H

ello NR-W families and yes…it really is January 2012. As we continue

moving the district forward there is no doubt that academic concerns

comprise a major focus for all. Upcoming Regent Assessments (at the HS)

and early spring 3-8 assessments remain on our radar screen. Although one

exam does not tell the whole story, we recognize common assessments as a

valuable piece of data. I hope all our students continue working hard, im-

prove their skills, and take these exams seriously. As we begin this New

Year we hope you’ll continue helping us prepare your student for these seri-

ous benchmarks. Working together, we can directly impact student success.

As we move through winter we’ll be planning the district budget. We un-

derstand that all taxes are too high [thus the 2% tax cap]. That said, be

aware a 2% cap does nothing to solve the serious lack of State funding or satisfying SED mandates.

There is no escaping this fact…the lack of funding is going to impact our program and our communi-

ty. We will continue being fiscally responsible in managing all our funds [including reserves], but given

current State predictions, it’s like watching a train wreck in slow motion. I’ll continue sharing specific

information as we head toward May.

I’ll end for now. There’s lots happening throughout our buildings and I want them to have more space to share. Stay bundled up, help all our kids stay

warm and focused on getting smarter… every day.

January 2012

John Walker

Superintendent

NR

-

North Rose-Wolcott

Central School District

NR

-

Student Journalists

Get the Scoop!

North Rose-Wolcott High School

students are now serving as

reporters and photographers for

this newslet-

ter. See

what they’ve

come up

with in

“Student Scoop” on page 3.

Ninth Annual NR-W Holiday Toy Drive

T his year, our school community has come together to donate just

over 360 toys and gifts to needy families in our area.

Our holiday toy drive each year honors the memory of LCPL Jarod Houghton,

a generous young man who was committed to helping others and whose lega-

cy lives on with this community’s spirit of giving each year.

The collection of toys and gifts was delivered to the Wolcott Council of

Churches, who this Christmas, along with the church communities in Rose,

North Rose, and a number of other organizations, are servicing more than 400 needy families.

We’d like to thank everyone who contributed a gift, money, and time to this worthy cause. Special thanks go out to

the National Junior Honor Society for their fundraising efforts, and to the middle school music program for their partici-

pation in the toy drive. Finally, as always, our deepest thanks to Mary Lou Lockwood for accepting and organizing our

donations to make the holiday season a little brighter for so many in need.

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20120120122

2



Juniors/Seniors in need of retaking :

Tuesday, January 24th will be a 1/2 day for most high school students, due to the administration of

the NYS English Regents Exam. Only students (all Juniors and some Seniors) sitting for the New

York State English Regents exam will be required to stay for the afternoon. Lunches will be served for all

students. Dismissal will be at approximately 11:30 a.m.

Friday, January 27th is a Superintendent’s Day and Rating Day. Only students who need to retake the Global History

exam or the RCT Writing exam need to report that morning.

Important

News for

High School

Students

Afternoon

Staff Rating

9:00 a.m.

9:00 a.m.

9:00 a.m.

9:00 a.m.

12:00 p.m.

12:00 p.m.

12:00 p.m.

---

Front Row (L to R): Olivia (Newark), Alyssa (Red

Creek), Tricia (Williamson), Jessica (Gananda), Marie

(Palmyra-Macedon).

Back Row (L to R): George (Lyons), George (Clyde-

Savannah), Dillon (Marion), Hunter (Wayne), Nolan

(North Rose-Wolcott), Assemblyman Robert Oaks.

Missing from photo is Brittany (Sodus).

The Col. Wm. Prescott

Chapter of the National

Society of the Daugh-

ters of the American

Revolution held its

annual award ceremo-

ny and reception to

honor 11 students in

the Class of 2012 cho-

sen by their respective

public high schools in

Wayne County to re-

ceive the prestigious

DAR Good Citizen

Award on November

16, 2011. Joining in

recognizing the Class

of 2012 recipients for their Dependability, Service, Leadership and Pat-

riotism were Chairwoman Sue Dennie and more than 50 guests, includ-

ing school officials, Assemblyman Robert Oaks and DAR members.

The seniors were chosen for exemplifying the following attributes: de-

pendability, service, leadership and patriotism.

Congratulations to

Nolan

who was nominated by the faculty and staff of the North Rose-

Wolcott High School to be the recipient of the DAR Good Citizen award!

Daughters of the American Revolution

For decades, teachers across the country have been following a set of educa-

tional standards unique to their own state. These standards have been a sort

of educational “roadmap,” helping guide teachers as they plan and implement

their instruction. They don’t determine exactly what or how to teach, but they

help teachers set goals and high expectations for themselves and for their

students. Within the past year, 46 states have voluntarily adopted the new

Common Core Learning Standards [CCLS]. These standards, created by

educators and state legislators, give one common “roadmap” to drive the in-

struction that students receive in each of these states. They are not national

standards, and each state still maintains areas in their curriculum that are

unique, but the CCLS will ensure consistent high-quality instruction in English

Language Arts and in Mathematics, regardless of where students live. CCLS

combines the highest, most effective models from every state, and provides

appropriate benchmarks for all students in Kindergarten through Grade

Twelve.

The new standards are rigorous, and their focus is to develop critical-thinkers

who are well prepared for college or career training programs. Curriculum and

assessments will correlate specifically with the CCLS and teachers are work-

ing collaboratively to consciously design instruction that meets the standards.

There are several instructional shifts being made in both English Language

Arts and Mathematics, with the focus being to deepen understanding and to

spiral/enhance student learning throughout the grade levels.

What can you do at home to support the new “roadmap” teachers and stu-

dents are following? If you are already reading with your children, communi-

cating with his/her teachers, and participating in school activities, then you’re

on the right track. Beyond that, you can find two simple ideas below that will

support the new Common Core Learning Standards for ELA.

● Read more non-fiction text. 50% of what kids are reading should be infor-

mational text. When you read together, try books about animals, sports,

traveling, food, space, etc. The local library has tons of great books and

magazines that you can check out for free!

●

Talk about what you read. What did you learn that you didn’t know be-

fore? Ask your child a question, and ask them to show you where they

found their answer within the text.

More information about the CCLS can be found on the following websites:

http://www.corestandards.org/ and http://engageny.org/resource/common-

core-shifts/

As always, a team approach between school and home will be most effective

for all children. The new Common Core Learning Standards do provide the

“roadmap” to help guide instructional methods at school, but by working to-

gether, the journey will be as fulfilling as the destination.

Congratulations to senior Jake who recently received All State honors

from the National Soccer Coaches

Association of America for his

outstanding season as goal keep-

er for the NR-W Cougars! Jake

was co-captain of our school’s

Section V soccer team, and had

seven shutouts during the team’s

6-11-1 season.

Jake also set a

school record for saving 4 out of 5

penalty kicks against him. Jake is

the son of Kathy and Eric W. of

North Rose. He plans to attend

college where he hopes to play

soccer or baseball.

Common Core

Learning Standards

By Katie Lumb

On November 22nd Second Grade classes

gathered together for a Thanksgiving Feast.

Many preparations took place prior to the feast.

Students learned about life on the Mayflower

and the settlement of the Pilgrims at Plymouth.

Students made placements, reviewed table manners and learned how the

First Thanksgiving took place. They were engaged in reading a variety of

nonfiction and realistic nonfiction literature about the Pilgrim and Native

American culture.

Each classroom was responsible for reading recipes and

preparing various items on the menu.

Students were encouraged to dress for the feast as

either a Pilgrim or Native American. After the feast, stu-

dents played an Indian game, read and sang poetry relevant to the holiday

and watched a play called The Rough-Faced Girl, presented by students in

Mrs. Yonker’s and Mrs. Youngs’ class.

Page 2

www.nrwcs.org

January 2012

2nd Grade Thanksgiving Feast

On Nov. 1-2, Senora Borden’s

MS Spanish students learned

about and celebrated El Dia de

los Muertos, which is Spanish for Day of the Dead. Although this sounds

like a morbid holiday, it is anything but. Day of the Dead is a time for citi-

zens of Mexico and parts of Guatemala to honor and celebrate the lives of

loved ones who have passed away. Many of Mrs. Borden’s students par-

ticipated in the ofrenda by bringing in pictures and moments of lost loved

ones to share with the class. They made paper cempasuchil (marigolds-

the ancient Aztec flower of death) and traditional masks to decorate the

room. The students enjoyed enter-

ing the room each day which was

filled with the scent of copal and

sampling pan de muertos, the

traditional bread for the occasion.

Day of the Dead

---

NR-W Staff Raises $5,055 for United Way

North Rose-Wolcott Central School District employees exceeded their

$3,000 goal and pledged $5,055 in the recently ended United Way cam-

paign. This year’s campaign total is up from last year’s $3,319.

These local businesses contributed incentive gifts during the campaign:

Wolcott Village Pharmacy, Reliant Community Credit Union, and Caval-

laro-Neubauer.

The following assisted with the NRW campaign: Carol Quill, president,

North Rose-Wolcott Teachers Association; William Fisher, president,

North Rose-Wolcott Service Employees’ Association; and building repre-

sentatives Mr. Burns, Ms. Phelps, Mr. Wilson, Ms. Brooks, Ms. Borden,

Mr. Lehman, Mr. Newman, Mr. Pauldine, Mr. Treasure, Ms. Packard, Ms.

Merritt, and district staff members Ms. Dobbin, Ms. Visconti, and Ms.

Kanaly-Geil.

articles

For ALC Student

Dec. 16 was graduation day for Errol.

Several members of Errol’s family, NR-W staff, and

Alternative Learning Center students celebrated

with food, remembrances, and a little Super Mario

at the North Rose-Wolcott High School ALC.

Errol is planning to join the U.S. Navy.

Errol

‘Movember’ Changes Face

Of Men’s Health Awareness

By Mitch

Student Reporter

North Rose-Wolcott High School recently joined a world-wide effort to

“grow” awareness of men’s health. The NRW team grew beards and

moustaches in November and raised about $600 which will go to the

Movember Prostate Cancer Foundation. Movember (“Mo” is slang for

“moustache”) provides funding for male health awareness. More specifical-

ly, Movember advocates early detection, diagnosis and effective treatment

of cancer. NRW Employees raised money by voting on moustache styles

online, matching styles with participating

staff members. Funds were also raised

from the sale of fake moustaches at the

high school.

The NR-W team consisted of Mr. Benz, Mr.

Ackley, Mr. Tierson, Mr. Thomas, Mr.

Grasso, Mr. VanLaeken, Mr. Skinner, Mr.

Walker, Mr. Furletti, Mr. Wojieck, and Mr.

Witkiewitz, as well as students Zach and

Jordan.

Mr. Witkiewitz with his

mighty moustache

.

North Rose-Wolcott High School was the place to be for music and art on

Dec. 8, as seen in these photos by student Devon. Above left, visitors

enjoy the train theme art exhibit at the gallery. Dylan, above right, warms

up for the Winter Concert. The Interact Club sold soup, bread and apples

to raise funds to sponsor a foreign exchange student.

Feast for The Senses

The Oasis Senior Citizen Club enjoyed listening to Christmas selections

performed by the High School Select Choir on December 14th at the Rose

Grange. Members of the Select Choir are Noah, Cobey, Caleb, Tyler, Con-

ner, Bradley, Nolan, Bryce, Kassandra, Susie, Naomi, Amelia, Laura, Helen,

Erin, Brittany, Katie, Erin, Emily, and Lexus. The Select Choir is led by Mr.

Fred Dunn. The students enjoyed performing and received candy canes

and Christmas candy after the performance!

New School Buses To Hit the Roads

Students returning to school for second semester will

soon see some new school vehicles on the road.

Voters approved purchase of the buses Dec. 8 by a vote

of 124 to 41. The estimated cost is $450,000, with $200,000 to be paid from

the Capital Reserve Fund.

It is expected that the two new mini vans, two small buses, and three full-

sized buses will be in use by the end of January.

The timing of the bus vote was a little unusual. Generally, the district presents

its new buses proposition at the same time as the annual budget vote. How-

ever, the district delayed the vote until after the state legislature defeated an

aid change proposed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo that would have disqualified the

bus purchases from aid. The legislature’s action came too late to present the

bus proposition at the normal time.

"A" week during kindergarten reading...

Kindergarten students read the nonfiction book, "Apples," did an apple

"taste testing"

and learned the following action poem:

Way up high in the apple tree

Two little apples smiled at me

I shook that tree as hard as I could

Down came the apples

Mmmm, they were good!

The 2011 Middle School Tech-

nology class glider team compe-

tition has drawn to a close with

Micah and Mikayla emerging as

this year’s champs. Both built

and flew excellent gliders and

Micah broke all existing records

for flight length. The two winners are pictured here with their prize of a

“cookie fiesta”.

Page 3

www.nrwcs.org

January 2012

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Presentations/Discussions:

* School Board Recognition

* High School Building Tour

* Music Department overview

* K-5 Special Ed Summer School Report

* PBIS Update

* BOE member reduction discussion

* Administrator Reports

* Curriculum Reports

* BOE Committee Reports

Approval:

* Treasurer’s Reports for September and October 2011

* ALC Internship Program

* Poll Workers for School Bus Vote

* Authorization to hire Appraiser

* Authorization to return unpaid taxes to the county.

* Acceptance of Single Audit Report, Basic Financial Statements & Cor-

rective Action Plan for year ending June 30, 2011

* Fund Balance Recommendations to Purchase Buses

* Overnight stay approval for Varsity Wrestling team

* 8th Grade Honors Trip

* BOE Member Reduction

* High School course approval

* District Property disposal.

Appointments:

* Reinstatement of Sr. Clerk/Typist: Sue Riley

* Volunteers

* Lifeguard/WSI

* Cleaner: Dustin Williams

* After the Bell Program Teachers and Aide

* Bus Monitor: Vel Washburn

* Permanent Apt.: Vel Washburn

* AV Coordinator

Resignations:

* Angela Kirkey, Coordinator of Pupil Services

* George McCall, Bus Driver

Page 4

www.nrwcs.org

January 2012

Board Highlights

Emergency School Closings

hen schools must be closed, the decision is made

by the Superintendent of Schools based on availa-

ble information and recommendations from several

sources. If the decision is made to close the schools, the

Superintendent will call you via our Connect-ED commu-

nication system. In addition, it will be broadcast on televi-

sion and the following radio stations:

Radio Stations: WHEN (620 AM), WHAM (1180 AM), WHTK Sports Radio

(1280), WBEE (92.5 FM), The Fox (95.1), WPXY (97.9 FM), WTKW (99.5), The

Drive (100.5), WKRL (100.9), WZUN (102.1, 106.1), Sunny-FM (102.3), WTKV

(105.5), WKRH (106.5), Kiss FM(106.7), WHTK-FM (107.3)

TV Stations : WSTM Channel 3, WTVH Channel 5, WROC Channel 8, WIXT-

TV Channel 9, WHEN Channel 10, WHAM Channel 13, R-News YNN (Cable

TV)

If schools must close during the day, these same communication tools

will be used. Parents should make sure children know in advance what

to do should they come home unexpectedly and find no one there. Prior

arrangements should be made to have children cared for until a parent

arrives home.

January 10

BOE Meeting Rm. #210 7:00 pm

January 12

Grades 3 & 4 Roller Skating 3:15-4:45 pm

MS Roller Skating @ NRWE 6:30-8:30 pm

January 16

Martin Luther King Jr. Day - No School

January 17

NRWE Reading Incentive Program begins

January 24-27

High School Regents Exams (refer to front

page for details)

January 27

Superintendent’s Conference Day - No School

January 27 & 28

MS/HS All-County Chorus @ Clyde-Savannah

February 2

NRWE PE Night - 6:30 PM

February 3

MS Dance

February 4

Wayne County Solo Fest @ Newark

February 7

National Jr. Honor Society Induction @ MS

6:00 PM

February 8 & 9

8th Grade Orientation Visit to HS

February 9

5 Hour Course @ HS 4:30 - 9:30 pm

February 14

BOE Meeting Rm. #210 7:00 pm

February 16

Grades 1 & 2 Roller Skating 3:15-4:45 pm

MS Roller Skating @ NRWE 6:30-8:30 pm

February 20-24

Presidents’ Week Recess

IMPORTANT DATES

“The Mission of the North Rose-Wolcott Central School District is to create a safe and enriching learning environment

Going Green in Living Environment

During the month of

October the students in

Mrs.

Stratton’s

Living

Environment class re-

searched human impact

on the environment. The

students created seven

different companies –

Awesome Acid Rain

Preventers

(A.A.R.P.),

Globally Green, B.P. Inc.

(Bad Pesticides), STS

(Stop the Spills), Species Savers, Eco Dyne (Dynamic Young Noble Envi-

ronmentalists), and the Ozone Destruction Stoppers – each with a different

environmental problem to focus on. The companies were competing for

$500,000 of grant money to fund their going green environment project. The

project required each company to research background information about

the problem including causes and effects on the environment and possible

solutions. They also developed criteria to evaluate each of the solutions and

to determine the most sustainable action. On November 9th each company

presented to a panel of administrators and board members. This panel in-

cluded Mr. Walker, Mr. Magin, Mrs. Lisanto, Mrs. Muto, Mrs. Durham, and

Mrs. DeAngelis. These individuals had the very difficult task of selecting the

company that would win the grant money. After much discussion they

agreed that ALL of the groups had great presentations. Globally Green was

selected because they clearly described the different solutions and made

local connections with their solutions to global warming. The Globally Green

members were presented with a ”check” for $500,000, each received five

golden tickets and shared a pizza party with the whole class this past week.

For being the first winner of this project, the company name Globally Green

will be included on the project paperwork for future classes. Congratulations

to all students on a job well done!

Globally Green members - Emma,

Laura, & Garrett with

Mrs. Lisanto after winning the

Environmental Improvement grant money