Category: Elementary News
LCSD earns national recognition for music education for fifth consecutive year
Liberty Central School District has been honored with the Best Communities for Music Education designation from the NAMM Foundation for its outstanding commitment to music education for the fifth year in a row.
To qualify for the Best Communities designation, Liberty answered detailed questions about funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, support for the music program and community music-making programs. Responses were verified by school officials and reviewed by The Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas.
“Music education offers a multifaceted array of benefits, touching on cognitive, emotional, social, and physical development,” LCSD Director of Music Eric Aweh said. “Its impact is profound, laying the groundwork for well-rounded individuals who are capable of thinking creatively, expressing themselves, and contributing positively to society.”
The community will be able to see the Liberty music students in action several times before the end of the school year, with a series of spring concerts. High school mixed ensembles will be featured Thursday, May 9; seventh and eighth graders on Tuesday, May 14; high school honors students on Thursday, May 16; fifth and sixth graders on Tuesday, May 21, and the elementary students on Monday, June 3. All concerts will be held in the high school auditorium at 7 p.m., except the elementary concert which will begin at 6:30 p.m.
“Music is a vital part of the educational experience,” Superintendent Dr. Patrick Sullivan said. “We appreciate the NAMM Foundation’s continued recognition of our dedication to providing a quality music education for our students.”
Now in its 23rd year, the Best Communities for Music Education designation is awarded to districts that demonstrate outstanding achievement in efforts to provide music access and education to all students. The NAMM Foundation is a nonprofit supported in part by the National Association of Music Merchants. For more information about The NAMM Foundation, visit www.nammfoundation.org.
LCSD honors three with Excellence in Service Awards
Three more Liberty Central School District staff members were honored during the April 9 Board of Education meeting.
Recognized with Excellence in Service Awards were high school social worker Gina Castelonia, high school cleaner Mary Chanov and elementary teacher Jennifer Eisenberg.
Gina Castelonia
Castelonia was recognized for her dedication to helping students and staff and working to create student engagement projects, especially the Genius Hour Day held in March.
“Gina has worked hard the past few months in preparation for Genius Hour Day,” one nominator wrote. “The event was so much fun and a huge success among students and staff. She is a true leader in our building.”
Another nomination showed appreciation for Castelonia and the Lighthouse team for the event.
“(Genius Hour) took a tremendous amount of organization, teamwork and resilience. Gina stayed positive, was able to get buy-in from staff members to make this first Genius Hour a fun experience for both students and staff.”
Castelonia’s work throughout the year is vital to student success, a third nomination said.
“Ms. Castelonia goes above and beyond for students and staff. She offers compassion, a safe space, multiple resources and guidance,” the nomination read. “I speak for the majority of students and staff that would agree she exudes passion in helping others. She is instrumental in student engagement in numerous projects like Lighthouse, Comfort Closet and Genius Hour. LHS is very fortunate to have an enthusiastic and caring social worker like Ms. Castelonia.”
Mary Chanov
Chanov’s cheery personality, dedication and hard work were noted by her nominator.
“Ms. Mary works tirelessly around our building and always has a smile upon her face when I come into the school each morning,” the nomination read. “She is dedicated to our students, who also love her, and teaches them to take pride in our school by reinforcing that they pick up their spaces when lunch is done. She hauls, lifts, cleans, assembles, disassembles — you name. Mary is fearless and strong — a woman warrior!”
Jennifer Eisenberg
Eisenberg’s solution-oriented personality, leadership and helpful attitude were factors in her nomination.
“Jen is a solution driven person. Before even coming to anyone with the problem, she always seems to have a readily made solution to the problem,” a nomination read. “She thinks from all angles of problems to collaborate with colleagues.”
Eisenberg’s leadership and team-focused approach is valuable to the elementary school, according to her nominators.
“Her natural leadership skills have shown in her work as a teacher, facilitator and team member on our report card committees, and any other committee she joins,” a nomination read. “She brings knowledge, data, and experience to support her solutions. Above all else she always goes above and beyond to provide the best education to students.”
She also steps in wherever needed.
“Recently, we found it difficult to staff the building with several people out sick. We needed to have AIS cover classrooms,” the nomination read. “When I called Jen to ask for help, her response was, ‘sure, what can I do to pitch in?’” After being thanked, “she said, “We are a team. We will do whatever we need to help each other out and make it through the day,” the nomination continued. “Jen is an asset to our building and we are grateful for her every day.”
Each month, staff members nominate others they believe are going above and beyond, be it a single act of excellence or kindness or a continuous work ethic.
We congratulate these employees on their awards.
LES kindergarten registration open
Registration is now open for kindergarten at Liberty Elementary School.
To be registered, children must be 5 years old on or before Dec. 1, 2024. Students that are in the LES pre-k program do not need to register.
Parents or guardians must provide a copy of parent/guardian’s photo ID; custody papers, if applicable; proof of residency, such as a utility bill or rental lease; and the child’s birth certificate, immunization records and a copy of recent physical exam, which must include all school physical exam requirements. Parents and guardians are encouraged to check with their child’s doctor for details.
To register, email haustin@libertyk12.org or call 845-292-5400, ext. 2331.
A message from the superintendent regarding a trespass incident
Dear Liberty,
We wanted to provide you with an update regarding an incident that occurred at our school grounds at the end of the school day today, March 25.
A community member who is not permitted on school grounds attempted to gain access. However, our staff promptly identified the individual, and the Liberty Police Department responded swiftly. The person was promptly removed from the school grounds. We want to assure you that at no point was there any threat to the safety of our students and staff.
We understand that incidents like these can cause concern, but we want to emphasize that the reasons this individual is not permitted on school grounds do not relate to any safety concerns for our students and staff.
The safety and security of our school community remain our top priority, and we will continue to take all necessary measures to ensure a safe learning environment for everyone.
Sincerely,
Dr. Patrick Sullivan
Superintendent
Wizards entertain at Liberty PTA fundraiser
On Monday night, March 18, visitors to Liberty High School gymnasium couldn’t be sure if they were there to attend a basketball game or a party.
But that’s typical when the Harlem Wizards come to town. The basketball team/entertainers returned to Liberty to take on the Redhawks staff as part of a fundraiser for the Liberty PTA.
Before a packed gymnasium, the Wiz Kids (children who had Wizards jerseys) were introduced and were able to warm up with the Wizards players. After introductions of the Redhawks and Wizards players, the party … errrr, game … began.
There were plenty of trick shots by the Wizards, and some impressive scoring by the Redhawks, but the score was secondary to the fun. The Master of Ceremonies kept the audience singing and dancing throughout the event, with the third quarter part karaoke, part dance party in the stands, as some of the players switched teams to continue the game. The Wizards interacted with the fans, offering high fives, going into the stands, leading the crowd in dances and more.
The Redhawks staff team members weren’t immune to the Wizards antics, often becoming part of the entertainment.
At the half, students who had courtside player tickets were able to take part in a three-minute basketball game with the Wizards, and the players autographed jerseys and balls, took selfies and spoke to the fans.
Near the end of the fourth quarter a football game broke out, interrupted by Kung Fu moves, dancing and more.
With 10 seconds left on the clock, the clock was stopped and the students in the audience were invited onto the floor for a dance party and counted down the last 10 seconds of the game.
Proceeds from the fundraiser are used by the Liberty PTA for scholarships, assemblies, events and materials for students.
Oh yeah, the Wizards won, 75-64.
More photos are available on LCSD’s social media pages, and a video can be seen here:
Growth and ‘Disruptive Thinking’ themes of LCSD PD day
Friday, March 15, was another day of learning for faculty and staff at Liberty Central School District.
A day off for students, the Professional Development Day began with breakfast in the high school cafeteria followed by keynote speaker Eric Sheninger, founder and chief executive officer of Aspire Change EDU, in the high school auditorium. The educational consultant has been working with the high school as part of the LHS School Comprehensive Education Plan. Sheninger gave the presentation “Disruptive Thinking in our Classrooms.”
“To change or grow, we must challenge conventional wisdom,” he said.
Often using humor and short videos, he encouraged faculty and administrators to rethink four core items — normal, learning, learners and mindset — in an effort to have transformative change that will improve academic and social outcomes for the students.
“Disruptive thinking is the ability to replace conventional ideas with innovative solutions on authentic problems,” one of his slides read.
Changes have been made throughout the years, but the pandemic forced most schools into the “disruptive thinking” mindset, he said.
Technology was at the forefront of those changes, he said, but not all changes must be technologically based.
Bouncing ideas off of co-workers was also encouraged. He took several “turn-and-learn” breaks, sometimes encouraging staff to turn to others near them and other times to get up from their seats to find others to discuss a topic.
He emphasized that there are several known practices that help students learn, however there is no standard operating procedure for educators. What works in one classroom may not work in another, or what works for one student may not be the most effective way of learning for a classmate.
“Chase growth, not perfection,” Sheninger said.
He also encouraged teachers to focus on what they can control — primarily how time is used in their classrooms. He also recommended a forward thinking approach of focusing on “What if?” rather than “Yeah, but.”
He used several examples of the impact educators have had on his life.
“Never underestimate or undervalue your impact on kids,” he said.
The keynote was followed by Superintendent Dr. Patrick Sullivan, who reviewed the District’s Strategic Plan and Comprehensive Improvement Plan.
Walking around the auditorium as he spoke, he reviewed where the district is in both documents and highlighted benchmark data as well as plans, events and activities that have been implemented in support of the goals of the district and individual schools.
“Growth is happening,” Sullivan said. “We are moving in the right direction.”
He thanked the faculty, staff and administration for working together to meet Liberty’s mission “to empower each student to contribute and thrive in a diverse community by pursuing their potential.”
“Thank you for continuously caring,” he said. “Thank you for always wanting to move forward.”
After a break for lunch, staff and faculty from each school broke out into their own sessions.
The high school again heard from Sheninger, who spoke on adjusting teaching methods to today’s technology.
The middle school took part in a Targeted School Improvement workshop with education consultant Betsy Conners of PLC Associates. The middle school has been designated a Targeted Support and Improvement School, because four student subgroups — Black, Hispanic, English Language Learners and Economically Disadvantaged — did not meet expectations.
The elementary staff took time in the afternoon to work on their curriculum maps, which help educators align their curriculum with the educational goals of their class.
There were further breakouts for specific staff and faculty roles as well.
LCSD holds regular conference days to offer faculty and staff professional development in support of the district’s five-year strategic plan. The sessions cover all pillars of the plan — curriculum, coherence, culture and MTSS, or Multi-Tier System of Supports.
LCSD budget planning underway
Liberty Central School District school board and administration are working diligently to craft a budget to present to voters on May 21.
This year, the district began the process using a zero-based budgeting model. Rather than using a traditional model of using a set increase over the previous year, zero-based budgeting is like building a budget from scratch, using past data points to highlight needs, mapping out expected revenue from all sources and using the district’s mission, vision, beliefs and goals to help minimize overspending while providing a quality education for the students.
“This type of budgeting helps us prevent compounding mistakes from the past,” Superintendent Dr. Patrick Sullivan said
The first budget presentation to the board took place on Feb. 27, with a follow up on March 12.
The district’s allowable calculated tax levy cap is $18,690,105, an $929,943 increase over the current year levy. Often referenced as a 2% tax cap, the actual calculated limit is rarely 2% and is formulated using several factors, including tax base growth rate, payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreements and excludable expenses. Districts at or below their calculated cap only need a simple majority for passage of the budget. Liberty’s calculated cap allows for 5.24% increase. The actual increase, if any, will be determined as the budget is finalized.
State aid will not be finalized until the state budget is passed, but Liberty is expecting a slight increase of $285,605 in Foundation Aid. With all sources, state aid is expected to increase $1,766,979.
The budget committee, administration and board will continue to work to create a full budget proposal by the end of the month, with the presentation at the April 2 Board of Education meeting and the budget proposal approved by the board on April 16. Meetings are held at 6:30 p.m. in the high school media center.
The public hearing will take place at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 7, in the high school auditorium.
The budget vote will take place from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 21, in the h
Food delivery changes, job openings announced
Liberty Central School District recently announced changes to its food delivery policy on its campuses, as well as several job openings in all three buildings.
Food deliveries
As a safety precaution, corporate food delivery services, such as DoorDash, Uber Eats and Slice, will no longer be allowed to any district building starting Monday, March 18, 2024 . Food deliveries from local establishments that offer delivery service will be allowed but orders must be placed by a staff member and cleared through the building’s main office first. Students will not be allowed to place delivery orders to the schools.
Job openings
At the high school, there are two aide positions, a floating substitute as well as business and English teaching positions open. Open positions at the middle school include three part-time lunch monitors, a floating substitute and a front desk greeter. There are two floating substitutes, one part-time aide, a speech and language pathologist and an assistant principal opening at the elementary school. The middle and high school also are hiring for a shared LPN.
More information on these and other positions is available at https://libertyk12.tedk12.com/hire/index.aspx.
Those with questions may email questions@libertyk12.org.
LES fourth-grade wrestler takes second in statewide event
Liberty Elementary fourth-grader Blake Dennison recently plac3e second in the NY Wrestling Association for Youth State Championships. He trains at Deep Roots Wrestling Club in Walden, three times a week, while excelling in his education and band. On Saturday, March 9, he traveled to Syracuse to compete in the D5 70-pound weight class, which had 30 competitors.
LCSD honors three with Excellence in Service Awards
Three more Liberty Central School District staff members were honored during the March 12 Board of Education meeting.
Recognized with Excellence in Service Awards were high school teacher assistant Quennel Yard, middle school special education teacher Anne Ramos, and elementary school teacher aide Cristina Servellon
Quennel Yard
Yard’s cheery and caring attitude were what sets him apart..
“Mr. Yard goes out of his way, every day, to help both teachers, staff and students. He cares about everyone and it shows. Mr. Yard relates to the students like no one else can. He goes out of his way, everyday to do this,” the nomination read. “The day is totally different when he isn’t here and not in a good way. Everyday he greets you with a smile and something nice to say. The world and Liberty is a better place with him here!”
Anne Ramos
Ramos was recognized for her work, along with her husband’s, outside of the classroom with Liberty girls soccer and alpine skiing athletes.
“Anne and her husband, Carpio, are a dynamic duo and their dedication to these sports is unmatched,” the nomination read. “They host extra soccer practice for the Liberty girls during the winter to enhance the program without expecting pay. They also have organized a spring travel league for the girls to practice in and have been doing this for years.”
Cristina (Emerita) Servellon
Servellon’s willingness to help out where needed earned her the nomination.
“Cristina is always helpful, kind and willing to contact parents for the health office to translate for us. She is always greeting you with a smile,” the nomination read. “She is a lovely human, with a beautiful heart, and her willingness to help, of all places, in the health office just shows that she’s not just coming to work to do her job, but that she’s simply a good person who cares about our students, and those around her!”
Each month, staff members nominate others they believe are going above and beyond, be it a single act of excellence or kindness or a continuous work ethic.
We congratulate these employees on their awards.