Proud Sponsor of the 2013-14 Education Series
SCHOOL SCENE A Special Supplement to the Sullivan County Democrat
A look at activities in the Liberty Central School District
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LIBERTY SCHOOL SCENE
SULLIVAN COUNTY DEMOCRAT
NOVEMBER 5, 2013
Enrollment swells, teachers’ dialogues and free breakfast for everybody!
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s Liberty Central School District hired teachers last summer, the Superintendent of Schools was intrigued to find that some seasoned teachers seeking work had waited to see if Liberty would hire them first. Whether it was the support of the community for its schools, the dedication of the staff, or just the manageable size of the District, Dr. William Silver was heartened. “There’s a strong administrative team here, a strong core of teachers, tremendous pride in schools and pride in the community about schools,” the superintendent said. Faced with new Common Core Learning Standards and the Annual Professional Performance Review for teacher and principal evaluation, Liberty as most others across the U.S. is a school system in flux, and support for staff is essential. That support is particularly perti-
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nent as Liberty grows in enrollment, heading in the opposite direction from most other Sullivan County school districts, where enrollment is shrinking. In past years, any particular grade at Liberty Elementary held from 105 to 115 kids total. This year, 145 children compose the first grade and 155 are in second grade. “We are thinking that this is more of a trend than a blip,” said Silver. “It’s putting lots of pressure on the elementary school.” With many of the new students arriving from countries where Spanish is the native language, the work of English as a Second Language teachers and special education staff is particularly important in meeting students’ needs.
A BOOST FROM BREAKFAST A metaphor for the way in which the District tries to nurture kids
might be its expanded breakfast program. The initiative brings free breakfast to all students at the elementary school, regardless of their poverty level. It began in September and has spurred a drop in disciplinary problems and a leap in school attendance. Dr. Silver describes the program as a “bucket of breakfast” – healthy bagels, burritos, French toast – delivered mornings to each classroom from pre-K to Liberty Superintendent of Schools Dr. William Silver fourth grade. In past years, “we had a free and Assistant Superintendent Carol Napolitano view breakfast program for on-going support for teachers and principals as key to (income) eligible students,” student success in a changing educational world. said Silver, “but only 10 percent of those eligible actually used it.” reimbursement money for the proThis year, the number of breakfast gram, and the federal dollars do more eaters has leapt to 600, from about 80 PLEASE SEE ENROLLMENT,4L last year. The District receives federal
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LIBERTY SCHOOL SCENE
SULLIVAN COUNTY DEMOCRAT
NOVEMBER 5, 2013
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LIBERTY SCHOOL SCENE PLEASE SEE ENROLLMENT, PAGE 4L
than cover the cost. “We actually might be looking at a money maker of between $30,000 and $50,000,” the superintendent said of the breakfast initiative. Cost benefits aside, research shows that when kids are no longer hungry as they start their school day, attendance goes up, bad behavior down and learning improves. It’s too early to determine academic performance, but Liberty Elementary is seeing its daily attendance up by three points and discipline referrals slashed in half.
RECREATING A LEARNING SYSTEM Embracing the new Common Core Learning Standards and integrating them into the fabric of each school is the clear focus in classrooms this year. Last August, a weeklong, voluntary program on the instructional shifts in English Language Arts and math attracted 70 teachers, an impressive number. A program for administrators and
SULLIVAN COUNTY DEMOCRAT
for teacher leaders across the academic disciplines addressed the use of data to meet the needs of each student, from the highly achieving child to the struggling youngster. The District uses the State Education Department-approved NWEA testing tools to help teachers identify student strengths and needs so they can adjust their planning and teaching methods to meet those needs. Data workshops for teachers and administrators took place last year and this past summer, and are ongoing. The District is also working on launching a comprehensive data structure that is valued and visible. Because sharing activities and strategies is so important, Liberty ensures that educators benefit from dialogue and feedback. “Each building has established meeting times for teacher-toteacher dialogue and administratorto-teacher dialogue,” said Assistant Superintendent Carol Napolitano. During faculty meetings at their schools, the principals deal more with instructional practices rather than issues like “the bus was late,”
NOVEMBER 5, 2013
noted Silver.
NEW ENERGY ABOUNDS Eighteen new teachers – some veterans and others brand new to teaching – took to the classrooms in Liberty this September. “We think they have great promise, bringing a whole new energy,” Silver said. For its part, the Board of Education is devoting energy to determining the scope of the second half of a building plan begun seven years ago. Phase Two of the multi-million dollar capital project would renovate the interior of the elementary school, renovate classrooms at the high school and tear down the high school’s exterior curtain wall, which lets in wind and rain. But the Board is debating just which pieces of the plan are “nice to have versus need to do,” said Silver. If the Board makes a decision by December, a referendum would take place in the spring; if not, the referendum would be next fall. The superintendent, who took leadership of Liberty in January and
who moved into the Village with his wife, noted he is constantly aware that people choose a community or avoid it because of the quality of its schools. “There are a lot of exciting things happening in Sullivan County – Bethel Woods, niche agriculture, people starting breweries,” he said. “The schools can be a part of the process of revitalizing the economy. We have a commitment to do that.”
Credits: All photographs and stories for this special School Scene are by Sullivan County Democrat Photographer/Reporter Kathy Daley. The Democrat would also like to thank the Liberty Central School District for all its cooperation in this project.
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LIBERTY SCHOOL SCENE
SULLIVAN COUNTY DEMOCRAT
NOVEMBER 5, 2013
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LIBERTY SCHOOL SCENE
SULLIVAN COUNTY DEMOCRAT
NOVEMBER 5, 2013
Students aim to contribute to Liberty’s art district S
tudents from Liberty High School took the first unofficial tour of Liberty’s unofficial art district a few weeks ago and one thing is for certain – the village’s young artists are likely to play a prominent, if not official, role in the recreation of the village as an art destination. “Art is part of what these students do and who they are,” says Kathy Lambert, Liberty High School art teacher. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
On a tour of Liberty, high school Art and Photography students met with sculptor Zac Shavrick (at rear, left) and his 10-foothigh metal and steel piece called Ed. Zavrick is a graduate of Liberty High School.
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The high school art department is working with Sullivan Renaissance on a project that would place banners of student art on Main Street, said Lambert. A grant to paint a large mural is also a possibility. “We are also working on gaining access to four empty buildings to display art work from each of the schools,” she added. But first, in order to “see” art at work, they took to the streets. On Oct. 15, Lambert accompanied 20 students enrolled in studio art, photo class and photo club as they walked the beginnings of the Liberty art district. “The walk was fun,” said student Andrew Davis. “It was cool to see the changes on Main Street.” The tour began at Floyd and Bobo’s Bakery with a welcome by Lou Petraglia, who co-owns the 98 North Main St. bake shop and eatery with his wife, Ellen Marino. “I loved talking to the kids and hearing their reaction to what’s going on,” said Petraglia. “They were really into it – taking pictures of everything, of leaves on the sidewalk and flowers in the ground.” Petraglia and other business owners have formed a group called ArtLib with the goal of organizing public art exhibitions and cultural projects to promote Liberty’s revitalization through the creative arts. The students toured the art gallery at the office of the Green Door magazine at 34 South Main St., and met with Liberty High School graduate Zac Shavrick, whose 10-foot-tall sculpture of steel and metal adorns a piece of Main Street lawn at the Town of Liberty’s Government Center. Shavrick shared his own journey to success – his work is displayed in Manhattan galleries as well as at various sites in Sullivan County – and offered to help students to mature as artists. Zac’s artist father, Barry Shavrick, was also present. Then it was off to the Liberty Museum, which, in fact, has displayed school artwork frequently, including in an annual Memorial Day weekend show. “It’s great for students to get exhibition time,” pointed out Lambert. “They learn to curate, to hang a show, how to write an artist statement. They are getting more opportunities to do that – they are finding themselves considered as artists rather than stu-
SULLIVAN COUNTY DEMOCRAT
LIBERTY SCHOOL SCENE
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Art teacher Kathy Lambert says many of her students are being recognized as true artists.
dents.” All along the art walk, they witnessed their own autumn creations – 18 hand-crafted scarecrows by studio art, sculpture and advanced studio art students – gracing the business district. “There’s definitely a facelift happening in Liberty,” Lambert said, “and our artwork is a part of it.” Of course, students are engaged in transforming their own school community as well. They work with children at the elementary school on safety and anti-bullying posters. Music, art and creative writing are the focus for the Expressions Café, held once each year. An official book opening introduced a 60-page volume of student work designed, edited and published by the English and Art departments. It’s all up Liberty’s alley, said Lou Petraglia of ArtLib. “We want to inspire our young and bring out our old,” he said. “The kids are a big part of that.”
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LIBERTY SCHOOL SCENE
SULLIVAN COUNTY DEMOCRAT
NOVEMBER 5, 2013
Students aim to contribute to Liberty’s art district S
tudents from Liberty High School took the first unofficial tour of Liberty’s unofficial art district a few weeks ago and one thing is for certain – the village’s young artists are likely to play a prominent, if not official, role in the recreation of the village as an art destination. “Art is part of what these students do and who they are,” says Kathy Lambert, Liberty High School art teacher. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
On a tour of Liberty, high school Art and Photography students met with sculptor Zac Shavrick (at rear, left) and his 10-foothigh metal and steel piece called Ed. Zavrick is a graduate of Liberty High School.
Serving All of Your Soccer Needs
Open 7 Days A Week 42 So. Main St., Liberty, NY 12754
EVERYDAY SPECIAL 2 Large Pies $17.99
845-397-0034
Toppings Extra
We are a family run business with roots deep in the community.
Create Your Own
OUR STORE carries ALL GEAR for the Soccer athlete and Soccer fan!
Try Our
Buffalo Wings
Athletes of All Sports... We have
COMPUTER REPAIRS
Soccer Fans...
Sales • Internet Networking • Gaming
One must come in to see how much we really have to offer any athlete of any sport. 187 MILL STREET LIBERTY, NY 12754
845-747-9482
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Full Service Nail Care, Waxing, & Eyelash Extensions LIBERTY MALL 15 Sullivan Ave., Liberty, NY 12754 Tel: 845-747-9144
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pricing does not include sales tax
We also have...
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– ALL AGES WELCOME – A Great Place To Do Homework
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A full line of MUELLER SPORTS CARE Items, PRE-TAPES and MEDICAL TAPES in all colors, COLD SPRAY for instant relief of a pulled muscle or sprain, WRAPS and BRACES for elbows, knees, calves and ankles.
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NOVEMBER 5, 2013
The high school art department is working with Sullivan Renaissance on a project that would place banners of student art on Main Street, said Lambert. A grant to paint a large mural is also a possibility. “We are also working on gaining access to four empty buildings to display art work from each of the schools,” she added. But first, in order to “see” art at work, they took to the streets. On Oct. 15, Lambert accompanied 20 students enrolled in studio art, photo class and photo club as they walked the beginnings of the Liberty art district. “The walk was fun,” said student Andrew Davis. “It was cool to see the changes on Main Street.” The tour began at Floyd and Bobo’s Bakery with a welcome by Lou Petraglia, who co-owns the 98 North Main St. bake shop and eatery with his wife, Ellen Marino. “I loved talking to the kids and hearing their reaction to what’s going on,” said Petraglia. “They were really into it – taking pictures of everything, of leaves on the sidewalk and flowers in the ground.” Petraglia and other business owners have formed a group called ArtLib with the goal of organizing public art exhibitions and cultural projects to promote Liberty’s revitalization through the creative arts. The students toured the art gallery at the office of the Green Door magazine at 34 South Main St., and met with Liberty High School graduate Zac Shavrick, whose 10-foot-tall sculpture of steel and metal adorns a piece of Main Street lawn at the Town of Liberty’s Government Center. Shavrick shared his own journey to success – his work is displayed in Manhattan galleries as well as at various sites in Sullivan County – and offered to help students to mature as artists. Zac’s artist father, Barry Shavrick, was also present. Then it was off to the Liberty Museum, which, in fact, has displayed school artwork frequently, including in an annual Memorial Day weekend show. “It’s great for students to get exhibition time,” pointed out Lambert. “They learn to curate, to hang a show, how to write an artist statement. They are getting more opportunities to do that – they are finding themselves considered as artists rather than stu-
SULLIVAN COUNTY DEMOCRAT
LIBERTY SCHOOL SCENE
7L
Art teacher Kathy Lambert says many of her students are being recognized as true artists.
dents.” All along the art walk, they witnessed their own autumn creations – 18 hand-crafted scarecrows by studio art, sculpture and advanced studio art students – gracing the business district. “There’s definitely a facelift happening in Liberty,” Lambert said, “and our artwork is a part of it.” Of course, students are engaged in transforming their own school community as well. They work with children at the elementary school on safety and anti-bullying posters. Music, art and creative writing are the focus for the Expressions Café, held once each year. An official book opening introduced a 60-page volume of student work designed, edited and published by the English and Art departments. It’s all up Liberty’s alley, said Lou Petraglia of ArtLib. “We want to inspire our young and bring out our old,” he said. “The kids are a big part of that.”
85 N. Main St., Liberty • 845-292-0756 LOOK GREAT, FEE L GREAT FOR THE HOLIDAYS!
*$7 Fee may apply thru 11/1?/13
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LIBERTY SCHOOL SCENE
SULLIVAN COUNTY DEMOCRAT
NOVEMBER 5, 2013
Yearbook: Memories go digital
T
here’s Facebook, there’s Twitter – and then there’s the time-honored printed and bound high school yearbook. Social media may be great at linking hundreds of friends and providing instantaneous photos, but the high school yearbook is a permanent record in your hand. “It holds memories that are important to people,� said Liberty High School senior Alyssa Piatek. Piatek is a member of the National Honor Society, whose students have taken on the task of posting the entire Liberty Central School District yearbook collection on line. Advised by school librarian Louis Spataro, the students have worked on the project since May. They use software available through the Southeast New York Library Resource Council, and are scanning the yearbooks and posting them on the website of Hudson River Valley Heritage (HRVH). HRVH provides online access to historical materials from New York State’s River Valley. The website contains digital collections contributed by colleges, libraries, historical societies, museums and cultural organizations from nine counties in the Hudson River Valley area. Liberty is one of the few high schools involved. Spataro said the first Liberty yearbook to go digital is that of 1953. Soon to be uploaded are yearbooks from 1943, 1944, 1950, 1954, 1955 and 1956. Viewers can find the Liberty site at www.hrvh.org/cdm/landingpage/collection/libertyhs and can explore each page of the 1953 yearbook. They may also type in the name of a particular person and find reference to him or her on the yearbook pages. As high school librarian with a good-
sized collection of the Liberty yearbooks, Spataro frequently helps phone callers find the names, photos or information they are seeking. “I’m constantly copying things and sending it to them,� he said. “Some people are doing research on their parents. Others are searching for people they knew or they know or for themselves.� Students arrive at the library during their breaks between classes and begin scanning. Two scanners run at the same time. The work is time consuming but worthwhile, said Piatek, “To me, the yearbook will always be important,� she said. “It allows you to look back at funny things. I like to see what my parents and aunts and uncles went through when they were in schools here.� Spataro noted that even today, the distribution of yearbooks is exciting. “Everybody is signing everybody else’s book,� he said. “The teachers are signing books. I don’t think that thrill will ever go away. “I’m excited about getting my own yearbook,� added Piatek. “I can’t wait to show my little brothers, to show them my friends.� As for the much older yearbooks – they date back to 1919, when girls appeared in middy blouses and school clubs like The Literary Society flourished – the books often reveal slices of life from long ago. One yearbook, from 1944, references history in the senior class’s dedication at the front of the book. The students, who attended school during World War II, wrote: “Dedicated in 1944 to the Future. We, of 1944, in the hope that it shines as brightly for us as it has for others, dedicate this book to the future – a future in which peace and justice reign.�
High School senior Alyssa Piatek works on scanning the Liberty 1996 yearbook so that the book can be available for perusing on line. Alyssa’s father Nick graduated from Liberty HS that year.
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SULLIVAN COUNTY DEMOCRAT
NOVEMBER 5, 2013
LIBERTY SCHOOL SCENE
High-energy leaders and ‘awesome’ teachers steer school into new waters A
s part of a new teacher evaluation process, Elementary School Principal Scott Brown observed a classroom where a teacher struggled to reach students with learning difficulties at the same time as she taught the rest of the class. The teacher later confided that she did need a way to manage her class of 23 students better. Brown suggested a method that is relatively new: that the teacher, assisted by a teaching assistant and teacher aide, break the class into five small groups of children and “differentiate” instruction to meet the needs of the specific groups. What are now called classroom learning centers allow teachers to work closely with individual students to target specific skills. Learning centers provide an encouraging learning environment, where children are excited, their energy high as they bask in attention and the fun of learning. “The next time I walked into that classroom, the atmosphere was entirely changed,” said Brown. “The kids were completely engaged, smiling and laughing. When I walked out, I had chills.” The new Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) process for evaluating teachers and principals bases teacher effectiveness on student growth in state and classroom exams and on frequent in-class observations. The process, which has teachers biting their nails everywhere, does come with significant benefits. “The whole APPR process is designed to garner feedback from peers, admin-
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istrators and the community,” said Liberty Elementary School Assistant Principal Dan Brown, who is no relation to the principal. Many teachers are meeting for an hour each day, sharing ideas about everything from creative “behavior plans” that use motivators like sticker charts to encourage good behavior, to the Common Core lessons that require much deeper learning on the part of students. “In subtraction, let’s say, students are not just learning that 47 minus 15 equals 32,” said Dan Brown. “They are learning that 47 is four tens and seven ones, they are learning to pick apart a number, look at patterns, go deeply.” Still, the school’s administrators admit that this is a challenging year as educators all over the U.S. deal with significant changes. This is the first full year of implementation for both the Common Core and the APPR and a concomitant shift in classroom activities and student skill-building. Even the terminology is still new, the Browns pointed out. “But when teachers are frustrated,” said Principal Brown, “It’s our job to ease the frustration. We tell them ‘relax, take your time, you know the best practices, apply them with common sense.’” When the school realized that the daily block scheduling on which it operated had now become too rigid a system, the principal suggested teachers themselves take the reins and revamp their schedules, working with fellow grade level teachers and with the
schedules of the academic interventions specialist. Block scheduling left little time for struggling students to leave the classroom and get the help they needed. “The teachers did a phenomenal job” to create new, more flexible schedules that work, said the principal. Both principal and assistant princi-
pal are newcomers to Liberty, and both expressed delight in working with a strong and committed school community. Scott Brown arrived in August with seven years experience as elementary school principal in the Marlboro Central School District. Before that, he taught at Valley Central School District and Monroe-Woodbury School District. Dan Brown served 17 years as a classroom teacher at the Florida (N.Y.) Union Free School and then as academic interventions specialist and leader in staff development there. Both said they are impressed by the resiliency of Liberty teachers. “We’re seeing a willingness to listen and to be open to reflection, to maybe doing something different,” said Dan Brown. “Every day we observe teachers,” said Scott, “and what we’re seeing is a change in philosophy and dynamic. We’re having really good conversations and seeing changes.” “This building is 100 percent about the kids,” added the principal. “We have teachers asking how they can support the students better. It’s awesome.”
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At Liberty Elementary, new Assistant Principal Dan Brown, left, and Principal Scott Brown lead 115 staff and over 700 students through major educational shifts.
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SULLIVAN COUNTY DEMOCRAT
NOVEMBER 5, 2013
Police officer takes to a new beat at Liberty schools
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is patrol car is parked in a prominent place in front of the high school, and inside the school, Officer Devin Brust is packing his pistol and wearing his two-way radio linking him with the Village Police Department. But the 6-foot-five officer in blue, who likely serves as an authority figure to most adults, is quickly winning the hearts of his young charges – the entire student body of the Liberty
school district. “I like him,” said high school student Octavia Moore. “He’s cool.” As of September, 29-year-old Brust has served as full-time School Resource Officer (SRO) for the school district. Five days a week, he reports to an office at the high school, but he makes the rounds as needed at the middle and elementary schools as well. “I try to be outside for the bus arrivals in the morning and afternoon,”
Liberty students consider Police Officer Devin Brust a member of the school family. From left, front, Dijon Eldridge and Arianna Lindsey. At rear, Octavia Moore, Officer Brust, Gabriella Dominguez, Richie Montero, and Brianna Jackson.
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explained Brust. “I help with school assemblies, talking about school safety issues and safety involving the use of cellphones and the social media, or about pedestrian safety or bullying.” He’s spoken to history classes about the fourth amendment rights in terms of search and seizure, and at a recent anti-bullying rally, he detailed the law as it involves bullies “and that bullying is not an issue to be taken lightly – it’s a serious issue.” Trained as a School Resource Officer, Brust, who served on patrol at the village police department for three years, also teaches Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) to fifth grade classes at the middle school. “They learn about the negative affects of using drugs and alcohol, about peer pressure and about making safe and responsible decisions,” Brust said. “DARE gives them tools to make those decisions.” Liberty had enjoyed the services of a part-time SRO for a number of years but decided to ratchet up the position after the shooting tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Ct. Officer Brust agreed that his first task is school safety, but noted that the school environment is also a good place for forming healthy relationships between young people and law enforcement. “Being here full-time gives me the opportunity to interact with young citizens in the community,” he said. “In a
classroom we communicate. The law isn’t a factor. The students can see that police are here to help them, not just to make arrests. They learn you can come to police for help.” “I’ve been surprised at how the kids come up to talk to me,” he added. “They tell me how they’re doing in school and about upcoming sports games. “Ninety-nine percent of kids are innocent, they are still learning, and I want to be able to help them learn and stay on the right path.” Brust says he’s always liked the idea of working with kids “but as a police officer, I never thought it would happen.” When the village and the school district decided to fund the full time SRO position, he was quick to volunteer his services. In a way, working with Liberty kids is “all in the family.” Brust’s wife, Aeowyn Brust, is a Liberty English as a Second Language teacher. The couple and their two-month-old baby live in the Town of Thompson. On one recent weekend, the officer said, he was dressed in his civvies, doing some shopping at the Galleria Mall in Middletown. Up walked a teenage who peered at Brust and asked, “Aren’t you the cop at school?” That, said the big tough police officer, did his heart good. “I’m going to be working here for a long time,” Brust reflected. “I want to watch these kids grow up from a young age and see them graduate.”
SULLIVAN COUNTY DEMOCRAT
NOVEMBER 5, 2013
LIBERTY SCHOOL SCENE
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Common Core spurs anxiety and excitement
‘W
hen I first started this year, I was stressed,” admits veteran Liberty kindergarten teacher Rachel Countryman. “The Common Core is time sensitive – you must stay on a particular schedule each day because the modules (or lessons) we teach are done by a certain day. I was stressed over the pressure of staying on a schedule.” Luckily, Countryman’s school principal and assistant principal told her and other anxious teachers to relax. “They said to try to stay with the schedule,” related the kindergarten teacher, “but to go at the pace of your own students.” Countryman says she now actually appreciates the Common Core, which represents the most significant change in teaching and learning in recent memory. The Common Core, a nationwide move to bring U.S. kids on par with successful students globally, urges more rigor in learning vocabulary words, for instance. Countryman is introducing her five-year-old pupils to words like
“quantity,” which to her kindergartners translates in meaning to “how many.” Upstairs from Countryman is the third grade class of teacher Alicia Houghtaling, who is finding a great value in the “deeper rather than broader” philosophy of the Common Core. “In the past, we read lots of books,” said Houghtaling, who is teaching a reading lesson. “Now we go deeper – we read the text again and again in what is
Kindergarten teacher Rachel Countryman says she is over her early Common Core ‘jitters’ and now values the changes.
Third grader teacher Alicia Houghtaling, left, assists student Emily Curry with a writing assignment.
Helping Students Bank on the Future How to do your Banking and Mandy & Randy courses are being taught in several Sullivan County schools. They are designed to introduce students to basic banking. As a public service, Jeff Bank provides students and teachers with training manuals and sends representatives from the bank to area schools to make relevant presentations.
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and in which areas she or he need help. For example, one student might be capable of only summarizing a few paragraphs in a simple book, while another can handle a more challenging book and can summarize with ease an entire chapter. Both types of students are working on their skills in class and always, according to the Common Core, growing those skills. Houghtaling said she also values the way the Common Core lessons intertwine English with history or geography. And Countryman likes the fact that the Common Core is well organized “with language built in.” “I like the Common Core,” says Countryman. “My students are getting the concepts being taught – they’re really getting it. In the past we haven’t expected them to know as much. Now we are giving them things that are a bit of a challenge. We are setting the bar at a realistic goal and helping them get to it.”
Learn Your ABCs with Charlie Barbuti
Anna Milucky, Jeff Bank vice president and business banker, is pictured on a visit to teach financial skills to young people at one of our local schools.
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called ‘close reading.’ ” Students, Houghtaling said, are engaged in “a lot more rich conversations” over the books being studied, because the Common Core emphasizes that students understand their own reasoning and that of others by engaging in meaningful conversations about their work. Students are also coming up with answers to questions about what is happening to characters in the books by “diving” for evidence within the book to support their answers. Teachers, as well, are delving into evidence and data to help struggling students succeed and higher-achieving students to progress. Students are assessed in reading and math by using the tools of the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) that measure academic progress and proficiency in each subject area. Using data from the NWEA scores allows Houghtaling and others to determine where the skills of each child lies
199 South Main St. Liberty, NY 12754 845-292-4826 • www.barbutifurniture.com
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LIBERTY SCHOOL SCENE
SULLIVAN COUNTY DEMOCRAT
NOVEMBER 5, 2013
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