the Hudson River  and Palisades, Wave Hill’s mission is to celebrate the artistry and legacy of its gardens and landscape, to preserve its magnificent views, and to explore human connections to the natural world through programs in horticulture, education and the arts.

HOURS  Open all year, Tuesday through Sunday and many major holidays: 9AM—5:30PM. Closes 4:30PM, November 1—March 14.  
ADMISSION  $8 adults, $4 students and seniors 65+, $2 children 6—18. Free Saturday mornings until noon. Free all day Tuesdays in March. Free to Wave Hill Members and children under 6.

PROGRAM FEES  Program s are free with admission to the grounds unless otherwise noted.

Visitors to Wave Hill can take advantage of Metro-North’s one-day getaway offer. Purchase a discount round-trip rail far and discount admission to the gardens. More at http://mta.info/mnr/html/getaways/outbound_wavehill.htm

DIRECTIONS – Getting here is easy! Located only 3o minutes from midtown Manhattan, Wave Hill’s free shuttle van transports you to and from our front gate and Metro-North’s Riverdale station, as well as the 242nd Street stop on the #1 subway line. Limited onsite parking is available for $8 per vehicle. Free offsite parking is available nearby with continuous, complimentary shuttle service to and from the offsite lot and our front gate. Complete directions and shuttle bus schedule at www.wavehill.org/visit/.

Information at 718.549.3200. On the web at www.wavehill.org.
 
 

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

LIU STATEMENT ON CITY HALL'S TAXI FLIP-FLOP


             City Comptroller John C. Liu said the following about Taxi and Limousine Commissioner David Yassky’s flip-flop on wheelchair-accessible cabs:
“City Hall spent months resisting our calls to make the entire taxi fleet wheelchair accessible and insisting that the flawed, non-wheelchair accessible Taxi of Tomorrow was the only choice for the fleet. Now, after we rejected the Taxi of Tomorrow contract, City Hall has apparently changed its mind. Hooray! If another hearing is what it takes to get the Bloomberg Administration to do the right thing for New Yorkers, let’s go.”
Background:

In December 2012, Comptroller Liu rejected the contract for the flawed, non-wheelchair accessible Taxi of Tomorrow: http://www.comptroller.nyc.gov/press/2012_releases/pr12-12-134.shtm

In May 2012, Comptroller Liu requested that Mayor Bloomberg and the TLC amend the proposed Taxi of Tomorrow design to require it be wheelchair accessible before sending any agreement for registration. Comptroller Liu’s May 2, 2012 letter to the Mayor is here: http://www.comptroller.nyc.gov/press/2012_releases/pr12-05-047.shtm


Visit www.comptroller.nyc.gov for the latest news, events and initiatives.
Follow Comptroller Liu on 
Twitter. To receive Twitter updates via text message
 text “follow johncliu” to 40404.
 
View the latest Comptroller’s office videos on 
YouTube.


We're one step closer to a $9 minimum wage in New York State!


Greetings,
I'm proud to say that the New York State Assembly has passed the minimum wage bill, which will be effective January 2014. This life-altering bill, beginning in January 2015, will also be indexed to inflation, that essentially means that the minimum wage will increase as the price of goods and services increases from year to year. 

It is now up to my colleagues in the Senate to help make this a reality! I am confident that this will happen, and will cherish the day when Governor Cuomo signs this needed piece of legislation into law.

Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda-87th District
1973 Westchester Ave
Phone: (718) 931-2620
Bronx, NY 10462
 
 

Save Our Schools Press Release


CARLOS SIERRA HOLDS “SAVE OUR SCHOOLS” MEETING

    One week before the Panel for Educational Policy votes on the closure of P. S. 64 and other schools across New York City, Carlos Sierra and other community advocates gathered at Latino Pastoral Action Center (LPAC) Monday evening to voice their concerns towards what lies ahead for students in the affected schools. For Sierra, the fight is personal. “I attended Taft High School (in which one of the small schools, Jonathan Levin High School, also faces closure) and eventually dropped out due to the lack of resources,” Sierra said. “Although I made it to college, it took me three extra years to graduate because of all of the remedial classes I had to take [in reading, writing and math].” Sierra adds that he does not want students at P. S. 64, a school that has been graded “D” over the last two years, to suffer a similar fate.
    Carmen Rojas, an advocate who helped save P. S. 132 in Washington Heights from a similar fate, told organizers how to get attention from the decision-makers. “After emergency meetings like this one, we must set up a defense committee, who will frequently outreach the chancellor and the media,” Rojas said in Spanish. “But before all of this can happen, we must first mobilize titirimundati (the whole world) – the parents.”
    At the meeting, Sierra announced two events in which parents would be able to voice their concerns to the powers that be. The first is a mayoral forum featuring the candidates for the 2013 mayoral election. It will take place this Saturday, March 9 at 2 p.m., at La Resurrection Church, located on East 158th Street and Elton Avenue in the Bronx. The second is the Panel for Educational Policy's vote on the school closures, which will take place in a public hearing on Monday, March 11, at Brooklyn Technical High School in Brooklyn, beginning at 6 p.m.
    For the March 11 hearing, Sierra will be meeting anyone willing to join him in voicing his/her mind to the panel at Wendy's, at West 170th Street and Jerome Avenue, at 3:30 p.m.

Panel for Educational Policy Vote on School Closures
Monday March 11 at 6 p.m.
Brooklyn Technical High School
29 Fort Greene Place, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Meet Carlos Sierra at Wendy's on Jerome Av and West 170th Street at 3:30 p.m.
For More Information, Please Contact the Sierra HELPLINE at (347)-913-6050

Our Children, Our Future. Join Our Efforts
Sierra 2013: Family – Community – Progress


REGISTER NOW FOR BOROUGH PRESIDENT DIAZ'S HEALTH & WELLNESS SUMMIT


Bronx Borough President is urging concerned individuals from the Bronx and across the City to register for his upcoming Health & Wellness Summit, to be held at Fordham University’s Rose Hill Campus on Saturday, April 6, 2013, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

“We see this event as a major first step towards a comprehensive health and wellness agenda for not just the Bronx but the entire City, and I urge everyone with an interest in these important topics to sign up for a day of thought-provoking discussion on the health of our City,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.

Individuals may register to attend the summit at Borough President Diaz’s website, http://bronxboropres.nyc.gov/health/health-summit.html. Up to 30 breakout sessions will be held as part of the summit, and can be registered for at the website, as well.  Spanish language breakouts and translators will also be available.

The summit’s keynote address will be given by Dr. Max Gomez, award-winning health correspondent for CBS.

One of TV’s most respected medical journalists, Dr. Max Gomez has produced award-winning health and science segments for network stations in New York and Philadelphia.

Dr. Max has reported for Dateline, Today Show and 48 Hours. Over almost three decades, he’s earned nine Emmy Awards, three NY State Broadcaster’s Association awards and UPI’s “Best Documentary” award.

In addition to NYC’s 'Excellence in Time of Crisis' for his September 11 coverage, Dr. Max has been singled out nationally for special award recognition by the Leukemia Society and The National Marfan Foundation.  He was also named the American Health Foundation's “Man of the Year.”

A noted moderator and speaker, Dr. Max is the regular moderator for Memorial Sloan-Kettering’s Cancer Smart public education series. He was also the moderator for a three day, international conference on adult stem cells hosted by and held at the Vatican.

Dr. Max also trains physicians nationally in public speaking and presentation, speaking to groups as diverse as the National Cancer Institute and the College of American Pathologists.




Bronx Borough President's Irish Heritage Event Celebration



Bronx Seal - Irish Heritage Background 
Irish Heritage Month Celebration

 
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.
Invites you to join him at the


4292 Katonah Avenue, Bronx
Thursday, March 21, 2013 
5:30 p.m.
Mistress of Ceremony 
Magee Hickey
Reporter, PIX11 News

2013 Honorees
James McQuade
Owner, Schuyler Hill Funeral Parlor

Noreen Lydon O'Donoghue
Director of Marketing and Public Relations
G.P.J. O'Donoghue Contracting Corp.

Frank O'Hara
Vice President, Cactus Holdings Inc.  


Please call 718-590-3989 to confirm your
attendance or e-mail smalave@bronxbp.nyc.gov
In Partnership With
 

Monday, March 4, 2013

Wildlife Conservation Society job openings




Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda 87 A.D. "Wants You to Know"
That the Wildlife Conservation Society is recruiting people for the following positions.
 
2013 Seasonal Program Recruitment Schedule and Process
Department
Recruitment Begins:
Restaurant
February
Merchandise
February
Admissions & Guest Relations
February
Maintenance
February
Ride Operations
February
Group Sales
February
Catering & Events
February
Special Animal Exhibits
April
Security
May
Guest Programming/Marketing
June
 
 
2013 Recruitment Process
 
Online Application – To be considered for seasonal employment opportunities at the Wildlife Conservation Society, interested candidates must apply online. Visit us at: www.wcs.org/careers/seasonal

Pre-screen – Candidates who pass online pre-screen are included in the pool of candidates’ eligible to receive an invitation to interview.

Invitation to Interview – All invitations to interview are sent via email. Invitations to interview are generally scheduled two weeks prior to an anticipated start date.
 
Interview with Manager – Candidates interview with a hiring manager.  At the conclusion of the interview, the hiring manager informs Human Resources of those candidates they have selected to extend offer of employment.   For cash handling positions, candidates are required to take and pass a math assessment before being allowed to interview with a hiring manager.
 
Background Check- All potential candidates for employment who are 18 year of age and older, must successfully pass a background check before they are allowed to begin employment.
 
Orientation – Employees attend an orientation session where they are introduced to the organization and what is expected of them as an employee of the Wildlife Conservation Society.  
 
Training – All employees receive training within their respective departments.  They meet with management and team leads to learn hands-on their roles within the operation.
 
Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda-87th District
1973 Westchester Ave
Phone: (718) 931-2620
Bronx, NY 10462


March Volunteer Projects with New York Cares


  
NEW YORK CARES COMMUNITY CALENDAR
MARCH, 2013 – THE BRONX

New York Cares, the city’s leading volunteer organization, offers great ways for Bronx residents to get involved in their community through rewarding, conveniently scheduled projects.

March Volunteer Project Highlights – The Bronx
Becoming a New York Cares volunteer is easy. Simply attend a one-time orientation at the Mott Haven Library in the evening on Tuesday, March 19th or any other Bronx location. You can then choose from approximately 1,500 projects citywide each month.  To register for an orientation in your area, please visit www.newyorkcares.org or call 212-228-5000.

Upcoming Bronx project highlights:

·         Dance Classes with BronxWorks' Jackson Avenue Family Residence Get moving this Thursday evening as you learn new dance steps and combinations with the children of this transitional housing facility in Fordham. No dance experience necessary.
·         Assist The City Harvest Mobile Market Fight hunger in low-income communities, where nutritious food is often expensive or inaccessible, by delivering fresh produce to public housing residents in Melrose on Wednesday or Saturday mornings.
·         Fun with Data at Ariva Ensure that thousands of underprivileged New Yorkers get necessary services by working with a team of volunteers to transfer data from Food Stamps surveys to an online database on Wednesday evenings in Highbridge.
·         Homework Help at PS 107 X Provide essential academic support to elementary school students in Soundview through homework help and educational games on Saturday mornings.

About New York Cares:
New York Cares is New York City’s largest volunteer organization.  Founded in 1987, New York Cares runs volunteer programs for 1,300 nonprofits, public schools, and city agencies citywide.  New York Cares volunteers help children learn to read, prepare meals for homeless and housebound people, help low income students get into college, revitalize public parks and schools, and much more.  Last year, New York Cares volunteers helped 400,000 New Yorkers in need.  For more information about New York Cares, the public should visit newyorkcares.org or call 212-228-5000.
 
 

Friday, March 1, 2013

Thompson Endorses Cohen For Council


  Former City Comptroller Bill Thompson became the third major Democratic candidate for mayor who has endorsed Andrew Cohen for the soon to vacant term limited city council seat of Councilman G. Oliver Koppell. The endorsement came in the North Riverdale section of the district in outside of PS 81.  Thompson & Cohen then walked to the Riverdale Neighborhood House to chat with Mr. Dan Eudence the Director of RNN. 

  In speaking with Mr. Eudence the two candidates learned of the many programs offered by RNN and the fragile funding streams that the youth center gets. RNN is made up of different parcels of adjoining  properties that were donated to the organization to form its current size and shape. 

Left - Former Comptroller & mayoral candidate with City Council candidate Andrew Cohen.
Right - Cohen shows off the art of using your hands that he learned from Public Advocate Bill De Blasio when DeBlasio endorsed Cohen.


Left - Candidate for mayor Bill Thompson meets an old friend of  council candidate Andrew Cohen, Mr. Dan Eudence the director of the Riverdale Neighborhood House. 
Right - After a brief tour of RHH the trio check out some of the outside yard space and new construction behind them at RNN.
Candidate for the 11th City Council seat Andrew Cohen thanks Former City Comptroller and candidate for mayor Bill Thompson for his endorsement, as they leave the Riverdale Neighborhood House.






LIU: DOE PULLS PUNCHES ON BULLYING


 Dept. of Education Failed to Take Bias Bullying Seriously;
Agency Didn’t Enforce Its Own Reporting Requirements for Student Harassment, Audit Finds

   Comptroller John C. Liu today announced that the Department of Education had failed to effectively record and track Citywide incidents of student-to-student, bias-based harassment and bullying based on race, creed, nationality, sexual orientation or body type.  The DOE adopted regulations in 2008 for recording, investigating, and following up on bias bullying complaints, but the agency did not update its online reporting system and has been unable to automatically flag and track incidents recorded by schools, Comptroller Liu’s audit found. Staffers were basically sifting for bias incidents among thousands of reports by hand.

“The DOE needs to show parents, students and educators that it takes bullying seriously,” Comptroller Liu said.  “DOE cannot combat bullying and protect students from bias harassment when its own tracking system is blind to it.  The DOE is famous for employing legions of expensive consultants, but for years it couldn’t find someone to write that simple code?  Every day, students are unable to learn because they are bullied for their race, religion, sexual orientation, or body type. Our children deserve better. The DOE needs to do better.”

“In my own district, we are still grieving a tragic incident of bullying that led the young victim to take his own life,” said Assemblyman Robert J. Rodriguez, District 68, East Harlem.  “This audit will be an important step in making sure that what happened to 12-year-old Joel Morales does not happen again.” 

“In order to ensure that all students have access to safe and positive learning environments, the DOE must make student safety a priority by systematically addressing bullying and bias harassment in schools,” said Tejpreet Kaur, Director of Community Development for the Sikh Coalition. “Regular, competent, and consistently reported tracking of bullying incidents in city schools is critical to addressing the problem.  If the DOE’s prohibitions on school bullying are going to be more than paper tigers, more resources must be invested in implementation, diversity education, and restorative justice practices.”

“I am appalled at the incompetence and negligence of the Department of Education,” said Mona Davids, President, New York City Parents Union.  “Throughout the country and in New York City, students are being bullied to death, committing suicide and afraid to come to school, yet the DOE cannot even enforce their own reporting requirement to classify and tabulate bullying and harassment incidents.  Unbelievable.  The DOE has money for useless consultants but not for a basic online system to track and combat bullying.  The DOE’s disregard for our children's safety and well being is despicable and clearly shows parents this administration does not put our children first.”

Background on Efforts to Track and Curtail Bullying
In 2004, the NYC Council passed the Dignity in All Schools Act, over the Mayor’s veto, mandating that the DOE record, track, and provide annual statistics on discriminatory harassment and bullying.  City Hall never implemented the law. Then, in 2008, the DOE created Chancellors Regulation CR-A832, which substantially adopted the requirements of the 2004 Council Act.  Finally, in July 2012, Governor Cuomo signed the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA), which contains many of the requirements for tracking and accounting for bullying found in the NYC Council’s 2004 law and the DOE’s 2008 regulation.

Audit Findings
Comptroller Liu launched the audit to determine if the DOE and schools were following the 2008 Chancellor’s regulation.  Under the regulation, principals and other designated staffers at schools report complaints and incidents of bullying and other behavioral infractions to the DOE’s Online Occurrence Reporting System (OORS), a database that enables staffers to rank the complaints by the Disciplinary infraction code  from 1 to 5, with 5 being the most severe. Not all recorded bias incidents are severe enough to trigger the regulation; the bullying must have interfered with a child’s ability to learn, according to the DOE.

DOE officials told auditors that, through the 2011-2012 school year, the online system could not identify bias-bullying incidents that violated the 2008 regulation because OORS was not equipped to classify them and sort them out.

Comptroller Liu’s audit found that when faced with the fact that their online data-collection system didn’t capture violations of the Chancellor’s regulation, DOE staffers resorted to identifying bias-incidents in OORS, first by sorting them by their infraction code and then using keyword searches for specific slurs and insults in the behavior reports’ comments field, in order to compile and report Citywide incidents of bias-based harassment and bullying.

When DOE staffers found certain keywords, they would read the accompanying details to determine if the incident was in fact bias-related. Such a subjective and inaccurate system for identifying bias incidents in schools made it impossible for the DOE to properly track and identify problems and trends in bullying in schools, the audit found.

2009-2010 bullying reports
In the 2009-2010 school year, the DOE recorded 8,298 bias incidents, which accounted for 6 percent of all behavioral incidents.  Because of the flaws described above, however, the DOE could not determine how many incidents violated the 2008 regulation and required particular handling.  Moreover, the DOE’s sorting system for bias-incidents did not differentiate between student-to-student harassment (covered by CR-A832) and student-to-staff harassment (not covered by CR-A832).

Percentage of Bias-Related Incidents by
Discipline Code Infraction Level for All incidents at All Grade Levels*
 
Discipline Code
Infraction Level
Percentage of All Incidents
with At Least One Bias
Level 1 (Least Serious)
4.18%
Level 2
13.63%
Level 3
22.86%
Level 4**
57.65%
Level 5 (Most Serious)
1.68%
* Source: DOE’s “OORS Audit of Bias-Related Harassment Incidents 2009-2010” report
** According to the DOE, most Level 4 incidents related to sexually suggestive comments or physical conduct of a sexual nature.

Lack of Oversight
Comptroller Liu’s audit examined 40 bias-bullying reports sent to DOE by three schools — Murry Bergtraum HS, Jordan L. Mott JHS 022, and Juan Morel Campos PS 290 — during the 2009-2010 school year.  Of these, 27 (67 percent) were student-to-student, but DOE could not be assured that the schools consistently followed the guidelines of the 2008 regulation. Comptroller Liu’s audit did not expand its examination to more schools because the DOE could not determine how many violations of the regulation had occurred, making a larger sample irrelevant. 

The audit further examined the schools handling of 10 bias-bullying incidents and found that each school quickly reported the incidents and properly investigated and followed up on them, including reaching out to parents of students involved.  However, the schools did not provide the alleged student victims of the bullying with a written report on the outcome of their investigation within 10 days of the incidents, as required by the regulation.

If the DOE cannot monitor whether schools consistently follow its own student-to-student anti-bullying regulation, it cannot effectively identify problem areas or trends in such behavioral infractions in schools.

Auditors noted that, as of May 2012, the DOE had still not made any changes to the live OORS system used Citywide. Yet, at the very end of the audit process, DOE officials stated that they had modified OORS so that it complied with state DASA reporting requirements and captures violations of the Chancellors 2008 regulation. Without actual evidence of these improvements (i.e., data, such as the total number of incidents for the 2012-2013 school year), the audit could not verify the DOE’s assertion and whether it was now able to identify and report such incidents.
The audit is attached to this e-mail and can also be downloaded here: http://www.comptroller.nyc.gov/bureaus/audit/yearlyview.asp?selaudyear=2013


Visit www.comptroller.nyc.gov for the latest news, events, and initiatives.
Follow Comptroller Liu on Twitter. To receive Twitter updates via text message, text “follow johncliu” to 40404.
View the latest Comptroller’s office videos on YouTube.