Dunkirk District News - Dunkirk High School · Dunkirk District News Jazz Ensemble Wins Grant for...

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Dunkirk City School District www.dunkirkcsd.org Fall 2010 Dunkirk District News Jazz Ensemble Wins Grant for Jazz Education Dunkirk High School Jazz Ensemble is proud to announce its acceptance for enrollment in the Lincoln Center for the Arts “Essentially Ellington” Program. This is a national grant- funded program that provides free jazz resources and instruction to select high schools to promote quality jazz education in the schools. DHS Jazz Ensemble will receive six free jazz charts from Lincoln Center for the Arts and is eligible to participate in Regional Jazz Competitions. Rehearsal audio and video of these charts with Wynton Marsalis conducting the Lincoln Jazz Orchestra will also be made available to students as a resource. This will be an exciting year for Schools 4 and 5 as they are now housed together at the Wheelock Primary School in Fredonia. With major renovations under way at Schools 4 and 5, the students needed a temporary learning environment for the 2010-11 year. Fortunately, the Wheelock School was available for the Dunkirk District to rent for the year. The move has been a major undertaking for both the Dunkirk Dunkirk Middle School’s steel drum band performed at the Chadwick Bay - City of Dunkirk’s Beach Bash on July 31. Dunkirk Middle School will present two performances of the musical, Seussical, Jr., in November. The musical is based on the works of Dr. Seuss. With song and dance, DMS students will present a story that weaves together Dr. Seuss’ most famous tales and characters in unexpected ways. Many of Dr. Seuss’ characters never met one another before, but they will meet in our musical! In the course of the performance, some will fall in love, some will have desperate adventures and some will save the world. Performances are slated for Friday, Nov. 19 and Saturday, Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. Directors are music teachers, Cynthia Flaherty and Kimberly Levan. DMS Musical is Seussical, Jr. Schools 4 and 5 Housed at Wheelock Primary and Fredonia districts, but the transition has been seemingly flawless due to the tremendous effort of everyone involved. Each day the students from both schools ride the bus together to Fredonia. Once inside, however, students branch off into the direction of their individual school and spend the day with the same friends and staff they knew from their home sites. Morning and afternoon announcements are shared by both schools and some even refer to the two groups as “School 45.” Currently, plans are underway for a joint Open House in October. As the year progresses, some activities will remain exclusive to the individual schools while others will be combined. Fundraisers will continue to be held at each school in order for all students to be able to participate in end-of-the-year activities. Third Grade Rocks The students in Mrs. Murphy’s and Mrs. McAfee’s third grade classes are learning about rocks. Did you know that rocks are made of minerals? They didn’t either but now they do! The students have brought in their rock collections and will soon be adopting a Pet Rock. These “pets” might be sedimentary, igneous or metamorphic rocks and will sit on their desks and help them, but not too much help though; we don’t want those rocks whispering the answers during a spelling test. Third grade can be exciting when you are learning all about rocks and minerals. Habla Usted Español? Si usted necesita asistencia traduciendo nuestra informativa, por favor ponga se en contacto con la oficina de curiculo y projectos especiales al 366-9300 ext. 2710. ? (continued on page 2)

Transcript of Dunkirk District News - Dunkirk High School · Dunkirk District News Jazz Ensemble Wins Grant for...

Page 1: Dunkirk District News - Dunkirk High School · Dunkirk District News Jazz Ensemble Wins Grant for Jazz Education Dunkirk High School Jazz Ensemble is proud to announce its acceptance

Dunkirk City School District www.dunkirkcsd.org Fall 2010

Dunkirk District News

Jazz Ensemble Wins Grant for Jazz EducationDunkirk High School Jazz Ensemble is proud to announce its acceptance for enrollment in the Lincoln Center for the Arts “Essentially Ellington” Program. This is a national grant-funded program that provides free jazz resources and instruction to select high schools to promote quality jazz education in the schools. DHS Jazz Ensemble will receive six free jazz charts from Lincoln Center for the Arts and is eligible to participate in Regional Jazz Competitions. Rehearsal audio and video of these charts with Wynton Marsalis conducting the Lincoln Jazz Orchestra will also be made available to students as a resource.

This will be an exciting year for Schools 4 and 5 as they are now housed together at the Wheelock Primary School in Fredonia. With major renovations under way at Schools 4 and 5, the students needed a temporary learning environment for the 2010-11 year. Fortunately, the Wheelock School was available for the Dunkirk District to rent for the year. The move has been a major undertaking for both the Dunkirk

Dunkirk Middle School’s steel drum band performed at the Chadwick Bay - City of Dunkirk’s Beach Bash on July 31.

Dunkirk Middle School will present two performances of the musical, Seussical, Jr., in November. The musical is based on the works of Dr. Seuss. With song and dance, DMS students will present a story that weaves together Dr. Seuss’ most famous tales and characters in unexpected ways. Many of Dr. Seuss’ characters never met one another before, but they will meet in our musical! In the course of the performance, some will fall in love, some will have desperate adventures and some will save the world.

Performances are slated for Friday, Nov. 19 and Saturday, Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. Directors are music teachers, Cynthia Flaherty and Kimberly Levan.

DMS Musical is Seussical, Jr.

Schools 4 and 5 Housed at Wheelock Primary

and Fredonia districts, but the transition has been seemingly flawless due to the tremendous effort of everyone involved.

Each day the students from both schools ride the bus together to Fredonia. Once inside, however, students branch off into the direction of their individual school and spend the day with the same friends and staff they knew from their home sites. Morning and afternoon announcements are shared by both schools and some even refer to the two groups as “School 45.”

Currently, plans are underway for a joint Open House in October. As the year progresses, some activities will remain exclusive to the individual schools while others will be combined. Fundraisers will continue to be held at each school in order for all students to be able to participate in end-of-the-year activities.

Third Grade RocksThe students in Mrs. Murphy’s and Mrs. McAfee’s third grade classes are learning about rocks. Did you know that rocks are made of minerals? They didn’t either but now they do! The students have brought in their rock collections and will soon be adopting a Pet Rock. These “pets” might be sedimentary, igneous or metamorphic rocks and will sit on their desks and help them, but not too much help though; we don’t want those rocks whispering the answers during a spelling test. Third grade can be exciting when you are learning all about rocks and minerals.

Habla Usted Español?Si usted necesita asistencia traduciendo nuestra informativa, por favor ponga se en contacto con la oficina de curiculo y projectos especiales al 366-9300 ext. 2710.

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Letter from Superintendent

The elementary staff was welcomed at the Wheelock Primary School site in Fredonia for their opening day agenda while the middle and high school met at the Dunkirk Middle School. Opening day featured a special presentation to faculty and staff by FBI Agent Brent Isaacson who is a member of a special unit that investigates online predators. He presented information to faculty and staff about the computer methods an online predator uses and also presented ways to recognize if a child may be in a compromising situation.

Staff was welcomed by Mr. Cerne, Superintendent of Schools, and a presentation was made by Ciminelli Construction on the progress being made in the building projects. Mrs. Russo spoke about computer use and avoiding sexual harassment in the workplace. Mr. Polito presented information on the safe use of chemicals in the work environment.

Department meetings and general information sessions were held in each building and all are off to a great start for the school year.

Dear Community Members,

The conclusion of summer was an extremely busy time for the district. With construction projects taking place on four campuses, there was an urgent need to get the buildings ready for staff and students on the first day.

At the Middle School, masonry work on the upstairs science room was completed. New windows arrived just in time for the start of school and tile work on the first floor was finished. Now we are in the process of planning construction for next summer.

Schools 4 and 5 were emptied in early July and the transition to the Wheelock building went smoothly. In August demolition and abatement work began. I’m glad to report that the project is ahead of schedule at those buildings. Schools 3 and 7 will see construction start this spring.

The most notable construction activity has been taking place on the High School campus. Eight classrooms were renovated from top to bottom with six more due to be completed by Thanksgiving. The new pool is scheduled to open soon, and the foundations have been poured for the new auxiliary gym. The new maintenance building is moving along quickly and should be completed by December.

Even with all the improvements to our facilities, we are still clearly focused on academics. A large portion of our teaching staff received training this summer and the administrative team continues to analyze student achievement data.

It is truly an exciting time for the Dunkirk City School District and I am looking forward to another successful year for our school community. If I can ever be of assistance, please do not hesitate to call me at 366-9300, ext. 2013.

Sincerely,

Gary J. Cerne Superintendent of Schools

In-Service Training is Held

High School Music Teacher and Professional Development Coordinator Jeanine Van Way and Brent Isaacson, FBI agent.

Requirement for Notification of Pesticide Application Be it known that this district incorporates Integrated Pest Management procedures that may periodically use pesticide products throughout the school year requiring notification under section 409-h of the State Education Law. The law requires the district to maintain a list of staff and persons in parental relation who wish to receive 48-hour prior written notification of pesticide application at relevant facilities. Those enrolled on this list will receive the proper notice when their building(s) is/are involved with a pesticide application requiring notification. Please fill out the enrollment form below and return it to the Buildings and Grounds Office. For further information contact Tim Abbey at 366-9300.

I WISH TO BE NOTIFIED 48 HOURS PRIOR TO PESTICIDE APPLICATION

Name (Staff / Person in Parental Relation) ________________________________________

Mailing Address ____________________________________________________________

Student Name(s) ____________________________________________________________

Building(s) ________________________________________________________________

Return to: Buildings and Grounds Office 620 Marauder Drive Dunkirk, NY 14048

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As we begin this lesson, the third-graders who really “rock” are Richard Burgess and Amari Carter who have brought in fabulous rock collections to share. Who else will bring in rocks for us to see?

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The schedule below is tentative – dates and times may change. For the most up-to-date athletic schedule, please see “Calendar” under the Athletics tab on the Dunkirk City School District Web site at www.dunkirkcsd.org.

DCSD Winter Sports Schedule ‘10-’11 Proceeds From Lakefront 5K Benefits Shriners Hospital, PTOSchool 7 hosted their first annual Lakefront 5K run/walk on Saturday, Sept. 25. The race started and finished at N. Serval Street and Pine Street.

The event was well attended. Tote bags were given to first 150 registrants. Race proceeds benefitted the Shriners Hospitals for Children of Erie, PA and School 7 Parent Teacher Organization (PTO).

A free half mile fun run for kids was held before the 5k walk/run. To help raise money and add to the festivities, each classroom at School 7 created a theme basket for a Chinese auction. School and community volunteers helped with the auction, registration table, water stop, monitoring the course and timing the race.

“Many of our students have benefitted from the services that Shriners Hospital provides at no cost. We felt that this would be a great way to get families involved and give back to Shriners along with raising money for our school in a fun way,” said Mrs. Heenan, School 7 principal. Mr. Osinski, physical education teacher and coordinator of the event said, “This was a great fundraiser to start the year off and an excellent way for us to showcase Dunkirk Central Schools.”

Football10/13 Mod Fredonia ...................4:30 p.m.10/14 JV Fredonia ........................7 p.m.10/15 V @ Fredonia .............7:30 p.m.10/21 Mod Forestville ................4:30 p.m.10/25 Mod Cassadaga Valley ......4:30 p.m.

Boys’ Soccer10/12 B @ Olean ...................4:30 p.m.10/14 B @ Fredonia .............4:30 p.m.10/16 V Silver Creek ................11 a.m.10/19 B @ Southwestern .......4:30 p.m.10/21 V Chautauqua Lake .....4:30 p.m.

Girls’ Soccer10/12 JV North Collins ...........4:30 p.m. V North Collins.................6 p.m.10/13 JV @ Falconer ...............4:30 p.m. V @ Falconer ...............6:00 p.m.10/15 B @ Fredonia .............4:30 p.m.10/16 JV @ Catt. Little Valley ..10 a.m.10/20 B Southwestern ..........4:30 p.m.10/21 V @ Chautauqua Lake .4:30 p.m.

Girls Volleyball10/15 JV Olean ........................4:30 p.m. V Olean .............................6 p.m.10/18 JV @ Gowanda..............4:30 p.m. V @ Gowanda ..................6 p.m.

DMS Meet, Greet, and Eat Event

Dunkirk Middle School’s fifth annual “Meet, Greet & Eat” featured food, friends, a tug-of-war and a steel drum performance as a great way to start off the school year.

Meet, Greet & Eat, held Friday, Sept. 20, is the traditional culminating activity to the first week of classes at DMS. Over 500 students, staff, parents and friends took part in the gathering to mingle and get to know each other a little better and enjoy a hot dog lunch. Dunkirk Middle School’s “famous” Marauder steel drum band also played to an appreciative audience. The highlight of the day was the grade level home room tug-of-war competition. Winners were Mrs. Merchant’s sixth-grade homeroom, Mr. Kuczenski’s seventh-grade homeroom and Mr. Corbett’s eighth-grade homeroom.

10/20 JV Fredonia ...................4:30 p.m. V Fredonia ........................6 p.m.10/21 JV SilverCreek ..............4:30 p.m. V Silver Creek ..................6 p.m.10/22 JV @ Chautauqua Lake .4:30 p.m. V @ Chautauqua Lake ......6 p.m.

Girls’ Swimming10/14 @ Fredonia .............................5 p.m.10/18 Allegany Limestone @ Fredonia .............................7 p.m.10/21 @ Chautauqua Lake ...............5 p.m.10/26 FHS + DHS @ County Diving in Olean 10/28 FHS + DHS County Swim @ Olean

Boys & Girls Cross Country10/12 @ Fredonia (Silver Creek & Randolph) ..........................4:15 p.m.10/19 Ripley, Falconer, Gowanda ............................4:15 p.m.10/29 CCAA League Meet @ Long Point Boys’ Race 3:30 p.m. Girls’ Race 4 p.m. Modified Race 4:30 p.m.

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DHS Band and Jazz Ensemble Fundraiser InformationThe DHS concert band and jazz ensemble will have numerous fundraisers with all proceeds going toward their band trip. Students will sell Butterbraids Assorted Coffeebreads this fall. Two additional flavors, Apple Dumpling and Pumpkin Roll, will be available for delivery prior to Thanksgiving. Students will sell the coffeebreads again in the spring prior to Easter. Band students will also sell Florida Citrus products delivered in time for Christmas. More fundraiser information can be found on the district Web site; choose the High School, Classrooms, Ms. Scarem. You can also call the high school at 366-9300, ext. 2047.

Handprint Wreath Project Shows That Everyone is Special

As an activity to show a sense of family and that each individual has special attributes, each child and adult at School 3 traced their hand and wrote something special about him or herself.

Over 200 individual handprints were woven together to make a special wreath. This intertwined circle shows the school’s sense of unity. Some special attributes written by the children are, “I am sensitive; I am an American; I am good at respecting my elders, especially my mom; and I laugh!”

Middle School PTO Meeting Schedule AnnouncedThe Dunkirk Middle School Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) held its first meeting of the school year on Sept. 15. Over 20 people attended and were greeted by Mr. Boyda, DMS principal.

Thanks to a generous donation from the Dunkirk Teacher’s Association (DTA), funding will be provided to the PTO again this year to support incentives for family participation and attendance at monthly PTO meetings.

Family input, involvement and ideas are very important at the middle school and the PTO is one way families can get involved. PTO meetings are a great place to find out what’s going on in the building, present ideas, air concerns and ask questions.

The middle school PTO meets the second Wednesday of every month at 7 p.m. in the middle school library. Meetings are generally no longer than one hour in length. Future meeting dates are Oct. 13, Nov. 10, Dec. 8, Jan. 12, Feb. 9, March 9, April 13 and May 11.

Election of officers also took place with the following volunteering their time for the positions:

Lisa Kobel, president Don Williams, vice president Linda Stolinski, treasurer Sue Fountain, secretary Michele Quatroche, parent communication council representative

For more information about the PTO, please call Dunkirk Middle School at 366-9300, x3380.

Asbestos Management NotificationFederal regulations require all public school districts to inspect all known asbestos containing building materials at least once every six months and to inform employees and other building occupants of activities involving asbestos containing building materials which have occurred in the past year.

Every three years, all asbestos material must be reevaluated as part of the inspection process. As always, the health and safety of students, staff and parents remain a primary concern. The Asbestos Management Plans are available for review by appointment, during regular business hours by contacting the Office of Buildings and Grounds at 366-9300 x 2098.

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Bracelets and Pencils Given to School 7 Students

Fredonia State Tutors at School 3The connection between Fredonia State College and School 3 is strong and ongoing. For years, School 3 has been fortunate enough to be part of a program where college students tutor our pupils. The class, EDU 250, is taught by Dr. Kathleen Magiera, a professor from SUNY Fredonia. Again this fall and winter, 80 college students will be working with over forty School 3 pupils on their reading and writing skills. Two college students work with one or two children two times a week from 2:35 to 3:20 p.m. Permission slips are sent home to those students who would best benefit from this after-school help.

To ensure that the instruction is tailored to the needs of the individual students, there is collaboration between the college students and the classroom and reading teachers. An initial meeting was held where the teachers met with the college students to explain their reading program and help them with selecting materials and books. The college tutors work with our students in their individual classrooms and teachers are available to answer questions and assist with reading materials.

Volunteers Needed to Help Plan Discovery Day Celebration at School 3School 3 is proud to announce that it will be celebrating Puerto Rico’s Discovery Day sometime in November with its annual program including songs, dances, skits and other entertainment. We are asking our School 3 parents to get involved in the planning of this wonderful cultural event. If you have any ideas, please contact Mrs. Mirna Ortiz at 366-9330, ext. 4307. We welcome your thoughts.

When to Keep Your Child Home From School During the school year, children have more opportunities to get some type of illness. With that in mind, the school nurse offers some sensible suggestions to help you decide when to send your child to school, if you have concerns.

Please keep your child home if:

1. The child has a fever of 100.5 F. or HIGHER. Do NOT medicate your child in the morning with Tylenol/Ibuprofen and then send the child to school because by 11 a.m. the child will have a fever again and you will be called to come get your child. The child should have a NORMAL temperature for 24 hours before he/she returns to school. Normal is anything below 100 degrees WITHOUT medication.

2. The child has vomited or had diarrhea during the previous day or after the school day. Be sure to offer clear liquids, such as water or flat ginger ale, to keep the child well hydrated.

3. The child has an unexplained rash, especially if blistery and accompanied by a fever, or if it is extremely itchy, especially at night or in the early morning. See a doctor if it persists.

4. The child lacks mental alertness. If your child feels so miserable that he/she is unable to learn or play, it is better for the child to rest at home.

5. The child has any upper respiratory symptoms such as a cough that produces phlegm, head congestion, or stuffy nose, WITH colored drainage. See a doctor if it persists.

The first day of school was exciting for teachers, parents and students. At School 7 the students were greeted by a welcoming committee. They received a school 7 bracelet and School 7 pencil along with a student handbook. The bracelets and pencils had the three school rules printed on them: Be Safe, Be Responsible and Be Respectful.

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(This article by Dunkirk Observer staff writer Michael Rukavina was originally published in the August 9 issue of the Observer. The Dunkirk School District has been given permission to reprint a synopisis here.)

Dunkirk City Schools will join a list of only three other schools from western New York who have been listed under state validated practices in special education. The announcement, to the joy of the department, was made recently by Stephen O’Brien, Director of Special Education at Dunkirk City School District.

State Personnel Development Grants (SPDG) are awarded by the U.S. Dept. of Education Office of Special Education Programs to improving outcomes for students with disabilities. New York’s project is designed to improve outcomes for students with disabilities by helping educators increase skills in literacy, positive behavior intervention, and special education instruction.

According to its Web site, through the S3TAIR Project, districts and schools that have effective, evidence-based practices in these areas will mentor schools in need of assistance or intervention as they implement similar practices.

“We are different than a lot of programs because we use a variety of approaches. We don’t use just one approach. I think that’s one of the things that makes us different,” said Dunkirk school speech pathologist Marcy Conti. “Because we were awarded, this model program for autism will be on the New York state Web site for people who want to start a program or already have a program to look to as a model. That to us is very complimentary.”

The special education program is currently operating its extended school year six-week program out of School 7, in which 10 autistic students are participating. The validation is specific to the Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) students, according to O’Brien, who noted the program addresses the students with the most needs.

“The initial class (four years ago) was comprised of all students who we returned from BOCES,” O’Brien said. “During our four years we have brought in outside consultants, attended conferences, and equipped the room with the necessary equipment to meet every need. However, make no mistake that the success is related to the dedication of the staff … Our goal is to always improve each year.”

State Education was on-site in Dunkirk to interview staff and observe the program to see how students are taught. The program was given validated practice honors because of the way staff recorded data, their approach with the kids and the success they’ve had.

“Because of the variety of approaches we use, we are very trans-disciplinary, so we all work together — OT and speech and Special Ed and PT are not separate like tradition therapy where you pull out or have a 30-minute session in a therapy room,” said Stacey Lovern, occupational therapist. “We’re not like that; everything is done and included in the classroom.” Trans-disciplinary, Lovern added, is all of the staff working on each other’s goals as an educational team, with everyone working on communication, all working on sensory, all working on the motor skills, all working on the cognitive, and all working on behavior — together.

“It’s an approach that’s always been out there, and I think it’s what therapists strive for. I just think they’re limited with their time and availability in the public school when you have so many children to see as a regular or typical OT or Speech you have a caseload of 30, so you don’t get a chance to talk as much with the team,” Lovern said. “It’s different for us; we’ve been given enough time where we can communicate a lot with each other, we meet weekly together as a team and go over every child individual, go over strengths and weaknesses and we problem solve whatever comes up. We’re always looking at their educational goals and how we can make it better for them in the room.”

Throughout the school year the program operates out of School 5, and this year the program was able to graduate two students into the middle school program, a substantial accomplishment for a program that began only four years ago. As a result, a new middle school program was established.

“A lot of our kids go to general education music and gym and reading or chorus; we try and mainstream them as much as we can with their own peers,” Lovern said. “Things they wouldn’t be able to do if they were in a different building separate away somewhere.”

Dunkirk Receives Special Education Honor

Pictured from left to right, front row: Stacey Lovern, Roxanne Michalak, Marcy Conti. Back row, Stephen O’Brien and Superintendent Gary J. Cerne.

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Character Counts!Character education means helping students know what is right, care about what is right and do what is right. This year at School 7 we will be sending home a quarterly character education newsletter to let parents know what students are learning in Character Education. This will help parents reinforce with their children at home the character qualities that we are teaching!

This quarter, Kindergarten through fifth-grade students will be discussing and working on projects related to responsibility. Future themes will be trustworthiness, respect, fairness, caring and citizenship. In addition, our school uses a positive behavior support program. We believe our students can increase their responsibility and accountability for the choices they make and actions they take throughout youth and into adulthood.

Community Reader Day Returns to School 3It was not costumes and masks that caught the attention of students at School 3 last Halloween holiday. Rather they were awed by the 80 guest readers who took time from their day to come and read a story or two to students.

This year the tradition will continue on Friday, Oct. 29 at 1 p.m. as the school celebrates reading with Community Reader Day. Readers will meet in the auditorium for a brief welcome and then will be escorted to the classroom and introduced to their group of children.

It is an event that both children and adults look forward to as we strive to reinforce that reading is a skill that individuals will use and enjoy their entire lives.

At-Home Reading Underway at School 3This year’s Wonderfully Exciting Books, or WEB for short, at School 3 is underway and going strong. Kindergarteners through fifth-graders have been bringing home books and reading them with a family member since the second full week of school. Kindergarteners are reading alphabet letter books and then drawing a picture of something that begins with that letter. The young students are working on the concepts of turning the page, knowing which page to read first and pointing to the letter and ‘reading it’ by saying the sound it makes.

First-graders are working on concepts like summarizing by drawing a picture and writing a sentence to explain the story and identify characters. Older children are working on concepts such as comparing and contrasting, making text-to-text, text-to-self and text-to-world connections and identifying the problem and solution in the story.

Each classroom teacher has a partner (reading, ESL, and our ELA teacher) who helps conference with the students about the books they are reading.

The number of children completing their reading homework each night has been extremely positive. At the end of each quarter, children who have been able to complete their WEB work are honored and their photos are featured on our WEB Wall of Fame in the hallway.

The students have been able to make nice friendships with the kids in the building that they may not have been able to make elsewhere.

“The parents love it when the child next door knows their child’s name and says hi to them and acknowledges them and sits with them on the bus,” Lovern said. “This wouldn’t happen if these children were going on a bus to another school in another district. We’ve seen the affects in the community from having the program here.”

Conti added that another reason the program has been so successful is because of an after-school parent support

group geared toward parent-student interaction in a learning environment. “It is called Kidnections and it runs during the school year every other Monday night. It’s a parent support group, but it’s one where parents can bring their children. Parents can learn how we teach their children, learn how to interact with their children, learn how to interact and how to use the communication systems we have in place. We get success with the kids, and we want the parents to have that same thing,” she said.

For more information on the Supporting Successful Strategies to Achieve Improved Results (S3TAIR PROJECT) visit www.s3tairproject.org.

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DunkirkCitySchoolDistrict620 Marauder DriveDunkirk, N.Y. 14048www.dunkirkcsd.org

Gary J. Cerne, Superintendent

Board of Education:Mr. Roosevelt Haynes, PresidentMr. Kenneth Kozlowski, Vice PresidentMrs. Bridget Majka, ClerkMrs. Linda GuyMr. Gary PignataroMrs. Nancy RenckensMrs. Jean Surma, Assistant Board ClerkStudent Member: Miss Elizabeth Campese

RESIDENT

Non-Profit Org.

Bulk Rate

U.S. Postage Paid

Permit No. 3

“Buddy Beside Me as I Read”Extended to Grades K–3

Third-grade students from Mrs. Csont’s class were paired with first-graders from Ms. Graves’ class. Each pair had an opportunity to share the story they had practiced with both teachers.

Dunkirk City School DistrictLEGAL NOTICE

The Dunkirk City School District does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, religion, disability, color, Vietnam era veteran status, or national origin in employment and in the educational programs and other activities that it operates, as is required by Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and other state and federal statutes.

This policy of non-discrimination includes the areas of employment, recruitment and appointment of employees, pay and benefits, and, students’ access to educational programs and activities.

The district official responsible for the coordination of activities regarding employees is the Superintendent of Schools or his designee, 620 Marauder Drive, Dunkirk, New York 14048 telephone 366-9300 extension 4700.

Inquires regarding this non-discriminatory policy may be directed to the Superintendent of Schools or his designee. These officials will provide information, including complaint procedures to any citizen, student or employee who feels that his rights under Title IX or any other stature have been violated by the district or its officials.

Disabled Students

All students have a right to a free and appropriate public education. No qualified student with a disability shall, on the basis of that disability, be excluded from participation in, be denied benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any of the district’s programs or activities.

The district official responsible for the coordination of activities regarding students under Section 504 and the ADA is:

Michele D. Heenan, Section 504 CoordinatorDunkirk City School District620 Marauder DriveDunkirk, New York 14048366-9300 extension 4700

The “Buddy Beside Me as I Read” program gives students a 15-minute session to practice reading a book with a partner who is reading at about the same level. After reading a part of the story, one partner summarizes the text. Doing this instills the idea that we read for the purpose of understanding. Teachers circulate to listen to the children read and summarize. Students keep the book throughout the week and as they practice reading it, they are able to become more familiar with the text and improve their reading fluency.

Mrs. Csont has used the program in her third-grade classroom for the past two years. Last year Ms. Graves’ first grade class also participated in this activity.

This year the program will be extended to all kindergarten through third grade classes. Each class will be assisted by a reading teacher. Strategies for monitoring comprehension, activating and connecting to background knowledge, questioning, visualizing, summarizing and synthesizing will be introduced and practiced throughout the year.

Gary J. CerneSuperintendent of Schools