Every spring, the Grades 3-8 English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics Tests are administered to students in the Liberty Central School Distict and to all students across New York State.

These annual ELA and math tests for students are required by the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015. The tests are designed to measure how well students are mastering the learning standards that guide classroom instruction and help to ensure that students are on track to graduate from high school with the critical thinking, problem solving, and reasoning skills needed for success in college and the modern workplace.

The tests also show how schools and districts are progressing with the learning standards and can support professional development for teachers.

You can learn more about the tests here, on the New York State Department of Education’s website.

The Liberty Central School District is aware that many of our parents and guardians have concerns about COVID-19, caused by the 2019 Novel Coronavirus,  a relatively new virus that causes mild to moderate flu-like symtoms.

Novel Coronavirus is not currently a concern for the general public and is not actively circulating among New Yorkers. Therefore, there is no need to cancel school or social events, and there is no need for students or school staff to wear surgical masks at school.

Please be assured that the district has infectious disease protocols in place and has been taking steps, such as cleaning and disinfecting throughout its schools, to minimize the spread of viruses and other illnesses.

The district is closely monitoring this fluid situation and following guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the New York State Department of Health, the Sullivan County Department of Health and the New York State Education Department.

If the district becomes aware that a student or staff member is diagnosed with COVID-19, it will immediately notify alol staff, parents and guardians. If a student or staff member shows respiratory symptoms, we will follow our current practices for handling respiratory illnesses.

How Does Novel Coronavirus Spread?

Health experts believe the virus probably spreads from animals to humans and from person to person. It’s not clear yet how easily the virus spreads from person-to-person.
The virus was first found in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. This virus had not been found in humans before. There are thousands of diagnosed cases in China and new cases being diagnosed in a number of countries including the United States.

Symptoms

Data suggests that COVID-19 causes mild-to-moderate illness and symptoms ike the flu, including fever, cough, and difficulty breathing.

Prevention

There are currently no vaccines available to protect against this virus. The New York State Department of Health recommends the following ways to minimize the spread of all respiratory viruses, including COVID-19:

• Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol if soap and water are not available.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when coughing or sneezing. If you use a tissue, throw it in the trash.
• Routinely clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
• The CDC recommends travelers avoid all travel to China.

Travelers to, from China

As of Feb. 2 new screening protocols are conducted for individuals entering the US from China at designated airports.
Schools may have students who have traveled to Asia, including China. Students should not be excluded from school or school activities based on race, country of origin, or recent travel, or a family member’s recent travel.
Schools may only exclude a student if a local health department deems that a student must comply with a quarantine order or the student is symptomatic of a communicable or infectious disease.
If you recently traveled to Wuhan, China and feel sick; or you develop symptoms within 14 days of traveling there, you should:

• Seek medical care right away. Call ahead and tell them about your travel and symptoms.
• Avoid contact with others.
• Stay home, except for seeking medical care.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when coughing or sneezing.
• Wash hands often with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol.

Learn More

These resources will help keep you up to date about COVID-19, its treatment and prevention:

• The CDC dedicated 2019-nCoV website
• NYSDOH dedicated 2019-nCoV 
• NYSDOH directory of local health departments
• New York State Center for School Health
•  NYS DOH Novel Coronavirus hotline:  1-888-364-3065.

Monday, February 24

Boys Basketball

MONTICELLO 91, LIBERTY 65

Monticell led 45-33 at halftime and outscored Liberty 29-13 in third quarter.

Liberty: Kymanni Dennis 20 points; Rayshawn Reynolds 20 points

Tuesday, February 25

Girls Basketball

NEWBURGH 51, LIBERTY 39

Liberty: Kassidy DeGroat 17 points; Ally Roth 14 points

Boys Basketball

MINISINK VALLEY 86, LIBERTY 51

Liberty: Chris Bayer 13 points; Kymanni Dennis 12 points; Nasir Gibbs 10 points

Congratulations to the Liberty Middle School Students of the Month, Liberty Pride Citizenship Award recipients, and our Good News Referral recipients for the month of February!

We are so proud of all of you!

Student of the Month

• Grade 5: Jill Baumander
• Grade 6: Brooke Porter
• Grade 7: Rita Zheng
• Grade 8: Jumana Abu Al Ghanam

Liberty Pride Citizenship Award

• Grade5: Sophia Avellino
• Grade 6: Gianna Lewis
• Grade 7: Elmida Aguilar Reyes
• Grade 8: Jeremy Simon

Good News Referral recipients

•  Jose Aguilar
• Kimberly Arroyo
• Austin Bertholf
• Mailyn Caal
• Nahum Carcamo Lainez
• Brayan Cruz
• Yelsin Cruz
• Anjay Harripersad
• Leonel Malaga Ventura
• Karen Martinez
• Edvin Perez Perez
• Jose Perez Sanchez
• Konnar Williams

Wednesday, February 19

Girls Basketball

LIBERTY 73  FALLSBURG 23

Liberty: Yazaira Santiago 16 points; Ally Roth 14 points; Kassidy DeGroat 14 points; Gabby Magie 10 points

Thursday, February 20

Girls Basketball

LIBERTY 55 SEWARD 73

Liberty……..11…..15…..9…..20
Seward…….17…..16…23…..17

Ally Roth: 6-2pt  4-3pt for 24 pts
Kassidy DeGroat: 5-2pt 1/2 FT for 11 pts

Boys Basketball

LIBERTY 55, LIVINGSTON MANOR 33

Liberty (12-5, 2-3 OCIAA): Kymanni Dennis 19 pts; Joe Robinson 10 pts; Josh Abreu 10 pts

Saturday, February 22

Boys Basketball

LIBERTY 41 CHESTER 74

Liberty……..12…..10…..7….12
Chester…….27…..21…13…..13

Kymanni Dennis: 8-2pt  2-3pt 1/4 FT for 24 pts

Tuesday, February 11

Girls Basketball

CHESTER 55, LIBERTY 26

Liberty: Ally Roth 8 points

Wednesday, February 12

Boys Basketball

LIBERTY 59 SS SEWARD 58

Liberty………17…..12….14….16
Seward………17…..18…..5…..18

Joe Robinson: 3-2pt  1-3pt 2/4 FT for 11 pts
Rayshawn Reynolds: 5-2pt 0/1 FT for 10 pts

Alpine Skiing

Section IX Championship at Hunter Mountain

No information provided by coach.

Thursday, February 13

Girls Basketball

JAMES I. O’NEILL 47, LIBERTY 36

Liberty: Alyssa Kavelski 12 points; Ally Roth 9 points

Friday, February 14

Girls Basketball

LIBERTY 52 SULLIVAN WEST 30

Liberty………………..14…..19….11….8
Sullivan West………4…..13……5….7

Ally Roth: 5-2pt  3-3pt 3/4 FT for 22 pts; 6 rebounds
Alyssa Kaveleski: 5-2pt 4/4 FT for 14 pts
Kassidy DeGroat: 4-2pt 1/1 FT for 9 pts

Boys Basketball

It was a day off for Liberty Central School District students, but teachers and administrators were hard at work on Friday, Feb. 14, a Superintendent’s Conference Day.

Liberty’s Elementary, Middle and High School educators spent the day immersed in workshops, discussions, and other professional development opportunities.

The day included an in-depth session on Trauma-Informed Care and the effects of adverse childhood experiences on the brain. This training’s aim is to guide staff towards infusing trauma-responsive practices into their daily work.

Superintendent’s Conference Days are required by the New York State Education Department, and Liberty scheduled five for the 2019-2020 school year. Ongoing professional development keeps teachers up-to-date on new research, emerging classroom technologies, new curriculum resources and more.

Conference Days are also a chance to review state-mandated materials, go over safety protocols, and  build school culture.

Liberty’s next Superintendent’s Conference Day is March 13.

A new coronavirus called 2019 Novel (new) Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) was first found in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. This virus had not been found in humans before. This coronavirus can lead to fever, cough and trouble breathing or shortness of breath. There are thousands of diagnosed cases in China and new cases being diagnosed in a number of countries including the United States.

What do we know?

Since this virus is very new, health authorities continue to carefully watch how this virus spreads. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is working hard to learn as much as possible about this new virus, so that we can better understand how it spreads and causes illness. The CDC considers this virus to be a serious public health concern.

Based on current information the CDC recommends avoiding travel to China.

How does coronavirus spread?

Health experts believe the virus probably spreads from animals to humans and from person to person. It’s not clear yet how easily the virus spreads from person-to-person. The 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCov) is not currently a concern for the general public and is not actively circulating among New Yorkers at this time. Therefore, there is no need to cancel school or social events, and there is no need for students or school staff to wear surgical masks at school.

Prevention

There are currently no vaccines available to protect against this virus. The New York State Department of Health (DOH) recommends the following ways to minimize the spread of all respiratory viruses, including 2019-nCoV:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcoholbased hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when coughing or sneezing. If you use a tissue, throw it in the trash.
  Routinely clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
  The CDC recommends that travelers avoid all travel to China.

Symptoms

Information to date suggests that 2019-nCoV causes mild-to-moderate illness and symptoms like the flu, including fever, cough, and difficulty breathing.

Are visitors from China being screened?

Yes, as of Feb. 2 new screening protocols are conducted for individuals entering the US from China at designated airports. PreK-12 schools may have students who attend school and have traveled to various areas in Asia, including China. Students should not be excluded from school or any school activities based on race, country of origin, or recent travel (or a family member’s recent travel), including to any part of China.

Schools may only exclude a student if a local health department informs the school that a student must comply with a quarantine order or the student is symptomatic of a communicable or infectious disease pursuant to Education Law §906.

If you’ve recently traveled to Wuhan

If you recently traveled to Wuhan, China and feel sick with fever, cough or trouble breathing; or you develop symptoms within 14 days of traveling there, you should:

• Seek medical care right away. Call ahead and tell them about your travel and symptoms.
• Avoid contact with others.
• Stay home, except for seeking medical care.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when coughing or sneezing.
• Wash hands often with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol.
• Contact your local health department.

Resources

This is an emerging, rapidly changing situation. For questions please contact your local department of health or the NYS DOH Novel Coronavirus hotline at 1-888-364-3065. We encourage you to keep up to date about 2019-nCoV, its treatment and prevention by visiting the following websites:

• CDC’s dedicated 2019-nCoV website
• New York State Center for School Health website

Monday, February 3

Boys Basketball

LIBERTY 47 RONDOUT VALLEY 50

Liberty…… 18……6…..10….7
Rondout……5…..18…..19….8

Chris Bayer: 2-2pt 3-3pt for 13 pts
Nasir Gibbs: 5-2pt  2/5 FT for 12 pts
Kymanni Dennis: 4-2pt 1/3 FT for 9 pts

Alpine Skiing

OCIAA Giant Slalom at Belleayre Mountain

No information provided

Tuesday, February 4

Girls Basketball

LIBERTY 47 LIVINGSTON MANOR 30

Liberty…… 13…..13….12….9
Manor………6……2…..15….7

Kassidy DeGroat: 6-2pt 1/6 FT for 13 pts; 15 rebounds
Ally Roth: 5-2pt  1-3pt 3/3 FT for 16 pts; 5 steals
Yazaira Santiago: 2-2pt 2/4 FT for 6 pts; 10 rebounds

Alpine Skiing

OCIAA Slalom at Holiday Mountain

No information provided

Wednesday, February 5

Wrestling