Message From the Director of Elementary Education

From the Superintendent

Chris Manaseri
TAX BILLS and PAYMENT INFORMATION
RCS@60 Videos
Shirley Clemenson retires after 35 years of Teaching
1. Message From the Director of Elementary Education
2. Barbara B. Quinn

From the Superintendent

From the Superintendent

Beginnings are wonderful things - full of promise and hope and an emphasis on what is yet to come. With RCS@60 and a year of historical introspection behind us, it is fitting that we now focus on the beginning of a new school year and a new future for Romulus in the 21st Century.

This year that emphasis on the future will focus on a proposed building project designed to enhance the community’s use of its school. In November we anticipate asking the public to approve a bond issue which would allow us to make improvements to key areas of the building involving a high degree of public use - the gymnasium and auditorium areas specifically, and to add a Distance Learning Lab to our technological capacity in the Library area.

We believe that the school is a community resource and we have tried in recent years to emphasize this belief through expanded adult education opportunities and community use of the building for recreation and entertainment. Saturday basketball, soccer camps, computer classes, before and afterschool day care, and even summer theater are all part of the process of encouraging the community to get its dollar’s worth out of the brick and mortar put here 60 years ago. Some of that brick and mortar now needs work. In the next months you will hear more about the proposal which has come out of a community planning committee and which promises to bring over one million dollars of State Aid to our community if we spend our own money wisely.

The start of the 1998-99 school year brings with it, as always, a focus on the future. The education of our community’s children is precisely that - the shaping of our collective future. The better the job we do in our school, the better prepared our graduates are to ensure a high quality of life for themselves, their families and our community as a whole.

I hope you will join the Board of Education and the community facilities committee in supporting their efforts to ensure that the Romulus Central School buildings are ready for the 21st Century.

Chris Manaseri

Happy Taxpayers?

There should be over 200 of them this Fall when tax bills are received. That’s the number of enhanced STAR exemptions which were approved by local assessors accounting for some $9 million worth of land belonging to qualifying senior citizens in our school district alone.
At this year’s tax rate of $15.56 on true value that means the State of New York will pay $140,247 to the school that it won’t need to collect in taxes from these qualifying seniors ( that’s 6.6% of the total tax levy for the year) because of STAR.

The STAR program, enacted by the State Legislature last year, calls for senior citizens earning less than $60,000 and applying to the local assessor in a timely fashion, to receive an exemption from school tax of up to $50,000 on the assessed value of their primary residence ( adjusted by the local equalization rate to @ $49,700 in our three towns). For most senior citizens this will mean a reduction of as much as $775 from their school tax bill. Some people will pay no school tax at all this year, if their home is assessed at less than this amount or if they qualify for the low income partial exemption as well.

The STAR program becomes effective for all homeowners, regardless of age or income, with a $10,000 exemption on the assessed value of their primary residence this year ( net effect for the average taxpayer in Romulus will be @ a $150 savings). Applications will be received by the assessors directly (not the school) and more information will be forthcoming about that process as deadlines in the late winter approach.

The tax relief offered by STAR will be particularly appreciated by Romulus taxpayers who have seen drastic adjustments in their school taxes in recent years due to the loss of Federal Impact aid from Seneca Army Depot, and static State Aid for our District. It should be noted however, that even the current rate of $15.56 is still lower than the average school tax rate in the Finger Lakes.

TAX BILLS and PAYMENT INFORMATION

School tax bills will be mailed as soon as they are available in late August, for payment beginning September 1. Alice Karlsen will be the new tax collector for the school this year.
Taxpayers should use the preprinted envelope included with their bills and mail payments directly to our “lock-box” account in Syracuse. The postmark on the envelope will be considered the date paid, and interest earnings accrued to the District will begin immediately.

This mail-in process, begun last year, will help the school save money by getting deposits directly into our bank account, much the same way that direct deposit of pay or social security checks works for you. Please use the mail system and help us save you tax money.

For those who wish to pay taxes in person, Mrs. Karlsen will be available in the school business office from 2 to 4 p.m. only, on a daily basis from September 1 through November 6, 1998. After that date, uncollected taxes will be forwarded to the county for collection in January.

RCS@60 a Hit with Alumni

1400 people were expected on July 24-26 for the Diamond Jubilee of the School District and the crowds were not disappointing. Of the 2279 people that ever received a diploma from Romulus, some 579 signed in at the registration table - one out of every four people that ever graduated!

The groups with the best participation in the event were those from the 1940’s and 50’s, with over 55% of the living graduates from the decade of the Forties in attendance, followed closely by 43% of the living graduates from the Fifties! More recent classes averaged closer to 25%.

All of the events planned by the RCS@60 committee were well attended and received, from Friday night’s Alumni Basketball Tournament to Sunday’s Board and Staff Luncheon. Saturday saw the Rededication of the 1938 cornerstone with a new time capsule to be opened in 2038 sponsored by the PTA, the initiation of our Valedictory Plaque and the first inductees into out Graduates of Excellence Wall of Fame, plus the official opening of the rAll of the events planned by the RCS@60 committee were well attended and received, from Friday night’s Alumni Basketball Tournament to Sunday’s Board and Staff Luncheon. Saturday saw the Rededication of the 1938 cornerstone with a new time capsule to be opened in 2038 sponsored by the PTA, the initiation of our Valedictory Plaque and the first inductees into out Graduates of Excellence Wall of Fame, plus the official opening of the restored MacDougall Schoolhouse, followed by a Dance Across the Decades in the Gym that evening. The Memorabilia Museum in the library orchestrated by Jim Hicks, Phyllis Hudson and Marguerite Wilson, drew rave reviews, and previews of the RCS@60 Video by Peter McDonald drew a large number of orders. In all our glance back through the history of the school was a great success. Many thanks are due those members of the committees who worked so hard on organizing this large undertaking.

RCS on the Web

District residents with internet access can check out the latest information about Romulus information, including pages from the monthly Bulletin at www.rcs.k12.ny.us . This website, constructed last year has access to Docushare, the latest technology from Xerox, which allows us to post electronic documents on a community bulletin board. See this site for information about taxes, School Report Card results, school events, and even commonly used phone numbers.

District Calendars Available

A Romulus School District Calendar, featuring the main dates of importance to the school year along with information about programs and offerings will be distributed to every student during the first few days of school. District residents who do not have children currently in school, but who would like a copy of the calendar may call the District Office to have one mailed to them.

RCS@60 Videos

Did you miss the event? Did you want your own video version of RCS history including the RCS@60 Diamond Jubilee? The Peter McDonald video will be available for $19.95 plus $5.00 shipping and handling for a limtied time only. Write RCS@60 with your check fro $24.95 payable to Romulus Central School for your copy by October 1.

Shirley Clemenson retires after 35 years of Teaching

Mrs. Shirley Clemenson has announced her retirement. Mrs. Clemenson has taught Kindergarten, First Grade, and Second Grade in her 35 years at Romulus.

A Graduate of the State University College at Geneseo, Mrs. Clemenson began teaching at Romulus in 1963. Over the years, she has taught 875 students in grades K-2. Mrs. Clemenson was active on Elementary Committees and instrumental in developing a child oriented Kindergarten curriculum at Romulus.

Mrs. Clemenson will be greatly missed at Romulus. We wish her the best of luck in her
retirement.

Project Success Summer Program

The Romulus Elementary was pleased to present Project Success, a summer remediation program designed to meet the needs of the individual learner. The program was funded by EESA Title I grant funds and offered supportive work in Reading, Written Composition, and Mathematics to students in grades Prek-6.

The 1998 Summer Program ran from July8 to August 8, 1998 and involved 85 students in grades PreK-6. Students met with staff four days a week for five weeks. It is our hope that the students will be able to use the study skills that they worked on in Project Success to improve their upcoming work during the regular school year.

Project Success summer school staff were: Mrs. Cindy Drexler, Mrs. Shirley Clemenson, Miss Cindy Kieffer, Mrs. Amy Perry, Mrs. Darlene Poormon, Mrs. Michele Mason, Mr James Mason, Mrs. Marge Larrabee, Mr. Michael Pane, Mr. Joe Kelly and Mrs. Phyllis Weekes. Class sizes were set at a maximum of ten students per teacher to assure individualization.

From the Director of Secondary Education
Mike Midey

Cool nights, the calendar, and a flurry of activity at school all point to the beginning of a new school year. One of the questions parents/guardians usually ask is, “What can we do to help our student achieve?” There are no easy answers to this question. Each student has different strengths and weaknesses that may help them or hold them back. The one thing that every educator will tell you is that you are an important part of your child’s education. If education is important to you then education will be important to your child. The following are some suggestions that you might use to help your student start the new school year on the right foot. Set expectations and discuss goals with your child. It helps the student to know what they are working toward. Help your child learn time management. This may be as simple as setting a time every night to do homework or as complex as making a timetable to complete a long term project. Monitor your child’s progress and ask your child about their school day. Just by asking them to recall what they did in school that day you are helping them to study. Help your child to find an extracurricular activity that will interest them. Research proves that students who are involved in at least one activity have better attendance and better grades. Finally, get involved yourself. There are many things that you can do at school. Most importantly try to attend orientations and meetings when possible. This will show your child that you care about their education.

Summer is usually a very busy time for the staff and faculty, and this year has been no exception. Between the 60th Anniversary Celebration, and the usual activities that occur around the building there has not been a moment of rest. Many of the faculty members have been to conferences and workshops. This time spent by the teachers will have a direct and positive effect on our students. Faculty members have done everything from spending time at Walden Pond contemplating the works of Thoreau to working on aligning our curriculum to the New York State Standards.

We are now into our second year of REAP (Romulus Enhanced Assessment Program). Each student at the high school level should have their mentor chosen, and should be putting thought into their project. It would be a benefit to your child if you were to take an active role and interest in their project.

We look forward to the start of the new school year and all the excitement that it brings.

Message From the Director of Elementary Education

Message From the Director of Elementary Education

Barbara B. Quinn

Barbara B. Quinn

Welcome Back! The first day of school for Elementary students at Romulus will be Tuesday, September 8,1998. We are looking forward to seeing the children and hearing about their summer vacations.

There will be several new faces in the Elementary this fall. Ms. Colleen Cook will be teaching Kindergarten. She is a graduate of Nazareth College and has been teaching at St. Michael’s in Newark for the past two years. Mrs. Gina Lynch, our new second grade teacher, is a graduate of Nazareth College. Mrs. Lynch recently completed two long term leave assignments in third grade at RCS and is a popular substitute. Mr. Christopher Abbott will be teaching third grade. He is a graduate of the State University College at Cortland and has been a substitute teaching in Canandaigua and Palmyra Macedon. Mrs. Amanda Pundt will be teaching third grade. Mrs. Pundt is a graduate of the State University College at Geneseo and is transferring to third grade after one year of teaching Special Education Resource room in grades 4-6 at RCS. Ms. Carlene Shultz will be teaching Special Education for grades 5-6. Ms. Schultz is a graduate of Keuka College and comes to RCS after teaching Special Education in Avoca Central School.

Elementary Assignments are:
Mrs. Michelle Mason, PreKindergarten Room 27
Mrs. Margaret Brady, Kindergarten Room 24
Ms. Colleen Cook, Kindergarten Room 22
Mrs. Janice Hyde, First Grade Room 13
Mrs. Cindy Drexler, First Grade Room 17
Mrs. Darlene Poormon, Second Grade Room 23
Mr. James Williams, Second Grade Room 15
Mrs. Gina Lynch, Second Grade Room 12
Mr. Christopher Abbott, Third Grade Room 28
Mrs. Lori Lantrip, Third Grade Room 14
Mrs. Amanda Pundt, Third Grade Room 26
Mrs. Marge Larrabee, Fourth Grade Room 34
Mr. Michael Pane, Fourth Grade Room 33
Mrs. Phyllis Weekes, Fifth Grade Room 36
Mrs. Doris Robinson, Fifth Grade Room 35
Mrs. Nancy Galusha, Sixth Grade Room 38
Mr. Lawrence Gambee, Sixth Grade Room 37

Special Area Teachers and Staff:
Ms. Betty Gerych, Music Mr. Roger Clemenson, Physical Education
Mrs. Liz Larzelere, Computers Mrs. Mary Sinicropi, Speech
Ms. Michele Cuva, School Psychologist Mr. James Mason, Art
Mrs. Marie Johnson, Media Center Mrs. Babette Bennett, School Nurse
Mr. Peter Goloski, Instrumental Music Mrs. Mary Midey, Reading
Mrs. Amy Perry, Speech Ms. Cindy Kieffer, Special Education PreK-2

Mr. Joseph Kelly, Special Education 3-4 Mr. Craig Waid, Physical Education
Ms. Kate Whitney, Physical Education Mrs. Julet Dinan, Physical Therapist
Ms. Carlene Shultz, Special Education 5-6 Mrs. Valerie DeLeo, Occup. Therapist
Mrs. Susan Mitchell, Spanish 5-6 Mr. Robert Kohler, Technology 5-6
Mrs. Carol Effraimson, Home and Careers Mr. Jeffrey Eveland, Counselor
Mrs. Marian Curle, Teaching Assistant Mrs. Sandy Kaufman, Media Aide
Mrs. Darlene Cragle, Teacher’s Aide Mrs. Beverly Cowen, Teacher’s Aide
Mrs. Cheryl Farley, Teacher’s AideMrs. Cheryl Farley, Teacher’s Aide Mrs. Kate Esson, Reading Aide
Mrs. Mary Godwin, Teacher’s Aide Mrs. Mary Jean Toner, Teacher’s Aide

Mrs. Cindy Waugh, Elementary Secretary Mrs. Jean Montford, CSE Secretary/
Teacher’s Aide

We are all looking forward to the upcoming year and working with your family. Please feel free to contact staff if you have any questions or concerns. The 1998-99 school year will be an important year for your child and communication between school and home will be beneficial to all. See you the 8th.