Month: March 2024
An update on after school transportation
After school bus times have been adjusted to pick up elementary students at 4 p.m. and middle and high school students at 4:10 p.m., with a targeted leave time of 4:15 p.m. Students need a late bus pass to be allowed on the bus. The 6 p.m. bus times remain the same.
Summer enrichment programs planned at LCSD
For the second year, Liberty Central School District is hosting a summer enrichment program that provides chances for students to learn and grow.
This free program is available for students currently enrolled in kindergarten through 11th grades. Workshops will be held Mondays through Thursdays. Exact times will be shared soon. Session 1 will be held July 8-18. Session 2 will be held July 22-Aug. 1. Session 3 will be held Aug. 5-15.
The district encourages parents and guardians to sign their children up for this wonderful opportunity.
More information, including times, locations and links to sign up, will be sent to families early next month and will be located on the website as well.
State DOH issues new guidance on respiratory illnesses
Following the updated Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations, the state Department of Health has revised its guidance on when to stay home and when to return to normal activities following respiratory illnesses. Guidance for COVID-19 had been different from guidance for other common respiratory illnesses such as influenza and RSV.
The new guidance is now the same for all three illnesses. They recommend people stay home if they have respiratory virus symptoms, including fever, chills, fatigue, cough, runny nose and headache, not explained by another cause, such as allergies.
Normal activities can be resumed when symptoms are getting better and there is no fever without use of medication for at least 24 hours.
The guidance also recommends that when going back to normal activities, individuals should take added precautions over the next five days, including taking additional steps for cleaner air, hygiene, masks, physical distancing and testing when they will be around other people, especially older adults, young children and those with weakened immune systems.
People may still be able to spread the virus that made them sick, even if they are feeling better, so it is important to take extra precautions after resuming normal activities, the DOH guidance says.
If a fever develops or symptoms return or worsen, it is recommended people stay home and away from others again. They should use the same criteria for returning to normal activities as when they first had symptoms and take added precautions over the next five days.
The guidance also says children younger than 2 should never wear a mask. Health care providers should discuss with their patients about how long a child younger than 2 should stay home.
These recommendations are only for non-healthcare settings and applicable for the school environment.
A message from the superintendent
Dear Liberty,
Earlier today, Thursday, March 7, the Liberty Central School District was informed that an adult community member was arrested for allegedly possessing three legally owned firearms in a vehicle while on school property earlier in the day. It is illegal in New York state for members of the public to possess firearms while on school-owned property. Liberty police arrested the individual off school property following the arrest of another adult in the same vehicle on driving while intoxicated charges.
The adult did not have the weapons inside a school building, and at no time was there any threat of violence made toward any staff or student in the district. Liberty Police Department will issue its own communication on the arrest.
Sincerely,
Dr. Patrick Sullivan
Superintendent of Schools
Student-led farm-to-school initiative grants available
Sullivan 180 has released the Farm to School Initiative Grant application. The grant provides funding support to initiatives proposed by youths to enhance cafeteria experiences and promote healthy food to farm-to-school.
Through a USDA Grant, and in partnership with several organizations, student proposed Farm to School initiative grants are available to every school district in Sullivan County. The purpose of this grant is to engage students in visioning and proposing projects or programs that would enhance their in-school eating experience.
Farm to School partners are available to offer technical assistance in a variety of areas. Students might also explore, incorporate or build on existing efforts such as the Catskill Edible Garden Project or resources such as Farm to School Month, NYS Harvest of the Month, the Big Apple Crunch, New York Thursdays etc.
Students are invited to apply in collaboration with their school leadership. Successful projects will have an opportunity to be presented at a regional Farm to School conference in 2025.
This youth initiatives project is part of the School Nutrition Action Coalition (SNAC) which has been working together over the past year to advance farm to school in Sullivan County. The Coalition includes partners from the Center for Discovery, Cornell Cooperative Sullivan County, Gael Roots Farm, Harvest NY, A Single Bite + the Catskills Food Hub, and the Sullivan County Youth Bureau; along with Liberty, Livingston Manor, Roscoe and Sullivan West School Districts.
Applications are available at www.sullivan180.org/grants-scholarships. The application deadline is May 1, 2024.
For more information, contact Denise Frangipane at 845-295-2443 or denise@sullivan180.org.
Youth baseball, softball signups underway
Registration is underway for Sullivan County Youth Baseball and Softball sponsored Cal Ripken Baseball and Softball leagues.
The leagues are open to players 4 to 12, as of May 1, 2024. Tee ball will be offered for those ages 4 to 6. Coach Pitched Rooke Baseball and Softball will be offered for 7-and 8-year-olds. Cal Ripken Minor Baseball and Softball will be for those age 9 and 10, with Cal Ripken Major Baseball and Softball for 11- and 12-year-olds.
The registration fee is $65 per player, with discounts for multi children in a household.
Registration forms are available in English and Spanish. Click here for the 2024 Cal Ripken Registration Form in English. Click here for the Cal Ripken Registration Form in Spanish.
Check should made payable to Sullivan County Youth Baseball & Softball League Inc. and be sent along with the registration form no later than March 15 to Liberty Cal Ripken, P.O. Box 281, Woodbourne, NY 12788.
For more information, visit the Liberty Cal Ripken Baseball And Softball Facebook page.
LMS student finishes fourth in state Elks Hoop Shoot
Adriana Ponce Agredano, a Liberty Middle School eighth grader, finished fourth in New York State in the Elks Hoop Shoot contest in Camillus on March 2.
She had competed in the local, district and regional levels before moving on to the state contest. She finished fourth in the girls 12-13 age group. The Elks Hoop Shoot is a free-throw program for youths ages 8 to 13. For more on the program, visit https://www.elks.org/hoopshoot/default.cfm
Annual tournament raises $200 for scholarship
Liberty High School Physical Education Department held its annual Ron Francisco Ping Pong and Badminton Tournament on Thursday, Feb. 29, in the high school gymnasium.
T
here were more than 100 participants and almost 200 students and staff who watched, the largest since at least before COVID, Athletic Director Erin Alvord said.
“In the end, this was probably one of our best tournaments of all time. The students were organized, followed direction and were supportive of one another,” she said.
The champions were:
- Girls Ping Pong: Julia Juron
- Boys Ping Pong: Enrique Mercado
- Staff Ping Pong: Gene Doyle (two years in a row, and was also champ when he was a student.)
- Student Badminton: David Philips and Ben Visconti
- Staff Badminton: Beth Quatrale and Liz Hannold.
The event, named in honor of a former PE teacher Ron Francisco, raised $200 for the memorial scholarship in his name. Two scholarships are awarded annual to seniors who have demonstrated positive character in PE classes and in their athletics.
More photos will be posted to the district’s Facebook and Instagram accounts.
A message from the principal regarding upcoming testing
Dear Parents and Guardians:
This letter is to notify you that the NYS CBT (New York State Computer Based Testing) for students in grades 3-8 will begin soon. There are three assessments, one for English Language Arts, one for Science (Grades 5 & 8 only), and one for Math. Each assessment is given in two parts on separate days. If a student misses either of the scheduled assessment days, they will take the missed part when they return to school. The testing window each day will be from 8:15 AM-10:10 AM.
As always, we encourage all students to do their very best on everything they do in school. You can help by ensuring that your child gets a good night’s rest and arrives at school on time on the day of the assessment.
Please make sure Chromebooks are charged.
Each year Liberty Middle School students participate in the NYS CBT Simulation in January which allows teachers, staff and students to familiarize themselves with the CBT framework, features, tools, accommodations and sample questions, so that they are comfortable during the actual assessment.
If you’d like to see what the NYS CBT looks like please visit:
https://ny.nextera.questarai.com/tds/#practice
Liberty Middle School will administer NYS Computer-Based Testing (CBT), which means that students will complete the NYS Assessments on their Chromebooks. Computer Based Testing will allow us to get test results back sooner. Results will be shared with parents as soon as we receive them.
The NYS ELA Assessments will be administered on the following dates:
- Day 1 – Wednesday, April 10, 2024
- Day 2 – Thursday, April 11, 2024
The NYS Math Assessments will be administered on the following dates:
- Day 1 – Tuesday, April 23, 2024
- Day 2 – Wednesday, April 24, 2024
The NYS Science Grades 5 & 8 Assessments will be administered on the following dates:
- Day 1 – Tuesday, May 7, 2024
- Day 2 – Wednesday, May 8, 2024
ENL Students will be taking the:
- NYSESLAT Speaking:
- LMS Dates: April 15 – April 17, 2024
- NYSESLAT Listening, Reading, Writing:
- LMS Dates: May 13 – May 15, 2024
We know that no single test provides a complete picture of a child’s ability, and any type of placement at LMS is based on multiple data points. We combine multiple measures, including classroom performance, classroom assessments and district assessments, along with the NYS assessments to make informed instructional decisions for all students.
If you so choose, parents can write and submit a refusal letter for their child from taking the NYS CBT Math, Science, or ELA tests, three days prior to the test date, you must send that in writing with your signature, via paper or email to mkristiansen@libertyk12.org.
Students will not be allowed to refuse testing on the day of the test. Students will not be allowed to take a partial test one day, then refuse another day. We do not encourage refusals.
Our LMS School Wide WIG (Wildly Important Goal)
When students take their STAR Assessment in Reading in May 2024, 80% of all LMS students will improve their current SGP (Students Growth Percentile) by 35 points or more to show that they are at or above their grade level in reading.
Twice a year, during DEAL/LIM (Drop Everything And Lead/Leader in Me) students also receive their Instructional Planning Student Report after their STAR testing to review their data. They use their data to write their own WIG (wildly important goal) to improve their reading.
Testing schedule for both the STAR and HMH assessments.
- September 19 & January 22 & May 28 STAR Reading
- September 21 & January 24 & May 30 STAR Math
- September 12 & January 16 & May 13 HMH ELA Growth Measure
- September 12 & January 16 & May 13 HMH Math Growth Measure
Sincerely,
Heather Cheh
Liberty Middle School Principal
Liberty ninth-grader competes in state ski championships
Liberty High School ninth-grader Hudson Danzilo traveled to Lake Placid to compete in the state Alpine Ski Championships, held Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 26 and 27.
Coaches Anne and Carpio Ramos traveled to Whiteface Mountain along with Hudson and his family. He practiced the Saturday and Sunday before the competition, and competed in the giant slalom on Monday and the slalom on Tuesday. Each skier got two runs and had to complete each run to place. Hudson completed all four runs to place 33rd out of 66 racers in the giant slalom and 23rd out of 66 racers in the slalom.
He started skiing when he was 15 months old, with help from his family, and could ski on his own at 2 years old, Liberty Athletic Director Erin Alvord said.
“We could not be more proud of Hudson and his hard work. Not only does he practice with the team, but he can often be found on the mountain in his personal time,” she said. “Hudson, your future is bright and we cannot wait to see what you bring to Alpine Ski in the next three years. Thank you for representing Liberty so well.”
Alvord also thanked the Ramoses and the members of the Fallsburg/Liberty/Tri-Valley ski team for their work with Hudson.