Monticello Central School District 2019

SECTION M • OCTOBER, 2019 • CALLICOON, NY

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SCHOOL SCENE A Look at Activities in the Monticello School District

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Got Trouble? Kids can call on new elementary school counselor STORY AND PHOTO

BY KATHY DALEY

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olly Messina says it with a grin: she was always that kid to whom people brought their problems.

“I’ve always loved to help kids,” said Messina, speaking from her desk at the kindergarten through fifth grade George L. Cooke Elementary School.

“And I like all grades. They’re all different.”

Messina, who served for four years as Director of Guidance for the Liberty Central School District, is now Monticello’s elementary school counselor, based not only at Cooke, but also at Emma C. Chase Elementary School in Wurtsboro and at Kenneth L. Rutherford Elementary in Monticello.

“I’m introducing myself to classes, meeting with the school social workers, making plans,” Messina said.

As of this school year, New York State school districts must have in place a counselor for elementary CONTINUED ON PAGE 4M

New elementary school counselor Molly Messina works at Monticello's three grade schools to introduce children early on to possible career and college pursuits along with helping them develop 'soft skills' like the ability to communicate and to cope with challenges.

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school children as they do for older students. Mandated by the State Education Department, the services to younger children are key to helping inspire students to strive for success and to consider early on the opportunities in higher education and in careers.

The beginning years of education are crucial to laying the foundation for future learning and achievement, Messina said, explaining that elementary school counselors aid young students in developing decisionmaking, communication and life skills.

“You really need an elementary guidance counselor so you can meet the needs of youngster students,” said Messina. “I’ll have a focal point in attendance, and I’ll see kids individually and in groups, working, for example, to help them transition from fifth grade into middle school.

I’ll help with anxiety, stress, time management skills, organizational skills.”

She’ll be involved in early college and career exploration for students as young as kindergartners, along with academics and social and emo-

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‘I’ll help with anxiety, stress, time management skills, organizational skills.’

Molly Messina George L. Cooke Elementary School Counselor | tional learning, that is, acquiring skills of self-awareness, responsible decision-making, social awareness and relationship building.

Statewide, elementary school counselors link with school social workers, most of whom work closely with students in special education, and with school psychologists, who diagnose and treat disorders and do testing.

For example, a new student entering the school in mid-year might need assistance in getting used to the new school environment. Enter Messina. Or she might be called upon to support a student in crisis due to a home situation.

Ensuring that youngest students learn in healthy environments can only help them as they move on to middle school and high school, she said.

“I love what I do; my door is always open,” Messina said, noting that her work takes her to Rutherford Elementary on Mondays and Wednesdays, to Cooke on Tuesdays

and Thursdays and to Chase on Fridays.

She’s been engaged professionally in helping students since her earliest job with the Catholic Archdiocese of New York, for whom she worked in individual and group counseling, in research-based drug and alcohol prevention for grades K-12 and in crisis intervention work.

At Cooke Elementary, Messina smiled big about her career.

“I love watching a kid who really struggles be able to do something successful,” she said.

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Raising the level of challenge, enriching student lives STORY AND PHOTO

BY KATHY DALEY

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rom your baby in the cradle to the proud 18-year-old hugging a high school diploma, Monticello’s got your back.

The largest school district in Sullivan County educates some 3,000 students, as teachers and staff push boundaries to keep kids on their toes academically, socially and emotionally.

In his September welcome back letter, Monticello High School Principal Stephen Wilder jubilantly announced continued success in the number of teenagers scoring passing grades in their subjects and then graduating from school.

For a much younger crowd, the District has launched a unique project that ushers parents and their babies from birth to age three into an enchanted program of very early

learning at morning and afternoon sessions.

“I’ve been in education for a long time,” said Principal Michelle Knowlton of the Kenneth L. Rutherford Elementary School for kindergartners through fifth graders, “and the importance of play is so great. In this new program (based at Rutherford) we will really see benefits in imagination and creativity, and in helping young children feel comfortable in coming to school.”

Interim Superintendent of Schools Dr. William Silver points to other pluses this year: an expanded after-school program that includes intensive academic assistance for elementary school-age children; and a new program entitled Restorative Practices at Robert J. Kaiser Middle School. That endeavor, said Silver, “will give kids tools to monitor their own behavior.”

BIG VOTE ON TAP But the impetus this autumn is to ensure that Monticello voters have the data they need for an upcoming vote on a building plan that, officials say, is vital in these days of a nationwide educational system evolving faster than ever before.

Last November, voters approved Classroom 2020 Phase I: a $54 million capital improvement plan to address the most critical repairs to school buildings. Taxpayer pocketbooks were unaffected because the project replaced an old bond which the District had repaid.

That vote, in November last year, allowed for roof repairs all over the district. Upcoming work will redo the science wing at the high school, replace the district’s bus garage, repair boilers, windows, as well as heating ventilating and air conditioning systems throughout the high school and middle school.

The second phase of the plan, Classroom 2020 Phase II, heads for a vote on Thursday, Oct. 17. “This is the real transformational piece,” said Superintendent Silver. “This is where the real impact takes place.”

Phase II, with a price tag of $85.5 million, would establish pre-Kindergarten programs in each of the three elementary schools – Rutherford, Cooke and Chase, and will reopen the Cornelius Duggan Elementary School in White Lake that closed in 2010. Duggan will operate as a pre-K to fifth grade school as will the others.

Pre-Kindergarten classes are widely viewed as vital to children’s educational lives. Studies have shown that children who attend pre-K typically experience greater academic gains through eighth grade and beyond.

Currently, HeadStart and Project Excel offer pre-K programs at the St. John’s Street Education Center in

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FROST VALLEY YMCA WINTER E CAMPS With the resignation of Superintendent of Schools Tammy Mangus in August, the District has launched into a new superintendent search. Interim Superintendent Dr. William Silver, above, said the Board of Education will start interviewing search firms in October. Silver will serve at the helm through January.

nasium building, and the aging and outdated auditorium will be brought up to date.

According to District officials, the cost of the Phase II plan to property owners would be $2 per $1,000 in assessed valuation, or $200 for a home assessed at $100,000.

Since September, the District has hosted six informational events on the building plans. Upcoming are sessions for Monticello residents on Wednesday, Oct. 2 at 6:30 p.m. at George L. Cooke Elementary and on Thursday, Oct. 10 at 6 p.m. in the St. John's Street Education Center.

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Monticello. But the school district wants to make pre-K accessible to all of its students. One of the schools, for instance, Emma C. Chase Elementary in Wurtsboro, is far enough from downtown Monticello that sending pre-K children on school buses is barely feasible.

Other important projects under the Phase II bond will bring the elementary schools up to date in terms of space and structure. It will fix seriously impaired athletic fields that flood constantly, making play impossible. An interior walkway at Monticello High will connect the school with the gym-

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In middle school, why kids disrupt and what to do about it STORY AND PHOTO

BY KATHY DALEY

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ypically, adolescents who are well fed, well loved and scoring A’s in their studies tend to cooperate nicely in class. Life works for them.

By contrast, says Nicholas Millas, students who constantly misbehave are unwittingly communicating the difficulties in their lives.

“I am hungry. Cold. Homeless. I am alone,” are some of the sad experiences that spawn acting out, according to Millas, principal of Robert J. Kaiser Middle School.

“I seek attention so someone can intervene and get my family and me the help we need. Or I act out because I am frustrated academically. I am angry. I feel as if my teachers don’t care about me, don’t under-

At Robert J. Kaiser Middle School, new practices help make school safer and more caring. Here, Principal Nicholas Millas shares a moment with seventh graders Arianna Foote, Sophia Antizzo, Deanasia Banks and Jay Shawn Clemonas.

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School Scene

‘A Look at Activities in the Monticello Central School’ Published by

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‘There is a shift in mindset here to create a culture and climate of connection and care. We are preparing them for the future, for better ties to the real world.’

Nicholas Millas Robert J. Kaiser Middle School Principal | agreement with the speaker.

Some of the important values discussed have been respect, caring, kindness, trustworthiness and tenacity. Some groups have discussed what they want to accomplish this year in school. Others have addressed difficult topics, such as “what is your greatest fear?”

“Time is built into the day for the Community Building Circles,” said the principal. He added that teachers are supported in their need to balance curriculum with building relationships to improve school. Teachers receive ongoing coaching and support from eight trained staff facil-

itators.

“When you build community,” said Millas, “students are more invested in school.”

Another approach, Restorative Circles, focuses on repairing the harm that bad behavior causes. For example, students who deliberately pass false rumors about a particular student are called into a meeting with the student hurt by their behavior. A trained Kaiser staff member runs the mediation. Through the discussion, all gain an understanding of what happened and the emotions triggered. Restitution and amends are made as offenders accept responsi-

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bility for the harm they cause and make restitution to the person they hurt, Millas said.

Nationally, school districts began looking at “bad behavior” and the way schools dealt with it some years ago. For example, in 2014, a U.S. Department of Education memo to schools included the following: “The need to rethink and redesign school discipline practices is long overdue.

Principal Millas points out that at Kaiser, the approach is in addition to and not in lieu of discipline responses. But the school is noticing that students begin to experience their classmates and teachers in healthier ways. And teachers feel empathy for their troubled students when they learn about their students’ traumas: a parents out of work, divorce, physical violence in the home, no food in the home.

“There is a shift in mindset here to create a culture and climate of connection and care,” said Millas. “We are preparing them for the future, for better ties to the real world.”

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stand me. I don’t know what I don’t know because I have never been taught.”

As a whole, the school must take action, says Millas: “Disciplinary actions, suspension rates, chronic absenteeism all reveal a problem in the school community.”

This year at the middle school, changes are underway.

Over the summer and continuing now, teachers and students are participating in Community Building Circles. All over the school, classrooms of students and teachers gather in circles to brainstorm out loud their expectations and values.

Using a proscribed technique, students and teachers listen closely to each individual, who “has the floor” while holding a talking piece.

If a listener is in agreement with the speaker, he or she does not yell out but rather uses a specific hand motion, thumb and pinkie finger raised and the other three fingers folded downward, to illustrate “I get what you’re saying.” Or students can snap their fingers to reflect their

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After School, a focus on serious learning and lots of fun STORY AND PHOTOS

BY KATHY DALEY

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Jozlyn Durant works on the computer in the learning lab, which also features independent reading time and help with homework.

job of addressing student and family needs.

From 5 p.m. until 5:45 p.m., afterschool students then move on to enrichment time. Clubs focused on, for example, board games or STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) will join with a planned Dance Club that will serve as a feeder program for the dance programs so popular in the middle and high school.

“We want to help kids identify their passion,” said Taylor.

Already, the program is working

beautifully, added Kim Gordon.

“It’s extremely beneficial for parents,” she said. “They have a safe environment for their kids after-school, and can spend quality time later instead of focusing on their child’s homework.”

The telling thing is when the kids express the fun they’re having in various ways. “You know it’s a good program when a parent comes to pick up the child,” said Gordon, “and the child is crying to stay here.”

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and determine each student’s academic growth over time.

“We use NWEA data to target intervention to what the students’ need,” Gordon said.

For example, a student might struggle with subject and verb agreement as in “A can of beans sits on the shelf.” Or with short vowel words versus long vowel words as in the use of the vowel “u” in the words “bug” (short vowel) and “lure” (long vowel).

Vocabulary games and reading games are also part of the fun.

“And then, I’ve ordered ‘Hook Books,’” said an eager Taylor, explaining those are collections of books to “hook” young readers’ enthusiasm, attention and eagerness to discuss.

“These are well-reviewed books that develop the love of reading and the joy of books,” she said.

Some examples might be the “Clifford” books about a big red dog, or the hilarious antics in the “Junie B. Jones” series.

“I’m really excited about the learning lab,” said Taylor, who is a lifelong resident of Monticello and a graduate of Monticello High. “We will do a better

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t 4 p.m., second grader Jasiah McGinnis is industriously cutting out words to make into flash cards so that he can polish his spelling skills.

“It’s great here,” says Jasiah, speaking from a classroom at Chase Elementary School. “It feels great to play outside and then get my homework finished so I don't have to do it at home.”

Jasiah and about 250 other students in the Monticello school district attend an exciting after-school program launched last year and now streamlined to focus more on academics.

At Monticello’s three grade schools, Cooke, Rutherford and Chase, the Empire State Extended Day program runs from 3:30 p.m. until 6 p.m.

Funded through New York State the programs are designed to offer children high-quality programs and experiences easily available to students in wealthier communities.

The programs are both fun and academically exciting.

“From 3:30 until 4 p.m., the students have a ‘brain break’ or down time (after their regular school day),” explained Dana Taylor, executive director of Special, Summer and Afterschool Programs for the school district. That half hour might offer exercise, movement, yoga, mindfulness or community-building activities, depending on the day.

The children then head into newly established learning labs at each of the three schools. The rooms feature a homework center overseen by adult monitors; a comfortable spot for 20minute independent reading; and then “targeted intervention” work for students who need extra help in math or reading.

“Teachers come in and work with students in small groups,” said Kim Gordon, who is the after-school coordinator for the program at Chase Elementary in Wurtsboro. Gordon is also a math teacher at Monticello High School.

The teachers utilize individual student data from the Northwest Evaluation Association, which provides information to help them deliver appropriate content for each student

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Monticello’s Dana Taylor serves as executive director for Special, Summer and After-School Programs for the school district. At the after-school program ‘we are getting kids to enjoy reading,’ along with other activities.

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Second grader Jasiah McGinnis relishes his action-packed afternoons at Empire Extended Day Program at Chase Elementary in Wurtsboro.

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Sullivan CCE, Boys & Girls club enliven kids’ studies after school

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STORY AND PHOTOS

BY KATHY DALEY

elping agencies and associations are critically important to school districts, linking students with the wider world and expanding their horizons. Take, for example, Cornell Cooperative Extension Sullivan County and the Boys & Girls Club.

Both are part and parcel of the thrill-packed activities at Monticello’s K-5 grade after-school program.

“I start the week of Sept. 30,” said Kaitlin (Smith) Conklin, who grew up in Jeffersonville, graduated from college, married and works as 4-H educator for Cornell Cooperative on Ferndale-Loomis Road.

In the after-school program, Conklin rotates through groups of students “teaching animal science, doing lots of science experiments and experiences, working with them in fine arts and recycled arts and crafts, teaching healthy relationships and team building.”

Through Conklin, students will learn about Cornell’s 4-H clubs that teach

environmental science, veterinary medicine, technology, engineering, and mathematics along with shooting sports, sewing skills, animal showmanship and healthy lifestyles.

Similarly, the Boys & Girls Club that serves Sullivan County and northern Orange County rotates through Monticello’s three elementary schools during the after-school program. For example, students will participate in Triple Play, which is a body, mind and spirit program that focuses on physical activity, improved eating habits and improved relationships with peers.

Project Torch is Boys & Girls Club leadership program and service club that some students will want to know more about. The project raises funds for good causes, such as for U.S. troops and for the ASPCA. Young people develop 21st-century leadership skills and get a firm foundation in good character and integrity.

Recently, the Boys & Girls Club arrived after-school in Monticello to focus on science and nature, teaching students about pollination. Boys &

Girls staffer Dawn Krenner walked the students through a craft project in which they made carnations, all the while focusing on the important pollinators such as butterflies, dragonflies and bats.

Barbi Marty Newmann, regional director for the Boys & Girls Club, noted that upcoming sessions in the program will introduce students to various vegetables and quick ways to enjoy those healthy peppers and zucchini. Theyll get vegetables to take home too. And the delicious, free items won’t come from supermarket shelves.

“Every week, the Boys & Girls Club gets seven to 12 bushels of vegetables donated by Gerald Skoda from his farm in Woodbourne,” said Neumann.

A founding member of Sullivan County Partnership for Economic Development Partnership, Skoda served as executive director of Cornell Cooperative Extension Sullivan for 30 years.

Teaching and enriching the lives of students, said Neumann-Marty, makes for beautiful partnerships.

4-H educator Kaitlyn Conklin of Cornell Cooperative Extension Sullivan County will offer after-school lessons in animal science, arts and more at Monticello school district’s elementary schools.

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At Chase Elementary School, Dawn Krenner of the regional Boys & Girls Club chapter teaches pollination by walking students through creating flowers with tissue paper. Above, Krenner and second grader Gabby Smith in the After-School program.

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In Tiny Town, the emphasis is on big learning through lots of fun STORY AND PHOTO

BY KATHY DALEY

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ho couldn't love a place called Tiny Town? The project is Monticello Central School District's latest initiative to introduce learning skills to children early on.

Really early. â&#x20AC;&#x153;From birth through age three is our goal,â&#x20AC;? said Sarah Mootz, who serves at

Kenneth L. Rutherford Elementary School as Social Emotional Wellness facilitator. She and fellow staffer, instructional coach Jill Yannetta, came up with the concept to introduce early childhood skills so that kids are ready for learning as they approach kindergarten. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Some students come to kindergarten and don't know how to hold a book,â&#x20AC;? noted Yannetta.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;We wanted to find a way and a location to practice the skills they need,â&#x20AC;? said Mootz.

Often, families might not have access to learning toys, books or manipulatives at home, said the staff members.

Or they might not know ways to begin teaching their children the earliest skills in getting along with others through sharing, for example, or by expressing needs.

Rutherford is home to the districtwide Tiny Town set to attract parents, babies and toddlers. With a starting day of Oct. 1, the planners have been working on getting the message out to parents. They've attended open house meetings at the schools, are sending out mass mailings, posting fliers in apartment complexes and spreading the word via Facebook.

In addition, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are exploring opportunities for transportation for parents,â&#x20AC;? said Mootz, although some families are able to walk to Rutherford and others to drive.

Tiny Town itself is a bright, cheery

classroom chock full of toys and manipulatives that children can use to practice a wide variety of skills: fine motor skills, eye-hand coordination, and visual discrimination, for example. Recognition of shapes, colors and textures stems from hands-on learning while having fun, and the colorful room is geared to please â&#x20AC;&#x153;the youngest among us.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;At this early stage, kids learn through play and through conversation,â&#x20AC;? explained Mootz.

Morning and afternoon sessions will welcome parents and children to the room. An adult from Rutherford will be there at all times. Parents and their kids can explore on their own, but staff members will also help out and offer special sessions.

Twice a week, for example, the school's media specialist will do â&#x20AC;&#x153;Read and Discussâ&#x20AC;? sessions, which are designed to show parents how reading and talking to children about a storybook builds language skills and sparks imagination, not to mention creates

Growing Through Grief

August 2020 Camp is held at the YMCA of Sullivan County in Rock Hill A FREE day-camp full of healing activities for children ages 5 to 17 grieving the death of a loved one that has occurred within the last two years. Through play, art, music, and activities, it is a safe place of acceptance, understanding and grief education.

SPOTS STILL AVAILABLE CALL TODAY!

For more information or to register your child for August 2020 program please call: Bereavement Director Kim Warner 845-561-6111 x 117

To Make An Appointment Call:

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Jeanne Wilkowski at MCSD 845-794-7700 ext. 78905

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Camp Chrysalis is a partnership between The YMCA of Sullivan County HOSPICE of Orange and Sullivan Counties

OCTOBER 1, 2019

MONTICELLO SCHOOL SCENE

SULLIVAN COUNTY DEMOCRAT

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Edythe Raiten CSW-R Psychotherapy

Individual Therapy Marital Counseling Custody Visitation

Relationships Play Therapy Family Therapy Mediation

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bonds between parent and child.

The school music teacher will offer special sessions on music movements, while the physical education teacher will introduce parents to the gross motor skills that enable a child to get out of bed, for example, while fine motor skills allow for increasing independence in opening doors or zipping a jacket.

Jane Sorensen, program coordinator at EPIC (Every Person Influences Chil-

dren) will hold workshops for parents as well.

And time will be made for the school's older kids, the kindergartners and first graders, who can't wait to interact with the fun places like a kitchen area or a pint-size tent for individual reading right in the room.

For parents and children both, said Mootz, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We hope they will bring home the skills they learn here.â&#x20AC;?

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The new Tiny Town for parents and their young children will offer fun lessons in learning at Kenneth L. Rutherford Elementary School near the middle school-high school campus. Even the school's kindergartners are excited about the play/learning area. Above, staff members Jill Yannetta, instructional coach, and Social Emotional Wellness facilitator Sarah Mootz with kindergartners Persephanie Vargas, at back, Shivansh Patel and Isabella Hernandez.

MONTICELLO SCHOOL SCENE

SULLIVAN COUNTY DEMOCRAT

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TRANSPOR RTING THE MOS ST PRECIOUS CARGO Our drivers go above and beyond when it comes to the safety of our passengers.

Each year, Rolling V drivers are responsible for the safe transportation of more than 7,000 school children. School is back in session, so please remember to drive carefully â&#x20AC;&#x201C; it could be your child on a bus nearby!

To learn more about our commitment to providing safe transportation for the children in our community, y, visit rollingv.com/parent-portal

To join our winning team, visit rollingv gv.com/recruitment

845-434-0511 www.Rollin gV.c om

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