November 2009 - Chateaugay Central School

Chateaugay Central School
Chateaugay, New York 12920
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. postage Paid
Permit No.6
Chateaugay Central School
November, 2009
Newsletter
To: Occupant/Box Holder
Chateaugay Central School District
Self Portrait by Adam LaBier
High School Art
Calendar Highlights
1. Board of education meetings Nov. 9,13 & 27
2. November 11 Veterans Day No school
3. Public Hearing November 12
4.
Public Vote November 17
5. Spaghetti Supper/Open House Nov. 19
6. Thanksgiving vacation November 25-27
Thank you to all of our Past, Present and Future Veterans!
Have a safe Thanksgiving Vacation!
Chateaugay Central School
Proposed Capital Alteration
and Addition Project
Please refer to the special project newsletter
that was mailed home in October or visit
www.chateaugav.org
For more information
CAPITAL ALTERATION AND ADDITION PROJECT HEARING
THURSDAY,
NOVEMBER 12,
7:00
2 009
P.M.
CHATEAUGAY CENTRAL SCHOOL AUDITORIUM
AND
CAPITAL ALTERATION AND ADDITION PROJECT VOTE
TUESDAY,
1:00
CHATEAUGAY
NOVEMBER 17,
P.M.
-
CENTRAL
9:00
P.M.
SCHOOL
QUALIFICATIONS OF VOTERS AT A
2009
GYMNASIUM
DISTRICT ELECTION
A person is eligible to vote in the election of members of the Board of
Education and upon all other matters if the person is:
1.
A
2.
Eighteen years of age or older
citizen of the United States
3.
A resident** within the district for a period of thirty
(30) days preceding the election at which he/she offers
to vote.
**A resident is a person who makes his/her home within the district,
whether or not that person is a property owner.
A person who rents within
the district is a resident and may be eligible to vote provided they meet
all other qualifications listed above. However, a person who owns property
within the district and makes his/her home outside the district is NOT
ELIGIBLE TO VOTE.
SPAGHETTI SUPPER - OPEN HOUSE
November 19, 2009
In observance of National Education Week, there will be a Spaghetti Supper
and Open House at Chateaugay Central School on Thursday, November 19,
2009. Dinners will be served in the school cafeteria from 4:30 - 7:00 P.M.
Prices are as follows:
Students & Senior Citizens
Adults
Family Ticket
$5.00
$6.00
$25.00
Tickets will be available at the door and there will be no take-out orders.
Parents are encouraged to visit classrooms to meet the teachers.
Appointments can be made atthis time to discuss the progress ofthe
students. Report cards will be available in the Guidance Office to parents of
students in grades 7-12. Visiting times for Kindergarten through Sixth
Grade are from 5:30 to 7:30 P.M. and from 6:00 to 8:00 P.M. for Grades 7
through 12.
The Chateaugay Teachers' Association and the Cafeteria Staff will use
proceeds from this event for ascholarship fund that is sponsored jointly.
Awards will be announced at commencement in June.
Last year's recipients were: Andrew Boyea, Devin Cassavaw, Kyle Demers,
Candace Fowler, Hannah Gardiner, Katie Hamelin, Chelsea McDonald,
Josh Patnode, Michael Root, Samantha Rounds, Kateri Stemmer, Danielle
Swanston and Margaret Trombly. Chairpersons for this event are Vicki
Gardiner and Debbie Recore.
ATTENTION ALL PARENTS
ALERT NOW INFORMATION
Chateaugay Central School will once again be using the Alert Now Rapid
Communications service, which allows us to communicate with parents in a quick
and efficient manner. Some of the ways we used Alert Now last year, and will
continue this year are:
Calling all families when school has been cancelled or postponed.
Calling all families when school is dismissed early due to weather or other
reasons.
Calling all families if there is an emergency situation at school.
Calling specific families to remind them about upcoming events like open
houses, parent-teacher conferences, etc.
Calling specific families when there may be problems with one of our bus
routes.
Calling specific families with changes in extra-curricular schedules such as a
cancelled game or postponed concert.
We will be performing a non-emergencv test call at 6 p.m. on
Monday. November 9. Please let us know if vou do not receive
this test call.
There are two things that are very important for you to remember in order to ensure
that this communication method works well, especially during unplanned early
dismissal events.
1,
Please notify the school immediately if any of your phone or emergency
contact information has changed.
2.
It is important that you, or someone you designate, be at your listed
emergency location if school closes early. It is very difficult to take last
minute changes over the phone when this happens. In fact, we ask that if
school closes early, please make all attempts to NOT call the school.
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Upcoming Events
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November 1: End of Daylight
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Savings Time
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Set clocks back 1 hour
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November 6: End of Marking
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October was an exciting month with
field trips: Bankers Apple Orchard for
Kindergarten students, Bonesteels Garden
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Center for Pre-K students; a Fire
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Prevention and Safety Assembly presented
by the Chateaugay and Burke Fire
Department members; and an Owl
Adaptation presentation by Mr. Brennen
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the opportunity to enjoy the Senior Play.
(It was impressive to see so many seniors
participate in the play!)
During October, we also focused on
being respectful to ourselves, others, and
our school property. We challenged
students to be respectful of time, also. We
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ask that all students arrive at 8:00 to
prepare for the school day. Even though
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the official school time doesn't start until
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When your child is consistently late, he or
she is placed in the position of being
November 12: Building Project
Public Meeting
7:00 pm in
Auditorium
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your child arrive at school ready to start
the day off in a less hectic way.
month of November, will be focused on
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showing Gratitude/Courtesy. The faculty
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Social Studies
Assessment
November 17: 5th Grade
Social Studies
Assessment
Building Project Vote
1:00 -9:00 pm
Auditorium
November 19: Open House
Spaghetti Dinner
Book Fair
November 20: Report Cards
Distributed
Caroline O'Connor- 6:30 pm
Stories Through Song
Chateaugay Memorial Library
and staff will be looking for students to
show acts of kindness toward their
43
November 16: 5th Grade
unprepared with materials, morning work,
The character education theme for the
«
No School
8:20 am, it's important to get your child in
the habit of arriving early to any event.
School, for your child, is his or her job.
scheduled instruction, etc. Please help
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November 11: Veterans' Day
for the 4th grade students; and of course
o
1
Period
classmates, friends, teachers, and parents.
We are especially thankful for the manners
you have taught your children. The
teachers and I recognize how fortunate we
are to have your children at CCS! We will
be counting our blessings, not only for
November; but also, throughout the entire
school year!
November 23: Return
Report CardEnvelopes
November 25: Vacation Day
;No:SchooL
November 26: Thanksgiving Day
No School
November 27: Vacation Day
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No School
fire Safety Plan
At the fire prevention assembly, Mr. Bobby Quimet asked the students to raise their
hands if they had a fire safety plan at home. Very few students raised their hands. He
challenged the students to talk to their parents and design escape routes and a designated
meeting place. If you are reading this newsletter and you don't have children in school,
it's still a good idea to develop a fire safety plan at your house. After you make your plan
and have a designated meeting place, it is important for you to have emergency drills in
your home.
IF A FIRE SHOULD OCCUR IN YOUR HOME...
If you have sleeping areas
1. GET OUT OF THE HOUSE.
Familiarize yourself with at least two exits from each room;
For example: one window and one door.
Know where the exits are; practice using them.
located on the second
floor, provide an escape
ladder or rope. Check
2. HAVE A MEETING PLACE LOCATED OUTSIDE THE
these carefully to make
HOUSE
A fire is no time to be worrying about who made it out and who did not.
By establishing a central meeting place outside the house, you can count
certain they are safe.
heads
and not have to wonder who might still be inside.
Check windows that
3. PHONE THE FERE DEPARTMENT (911) FROM A
would be used in an
NEIGHBOR'S HOUSE
escape to see that they
4. NEVER GO BACK INSDDE FOR ANY REASON!
open easily.
Once you are outside, do not go back inside. The fire departmentwill be
there in a matter of minutes. Stay at the meeting place and wait for the
fire department.
This would be a good time to order an address marker. The reflective address marker makes it easier for
firemen to locate your home.
ESCAPE
ROUTE
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IN A FIRE, SECONDS
COUNT!
For early detection of fires,
install smoke detectors near
your sleeping areas. If you
have a multi-story house,
install smoke detectors at each
level in the home.
Change the batteries ofyour
smoke detector on
Sunday, November 1
when the time changes.
HOME FIRE SAFETY CHECKLIST - (Please Complete this Checklist)
PRE-FIRE PLANNING
YES
NO
YES
NO
YES
NO
YES
NO
jHave you planned at least two ways to get out of every room in your home?
Do you keep exit routes clear in your home?
Do you know how to notify your fire department quickly and correctly in case of fire?
ESPECIALLY FOR CHILDREN
jDo you make it a rule never to leave small children alone or unattended?
iDo your baby-sitters (and you) know the first rule of safety in fire emergencies? —Get everybody
'out fast, and don't go back in.
po you show your baby-sitters the escape routes from your home, and give instructions on the
jcorrect way to report a fire?
GOOD SMOKING HABITS
Is smoking in bed strictly against the rule in your home?
Do you always make sure that cigarette, cigar and pipe ashes are completely extinguished before
you dispose of them? Before going to bed, be SURE there are no cigarettes still burning.
Are matches kept out of the reach of children? Keep matches and lighters above the "strike zone"
(toohigh for children to reach).
HEATING AND COOKING
|Are furnaces, stoves and smoke pipes kept in good repair and located far enough away from
combustible walls and ceilings so that they do not create a hazard? Use a fireplace screen to
jprevent sparks from flying.
llf you have portable space heaters in your home do you see that theyare properly maintained and
jlocated? Keep portable space heaters away from people, curtains, and furniture.
iDo you have an annual inspection of your heating system? Have heating equipment checked and
'cleaned each year.
jDo yoursleeves get intothings when you cook? Wear tight-fitting clothing when you cook.
pan you stop a cooking fire safely? Smother a pan fire with a lid. Never use water. If cooking oil
jstarts to smoke, turn down the heat. Don't throw whatever's handy on thecounter, such as
jdumping flour from the bag, on the fire (explosion!)
ELECTRICITY
YES
NO
Do you see that extension cordsare never run under rugs or hooked overnails? Avoid using
lextension cords whereverpossible (especially small-wired cords use with high-wattage
appliances.)
When the breaker "trips" or a fuse blows, do you investigate WHY it happened? If a fuse blows (or
\a breaker "trips"), find the cause. Remove excess appliances (lamps, stereo components, space
heaters, etc.)from a breaker circuit that frequently "trips".
jls the right size fuse (20 amps for lighting circuits) in each socket in the fuse box? Replace the
jfuse with one of the correct size.
Is your TV well ventillated? Allow air space around theTV to prevent overheating. If it doesn't work
right, it can be a fire danger.
GOOD HOUSEKEEPING
Do you keep rubbish cleaned out of the attic, basement, closets, garage and yard? Sortand
remove rubbish. Don't store things near the furnace or heater
[Are gasoline and other flammable liquids stored in safety cans, and kept well away from both heat
'and children? Move flammable liquids away from heat. Do not store flammable liquids in the
'home. Keep them stored outside and away from the house in a separate storage building. Don't fill
ja hot lawn mower or other motor; let it cool first.
_____„
Yes.
NO
Mrs. Kris Green told a captivating story abouttwo eggs, Sally and Norman, who were
planning to go on a bike ride. Sally wore her helmet. Norman couldn't find his helmet.
His mother told him to make sure he found it before he went on the ride with Sally. She
even yelled from the house, "Norman did you find your helmet?"
Even though Norman never found his helmet, he yelled back to his mother, "Yes!"
Well, Norman went on the ride with Sally anyway. As you can imagine, he hit a
bump and fell off his bike. Yes, it happenedright in our gymnasium. Norman, the egg,
cracked his head. The rescue workers had no way of reviving Norman. He splattered his
brain all over the road (gym floor) - and almost on some innocent bi-standers. Mrs.
Green's point was evident by the gasps of all the children and adults listening.
A bicycle helmet can protect your head and brain ONLY if you wear it each
time you ridel
Last weekend, Austin Smith and Christopher Redmond riding their bikes in the school
parking lot and they were wearing their bike helmets. I went outside to take their picture
for this newsletter, but my camera didn't work! The important thing was that their
parents and they made sure they wore helmets while riding their bikes. The other way
Austin and Christopher keep themselves safe is NOT to ride in the school parking lot
during the week when it is full of cars!
Ifyour child does not have a bike helmet, please call me at 497-6290. I will make
sure your child has a helmet.
Read the following tips for fitting your child's bike helmet:
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/pedbimot/bike/EasyStepsWeb/index.htm
If s not enough to simply buy a bicycle helmet - it should be properiy fitted, adjusted, and worn each
time you ride.
•
The Helmet Must Cover Your Forehead.
•
The Chin Strap Must Be Tight and Properly Adjusted.
•
Replace any helmet that has been involved in a crash or is damaged.
The Proper Helmet Fit
Helmets come in various sizes,just likehats. Sizecan vary betweenmanufacturers. Forthe most
comprehensive list ofhelmet sizes according tomanufacturers, go tothe Bicycle Helmet Safety
Institute (BHSI) site: http://www,danscomp.com/products/charts/helmetchart,htm
To select and properly fit a bicycle helmet, follow the helmet fitting instructions below. It
may take some time to ensure a proper fit
Step 1 - Size:
Measure your head for approximate size. Try the helmet onto ensure it fits snuggly. While it is
sitting flat ontop ofyour head, make sure the helmet doesn't rock side toside. Sizing pads come
with new helmets; use the pads to securely fit toyour head. Mix ormatch the sizing pads for the
greatest comfort. In your child's helmet, remove the padding when your child's head grows. Ifthe
helmet has a universal fitring instead of sizing pads, adjust thering size to fit the head.
Step 2 - Position:
The helmet should sit level on your head and low on your forehead—one
or two finger-widths above your eyebrow.
Step 3 - Buckles:
Center the left buckle under the chin. On most helmets, the straps can be
pulled from the back of the helmet to lengthen or shorten the chin straps.
This task is easier if you take the helmet off to make these adjustments.
Step 4 - Side Straps:
Adjust the slider on both straps to form a "V" shape under, and slightly in
front of, the ears. Lock the slider if possible.
Step 5 - Chin Strap:
Buckle your chin strap. Tighten the strap until it is snug, so that no more
than one or two fingers fit under the strap.
Step 6 - Final Fitting:
A. Does your helmet fit right? Open your mouth wide.. .big yawn!
The helmet should pull down on the head. If not, refer back to step
5 and tighten the chin strap.
B. Does your helmet rock back more than two fingers above the
eyebrows? If so, unbuckle, shorten the front strap by moving the
slider forward.
Buckle, retighten the chin strap, and test again.
C. Does your helmet rock forward into your eyes? If so, unbuckle,
tighten the back strap by moving the sliderback toward the ear.
Buckle, retighten the chin strap, and test again.
D. Roll the rubber band down to the buckle. All four straps must go
through the rubber band and be close to the buckle to preventthe
buckle from slipping.
53SSS
FIELD TRIPS TO
CANADA
THERE will be field trips that include destinations in Canada. At this
time, school students may cross the border with a valid birth certificate.
Parents and Teachers must have an enhanced driver's license or a valid
passport.
If you would like to be a chaperone for one of these trips, please begin
taking the steps required to acquire an enhanced driver's license or
passport.
FIELD TRIPS THAT YOU MAY ANTICIPATE:
• Upper Canada Village
•
Insectarium and Planetarium
• Next year Kindergarten will return to Canada
for the Apple Orchard Field Trip
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Vacation Adventures
Have an adventure: November has four school vacation days scheduled. A vacation breaks
down the way we do things. In the November 2009 issue of Health, Jacquelyne Froeber explains that
being in a new place increases dopamine (feel good chemicals) in the brain, which helps bring everyone
closer together.
Dr. Haltzman, author of The Secrets of Happy Families, cites research that shows that people who give
(time or money) are happier. He says, "It's important that children learn that they are not the center of
the universe and that they can have an impact on the world around them." Over the Thanksgiving
vacation, you and child can volunteer at a soup kitchen or shelter. If time is tight, Dr. Halzman "suggests
you ask your children to donate a portion of their allowance to a charity of their choice, and tell them
you'll match it.
.
^Writing Celebration
Mrs. Pageau and her students hosted theirfirst Author's Celebration.
Beginning in mid September we began investigating poetry ofall types. The
students read and listened to many poems, which we looked at closelyforformat,
rhyming, patterns, length, and other aspects. As a class, the students also wrote
together to practice creating different types ofpoetry. Some ofour classpoems
included couplets, cinquain, andfree verse. Individually the students began
working on writing their own poetry. As their initial hesitation and lack of
confidence began to diminish, the students began producing lots ofpoetry, and the
excitement grew.
As a celebration oftheir learning andwonderful work, on October 20 an evening
ofpoetry reading was held with parents, siblings, grandparents, and teachers in
our audience. Itwas an exciting eventfor the students, who proudly sharedsome
oftheir poetry with theirfamilies.
KeyBank and the United Way are teaming up to collect school supplies
for our needy children in the North Country. Your donations will help
those children in Franklin County School Districts to have a successful
year. We thank you for your generosity.
Austin Smith, Brandon Bombard, and Olivia Garwood accept the
donation from Key Bank employees on behalf of CCS students.
Thanks to Bridget Bombard, Suzie Smith, Noelle Garwood, and Diane
Mailloux for serving our community and caring about the students at
CCS!
Wal-Mart and the United Way collected school supplies for children in
the North Country.
Ryan Staples, a manager at Wal-Mart, distributed the supplies to
students at CCS.
Delaney, Taylor, and Emma posed with one of the many boxes that
were donated for CCS students.
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Mr. Brennen brought a Barred Owl to highlight his presentation to 4th grade students in
Mrs. Jones' and Mrs. Vanier's classrooms. He spoke about Animal Adaptations, which
is a theme within their Science program. The children were quieter than you'd ever
believe during the time the owl was being handled by Mr. Brennen.
Fundingfor the
Visitors Interpretive
Center has been
drastically cut.
The VIC center used to
be open 7 days a week,
now it is only open 5
days a week. Theyhave
also gone from having
13 employees to having
5 employees. This
seriously limits the
number ofschool visits
that can occur!
Mr. Brennen said that
he keeps coming to
Chateaugay because
Mrs. Jones and Mrs.
Vanier have been loyal
to the VIC center.
Nature is a valuable
resource. We are
fortunate to have Mr.
Brennen teaching us
about the owl, habitats
in which the owl lives,
and the adaptations of
the owl that helps it
survive in the
wilderness.