Weekly Update from the Office of the Superintendent

Volume 2, Issue 30 (April 1, 2022)

Video Update: https://youtu.be/vq83T6AvZ_U

BUDGET PLANNING

On Tuesday, May 17, the Ken-Ton School District community will have the opportunity to vote on the proposed 2022-23 school year budget at the annual Budget Vote & Board of Education Election. We expect the budget to be finalized at the April 5th Board of Education meeting with the public hearing scheduled to take place at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 10. Everyone in our community is encouraged to attend, ask questions, learn about the budget, and vote on May 17. Voting will take place from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Hoover Middle School (use the Sheridan Drive entrance). You can learn more about the budget at www.ktufsd.org/budget

This year, we have decided to set the tax levy below the property tax cap, which will save taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars. We were able to achieve because of additional funding we received. The 2022-23 budget and our Smart Schools allocation combined with our plan for our Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CCRRSA) and the American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding is how we are strategically meeting the needs of our students to help them meet their full potential.

There are several initiatives we are excited about which we expect to have a significant impact on student achievement and social-emotional outcomes:

• As we continue to see a nationwide shortage of mental health professionals, the district is being proactive in increasing its mental health staff (3 counselors, 3 social workers, 1 psychologist, 2 speech pathologists, and 3 special education teachers) to best address the needs of students and families.
• We are expanding our extremely successful Big Picture Program, which is designed for students who thrive in a non-traditional classroom setting, to include seventh grade.
• We are creating new partnerships with community organizations to enhance our mental health and social-emotional support services such as BestSelf Behavioral Health, Compeer, Peaceful Schools and the University at Buffalo Institute on Trauma and Trauma-Informed Care (ITTIC). We are also engaging in proactive crisis planning.
• We are continuing to invest in our technology infrastructure to best leverage the thousands of additional devices we secured during the pandemic.
• Through our ongoing Curriculum Review Cycle, we are continuing to identify improvements in curriculum and instruction including the implementation of a comprehensive award-winning STEM science curriculum.

We must keep in mind that safety and security continue to be our No. 1 priority. Therefore, we are continuing to make major investments in this part of our Ken-Ton Forward. Projects to enhance security include state-of-the-art camera systems and secured entrances through our $4.95 million Smart Schools allocation. This, combined with the enhanced single points of entry in our ongoing Capital Project, will create a safer, more secure school environment for our students and staff.

HOLMES ELEMENTARY: Today was a special day at Holmes Elementary School as students and staff came together for their first all-school assembly since before the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of the assembly was to promote a positive school environment and set the stage for the remainder of the school year. It was also an opportunity for everyone to wear their new gold Holmes Elementary T-shirts for the very first time. Each student received a T-shirt thanks to the Ken-Ton Closet, Nickel City Shirts and the family of Marilyn Curcio, who passed away in January. Marilyn was the lead secretary of Holmes Elementary, retiring at the end of the 2015-16 school year. Her family made a very generous donation to the Ken-Ton Closet and they decided to work with Nickel City Shirts to use the funds to provide each Holmes Elementary student with a T-shirt.

HIGH SCHOOLS: The Ken-Ton Special Education Parent/Teacher Organization (SEPTO) in partnership with the Ken-Ton School District will host a vendor fair for Ken-Ton School District students with disabilities and their families to assist with the transition after high school. “High School & Beyond: Preparing Students with Disabilities for their Future” will take place Thursday, April 7th from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Kenmore East High School (350 Fries Road Tonawanda, NY 14150) East and West Cafeteria. Food trucks will be on site between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. The event will include the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), Access-VR (Vocational Rehabilitation), the Western New York Collegiate Consortium of Disability Advocates (WNYCCDA), Parent Network of WNY, Ken-Ton SEPTO, and more.

HOLMES ELEMENTARY: We were extremely proud of Patrick Spence, a fourth-grade student at Holmes Elementary School, who was featured by WGRZ Channel 2 as one of two "STEM Stars of the Month" for March! Patrick and his family were interviewed by meteorologist Elyse Smith regarding his love for science, space and astronomy. The two STEM stars had a special surprise in store for them: the opportunity to meet NASA astronaut Doug Wheelock, who logged 178 days in space on board the Space Shuttle Discovery as well as the International Space Station and Russian Soyuz. You can view the story here.

KENMORE EAST: Kenmore East High School orchestra ensembles teamed up with Buffalo String Works students for an exciting concert event on March 25th which included the world premier of a brand new piece by composer Tanner Otto. Best of all, students had the opportunity to rehearse with Mr. Otto and develop a deep understanding of the composition. The concert was organized by Orchestra Director Laura Jay in partnership with Buffalo String Works, a non-profit after-school strings program for refugee students in Buffalo. She commissioned Mr. Otto to develop a new piece just for that occasion. The composition, entitled “TransPlant,” had never been performed before. The concert included approximately 70 students from Buffalo String Works and 75 students from the Kenmore East Concert Orchestra and Symphonic Orchestra. All students came together for the performance of “TransPlant” with Mr. Otto as guest conductor. Click here to read the story.

FRANKLIN ELEMENTARY: Thanks to a grant from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Children's Museum (Explore & More) and the generous support of the PTA, hundreds of Franklin Elementary students are enjoying the fun hands-on exhibits and educational activities at Explore and More. Kindergarten classes visited the museum on Friday with additional trips planned for other grade levels. Additionally, second-grade classes also had the opportunity to visit the SPCA!

KENMORE EAST: On March 23, Erie County Legislator Lisa Chimera presented Michael Burke with a Legislative Proclamation honoring him for earning his diploma. Mr. Burke, who attended Kenmore East during the 1960s, left school early and enlisted in the U.S. Army at the height of the Vietnam War. He served with distinction, leaving the military in 1973. He always regretted having missed his opportunity to graduate. With the help of his friend and fellow veteran John McCune and Kenmore East, Mr. Burke was awarded his diploma through New York State Operation Recognition, which allows school districts to award diplomas to members of the armed forces who did not graduate. Legislator Chimera was so impressed with Mr. Burke’s determination and accomplishments that she initiated a Legislative Proclamation congratulating him on his achievement. Read the article here.

KENMORE WEST: We are extremely proud of Kenmore West High School 11th-grade student Emma Kresge who has placed in the top 10 at the National Shakespeare Competition Semi-Finals and will now compete in the national finals. The event is normally held at the Lincoln Center but was scheduled to take place virtually this year. Emma performed both a monologue from Othello portraying Emilia as well as Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116. Congratulations Emma and good luck!

RECOGNITION: MALAWI SCHOOL PROJECT

This week, we recognize the efforts of three local families who have set out to build a school in an impoverished village in Southeastern Africa. The two-room school building will be constructed in a rural village in the Republic of Malawi several hours from the capital city of Lilongwe. The families are currently in the process of raising money to fund the project and will travel to Africa this summer to assist with the construction.

Jessica Mang-Morris, a fourth-grade teacher at Franklin Elementary School, is involved with this initiative along with her husband Scott and their four children, all of whom are Ken-Ton students: Henry (Gr. 11), Sidney (Gr. 11), and Amelia (Gr. 9) from Kenmore East High School and Louis (Gr. 7) from Franklin Middle School. Joining them in this endeavor is Mrs. Mang-Morris’s brother, Jason Mang, along with his wife MaryAnn and their daughter, Audrey (Gr. 10), who attends Kenmore West High School.

They initiated the project through buildOn, an international non-profit organization that specializes in constructing schools in developing countries. The group provides all the necessary logistical support to make this happen. So far, buildOn has facilitated the construction of more than 2,000 schools in eight different countries with nearly 300,000 students in attendance.

Malawi is a nation of nearly 20 million people and the average age is 18 due to the very high number of children, most of whom do not have access to schooling. The organization focuses on constructing small local schools because larger schools would be farther away from where the children live, making it harder for them to attend. Mrs. Mang-Morris explained that this is especially important for young girls, since they have an even harder time getting away from the household in order to attend school.

For Mrs. Mang-Morris, the inspiration for the project was not just to give back to those in need, but also to educate her children about the realities faced by much of the world’s population and inspire them to strive to make the world a better place. She also wants them to know how fortunate they are to have access to education by seeing first-hand how the new school will transform the lives of children in the village. “We want them to understand the importance of education," Mrs. Mang-Morris said.



We applaud everyone involved with this initiative and wish them the best in the months to come. You can learn more about the project by visiting their GoFundMe page.

RECOGNITION: 147 CAFÉ

Back row, from left, Miss Nicole, Mrs. O'Neil, Mrs. Holt, Anna Alfearie, Isabella Masiello, TaMyah Tubbins, Mrs. Pryor, Sammy Brown, Mrs. Coley, Ms. Burr and Mrs. Guirguis. Front row, from left, Miss Ashley, Makaya Morris, Jordan Cannarozzo, Joseph Kfoury and Caiden Fuller. Missing from photo: Mrs. Tedesco, Mrs. Marabella, and Ms. Elaine.

On Thursday, administrators and staff were treated to a very special lunchtime dining experience at Hoover Middle School in Room 147, also known as the 147 Café. Special education teacher Kristen Coley’s class created an authentic restaurant experience to give the class a chance to develop real-life workplace skills.

The students spent weeks practicing and preparing for this special day. They decorated the room like a genuine Italian café complete with flowers, table settings, decorations and music. They purchased supplies and prepared the menu which included bread, salad, ziti, meatballs, and cannolis for dessert. They did an outstanding job seating their customers when they arrived, taking orders, processing transactions, preparing and serving the food and beverages, and checking back frequently to make sure their guests had everything they needed.

The 147 Café has been a tradition at Hoover Middle School for three decades. This concept allows students to develop a multitude of skills while also raising money to support educational opportunities throughout the school year. Congratulations to this dedicated group of staff and highly gifted students for the experience they created for everyone who was fortunate enough to attend.

• Friday, April 8: End of Third Marking Period
• Monday, April 11-Friday, April 15: Spring Recess
• Monday, April 18: Superintendent Conference Day (No Student Attendance)