The Newsletter of the Spencerport Central School District October 2014

What’s inside• SmartSchoolsBondAct

• Superintendent’sMessage

• Homecoming2014collage

• RotaryDictionaries!

SPENCERPORT CARES

A group of Service Learning Internship Program students volunteered for Foodlink last month at St. Peter’s Soup Kitchen, where they helped distribute donations to those in need. St. Peter’s Director Patty Lorenz estimated that the day was the busiest for them in many years and commented on how the day was successful due to the added help of the Spencerport High School students.

Please remember that Cosgrove

is a distribution site for Foodlink

this year. For those remaining

dates, check out page 6.

SLIP students at Foodlink

More Homecoming photos on pages 4-5

The Cornerstone2

Dear CommunityHomecoming 2014 proved to be a great communitywide event from our athletic contests to spirit week events, all culminating with the annual parade and football game. Everyone loves pictures, so I hope you take a few minutes to enjoy the homecoming collage found on pages 4 and -5.

Homecoming is certainly a fun celebration every year and provides an opportunity to show our pride in Spencerport. This devotion for our district also extends to the classroom with the exemplary education offered to our students.

Walking through the hallways of our schools continues to be one of the most rewarding experiences for me as a superintendent. The hard work and achievements of our students, staff and teachers are a source of pride for me as part of the blue and gold team, and we will persist in our efforts to build on our academic successes and overcome our challenges.

One such ongoing effort is in the area of instructional technology, as we shared with you in last month’s edition of Cornerstone. The direction and consensus agreed upon by a volunteer committee during the summer’s Technology Summit truly will serve as a foundation for us as we prepare our students for their futures using technology as tool for learning, processing and producing. This vision will also assist our district in making more fully informed decisions, based on the outcome of the Smart Schools Bond Act. Details of this referendum, which will be presented to voters during the statewide general election on Nov. 4, are outlined on this page. If passed, the allocation for Spencerport would be $2.7 million, and while the fate of this bond act is still yet uncertain, we will be ahead of the curve regardless, simply because of our efforts to develop a vision and strategic objectives for our learning community through the summit.

Our initiatives to implement instructional technology and modify teaching practices will be an ongoing priority, so I’ll be sure to provide updates to you on our progress. In the meantime, I hope the first two months of the school year have been successful and smooth for our families. If there’s ever anything I can do to help assist in making this a great school year, please do not hesitate to contact me. As I have repeated many times in my messages, the opportunity to partner with parents, teachers, administrators and community supports my favorite core value that when people work together toward a common goal, all things are possible.

Have a great October!

Appreciatively,

Mike Crumb

The New York School Public Relations Association (NYSPRA) has recognized Spencerport with an award of honor for its district newsletter, Cornerstone.

Judged by communication professionals from across the country, there were more than 330 entries in 14 different categories in the 2014 contest, and about one-third of the submissions received awards. NYSPRA announced Cornerstone as an award of honor winner in the community newsletter category and specifically for the September 2013 and June 2014 editions.

Superintendent Mike Crumb said, “Our newsletter continues to be one

of the primary ways we communicate with district residents, staff and families on our students’ achievements and vital news from around our schools. Our communication specialist, Lanette Cypher, deserves the credit for this award and the exemplary quality of our district newsletter. I also want to extend my appreciation to BOCES 2 graphic designer Lisa Mott and their print shop for their collaboration with us on Cornerstone.”

NYSPRA has recognized Spencerport in previous years with awards of honor and excellence for writing, special purpose publication (2008 district brochure), and the district calendar.

L-r, Ned Dale, Cosgrove principal; David Gibbardo, school board member; and Mike Crumb, superintendent, at the Homecoming game.

Cornerstone wins award of

The Newsletter of the Spencerport Central School District September 2014

Kindergartners learned about bus safety during the Spencerport School District Transportation’s annual bus orientation on Aug. 20-21. The incoming Class of 2027 practiced the proper ways to enter and exit the bus, emergency drills, and responsible ridership.

Safety drills at start of school

In this edition of Cornerstone, please find:•aWelcomebackmessage,updatefromourSuperintendent•anupdateonour2012CapitalProject,•infoaboutourwebredesign,and•newsaroundourdistrict.

Welcome back to the 2013-14 year!

honor

October 2014 3

Voters across New York state will cast their ballots Nov. 4 on the Smart Schools Bond Act, a referendum authorizing $2 billion in bonds to finance improved classroom technology and infrastructure. The projects undertaken with Smart Schools monies are fully state-funded and there is no required local financial contribution from the school district.

If approved, districts must slate funding based on the following criteria:

•Acquirelearningtechnologyequipmentor facilities, including but not limited to interactive whiteboards, computer servers, and desktop, laptop, and tablet computers;

•Installhighspeedbroadbandorwirelessinternet connectivity for schools and communities;

•Construct,enhance,andmodernizeeducational facilities to accommodate pre-kindergarten programs and to provide instructional space to replace classroom trailers; and

•Installhigh-techsecurityfeaturesin school buildings and on school campuses, including but not limited to video surveillance, emergency notification systems, and physical access controls.

New York state notified each school district of their potential allocation from the bond act, with $2,728,821 slated for Spencerport Central School District. The state determined these calculations based

on the district’s percentage of formula school aid (excluding Building Aid, and the Gap Elimination Adjustment) in 2013-14.

If voters approve the bond, each district must then submit a Smart Schools Investment plan for approval by the state. Spencerport will be a few steps ahead of this requirement, since our district held a technology summit over the summer, garnering input from staff and community stakeholders and establishing a strategic focus for the acquisition and integration of technology. An article on this summit appeared in our Sept., 2014 Cornerstone, which may be found on our web site.

Superintendent Mike Crumb shared, “If passed, there are still details where we will need clarification, such as the specific regulations for implementation and/or whether the funding must be spent in one year or across 3-to-5 years. Much like any opportunities for funding, we will identify our needs related to instructional technology and balance that with fiscal responsibility and sustainability.”

Smart Schools referendum in

Two Spencerport High School seniors are among a select list of 1,015 students from New York State to be named as 2014-2015 National Merit Scholarship semifinalists.

The National Merit Scholarship Corp. announced 16,000 U.S. semifinalists this week, with our very own Darcy DeAngelis and Matthew Tyler among the list of honorees. Buffalo Business First posted the recognition and students on their web site at http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/blog/morning_roundup/2014/09/84-national-merit-semifinalists-are-chosen-from.html?appSession=146140679186853

According to the announcement, 33 of this year’s National Merit semifinalists are from the eight counties of Western New York, while 51 are from the eight-county Rochester Area. The semifinalists will now be considered for 7,600 National Merit Scholarships worth about $33 million with finalists notified next spring.

The National Merit Scholarship Corp. established its national awards program in 1955, and semifinalists are chosen from an initial pool of 1.4 million U.S. students who took last year’s PSAT/NMSQT, a qualifying test.

For the complete announcement and database, visit Buffalo Business First at the link above.

Congratulations, Darcy and Matthew!

2 SHS seniors among semi-finalists as

NYS general election

Pictured, students work in the computer lab at Taylor Elementary School in September.

National Merit Scholars

REMINDERThursday,

November 20

K-8 Half Day Release

(Grs 9-12: full day session)

The Cornerstone4

Homecoming 2014

Homecoming 2014 Court:12th King: Leo Buoye Queen: Camille Colby (pictured above)

11th Prince: Joe Romangnolo Princess: Mary Paoletti

10th Lord: Ryan Gentile Lady: Olivia Iacobelli

9th Duke: Drew Palermo Duchess: Daniella Leone

October 2014 5

Homecoming 2014

The Cornerstone6

SPENCERPORT CARES

on Enterovirus D68By now most of you are aware of a virus, Enterovirus D68 (EV D68) that has been identified in school aged children in a number of states, including NYS. As a proactive measure, we want to bring awareness to our district families of this virus, its symptoms and its prevention, so we can hopefully minimize any impact on our students here.

At this link, http://www.spencerportschools.org/district.cfm?subpage=7277, please find an advisory letter from our district physician, Dr. Cindy Devore, along with helpful information on EV68 from the Centers for Disease Control.

Please note that all school nurses are also aware of the symptoms and are being diligent in monitoring potential illness among students.

If any new information or updates become available regarding EV D68, we will keep you informed on our web site.

Thank you.

Spencerport - Spencerport Central School District will be a distribution site in 2014-15, for Foodlink’s Mobile Pantry Program, which delivers perishable items directly to clients.

Foodlink staff and Spencerport students and volunteers will unload, set-up and distribute the food from the Cosgrove Middle School cafeteria from 5-7 p.m. on the following dates:

This initiative is a result of students serving on Cosgrove Middle School’s Student Council who brainstormed ideas on how to give back to the community, and more specifically, how to provide to area families the basic necessities for living. There are no geographic or income requirements to qualify to receive the food, however you must be 18 or older to accept the items. If you cannot attend one of the above dates, clients may also send an authorization form with a family representative. This form, along with details about this program, may be found at http://www.spencerportschools.org/community.cfm?subpage=6992

• Nov.21• Dec.19• Feb.10

• March25• June16

Cosgrove a distribution site for FoodlinkREMINDER:

HEALTH UPDATE

to perform in 12th Annual SU Festival Oct. 25Distinguished conductor Rebecca Rottsolk of Seattle will be the guest conductor for Syracuse University’s 12th Annual Invitational Women’s Choir Festival and concert on Oct. 25, at 4 p.m.

Spencerport High School Treble Choir under the direction of Ann Murphy will join approximately 175 other high school and collegiate women singers from around New York state to present the concert “Here, In Love and Majesty” in the Rose and Jules R. Setnor Auditorium, Crouse College. It is free and open to the public.

For most Setnor Auditorium concerts, free and accessible parking is available in the Q-1 lot. If the lot is full or unavailable, patrons will be directed to an alternate lot. For more information about the festival and concert, contact btagg@syr.edu.

SHS Treble Choir

Enrichment clusters at Taylor

Taylor Elementary School students participated in a variety of enrichment clusters during the first week of October, when students and teachers pursued common interests from robotics to pickleball.

October 2014 7

Ashely Somers – SUNY BrockportCongratulations to Ashley Somers, Spencerport HS and Cosgrove PE teacher and varsity girls basketball coach for her induction into the SUNY Brockport Hall of Fame on Saturday, Sept. 20.

Ashley was a 4-year letter winner in women’s basketball and also played softball and soccer. She was a three-year captain and holds numerous Golden Eagle basketball

records. In addition, she was a 4-time All-SUNYAC first team selection, and earned all-region honors as well as being selected as the 2008 SUNY Brockport female athlete of the year.

Hall of FameMunn teacher honored for The Greater Rochester Chapter of the U.S. Lacrosse Hall of Fame will induct Munn Elementary School teacher Scott Schwind among three other honorees into its class of 2014.

The Greater Rochester Chapter Hall of Fame has inducted individuals based on outstanding lacrosse achievement and/or contribution since 1992. The mission of the Lacrosse Hall of Fame is to honor men and women, past and present, who by their deeds as players, coaches, officials and/or contributors, and by the example of their lives, personify the great contribution of the sport of lacrosse to our way of life.

The induction ceremony and dinner will take place on November 7. Congratulations, Mr. Schwind!

Spencerport Rotary presents

ATHLETIC NEWS

dictionaries to our third graders

The Spencerport Rotary Club visited our four elementary schools on Sept. 22, with a special presentation of books to all of our third graders. The Rotary gave each student a dictionary of their own, as part of the club’s literacy program designed to encourage writing, reading and creative thinking. The dictionary project is now in its tenth year, and our district extends a special thank you to the Rotary for these books.

Lacrosse

Pictured, Scott Schwind with students during the 2013 Munn Turkey Trot.

Students compete in national

October2014 November14-22 Taylor fall book fair 20 HS winter sports sign up20 SMA, CMS 7 p.m.22 HS male winter sports recerts22 Taylor open house, Grs K-2 6 p.m.23 HS female winter sports recerts23 CMS parent/teacher conferences 3:45-6:45 p.m.23-24 CV book fair23-31 Red Ribbon Week24 Taylor family Halloween fun night 6 p.m.24 7th/8th Gr activity night 6:30-8:30 p.m. 24 MUNNster mash 6:30-8 p.m.28 Board of Education, CMS 7 p.m.29 8th Gr/HS bridging concert 7:30 p.m.

3 CMS winter sports sign up3 SSBC 6:30 p.m.5 CMS male recerts5 MSPA 6:45 p.m.6 CMS female recerts7-8 Jr Hgh area all state10 1st day V/JV winter sports begin11 Veterans Day, no school12 Bernabi roller skating 3:30 p.m.13-17 Munn book fair13 Munn parent/teacher conferences 3:45-6:45 p.m.13 Taylor parent/teacher conferences 3:45-6:45 p.m.13 BPA 6 p.m.13 Taylor PTO 6:30 p.m.13-14 HS musical production14 HS report cards mailed14 BPA bingo 6 p.m.14 MSPA family game night 6:30 p.m.17 Munn parent/teacher conferences 3:45-6:45 p.m.17 1st day Mod A/B wtr sports begin17 SMA 7 p.m.18 Board of Education, SHS 7 p.m.

2014

MATH MADNESS About 10 Spencerport High School students are participating in a national online math competition every week called “Math Madness”. Our students, pictured here, won their first round in this live, team-based math contest that is structured much like a round-robin event, where teams compete every week against different schools across the nation. This is the second year Spencerport has participated in this competition which features multiple choice and open-entry questions. The SHS team is advised by teacher Sandra McGreevy.

Board of Education:Mr. William Sweeney, President

Ms. Jody Gillette, Vice President

Mr. Gary Bracken

Mr. David Gibbardo

Mr. Jim Oberlin

Ms. Janet Tyler

Mr. Michael Zale

School Board members are elected to three-year terms and serve without pay.

Superintendent of SchoolsMichael Crumb

Editor: Lanette Cypher 349-5104

Design: Lisa Mott

www.SpencerportSchools.org

©2014 SCSD Public Information Office

Designed and printed at Monroe 2–Orleans BOCES