Home of the Bulldogs www.delhischools.org March 2016

NEWSLETTERDelaware Academy Central School District at Delhi

The Vision of the Delaware Academy Central School District at Delhi is to provide a challenging and motivating learning environment in which the unique differences and inherent rights of all students are recog-nized and respected. This learning envi-ronment promotes high moral values, e th ical pr inc ipal s and academic skill. It instills an enthusi-asm for learning while preparing students to become critical think-ers, lifelong learn-ers and responsible contributors to society.

The Mission of the Delaware Academy Central School District at Delhi District is to provide quality experi-ences that support stu-dents’ learning and equip all students with the knowledge, skills and attributes to work to their maximum potential and become productive citizens.

Superintendent’s MessageGreetings and salutations everyone!I hope our newsletter finds everyone happy and healthy. It is

hard to believe spring is right around the corner and we will soon be closing the books on another winter here at Delaware Academy. On our website you can download and review our second quarter

data report. Once again, I am very pleased with our District’s results. Our teachers, staff, students and parents have been working extremely hard together as a team to provide the best education possible for our children. Great job everyone!

Our administrative team is currently putting together the finishing touches on our budget for the 2016-2017 school year. In the upcoming months, we as a Board, will be conducting a series of board of education budget workshops. During these workshops, we will review our budget “line by line” to produce an effective, efficient, and a fiscally responsible budget for our tax payers.

Over the past two months, we have been meeting with our area legislatures to ensure Delaware Academy obtains the maximum amount of funding for education. Mr. Shultz, our Business Manager, and I met with Assemblyman Lopez to discuss concerns and wishes for the 2016 New York State Budget and how it will affect Delaware Academy.

We expressed concerns over the lack of full Gap Elimination Adjustment (GEA) restoration and the frozen Foundation Aid (at the 2007 rates) as well as the fact that we still have $300,000 (remainder of GEA) sitting in Albany for Delaware Academy. We also discussed the 2% tax cap and how it is not a true 2% tax cap, rather it is a .12% which is equivalent to $12,000 from our local tax base. We have also met with Assemblywoman Claudia Tenney and Senator John Bonacic on these issues.

Having said all of this, I am proud to state that Delaware Academy is in good academic and financial standing. This is something we have all worked very hard to obtain over the past five years. We all collectively own and can be very proud of this statement as a community.

We as a school district will continue to look to the future to enhance our course offerings, Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics (STEAM) offerings, online learning opportunities, collaborative partnerships with local businesses, as well as educational partnerships with SUNY Delhi. We will always continue to chal-lenge our students and raise the academic bar to carry on the tradition of academic excellence here at Delaware Academy.

Continued on next page

2

Published byDelaware Academy Central School District at Delhi

Delhi, New York 13753 • 607-746-1300

Board of EducationGlenn Nealis, President

Tammy Neumann, Vice PresidentDr. Thomas FlandersSeth Haight, Trustee

Elizabeth Huneke, TrusteeLucy Kelly, TrusteeJay Wilson, Trustee

AdministrationJason D. Thomson, Superintendent

Laurie Alberti, Middle School/High School PrincipalJulie Mable, Elementary School Principal

Carey Shultz, Business ManagerLuke Potrzeba, Editor

Layout by DCMO BOCES Printing Service • 607-335 -1237

Technology Spotlight: Digital Information Displays

Delaware Academy has installed new Digital Information Displays in both the elementary and Middle/High School. These displays are great resource for sharing information about what is happening in our buildings.

The elementary screen d isplays events, calendar, and other informa-tion relevant to the elementary School. The Middle and High School dis-

plays show notices, announcements, events, and other pertinent information.

In addition there is a screen located outside the high school gym which dis-plays information related to sports teams, sport ing events and a stu-dent athlete of the week spotlight.

ALK ScholarshipsALK Scholarship applications are now avail-

able online or you can contact Mr. Carey Shultz at 607-746-1304.

Our winter sports teams have experienced another successful year and we are looking forward to a suc-cessful spring sports season. The spring is always busy and filled with excitement! The spring musical will be held the weekend of March 11, and this year’s musical is the Sound of Music. Please be sure to check out our webpage for the latest updates and to learn about upcoming events at www.delhischools.org.

As spring approaches, don’t forget to look for the daffodils planted by our students and staff along County Route 28 by the stone wall. Keep an eye out for the signs of spring!

As always, please feel free to stop in, call, or email me with any questions, comments, or concerns.

Respectfully yours,Mr. Jason D. Thomson

Superintendent’s Message, cont. Business Office UpdateAs spring fast approaches, the business office is in

full swing with the preparation of the 2016-2017 budget. The Governor has been much more transparent this year regarding funding then he was during last years budget season. The first and only set of aid runs were distributed in early January and Delaware Academy saw a slight increase in overall school aid. The district is hopeful that the Legislators will extract much needed, additional funding as they resume talks this week. One of the big issues on the table in Albany is for the abolishment of the Gap Elimination Adjustment (GEA). The GEA has resulted in approximately $9.5 million in lost aid to Delaware Academy over the past 7 years. If the 2016-2017 GEA is restored, Delaware Academy could utilize the additional funding to jumpstart new educational initiatives district wide. Our office will be sure to keep everyone up to date as to the progress of the budget through scheduled public workshops. The upcoming workshop dates can be found on the District’s website, under the calendar of events.

Thank You,Carey Shultz, Business Manager

3

Spring MusicalCome one, come all to the Delaware Academy

Spring Musical, The Sound of Music! Come watch as Maria and Captain von Trapp find love, and struggle to save their family from the looming Third Reich.

Performances times and dates are as follows: • Thursday, March 10 at 4:00 p.m. (Designated

Senior Citizen Show)• Friday, March 11 at 7:00 p.m.• Saturday, March 12 at 7:00 p.m.• Sunday Matinee, March 13 at 3:00 p.m.

DCMO BOCES to Administer School Equivalency Exam

The New York State Education Department awarded a grant to DCMO BOCES to administer the high school equivalency exam. The Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC™) exam, was previously admin-istered by the Norwich City School District and most recently at the Norwich High School. Testing at the DCMO BOCES Chenango Campus will start in April of 2016.

The 2016 general test schedule is as follows: April 4 and 5, June 6 and 7, July 11 and 12, October 3 and 4, and December 12 and 13. Individuals interested in testing can apply for the exam by calling 607-335-1381. Eligibility requirements, application form and more information are also available on the www.learnatboces.com home page and the New York State Adult Education website, ww.acces.nysed.gov/hse.

Adult and Continuing Education Director Audrey Benkenstein commented, “we are very excited to add the TASC™ administration to the menu of services already offered by DCMO BOCES. We are equally pleased that the high school equivalency exam will continue to be given locally.” Benkenstein also commented that the local test initiative hopes to encourage individuals lacking a high school diploma or equivalent to enroll in a preparation program and begin working toward their credential.

Completed applications can be mailed or dropped at the main office of the DCMO BOCES Chenango Campus, Office of Adult and Continuing Education, located at 6678 County Road 32, Norwich NY 13815. For more information about preparation programs and resources contact the DCMO BOCES Adult and Continuing Education office at 607-335-1210.

Kindergarten RegistrationChildren living in the Delaware Academy School

District at Delhi who are eligible to enter Kindergarten in the fall of 2016 must be registered. If you have not done so, please contact the Registrar’s office at 746-1332 for a registration packet. Your child must be five years old on or before December 1, 2016.

Registration for children planning to enter the Delhi program this fall will be held in the morning from 8:15-10:15 a.m. on March 30, 31, and April 1.

Appointment times will be sent out with the reg-istration packets.

Parents, please bring your child’s State Birth Certificate, Immunization Records and Proof of Residency with you.

Mark Your

Calendars!

4

Mrs. Beall’s BlizzardA Message from Middle/ High School Principal

As spring approaches with the promise of warmer temperatures, open windows, and outdoor activities, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the stu-dents, parents, faculty and staff of Delaware Academy Central School District at Delhi for a successful year thus far. Our students are busy with spring sports and activities such as track, chorus and band concerts, and the school musical.

As our seniors are in their last semester of high school and working towards their future, and our underclassmen are working towards a new school year, they are all faced with new pressures and challenges. Here are some words from Ralph Waldo Emerson to think about when faced with these chal-lenges: “Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.” To help you grow, please be sure to take advantage of all that Delaware Academy has to offer such as college level classes, technology, review classes, AP classes, clubs, music and sports.

On another note, the New York State Exams are fast approaching with the regents examinations following in June. With the focus and concerns surrounding state testing, please keep in mind that state scores are no longer attached to teacher’s evaluations. From the Office of State Assessment, “In accordance with federal requirements and sections of 100.3 and 100.4 of the Commissioner’s regulations, the Department requires that all students in public and charter schools in Grades 3-8 must take all state assessments adminis-tered for their grade level.” Additionally, “There is no provision in statute or regulation allowing parents to opt their children out of State tests.” If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at lalberti@delhischools.org or 607-746-1300.

Parents, please note important items included in this newsletter as follows: • The HS Musical The Sound of Music is March 11-12

at 7:30 p.m. and March 13 at 3:00 p.m. There will be Senior Citizen show at 4:00 p.m. on March 10.

• March 18-19 All-County• No School on March 25 or 28• Spring Break April 25-29• Graduation June 25

For a complete list of all important dates, please visit our website at delhischools.org.

We wish our families a safe and enjoyable spring break in April.

Think Spring! Sincerely,Laurie Alberti, MS/HS Principal

Relay for Life 2016Come join us for our annual Relay for Life, on

Saturday, April 30, from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. at the DelawareAcademy School track. All are welcome.

New teams or old teams are always needed to help raise the funds to fight Cancer, individuals not on a team are also welcome. We could use some new mem-bers to fill positions on the committee and volunteers to help on the day of the event.

Please help in this fight, come out and enjoy the day with us. Come join us!

5

DASH NotesSpring is coming! And with that comes spring

sports, kindergarten registration, thoughts of college and summer camps, and paperwork!

Please be in touch with DASH to find out if you are in need of a physical for sports so you are ready for the spring kick off as well as the fall time.

6th graders that are thinking of playing sports in the fall please stop in to see Miss Dawn to make sure your physical is up to date, or get scheduled so you don’t miss that first whistle. If you do your physical outside of DASH please remember to bring into the school nurse, please do not give to the coach as that is medical information that we consider confidential.

6th graders may also need a vaccination so please check with us or the school nurse.

Camp forms need to be brought in as well to be completed so you can get that bottom bunk.

College paperwork needs to be looked at so that immunizations that might be needed can be done and usually needs to be sent in before June. Vet students will need a vaccine that is in a series so need to start before June.

Seniors, we have enjoyed getting to know you over the last 13 years and will miss you. After graduation we will not be able to be a part of your healthcare team, you will need to establish with another provider and we can help you with that if you would like.

My Chart is a great way to communicate with your healthcare team, if you have not already signed up stop down and we will help you. This will allow you to access your medical record, get a copy of your shots if needed for school, etc.

Please feel free to call or stop in if any questions or concerns

From the Elementary School PrincipalAfter a very mild winter, Spring appears to be just

around the corner. We look forward to nice weather, the grass greening, flowers blooming, and birds returning to the area. That being said, I would like to remind parents that if it is at all possible, students in the elementary school will be outside for recess. It is good for them to get some fresh air, run around, hoot and holler, and run off some of that energy from work-ing so diligently in the classroom. Please remember to send in all the clothing items that your child may need to participate fully in recess. During the rest of the winter months, that includes coat, hat, mittens, snow pants, and boots. An extra pair of dry socks, underwear and pants in the bottom of your child’s backpack never hurts either . . . just in case.

On the last Superintendent’s Conference Day, the elementary faculty and staff completed a four hour training with Mr. Jim Calhoun. The training was based around best practices in behavior man-agement. It culminated in these ten ideas, which Mr. Calhoun dubbed the 10 Demandments of Behavior Management:• Always treat youngsters with respect and preserve

their dignity.• Always do what is in the students’ best interests.• Seek solutions, not blame.• Model tolerant, patient, dignified and respectful

behavior.• Use the least intrusive intervention possible.• Connect with your students and build strong

personal bonds with them.• Instill a hope for success.• Never do anything disrespectful, illegal, immoral,

ineffective, bad for health/safety, or anything you wouldn’t want done to you.

• Never give up on a student. Be perturbed with the actions of a student, but keep believing in his/her ability to change for the better.

Catch Kids Being Good . . . A LotThis was a nice reminder of best practices not only

here in the school, but of how we should be interacting with our students in every setting.

As a reminder, NYS Assessments will be hap-pening beginning in April. April 5-7 is English Language Arts Assessment and April 13-15 is the Math Assessment. In the past few years, there have been many concerns surrounding the NYS Testing program. New York State Education Department has taken all the feedback from the multiple stakehold-ers around New York State and has made changes that they hope will improve the testing experience for students and the validity of the assessments.

These changes include:• Greater involvement of educators in the test devel-

opment process, • Decrease in the number of test questions, and • A shift to untimed testing.

In addition, state scores are no longer attached to teachers’ evaluations. The results of the New York State Assessment will be used to inform instruc-tion and will assist us in enrichment of each child’s ELA and Math needs throughout the 2016-17 school year. We look forward to the positive changes in the assessments and to seeing the results our students will achieve.

Have a wonderful Spring.—Julie Mable, Elementary Principal

6

Delaware Academy Music NewsAll-County Music Festival Participants

Congratulations to the following Delaware Academy students who were selected to perform in the 2016 All-County Music Festival! Acceptance was based on the music director’s recommendation, and in most cases last year’s NYSSMA scores. The festival will be held at Delaware Academy on March 18 and 19. The culminating concert is open to the public on March 19 at 3:00 p.m. and will be held at the Delaware Academy High School Auditorium. (Admission prices: $5.00 for adults; $3.00 for students.)

The following students will be singing in the All-County Junior High Chorus (grades 7-9): Aolani McCarthy, Madison White, Kayleigh Verspoor, Sadie Tucker, Rachel Blocker, Melody Riggs, Warren Pardee, Hunter Guy and Preston VanWie.

The following students will be singing in the All-County Jazz Choir: Zoe-Marie Fuentes, Kelly Rolfe, Meg Halberian, Bethany Davis, Faith Spangler, Jason Opramolla, Shane Bray, Jack Halberian and Triston Ceresna.

The following students will be performing in the All-County Orchestra: Cooper Maney (violin), Jillian Lees (violin), Hans Hilson-Schneider (violin), Sibyla Giles (violin), Aileen Nealis (violin), Kate Davis (viola), Michael Griswold (viola), Amelia Taylor (cello), Julia Burns (cello), Adrionna Cecce (cello), Adam Hyduk (cello), Teddy Vickers (bass) and Brenden Cairns (bass). John Hultenius will be playing bass for the Jazz Choir.

The following students will be performing in the All-County Elementary Band: Shaina Mondore (flute), Amber Gardner (flute), Grace Burczak (clarinet), Annaliese Taylor (tenor sax), Logan Nealis (tenor sax), Owen Haight (trumpet), Julia Baxter (tuba) and Reid Knapp (percussion).

The following students will be performing in the All-County Senior Band (grades 9-12): Nikki Sutliff (flute), Alexis Gielskie (flute), Ava Green (flute), Caranne Ingram (clarinet), Amelie Legg (tenor sax), Alex Padovani (trumpet), Alex Taylor (trumpet), Dana Hallock (trumpet), Caroline Grace (french horn), Quentin McKeegan (trombone) and Jessica Davis (baritone).

Area All-State FestivalCongratulations to the following students who

performed in the Zone 8 Area All-State Music Festival this past November. Quentin McKeegan played trombone and Amelie Legg played tenor sax in the Area All-State Concert Band. Meg Halberian, Bethany Davis and Kelly Rolfe sang soprano in the

Women’s Chorus and Shane Bray sang bass in the Area All-State Mixed Chorus. Cooper Maney played violin and Jack Halberian played cello in the Area All-State Orchestra.

Students were selected to participate in the Area All-State Music Festival according to directors’ recommendations and high scores earned on solos performed at last May’s NYSSMA (New York State School Music Association) Solo/Ensemble Festival. Area students were selected from a five-county zone. They rehearsed at SUNY Oneonta on November 20 and 21, and performed in the Area All-State Festival Concert on November 21 at the Hunt Union Ballroom at SUCO, Oneonta.

Music Dates• The Delaware Academy production of the musi-

cal, Sound of Music will be presented on March 11, 12 and 13 in the H.S. Auditorium (Friday and Sat. shows begin at 7:30 p.m.; the Sunday show is at 3:00 p.m.) The Senior Citizen Show will be pre-sented on Thursday, March 10 at 4:00 p.m.

• The All-County Music Festival will be held on March 18 and 19 at Delaware Academy. The con-cert is Saturday, March 19 at 3:00 p.m.

• The H.S. Pops Concert will be presented on Tuesday, March 22 at 7:00 p.m.

• The Young Peoples’ Concert will be performed on Thursday, May 5 at 1:00 p.m. in the High School Auditorium. (The Middle School Orchestra and Band will perform an assembly for the elementary students.)

• The NYSSMA Solo/Ensemble Festival will be held at the Norwich High School on May 13 and 14.

• The Delaware Academy Marching Band will march in the Treadwell and Delhi Memorial Day Parades on Monday, May 30.

• The Delaware Academy Concert Band and the Delhi Middle School Band will perform at the High Note Festival in Lake George on Friday, June 3.

• The High School Concert will be held in the High School Auditorium on Tuesday, June 7 at 7:00 p.m. Please note that this date has been changed from the original date listed on the District calendar.

• The Middle School Concert will be held in the High School Auditorium on Thursday, June 9 at 7:00 p.m. Please note that this date has been changed from the original date listed on the District calendar.

• The Fourth and Fifth Grade Elementary Concert will be held in the High School Auditorium on Tuesday, June 14 at 7:00 p.m.

7

Math and Movement Fun NightOver 150 people par-

ticipated in the Delaware Academy Elementary Math and Movement Family Fun Night on January 14. The event was sponsored by Dryden Mutual Insurance and Lowe’s Toolbox for Education. At this high energy math and reading event, children used fun floor mats and wall charts to learn math and reading

concepts through movement. Families spent time completing the activities together and were also able to enjoy a pizza dinner to support the high school spring musical, The Sound of Music.

A big Thank You! goes out to all of the volun-teers and families who participated. You made this event one of the most successful ever according to the presenter, Suzy Koontz. We are very proud of our elementary community and the support from parents, administrators, custodians, and teachers. Our students are the best!

—Michele Temming and Laurie Rolfe

First Grade STEM ChallengeFirst Grade classes participated in a STEM (Science,

Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) challenge this past month! First, we read different versions of The Gingerbread Man, where the gingerbread man gets onto the back of a fox to cross the river. We decided to problem solve and see if the ginger-bread man could swim across the river on his own. We put a gingerbread man in water, and discovered that the gingerbread would get mushy. The students then decided that he could have built a bridge to safety! We took the challenge of constructing bridges to help the gingerbread man get across the river! We got into groups, and built bridges using only toothpicks and marshmallows.

After building the bridges, we tested them out by placing them between two chairs and having the gin-gerbread man cross each bridge! Although the bridges were all different, they held up nicely! We have some wonderful future engineers!

8

Carrots are an A+We all know carrots are one of our best sources of

Vitamin A and a great choice for our red/orange sub-groups in our menu planning.

Delaware Academy has found that raised beds and rich garden soil are the perfect place to plant and harvest Hercules Carrots. The 2015-2016 school year marks our 6th year with beautiful gardens at Delaware Academy.

In the six years our gardens have grown to six raised beds on our Elementary campus and a 8,000 square foot garden adjacent to the High School campus at Smith Pond park.

This year the Plant/Science class harvested our larg-est crop ever of Hercules Carrots. After the carrots were washed, peeled, chopped and vacuum sealed the grand total was 126 pounds of Carrots. Students love the sweet taste of the Hercules variety and they also enjoy the sur-prise of the harvest as they never know the size or shape that will be unearthed.

Information from our Plant/Science Class: Carrots need deep, sandy soil, plenty of water and a temperate or cool climate. Usually sown from seeds carrots are planted in rows, not too deeply, and kept moist. Carrots take about 4-7 days to germinate and the first shoots will emerge 6-15 days after planting. They are considered a biennial (plants that flower, fruit, then die in the second year) requiring two growing seasons to flower. The roots grow in one season, usually over 1 to 2 months and is then ready to harvest. This means that carrots can be stored in the ground over winter until they are ready to harvest. Carrots are available year round but at our best value from March to August.

Fun Carrot FactsIn the 17th century western carrots first appeared

in the Netherlands. Dutch carrot growers invented the orange carrot in honor of the House of Orange, the Dutch Royal Family.

The human body turns beta-carotene into vitamin A and carrots are one of the best sources for beta-carotene. Vitamin A is important for the health of our vision as well as our bones, teeth and skin.

The world’s largest carrot producer is China, which in 2011, accounted for over 45% of the global output. China was a long way ahead of Russia and the United States who are the second and third highest producers respectively.

The natural sugars and sweetness of carrots allow them to be used in carrot cakes of western countries, in India they are used as desserts, while countries such as Portugal use carrots in jam. Carrot juice is widely con-sumed, especially as a health drink, with or without other fruits and vegetables.

—Christine Miller, CDM, CFPP Thumbs up for carrots!

Carrots ready for harvest

Harvesting the carrots

Ryan, Gavin and Lucas planting carrots