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.

It’s impossible to calculate just how #LibertyProud we are of our Middle School MathCounts team, which competed February 21 in the MathCount’s Orange/Sullivan Chapter’s competition in Montgomery.

This powerhouse group of seventh grade math wizards placed third, securing a place at the State Competition. And Joshua Kratz took Third Place for the entire competition. The team will compete March 2 at the MathCounts New York State Competition at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

The MathCounts Competition Series has four levels of live, in-person math competitions – school, chapter, state and national. Each level of competition is comprised of four rounds – Sprint, Target, Team and Countdown.

In the fall, students work with their coaches to prepare for the competition. Competitions begin in the winter and run through the spring

Winners from the State Competitions will go on to compete in the 2020 National Competition, which will be held May 9-12 in Orlando, Florida. Teams of students represent all 50 states, Puerto Rico, Guam and schools that serve the State and Defense departments.

A special thank you goes to teachers Ms. Vitale and Ms. Martin for this great experience.

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

On Feb. 8, 16 members of the Liberty HS Science Olympiad traveled to John Jay High School in Wappingers Falls to compete in the Regional Science Olympiad Competition. Liberty competed against 31 other teams from the Mid Hudson Region.

The team placed 13th out of 32 teams with five top 10 finishes.

Place Winners:

9th place in Astronomy (Gabriella Fontana and Tanner Ferguson)
8th place in Circuit Lab (Jarod Hellerer and Gavin Racette)
9th place in Geologic Mapping (Jarod Hellerer and Mia Call)
10th place in Dynamic Planet (Leah Fitzgerald and Dominic Fontana)
9th place in Protein Modeling (Jarod Hellerer and Gavin Racette)

Team Members:

Seniors:
Leah Fitzgerald
Gabriella Fontana
Jarod Hellerer
Gavin Racette

Juniors:
Tyler Black
Nathaniel Conklin
Corrine Hellerer
Brooke Nichols

Sophomores:
Mia Call
Iaian Elanbassi
Dominic Fontana
Elijah Moreno
Brianna Niforos
Michael Pelton

Freshmen:
Tanner Ferguson
Jackson Wolcott

The team is coached by Gene Madsen and Cindy Nolan.

Congratulations to the Liberty High School Future Business Leaders of America members for their success at the NY FBLA Spring District Meeting, held Feb. 13 at Carmel High School.

Several Liberty students placed in their categories, including:

State Elemination Events

• Destiny Pearson: Third Place, Public Speaking
• Melania Quick-Lepke: Fifth Place, Impromptu Speaking
• Ysabel Manzi:Fifth Place, Client Services
• Carlos Torres: Fifth Place, Introduction to Decision Making

First, Second and Third Place automatically qualify for the State Leadership Conference in April; Fourth and Fifth Place are alternates.

Practice Events

• Leah Fitzgerald: Fourth Place, Business Communications
• Nicole Blais: Fifth Place, Business Law
• Nicole Blais: Fifth Place, Sports Management

Each year, thousands of students launch promising and rewarding careers through participation in Future Business Leaders of America. Through its four divisions – secondary, post secondary, middle level and Professional – FBLA helps members bridge the gap between classroom and the business world by giving them an opportunity to learn first-hand about the business community.

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.