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SCHOOL SCENE A Special Supplement to the Sullivan County Democrat
A look at activities in the Monticello Central School District
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District to honor famed Monticello grads
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onia Pressman Fuentes fled Poland to escape the Holocaust, went on to help found the National Organization for Women (NOW) and is a lawyer, author and public speaker. She graduated from Monticello High School in 1946. Harrison “Slam� Allen was lead
singer and guitarist for the legendary blues harmonica player James Cotton. Allen accepted his Monticello High School diploma in 1984. Robert Benmosche was asked to come out of retirement by the U.S. government to assist in the effort to CONTINUED ON PAGE 4M
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Town of Thompson Voters
Please Elect
William J. Rieber , Jr.
Supervisor Town of Thompson
Above: Slam Allen, Monticello Class of 1984, is a singer and guitarist who has written and produced four critically acclaimed albums and played with such legendary blues musicians as James Cotton.
Former Councilman Former Deputy Supervisor 21 Years Knowledge and Experience Do Count
Your Vote Will Be Deeply Appreciated
Right: Feminist activist Sonia Pressman Fuentes, Monticello Class of 1946, is one of the founders of the National Organization for Women (NOW).
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save insurance giant AIG from bankruptcy. Benmosche graduated from Monticello Junior High School in 1962. Distinguished alumni of the Monticello Central School District are everywhere, and the District has launched an initiative to celebrate their achievements and to encourage students to seek excellence as their forebears did. The inaugural members of the District’s Wall of Distinction also include former employees and community members whose achievements have enriched the community. A special ceremony on Sunday, Nov. 3 will honor the inductees, and, appropriately, will also induct current Monticello students into the National Honor Society Induction Ceremony. “We will have the opportunity to honor our students who strive for excellence as well as honor the Wall of Distinction inductees, who have accomplished so much in their lives and careers,” said Superintendent of Schools Daniel Teplesky. “The common thread between both events is our school, our community and our pride in both.” The Wall of Distinction is located in the lobby of the Arnold Packer Hughs Auditorium at the high school. The inductees also include: Former teacher Milton K. Berlye, an innovative and compassionate Industrial Arts teacher who developed programs to address high dropout rates in the 1960s. He also
SULLIVAN COUNTY DEMOCRAT
helped develop the Industrial Arts curriculum for the New York State Education Department. Stephanie Blythe, an alumna of the Monticello High School Class of 1987, who began her singing career as a mezzo soprano with the Metropolitan Opera in 1994. She made her Lincoln Center debut in 1998 and records on the Virgin Classics record label. Her solo debut at Carnegie Hall took place last March. Lawrence Henry Cooke, Class of 1931, former Chief Judge of the New York State Court of Appeals. He began his career as a private practice lawyer, served as a Justice of the Supreme Court in the Third Judicial District, was appointed Associate Justice of the Appellate Division and was eventually appointed Chief Judge by Governor Hugh L. Carey in 1979. The Sullivan County Court House was named in his honor. Jeff McBride, Class of 1977, a master magician who has staged critically acclaimed shows in New York and Las Vegas and on TV. McBride is the founder of McBride’s Magic and Mystery School for aspiring magicians. Ida Mae Mitchell, a Monticello Board of Education Member who, among other accomplishments, worked tirelessly to ensure that African American students were accepted into Ivy League colleges. A member of the Sullivan County Community College Board of Trustees, she earned a Service and Dedication Award for the study of Afro-American Life and History. Roland Paramore, Class of 1984,
‘A Look at Activities in the Monticello School District’ Published by Catskill-Delaware Publications, Inc. Publishers o f the
who, as Senior Master Sergeant was offered a permanent position on Air Force One, ultimately serving as Superintendent of Presidential Flight Attendants. He worked with Presidents Bill Clinton, George Bush, and Barack Obama before retiring in 2011. The Wall of Distinction was established by the Monticello Board of Education. Inductees are selected by a group of community members, Board of Education trustees, faculty and alumni.
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Master magician Jeff McBride, Class of 1977, uses martial arts, Kabuki theater and other disciplines in his TV appearances in New York and Las Vegas shows. He said he became interested in magic after reading “The Golden Book of Magic” while he was an elementary school student in Monticello.
Fred W. Stabbert III Dan Hust Frank Rizzo Kathy Daley, Jeanne Sager, Eli Ruiz, Kaitlin Carney Liz Tucker Sandy Schrader Katie Peake, Cecilia Lamy Laura Stabbert Susan Owens Patricia Biedinger, Jasmine Rivera Michelle Reynolds Janet Will Sue Conklin, Ruth Huggler, Rosalie Mycka, Tracy Swendsen Elizabeth Finnegan, Jacob Stein, Petra Duffy Richard Conroy
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An upside-down approach that works:
Lessons at home, hands-on at school Science teacher Jeanine Nielsen works with Monticello High School student Julie Kane in Regents Chemistry.
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he students in the video were clear – their high school science teacher Jeanine Nielsen is a star. She inspired me to try harder, said one student. She’s my mom away from home, said another. She’s a great teacher and a great friend, always there for us at our sports games, said a third. Nominated by Monticello as New York State Teacher of the Year for 2014,
Nielsen scored in the top five of all nominees across the state. But, as the student-created video shows, her skill and concern for students inside and outside the classroom have earned Nielsen top billing. “As a teacher, you have to get to know your students,” Nielsen says. “You can’t just disseminate information.” She tries not to miss a wrestling meet, soccer game or track meet in
which her kids compete. She helps students with their work in other classes. On her own slate is the teaching of Regents Chemistry, Regents Living Environment, General Chemistry 1 and 2 and College Chemistry in conjunction with Sullivan Community College. She also teaches SUPA Forensics, a college level course available at Monticello High School through Syracuse University. But these days, she’s “flipping” her teaching method. “Normally students come in and they learn about something. They take notes. They might do practical problems at home and homework is assigned,” she related. “But when it was me as a student, I’d go home to do homework and often ask myself ‘how was it we did this in class?’ and grow frustrated.” Plus, as a teacher, she increasingly sensed how difficult it was to meet the
needs of all students in the limited amount of time she saw them in the classroom. “I started reading articles about the ‘flipped classroom’ and I went to (District Executive Director of Technology) Shelley Rossitto and said, ‘I’d really like to do this.’” A “flipped classroom” model invites students in their homes to study a lesson the teacher has taped and made accessible on the kids’ computers. Then, the next day in school, the teacher and class apply the knowledge gained the night before, discussing and doing practical work. Nielsen’s students access her lesson through YouTube or Schoology, which is the District’s on-line learning management system. They see Nielsen’s face and hear her voice as they watch the lesson and take notes. They can pause the lesson, rewind, and go back to rewatch as needed. The next day,
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how to flip their classrooms. “I’m excited about creating a unique learning environment,” Nielsen said. “I love being in the classroom. I want to make a difference in children’s lives.”
RE-ELECT Richard SUSH Councilman Town of Thompson • • • • • • • • •
Students like Edgard Diaz, one of 29 in Nielsen’s chemistry class, learn a teachertaped lesson at home and then practice it in school.
A 33-Year Career in Education, Richard Sush is a former Teacher, Counselor, Dean of Students and Administrator at Sullivan County Community College A Three-Time Elected Councilman and Monticello Village Manager for more than 5 years A member on the Advisory Board for the Monticello High School Academy of Finance Board member, Sullivan County Partnership for Economic Development Board member, Sullivan County Chamber of Commerce Charter member and former Treasurer, Sullivan County Chapter, NAACP A Monticello High School graduate who has earned a Bachelor’s Degree and two Master’s Degrees Married, two sons, Matthew and Darren, both Monticello High School graduates Endorsed by the Democratic, Conservative, and Independence Parties Richard Sush cares about the same things you care about. And he has the background, experience, knowledge, and record of success to improve our community. VOTE Row A, Row C or Row D on November 5 Paid for my Sush for Councilman
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they work on follow-up problems. “I can break the students into small groups,” Nielsen said. “I can work oneon-one with them. I can follow their thinking.” “It’s also a good method for students who are absent – they can stay current with what happened – or students who have a family obligation that might otherwise require them to fall behind in school.” She tapes the lessons at home at night after a full school day. A software program allows her to record her voice, and a tablet allows her to write on the screen as well. Preparing a 15-minute lesson for her students takes 10 minutes of prep time, 15 minutes recording, 10 minutes to edit and 15 minutes to export the lesson into a movie file for the kids to watch. She gets to bed at about 11:30 p.m. Then it’s up early to report to school at 7:03 a.m. Nielsen piloted the blended classroom model last year, using the traditional kind of instruction the first half of the year, and in the second half, flipped the classroom. Her data showed that, during the second semester, students improved 7 to 10 points on exams. She’s now teaching other teachers
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MONTICELLO SCHOOL SCENE
SULLIVAN COUNTY DEMOCRAT
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2013
SULLIVAN COUNTY DEMOCRAT
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4 , 2013
Daniel Teplesky Monticello Superintendent of Schools |
the substantial changes wrought by the Common Core.
W
responds. “I don’t much care where,� Alice answers. “Then,� says the cat, “it doesn’t matter which way you go.� Precisely the point with education, Superintendent Teplesky said: “There was never a planned goal to say we actually got there.� Now there is. It’s the Common Core and its emphasis on data gathering to ensure students succeed. The Common Core outlines what U.S. kids should learn and how, in order to put them on par with their
counterparts in top-achieving schools throughout the world. The standards and curriculum emphasize deeper thinking and analyzing as well as engaging collaborations between students and teacher in the learning process. A couple of months ago, Monticello’s remedial Summer School program helped jumpstart teachers in this transition. “The curriculum that we used was based on the Common Core Learning
The first focus point is implementation of the Common Core into the daily lessons teachers teach. Prepared by training and support, teachers are now using the new approaches and expectations. For instance, In English Language Arts, students must delve into both novels and non-fiction works like newspapers, magazines and research reports, analyzing and drawing con-
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ENGAGEMENT AND EVIDENCE The two other focus points in Monticello are the use of data to back up every decision – “It’s not (only) about what was taught, but did the student learn?� said Teplesky – and classrooms that engage students in wanting to learn. Environments where rich learning experiences take place allow children to develop higher-level thinking and writing skills. “You know engaging classrooms when you see them,� said Mangus, “as a result of the work that the student is completing. Even if a teacher is at the front of the classroom when you walk in, there is evidence of student-centered work and student-centered problem-solving all around.� For her part, Summer School organizer Megan Becker said the Common Core seems to be helping students already. “I think that it allows them to understand the process of the activities that they are doing, said Becker, who is also a special education teacher. “They don’t just add 2 + 2 because they were told to, they understand the process behind it and begin to explain that in words. The students do seem to be more engaged in the entire process.�
Go Panthers! Good luck with the new school year!
‘COMMON CORE’ CLASSROOMS
10927
hen Daniel Teplesky reflects on what public education has lacked in recent years, the Monticello Superintendent of Schools borrows from an encounter in the classic book “Alice in Wonderland.� One day Alice comes to a fork in the road and spies a Cheshire cat in a tree. “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?� she asks. “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,� the cat
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Monticello Superintendent of Schools Daniel Teplesky and Assistant Superintendent of Schools Tammy Mangus shepherd the District through
Standards,� said Summer School K-4 Principal Megan Becker. “Each classroom teacher was given an English Language Arts unit to use with their grade level, as well as math curriculum that supported the Common Core. “We felt that by introducing it this summer,� Becker said, “it would allow the students as well as the teachers to become more comfortable with the dynamics of the (Common Core) lessons and the work involved.� The Summer School initiative dovetails perfectly with Monticello’s trio of “focus points� framing the work done this school year by all involved in children’s education. Principals explained the points to teachers before school opened and Assistant Superintendent Tammy Mangus drives the points home when she visits schools and classrooms.
clusions. In Math, a new emphasis has students developing both speed and accuracy in making calculations – skills they will need later on, in college or the workplace. Teachers are using the website EngageNY.org, which is developed and maintained by the New York State Education Department, to find helpful materials. Last year, “we asked teachers to access EngageNY and begin ‘testing’ the modules (or lessons) with students,� said Mangus. Because EngageNY only posts helpful lessons, the District organized a team to create teacher and student books that were then printed by BOCES. This year, elementary school teachers are up and running in teaching Common Core lessons in ELA and math. In the middle and high schools, “the math department has decided to use the Engage NY modules as well,� said Mangus. “For ELA, the team is working diligently to ‘alternatively align’ to the Common Core. They have planning meetings set up throughout the year to create appropriate units and assessments.�
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Shifting the common core from concept to classroom ‘There was never a planned goal to say we actually got there.’
MONTICELLO SCHOOL SCENE
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MONTICELLO SCHOOL SCENE
SULLIVAN COUNTY DEMOCRAT
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2013
SULLIVAN COUNTY DEMOCRAT
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4 , 2013
Daniel Teplesky Monticello Superintendent of Schools |
the substantial changes wrought by the Common Core.
W
responds. “I don’t much care where,� Alice answers. “Then,� says the cat, “it doesn’t matter which way you go.� Precisely the point with education, Superintendent Teplesky said: “There was never a planned goal to say we actually got there.� Now there is. It’s the Common Core and its emphasis on data gathering to ensure students succeed. The Common Core outlines what U.S. kids should learn and how, in order to put them on par with their
counterparts in top-achieving schools throughout the world. The standards and curriculum emphasize deeper thinking and analyzing as well as engaging collaborations between students and teacher in the learning process. A couple of months ago, Monticello’s remedial Summer School program helped jumpstart teachers in this transition. “The curriculum that we used was based on the Common Core Learning
The first focus point is implementation of the Common Core into the daily lessons teachers teach. Prepared by training and support, teachers are now using the new approaches and expectations. For instance, In English Language Arts, students must delve into both novels and non-fiction works like newspapers, magazines and research reports, analyzing and drawing con-
KAPITO & S ONS
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Brakes ~ Alignment ~ A/C ~ Shocks ~ Tune-ups Computer Diagnostics ~ Exhausts Front End Works NY Inspection Station
Career Building ~ College Prep ~ Online Courses ESOL Instruction ~ HS Equivalency Diplomas
ENGAGEMENT AND EVIDENCE The two other focus points in Monticello are the use of data to back up every decision – “It’s not (only) about what was taught, but did the student learn?� said Teplesky – and classrooms that engage students in wanting to learn. Environments where rich learning experiences take place allow children to develop higher-level thinking and writing skills. “You know engaging classrooms when you see them,� said Mangus, “as a result of the work that the student is completing. Even if a teacher is at the front of the classroom when you walk in, there is evidence of student-centered work and student-centered problem-solving all around.� For her part, Summer School organizer Megan Becker said the Common Core seems to be helping students already. “I think that it allows them to understand the process of the activities that they are doing, said Becker, who is also a special education teacher. “They don’t just add 2 + 2 because they were told to, they understand the process behind it and begin to explain that in words. The students do seem to be more engaged in the entire process.�
Go Panthers! Good luck with the new school year!
‘COMMON CORE’ CLASSROOMS
10927
hen Daniel Teplesky reflects on what public education has lacked in recent years, the Monticello Superintendent of Schools borrows from an encounter in the classic book “Alice in Wonderland.� One day Alice comes to a fork in the road and spies a Cheshire cat in a tree. “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?� she asks. “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,� the cat
Options for All Ages:
Where Futures Begin & Dreams Are Achieved ! (845) 295-4000 www.scboces.org
10823
Monticello Superintendent of Schools Daniel Teplesky and Assistant Superintendent of Schools Tammy Mangus shepherd the District through
Standards,� said Summer School K-4 Principal Megan Becker. “Each classroom teacher was given an English Language Arts unit to use with their grade level, as well as math curriculum that supported the Common Core. “We felt that by introducing it this summer,� Becker said, “it would allow the students as well as the teachers to become more comfortable with the dynamics of the (Common Core) lessons and the work involved.� The Summer School initiative dovetails perfectly with Monticello’s trio of “focus points� framing the work done this school year by all involved in children’s education. Principals explained the points to teachers before school opened and Assistant Superintendent Tammy Mangus drives the points home when she visits schools and classrooms.
clusions. In Math, a new emphasis has students developing both speed and accuracy in making calculations – skills they will need later on, in college or the workplace. Teachers are using the website EngageNY.org, which is developed and maintained by the New York State Education Department, to find helpful materials. Last year, “we asked teachers to access EngageNY and begin ‘testing’ the modules (or lessons) with students,� said Mangus. Because EngageNY only posts helpful lessons, the District organized a team to create teacher and student books that were then printed by BOCES. This year, elementary school teachers are up and running in teaching Common Core lessons in ELA and math. In the middle and high schools, “the math department has decided to use the Engage NY modules as well,� said Mangus. “For ELA, the team is working diligently to ‘alternatively align’ to the Common Core. They have planning meetings set up throughout the year to create appropriate units and assessments.�
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Shifting the common core from concept to classroom ‘There was never a planned goal to say we actually got there.’
MONTICELLO SCHOOL SCENE
We Are Proud To Have Been Serving Sullivan County Since The Early 1900s
401 Broadway, Monticello, NY 12701 (845) 794-4141 111 Sullivan Street, Wurtsboro, NY 12790 (845) 888-2731
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SULLIVAN COUNTY DEMOCRAT
New transportation chief takes the wheel:
Driving home safety and politeness
During her own bus driving career, Monticello Transportation Director Kathleen Cummings strove for excellence. She often competed in the School Bus Safety Rodeo in Albany, which is a bus driving competition through an intensive obstacle course. One year, she placed third out of 150 drivers.
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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2013
he’s part mother, part social worker and all bus driver. Kathleen Cummings, interim transportation director for the Monticello school district, is not one to sit in her office for very long. If a student won’t take his seat on the bus – in effect, disallowing the bus to move on – she’s been known to drive out to the bus, sit down next to the child, and begin a mediation that lasts. If a bus driver is ill and can’t make his rounds, Cummings gets behind the wheel herself, but first coaxes the driver into accompanying her so she can fulfill the route properly. “We’re all here for a goal,” she says with sensible simplicity. “The children have to be brought to school.” Cummings arrived in Monticello as
assistant transportation director in July 2012. This past July, she was promoted to the top spot. “She’s doing a good job,” said longtime bus driver Patricia Hummel. “She’s trying hard to help us out and keep us going.” Cummings is no stranger to wheeling long conveyances crammed with people. She started her career as a New York City bus driver, working the night shift along the Grand Course in the Bronx. She then began driving school buses, training bus drivers and working as safety coordinator, mostly in Duchess County. Good-natured and with an easy laugh, Cummings is nevertheless serious about her task. She supervises 96 employees, including some 60
bus drivers, along with attendance staff, office personnel and mechanics – “the people behind the scenes who are so important,” she said. The bus drivers themselves cover nearly 200 square miles of territory from Wurtsboro to Bethel and from the Harris area to Kiamesha Lake. Three thousand children are transported each day, and the work of the bus driver is critically important in starting the kids off in a positive way. “A smile, a hello, saying thank you and please are so important,” she says. “A lot of times, a child may be getting out of bed and getting ready for school alone, because both parents are working.” It takes a special person to serve as bus driver, Cummings said. “Most are on a split shift (picking up
kids in the morning and then returning to the transportation department in the afternoon for the return run),” she said, “Drivers must be warm, friendly, inviting, safety-minded, open.” Their own work environment is so important, she said, and Cummings is committed to make the bus transportation headquarters on Route 42 comfortable and inviting. She’s painted, brought in plants, bought a flat screen TV and enlisted drivers to help out with the “sparkling up,” she said. “For most people, this is their second home.” When Cummings arrived, Monticello struggled with frequent discipline issues on its buses. She’s instituted a number of measures, including getting drivers to strategize when they encounter a problem. Don’t single out kids, she tells them – that just encourages a student to act out even more. Instead, generalize, as in announcing “Please sit down,” to the bus at large, when it is, in effect, one student who has failed to take his seat. Positive reinforcement for good behavior has drivers presenting students with coloring activity books to take home. And art classes in the elementary school will link up with good bus behavior for the first time when, this year, they will design bus safety posters for a contest sponsored by the New York Association of Public Transportation. For those times when a student simply won’t obey the rules, drivers are now making entries in journals. Included is an accounting of measures the driver took to respond to the problem. Those entries are part of the write-up the District receives from Transportation when a student continues to make bus riding miserable or unsafe for fellow students or the driver. Cummings says she strives to let drivers know she’s there for them. “I tell them ‘you’re not alone,’” she said. “ ‘I’m right in the trenches with you.’ ”
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2013
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New reading program makes the subject super for K–2 kids
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yrese, Rohanna, Eli and the rest of their kindergarten class are learning how the letter “C” sounds. “Cuh!” Tyrese shouts out. “Cuh!” yells Eli. “Cuh!” says Rohanna with gusto. “C” for Cass, for coconut, for cooking, for crunchy carrots. The students are unusually animated, and so is the manner in which they are learning – by means of Superkids, an animated learning program that’s earning raves in Monticello. “I piloted the program last year from January to June and saw great results,” said their George L. Cooke Elementary School teacher Nicki Wells. “I began the program mid-year when I became frustrated with my kids’ work – they weren’t getting their letters and sounds.” In kindergarten, students are learn-
ing to recognize the letters of the alphabet and the sounds they make. They are sounding out words and putting sounds together to make words. They are learning to spell words, read with expression and write words. Fairly quickly last year, Wells began seeing that her students were enthused with the Superkids approach. “They loved the pace of learning and the activities.” She also found that 80 percent of her kids made growth in their skills by the end of the year, and that a whopping 90 percent were on grade level with their skills. So this year, the District’s kindergarten, first and second grade students are all working on their reading by means of Superkids. Focusing on reading, writing and phonetics in intensive daily lessons,
Cooke Elementary School kindergarten teacher Nicki Wells says her students are excited over their first steps in learning to read and write. Here, she helps one 5-year-old write the letter “C.”
Superkids features a cast of animated characters whom the students grow to know like friends. For example, when teacher Wells uses her computer-linked Smartboard at the front of the classroom, up comes a little red-haired girl named Cass whose white kitten is named Coconut.
The kindergarteners follow Cass as she cooks carrots in her kitchen. Music is playing, someone is singing and Wells’ class sings along happily. “The children learn what the characters are like, what they do, what their particular personalities are,” Wells said. “There’s a whole story line. It’s very engaging.” The program includes interactive technological activities and a narrator who gives the students direction for practicing their skills in classroom workbooks. Systematically, the students learn to read and write. Today’s children are accustomed to being entertained, said Wells, so a program that keeps the students excited as they learn is perfect. Wells, a 20-year veteran of teaching, has also taught first and second grade at Cooke, and kindergarten for six years. “I can’t imagine teaching another grade,” said Wells. “I love the children’s enthusiasm. They love learning new things and making new friends. They are very loving. They’re adorable.” They’re super kids.
The new reading program called Superkids encourages learning through a cast of animated characters and then, left, students take what they have learned into their workbooks.
MONTICELLO SCHOOL SCENE
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We’re Proud to Support All Our Sullivan County Athletes!
Rock Ridge Kennels “Where It’s Always Reigning Cats & Dogs” • Dog and Cat Boarding • Indoor-Outdoor Runs • Separate Cattery • Grooming MEMBER
Friday, October 25, 2013 at 7:30PM Nesin Theater
Open 7 Days a Week 8:30 am - 4:30 pm Evenings by Appointment 10831
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Nesin Scholarship Recital
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Ramsay's Funeral Home, Inc. Liberty Kauneonga Lake 292-7160 583-5445
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Nancy McDonald, M.S. in Ed. CCC, Director
“MEMORIALS OF DISTINCTION”
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504 South Woods Drive Monticello, New York
292-7160 275 So. Main St. Liberty 794-2700
(845) 794-6037
Western Sullivan County Representative Lloyd E. Heller 845-807-9940
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4 , 2013
SULLIVAN COUNTY DEMOCRAT
MONTICELLO SCHOOL SCENE
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were failing were able to move on to same issue and work with them colthe ninth grade at the end of sum- lectively. mer school, a 90 percent success “Let’s say Greg, Jason and Betty are rate that is higher than the norm in having a problem with fractions. The many school districts. teacher pulls them out to work with “When kids get lost in a subject them. No one is singled out,” area, they tend to give up,” explains explained Jack Etter, a District Middle School Assistant Principal instructional technology teacher Greg D’Ambrosio, who supervised and staff developer. the Summer School program for “I’ve been doing Summer School grades 6 through 12. “When the rest for 10 years,” said Etter, “and this of the class has moved on, the anxi- year, it was phenomenal. Attenety level of those left behind increas- dance was up. Behavior problems es” – and that’s when the bad behav- were almost non-existent.” ior starts, he said. Student surveys at the end of the The magic touch in Monticello this summer revealed that the kids valsummer was the introduction of ued both the small group instrucwhat is called a “blended class- tion, and the one-on-one with their room” – one that combines comput- teachers. er-based instruction with teacher “The felt they could ask more instruction. questions and get more “The teacher is using answers,” D’Ambrosio an on-line program to said. deliver instruction and D’Ambrosio pointed to assess progress,” he out that blended learnexplained. ing is a popular training model in the corporate During the first day of world and in colleges. Summer School, teachThere, he said, the comers in the major subjects bination of on-line areas – social studies, training with live math, science and Enginstruction saves money lish – gave students an and provides the same on-line test to see where benefits, if not more, of they were academically Greg D’Ambrosio the traditional trainer or in terms of skills. Teach- Middle School Assiseducator lecturing at the ers then were able to set tant Principal | front of the room. the students on individIn the world of public education, ualized “learning paths” based upon where they needed to grow this sum- “Six weeks worth of summer school in the traditional model (of a teacher mer. Students would come in every instructing at the head of the class) morning, go on a computer and start doesn’t work,” D’Ambrosio said. on their learning path, doing activi- “Summer School is a compact period ties that would progress them along of time. From the data the teachers gave me, many of our kids made a the path. At the push of a button, a teacher significant amount of growth – from could see how the students were nice growth to amazing growth.” “In Monticello, the summer school doing each step of the way and, by means of mini-assessments, could success story shows that this model see where a student might be strug- has potential to be used elsewhere gling. The teacher would work with in the district,” D’Ambrosio said, the student directly, giving help and “especially for children who struggle guidance, or gather a group of stu- academically during the regular dents who were struggling with the school day and need extra help.”
‘When the rest of the class has moved on, the anxiety level of those left behind increases’
Middle School Assistant Principal Greg D’Ambrosio sees the summer school success story as important for the District as a whole.
Monticello Summer School strides ahead in student achievement
S
omething wonderful happened this year at Summer School. Students worked industriously. There were few behavior
problems. And the academic growth that students enjoyed was significant. In Monticello’s eighth grade, for example, 12 of the 13 students who
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 Monticello Central School District for all its cooperation in this project.
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MONTICELLO SCHOOL SCENE
SULLIVAN COUNTY DEMOCRAT
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2013
Supt. announces retirement T he Monticello Central School District Board of Education has accepted the resignation of Superintendent Daniel Teplesky, for the purpose of retirement, effective August 31, 2014. Teplesky has served as Monticello’s superintendent since August 2011. Previously, he was superintendent of schools for seven years for the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk Central School District and the Granville Central School District. In addition, he served
as the principal of Churchville-Chili Junior High School, assistant principal of the Royalton-Hartland Junior/Senior High School and associate principal at the Niagara Catholic Junior-Senior High School. “On Behalf of the board, I wish Mr. Teplesky well as he enters retirement next year,” said Board of Education President Susan Purcell. It is the board’s intention to meet in the near future to discuss the superintendent search process.
Contact Info Superintendent of Schools Daniel A. Teplesky, 794-7700, ext. 70910 • dteplesky@k12mcsd.net Director of Physical Education, Health and Athletics Douglas Murphy, 794-8840, ext. 10995 • dmurphy@k12mcsd.net Emma C. Chase Elementary School, Wurtsboro: Principal Bill Frandino, 8882471, ext. 50910 • bfrandino@k12mcsd.net George L. Cooke Elementary School, Monticello: Principal Sandra Johnson-
Fields, 794-8830, ext. 40910 • sjohnsonfields@k12mcsd.net Kenneth L. Rutherford Elementary School, Monticello: Principal Kimberly Patterson, 794-4240, ext. 30910 • kpatterson@k12mcsd.net Robert J. Kaiser Middle School, Monticello: Principal Nichole Horler, 796-3058, ext. 20910 • nhorler@k12mcsd.net Monticello High School, Monticello: Principal Lori Orestano-James, 794-8840 ext. 10910 • lorestanojames@k12mcsd.net
Have a good school year!
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Call for classes Yoga for all levels & all ages mat pilates • zumba
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Offices at
One Fairchild Pl. Monticello, NY 12701 (845) 794-6423
From volleyball to football, tennis, cross-country, boys and girls soccer and cheerleading, Monticello Central School offers a lot of extracurricular activities for students during the fall season.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4 , 2013
MONTICELLO SCHOOL SCENE
SULLIVAN COUNTY DEMOCRAT
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Sports is a big part of the educational experience at the Monticello High School. Pictured is quarterback Jon Harned about to throw the ball while fullback CJ Forrest (44) looks to block a defender. Monticello will take on the Wallkill at Wallkill on Friday at 7 p.m.
LIBERTY
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16M
MONTICELLO SCHOOL SCENE
SULLIVAN COUNTY DEMOCRAT
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2013
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