News & Announcements from SCHENEVUS CENTRAL SCHOOL

2 Superintendent’s message

3 Schenevus Foundation for Excellence in Education

4 A look back: 75 years of Schenevus Central School

6 Annual notifications

8 Dates to remember

Learn more onlinew w w. schenevusc s .org

Reflections on three-quarters of a centurySchenevus celebrates building’s 75th anniversary

Above center: A photo of the school building from the 1947 yearbook. Left: The 1945-46 basketball team. Right: The 1945 junior varsity cheerleader squad. Top right: The program from the school’s official dedication on Jan. 16, 1942

Fall 2014

July 2015 will mark the 75th anniversary of the groundbreaking on the Schenevus Central School building, formerly known as Andrew S. Draper Central School.

Stop and think about that number for a moment. Seventy-five. Three-quarters of a century.

To put the milestone in perspective, consider some other events that unfolded in September

PLEASE SEE “75TH ANNIVERSARY” ON PAGE 4

1941, the month the building opened:

President Franklin D. Roosevelt pledged the nation’s “every effort” to defeat Hitler’s Germany.

Construction of the Pentagon began in the nation’s capital.

The Academy of Motion Pictures copyrighted its “Oscar” statuette.

2 Everyone will be Challenged. Everyone will Contribute. Everyone will be Responsible.

Even as the district reflects back on 75 years of history, we’re also keeping our eyes forward by embracing new challenges and opportunities. In the 2014-15 school year, we are implementing new programs; auditing old ones; and introducing new systems and procedures to make our operations more efficient, transparent and precise.

With pride and maybe even a little nostalgia, we’ll pause and take stock of how far Schenevus Central School District has come since 1940, when our predecessors broke ground on this majestic building. But at the same time, we must also embrace, in our homes and classrooms, the continued challenge of implementing a more rigorous curriculum and working toward higher standards for our 21st century students.

I am confident that, together, we can build on the traditions begun here so many decades ago by continuing to create opportunity from challenge.

Some of our 2014-15 initiatives:

The district has successfully transitioned to a collaboration with the Cooperstown Central School District Business Office, which has led to significant savings.

Staff have begun using our operations software in a more comprehensive way to improve payroll, purchasing, and human resources management.

Employees now take much of their annual safety training online, which ensures course integrity and district compliance with state and federal regulations.

Our phone notification system has had significant upgrades to include texting, emails, and social network notifications.

The current email system is being replaced with Google’s education version of Gmail with Google Drive. Along with advanced email and calendar functions, this enables every staff member and student to create, store and share documents securely online.

Students are now taking classes in our state of the art distance learning room.

Science department faculty have begun implementation of our new Science of Energy Program.

Students have begun job shadowing and internships through our work-based learning program.

The Board of Education has initiated a new Teacher of the Year Award for 2014-15.

Shared ResponsibilityI will be hosting Saturday Superintendent’s Coffee Chats to hear your ideas and

concerns and to discuss some of the work we are doing. The meetings will be held at the school at 9 a.m. on Nov. 15, Jan. 17 and March 21.

We all share responsibility in educating our children; please call,

2014-15 Educational Plan Moves Forward

To kick off the 2014-15 Educational Plan school improvement process, the Board of Education has identified innovation as a district goal.

Our challenge is to seek innovation in our curriculum and in the way we operate, teach, learn and collaborate.

The next step in the educational planning process asks committees, composed of students, parents, community members, staff and administrators, to look at relevant district data and educational research; identify areas where we could focus our improvement efforts with innovation in mind; and develop plans to help us move forward.

If you are interested in participating in this process, please contact me at 638-5530 or thomasjennings@schenevuscsd.org.

A message from Superintendent Thomas JenningsThe 2014-15 year brings challenge and opportunity

email or stop in if you have any questions, comments or concerns.

BOE RecognitionSchool Board Recognition Week is Oct.

27-31. Please join me in thanking Tom Jory, Kelly Gallagher, Doug Gulotty, Matt Sweeney and Kathi Fredette for their service on the Board of Education.

Thomas Jennings

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Foundation to focus on energy in 2014-15The Schenevus Foundation for

Excellence in Education, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing resources for learning beyond the existing curriculum, has identified science and technology as its priority in the 2014-15 school year.

The school is developing a new high school program that will focus on the science, technology, and policy of energy. Teachers and administrators also are working diligently to improve science and technology education in the elementary grades.

Interested in learning more about the Foundation or contributing to its 2014-15 Annual Campaign? Go online to www.schenevuscs.org/foundation.

Musical revue Nov. 7-8The Schenevus Drama Club will

present a musical revue on Nov. 7 and 8. The revue, currently untitled, will feature an original script by Darcy Gibson and music from a variety of shows, including ”Seussical,” “Little Shop of Horrors” and “Les Miserables,” and also draw from popular 1960s music.

The story centers on Robin, a child who draws inspiration for characters in his own creative fiction from those around him. The action of the play weaves between real-life events and Robin’s imagination, while including exciting musical numbers that students in grades 6 through 12 are currently preparing. Mr. and Mrs. Gibson will direct; Mrs. Fredette is costuming the cast; and Mr. Gilchrest will direct the pit orchestra.

PTO takes aim at STEMThe Schenevus Parent-Teacher

Organization (PTO) is looking forward to many exciting fundraisers and initiatives this year, with its main focus on the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. The PTO donated approximately $500 worth of science books to the school library, and is co-sponsoring, with Schenevus secondary science teachers, four after-school, STEM-related events.

The first, “Super Cool Afterschool Science Experiment” (SCASE), will be presented to all students in grades 3-5 from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Oct. 29 in the school cafeteria. Students will have the opportunity to perform bubbling experiments, watch spell-binding demonstrations, and enjoy some “spooktacular” science fun.

Look for the PTO on Facebook as

The Schenevus varsity girls soccer team in August accepted the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge from head Coach Chris Kaltenbach’s wife. The team then challenged the Tri-Valley League to do the same, to help raise awareness about amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as “Lou Gehrig’s disease.”

Principal’s messageFall is certainly in the air! The leaves

have turned, the days are getting significantly shorter, and we’re all settling into the routines of school.

Some things happening so far this year…

Dragon Fest: The new name of our monthly elementary assemblies, during which we recognize students who have shown outstanding citizenship.

Dragon Rules: Be kind to yourself and others and let others work and learn without being disturbed.

The specific dates, themes and classes that will perform are:

Dates Theme ClassOct. 31 Respect 5Nov. 21 Cooperation 3Dec. 19 Kindness 2Jan. 30 Tolerance *Feb. 27 Leadership KMarch 27 Perseverance 2April 24 Integrity 1May 29 Fairness Pre-KJune 12 Sense of 2&3

Humor

* Mrs. McCrea’s & Mrs. Culpeper’s class

Need more information about what’s going on at the school? Check out www.schenevuscs.org and like us on Facebook. We all share responsibility in making school a success, so please call or email if you have any questions, comments or concerns. My door is always open!

Proud to be Your Principal!

Coleen Lewis

“Schenevus Dragons PTO.” The group also can be reached via email at pto@schenevuscsd.org for any comments or suggestions. Consider making a positive impact and volunteer!

4 Everyone will be Challenged. Everyone will Contribute. Everyone will be Responsible.

Less than two months after the school opened its doors, the United States declared war on Japan, officially entering World War II.

War would remain the backdrop throughout high school for those who entered as freshmen in 1941. They accepted their diplomas a few short months before Japan surrendered in September 1945. They dedicated their yearbook, in fact, to “the men and women of this Central district who are giving of their time and of themselves that this Country – so dear to us – can and, by the help of God, will remain free to all.”

Between covers of teal velveteen, the 1945 annual features coiffed and dapper students – boys in collared shirts and neckties, girls in skirts with hemlines below the knee. Even the names hark back to a bygone era: Muriel, Norman, Esther, Winifred, Harold, Vera, Blanche.

Construction on the K-12 building began in July 1940, after the townships of Maryland, Westford, Milford, Decatur and Roseboom voted to centralize. The new structure replaced Schenevus High School, which was built in 1911.

Designed by Richfield Springs architect Myron Jordan – today considered an architect of regional significance by state preservationists – the 15-classroom school cost $242,047 to build. Among its modern amenities, which were scrupulously described during the building’s official dedication in January 1942, were “a telephone system (that) connects each room with

the office,” a “portable 16mm sound motion picture projector” and “a typing room which is acoustically treated (and) equipped with eleven typewriters.”

The district named its state-of-the-art

facility after Westford native Andrew S. Draper, who served as the state’s education commissioner from 1903 to 1914. (The school reverted to “Schenevus Central School” in 1973.)

If the 1945 yearbook’s foreword is any indication, the school community took great pride in its architectural gem: “Today the magnificent structure which stands in Schenevus and has been named for the great educator, Andrew Sloan Draper, is a symbol of the steady

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improvement and progress that has been made in the educational facilities of this vicinity, through the efforts of many, over a period of time.”

Longtime Schenevus school bus driver Geary Whiteman, 79, was a first-grader when the school opened in 1941. He recalls less of the occasion’s pomp and circumstance than he does the hour-long commute aboard two buses that took him and his four siblings from their Westford hills home into the village of Schenevus each morning.

Whiteman graduated in 1954 and went on to drive a district school bus for the better part of 53 years. Four of his grandchildren now attend Schenevus Central.

“I remember the superintendent’s office was a first-grade room,” he said. “They’ve built onto it twice since then.”

But the old part of the school, Whiteman said, has been remarkably preserved. (There were additions in 1986, 1990 and 1993.)

“The halls and the floors look just like they did,” he said. “It’s amazing how well those floors and things stood up. They’ve had a great staff taking care of the school.”

Tony Opalka, who works for the state Historic Preservation Office, agrees.

The state considers the Schenevus school “National Register-eligible,” Opalka said, based on its original architecture, how much of that design remains intact – from built-in shelves to light fixtures – and the significance of its

The Schenevus Central School library of 2014 (below) remains substantially unchanged from the 1941 original (above).

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architect, Jordan.

“We are aware of his work and very impressed with it,” he said.

Jordan designed several school buildings in the region, including one in his native Richfield Springs.

“We think so highly of the (Schenevus) building,” Opalka said. “The exterior is really wonderful. … He really did lavish some beautiful detailing on its public spaces, like the library and lobby. There are beautiful corridor lights, very period-looking, and tile that would have been popular in the ’30s and ’40s.”

Myron’s son, James, who has been tapped to oversee proposed renovations at the school (see story below), has been working with Opalka to preserve as much of the original design as possible.

Like father, like son: Architects keep Schenevus in the family

Left: Geary Whiteman, retired bus driver and 1954 Schenevus graduate, in his fifth-grade class photo in 1947.

Many of architect Myron Jordan’s 1940s flourishes, such as period light fixtures and wood-paneled corridors, remain intact in Schenevus Central School today.

Lucky for Schenevus Central School, the Jordan men of Richfield Springs have a habit of not listening to their fathers.

Myron A. Jordan’s father was a mason and encouraged his son to set out for Chicago, where they were reportedly paying plasterers 50 cents an hour. Instead, Myron took a job as a teacher in a one-room schoolhouse in Delaware County. Then, two years later, he brushed chalk dust from his clothes and enrolled at Syracuse University to study architecture.

He quickly made a name for himself across the region as a school architect. Among his designs: Schenevus Central School.

Despite the professional success and respect he garnered after decades in the architecture business, Myron counseled his own son, James, to think carefully about choosing a profession.

“He told me not to become an architect,” Jim Jordan said. “Because it’s too difficult a life. And it is.”

Jim heeded his father’s advice – sort of. He earned a master’s degree in business administration from Syracuse University. Then he returned to SU – for an architecture degree.

“I don’t know, I guess it was familiar,” said Jim Jordan. “I rode

with him since I was 7 or 8 years old. I’d go on the jobs. It was comfortable and familiar.”

Jim worked alongside his father from 1975 until 1984, when he officially took over Myron’s firm. In a career spanning nearly 40 years, he’s been responsible for more than a half-billion dollars in public construction, including work at Schenevus.

“I have put two additions on the Schenevus school, a six-classroom addition in 1986 and new gymnasium and locker room in the early ’90s,” Jim Jordan said.

He also designed a new district bus garage a decade ago.

“We’ve done all their work since the beginning,” he said.

He’s also been working with Superintendent Thomas Jennings on a preliminary scope of work for a planned reconstruction project. Among the list of renovations the district is considering are new asphalt and sidewalks, new windows, heat and ventilation system upgrades, new lighting, asbestos abatement, security upgrades, a new sound system, and more.

Schenevus remains a sentimental favorite for Jordan, he said, because it gives him a chance to continue his father’s work.

“It’s a great honor that the district would consider keeping the same architect all these years,” he said.

Myron A. Jordan

6 Everyone will be Challenged. Everyone will Contribute. Everyone will be Responsible.

Property Taxes: 37.9%

The Schenevus Central School District is required to provide the following notifications to parents on an annual basis. They have also been posted online for your convenience.

Annual Fire InspectionIn accordance with New York

Education Law, Schenevus Central School District is required to publish a public notice of the filing of its annual fire inspection report within 20 days of filing it with the New York State Education Department (NYSED). It must be published at least once in the designated official newspaper of the district or a newspaper in general circulation for its postal area. For more information on annual fire inspection notices, please contact the district clerk at (607) 638-5530.

Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR)

New York State Education Law 3012-c, which governs the new Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) evaluation process, requires that school districts make available to parents the composite effectiveness score for their child’s teacher. A teacher’s composite effectiveness score is determined by classroom observations, student achievement, and student growth on state exams. Parents may also request the composite effectiveness score for the school principal.

Parents or guardians interested in

Annual notificationslearning the composite effectiveness score of their child’s current teacher and/or principal should contact the office of the superintendent at (607) 638-5530.

Learn more at: www.schenevuscs.org/parents.cfm.

Asbestos Management Plan

In accordance with the EPA’s Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) of 1987 (40 CFR Part 763), and the New York state “Right to Know Law,” annual notices pertaining to the inspection and availability of management plans have been posted in each building. The district’s original Asbestos Management Plan was submitted to the New York State Education Department in Albany, N.Y., on May 23, 1988. All management plan records are available for review at the office of the superintendent of buildings and grounds between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. For more information, contact Joseph Bomba, LEA designee, at (607) 638-5530.

Attendance

View the District’s attendance policy at www.schenevuscs.org/parents.cfm.

Body Mass Index (BMI) Screening

New York state requires schools to track each student’s body mass index (BMI) and weight status category as part of school health examinations for students in grades 2, 4, 7 and

10. Every year, the New York State Department of Health will survey some schools for the number of pupils in each of six possible weight status categories. If Schenevus Central School is surveyed by the state, the district will share summary group data only, and will not share individual names or information. Parents who wish to exclude their child’s data from such group calculations must notify the school nurse in writing.

Code of Conduct View the District’s Code of Conduct

at www.schenevuscs.org/parents.cfm.

Computer Acceptable Use Policy

View the Acceptable Use Policy at www.schenevuscs.org/parents.cfm.

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

As required under FERPA, the district would like to inform parents/guardians and students 18 years of age or older currently in attendance, of their right to: inspect and review the student’s education records; request that records be amended to ensure that they are accurate and not misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy or other rights; and control disclosures from the student’s education records, with certain exceptions. For access to student records, please contact the superintendent’s office at (607) 638-5530.

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Property Taxes: 37.9%

Property Taxes: 37.9%

Non-Discrimination Policy/Equal Opportunity Policy

The Schenevus Central School District is in compliance with the provisions of Title VI, Title IX, Section 504, the Age Discrimination Act, and Dignity for All Students Act. This agency does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, military status, marital status or disability in the employment and education opportunities it offers, including the vocational education opportunities available. Inquiries regarding these policies may be referred to Thomas Jennings, Title IX coordinator, at (607) 638-5530.

No otherwise qualified individual with a disability, as defined in Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, shall solely by reason of his or her disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any programs or activity conducted by Schenevus Central School District. Furthermore, it is the intent of the district to ensure that students who are disabled within this definition are identified, evaluated and provided with appropriate educational services. For further information, contact building Principal Coleen Lewis.

Board of Education policy No. 7550 (DASA-Dignity for All Students Act), seeks to provide students with a safe and supportive environment free from discrimination, intimidation, taunting, harassment and bullying on school property, a school bus and/or

at a school function. The Schenevus Central School District DASA coordinators are Principal Coleen Lewis and Director of Guidance Kristen Shearer.

Parents’ Bill of Rights for Data Privacy and Security

The Schenevus Central School District is committed to ensuring student privacy in accordance with local, state and federal regulations and district policies. To this end and pursuant to U.S. Department of Education (DOE) regulations (Education Law §2-d), the district is providing a Parents’ Bill of Rights for Data Privacy and Security. Visit www.schenevuscs.org/parents.cfm for more information.

Pesticide application The Schenevus Central School

District is required by law to maintain a list of staff and parents/guardians who wish to receive 48-hour, prior written notification of pesticide applications at school facilities. To be placed on the notification list, please complete a pesticide notification request form, which can be found on the Buildings & Grounds page of the district website, under “Departments” at www.schenevuscs.org/offices.cfm. For more information, contact the district’s pesticide representative, Joseph Bomba, at (607) 638-5881.

Release from school Board of Education policy provides

for the release of children from school to authorized persons only. Each year, parents will be asked to designate, in writing, any persons so authorized.

Release of student information to military recruiters

Pursuant to the federal No Child Left Behind Act, Schenevus Central School District must disclose to military recruiters and institutions of higher learning, upon request, the names, addresses and telephone numbers of our high school juniors and seniors. However, parents or students may request, in writing, that the district not release such information. Parents, or students who are at least 18 years old and wish to exercise their option to withhold their consent to the release of this information must contact the guidance office at (607) 638-9329.

Sex Offender Information

The Sex Offender Information page of the district website includes Board of Education policy, as well as links to the New York State Sex Offender Registry and Otsego County Offender Watch, at:

www.schenevuscs.org/parents.cfm.

PLEASE SEE “NOTIFICATIONS” ON PAGE 8

Bulk RateNon-Profit Org.US POSTAGE

PAIDPermit #1

Schenevus, NY 12155

SCHENEVUS CENTRAL SCHOOL

159 MAIN STREETSCHENEVUS, NY 12155

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8 Everyone will be Challenged. Everyone will Contribute. Everyone will be Responsible.

www.schenevuscs .or g

BOARD OF EDUCATIONThomas Jory, President Dr. Kelly Gallagher , Vice President Douglas GulottyKathryn FredetteMatt Sweeney

SUPERINTENDENTThomas G. Jennings

Produced in cooperation with the Capital Region BOCES Communications Service.

“Notifications” from Page 7

Title I InformationInformation on Title I,

Academic Intervention Services (AIS), Response to Intervention (RTI), and teacher qualifications can be found on the Title I/AIS/RTI page of the district website.

Wellness Policy The Schenevus Central

School District is committed to providing a school environment that promotes and protects

children’s health, well-being and ability to learn by supporting healthy eating and physical activity. To that end, the Board of Education has adopted the District Wellness Policy (Board of Education Policy No. 5684), which addresses nutritional standards of foods and beverages sold on school grounds, physical education, recess, nutrition and health education and staff wellness.

DATES to remember...

Oct 29: Elementary “Spooky Science”

Oct. 30: Grand Friends Breakfast

Nov 7-8 Drama Club production

Nov. 8 Craft for a Class

Nov. 10 Veterans’ Day Breakfast

Nov. 15 Superintendent’s Coffee Chat

Nov. 22 Holiday Family Elementary Dinner Dance

Nov. 24-25 Parent-Teacher Conferences (preK-8)

Dec. 6 Holiday Bazaar

Dec. 11 Winter Concert (grades 4-5)

Dec. 17 Winter Concert (grades 6-12)

Dec. 18 Holiday Luncheon

For information, please visit www.schenevuscsd.org

Bleacher repairs updateThe district is nearing completion of a project to bring the gymnasium

bleachers into compliance with safety codes. The renovation, which includes repairing the bent framework and installing hand railings, began in 2012 and will be complete in time for this basketball season, when the bleachers will be available to spectators on both sides of the gym.