Dear District Residents,
I
would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Larry Patzwald and I will be the
interim superintendent of schools for the 2004-2005 school year.
To give you a little background. I have more than 35 years of experience in
rural education. I have served as a
sixth grade teacher, K-12 principal and superintendent of schools.
I am very excited about working with the
In
closing I would like to thank everyone for making my first two weeks at LLCS
so enjoyable. Special thanks go to Mr.
Ken Slentz who has helped me immensely in this time of transition. May he & his family find success and happiness
in their new school/community.
Best
Always
Interim
Superintendent of Schools
Long Camille Nerney,
President Lorrise Adams, Vice
President Nancy Wallace,
Treasurer Coffee and Dessert Night: Thanks to all who came out to our first
meeting of the school year on September 16.
Many hands make light work, so please help out in any way you can –
let’s make this an outstanding year for students, teachers and parents! Soccer Concession: If you can help sell food at our concession stand
during Lakers’ Modified and Varsity home games, please call Nancy Wallace at
624-5513. If you can’t help during the
games, can you donate a pot of soup,
stew or chili? Let Coats for Kids: We are asking for donations of coats and other winter gear,
including ski pants, scarves, boots, gloves and mittens. Items may be any size (infant through adult)
and must be in good repair. Please deliver clothing to the large box
outside the boiler room on the first floor.
Clothing will be cleaned and hung on a rack opposite the school’s
fitness center. Coats are available to all in the community - -Please help yourself! Thanksgiving Basket Raffle: Once again
the PTSA will be raffling a basket chock full of Thanksgiving Dinner
Fixins! The lucky winner will receive a
large turkey, potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, green beans, dinner rolls,
pies and more! Tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5.
Stop by the Harvest Festival or see one of our officers for tickets. Box Tops for Education: Please clip the
“box top” coupons from General Mills
products, including Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Hamburger Helper, Lloyd’s, Old El
Paso, and others. Please deliver your
Box Tops to the PTSA mailbox in the main office. Thanks for your support! The PTSA meets
the third Thursday of each month in the cafeteria. Our next
meeting will be held on October 21, 2004.
See you there! Sept. 9th was the deadline date for the girls’
varsity players to have all their paper work and physicals completed. The interested girls met in
the gym after school. Unfortunately, there were only five ready to go. The
decision was made to officially acknowledge there would be no girls’ varsity
team this year due to lack of numbers. The seven girls who attended this meeting were given their
options for sports participation at this time. They were informed that they
could take the mixed competition selection classification test for varsity
boys’ team, then meet with a review panel. The review panel made up of the
school doctor, administrator, athletic director, coaches and parents of the
student would determine their eligibility to participate. A second option offered at this time was to have an
intramural program for girls. This program would be offered every day after school at
least through the end of October. The girls discussed this option thoroughly and
there was a significant brainstorming session that followed. As a result, a new school organization was
formed called G.A.A. or Girls’ Athletic Association. A roster of officers was elected. The primary
purpose of G.A.A is to organize the activities that the girls wish to
participate in and encourage all girls in 7- 12 (not currently attached to a
team) to participate in these activities. The officers of G.A.A. are as follows; Pres.Sarah Lamos,
Vice Pres. Alex Holton, Sec/treas.Brooke Armstrong. The G.A.A. organization was
formally recognized and approved by the board of education at its Sept. 9th
meeting. Bernice Burnham is the advisor. We would love to have you join us. See a G.A.A. member for
the schedule of activities. Due to popular request, a pilates class will be offered
again this year pending board approval. I anticipate offering it on Mondays
and Wednesdays from 4 p.m. until 5 p.m. Beginning Nov. 2004 Call the school
to sign up for this popular class. There will be 14 classes at a cost of
$20.00. Make your check out to Long Lake Central
School Adult Education Fund. CLASSES
OF 2007 AND 2008 As many may know, the freshman
and sophomore classes have combined to work as a unit toward their senior
trip. We are beginning the new year
with a completely fresh focus. Instead of the steady fund-raising activities
throughout the school year, our emphasis will be on community service. At our
first meeting we elected officers and set up our fall activity schedule. President is Alex Holton, Vice President is
Andy Snide, Secretary is Emily Powers, and Co-treasurers are Chelsey Wallace
and David Andrews. Our Student Council
representatives are Andy, David, Heather Black (1/2 year), Leah Lamos (1/2
year), and Kodee Olbert. We have also added a sergeant at arms position
since we observed someone in this role during our trip to Albany. Our “Co-Watchdogs” are Amelia Powers and Gary
Adams. Our
first order of business was to set the date for the annual Halloween Carnival. The carnival will take place on Saturday, October
30 between 1 and 3 p.m. All classes,
school clubs, and community organizations are invited to join us. Please contact Kodee Olbert, Chairman, or Sharon
Waagner, Class Advisor, if you are interested in participating. We will
begin our Adopt-A-Highway program on Friday, October 1. We have been assigned the mile of road, both
sides, just before the town landfill. If
you see us out in our orange vests on that day or any other day, just wave
as you go by! We also need to let everyone
know that we will NOT be conducting the annual Christmas Craft Fair. If
there is a town organization that is willing to take this over, please feel
free to do so. As to
disposition of our class funds, we have decided to use some of our money
for such activities as the Halloween Carnival and will continue to do such
spending as necessary as we work on our community service hours. ALUMNI NEWS Claire Black is the recent
recipient of a New York State English Council (NYSEC) student scholarship,
good for $2,000 per year for four years of undergraduate study toward
a bachelor’s degree in teaching English.
Each year, NYSEC selects only one secondary English student in
New York State for this award, based on a student writing sample and a
teacher recommendation. Claire is the daughter of Cindy and Mike Black and
is currently enrolled as a freshwoman at Baldwin-Wallace College in Ohio,
majoring in English and music. LLCS is accepting applications for substitute
kitchen and custodial help. Please
call the school at 624-2221 for an application. Adult Ed. Indoor Soccer! (Ladies only) Instructor, Bernice Burnham Interested in participating?
Call the school and sign up, a minimum of eight participants is required. We will meet on Monday nights from 7-9 p.m.
for ten sessions. (You’ll get a kick out of it). Cost? Ten dollars for ten sessions.
By Deborah Havas Another year
is off to a great start! Two new courses
are being offered as part of the elective high school course selection. Vegetarian Cooking explores the vegetarian lifestyle.
We have made our own vegetarian soup stock which we have frozen
awaiting our soup creations and have prepared and tasted Jerusalem Artichokes.
We are now exploring alternative protein sources for our breakfast
smoothies. We’ll be making our
own tofu, hummus and growing our own sprouts.
Advanced Foods has taken us into the realm of understanding the
various cuts of meat and cooking up roasts of beef, pork, and chicken
to begin with. We will also be exploring finfish and wild game.
There will be experiences in selecting and preparing foods for
large group service. Hospitality
essentials and further cuisine exploration are also part of this course. Introduction
to Gourmet Foods is back along with International Cuisine. Child Development and Working with Children
round out the 9-12 offerings this year.
Along with the 7/8 Home and Career Skills curriculum and the k-5
program, it promises to be another busy year! Happy fall to
all!! BRAIN MATTER GRAY! Reading has been shown to help
all brains remain alert and active! And
Long Lake Central has just made it easier to purchase your own books. No, not a Barnes and Noble or Borders, but the
Scholastic Book Fair that arrives each spring and fall. The Book Fair will be arriving at LLCS on Friday,
October 1st and will depart on Tuesday, October 12. The book fair will be set-up on the stage and
open daily from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. and during our Annual Open House. This is a great opportunity to purchase new
reading material for your children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews
– or for yourself! How-to books,
scrapbooks, craft books, cookbooks and classic literature are always a
part of the book fair. In addition,
a new book is always the right gift for new babies, good grades, best
behavior and hard work. And it’s not too early to think about Christmas
gifts! The Book Fair is also a great
way to support your school. The
Fair is a fundraiser for the purchase of new books.
We typically receive $400-$700 worth of books and educational materials
free for each book fair that we host.
This puts new material in the libraries, the classrooms and into
student’s hands. We hope that you’ll
join us in keeping our brain matter GRAY! Kindergarten Stories In Library Skills class with the Kindergarten students,
we read the book “Boomer Goes to School” by Constance W. McGeorge. The
students then dictated stories about the animal that he or she would bring
to school. Ethan’s
Lion I drew
a picture of a lion. We’re waiting
for the bus. Jerry, the bus driver,
says “You can’t bring a lion to school.
No lions allowed on the bus!” My
dad has to bring the lion to school in the back of his pickup truck. The lion follows me up the stairs to the Kindergarten
class. I show Mrs. Sparks the tricks
that he can do. He can sit down,
lay down and do other tricks. My
lion’s name would be “The Lion King.” By Ethan
Bush My warthog
stays at home. But one day he decided
to come to school. He walked to
school with me. In school, he played
with Ethan’s lion-they’re best friends.
He chewed on the stuffed animals in the class.
Mrs. Sparks didn’t like that. He
likes to go fishing with me and my dad on South Pond, but the fishing
lures always get caught in his tusks. By Austin
Pierce I would bring a little pig to school. He would ride the bus and sit next to me on
the seat. In school, he’s not on
a leash, he just walks next to me. He
eats everybody’s lunch though. He
likes the cookies best. He plays
with the kids and plays video games. He
likes to have Mrs. Sparks read stories.
He sometimes falls asleep. He
likes to play “Red Light, Green Light” in gym with Mr. Olbert and Ms.
Burnham. By Mynga Santos
With
all in favor, the 2004-2005 Tax Warrant was accepted by the School Board.
The
Board accepted the resignation of Superintendent Kenneth Slentz, effective
August 20, 2004 and anticipates his last day in the district to be October
18, 2004.
A
Special Board of Education Meeting has been scheduled for September 2,
2004 at 7 p.m. in the cafeteria.
The
annual walk-through is scheduled for September 9, 2004 at 7 p.m. followed
by the regular monthly meeting at 7:30 in the cafeteria. BOARD MEETING MINUTES SPECIAL
SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
With
all in favor Lawrence C. Patzwald was appointed as the Interim Superintendent
for the Long Lake Central School District for the period of September
7, 2004 through December 30, 2004. BOARD MEETING MINUTES September 9, 2004
Prior
to calling the meeting to order, the Board toured the school observing
summer maintenance and building renovation projects.
The
Superintendent welcomed on board Mr. Mike Valovic, High School Technology
Teacher and Mrs. Melanie Frost, High School Math Teacher.
The
next regular Board meeting is scheduled for October 14, 2004 at 7:30 p.m.
With
all in favor Board Meeting Minutes for July 6, 2004, July 20, 2004, August
18, 2004 and September 2, 2004 were approved as well as Treasurer Reports
for July and August 2004, Budget Transfers, and Warrants #’s 3 and 5.
The
annual report from the auditor should be presented at the October board
meeting.
Ø
The bus replacement
plan was reported on stating potential for purchase of a new bus and replacing
the school van.
Ø
Mr. Slentz
recognized the custodial staff for “putting the building back together”,
and also commended the kitchen staff for helping the custodial staff on
the final day of summer work. Mr.
Slentz also thanked Mrs. Snide for her work in handling of the construction
project.
Ø
Current student
registration is 67 K-12.
Ø
LLCS is currently
fielding a modified soccer team and boys’ varsity soccer team, with the
help of Tupper Lake students.
Ø
The Superintendent
reviewed NYS Testing Results.
Ø
Mr. Slentz
thanked Mrs. Gibbs for giving the introduction at the Superintendent Conference
Day, and Mrs. Plumley for participating. Focus was on “How to enhance yourself to better
help your students.
Ø
The Annual
Professional Performance Review Plan received approval from the Board.
Ø
The Board
approved Mentors for the 04-05 School year.
Ø
Mr. Slentz
updated the Board on field trip requests.
Ø
LLCS has
passed the structural inspection requested by State Ed. prompted by the
collapse of a school’s roof.
Ø
Review of
next year’s plans for renovation of the Family Consumer Science and Technology
rooms will be held on September 16, 2004.
Ø
Additions
to the district’s substitute list pending fingerprint and DMV clearance
are John Heron, Eric Hample, and Bruce Jennings.
Ø
September
2, 2004 decision to appoint Mr. Lawrence Patzwald as District Interim
Superintendent was amended to an Emergency Conditional Appointment pending
fingerprint clearance.
Ø
Mrs. V. Lynn
Malerba was appointed to Outing Club Advisor for the 2004-2005 season. From the Superintendent’s Desk… This is the final chapter of my time here at Long Lake
Central School and, as such, I will keep my remarks brief and turn the
proverbial reigns over to the very capable Larry Patzwald. I have great confidence that Mr. Patzwald will
provide a smooth transition from me to the next full time superintendent
and am also confident that he will bring initiatives to the community
that will further prove what a wonderful district we have. Board Of Education Recognition Week – October 25-29 Of all of the people who have been supportive of me and
my family over the years, the Board has been unwavering in this regard. Their willingness to test new waters and to
put their trust in me in new initiatives has been remarkable. We have made great gains in the school and in
school community relations and, as such, this group of five deserves your
appreciation. Please take a moment
to call, write, or drop in on a Board member to express your thanks for
sustaining the strong educational program here at Long Lake. The Lesson As I suggested to the faculty this week, the greatest
lesson that has gotten me through the most difficult of days came from
the inimitable Jane Arsenault who told me some years ago, “Sweetheart,
don’t sweat the small stuff. And
by the way, it’s all small stuff”. I
would like to offer this as a lesson for all of us to realize how fragile
our time is with our kids, our families and our community.
As superintendent, with positive accolades and accomplishments
comes the occasional sour apple. As
a community, it is important to not focus on the negative (small stuff),
but on the remarkable amount of positives that we have here in Long Lake. You have shared these positive aspects with
me and for that, I am a better person and I thank you, from the bottom
of my heart. So for now, enjoy your kids, our community, and the positives
that change can bring about. Fondly, Kenneth G. Slentz Superintendent 
Printer Cartridges: The
PTSA recycles used computer printer cartridges, and raises funds at the same
time! Drop your used cartridges in the PTSA
box in the main office – you’ll be helping the environment as well as the PTSA!
THE GIRLS’ Corner
( P.E. and Sports News)
By Bernice Burnham
PILATES (coming soon)
Substitute
Kitchen & Custodial
Help Wanted
Family
and Consumer Science
Austin’s Warthog
Mynga’s Pig
BOARD
MEETING MINUTES
SPECIAL
SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
AUGUST
18, 2004
September
2, 2004
REGULAR
SCHOOL BOARD MEETING