1
    Honor
    Wisdom
    Leadership
    Truth
    Volume 1, Issue 3
    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 2004
    www.keshequa.org
    Chronicle
    To reach school district
    personnel by email you
    need to type their first initial
    then their last name
    @keshequa.org
    for example:
    pshaver@keshequa.org
    A Message From the
    Superintendent
    As we start the second semester I want to praise the actions of our staff and students for their efforts
    so far this year to raise student achievement. The purpose of schools is to teach students; whatever else we
    do, we must promote high­level student learning. This can best be accomplished in a safe, attractive and
    positive environment through a culture of hard work and opportunity. You as parents, community members
    and taxpayers have provided us with the facility and we are continuously trying to improve our standards.
    We are focusing our energies in support of our district goals and appreciate your confidence in our
    endeavors. Thank you for helping us convey to
    students that learning is important. We are
    seeing a difference!
    Sincerely,
    Lucinda Miner, Interim Superintendent
    No. 1 Academic Achievement
    No. 2 School Climate
    No. 3 Professional Development
    No. 4 District Communications
    No. 5 Facilities
    No. 6 Technology
    No. 7 Fiscal Responsibility
    Keshequa
    Central School
    District Goals,
    2003-04
    February Break is
    February 13 – 16,
    2004. No classes
    for students.
    2
    The Business, Education, Community Coalition (BECC) of Allegany
    County invites you to attend it’s annual Career Awareness Day to be held
    Saturday, March 27, 2004 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Genesee Valley
    School in Belmont, NY. This is an opportunity for youth and their parents to
    meet over 70 area employers and learn about the wide variety of career
    opportunities in Allegany County. Now is the time for your child to explore
    careers and plan for the future by talking face­to­face with people who work in
    their fields of interest!
    The event will include great door prizes and refreshments, as well as a
    Chinese Auction to benefit the J. Dennis Kirst Foundation.
    Further information about Career Awareness Day will be provided through
    posters, local media coverage, and your school district. On the Internet, check
    out the upcoming Career Awareness Day link through the Genesee Valley
    School website at www.gvcs.wnyric.org.
    Keshequa Receives Six Mini-Grants from
    Business Education Alliance
    Keshequa Central Schools has been awarded not one, not two, but six mini­grants to complete standards based field trips and
    career based learning activities. The grants were awarded by the Livingston County Business Education Alliance. Each grant is worth
    one hundred dollars. Grants must be directly tied to the career development and occupational (CDOS) New York State learning
    standards: career development, integrated learning, universal foundation skills, and career majors. Mr. Bielicki serves as CDOS
    Coordinator and applied for the mini­grants. “I was really surprised to find a check for the six mini­grants from the BEA. These mini
    grants help bridge the gap from classroom
    lecture to real life application and answer
    the students’ never­ending question when
    am I ever going to use this,” stated Mr.
    Bielicki. “These grants provide learning
    extensions that could not otherwise be
    achieved, and I am thankful for Cindy
    Oswald (BEA County Coordinator) and the
    BEA for awarding them.”The district will
    later send in a business visitation and
    student participation form for each trip or
    activity. Mr. Bielicki closed, “One of the
    things that makes receiving these grants so
    sweet, is that it helps level the playing field
    for our students when compared with
    wealthier districts. The planned activities
    enhance a solid business education. Our
    kids will benefit directly because of them.”
    Keshequa is a strong member and sup­
    porter of the Livingston County Business
    Education Alliance. Cindy Oswald is in her
    third year as the County BEA Coordinator.
    Mr. Bielicki is a tenured business, school­
    to­work coordinator and in his sixth year
    for Keshequa.
    Holiday Pottery Sale
    The Keshequa Clay Club presented
    their first annual Holiday Show and Sale
    on Thursday, December 18th. Students
    worked hard to produce functional and
    decorative ceramic objects while learning
    aspects of selling artwork. The money
    raised by this event will be used to fund
    enriching educational experi­
    ences (field trips, visiting
    artists, etc.), requisition of
    materials, supplies and equip­
    ment. Thank you to all who
    attended and supported the
    visual arts in our community.
    Career Awareness Day
    3
    Artist Visits Nunda
    Keshequa Receives Business Education
    Grant from Genesee Region Tech Prep
    Keshequa Central Schools received a competitive $1,000 grant awarded by the Genesee Region Tech Prep to promote careers
    within the legal field. Proposals for projects given priority consideration were ones that will provide students with real world experi­
    ence, exposure to a variety of legal careers, and improve basic skills necessary for success in a legal career. KCS School­to­Work
    Coordinator Shawn Bielicki wrote and submitted the proposal on behalf of Mr. Riggi’s business law class.
    The grant monies will be used to help KCS develop and run a business law mock trial team. Last year, KCS helped launch its first
    competitive team, which later became the 2003 Livingston County Champion. Mock trials feature classroom re­enactments using
    students at each legal career. Each team is paired with an attorney to help mentor them through the process. “The class has been
    learning a great deal about this kind of stuff in their textbooks. It will be a powerful lesson to actually apply what they learned,” stated
    Mr. Riggi. The proposal explained how the project will impact students and emphasized what the students will be able to do because
    of the grant. A rubric grading system will be used to judge the students, or the employees’ performance in the endeavor. “I was
    pleasantly surprised to hear that Keshequa was awarded another grant this school year,” states Mr. Bielicki, “I like to take advantage of
    applying for grants that will really enhance what we do. Genesee
    Tech Prep and their legal career and education grants will really
    help partner the students and their vision. I look forward to
    seeing how the students can handle this classroom endeavor and
    how much they will learn because of this project. I am excited
    that this will come to fruition without any further cost to the
    district.”
    Kathy Lopes is the director of the Genesee Region Tech
    Prep and is located at Genesee Community College. In a letter
    she congratulated KCS on a job well done and stated, “Hands­on
    activities, such as you describe are definitely in keeping with the
    overall mission of the College Tech Prep Program.” Mr. Riggi is
    a third year business teacher at KCS. Mr. Bielicki is a tenured
    business teacher and school­to­work coordinator, and is in his
    sixth year at KCS.
    #3
    KCS District Goal #3:
    Professional
    Development
    In order to provide students
    with the best possible learning oppor­
    tunities, teachers must continuously
    work to advance their knowledge and skills. Keshequa
    educators seek opportunities for learning what will be
    relevant in both the short and long term. Professional
    development must consist of more than one­shot work­
    shops. It must enable teachers to engage in meaningful
    conversation and work with their colleagues, all with the
    purpose of improved teaching and learning.
    I am proud to say that our teachers are committed to
    their profession and take every opportunity to ‘learn.’ An
    expectation for everyone is that we can all improve and
    constantly try to do so, with the ultimate goal of improved
    student learning.
    Adam Zyglis, a fourth year
    computer science major at
    Canisius College in Buffalo,
    and editorial cartoonist, visited
    Keshequa on January 14. Mr.
    Zyglis presented and inspired
    students in the art and satire
    of political cartooning.
    Adam has drawn caricatures at
    Six Flags Darien Lake for the past five years. He recently
    accepted a prestigious national award for his cartoons
    appearing weekly in ArtVoice (an arts newspaper of Buf­
    falo). This summer Adam will be filling an internship
    position illustrating and drawing cartoons for the Buffalo
    News. The Art Department would like to thank Mr. Zyglis
    for sharing his talents with our students and wish him
    continued success in the future.
    4
    Greetings from the KCS High School
    Mark Mattle, High School Principal
    When students get good grades, parents, relatives and teachers are proud of their accomplishments. School
    becomes fun, you develop pride in your school and you feel good about yourself. In this article I will outline
    the first five of a ten step process that when put into practice will help you to get better grades in school. I
    suggest that you try the first five for a month and then look for the second five in the next issue of the
    chronicle.
    Step One –
    Believe In Yourself
    •To succeed you must believe that you can!
    •
    Recognize Talent and Abilities
    •
    Know and Believe You Can Succeed!
    Step Two –
    Be Organized
    •Use an assignment notebook or agenda
    •Use 3­Ring notebook for notes
    •Use folders for school work and hand­outs
    •
    Keep your locker and backpack neat
    Step Three –
    Manage Your Time
    •Use class time and study halls efficiently
    •Create a study plan (when & where)
    •
    Be aware of time distractions (TV, Video Games)
    Step Four –
    Be Successful In
    The Classroom
    •
    Be in school, on time everyday
    •
    Adapt to different teachers
    •
    Be prepared for each class
    •Sit in front of class if possible
    •Always do your homework
    •
    Participate in class
    •
    Be a good group member
    •Always treat others with respect and
    courtesy
    •Involve your parents
    Step Five –
    Take good notes
    •
    Be an active listener
    •Take notes to help pay attention
    •Recognize key/important information
    •Take notes that you can read
    •Go over notes ASAP
    •
    Get copies of notes if absent
    KCS District Goal #2: School Climate
    The Middle School has been working hard to
    build a school climate conducive to students at
    grade levels 6 – 8. Students at this period in their
    lives experience rapid physical, emotional and
    intellectual growth, matched in scope only by the
    first three years of life. They are experiencing fast
    and sometimes confusing changes, so we must strive to provide stability and
    stimulation, respecting the students’ age­related concerns. Some of our recent
    activities include:
    •
    Holiday Pep Rally
    •
    Modified Sports Team Recognition
    •
    Participatory Activities
    •
    Academic Awards
    •
    PeaceBuilders Award Acknowledgement
    •
    PeaceBuilders Pizza Party for “PeaceBuilders of the Month”
    •
    Community Service Activity – Student Council Holiday food baskets for the
    elderly
    •Student Assistant Program (SAP) – a program that uses established proce­
    dures and feedback from teachers and administrators to brainstorm and
    implement possible solutions to specific student issues…only two (2)
    referrals this month!
    #2
    Pre-Order
    your 2003­04 KCS Yearbook now for $40.
    Purchase a copy
    of last year’s 2002­03 KCS Yearbook now
    for $10.
    Please contact
    Michele Starr at the High School Office (468­
    2541) ext. 2017
    5
    Life Skills Students Happenings
    Our first Holiday Bazaar was a great success! Working hard in Mrs. Shultz’s Life SKills sewing class and our Life Skills kitchen,
    students made rice bags, plastic bag holders, hard candy, pretzel treats, candleholders, and many other goodies to sell. Students are
    planning to use the profits towards kitchen supplies and field trip expenses.
    Also in Mrs. Shultz’s sewing class, Mrs. Proctor’s and Mrs. Sawyer’s students have been busy making no­sew pillows, personal­
    ized aprons, and they are now in the process on making pajama pants with fabric they selected and purchased on their own.
    Life Skills students reviewed basic first aid and discussed
    health issues with a classroom guest. Laura Folts, a Physician’s
    Assistant from Evergreen Family Medicine in Brockport, NY,
    visited and discussed important topics of basic personal safety
    with students. Hands­on experience included listening through a
    stethoscope, checking reflexes, and practicing bandaging.
    Justin Cartwright (Mrs. Proctor’s class) and Matt Newcomb
    (Mrs. Sawyer’s class) were the winners of our November­
    December Reading Contest. Justin and Matt each read the greatest
    number of books for the two months among students in their
    classes. The boys enjoyed a special lunch of take­out pizza and
    soda for their accomplishment.
    The Keshequa High School drama club will present the
    Tony award­winning musical
    Man of La Mancha
    on Febru­
    ary 20, 21, 27 and 28, 2004 at 8 p.m. Tickets can be pur­
    chased at the door for $6. The play stars Pete Trippett as Cervantes, Rachel Strain as Aldonza, Andrea Demarco as
    Sancho, Sarah Luther as The Governess, Delia Kennedy as The Padre and Conor Sheehan as Dr. Carasco. The musical
    director is Kim Coffey. The show was choreographed by Mary Luther, Chris Norton and Trevor Earley. Costumes are by
    Trevor Earley. The show was designed and directed by Chris Norton. Other cast members are Megan Giles, Dillon
    Kronert, Kari Delahooke, Brandi Kelly, Calla Clancy, Nathan Pierce, Jason Buckel, Scott Gray, Cara Lundqusit, Kady
    Smith, Brandy Cartwright, Donna Hoodak, Lindsay Gunn, Sarah Gray, Cheyenne DeMarco, Megan Brooker, Sonya
    Brooker, Tyler Westcott, Chris Gray, Ethan Trim, John Nesbitt, Finn Kennedy and David Brooker. Light and sound are
    by students Bryan Buckel, Jessica Doyle and Derek Worden.
    Man of La Mancha
    is based on the novel
    Don Quixote
    written by Don Miguel Cervantes at the turn of the 17th
    century. The story of an older gentleman who thinks he is a knight three hundreds years after the age of chivalry,
    Don
    Quixote
    was an overwhelming success and is considered one of the greatest novels of all time. It was one of the first
    major stories concerned with a protagonist who must break loose from the beliefs of society to find enlightenment.
    The musical
     
    takes place during Cervantes very real prison stay in 1597 and speculates on how
    he may have come to compose his classic story. Its themes are hope, redemption and enlighten­
    ment. The show is probably best known for the song “The Impossible Dream”. It is the story of
    how Cervantes attitude transforms one troubled woman
    .
    There is a great deal of comedy in the
    show which arises from Don Quixote’s belief that castles, giants and maiden’s­in­distress can be
    found in everyday things.
    Man of La Mancha
    opened on Broadway in 1965 and won the Tony award for best musical. It
    remains one of the few successful adaptations of Cervantes’ book. Parental guidance is suggested.
    #7
    KCS District Goal #7:
    Fiscal Responsibility’
    A community member raised
    the question of why the District
    doesn’t make use of bulk mailings. We
    do have a permit which is used for items
    such as The Chronicle and the District
    Calendar. A first class permit would be needed for mailings
    such as report cards, tax bills, letters from teachers/nurses,
    etc., and this would cost $150 annually. Each item would
    then cost $0.352 plus $0.225 for each additional ounce. The
    minimum mailing for this rate is 500 envelops and most of
    our mailings are less than this. Therefore, it is not cost
    effective for the district to purchase a first class permit.
    We welcome suggestions to save money for the District
    at anytime, so feel free to call us with your ideas. We would
    be happy to investigate all of them.
    February 20, 21, 27 and 28, 2004
    6
    Middle School Information
    Gary Collichio, KCS Middle School Principal
    As we enjoy the diverse winter weather, our Middle School
    will focus on curricular plans for the remainder of the academic
    year.
    Students (and parents) often wonder why mid­term tests and
    high stakes NYS assessments, that take so much time and effort,
    are important to student achievement. One part of the answer to
    this question lies in examining the data generated by our mid­term
    assessments, specifically how our students have fared on selected
    performance indicators.
    These indicators note the required
    expectations for intermediate level students in the chosen subject.
    In other words, the performance indicators specifically point out
    what students should know and be able to do.
    Performance Indicators incorporate five
    dimensions of growth:
    1) Range (extent and depth of texts, topics etc.)
    2) Flexibility (student performance in varied or changing conditions)
    3) Connections (the student’s ability to see commonalities between ideas, texts and
    contexts)
    4) Conventions (rules,
    protocols or
    traditional practices)
    5) Independence
    (student’s ability to
    perform without
    models or direc­
    tions)
    New York State
    Standards and Resource
    Guides outline curricu­
    lum expectations by
    grade levels. Assessment
    questions are “mapped”
    to these performance
    indicators. Educators
    The project included four original plays, masks,
    The Chariot
    newsletter,
    and set designs created by students.
    KCS
    District
    Goal #6:
    Technology
    Although the
    2004­05 school budget
    will again be a real challenge due to
    limited state aid funding, we are
    examining the District’s use of
    technology and its curriculum for
    our students. We expect to make a
    recommendation to the Board of
    Education in March to update and
    expand our program to better
    prepare our students for the future.
    Wa tch for more details to come.
    #6
    KCS District Goal #4: District Communications
    #4
    We are in search of a host for a Home Coffee for parents of elementary or
    high school students. We thank Doug and Lori Gray for hosting our first Middle
    School Coffee on January 28. It was a great evening and our dialog with parents
    helped us know what we’re doing well in our schools and where we can improve.
    Please call me at 468­2541 ext. 1105 to learn more!
    commonly know this as an “item map”.
    Now, when someone asks you why
    the school gives students so many tests,
    you can tell them about their relationship
    to performance indicators, which give
    administration and teachers a clear
    indication of what our students actually
    know and are able to do.
    Sixth Grade KCS Students thank Artist in Residence, Patti Lewis­
    Browne, for her assistance in their Interdisciplinary Drama
    Project of Ancient Greece.
    7
    Middle School Student Council is Busy
    The Middle School Student Council has had a busy winter. Led by Presidents Angelica Schmitter and Justin Camuto, the Council
    has carried out a variety of activities and projects.
    First of all, the Council would like to thank all parents and community members that helped us with our annual fund raising. We
    had another successful sale that will help pay for our
    spring trip and other activities and materials. Special
    thanks to Mrs. Gray, Mrs. Whiteman, and Mrs.
    Kreuzer for their help in collecting money.
    In December the Council held a Holiday Spirit
    Week. We had a Holiday Dance, complete with a DJ
    from the Pittsford area, which was well attended and
    lots of fun. We also had a Homeroom Door Decorat­
    ing Contest that was won by Mrs. Goodhue’s 8
    th
    grade homeroom. Our annual pep rally was held that
    included awards, recognition of our sports teams and
    others, reindeer races, and tug of war contest.
    This year we also wanted to add community
    service to our Holiday activities. Working with the
    Council of the aging, the Middle School brought in a
    variety of gifts for elderly shut­ins in our area. We
    put together twelve Christmas baskets that were then
    delivered before Christmas by volunteers.
    The Council is currently planning some spring
    activities and, of course, our June trip to Six Flags at
    Darien Lakes. Watch for details! We have a folder in
    the Middle School Collection at Docushare. You can
    access it through www.keshequa.org.
    KCS District Goal #1: Academic Achievement
    Middle School Activities
    •
    Conclusion of the ELA after­school remediation and test strategies
    academic intervention ninth period ELA “Club”
    that was utilized to prepare 8
    th
    grade students (who were identified as at risk for not meeting state standards) for
    the January NYS English Language Arts Assessment. We will evaluate the results of this effort by
    examining results of the Grade 8 ELA Assessment.
    •
    New York State Grade 8 English Language Arts Assessment administration (1/13 & 14/04) New
    York State Grade 8 Science Performance (lab practical section, 1/20 & 21/04).
    •
    Organization of an after school ‘homework hotline’ for 7
    th
    grade students
    who need help with
    homework is underway. This program will be staffed by teachers and aides and will concentrate on
    classroom content reinforcement, remediation, and low instructor­student ratio. Parents of prospec­
    tive students have been informed of this remedial offering. Referral will be strongly suggested for
    identified students. Refreshments will be provided for added incentive to attend.
    •
    An interdisciplinary 6
    th
    Grade drama production of ancient Greece was held on 12/17/03. There were
    four original plays, masks and set designs created by the students, in cooperation with Patti Lewis­
    Browne, Artist in Residence.
    •
    Seventh Grade Field Study:
    Rochester Museum and Science Center, to review Native American
    Cultures (specifically Iroquois) and Westward Expansion (1/14/04).
    •
    Sixth Grade Field Study:
    Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (1/21/04).
    #1
    Middle School Student Council reaches out
    to the community.
    Every MS homeroom donated, assembled and delivered a basket of goodies for
    senior community members.
    8
    Keshequa Central School
    P.
    O. Box 517
    Nunda, New York 14517­0517
    February 2004
    School Board Members
    Theron Foote
    John Gordinier
    Patricia Kreuzer
    Te rry Lowell, Vice­President
    Randy Todd
    Kevin Whiteman, President
    Joyce Zeh
    Lucinda Miner,
    Interim Superintendent
    Dominic Aloisio,
    Business Administrator
    NONPROFIT
    ORGANIZATION
    US POSTAGE
    PAID
    PERMIT NO. 1
    NUNDA NY 14517
    Greetings from Dalton Elementary
    Rich Greene, Elementary Principal
    One of the ‘building blocks’ of reading is something we call
    phone­
    mic awareness.
    It is sometimes referred to as
    phonological awareness.
    Whatever term you’re using, the idea is basically the same. Human
    speech is made up of sounds (phonemes) that, when strung together in
    just the right way, make up words, phrases and sentences. This is most
    people’s primary form of communication. When we are very young, we
    learn that sounds have meaning. At first, those sounds are very basic,
    like when a baby cries when hungry. As we grow, spoken language
    becomes more complex. Simple sounds are put together to form words
    like “mama” and “dada.” Then, those words are combined with others
    and eventually we’re carrying on complex conversations.
    So what does this have to do with reading? Well, one of the
    important things that has to happen when children learn to read is that they need to make the connection that
    the words they say are made up of a series of sounds. When they have a sufficient understanding of that, they
    can move to the next step which is that those sounds can be written down by using letters (This is called
    phonics
    ­ but we’ll talk about that some other time). The better children are at breaking words down into the
    smaller pieces of sound that they are made of (segmenting), the better they will be able to make the sound­
    letter connection later on and the better readers they’ll become.
    So what does this have to do with your child? The more you can do with your child when he/she is
    young around segmenting, the better she/he will be ready to read.
    Segmenting can be fun. Have your child say a word as slowly as
    they can, exaggerating every sound in that word. If that’s too
    complex, have them say a simple sentence and clap their hands
    on every syllable (beat) that the sentence contains. When
    children rhyme words, they’re playing with phonemes. Say a
    word and ask your child to say a word that rhymes – even
    nonsense words are okay. The rhyming is the most important
    thing at first. All of these games are exercises that will help your
    child be more aware of the sounds that make up language. The
    more they play these games, the more they’ll be ready to read
    when the time comes!
    KCS District Goal #5:
    Facilities
    The new gym floor in the Middle
    school was completed and open for use on January 22. We
    are grateful to have this physical education teaching
    station back in service and also look forward to hosting
    the Section V Class BB Wrestling Tournament on
    February 13 and 14. COME CHECK IT OUT!
    #5

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