Message from the Superintendent

by Marilyn Capawan, Superintendent

February brings the end of a great deal of testing for our students as they had the opportunity

to demonstrate their knowledge and skills through Regents, midterms and New York State English

Language Arts examinations for Grades 3 through 8. While the official results of some of these as -

sessments will not be available until spring, teachers are able to examine much of this student work

and make instructional decisions that will lead to both increased student achievement and program

improvement in the future. Thanks to our students, families and staff for your diligence and effort over

these last few weeks.

Our EXCEL Capital Project has now entered a new phase. All the construction documents have

arrived in Albany, and are awaiting review and approval by the State Education Department. Shortly

after our documents were submitted, Albany announced that the review process could take as long as

25 weeks. However, our architects have been in contact with our project manager at the Department,

and he now estimates that our project review should actually be completed within the original 16 week

timeline. Should there be a change we will inform you, but at this time we expect to have state approv-

al in time to begin construction this summer as we had planned. We will have a Community Forum

prior to that time to present the project as it is approved, and share what we can expect as construction

gets underway.

Earlier this year, we conducted a Communications Survey to gauge the community’s perception

of the quality of the District’s communication efforts. While we did not receive a large number of

responses, the majority indicated that the Chronicle was the main source of information, and that let-

ters from teachers were also highly valued. Overall the ratings were fair to good, and we will continue

to work towards achieving excellence with our communication to you. Please remember to check our

website for updates as well!

As you may know, Mrs. Doris Marsh retired in January, and while we will miss her, we all wish

her the best in this new phase of her life. Mrs. Karen Mead will serve as Interim Middle/High School

Principal until the end of June. We will begin the search for a Principal in March, and invite commu-

nity members to be a part of that process. If you would like to participate, please call or email me and

let me know of your interest. Thank you.

The Board of Education Finance Committee, our Business Administrator and I have been work -

ing on building the budget for 2008-2009. Over the next few months, we will be looking carefully at

our program and identifying the essential elements of providing our students with excellence in educa-

tion. This year we will focus on student need, and create a budget that both supports academic achieve -

ment and respects the taxpayer and community.

Truth

Volume 5, Issue 4

Keshequa

The mission of

the Keshequa

Central School

District is

to provide

opportunities

to empower all

students to be

cooperative,

self-directed

lifelong learners,

prepared to

responsibly meet

the challenges of

the twenty-first

century.

February 2008

www.keshequa.org

Chronicle

To reach school district personnel by email please

visit our website at www.keshequa.org, click on

the Dalton Elementary, Nunda Middle School, or

Nunda High School link, scroll down the page and

look for the link that says Faculty Directory. For

questions please call 468-2541 ext. 1105.

---

2

CBr

Br

o

ody

on

has

dy

g

been

ra

no

W

minated

tuool

b

a

y

d!on

Ms.

ti

Susan Coff

s

ey for inclu-

sion in the official 2008 United States Achievement Academy

National Yearbook. Brody is eligible for one of 400 educational

cash grants awarded annually by the nonprofit USAA Schol -

arship Foundation.

Chess Teams

Earn Medals

It was an impressive finish for KCS students who

competed in the fall Genesee Valley BOCES Elementary

and Middle School Chess Tournament, with teams from

Albion, Dansville, Dalton, and Geneseo. At the elementary

level, Dalton tied Dansville for first place with 16 points.

Kirk Shrier from Dalton placed first in the advanced

section. Dalton’s Steven Tortorice and Morgan Ewing

both won bronze medals in the intermediate group. In

the beginner group, Dalton’s Michael Rautter and Wil-

liam Elliot also earned bronze medals. Keshequa’s Middle

School team scored 10 points, beating out Albion for first

place. Christian Garwood earned the gold medal and Tyler

Piraino earned the silver medal.

The students were grouped based on experience and

skill level. The elementary players were in an advanced,

intermediate, beginner, or a non-scoring open section. The

top four finishers in the advanced, intermediate and begin -

ner category were awarded

medals. The top finisher

in the open section also

received a medal.

DepF

by Che

r

ryl

o

Sanf

m

ar

ord

t

thmente

Music

Congratulations to the fifth and sixth-graders who have

been accepted into the Elementary All-County Festival Cho -

rus. From the sixth-grade: Kathryn Forrester, Emily Forrester,

Madison Bugman, Melissa McClements and Kaitlyn Pragle.

The students chosen from the fifth-grade include: Hannah

Snyder, Emma Snyder, Skylar Simmons, Tessa Gordinier, and

Patricia Alberti. They performed at Geneseo Central School

on Saturday, January 26, 2008. Congratulations to all the cho -

sen students.

Genesee Community College’s

Computer Director Visits KCS

James Bucki, Sr., Director of Academic Computer Technol-

ogy Programs at Genesee Community College, visited Keshequa’s

Senior High Career and Financial Management and Web Page De-

sign classes to discuss the spectrum of careers available within

the computer technology field. The presentation, funded by a

grant from the National Science Foundation and inspired by

Bill Gates, focused on upcoming shortages of qualified help

within the fields of creation, application development and

implementation, management, and application user.

According to Bucki, it’s a simple problem of not enough students

entering college within these fields. Thus, the laws of supply and

demand are boosting beginning salaries at an alarming pace. The guest

speaker was arranged by school-to-work program coordinator Shawn

Bielicki in an effort to help students solidify future career plans. After

the visit, James Bucki commented that he was impressed with the

preparedness of students coming out of Keshequa’s computer classes.

Keshequa students receive three college credits for completing the Web Page

Design class through the A.C.E. program.

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The Financial Aid

Process

The college search has ended and it is now time to wait for acceptance letters

to begin rolling in. In the meantime parents and students need to begin gathering

the information needed to complete the

Free Application for Federal Student

Aid (FAFSA)

form required to receive financial aid for college, the web address

is www.fafsa.ed.gov. By filling out the form students will then become eligible for

scholarships, grants and loans from the federal and state governments and from the

college(s) they have applied to.

It is important that even if a family thinks they will not be eligible for aid

from the government all schools require this information to qualify students for

scholarships. The information that will need to be reported will be income from the

2007 year. Parents and students will need to have completed their tax information in

order to fill out the FAFSA and it should be a goal that this be completed by mid-

February to the beginning of March. If accurate information cannot be available by

this time the family may do an estimate and then later go back and adjust any figures

that need to be changed.

Once this information is submitted each college the student has been accepted

at will send what is called a

“Financial Aid Package”

this will list the scholarships,

grants and loans the student qualifies for, any remaining amount needed is defined

as the Estimated Family Contribution (EFC).

For many of you this will be your first time through the process of applying

for Financial Aid, and it can appear complicated and overwhelming. Please be

assured there is help

out there. If you have

any questions you can

refer to the website or,

if you prefer a more

personal touch, any

college financial aid

office will help you

with your questions

and guide you through

the process.

Thank you

Karen Mead, Interim MS/HS Principal

To all Keshequa District and com-

munity members…thank you. Thank

you for all the warmth and kindness

extended to me in my first months

with Keshequa Central School Dis-

trict! Throughout my first months as an

Administrator, I have made every effort

to interact with students, their families,

faculty and staff, and I have been sin -

cerely welcomed at every turn. I greatly

appreciate the support I have received

and am honored to serve the Keshequa

community.

Please know that I am anxious to

meet all members of the community, and

my door is open. Feel free to contact me

with thoughts and ideas, as well as any

possible concerns, regarding the middle

school/high school. I look forward to

the months ahead and the many oppor-

tunities to support and acknowledge our

students’ many successes.

[Mrs. Karen Mead is enjoying her 17

th

year in education. She has previously served

as a teacher of English and Special Educa-

tion in Dansville, Bolivar and Olean, New

York. Prior to her family’s return to New

York State and her position with Dansville

Central School District, Mrs. Mead served

as an administrator for four years with an

urban charter school in Pittsburgh, Penn-

sylvania. She currently resides in Wayland,

New York with her husband and their two

sons. ]

K

Senior

CS

Jacalyn

St

Dono

udent

van was quite surpr

Recei

ised when she receiv

v

ed

es

a letter

Sc

from

ho

St.Bo

larship

naventure University

in December. Not only did Jacalyn receive an acceptance letter to her first choice school, but she also received

information about a scholarship for which she qualified. Jacalyn’s good grades made her a contender for a

$14,000 annual Friar Scholarship from the University. Jacalyn waited two weeks to hear if she would be awarded

the scholarship, which would help with the mounting cost of college that most students face today. In the end,

Jacalyn was awarded the scholarship and plans to attend St. Bonaventure in the fall to study mathematics. She

hopes to become a teacher one day. Congratulations Jacalyn!

---

Congratulations Subway

Jake Dale

Jake, the son of Steve and Brenda Von Dell, and James

Dale, is a high honor student, a two time sectional wrestling

champion, and the KCS wrestling team captain. Jake is cur-

rently 15-0 for his senior season. He was the champion of the

Byron-Bergen tournament, the Batavia Christmas tournament

and the Hammondsport tournament (where he was named

most outstanding wrestler). Jake is also a soccer player and a

catcher on the championship baseball team.

Ryan Nugent

Ryan Nugent - Senior 6’ 0 Avg 13.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 3 ast pg,

and 2.6 stlpg. Ryan is shooting 68% from the line and 30%

from the 3 point range. Ryan is an all-around great person and

a great leader on and off the floor. He spends numerous hours

helping his team and the youth program. He is a player any

coach hates to lose, not only because of his athletic talent, but

for what he brings to the overall program. He is an athlete you

want your younger student-athletes to watch and learn from.

He plays every possession as hard as he can. Ryan is also a

captain. He is the son of Keith and Eileen Nugent.

Marissa Underwood

Marissa Underwood, daughter of Mike and Roxanne

Underwood, was recently selected Most Valuable Player in

the Francis “Pete” DiAngelo Girls Basketball Tournament. In

those two games, Marissa scored 25 points, had 11 steals and

11 assists. After graduating in June, Marissa plans on attending

Monroe Community College.

Busy Bees

Several Bees found themselves on

the Honor Roll for the first marking

period, including 100% of the third

year Bees! Attendance and disciplin-

ary reports, as expected, again show

dramatic improvement among all

Bees when compared to their indi-

vidual non-Bee years.

We have lots of highlights to

share with you. We were honored

to receive the invitation from both

Superintendent Capawan and Board

member Lori Gray to attend and

represent KCS! The Bees represented

Keshequa Central School in a way

that would make anyone connected

to our school feel honored. They did

such a nice job, and folks there were

so impressed with them individu-

ally and the program as a whole that

the final speaker of the night singled

out the “Bees from Keshequa” as his

favorite program on display. Not bad

considering that there were many,

many programs on exhibit that night;

one from each BOCES district

school. After talking to our students,

several schools expressed an interest

in starting a program like ours. Oak-

field-Alabama’s administrators were

especially taken with the program.

Also, I would be remiss if I did

not mention that I was a bit appre-

hensive about attending the program

since it was held at the Mt. Morris

BOCES Center. As you well know,

one of our “bragging points” is that

our program saves us 1000s of dollars

per student per year by not hav-

ing to pay the tuitions to send our

students there. But not only did the

top BOCES administrator welcome

us with open arms, he also spent a

long time talking to each of the Bees

individually. He had many nice things

to say about us and many words of

encouragement for the boys.

Learning at the Movies

Rick Riggi’s Senior High Small Business class had an unusual lecture at an un-

usual place... The Dansville Star Theatre. Using the single screen historic theatre as

a classroom, the students were introduced to owner Chuck Schmidt, who explained

the joys and pitfalls of entrepreneurship and management, running a family busi-

ness, working on Main Street, and playing in the entertainment business. Students

also learned about competitive advantages and disadvantages, location, revenues and

expenses, and marketing.

After a tour of the facility, a discussion of the renovations, and a lecture on the

fundamentals of the business, students were treated to a movie and some popcorn.

Riggi commented that the lesson brought the textbook to life. The field trip was

arranged by school-to-work coordinator Shawn Bielicki in an effort to add relevance

to classroom teaching. Before leaving, Schmidt commented that the students

asked outstanding questions and that he wouldn’t be surprised if some of them

went into business for themselves, bringing a smile to the teacher’s face.

---

5

“Sweet Learning”

by Carrie Malone and Lisa Burns, Livingston County BEA

Rick Riggi’s Small Business Class

took a tasty twist on November 27

th

when Lisa Burns, Livingston County

Tourism and Marketing Director

partnered with the Livingston County

Business/Education Alliance and local

chocolatier Frieda Mae Chocolates and

Fine Confections in order to inform

students about the business of Tourism.

As part of the BEA’s Business

Lunch Series program, Ms. Burns

presented to the the small business class

at Keshequa School about the tourism

industry as a whole, but more specifi -

cally about its importance to the county

and its economic structure. Tourism

is a hugely successful business and

the tourism office has “kicked off ” its

newest initiative promoting the

buy-

ing and utilization of locally made

products

. The BEA’s Business Lunch

Series program, which is grant funded

through the Rochester Area Community

Foundation, was a logical collaborating

partner since their mission is to educate

students about the many career possibili-

ties within our local region. Livingston

County host a bounty of opportunity for

young people looking to start or become

involved in the boutique business trend.

Freida Mae Chocolates located on

Kidd Road in Dansville is the perfect

example of such a boutique business that

has seen great success in the last year.

Making fine chocolates and confections

out of her own rural, farmhouse kitchen

Beth Lee develops and markets a wide

variety of hand made trufes including

the diamond trufe and her latest in -

dulgence developed in conjunction with

the Tourism Offices Buy Local Cam -

paign. The Livingston County Signature

Trufe is a one-of-a kind peanut butter

experience. The trufe is a decadent

blend of Nunda’s own Once Again Nut

Butter (Peanut) and locally produced

jellies from Turkey’s on the Hill Jelly

mixed with Freda Mae’s own dark and

crisp chocolate to create a melt in your

mouth taste explosion that is second to

none.

Students in Mr. Riggi’s class were

privileged to be the first to savor this

fabulous treat when they functioned as

a test market group for the product dur-

ing Ms. Burns’ discussion. The students

were the first to see and taste test the

trufe and were then asked to provide

feedback rating the trufe on its overall

appearance, smell, texture, taste, linger-

ing memory and marketing concept.

Students overall impression was that the

trufe was the ultimate experience and a

memorable concept for the county mar-

keting initiative. The students’ comments

will be used to make any final adjust -

ment before the product release.

The collaboration in making this

program possible provided an opportu-

nity for “Sweet Learning” for Keshequa

students that promoted

locally made

products

and instilled a sense of pride in

Livingston County.

If you would like more information

on BEA programs, please feel free to

contact BEA Director Carrie Malone at

991-5085. For information on Livings -

ton County Tourism initiatives contact

Director, Lisa Burns at 585.243.2222

and to place an order or see the Freida

Mae Chocolates full product line

contact Beth Lee at 585.335.9446.

Dalton Kindergarteners

Find a ‘Golden Goose’

On February 4, the actors from the Merry-Go-Round Youth Theatre visited

the kindergarteners at Dalton Elementary. During their visit, the actors took the

students on an imaginary trip to the Land of the Golden Goose! The morning

began with the actors meeting the students in their classrooms. The students

were then led to the lunch room, where a fairy tale kingdom was set up. Stu-

dents were given medallions that represented the group of characters they were

to play. The students were assigned to a certain group: clowns, hunters, elders,

firefighters, bakers or soldiers. During the performance, the students played an

active role, with the help from the actors. The students were required to use their

imagination to tell the story of the Golden Goose. By the end of the hour-long

performance, the students were crowned official story apprentices and were given

certificates to take home.

The Merry-Go-Round Youth Theatre actors have been performing in

Dalton for many years. The educational performances concentrate on incorporat -

ing classroom curriculum into the stories. The group performs for kindergarten

through fifth grade, but also has shows geared

towards older students.

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6

Greetings From Dalton

Elementary School!

by Mr. Mattle, Dalton Elementary Principal

I would like to take a minute to congratulate this year’s Student

Council officers and also thank them for the excellent job they have done

so far this year. This year we have Co-Presidents, Kirsten Willey and

Skylar Simmons. Our Vice Presidents is Austin Galton, our Secretary

is Emma Snyder. We also have two Treasurers, Jack Mann and Dylan

Feeney.

This fine group of student leaders started out the year by hosting

our traditional Senior Citizen’s Thanksgiving Dinner, which was a great

success! They then hosted the After School Movie Show, followed by a

school wide charity event called Coins For Caring. The Coins For Caring

Event raised $800, which went directly to our Nunda Community. $500

went to the Community Christmas Fund sponsored by the Nunda Rotary

and Kiwanis Clubs, which supplied holiday food baskets to 78 local fami-

lies. $300 went to the Catholic Charities Rural Outreach Program, which

helps provide food and emergency heating assistance to local families.

The Student Council is currently working hard in the Support Our

Troops Effort by wearing red on Fridays. They organized the Dalton

Elementary Spirit Week that took place January 27 through February 1. I

would also like to say thanks to our Student Council Advisors for all their

hard work and effort in promoting our young leaders. I look forward to

the great things to come!

Internet Safety

for

Healthy Co

Children

mmunities that Care spon-

sored a talk called Internet Safety for Children

and Cyber Parenting by Michael J. Kozak on

January 3 in the MS/HS library. Here are a

few tips to keeping your children safe while on

the Internet.

1. Open lines of communication for all age groups

2. Talk to your kids and be prepared for uncomfortable topics

3. Monitor Web activities

–

Make it a RULE

4. Use Web security and Content filtering

5. Educate yourself on Web activities

6. Utilize Internet Safety Resources

7. Set Expectations for your kids

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NHS Sponsors

Clothing Drive

After the success of last year’s com-

munity clothing drive, the members of

National Honor Society were adamant

about sponsoring another this year.

For two weeks in January, community

members, students, faculty and staff

dropped off gently used clothing for

men, women, children, and infants at

the High School/Middle School main

lobby. National Honor Society advisor,

Carol McCarville, also volunteered to

pick up clothing from donators unable

to get out. After the clothing was col-

lected, NHS members folded and sorted

according to size. The two weeks ended

successfully, with six tables covered with

donated clothing! On January 31 and

February 1, room 2091 was opened up

for community distribution. The clothes

that were left were donated to the local

used clothing depository bin.

Dalton Students Show

School Spirit!

During the week of January 28, the Elementary Stu-

dent Council organized a Spirit Week for the Dalton

Elementary students. Student Council members

created posters to help motivate their fellow classmates

to dress in unusual, sporty, comfortable and spirited cloth-

ing. On Monday, students came to school in wacky outfits and

it appeared that everyone got dressed in the dark that morning!

The following day, students could keep their favorite, comfort -

able pajamas on. Wednesday, everyone had to dress in black and

orange to show their school spirit. Thursday was dedicated to

favorite sports teams and Friday was hat day.

KCS Students

Submit Posters

in Contest

In order to

promote for-

eign language

learning, the

New York State

Foreign Lan-

guage Teach-

ers Association

(NYSAFLT) sponsors

an annual Poster Contest. This year’s

theme was “Languages: Connecting

Students to the World.”There were over

75 entries to the contest from all over

New York State. Three of Jackie Noble’s

eighth grade students, Nicholas Faulds,

Kaylie Mann, and Amzi Mitchell, sub-

mitted posters for the contest and were

presented with Certificates of Merit.

Congratulations to all!

When is My Child Too

Sick for School?

Ask yourself these questions the

next time your child is sick and

you think they shouldn’t go to

school or daycare...

• Is my child safe at school?

• Is it safe for my child’s class-

mates?

• Will my child be able to learn

at school?

• Is enough care available at

school/daycare for my child?

Don’t send your child to school if they have...

• A fever of 100° or higher

• Untreated strep throat (once they are treated for 24 hours, they may go back)

• Diarrhea and/OR vomiting

• Just begun a serious cold

• Having a hard time breathing

• Scabies, until treatment is started

• Chicken pox lesions that are not all crusted over

• Undiagnosed skin rashes with a fever

• Severe headaches

• Signifcant pain of any sort

• Recent signifcant head injury

Do send your child to school...

• If your child has mild symptoms of a common cold, sore throat, ear infection or

runny nose (yellow, green, clear - ALL OK) and does not have a fever

• Fifth’s disease

• Hepatitis B

• Has been treated for head lice, ringworm, scabies

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NONPROFIT

ORGANIZATION

US POSTAGE

PAID

PERMIT NO. 1

NUNDA NY 14517

Keshequa Central School

P.O. Box 517

Nunda, New York 14517-0517

February 2008

School Board Members

Terry Lowell, President

Anita Buchinger, Vice-President

John Gordinier

Lori Gray

Paul Jackson

Lyle Tallman

Kevin Whiteman

Marilyn Capawan,

Superintendent

Dominic Aloisio,

DALTON BOXHOLDER

How to Contact Your Child’s Teachers

Your input and questions regarding your child’s academic progress are greatly appreciated. Regular

communication between the school and a child’s family help to support greater success for every child.

Your child’s teacher may be contacted by email or by phone. Email addresses and phone extensions

are listed on the District’s website, www.keshequa.org. The automated operator can also help direct

your call to an individual teacher.

Speaking with you is very important, but please note that calls may not always be directly

answered. You may need to leave a voice mail. Calls received during instruction times will be al-

lowed to go to voice mail. At these times, please leave a detailed message with your name, your

child’s name, a brief description of your question or concern, and when and how you may be

contacted. Calls will be returned in a timely manner.

Thank you for your continued

support of your child and our

teachers.

Scott Gray, Kari Buchinger, and Amber Didas. Scott and Kari are

the recipients of the Rotary Scholarship. Amber Didas is the recipient

of the Jack Mann Memorial Award presented by Fran Mann from

the Nunda Rotary Club. These 2007 graduates received the award in

Has your contact information

Has your phone number

changed?

If so, please call your child’s school ofce immediately