Volume 5, Issue 1Volume 5, Issue 1

North Colonie Central School District

Your News Source For Employee-Related Information at North Colonie

UPCOMING EVENTS

September 21st

Reception for New Staff

Members

Board of Education meeting,

SHS Media Center, 7 p.m.

23rd

Yom Kippur - All Employee

Holiday

30th

Friends of Music, SHS, 7 p.m.

October October is National Bullying

Prevention Month!

12th

Columbus Day - All

Employee Holiday

26th

Board of Education meeting,

LO, 7:15 p.m.

31st

Halloween

DISTRICT MISSION: All students are provided the opportunity and necessary support to engage in relevant, challenging

work which contributes to their academic and social development. All staff, teachers, and administrators are part of a larger learning community, working together to build collective capacity in

order to provide a high-quality, relevant, equitable education for all.

September/October 2015

NORTH COLONIE DEBUTS NEWLY

DESIGNED WEBSITE

After 14 months of planning, design, production, and content migration, North

Colonie launched a newly designed website in July. If you have not yet visited the

site, please visit soon at www.northcolonie.org. You will really like what you see!

The new site offers an updated look, with the ability to host an array of photos on

the homepage. These will change throughout the year. Another new feature is the

searchable staff directory that allows users to search for faculty and staff by name,

email, or phone number. You can find this directory under “contact us” on the

homepage.

District news will be posted on the homepage and automatically archived by

month and school. Most information will be categorized by six major topics: About

Us, Academics, Athletics, Board of Education, Budget and Taxes, and District

Services. Clicking on one of these tabs will bring visitors to new pages with several

sub-heads of information relevant to the main title.

School pages have a consistent design and organization which will help visitors

know where to look to find particular information and stay connected to the

overall district site as they navigate between school and district pages.

Taryn Kane, North Colonie Communications Specialist, played a major role in the

new website, which was produced in partnership with the Capital Region BOCES

Communications Service. Kudos to Taryn for a great job!

Don’t forget to visit the HR Staff Resources page. The link is found in the darker

blue banner at the very top. On the Staff Resources page you will find HR forms,

benefit information, policies and procedures information, and a link to the BOCES

SmartFind Express system for those employees who submit absences and request

substitutes.

Page 2 The Inside Resource Volume 5, Issue 1

UPDATE ON SUMMER EVENTS

Capital Region Institute for Human Rights 2015 Teen Summer Symposium: Organized by North Colonie

teachers, Thea MacFawn, Kelly Wetherbee, Dan Weaver, and Siobhan Matrose, this event made the front page of

the July 22 edition of The Colonie Spotlight newspaper. The article, written by Emily Drew, is included below in

its entirety.

The spark for change

Local teens learn the challenges of solving global issues

After a three-day human rights symposium, area teens will return to school this fall with ideas of starting new

clubs, beginning fundraising campaigns and raising awareness.

For the first time, 60 students from seven area high schools gathered at the New York State United Teachers

headquarters in Latham for a Capital District symposium. In the program organized by North Colonie School

District staff members, students learned about major human rights issues, from the Rwandan Genocide and water

crises, to fair trade and human trafficking.

“This is for kids who really want to know more,” said Thea MacFawn, North Colonie Teacher. She said there are a

lot of students interested in human rights, but often feel like they can’t make a difference.

MacFawn and fellow teacher Kelly Wetherbee organized the symposium over several months. Officially titled

Capital Region Institute for Human Rights 2015 Teen Summer Symposium, it was modeled after other programs

MacFawn learned of when she worked with the US Holocaust Memorial Museum on a fellowship last year.

During the program, students from several high schools around the area got the chance to hear from nationally

and internationally renowned speakers. Carl Wilkins and Eugenie Mukeschimana spoke of their experiences in the

Rwandan Genocide.

As well, Ivan Vamos, a Holocaust survivor, shared his testimony and answered questions students had.

“We were looking for speakers that talk about issues that we felt had very good connections to topics (the

students) study in school,” said MacFawn. All students, she said, learned of the Holocaust during World War II,

but “We wanted to revive that connection. How is that relevant in the world today?”

Camp Invention: Brian Ashline was the Director for this summer’s Camp Invention. 88 students, ranging from

first to sixth grade, attended the program. Along with Brian, other North Colonie employees who participated

include: Hope Dils (Kartwheel Instructor), Julie Dwyer (Next Level Gamer Instructor), Ian Knox (MOVE

Instructor), George Moglia (Design Studio: Illuminate Instructor), Brittany Slingerland Kitterman (Assistant

Director), and Danielle Vartigian (Inducted Instructor).

Also assisting were seven Councilors in Training (CIT),

middle school students who both helped and

participated, and 12 high school students called

“Leadership Interns” who volunteered their time to

work with the students.

The 2015 theme, Illuminate, encouraged children to

explore their inventiveness and problem solving skills

with experiences that harnessed their curiosity, inspired

creativity and evoked a sense of accomplishment.

Page 3 The Inside Resource Volume 5, Issue 1

Have news that you want to share? email: hr@ncolonie.org

North Colonie All Stars

John Doolittle is an Art Teacher at SHS but outside of school, he works tirelessly

for the Ronald McDonald house. Recently, he was recognized by country music

station WGNA and County Waste as a “hometown hero” for his philanthropic

work. Inspired by his grandmother’s dedication to philanthropy, Doolittle works

tirelessly every year to raise money for the Ronald McDonald house. In six years,

he has raised $218,000 and founded the annual Ronald McDonald House Capital

Cup for Kids hockey. Doolittle said, “. . .I wanted to do something to ensure that

the Ronald McDonald house would remain a haven for others dealing with their

child’s health crisis.”

The 2014-2015 SHS Custodial Staff received a “Fan Appreciation

Award” for their great work from the Athletic Department.

Congratulations to Matt Abel, Ed Bouleris, James Dame, Greg Doyle,

Joann Dwyer, Pete Ford, Craig Jewett, Jake Landor, John LaRose,

Frank Liburdi, Jeff McKay, Lauren Schneider, Audrey Vallee and

Roger Yando for their hard work in keeping Shaker High School a

professional and beautiful place to learn and work.

Congratulations to Boght Hills, Loudonville, Southgate, and Shaker High School for being designated as a

Reward School by the NYS Board of Regents. This award is presented to schools that have made the most

progress or have the highest performance with no significant gaps in student achievement.

Do you shop at Price Chopper or Hannaford? Then, you can

help earn money for our schools!

Buy participating products at Hannaford and get dollars for North

Colonie. Look for shelf tags with a schoolhouse on them or visit

Hannaford.com/helpschools to see a detailed list of participating

products. Through 11/28/15.

At Price Chopper, register your Advantage Card and all purchases

using your card will be automatically credited to your school.

School codes are:

Blue Creek - 15805. Boght Hills - 15737. Forts Ferry - 15806.

Loudonville - 15968. Latham Ridge - 15807. Southgate - 15969.

Junior High School - 15809. Shaker High School - 15808. Through

3/26/16.

http://www.pricechopper.com/savings/sign-up

Box Tops for Education

Do you know that Box Tops on commonly

purchased products can also earn your

school money? Find Box Tops on hun-

dreds of products, clip the Box Top from

the package and send to your school. Each

Box Top is worth 10¢ for your school.

Kathy Skeals, Assistant Superintendent

for Instruction and Curriculum and her

assistants, Barb St. Gelais and Nancy

Rapsard have moved to Central Office.

Kathy’s phone extension is 3177. Barb’s is

3183 and Nancy’s is 3181.

Page 4 The Inside Resource Volume 5, Issue 1

In Memoriam

Name Changes

Angela Bernarde, PE Teacher BH,

is now Angela Ahl.

Kelly Bootier, Foreign Language Teacher SHS,

is now Kelly Mattice.

Amanda Cotrupi, Teacher FF,

is now Amanda Rogner.

Rebecca Darrow, Science Teacher JHS,

is now Rebecca Goldfischer.

Jennifer Fletcher, Teacher BC,

is now Jennifer Burchett.

Jenna Placke, Special Educ Teacher SG,

is now Jenna Covino.

Dianna Rossi, Speech Therapist, SG,

is now Dianna Nolan.

Victoria Schrom, Remedial Math Teacher

SG and LR, is now

Victoria Baker.

Judith Walters, Teacher Aide BC,

is now Judith Venette.

Gina Zandri, Teacher BC,

is now Gina Wozniak.

Marie Wilson passed away

September 3, 2015 at age 94. Before

retiring in 1987, Ms. Wilson worked

as a Secretary to the Principal at

Loudonville Elementary School for

35 years.

New Arrivals

Aaron Hacker, Art Teacher, JHS

Daughter: Quinn, July 6

Diana Karl, Music Teacher, SG

Son: Lorenzo Lewis “Leo”, August 31

Haley Knox, Special Educ Teacher, HS

Son: Jack Muir, September 5

Christina Salvagio, Keyboard Spec, HS

Son: Neko Vincent,

September 15

Meghan Testa, Teacher LR

Son: Henry Alfred, September 1

Teresa Slater, Teacher Aide LR

Son: Cooper John, August 12

Lindsay Tresansky, Math Teacher, HS

Daughter: Adelynn Jane,

July 22

Staff Changes

Congratulations to the following employees who moved into new positions this school year:

Marian Cimorelli, Chief Information Officer, IT

Garrett Couture, Administrative Dean

Laurie Minnick, Elementary Cook Manager, BH

Julie Scriven, Director Information Technology, IT

Brian Spofford, Taft Hall Principal, SHS

David Stadtlander, Supv. of Health, Physical Educ and

Athletics, DW/SHS

New Hires - Instructional Support

Carrie Alexanian, Teacher Aide, SG

Melissa Bulson, School Nurse, SHS

Jessica Clemente, Teacher Aide, SHS

Tanya Cousins, School Bus Driver, Transportation

Karen Croteau, Teacher Aide, SHS

Dorrae Ferris, Teacher Aide, SHS

Brittney Forenzo, Teacher Aide, SHS

Lynn Gavin, Computer Room Aide, FF

Laura Haley, Teacher Aide, SHS

Michelle Hodson, Teacher Aide, JHS

Daniel Jacobs, Teacher Aide, SHS

Tina LaBarge, Teacher Aide, SHS

Virginia Laing, School Nurse, FF

Jaclynne Lucarelli, Teacher Aide, JHS

Teresa McQuade, Teacher Aide, SG

Scott Meher, School Bus Driver, Transportation

Gary Mills, School Bus Driver, Transportation

Adam Murrell, Teacher Aide, BC

Tina Nash, Teacher Aide, SHS

Joseph Poniatowski, Teacher Aide, SHS

Patrick Robinson, Hall Monitor, SHS

Ann Sauer, Keyboard Specialist, BH

Sara Sherwin, Pupil Transportation Analyst, Transportation

Sheila Tanzman, Teacher Aide, SHS

Krystal Van Tine, School Bus Driver, Transportation

New Hires - Instructional

Elementary:

Mark Ambrosio, .3FTE Phys Educ, LO

Christina Biviano, Special Educ, SG

Jennifer Burchett, Grade 1, BC

Kimberley Case, .7FTE Art, LO

Colleen Cavanaugh, Special Educ, DOL

Holly Cranmer, Grade 5 (one-year leave), BC

Sara Galica, ENL, Elementary

Lauren Groudine, Speech Therapist, BC

Susan Guba, Grade 1 (one-year leave), LO

Kerriann Hamlin, Kindergarten (one-year leave), SG

Erin Hvizdak, Teaching Assistant, BC

Jennifer Jacques, .6 FTE Speech Therapist, DOL

Matthew Montalbano, Librarian (one-year leave), FF

Rebecca Pahl, Special Educ, FF/JHS

Brittany Phillips, Special Educ (one-year leave), FF

Junior High School

Jennifer Allard, Social Studies

Michelle Connolly, .6FTE Mathematics

Nicole Finnegan, .8FTE Science

Shaker High School

Peggy Austin, Special Educ (1/2 year leave)

Ann Chu, Teaching Assistant, TASC

Daniel Fountain, Social Studies

Kurt Hassenpflug, ENL

Jason Jones, Physical Education

Erin Larkin, Guidance Counselor

Christina Manion, Special Educ

Erin Murphy, Teaching Assistant

Amanda Pagnotta, .8FTE Foreign Language-Latin

Lauren Quinn, Teaching Assistant, GO

Joel Scism, Technology

Briana Stevens, Teaching Assistant, Internal Restriction

Andrea Stupp, Social Studies

Angela Treffiletti, .6 FTE Teaching Assistant