Long Lake Central School Newsletter |
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| Kenneth Slentz - Superintendent Karin Cook - Acting Principal |
Superintendent=s Office - 624-2147 February 2004 Acting Principal Office - 624-2087 |
Long Lake Central School Newsletter is published irregularly by Long Lake Central School, PO Box 217, Long Lake NY 12847-0217
From the Superintendent’s Desk…
As I suggested to the faculty this week, thank goodness for the weather as it often provides a common language for social discussion. Needless to say, we have had a lot to talk about! Nonetheless, everyone seems to be taking the arctic weather in stride and school continues, often to the disgruntlement of the students.
This month is one of anticipation for school districts across New York State as we await the governor’s unveiling of his proposed budget on January 20. As I have suggested before, this is a critical year for school funding due to a recent court case that has required the state to change the way it funds schools. Although state aid accounts for only 4% of our budget, we are not prepared to go to the voters and ask for more money. Again, our state representatives have been listening closely to our concerns in the North Country. I have great faith in both Assemblywoman Sayward and Senator Little. Both are very practical, grounded individuals who fully understand the plight of the rural schools. As we await the news, however, we do not do so inactively. We continue to "work on the work" of our students, staff and district.
New Faces:
As I suggested in the last newsletter, the Board created a full time art position and directed me to advertise for this position internally. We have made a tentative agreement with Michele Gannon to fill this position. We will finalize this in February. This is an excellent opportunity to expand a curricular area that is in high demand.
Buildings and Budgets:
As we progress through the many unknowns of the revenue side of our budget, and as we evaluate the professional architectural services, we invite your input into the process through Board meetings, through the Board members themselves or by stopping in to chat with us. In terms of professional services, we have narrowed the firms to three and will likely have chosen the architect by the time this letter comes out. Also, because we are working with your money and your building, it is important to us that you have a say in how we are functioning. The ultimate say comes with the May budget vote and we count on an informed citizenry on that day. If you have questions about either of these processes, please stop in or call.
School Spirit Week:
We all know that comedy comes in many different forms. Anyone who doubts this simply needed to come to school on any day this week to see students dressed as teachers and teachers dressed as students as part of the Spirit Week activities sponsored by the student council. Other days included superhero day and hillbilly day. Clearly, spirit was demonstrated by students and staff alike. This was a week of good fun and good spirit!
Town/School Activities:
I have commented before on the need for the school and the town to enter into joint ventures that allow us to maximize services and minimize expenditures. With our first venture, the ice rink, nearing completion, out next venture has received approval from the town to push forward. The installation of a fiber optic cable, the development of a T1 high speed computer connection, and the development of distance learning/video conferencing will be the result of this approval so long as our funding comes through as expected. As of this point, Assemblywoman Sayward has secured $55,000 for us towards this project. As I assured the Town Council, we will not proceed with the project if the full funding does not come through. More to come…
So for now, stay warm, read a good book (or a good newsletter) to your kids, and remember, 6 months from now we will be complaining about the heat. Welcome to the Adirondacks!
Stay warm and stay well,
Kenneth G. Slentz
Superintendent
The boy’s modified basketball team is off to a nice start compiling a record of 3 and 3 as of January 9th. The boys are working hard in practice and I expect the team to put forth better efforts against the opponents we lost to earlier in the season. Emmett Sandiford, Joel Hart, and Kodee Olbert represent the ninth graders. Kodee plays forward and is our strongest rebounder scoring many of his points off put backs. Joel plays guard and his quickness is a tough handle for opposing defenders. Emmett just transferred to Long Lake and will be eligible to play around January 22nd. Although Emmett has never played organized basketball, he is showing consistent improvement. Eighth graders Andy Snide, Abe Beardsley and Dave Andrews have all improved on their fitness and skills over last season. Andy can play guard or forward and shoots well from the floor. Abe Beardsley joined after the season started and has yet to play in his first game. Abe will also play guard or forward and will improve our team’s success potential immediately. Dave Andrews is the teams point guard and he can score from the outside. Seventh grade is represented by Jonathan Croy, Michael Hart, Alex Smith, William Cortis, and A.J. Adams. All five of the boys have played elementary basketball and are adjusting well to the modified level of play. Alex will start most games by virtue of his athletic abilities. John Croy will see considerable playing time and occasionally start, as he has a nice shot from the floor when he has time to get it off. Michael also shoots well from the floor when he has time. Will and A.J. are demonstrating improvement in all aspects of the game. With consistent concentration and effort in practice both will continue to make good contributions to the team.
I am very proud of the boy’s participation and support for each other. All boys in grades seven through nine are playing hoop, rounding out the roster at eleven. Although many players, especially seventh graders, will see limited playing time, they make a significant contribution by attending and working hard in practice. By the time they move to eighth and ninth grade, they will be better players and usually receive more playing time because of their seventh grade experience. Try to come and see the team play; we usually make it exciting and the boys appreciate the support.
SCORES
Minerva/Newcomb 38 Long Lake 37
Wells 34 Long Lake 49
Bolton 36 Long Lake 38
Lake Pleasant 37 Long Lake 12
Kings 32 Long Lake 24
Johnsburg 21 Long Lake 31
The basketball teams have dedicated it’s season to the memory of their friend and teammate Will Geiger. We have placed a memory display at the gym entrance and "Geiger Ball" was created to help support the Will Geiger Basketball Scholarship Fund. The scholarship was created by Will’s classmates Andy Snide, Dave Andrews and Abe Beardsley. All proceeds generated are earmarked to provide a full or partial basketball camp scholarship to one or two students annually. It is hoped that the previous donations to the Fund and the annual amounts generated by "Geiger Ball" will maintain this hoop camp scholarship opportunity for the foreseeable future.
Will loved hoop and attended camps at St. Lawrence and Potsdam in the summer of 2003. St. Lawrence has donated a matching fund grant for it’s camp which will significantly help to send more than one deserving student. Will is very much missed by his teammates and myself. He certainly would have been an impact player for Long Lake Central. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of Will. His memory will stay with me forever.
NEW ADDITIONS IN THE LIBRARY:
American Revolution theme:
Yankee Doodle, the song and its history
George Washington’s teeth
American Revolution (Dorling Kindersley)
Lafayette: French freedom fighter
William Howe: British general
The Declaration of Independence
Yankee Doodle and the Redcoats
Liberty: how the Revolutionary War began
Molly Pitcher: a biography
Yankee Doodle Boy: a young soldier’s biography
Careers:
Smoke Jumpers
Career Ideas for Kids who like music and
dance
Career Ideas for kids who like travel
Cooking:
The All-American Cookie Book
Betty Crocker’s Vegetarian Cooking
The American Vegetarian Cookbook from the Fit For
Life Kitchen
Food Folklore
Court cases, crime and justice:
Missing from Haymarket Square – fiction
The Haymarket Square Riot Trial
The Teapot Dome Scandal Trial
Probation and parole
Judges and sentencing
Hate crimes
The mad, the bad and the innocent
BLUE MOUNTAIN LAKE
Monday’s, January 26 – March 22, 3:30-5:00 p.m. for ages 8-12. Workshops include: Collage with Fabric, Pottery, Portrait Posters, Printmaking with Monoprints, Relief Prints and Silkscreen. $10 per workshop or $65 for all 8 classes.
TOWN OF LONG LAKE SKATING PROGRAM
General Hours of Operation
AFTERNOONS
Monday through Friday: 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Long Lake Central School vacation days:
1:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Saturday and Sunday: 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM
EVENINGS
Sunday through Thursday: 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Friday and Saturday or nights preceding Long Lake Central
School vacation days: 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM
EXCEPTIONS
The rink will be closed for the evening hours of Modified or
Varsity home games or school concerts by Long Lake
Central School students Monday through Thursday. It will
be open regardless of School activity Friday through
Sunday.
The rink will be closed if the ice is not good due to weather.
If no skaters have shown up or everyone leaves early, the
attendant is permitted to close ½ hour before the
scheduled closing time.
Town of Long Lake Ice Rink Rules
No child under age 8 should be left at the rink without a
responsible older sibling, a designated babysitter or an
adult caretaker present who is responsible for the child.
Parents (or responsible caretakers) are strongly
encouraged to have their small children or beginner
skaters wear helmets while skating. Some are provided
by the Town of Long Lake.
No smoking or alcoholic beverages are allowed on the
premises - in the warming building, on land around it or on
the ice.
No foul language may be used on the premises.
No hockey games can be played if there are ‘free’ skaters
on the ice.
No ‘free’ skaters may skate if it is during a scheduled
hockey ice time.
Hockey players must wear helmets regardless of age.
Hockey players must put away all town-owned hockey
equipment when they are done for the day.
The phone is available for skaters: only brief (one minute)
local calls are allowed.
Music brought by skaters to be played over the loud
speaker must be appropriate for all ages and played at a
reasonable volume.
The attendant has the authority to send home anyone who
breaks the rules or is threatening the safety of others.
Boy’s varsity basketball this season is enjoying a modest "rebound" from last year’s struggles. We started the year with 10 players and grew to 12 when Caleb and Kyle Austin joined the team in early December. The large squad makes it possible to practice full court play effectively and has led us to try a pressing defense and up-tempo offense to take advantage of the number of players. The results have been uneven but encouraging. Some good parts of games against Keene, Wells and Clifton-Fine gave us hope that a game in which we played more consistently and shot a little better than usual could lead to a win. And so it happened! Against Kings School on December 19th our players and the excellent crowd got an early Christmas present when we won 72 to 54. After trailing 33 to 20 at halftime, we played harder and better and scored 52 points in the second half (more than twice our game average from last year!). Every player played in each half and had a positive effect in this game. Just what we hope for every time out. Unfortunately, this was followed by a 16 day layoff, so we are working to recover the form we showed before Christmas.
We have several more home games in January, but finish the year mostly on the road, so check your schedule and try to attend a game or two to watch us play. When we are playing our best it is exciting, fast paced action.
Seniors – Most of the seniors have all their college applications in. Parents: Please remember that the FAFSA can be mailed in anytime after January 1st. The sooner, the better! Students have received information on scholarships for the Adirondack Regional Federal Credit Union, Northern New York Volunteer Firemen’s Association, and Golub Foundation.
Grades 9-12 – Various articles have gone to students on issues to consider when choosing a college, important things to look for in vocational schools, which classes and activities are important for college preparation, important issues in choosing a career, reasons to attend college, how to apply for financial aid, myths about financial aid, first year college pitfalls to avoid, behind the scenes jobs in sports and contact information for questions on filling out the FAFSA form.
The juniors are in the process of filling out applications for the shadow day experience organized annually with the Adirondack Regional Chambers of Commerce. This field trip is scheduled for Wednesday, March 24th and students will have more details about placements as we get closer to the day.
Some issues discussed in elementary guidance classes:
Kindergarten – Identifying different types of feelings such as happy, sad, mad, angry and scared and discussing appropriate ways to deal with those feelings.
1st Grade – Appropriate ways to deal with being angry, difficult things to deal with as a family (death of a sibling or parent separation) and what they see for themselves in their teens and as adults.
2nd Grade – Issues of acting spoiled, identifying different types of feelings, bullying others and being bullied, being honest with parents.
3rd Grade – Health careers, arts and entertainment careers, exploration of different careers.
4th Grade – Arts and entertainment careers, exploration of different careers.
5/6th Grade – Arts and entertainment careers, setting goals and long term planning, what they want to do after school, what things are needed for personal success and how that is often tied to your individual goals.
Programs are held in the Conference Building and begin promptly at 1:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Museum members and children of elementary school age or younger are admitted without charge. Admission for non-members is $3.00.
February 1, 2004 – Saranac Lake: The Wilderness Cure - Mary Hotaling, Executive Director of Historic Saranac Lake, provides a history of the village and its dramatic role in the battle against the "People’s Plague" as TB of epidemic proportion came to be known. Learn about the sanatoriums, cure cottages, and diverse personalities that made Saranac Lake unique. Illustrated with historic photos, film, and artifacts from museum collections.
February 15, 2004 – Open House – Refreshments will be served in the Visitor Center and the Museum Store will be open from Noon to 5:00 p.m. Exhibit buildings will not be open, but the museum will show historic films from its collection from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the conference building.
Full board minutes are available in the Main Office during regular school business hours.
GRADE 4 ELA TEST
The New York State English Language Arts test for fourth graders will be on February 3, 4, and 5.
Scoring the English Language Arts tests:
Grade 4 and Grade 8 English Language Arts test scores will be based on the students’ ability to demonstrate evidence of the following five qualities:
Meaning – the extent to which the response exhibits sound understanding, interpretation, and analysis of the task and text.
Development – the extent to which ideas are supported through the use of specific, accurate, and relevant evidence from the text.
Organization – the extent to which the response exhibits direction, shape, and coherence.
Language Use – the extent to which the response exhibits clear and effective use of vocabulary and sentence structure.
Conventions – the extent to which the response exhibits correct spelling, punctuation, paragraphing, grammar, and usage.
Long Lake Central School
Long Lake, NY 12847-0217
Administration
Kenneth Slentz, Superintendent 624-2147
Karin Cook, Acting Principal 624-2087
Main Office 624-2221
Board of Education
Patricia Gibbs, President
Brian Farr Vickie Plumley
Hallie Bond Michelle Hamdan
James Bateman, Clerk of the Board
THE DOCUMENTS OF OUR LIVES
We are all familiar with the Constitution of the United States and the Declaration of Independence, but are we as familiar with the documents that tell who we are as individuals?
Please call the school office at 624-2221 to register or contact Sharon Waagner for additional information.
The computer lab will be open for public use Wednesday evenings, 6:30-8:30 p.m., throughout January and February (excluding February 18). Please bring your project – David Snide will be there for instruction help. Come and use the school’s high speed internet access.
During the next few weeks, members of the 8th and 9th grade classes will be contacting friends and neighbors as they conduct a magazine subscription drive. This fund-raiser was last done by the Class of 2002 and is a very successful way to raise funds for a combined junior/senior trip in the spring of 2007.
The QSP company is a division of Reader’s Digest and the renewal prices as well as subscription prices are among the lowest available. If you already subscribe to a magazine, the salesperson just needs your mailing label and then can renew your subscription for you. Also available are a unique selection of musical cd’s as well as some great books. If you are not contacted and wish to support this fund-raiser, please call and leave your name and we will have a member of the class contact you in person.
If you have any questions, please contact Class Advisor Sharon Waagner.