Early Years = Learning Years

Spring 2015

“Learn ing wi th Pass ion, Innovat ion and Leadership”

D i s t r i c t N e w s l e t t e r

‘Disco Inferno’ Steps Back in Time on March 19-21

The RCS High School Drama Club will be presenting, “Disco Inferno” this spring. “Disco Inferno” is a modern musical set in London back in the 1970s about a man, Jack (Austin Mitchell) trying to make it big in the music industry with no luck until he meets Lady Marmalade, (Rachel Van Rensselaer) a femme fatale working for the devil. Jack makes a deal with the devil for a big time career, but soon things start falling apart and Jack finds himself trying to get his old life back, including his longtime girlfriend Jane (Taryn Dechow). The musical is loaded with hilarious dialogue, great dance moves and all of your favorite hits from the 70’s including, ‘Crocodile Rock,’ ‘Hot Stuff,’ ‘Celebration,’ ‘All Out of Love,’ and ‘I Will Survive.’ Break out your plat-form shoes and step back in time with the RCS high school drama department!

The show will run Thursday, Friday and Saturday March 19th-21st at 7:00 PM in the high school auditorium with a matinee performance the 21st at 1:00 PM. Ticket prices will be $5 for students and $8 for all adults. There will be a free viewing for any inter-ested senior citizens on Tuesday March 17th at 5:00 PM. Refreshments will be provided. Thank you for supporting the arts in our school!

WHO: All children in the district who will be 4 years of age before December 1, 2015

WHAT: Apply for the 2015-16 school year Universal Pre-K Program

WHERE: Randolph Elementary School

WHY: Provides developmentally appropriate educational experi-ences

Randolph Central School Uni-versal Pre-K Program is accepting applications for the 2015-2016 school year. Our program is open to all children in the district who will be 4 years of age before December 1, 2015. The program offers a wide variety of meaningful experiences that promote the development of social, physical and academic skills. Our program has a child-centered focus and provides many hands on opportunities for children to learn about themselves as well as the world around them.

Please call the Elementary School office (358-7030) to place your child’s name on the list and you will automatically be mailed an applica-tion at the end of February or begin-ning of March. Pre-K screening will be June 4, 5, 8 & 9.

Page 2 Spring 2015

Capital Project Hearing & Vote InformationPublic Hearing - Wednesday, March 18, 2015

6 p.m. H.S. AuditoriumPlease join us for a complete overview of the Capital Project. Proposition #1 includes

fixing building condition items in both school buildings, changing the traffic flow in the parking lots, creating additional parking and resurfacing the track. Proposition #2 is for a synthetic turf athletic field.

Want to Learn More? Here’s How ...Superintendent Kimberly Moritz is available to speak to any local groups to review

the scope of the Capital Project. Please call 358-7005 if you have questions and to set up an appointment.

Mrs. Moritz will also be available after the Grandparents' Breakfast on March 3rd and 5th in the elementary Library to answer your questions. She will be available after the High School Honor Roll Breakfast on March 4th to answer any questions that you may have about the Capital Project.

District residents will receive a special newsletter in March outlining the scope of the Capital Project.

Special VOTE Capital Project

Tuesday, March 242 p.m. - 8 p.m.H.S Cafeteria

District residents will vote onProposition #1 & Proposition #2 for the Capital Project.

Students Demonstrate Knowledge in JCC Mathletics Competition

On Monday, October 27, six Randolph students took part in JCC’s 25th annual Mathletics Contest. Mckenna Maycock, Kaylee Hettenbaugh, Zach Fischer, No-lan Ditcher, Ethan Meleen, and Wyatt Sluga went to JCC with Robin Maycock to participate in the contest. Seven area schools and 42 students participated. The contest consists of student being broken into teams to go on a scavenger hunt, solving real world math problems along the way. Kaylee Hettenbaugh was part of the winning team. After the scavenger hunt the students received lunch and watched a presentation by Eric Wolfe from Lego about career opportunities with a Mathematics degree.

National Internet Safety Workshop March 27 at RCSOn Friday, March 27th, Renee DeLuke

from The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children will be at RCS to offer programs on internet safety. There will be separate, age appropriate presentations for students in grades K-3 (Router’s Birthday Surprise), 4-6 (Tween Presentation) and 7-12 (Teen Presentation). In addition, an evening presentation for parents will be offered in conjunction with Girl Scout troop #10207 from 5:00-6:00 p.m. in the high school auditorium.

Do you know what your kids are post-ing online, who they’re talking to, what account settings they’re using. Are you confident that they would know what to do if they were approached by a stranger online? Join us on March 27th at 5:00 p.m. to find out what safeguards to put in place to help ensure the safety of your child.

About Us

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children®’s (NCMEC) mission is to find missing children, eliminate child sexual exploitation and prevent child victimization. Headquartered outside the nation’s capital in Alexandria, Virginia, NCMEC was created in 1984 as a private, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization to provide services for families and professionals in the prevention of abducted, endangered and sexually exploited children. NCMEC works in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and is authorized by Congress to perform 19 core functions, including serving as the nation’s clearinghouse for information, operating a national, toll-free, 24-hour missing children’s hotline and operating the CyberTipline®. Through December 2012 NCMEC has assisted law-enforcement personnel with 195,381 missing-child cases, resulting in the recovery of 183,174 children; trained 300,229 law-enforcement and other professionals, received 1,734,492 reports of child sexual exploitation through our CyberTipline, and answered 3,716,044 telephone calls through its national, toll-free Hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST® (1-800-843-5678). NCMEC’s website, www.missingkids.com, reaches a global audience with a multilingual database of images and information about missing children, prevention tips and free resources. NCMEC is unique. It is the only child-protection nonprofit organization provided access to the FBI’s National Crime Information Center Missing Person, Wanted Person, Unidentified Person, and Criminal History Files; the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Federal Parent Locator Service (FPLS); and the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network to initiate requests to use their resources to assist state and local law-enforcement agencies responsible for investigating missing-children cases, along with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to provide information from the Treasury Enforcement Communications System archives to state and local law-enforcement agencies. NCMEC is one of a limited number of nonprofit organizations with access to Nlets, The International Justice & Public Safety Network, a vital service to communicate with law-enforcement agencies across the country. It is the only organization operating a 24-hour, toll-free Hotline for the recovery of missing children in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Justice. NCMEC is also the only private, nonprofit organization that combines these and many other resources to provide an unmatched level of support – backed by 29 years of experience “working” missing-children cases with law enforcement, clearinghouses, and families seeking the recovery of abducted children, both domestically and internationally. NCMEC’s unparalleled experience in working on child-abduction cases includes more than 12 years of handling, on behalf of the U.S. Department of State, applications seeking return of or access to children abducted to the U.S. under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction from 1995 to April of 2008. NCMEC is also the only organization operating a 24- tipline for reporting child pornography, www.cybertipline.com, in cooperation with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and other key law-enforcement agencies.

Spring 2015 Page 3

ATTENTION SCHOOL VOLUNTEERS: Volunteers are reminded to set up an appointment to have their photo taken for an I.D. badge. All volunteers must wear their badge when volunteering! Call Mrs. Pitts at 358-7005 for an appointment. Photos are taken Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays between 3 and 4 p.m.

Keeping Up With FFATOP PHOTO: Randolph FFA member Kayla

Andrews helped Mrs. Walker, FFA advisor, ring the bell for the Salvation Army outside of TOPS to help collect funds for their annual Holiday Drive.

SECOND & THIRD PHOTOS: The Randolph FFA Milk Quality and Agronomy teams represented New York State at the National FFA convention in Louisville, Kentucky, at the end of October. Both teams received Bronze Honors. Kayla Andrews and MaKayla Miller received Silver Honors in the indi-vidual placing in the milk Quality contest and Tyler

Liskow received individual Silver Honors in the individual placings in the Agrono-my contest. Students completed over two days in individual portions of the contest and in a team activity problem solving exercise. Students got to tour the career fair and college education booths at the National Convention and attend a Scotty McCreery concert. Thanks to everyone for their support of the FFA teams!

Pictured are (l-r) Karly Studley, Kayla Andrews, MaKayla Miller and Kayla

Nefedov.Also pictured are (l-r) Randall

Oyer, Levi Wright, Joe Andrews and Tyler Liskow.

BOTTOM PHOTO: Eleven FFA members attended a chapter officer training at Cornell University last fall. They participated in workshops centering on how to make themselves and their chapter the best they can be. Students got to work with stu-dents from other chapters across the

state. Shown (l-r) MaKayla Miller, Tori Hitchcock, Kendalle Booth, Sarah Steward, Karly Studley, Kelsey Barrus, Kayla Andrews, Autumn Walters, Shelby Perkins, Megan Steward and Joe Andrews.

Page 3

RCS Telephone Directory

MAIN NUMBERS7-12 Building .......................358-6161Pre-K to 6 Building ..............358-3985Bus Garage/Transportation ..358-7019Facilities ...............................358-7026

OFFICE NUMBERS7-12 Building:Superintendent’s Office ........358-7005Business Office ....................358-7006H.S. Principal’s Office .........358-7007Asst. Principal’s Office ........358-7094Guidance Office ...................358-7008Athletic Director’s Office.....358-7094Nurse’s Office ......................358-7012Cafeteria Office ....................358-7014

Pre-K to 6 Building:Elem. Principal’s Office .......358-7030Committee on Special Ed .....358-7034Nurse’s Office ......................358-7036

To report an absence: Please call the nurse by 9 a.m. if your child will be absent or tardy. You also may fax the nurse at 358-7070 (high school) or 358-7060 (elementary).

School Tax Code: 522

"Randolph Central School District is committed to assure

equal opportunity for all persons regardless of age, race, creed, color, national origin, sexual

orientation, military status, sex, disability, or marital status."

Check out the school's website at:www.randolphcsd.org

• Read the Superintendent's blog• Become a fan on Facebook

Page 4 Spring 2015

Local Scholarships & AwardsSCHOLARSHIP / AWARD CRITERIA / ELIGIBILITY

Alton B. Inkley Memorial Scholarship ............... health care majorCardinal Service Award........................................ outstanding community serviceCattaraugus Co. Bank Community Service Award........community serviceConewango Fire Department Scholarships ........ highest GPA Home/Careers & agricultureCongdon Award ..................................................... student(s) overcoming obstaclesDAR Good Citizen Award .................................... citizenshipDixon Stevens Memorial Scholarship ................. historyDonald J. Wishart Memorial Scholarship .......... athleteE. Jean Crosby Memorial Scholarship ............... elementary education majorEva Kate Cowen Anderson Scholarship ............. nursing majorGlover Mill Energy Center ................................... science, agriculture, machinistJack Berger Family Memorial Scholarship ........ Journalism, Photography, Music Kelly Jo MacLaughlin Memorial Scholarship ... personal achievement Lester I. Stacey Memorial Scholarship ............... highest overall Science average Lindsey Joy Pedacchio Scholarship .................... personal achievementMartha Freeman-O’Brien Memorial Scholarship......artistic/personal achievementMichael Benca Memorial Jr. Golfer Award ........ golfer, academics, characterMilton R. Horak Scholarship Fund ..................... education majorPatty Stone Memorial Scholarship ...................... personal achievementRandolph American Legion Scholarship ............ highest overall Social Studies average Randolph Lions Club Award .............................. medical field majorRandolph Lions Club Larry Sullivan Award ..... personal achievementRandolph Loyal Order of the Moose Scholarship......personal achievementRandolph Masonic Lodge Scholarship ............... most improvedRandolph Sports Boosters Scholarship ............... athleteRandolph VFW Post Memorial Scholarship ...... immediate family who is veteran of any war Raymond VanWie Award ..................................... good grades and sportsmanshipRCS Service Staff Association Scholarship ....... personal achievementRCS Teachers Association Scholarship ............... education majorRichard A. Hotchkiss Award ............................... BOCES studentRobert & Peggy Paisley Memorial Scholarship......recommended by East Rand. Fire Co.Seager-Hillard Award ........................................... college bound student Tim Hettenbaugh Memorial Scholarship ........... athleteUnited Food & Commercial Workers’ Scholarship .... employee of Tops MarketsWinifred B. Quinlon Award for Excellence in English ........highest overall English average

* Local Scholarships and Awards, as well as the criteria, are selected individually by various scholarship committees and its members (i.e. family, club officers, organizations, etc.). The descriptions of scholarships/awards and criteria listed above are representa-tive of previous contributions to Randolph Central School graduates. Criteria is subject to change as requested by individual scholarship committees on a year-to-year basis.

Please contact Mr. Vogtli in the Guidance OfficePhone: 716.358.7008Email: rvogtli@rand.wnyric.orgwww.randolphcsd.org/guidance.cfm

A scholarship application is located on page 13 and also is available in the guidance of-fice and the school website (www.randolphcsd.org/guidance.cfm). Completed applica-tions must be returned to guidance by May 1.

LOANS AND SCHOLARSHIPS ¾ Applications for Chamberlain Loans

are available starting May 1 in the guidance office. All full-time, col-lege-bound students and their parents should be aware of the Chamberlain Loan. A one-time loan of $1,000 may be received by any student. Simple interest, the same as applied to Stafford Loans, will be charged after completion of the college program.

¾ Local scholarship applications are now available for interested seniors in the guidance office. All college-bound seniors are encouraged to apply. Applications due May 1. No exceptions!

STUDENT COURSE REQUESTSYou may view your child’s course re-

quests for the 2015-2016 school year after June 1st by logging on to the RCS Web site and Powerschool. Log into your child’s academic information using your I.D. and password and click “class registration” and “view future course requests.” If you have any questions regarding your child’s course requests, please contact Mr. Vogtli (grades 10-12) or Ms. Indriolo (grade 9) in the high school guidance office at 358-7008.

PENN-YORK COLLEGE NIGHTOn March 17, 2015, juniors and their

parents from Randolph Central School are invited to participate in Penn-York College Night at St. Bonaventure Univer-sity from 6-8 p.m. Students will have the opportunity to visit with over 110 college representatives from New York, Pennsyl-vania, Ohio, West Virginia, New Jersey and Florida. Students will learn about the admission requirements, application dead-lines, college majors, tuition, financial aid, and housing, as well as setting up a tour with the colleges of their choice.

GRADUATION 2015Graduation ceremonies for the

Class of 2015 will be held on June 26, 2015 at 7 p.m.

in the RCS High School

Audito-rium.

Guidance News

Spring 2015 Page 5

2014-15 Local Scholarship Application 1. Name__________________________________________________________________________________________

Last First M.I. D.O.B.

2. Address__________________________________________________________________________ ______________# Street City State/Zip

3. Soc. Sec. #_________________________________

4. Father’s occupation and place of employment___________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Mother’s occupation and place of employment__________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

6. Number of brothers and sisters at home_______________________________________________________________

7. How do you plan to pay for college expenses___________________________________________________________

8. Extracurricular activities____________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

9. What work experience have you had__________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

10. Church or community groups you have participated in____________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

11. Offices held or honors received_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

12. I have made application to the following colleges________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

13. I plan to major in_________________________________________________________________________________

14. I am pursuing a career as a school teacher - ________Yes _______ No

15. Financial need will be considered and a financial statement may be required. The submission application automatical implies consent for the committee to review all necessary records. The scholarship committee will be the authority for making the final decision of the recipient.

____________________________________________ _______________________________________________Student’s Signature Parent’s Signature

Return completed application to Guidance by May 1.

Page 6 Spring 2015

Keep your kids safe. Get their seasonal flu shots every fall or winter.

Is seasonal flu more serious for kids?

Infants and young children are at a greater risk for getting seriously ill from the flu. That’s why the New York State Department of Health recommends that all children 6 months and older get the seasonal flu vaccine.

Flu vaccine may save your child’s life.

Most people with seasonal flu are sick for about a week, and then they feel better. But, some people, especially young children, pregnant women, older people, and people with chronic health problems can get very sick. Some can even die. A flu vaccine is the best way to protect your child from seasonal flu.

What is seasonal flu? The flu, or influenza, is a viral infection of the nose, throat, and lungs. The flu can spread from person to person.

Flu shot or nasal-spray vaccine?

•Flushotscanbegiventochildren6monthsandolder.•Anasal-sprayvaccinecanbegiventohealthychildren2yearsandolder.•Childrenyoungerthan5yearswhohaveexperiencedwheezinginthepast

year – or any child with chronic health problems – should get the flu shot, not thenasal-sprayvaccine.

•Childrenyoungerthan9yearsoldwhogetavaccineforthefirsttimeneedtwo doses.

How else can I protect my child?

•Gettheseasonalfluvaccineforyourself.•Encourageyourchild’sclosecontactstogetseasonalfluvaccine,too.Thisisveryimportantifyourchildisyoungerthan5orifheorshehasachronichealthproblem such as asthma (breathing disease) or diabetes (high blood sugar levels).

•Washyourhandsoftenandcoveryourcoughsandsneezes.Thiswillpreventthe spread of germs.

•Tellyourchildrento:•Stayawayfrompeoplewhoaresick;•Cleantheirhandsoften;•Keeptheirhandsawayfromtheirface,and•Covercoughsandsneezestoprotectothers.It’sbesttouseatissueand

quickly throw it away. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve, not your hands.

What are signs of the flu?

The flu comes on suddenly. Most people with the flu feel very tired and have a high fever, headache, dry cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, and sore muscles. Some people, especially children, may also have stomach problems and diarrhea. The cough can last two or more weeks.

SeasonalFluGuideforParents

f

By Deb Everts, Contributing WriterRandolph Central School launched its new “Wall of Fame”

program and inducted its first honorees Nov. 4. Timothy Joseph Kenefick; James W. Thrasher Jr., M.D., J.D;

and Robert S. “Bob” Wade were recognized for their lifetime achievements and awarded plaques displaying their photo and a brief description of their accomplishments. Duplicate plaques will be permanently placed on Randolph’s Wall of Fame planned to be located across from the main high school gymnasium.

The Wall of Fame was created for the purpose of honoring Randolph Central School graduates (living or deceased) who have graduated at least 15 years ago and distinguished themselves in a specific field of endeavor — whether in civic affairs, humani-tarian affairs, or in activities which merit special recognition.

Assistant Principal Jason Halpainy said the Wall of Fame will make these recognized individuals an inspiration to the students and show them that they, too, can make a difference in the world.

Timothy Joseph Kenefick graduated in 1968. He joined the United States Navy where he trained to be a meteorologist, and retired from the service as an Aerographer’s Mate Chief Petty Officer. During his 24 years in the navy, Mr. Kenefick served on 11 different ships including the aircraft carriers, USS Midway (CV41) and USS America (CV66). During Operation Desert Storm, he was deployed on the America where he was the first-ever Chief Petty Officer to lead a carrier weather office during wartime, since World War II.

Mr. Kenefick was appointed a meteorologist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and assigned to the National Weather Service office, in Cincinnati. He was Port Meteorological Officer for New York City and, currently, Charleston S.C. He resides in Goose Creek, S.C.

He said, “Nothing is as satisfying as doing a job that you love, and remember, money isn’t everything.”

Robert S. “Bob” Wade graduated in 1946 and joined the Unit-ed States Air Force. Afterward, he attended St. Bonaventure and the University of Buffalo. He has dedicated his life to 34 years in education as a coach, a teacher, a principal, and a superintendent in several locations in New York State — and now resides in Randolph.

Over the years, Mr. Wade has educated and coached thousands of kids and still hears from a lot of them, which he said is prob-ably the most rewarding part of all.

His comment was, “I think I had a positive effect on a number of young people’s lives. I guess that’s about as big an achieve-ment anyone could hope for.”

James W. Thrasher Jr., M.D., J.D graduated in 1954 and joined the United States Navy, serving 26 years. He continued his educa-tion at the College of William and Mary, Old Dominion Univer-sity, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Temple University School of Law where he earned his Juris Doctor (J.D.). He is a Doctor of Psychiatry and has been admitted to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. Dr. Thrasher resides in Little River, S.C.

Dr. Thrasher feels his greatest achievement was impacting the lives of thousands of people while serving as a commanding of-ficer of two navy hospitals. His determination to “never give up” contributed to his success.

He advised, “Never quit and don’t give up on your goals — no matter what happens.”

Nominations will be accepted throughout the year. A nominat-ing committee will select inductees from applications submitted by members of the public, which will be kept on file for future consideration for five years. Applications may be obtained at the high school main office, by calling (716) 358-7007, or download-ed from the school’s website, randolphcsd.org.

Randolph Central School announced its first three “Wall of Fame” inductees: (l-r) Timothy Joseph Kenefick; James W. Thrasher Jr., M.D., J.D.; and Robert S. “Bob” Wade.

RCS ‘Wall of Fame’ Inducts First Honorees

Taking part from Randolph in the Cattaraugus-Allegany BOCES County Government Intern Program were: (l-r) Kaylee Hettenbaugh, Me-gan Steward, Derek Marsh, Andrew Hvizdzak, Nate Ploetz, Wesley Sluga and Taryn Dechow.

Close-Up Look atCounty Government

Spring 2015 Page 7

By Katherine BeaverThe sixth grade ran the annual food drive for the Community

Cupboard in December. Students made collection containers for each hallway, wrote and made announcements, and organized the food into various categories before boxing it up. Overall, we collected 129 items this year. Thank you to the community for your support!

Pictured above (clockwise from bottom left) are Mikhayla Barber, Ryan Inkley, Bryson Rozler, Alyssa Adams, Kyle Studley, and Anthony Bardo.

Instead of doing a class gift exchange, the sixth grade once again decided to help others. As a grade level, we were able to help two children in our area by choosing two tags off the Angel Tree at CCB. Students brought in monetary donations and gifts to help out. To make it a little interesting, it was a competition between the boys and girls--whomever brought in the most would earn wrapping privileges! As you can see from the picture, the girls won this year! Thank you to the sixth grade families for your generosity!

Pictured below (front) Paige Blancaflor and Hailey Darcy and (back, l-r) Miranda Waterman, Lexi Finch, Abby Mansfield, and Sydney Hvizdzak.

By Mike Frame The Randolph Central School District uses the SchoolMes-

senger Notification System to provide timely communication to parents/guardians regarding school closings, delays, early dismissals, attendance, meal balances, general interest activities, and campus/building notifications. In order to enhance our ability to accurately deliver that information, we kindly request that you manage your contact phone numbers through your PowerSchool Parent Portal account. The SchoolMessenger Contact Manager allows you to control the ways in which you prefer to be contacted. It also works as a mailbox, giving you a place to review messages you may have missed. If you do not have a PowerSchool Parent Portal ac-count, please contact the main office to obtain information for creating an account. In addition to the SchoolMessenger Contact Manager, the Parent Portal allows parents/guardians to review grades, attendance and teacher comments throughout the school year. To access the SchoolMessenger Contact Manager within your PowerSchool Parent Portal account, follow the steps listed below:

1. Log into your Parent Portal account at http://powerschool.randolph.wnyric.org. Find the Applications button in the upper right corner of the screen and click on it.

2. Click on “Contact Manager”3. The “Messages” tab will show all messages that have been

sent to any of your contact numbers. Click on the “Con-tacts” tab. Then click on “Edit.”

4. In the leftmost column, your primary home phone number that is associated with your student from PowerSchool is listed. The primary home phone number field (Phone #1) is unable to be changed through the Contact Manager service. To change your primary home phone number, please contact the main office. Please note that at least one number should be checked for Non-school Hours Emergen-cy and ALL numbers should remain checked for School Hours Emergency. The last three columns may be edited at your discretion.

5. Click on Save. You are able to revise the Contact Manager at any time via the PowerSchool Parent Portal.

For questions, please contact Mike Frame, Chief Information Officer, at (716) 358-7081 or mframe@rand.wnyric.org.

Managing Contacts for SchoolMessenger

March 4 6pm BOE meeting to review: Building Budgets Instructional Support Budget BOCES BudgetApril 15 6pm BOE meeting to review: Entire Budget BOE to adopt 2015-2016 BudgetMay 12 6:30pm Public Budget HearingMay 19 2-8pm Budget Vote & BOE Election

Preparing 2015-2016 Budget

Sixth-Graders Show Their Holiday Spirit

Page 8 Spring 2015

Jamie Berg, Curriculum Coordinator

Student writing is an area in need of improvement at Randolph Central School. We have looked at a number of programs to address our students’ writing needs but many of them are time consuming or fail to align to the Common Core Stan-dards. Undeterred, we ultimately found a program that we believe will help our stu-dents become better writers.

Several months ago, Mrs. Moritz at-tended a conference in North Carolina and spoke to Camilla Meek, a Customer Ac-counts Manager for PEG Writing. PEG Writing is a web-based writing program designed to help students in grades 3-12 develop effective writing skills. It con-tains unlimited access to custom writ-ing prompts, electronic graphic organiz-ers, automated scoring, instant feedback, portfolios, and interactive tutorials. PEG is the industry’s most researched Artificial

RCS’ Krissy Shelters (left) visited the Seneca Animal Hospital in East Aurora with her Animal Science class at the Elli-cottville Career & Technical Center. They observed their class ferret get a physical exam and inoculations, the spaying and neutering of class rabbits, as well as the preparations and post operation care.

Intelligence system and has been used to provide more than two million scores to students over the past five years. Using advanced, proven statistical techniques, PEG analyzes written prose, calculates more than 300 measures that reflect the intrinsic characteristics of writing (flu-ency, diction, grammar, construction, etc.), and achieves results that are comparable to those of human scorers in terms of reli-ability and validity.

Last November, RCS was given the opportunity to pilot the PEG Writing program for a month. Ms. Bohall, Mr. Ekstrom, Mrs. Bedell, Mrs. Bieniek, and Mrs. Rutenber were asked to try the pro-gram and provide feedback to determine if PEG would address the district’s needs. In follow up conversations, these teach-ers reported great improvement overall in student writing. Most of the students enjoyed using the program and reaped the benefits of immediate feedback. PEG rec-

ognizes spelling and grammatical errors and gives teachers time to focus on deeper writing conventions. The program aligns to the CCSS and utilizes the 6+1 Traits of Writing rubric to individually assess stu-dent writing. In addition to the numerous pre-packaged writing prompts, teachers may add their own prompts in any subject area. The lessons embedded in PEG Writ-ing focus on key areas of writing and are extremely student-friendly. At the conclu-sion of the pilot period, we were confident that PEG Writing would be a useful addi-tion to RCS classrooms.

We are currently in the process of pur-chasing PEG writing and are excited at the possibilities it will bring to our students. Our focus continues to be providing the best resources and opportunities to support student learning. If you have any com-ment or question, please feel free to con-tact Jamie Berg at jberg@rand.wnyric.org or by phone at 358-7053.

PEG Student Writing Program Implemented

Career Tech CornerBy Lisa Towne

Santa’s Stories in the Elementary Library was a big hit again this year! Over 50 children and their parents came to listen to some of Santa’s favorite stories. Thanks to Santa for taking time out of his busy schedule to come read to us!

Stories with Santa Clausin the Elementary Library

Spring 2015 Page 9

During our School Board’s last goal setting retreat, Board members determined to survey our school community. This idea grew from a genuine desire on the part of the Board members to know what everyone in our school community – school personnel, students and parents - thinks about the climate for learning and to identify strengths and weaknesses.

According to the National School Climate Center we had a strong return rate in both buildings. In our 7-12 building we had 76.94% of our students, 58.72% of our school personnel, and 23.25% of our parents participate. In our elementary school, our 3-6 population participated with 87.80% of our students, 48.86% of our school personnel and 27.38% of our parents.

Here are the Comparative Ratings for the elementary building:

And, here are the Comparative Ratings for the 7-12 building:

As you can see from the charts, the overall results are very favorable. The BOE members and administrative teams will be studying the details of the results in an effort to continually improve our school system.

Thank you to everyone who participated!

17schoolclimate.org | Randolph ES CSCI Report - October 2014

Comparative Ratings — Another ViewStudents School Personnel Parents

Safety Rules & Norms

Sense of Physical Security

Sense of Social-Emotional Security

Support for Learning

Social and Civic Learning

Respect for Diversity

Social Support/ Adults

Social Support/ Students

Connectedness/ Engagement

Physical Surroundings

Leadership --- N/A --- --- N/A ---

Professional Relationships --- N/A --- --- N/A ---

= median rating in the negative range (scores lower than 2.5 on a 5 - point scale)

= median rating in the neutral range (scores between 2.5 and 3.5 on a 5 - point scale)

= median rating in the positive range (scores above 3.5 on a 5 - point scale)

17schoolclimate.org | Randolph MS HS CSCI Report - October 2014

Comparative Ratings — Another ViewStudents School Personnel Parents

Safety Rules & Norms

Sense of Physical Security

Sense of Social-Emotional Security

Support for Learning

Social and Civic Learning

Respect for Diversity

Social Support/ Adults

Social Support/ Students

Connectedness/ Engagement

Physical Surroundings

Leadership --- N/A --- --- N/A ---

Professional Relationships --- N/A --- --- N/A ---

= median rating in the negative range (scores lower than 2.5 on a 5 - point scale)

= median rating in the neutral range (scores between 2.5 and 3.5 on a 5 - point scale)

= median rating in the positive range (scores above 3.5 on a 5 - point scale)

Results of Comprehensive School Climate Survey Shared

Students wanting transportation to a non-public school must submit their requests in writing by April 1, 2015. Requests should be mailed to: Mr. David Chambers, Transportation Supervisor, Randolph Central School, 18 Main Street Randolph, NY 14772.

Board of Education petitions are avail-able in the superintendent’s office for the expiring terms of David Adams and Janet Huntington.

Board member qualifications are: • must be 18 years of age, • must be a qualified voter of the

district, • must be/have been a resident of the

district for a continuous and uninter-rupted period of at least one year immediately before the election.

Please call 358-7005 with any ques-tions. To be on the ballot, eligible candi-dates for the Board of Education must file a nominating petition, signed by at least 25 qualified voters. Signed petitions must be filed in the office of the district clerk no later than Monday, April 20, at 5 p.m.

School Board Petitions

Transportation Requests Due

Cardinal News & Notes

State Testing ReminderPlease make a note that NYS Testing

for Grades 3-8 will take place as follows:• ELA Tests - April 17, 20, 21• Math Tests - April 22, 23, 24

Randolph Central School has been notified of a sex offender living within the district.

The following person has been reg-istered as a level 2 sex offender: Chris-topher Emke, 139 Main St., Randolph. Anyone using this information to injure, harass, or commit a criminal act against any person may be subject to criminal prosecution. If you would like further information, you may visit the website: www.familywatchdog.us or www.crimi-naljustice.ny.gov/nsor.

Sex Offender Notification

Page 10 Spring 2015

Make A Difference

Day2014

February16-20 Mid-Winter Recess – NO SCHOOL27-28 CCMTA All-County, Hinsdale28 Academic Fair, 10:30am open to the public, 11am Awards

March3 FBLA blood drive 5 week reports mailed4 BOE mtg., 6pm Parent/Community Forum, 6:30pm, H.S. Aud., Capital Project Info6-7 Jr./Sr. High Chorus All County, Allegany-Limestone12-15 Tentative Sr. Trip13 Pi Day Celebration-MS Math13-14 Odyssey of the Mind Regional Competition, RCS14 SAT17 H.S. Musical, 5pm Senior Citizens Preview Sports Pictures18 Public Hearing – Capital Project, 6pm HS Auditorium19-20 H.S. Musical, 7pm21 H.S. Musical 1pm & 7pm24 Vote – Capital Project, 2pm-8pm, HS Cafeteria BOE Mtg, 8:15pm

Calendar27 End of 3rd Quarter End of 5 weeks30-31 Spring Break – NO SCHOOL April1-6 Spring Break – NO SCHOOL8-9 Report Cards mailed 14-17 FBLA trip – SLC, Rochester15 BOE mtg., 6pm Parent/Community Forum, 6:30pm, H.S. Aud., Technology Initiative for Students16 Jr/Sr High Band Concert, 7pm17-21 NYS Testing, English, Gr. 3-818 ACT Test22-24 NYS Testing, Math, Gr. 3-829 FFA Catt. Co. Envirothon

May2 SAT5 FBLA Blood Drive7 Jr/Sr High Chorus POPS Concert, 7pm8 End of 5 weeks12 Budget Public Hearing, H.S.

Auditorium, 6pm14-16 FFA State Convention16 Prom 7pm-11pm, Grandview After-prom party 12midnight – H.S. gym18-22 Project Know, 5th gr.19 Parent Orientation for Project Know, 5th gr.19 Annual Budget & Board Member Vote, H.S. cafeteria, 2pm-8pm BOE meeting, 8:15pm20 5 weeks reports mailed21 Elementary Chorus Concert, 7pm25 Memorial Day – NO SCHOOL20-29 State Science Test, Gr. 4 & 828 Senior Arts Night 7pm

June1 State Science Test, Gr. 4 & 82 Regents CC ELA & Geometry4 Elementary Band Concert, 7pm6 SAT Test12-15 Local Exams13 ACT Test16-24 Regents Exams17 BOE mtg. 7pm22 Sports Physicals, 7am-12:30pm23 Half day for Elementary School24 Half day for Elementary School25 Staff Dev. Day – NO SCHOOL26 Graduation, 7pm

Spring 2015 Page 11

Child’s Name: _________________________________________________________________ (Last) (First) (Middle Initial)

Child’s Date of Birth: _____________________ Sex: M ___ F ___

Parent/Guardian Name(s): _________________________________________________________ (Circle One) (Last) (First) (Middle Initial)

_________________________________________________________ (Last) (First) (Middle Initial)

Mailing Address: __________________________________City__________________Zip_______

Residence Address: ________________________________City__________________Zip_______ (Please give name of street)

Telephone Number: ______________________________________________

Kindergarten registration will be held on May 14, 15, 18 & 19. Parents will be receiving more infor-mation in April. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call the school at 358-7030.

Randolph Central SchoolKINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION

2015-2016 School YearIt’s that time of the year again to begin thinking about

September and the start of kindergarten.Children who are 5 years old before December 1, 2015, are

eligible to enter kindergarten in September 2014. Please fill out the information below and send it to the Gail N. Chapman Elementary School, 22 Main Street, Randolph, NY 14772.

Kindergarten registration will be held May 14, 15, 18 & 19. 2015. Students will spend approximately one and a half hours with our faculty members. Please plan at least two hours for participation in this very important event. Kindergarten screening is a state mandate. Students are screened for speech, language, motor and cognitive development and health. Parents will meet with our school nurse, speech, and therapists throughout the screening.

Page 12 Spring 2015

National Honor Society Inductions & ActivitiesBy Heather Brock

On Nov. 4, the Randolph Chapter of the National Honor Society proudly inducted 24 new members. After a rigorous applica-tion process, inductees were honored at an evening ceremony, which showcased their accomplishments. Each inductee selected a community member or teacher to speak during the ceremony. Many heartfelt senti-ments, fond memories, and joyous times were highlighted during the evening. RCS Board Vice President, Daniel Jackson, was the guest speaker. He offered wonder-ful advice and warm congratulations as students were honored for hard work and dedication in clubs, sports and academics.

Congratulations to junior inductees: Kayla Andrews; Brianna Ashdown; Kelsey Barrus; Anna Beach; Dylan Brooks; No-lan Ditcher; Holly Graham; Miranda Gross; Morgan Gumhalter; Alexis Hin-man; Alyssa Hohmann; Benjamin Hviz-dzak; MaKayla Miller; Jessica Nagle; Brittany Phanco; Ashley Pitchford; Zayne Reardon-Ball; Mitchell Schapp; Wesley Senn; Kelsey Smith; Tyler Stahley; Kar-lynn Studley; Peyton Terrette; Ashton Wal-ters; Levi Wright; and Taylor Zachar.

On Oct. 25th, Student Council and Na-tional Honor Society participated in Make a Difference Day to kick off a food drive for the Community Cupboard. On that day alone, volunteers collected 488.21 pounds of food! The drive ran through Nov. 21st,

and collected 715.74 pounds of food!In November and December, Student

Council and NHS also partnered for the Angel Tree. They collected $200 in bot-tles, cans, and money to purchase Christ-mas gifts for local families. Students and advisors met at Wal-Mart to buy gifts, and followed with a pizza and wrapping party.

In January, the National Honor Society hosted a jeans drive, sponsored by Aero-postale. They collected nearly 100 pairs of gently worn or new jeans to be donated to homeless individuals. More information can be found at www.dosomething.org.

Upcoming NHS events include:March 13 - True Blue Spirit! Donate

$1 to wear as much blue as you can to school. Proceeds will go to Alex Meyers’ 2nd annual Cancer Isn’t Always Pink walk.

May 4-29 - Cell Phones for Soldiers. Donate unused cell phones to US soldiers overseas. Any monetary donations will be

used to cover shipping. The HS Main Of-fice will be open for community dona-tions May 27 from 3-4 pm.

May 6 - National Honor Society Ban-quet Dinner in Olean. Attendance is re-quired for all NHS students. Arrival and departure times to be announced.

May 16 - Multiple Sclerosis Walk, Al-len Park Ice Rink, Jamestown. Members are encouraged to bring a friend or family member to walk with us!

May 30 - 2nd Annual Cancer Isn’t Always Pink walk. NHS will assist Alex Meyers with the walk and fundraiser. This is a mandatory event for all members.

NHS students are required to com-plete a minimum of 25 community service hours each year of membership (deadline to submit hours is May 29). If you have opportunities that would help students achieve this goal, please contact advisors Jeri Baer or Heather Brock.

Join us for a ...

Parent & Community ForumMarch 4th, 6:30pm, H.S. Aud.

Topic is Capital Project Update

Spring 2015 Page 13

The Randolph Central School District hereby advises students, parents, employees, and the general public that it offers educational and employment opportunities, including voca-tional education opportunities, without regard to race, color, creed, national origin, religion, ancestry, marital status, gender, sexual orienta-tion, military status, disability, age, veteran sta-tus, predisposing genetic characteristics, use of recognized guide dog, hearing dog or service dog, or domestic violence victim status.

Students and employees shall not be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or otherwise be subject to unlawful discrimination under any career and technical education program or activity.

Grievance procedures are available to inter-ested persons by contacting the person listed below. Inquiries regarding this nondiscrimina-tion policy may be directed to:

Compliance OfficerMr. Jerry Mottern, Elementary PrincipalRandolph CSD22 Main St., Randolph, NY 14772716/358-3985jmottern@rand.wnyric.orgA copy of the secondary vocational educa-

tion courses offered are available to district residents and may be obtained on our website, www.randolphcsd.org, or by calling 716/358-7008 to request a mailing.

All children, ages 3 to 21 are entitled to free special education services if they qualify.

Asbestos NotificationIn compliance with Sections 763.85 and .93

of the asbestos-containing materials in schools rule, all facilities owned, leased or operated by the RCS District have been inspected for the presence of asbestos-containing building ma-terials. Asbestos management plans have been developed for all facilities and submitted to the NYS Education Department. Copies of the management plans are available for public in-spection during business hours in the business office. Questions concerning the inspections and management plans should be directed to Dave Chambers, School Business Executive.

During the school year, it may be neces-sary for maintenance staff to use pesticides on school grounds to meet pest management goals. Any individual interested in registering to receive a written notification 48 hours prior to pesticide application, or has questions about the integrated pest management program and pesticide use, can contact Dave Chambers, School Business Executive.

Pesticide Use Notification

Special Education Services

Non-Discrimination Notice

By Lisa BurrisPre-school students and Kindergarteners doing math ... it doesn’t seem possible! Yet,

children in RCS PK and K classes do math all day long and don’t even realize they are doing it.

Building essential mathematics skills starts early. Math development often begins in the home where children help their parent sort laundry, count dinner plates; or compare sizes of cookies. Once in school, the learning continues. Students work on the develop-ment of early math skills most often by playing games and working with manipulatives. Students are shown above practicing 1-1 correspondence, sorting objects and counting using play dough. These children are having fun and becoming good mathematicians along the way.

Students in our classes also work together to engineer solutions to problems using a process called STEM. STEM stands for Science Technology Engineering and Math-ematics. Students are challenged with a problem, and then using materials on hand, build a solution using principals of math, science and engineering. These children are shown constructing a way to help Little Bo Peep keep track of her sheep. Solutions varied even though the children were given the same set of materials to work with. Utilizing mathematics in such a way helps children develop real world skills. Coming up next month children will construct a way to keep a snowman from melting and program small robots. Stay tuned!

Pre-K and Kindergarten Focused on Mathematics

Just a reminder regarding our breakfast/lunch charging policy: Students that owe $3.00 or more on their cafeteria account will be given a cheese sandwich lunch until it is paid in full. Please call Lori Benson at 358-7014 for your student’s account balance, or with any questions.

Attention Parents & Guardians:Reminder about Meal Charging Policy

Page 14 Spring 2015

By Sean OdeThis year’s cross country team had

an excellent season, with many great individual and team performances. Mark Lindquist and Ashton Walters led the way with 2nd team all-league honors, with Dennis Becker and Deatryk Silsby also receiving honorable mention.

The highlight of the year came at the Southern Tier Invitational at Allegany-Limestone Central School where the boys came away victorious in both the varsity and junior varsity races. Our varsity beat the combined team of Clymer-Sherman-Panama, which finished the season ranked top ten in the state.

At our end-of-the-year banquet, Mark Lindquist came away with the Runner of the Year award for the varsity team, while Tyreke Pena took the Most Improved Runner award. For the modified squad, Evan Graham took Runner of the Year honors, after taking 3 first place finishes this season. Spencer Sample won the award for most improved modified runner. Isaac Wakefield and Alyssa Hohmann won sportsmanship awards for the team.

Cross Country Has Excellent Season

Shown: (l-r) Miranda Gross, First Team; and Mckenna Maycock, League MVP. Not pictured: Alexis Hinman, Mackenzie Marsh, Hayley Hettenbaugh and Payton Terrette, Honorable Mention.

Girls’ VolleyballAll-Stars

(photo by Mike Frame)

Ideas Sought for Smart Schools Investment Plan On November 4, 2014, the New York State voters passed the New York State Smart Schools Bond Act. For the Ran-dolph Central School District this equates to $1,076,341 to be used in four main areas:

1. To acquire learning technology equipment or facilities including, but not limited to,

a. Interactive whiteboards,b. Computer servers, and c. Desktop, laptop, and tablet computers;

2. To install high-speed broadband or wireless Internet connectivity for schools and communities;

3. To construct, enhance, and modernize educational facilities to accommodate pre-kindergarten programs and provide instructional space to replace transportable classroom units;

4. and, To install high-tech security features in school buildings and on school campuses.

We have been working on devising a plan to utilize this money in the best way possible for the district. This is just not a plan to utilize this money now, but how to capitalize on this investment for years to come. Over the past several years

we have invested in equipping classrooms with projectors and interactive whiteboards, improving our wired and wire-less network infrastructure, piloting classroom one-to-one devices, and piloting Wi-Fi access on buses. We are current-ly planning to utilize the Smart Schools Bond Act monies for increasing our one-to-one device initiatives, enhancing our wireless Internet connectivity, and adding additional security features to our campus. Each district is required to submit an Investment Plan to the Smart School Plan Review Board. Once the plan is ap-proved, the District may then begin to implement the plan. We are currently awaiting more direction from the New York State Education Department and the Governor’s Office. To ensure the success of this plan, we are open to new ideas and are asking for your input as we construct our Smart School Investment Plan. Ideas can be shared with us by emailing smartschools@rand.wnyric.org.

Please join us on April 15th at 6:30pm for a Parent/Com-munity Forum to further discuss this 1:1 technology initiative for students.

Shown: (l-r) Taylor Zachar, Second Team; Makenzie Evans and Taryn Dechow, First Team. Not pictured: Megan Steward and Annalise Boyer, Honorable Mention.

Girls’ Soccer All-Stars(photo by Mike Frame)

Spring 2015 Page 15

(photo by Alex Shipherd)

(photo by Mike Frame)

Senior Mckenna Maycock moves to top of all-time scorer list for Western New York girls’ basketball. She is pictured with Basketball Officials Thomas Yanetsko (right) and Mark Austin (left).

NYS Football Champions!

Pictured in the photo at right are Scholar Athletes Bryce Morrison and Mckenna Maycock. Con-gratulations!

Pictured: (l-r) Nate Ploetz and Nick Carpenter, First Team; Zach English, Second Team. Not Pictured: Jacob Turner, Second Team; and Wyatt McAllister, Kaleb O’Neill, Cody Hubbard, Honorable Mention. Nick has 37 career shut-outs, the second highest in Section 6!

Boys’ Soccer All-Stars

Atop WNY All-Time Scorer List

Scholar Athletes

(photo by Mike Frame)

(photo by Mike Frame)

Congratulations to Boys’ Basket-ball team member Bryce Morrison (pictured at left) on surpassing the 1,000 point mile-stone!

(photo by Mike Frame)

Reaching1,000

Points!

Alma MaterHere’s a song we raise to Randolph Central School. In our hearts our loyalty for her will rule. May her fame for long survive, We are here

to keep alive, The spirit of the school we love, To her we’ll be true! Red and white, Red and white. White for purity. Red for courage strong, Red and white, Red and white. We will always love and cherish long. So, let our voices ring, Ring loud and clear! With deep affection, And recollection,

of Randolph Central School. Long may her colors wave, High on the hill. We’re singing your praises, Randolph Central School! RAH!!!!!!!!!!!

OR CURRENT RESIDENT

POSTAL PATRON LOCAL

NON-PROFITORGANIZATION

U.S. POSTAGE PAIDPERMIT # 10

RANDOLPH, NY 14772

RANDOLPH CENTRAL SCHOOL18 Main StreetRandolph, New York 14772www.randolphcsd.org

BOARD OF EDUCATIONDavid AdamsLouise Boutwell Michael Evans, PresidentJanet HuntingtonDaniel Jackson, Vice PresidentMarshall Johnson Julie Milliman

ADMINISTRATIONKimberly Moritz, Superintendent of SchoolsDavid Chambers, School Business ExecutiveJerry Mottern, PreK-6 Principal, Title IX, Sec. 504 & Civil Rights Compliance OfficerMary Rockey, Director of Pupil ServicesLaurie Sanders, 7-12 Principal Jason Halpainy, Assistant Principal Maureen Pitts, District Clerk

ECRWSS

Academic Fair is fast approaching! Saturday, February 28th in the Elementary Gym is the big day. Any adults in the community who would like to volunteer are welcome to contact Mrs. Lisa Towne. Please either e-mail ltowne@rand.wnyric.org, or call the Elementary office 358-7030 if you are interested. All are wel-come to come see our students’ amazing research skills!

Academic Fair is Feb. 28th

By Carrie ShawIn January, our 7th grade leaders had the great opportunity to attend the Mid-

dle School Leadership Workshop hosted by the Principals Association. Motiva-tional speaker Mr. Ed Gerety inspired the group with his powerful message about the importance of having respect for themselves and others, showing gratitude, dreaming big and creating a positive atmosphere. The group is currently planning to incorporate these tools into a service project for their middle school.

Leadership Workshop