SPENCER VAN ETTEN

CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT

NEWSLETTER

As we approach the holiday season, it is also the time for the Spencer-Van Etten School

District to begin to assemble the following year’s budget. For the past two years, a number of

community members along with staff and school board members have participated in the

District Budget Advisory Committee. The Budget Advisory Committee looks closely at the

components of the budget, both revenues and expenditures, and helps to balance the needs of

the educational program with the limited resources available.

The Budget Advisory Committee serves the District by providing assistance and perspective to

the Superintendent in an advisory capacity to improve the school budget, the budget process

and assess both the short term and long term financial health of the district. During the 2013-

14 school budget process, priority will be given to the following:

Provide suggestions and recommendations to the Superintendent regarding the 2013-14

school budget, Budget Proposals and additions and deletions to the budget.

Provide suggestions and recommendations to the Superintendent regarding actions that can

be taken to increase stakeholder involvement in the budget development process.

Critique the 2012-13 Budget Development Process and recommend to the Superintendent

actions that can be taken to improve this process.

Provide suggestions and recommendations in the creation of the district communications

and publications intended to inform the public regarding the budget.

Act as ambassadors to the community to communicate accurate information about the

proposed budget and financial condition of the district.

The Budget Advisory Committee will meet on the third Tuesday of the month starting in

December and will finish in April of 2013.

The Committee will be given the most current, pertinent and accurate information available as

a springboard for considering the thoughts and opinions of each member. The Committee will

seek to develop a candid and inclusive working atmosphere where rumors are dispelled and

productive feedback is gathered. If you are interested in participating on the Budget Advisory

Committee please contract Carol Quinn in the district office at 589-7100 or by email at:

cquinn@svecsd.org . Thank you and we hope you will be able to participate.

Joe Morgan, Superintendent

December 3, 2012

SPENCER VAN ETTEN CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT

PO BOX 307

SPENCER, NY 14883

Postal Patron Local

Important Dates and Calendar Changes

HS Concert — HS Auditorium December 6 7:00 pm BOE Meeting — MS Library December 11 7:00 pm MS Concert— HS Auditorium December 12 7:00 pm Merger Study Committee Meeting — MS Library December 12 6:30 pm Babes In Toyland Musical - MS Auditorium December 14 7:00 pm Babes In Toyland Musical— MS Auditorium December 15 & 16 2:00 pm ES Concert — ES Gymnasium December 20 9:00 am & 1:00 pm Winter Recess - No School December 24 - January 1 BOE Meeting - MS Library January 8 7:00 pm Merger Study Committee Meeting - Candor School January 16 6:30 pm Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - No School January 21 BOE Meeting - MS Library January 22 7:00 pm ES Musical (Grades 3 & 4) - ES Gymnasium January 24 7:00 pm BOE Meeting - MS Library February 12 7:00 pm Mid Winter Recess - No School February 15 - 18 BOE Meeting - MS Library February 26 7:00 pm Merger Study Committee Meeting - HS Auditorium February 28 6:30 pm

Non-Profit Organization

U.S. Postage PAID

Spencer, NY 14883

Permit No. 1

Sometimes it can be difficult for a parent to decide

whether or not to send children to school when

they wake up with early symptoms of an illness or

complaints that they do not feel well. In general,

during cold and flu season, unless your child is

significantly ill, the best place for them is in school

where they have already been exposed to the same

germs and where they are less likely to expose

other more vulnerable people, like the very young

or very old, to their routine bouts of cold and flu.

Teach and remind your children to discard used

tissues promptly, not to share personal items, to

cover their mouths when they cough or sneeze, to

keep their hands away from their face, and to

wash hands thoroughly and often with soap and

warm water. Suggest that they silently sing the

Happy Birthday song twice while washing their

hands. However, there are some situations in

which it is best to plan on keeping your child home

for a day to rest or to arrange for an appointment

with your health care provider. The following are

a few such situations that warrant watching and

possibly conferring with your health care provider:

Persistent fever greater than 100.4° orally,

including a fever that requires control with

medication, like Tylenol

Child is too sleepy or ill from an illness, like

vomiting and/or diarrhea, to profit from sitting in

class all day

Significant cough that makes a child feel

uncomfortable or disrupts the class

Sore throat that is severe, accompanied by

fever and/or feeling ill, that persists longer than 48

hours, OR after known exposure to a confirmed

case of Streptococcal throat infection

Honey-crusted sores around the nose or mouth

or rash on other body parts that might be

impetigo; OR a rash in various stages including

boils, sores and bumps that may be chicken pox;

OR a significant rash accompanied by other

symptoms of illness such as fever

Red, runny eyes that distract the child from

learning

Large amount of discolored nasal discharge,

especially if accompanied by facial pain or

headache

Severe ear pain or drainage from the ear

Severe headache, especially if accompanied by

fever

Any condition that you think may be serious or

contagious to others

Whenever there is an outbreak of a specific

contagious infection, the school sends out a notice

to alert you to watch out for any symptoms. If your

child starts to develop symptoms, it is important

that you alert your own health care provider that

your child had possible exposure. Be sure to ask

your provider when it is safe for your child to

return to school, both for your child’s health and

for the health of the rest of the school. If you send

your child to school even though you suspect there

is significant illness as described above, please call

the school nurse to provide her/him with phone

numbers where you can be reached that day

should your child become more ill and require

early dismissal.

Finally, if you know your child is still running a

fever, it is not a good idea to simply give them

Tylenol and send them on to school because, as

soon as the medicine wears off, you are apt to get

the dreaded call from the school nurse to leave

work and come to pick up your feverish child. It is

better to let them stay home in bed with a fever

and take their medications at home until they are

off all medicines and ready to learn for a full day

in a classroom. If you find a pattern of your child’s

asking to stay home from school, especially if they

are falling behind or appear anxious by the

thought of attending school, or if there does not

appear to be any obvious physical symptoms, it

may be a good idea to contact your school nurse

and your health care provider to discuss your

concerns. Remember, whenever you keep your

child home from school, please call the school

nurse or attendance office in advance of the start

of the school day and leave a message that your

child will be absent.

WHEN TO KEEP A CHILD HOME

WITH ILLNESS DURING COLD AND FLU SEASON

Announcing the Spencer-Van Etten Alumni Association Working Group (WG) By: Dan Bryan, Class of '69

This past summer, like many before, the Van Etten Alumni Dinner has been one of my family's favorite gatherings. Many of us have been meeting there over the years, and it has become a family reunion/tradition of sorts. This year however was special; in the same month, I also went to our 1969 class reunion, which was masterfully orchestrated by our own Jackie (Smith) Pataki, Vickie (VanRiper) Kartychak, and Debbie Hodges. I really enjoyed the time together, getting reconnected with some of my friends from childhood. After reflecting on both events, my thoughts went to what was happening related to the formation of a Spencer-Van Etten Alumni Associa-tion. In exploring this effort, we uncovered a foundation that had already been laid with three cornerstones bearing the names of John Palo-maki, Heidi Mouillesseaux-Kunzman, and Jennifer Moraczewski. We will remember the foundations upon which they worked, we take time now to thank them for their service in working toward the creation the S-VE Alumni Association, and we intend to build upon these founda-tions. Within a matter of a few emails, Jackie Pataki, Vickie Kartychak, and I launched what would become a steering committee for a renewed effort to accomplish this task. We are presently recruiting a "working group'" team to develop an alumni association. We hope that you will consider becoming a part of this effort and hope that you would help in the following ways: Sign up to be on the mailing list! You do not want to miss the 1st annual S-VE Alumni Association Dinner! To notify you, we need to

know where you are! Sign up to volunteer! We are looking for people with skills of many trades, among them legal, accounting, data entry, and events

hosting. Volunteers often find an experience such as this very rewarding. Please send me a note with the following, to my email address: complete name (women please include maiden and married names), full mailing address, e-mail address, phone number is helpful, year of graduation, would you like to volunteer, and your skill sets to offer. Your information will remain confidential and only be used in conjunction with the S-VE Alumni Association working group. The best way to reach me is with the email - Dan Bryan— 4dbryan@verizon.net

ESPN

Parents may be wondering what ESPN means in their student’s

schedule. No, they are not watching a sports channel! ESPN

stands for Enriching Staff and Pupil Networking. Each student

was assigned this year to a 25-minute block that meets daily

between 7th and 8th period. The purpose is to connect each stu-

dent in a setting with one teacher or staff member, in groups of

no more than 10 students. The smaller informal setting allows

the teacher to get to know his/her students and establish a car-

ing relationship. Students who owe work can use ESPN time to

catch up. The teacher is there to encourage, monitor progress,

and help each one stay on track academically. ESPN is also

club or meeting time on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which mini-

mizes pulling students out of academic classes.

Front Row: C. Blaasch, S. Grippo, C. Kibbe, L. Nelson, J. Sears, M. Kunzman Second Row: H. Grover, E. Deppe, B. Torelli, M. Van Ness

National Honor Society 2012

Inductees

S-VE high school

A Message From the Principal

Greetings! The first marking period has just ended at SVE Elementary. Our teachers are hard at work implementing the Common Core State Standards in ELA and Math. In ELA our students are reading more nonfiction, and in Math they are diving much deeper into their concepts. As always, I would like to thank the community for all of their support, participation, and dedication to our programs. Thus far we have held a successful curriculum night for parents, two adult-child days in Pre-K, open house, a book fair, and a Halloween parade. I would also like to thank all those that participated in our annual PTO Gertrude Hawk Sale. This money raised goes right back into the classroom to fund several activities, field trips, and educational technology. Finally, congrats to the SVEYA and the 7/8 Youth Football team for their Superbowl victory over Maine Endwell! Respectfully Yours, Kai A. D’Alleva, Principal

Thank You Volunteers!

Volunteerism is an important part of the culture at SVE Elementary. During the months of Septem-ber, October, and November, we welcomed 87 different volunteers, not only in our building, but district wide. Volunteers help support teachers and students, and they assist in the coordination of events and activities. If you would like to volunteer please contact our Public Information Coordinator, Jennifer Swayze at jswayze@svecsd.org.

S-VE Elementary

From the Green Team

Going green is the way Brenda Anderson and Jessica Barnes have begun this 2012-2013 school year. The Green Teams in the ele-mentary and middle schools are off to a phenomenal start. Within the first week of school waste lines were set up and Terracycle collecting began. Also, Brenda and Jessica had the opportunity to present at the 2012 NYSAR Recycling Conference in Cooperstown, NY. At this event they shared how each building established their Green Teams and the paths they have taken to be where they are now. Their ultimate goal is to continue teaching students how to recycle, compost and take care of their Earth. Each building is working on these goals in their own way.

In the Elementary School:

The Green Team has established its committees and will be meeting monthly to make this year our most informative one yet. This year’s committees are:

Morning Announcement Committee: This committee will be teaching the building facts about recycling as well as building student confidence in public speaking.

Terracycle Committee: This committee is planning to make Terracycle even more powerful in our community. If you are unsure of what Terracycle is, check it out at www.terracycle.net or ask a student

Reading Committee: Kids will be reading fiction and non-fiction “green” books to other students to help make students aware as well as building reading skills.

Poster Committee: Students will create posters to share through-out the school and possibly even out into the community!

Green Week Committee: Our Green Week is scheduled from March 4th through the 8th. The committee will begin making plans soon!

In the Middle School:

The Greenhouse Program in the middle school has started their year off with a month’s worth of Terracycle Homeroom Challenges. Each homeroom is collecting various items from chip bags to shampoo bottles and smelly sneakers to candy wrappers in the name of competition, good fun, environmental awareness and raising money. Each week the homeroom that collects the most points in Terracycle-able items wins prizes ranging from Smencils (fun smelling pencils made out of recycled materials) to breakfast!

Many students have joined the ranks of the “Waste Line” ambassadors, a student volunteer group that keeps close watch on the compost line in the cafeteria to make sure no non-compostable items get in. Waste Line ambassadors will soon be re-educating the staff and students about what items can and cannot go into the compost bins.

The Greenhouse Program students are currently working in conjunction with various classrooms in the building to hold our 6th annual Pie Sale fundraiser. Students create and distribute order forms, gather materials and bake pies to sell as a yearly fundraiser.

Please visit http://svecsd.org/es.cfm for more information and important dates.

Follow Mr. D’Alleva on Twitter https://twitter.com/SVE_Elementary

A Message from the PTO

The PTO meets the first Wednesday of every month. We

are always looking for parents who want to be involved.

Remember you do not have to attend every meeting and

there are several opportunities to volunteer.

S-VE MIDDLE SCHOOL

6th Grade Students at Cornell University In October, four Cornell students came to S-VE to grab the

attention our sixth graders. Our students learned about many

aspects of college life including financial aid, clubs, sports,

how to study for a special major, and living in a dormitory.

Then, on November 7, the sixth grade class got the opportuni-

ty to go to Cornell University for the day thanks to S-VE and

The Cornell K-12 Outreach Center.

The trip was a huge success! We climbed the McGraw Clock

Tower, explored campus using our maps, learned how to

properly deal diversity, saw amazing artwork at the Johnson

Art Museum, and enjoyed Cornell's fine dining at The Appel

Commons! We are sending thank you notes and personal nar-

ratives describing the experience to Nate Lockett, Assistant

Director for K-12 Outreach, and his fantastic team for all of

their hard work and planning!

Next, the sixth grade students will be starting the mock col-

lege application process. They will complete an application,

writing an entrance essay, and even get interviewed by Cor-

nell students here at the S-VE Middle School. Those who are

"accepted" will return to Cornell and experience a class in

their desired major! We are continuing to lead students closer

to their dreams and inspire them to go further! We appreciate

the continued support of our community!

By: Jeannette Woodard

Babes in Toyland For the past several months students and faculty at the Spencer-Van Etten Middle School have been perfecting their roles for the upcoming musical performance of Babes in Toyland. Alexandria Hanessian, Bret McDermott, and Laura Voorhees are directing this year’s production which is sure to fill us with a little holiday magic and create special memories for the students and their families. Babes in Toyland is a heartwarming story complete with music and a special holiday mes-sage. Goldilocks, Little Red Riding Hood, Little Miss Muffet, Little Boy Blue, and even Santa Claus himself will take the stage at the Spencer-Van Etten Middle School Auditorium. As the stage is set and the back stage crew learns their cues, please consider joining us for this extraordinary holiday performance. Babes in Toyland will be performed at the Middle School Auditorium on Fri-day, December, 14th at 7:00 P.M., Saturday, December 16th and Sun-day, December 17th at 2:00 PM. In the true spirit of the season the cost per ticket is one non- perishable food item or toy, which will be donated to local charities. Tickets will be available at the door or may be reserved by calling 589-7120 or 589-7111. Babes in Toyland is sponsored by P.A.V.E. and produced by special arrangement with The Dramatic Publishing Company of Woodstock, Illinois. Babes in Toyland is a musical based on the operetta by Victor Herbert and Glen MacDonough. Adapted by Ruth Perry and Ann Smit.

8th Grade Go Animate!!!

Mr. McIntosh’s 8th grade art classes started their technology based

curriculum this month with creating a story line based on their own

animation characters. Mr. McIntosh felt that the students were en-

gaged in learning a new way of creating digitally, while meeting the

common core curriculum with English Language Arts. With the help

of Darla Thomas (technology director) and the new MST computer

lab, there were enough computers available for all of the students in

each class.

When asked why use computer based design in art, Mr. McIntosh

replied, “I am hoping this will encourage students by expanding their

understanding of what Visual Art is, and how it’s not just drawing

and painting. Technology is at their fingertips, and I hope that I can

lead them to success in this changing world.”