Gowanda Press — Dec. 30, 2016 Edition

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GOWANDA PRESS Dec. 30, 2016-Jan. 5, 2017

GCS administrators give update on new configuration By Rich Place

Managing Editor

GOWANDA — Administrators at the Gowanda Central School District last week presented to the school board their tho ghts on the recent reconfig ration of principals since the beginning of the school year. A general agreement among those presenting was that more time is needed to obtain an accurate depiction of how the changes will impact the students in the middle and high school. Press photo by Rich Place However, it’s been so far, so good. Gowanda Central School student Antonina Roman takes the oath of office from district clerk Kathy “I think one year in anything is too Ferneza during the school board meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 21. little to make a decision … I think probably this time next year we’ll have a better idea if it actually works,” said Dr. Robert Anderson, principal for grades 7-12. Anderson said he has developed a By Rick Miller “great relationship” with the administraCounty Reporter tive team while admitting the challenge of the supervising 59 teachers as well as IRVING — The Seneca Nation of Indians Tribal office staff and st dents. Council has banished six individuals from Seneca terDavid Smith, assistant principal for ritories for suspected drug possession. grades 7-12, started his presentation by Seneca Nation spokesman Phil Pantano on Monstating discipline referrals from the beday confir ed reports that the co ncil last wee had ginning of the school year through Dec. banished six suspected drug dealers from all Seneca 16 have decreased 18 percent over the territories. antano identified the banished individsame period last year. This year, there have been 270 disciSee Nation, Page 15

Seneca council banishes 6

pline referrals in the middle school and 264 in the high school, he said, and attributed the decrease — especially in the high school — to changes Anderson has made to policies such as cell phone use. Janine Jalal, director of special education, also gave an update on her department and explained the new 6-1-3 class in the high school and the expansion of more integrated co-teaching classes to the seventh and eighth grades. “We couldn’t do what we are doing without these guys,” said James Klubek, school superintendent, following the presentations. “They are just fantastic. It’s been diffic lt b t they never once have said ‘we can’t do this’ or ‘why us?’ They just pull up their bootstraps and go.” Later in the evening, Candace Phillips, technology integration specialist, shared an update on the use of technology in the classrooms. Among the highlights are the 1-to-1 initiative in the elementary school, allowing each student to use an iPad tablet device in the classroom. Phillips said the students are “increasingly using them.” In the middle school, Phillips said, “everyone has embraced the technology more than I thought they would” and it’s expected teachers will get more professional development on being able to bet-

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