Clarkstown Central School District Newsletter

Budget
Budget Vote is Monday, May 17, 2011 - Please Vote!
The budget vote and school board election will be held on Tuesday, May 17, 2011. The polls are open from 7:00 am to 9:00 pm at:

Clarkstown High School North
Congers Elementary
Link Elementary
West Nyack Elementary

For additional information on polling locations, registration or the absentee ballot process, please contact District Clerk Lilyane Lorusso at (845) 639-6455.

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2011-12 Budget Highlights

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Absentee Ballot Application

News From the Board of Education Meeting

Budget Hearing
The public hearing was held. The PTAs expressed their support for the budget. The final Community Budget Outreach Committee meeting was held on Monday, May 9, 2011 at Chestnut Grove. The Superintendent reviewed the budget proposal with members of the community.

The Pledge of Allegiance
The Pledge of Allegiance was beautifully recited by the following Congers Elementary School students: Santino Crespo, Juliana Feeney, C.J. Fusco, Caroline Stevens and Kursten Nelson and Lakewood Elementary School students: Teresa Thuruhuveilil Riku Robins, Kathleen Kunz, Joshua Reyes, Frank Trombetta and Brittney Fata.

Musical Performance
"Nothing Major, Only Minor" and "Jazz" were performed by the Bardonia Elementary School Band under the direction of Mrs. Denise Deitch. The upbeat music and dance performances had toes a tappin'! Mrs. Deitch wrote the original music composition and the Bardonia students arranged the choreography for the swinging dance moves.

Pennies for Patients
Ms. Julia Frazier, Campaign Manager of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, presented a plaque and expressed appreciation to the Lakewood Elementary Student Government for their fundraiser, Pennies for Patients. Through the generosity of the Lakewood community, $2,273.81 was raised to help fight these diseases.

ELA Presentation
Ms. Amber Klebanoff, 6th grade teacher in A-School at Felix Festa Middle School and two of her students, Jacquelyn Minassian and Jonathan Kay, presented on the school's English/Language Arts program. They were supported by Festa Principals Dianne Basso and Kevin Horan. The presentation illustrated how teachers are increasing proficiency of grade 6 students in reading for information and understanding, and literary response and expression. Ms. Klebanoff and her students demonstrated the type of writing assignments that are aligned with the ELA standards and performance indicators. Jacquelyn showed her illustrated Powerpoint presentation detailing her interview with a fictional literary character, and Jonathan read from his memoir on his often entertaining experiences at summer camp.

Netbooks Donation Accepted
The Board officially accepted a donation of 35 Netbooks from Google valued at $12,250. Google made the donation as a result of the work of Director of Instruction Technology John Krouskoff, Learning Facilitator John Calvert and the IT staff in engaging students and teachers in the use of Google Apps for instruction.

Read More

Board Vote On Instructional Materials
The Board voted to accept the Superintendent's recommendation to continue to allow teachers the option to offer the novel "The Perks of Being a Wallflower," as supplemental reading for 11th and 12th graders, with parental permission. The inclusion of the book in the curriculum was questioned. Policy #6520, Materials Selection provides a process for review when a member of the public requests the use of specific instructional materials be reconsidered.

Spotlight on Academic Excellence

2011 Valedictorians & Salutatorians
Clarkstown High School Principals Harry Leonardatos and Jim Vitale have announced the valedictorians and salutatorians from North and South for 2011. Congratulations to the students on their outstanding academic achievements.

The 2011 valedictorians and salutatorians are:

	Clarkstown High School North Dan Simpelo - Valedictorian Anthony Conte - Salutatorian
	Clarkstown High School South Divya Shah - Valedictorian Alyssa Bosso - Co-Salutatorian Rebecca Chandler - Co-Salutatorian

2011 U.S. Presidential Scholars
Semifinalists
From nearly 3.2 million graduating seniors from across the nation, approximately 3000 were identified as candidates in the prestigious U.S. Presidential Scholars program. Of these, only 560 students advanced to the semi-final round, and CCSD boasts two of these outstanding scholars, Divya Shah and Boyd Fan of Clarkstown South. The announcement letter to Principal Vitale said the following, "The achievements of these outstanding students deserve acknowledgement. I very much hope you will highlight these exceptional students' accomplishments. The commendations and support your offer...will underscore the fact that the most precious resource of the United States is its talented young people."

Winner
On Friday, May 6, Principal Vitale was informed that Divya Shah, valedictorian of the CHSS class of 2011, was named as one of our nation's 141 Presidential Scholars. "The students chosen for this prestigious honor have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement, artistic excellence, leadership, citizenship, service, and contribution to their schools and communities." U.S. Presidential Scholars will be honored for their accomplishments in Washington D.C., from June 18-21. Divya will attend Harvard University.

Spotlight on Student Art

Student Poet at West Nyack Elemenatary
Sean McManus, a fifth grader at West Nyack Elementary School, recently wrote the poem "Fireflies" after Dr. Keller-Cogan's visit to his classroom and a discussion she had with him and his classmates about the use of metaphors in poetry. His teacher is Ms. Sandra Wirchansky.

Fireflies
By Sean McManus

Fireflies create images
That last for a second
But stay with us for a lifetime

Fireflies dance in the night
Leaving behind trails
Of wonder

Fireflies paint the night
with a unique style
No one can copy

Fireflies paint the night
With amazement
For all to admire

Fireflies, no matter what
Size or shape
Are unique

Fireflies are
Not afraid to shine
They just shine

Fireflies are free
They cannot be contained
Keeping one contained
Is like breaking a bird's wing

Fireflies create a melody
As sweet as sugar

Fireflies do not repeat
Because creativity does not
Stay and chat

Fireflies come in June
And leave in August
Leaving behind a legacy
Of wonder and awe

New City Library Elementary Art Show
For the 30th year, students from Clarkstown elementary schools will showcase their work at the New City Library. The show runs from May 5 - May 24, 2011.
For a preview, click here.

District News

CCSD Named a 2011 Winner For Best Music Education
The Clarkstown Central School District was name as a winner of the 2011 Best Communities for Music Education Award. The BCME survey is a nationwide search for communities whose programs exemplify a strong commitment to music education. Established in 1999, BCME recognizes and celebrates schools, their administrators, teachers, board members, parents and students for their support of music education and their efforts to assure access to all students as part of the core curriculum.

CLC Summer Enrichment Camp Showcase
Thursday, May 12, 5:30pm 7:00pm
The Clarkstown Community Learning Center is offering a wide assortment of student enrichment camps this summer that are not only fun, but will provide ongoing academic challenges and enrichment. Camps will focus on a variety of areas from science, math, computers, literacy, and the arts, to cooking and more in a very creative, hands-on environment. Most camps are on a half-day, one week schedule and are geared towards specific grade levels. They will be taught by certified teachers who are experts in their field.
On Thursday, May 12th from 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm at Chestnut Grove come out and meet some of the teachers who are offering these exciting one-of-a-kind camps at our Summer Camp Fair Night. Register that night and receive a $10 discount on each enrichment camp.

CLC Summer Enrichment Course Catalog

Link PTA Founders Day & Senior Spring Fling
The Link PTA held a joyous Founders Day celebration on April 26th. Two teachers and two parents were honored with lifetime awards for their outstanding service and dedication to Link students and the Clarkstown community.

Honorary Lifetime Awards
Teachers
Mrs. Cynthia Kimmel
Mrs. Margaret Criscuolo

Parents
Ms. Kim Gifford
Ms. Patti Zodda

In what has become one of the hottest tickets in the district, Link students and staff again outdid themselves in hosting the annual Senior Spring Fling. The intergenerational celebration honored the senior members of our Clarkstown community with student performances and a lovely luncheon.
Click here for a photo slideshow.

FFMS Students Sum Up Their Work With A Generous Donation!
Sixth grade students at Felix Festa Middle School raised a total of $9,821.97 in this year's St. Jude's Math-a-thon -- almost $2000 more than last year! The funds will benefit St. Jude's, where doctors and scientists work to eradicate childhood cancer and other catastrophic childhood diseases.

The Math-A-Thon is an education-based competition that supplements the existing math curriculum, while also teaching students the importance of
helping others.

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, founded by the late entertainer Danny Thomas, is a pediatric cancer treatment and research center. Upwards of 260 patients are treated each day, and no child is ever denied treatment because of a family's inability to pay. The daily operating cost for St. Jude's is $1.5 million, which is primarily covered by public contributions like the generous gift made by the Festa students.

Photo - Teacher Matt Younghans and a group of Math-a-thoners!

CCSD Students to Represent New York State at NHD National Competition
Teams from Clarkstown High Schools North, South and Felix Festa Middle School placed first at the National History Day State finals in Cooperstown held on April 29. These students will go on to represent New York at the national finals in Maryland in June.

First Place - North Senior Group Documentary
- Shelby Hougui
- Miskat Rahman
- Saarthak Sarup

First Place - North & South Senior Group Presentation
- Madison Deming (North)
- Jake Gogats (North)
- Irina Huang (North)
- Elizabeth Kantor (South)
- Shivkrish Lingala (North)

First Place - South Group Website
- Dhruv Ragunathan
- Yeon Gyeong Lee
- Alvin Matthew
- Dhruv Ragunathan
- Rohan Patel

First Place - FFMS Group Website
- Justin Kim
- Ethan Yabloko

First Place - FFMS Individual Website
- William Atzl
First Place - FFMS Individual Exhibits
- Caroline Poleway

First Place - FFMS Individual Documentary
- Peter O'Neill

First Place - FFMS Group Performance
- Mackenzie Badick
- Meaghan McGovern

The National History Day advisors who worked with the students to produce the outstanding results are:

Mr. Jordan Turner, Clarkstown High School North
Mrs. Laurie Young, Clarkstown High School South
Mr. Paul Clemente, Felix Festa Middle School

The Clarkstown South Lacrosse Support Our Troops Classic
Wearing red, white and blue socks as a sign of support for the US Military, Clarkstown South Lacrosse held the "Support Our Troops Classic" on May 7 with the goal of collecting donations for care packages for our men and women in uniform.

The day was filled with continuous lacrosse action that featured four games throughout the day leading up to the varsity match between rivals Clarkstown South and Clarkstown North. The JV teams also went head-to-head, as did modified. In addition, the real goal was reached, as several boxes of donated items were collected. Rockland County Legislator Ed Day was on hand to congratulate the players, coaches and parents for remembering our troops.

The Classic was part of the South Varsity's "Adopt a Platoon" project. Adopt a Platoon is a national program founded in 1998 that sends care packages to troops serving overseas, particularly to soldiers serving away from the main bases who thus cannot get basic necessities as easily.

Schools Join Together to Give Japan Disaster Victims Hope
Clarkstown High Schools North and South and Felix Festa Middle School joined together for a series of fund-raising activities to raise money for disaster relief in Japan. From concerts, to soccer clinics, to making paper cranes for clothes and cash, the students and staff gave of their time to help our neighbors a world away. To date, their efforts have yielded a grand total of $13,434.34 and the donation of several items of clothing.

Hope for Japan Fund-raising Report (May 3, 2011)

Hope for Japan Concert at SHS - $10,246.44

South HS Fund Raising (March - April) - $603.05

North HS Fund Raising (March - April) - $1,184.85

FFMS Fund Raising (March - April)- $1,400

FFMS also sent over 2000 paper cranes to two organizations: Oshkosh B'Gosh, Inc., who donated one piece of children's clothing to a child tsunami victim per paper crane, and Students Rebuild, which donated two dollars per paper crane to relief efforts. This organization will also create an art installation with the one million cranes they received worldwide that will be given to the children of Japan from the children of the world.

CCSD Students Share Their Poetry At Barnes and Noble
Barnes and Noble offers public poetry reading events in the fall and spring. On May 5, several Clarkstown high school students were selected to read their original works at the store in Nanuet.

"It is amazing to offer young poets the opportunity to read their work in public. For many students, this is the first time they've been able to perform their work outside of the class environment, and we hope this experience inspires children to keep creating and keep performing," said Alison Stein, NHS English teacher, who attended the events and works with the students.

This spring's readers included: Jordan Kenney, Maggie Andresen, Dan Friedman, Alexandra Kenney, Rosa Latanzio, Caitlyn Wolper, Tom Farro, Raina Roy and Alex Torma. All of these poets have participated in other school sponsored poetry events like the fall Barnes and Noble poetry reading, Sticky Notes, Java Jive or have been published in student publications, such as Teen Ink Magazine.

The readings are sponsored by the Ramapough Poets and Diane Weber, a teacher at South High School, who also serves as the liaison for Barnes and Noble with all schools in Rockland.

A Salute to the CCSD Transportation Department
For most students, the school day begins when they board the bus. Parents trust their students to the highly regarded Clarkstown Transportation team, and with good reason.

Last year, Director of Business Services Alita Zuber directed Pupil Transportation Safety Institute (PTSI) to do a comprehensive review of the district's transportation operation. The results were extremely positive, with CCSD getting high marks for safety coupled with efficiency. Seethroughny.net, which benchmarks school spending, shows CCSD's transportation cost per pupil is $868, the second lowest in the county and significantly under the $1000+ state average.

Read the study - pdf

2009-10 Comprehensive Study of CCSD Transportation

CCSD Bus Mechanics are Top-Rated
For the third year in a row, the Transportation team has exceeded the high mark they set for themselves for passage of school bus safety inspections. The Department of Transportation gave the CCSD mechanics a 96% passing rate for the fiscal year, among the highest in the state. The mechanics have consistently reached their goal of a 90% or better pass rate.

The School Bus Safety Training Team
Student safety is the Transportation Department's number one priority. Each year, to help reinforce for the students the importance of safe and courteous behavior, the transportation staff collaborates to write, produce and perform a short play at our various schools. This year's work was entitled "Buster and the Old Bus Driver's Nightmare." The Old Bus Driver gets visited by ghosts who remind him that he's been a good driver in reinforcing the safety rules. The ghosts are:

The Ghost of Danger Zones

The Ghost of Safe Crossing

The Ghost of Staff Seating and

The Ghosts of Screaming and Peaceful (Bully-Free) Buses.

Click here for slideshow

Deputy Superintendent of Schools Dr. Deborah O'Connell after seeing the presentation, shared, "Director of Transportation Peter Brockmann and his staff take bus safety very seriously. Taking the time to write and perform a skit to reinforce critical safety skills with the students is above and beyond, and they should be commended. We need our transportation staff to keep our children safe on the busses; however I am fearful that we will lose their talents to BROADWAY!!!"

,,Star of the Show, Buster