Selected stories Sept. to Dec., 2009 |
Three new teachers join faculty
Social
Studies teacher Paul Cardettino graduated from Niskayuna High
School, received his bachelor’s degree from the University of
Buffalo, and is seeking his master’s from SUNY Albany. He was a
student teacher in Bethlehem, has been a substitute in various
districts, and has coached basketball in Schenectady and swimming at
a country club in Schenectady. A golfer and movie buff, Cardetttino
lives in Niskayuna. Of his first weeks in Fort Plain, Cardettino
says, “Everybody has been very welcoming. The faculty has been as
nice as possible and has helped me to feel very comfortable here. I
like the students more and more each day.”
Kinde rgarten
and first grade teacher Alison Casale graduated from Saugerties High
School, received her bachelor’s degree from SUNY Oswego and a
master’s degree from the College of St. Rose, Albany. She taught
kindergarten and first grade in Cairo, N.Y. and Lowell Mass. and
kindergarten in Nevada before coming to Fort Plain. In her spare
time, Casale enjoys cooking, scrapbooking and crafts. She and her
husband Tom live in Johnstown. “I’m very excited to become a member
of the Fort Plain community. I look forward to working with faculty
staff and students,” she said.
Sixth
grade social studies teacher Justin Lathers didn’t need directions
to Harry Hoag Elementary School this fall. A Fort Plain native and
graduate, Lathers received his bachelor’s degree at SUNY Plattsburgh
and was a student teacher at Au Sable and Willsboro in northern New
York state before becoming a teaching assistant at Harry Hoag last
year. Besides Social studies, Lathers will also teach one unit of
English and coach 8th grade basketball with an eye toward coaching
soccer in the future. Lathers is happy to return to his old school.
He lives in Fort Plain. “This is the place I want to be – my top
choice,” he said. “Knowing the faculty (which includes his father,
Kim) has made it easy for me to adapt.”
Changes
at Harry Hoag due to capital project
----The old main
entrance is no longer open. The new main entrance is located
around the back of the kindergarten wing next to the cafeteria. This
entrance is for all visitors at all times of the school day. The
main office is at the bottom of the ramp.
----The bus loop,
bus platform and canopy are also part of the construction zone and
are closed.
---- Parents will
continue to use the same morning drop-off loop as in the past.
Enter the center parking lot from the right and drop students at the
crosswalk on the left. Students will enter the building through the
double doors at the end of the 6th grade wing.
-----This drop-off loop is
also the afternoon pick-up loop. Custodial staff will direct you
to wait in line until your children are crossed to you.
-----Walkers will enter
the double doors at the end of the 6th grade wing. This is also
the walker dismissal area.
-----Visitor parking
will be in the center parking lot and along the fence to the bus
garage construction area. There is a crosswalk for safety.
Handicap parking is available in the district office parking lot and
against the playground bank.
----- The bus loop
is located in the rear of the building, behind the kindergarten
wing. There will be no regular vehicle access to this area so
that it remains free for bus loading and unloading.
MAP OF NEW TRAFFIC PATTERN
Feasibility study approved by school boards
Should the St. Johnsville School
District enter into a merger study with either Fort Plain School
District or the Oppenheim-Ephratah Central School District? If
yes, with which district should the merger be studied? These are
the questions a feasibility study, approved by all three school
boards, will attempt to answer. The study does NOT include the
possibility of combining the three districts into one entity.
FULL STORY
Educational consultants recommend STJ – OE
merger study
In a study
released last week, Castallo and Silky educational consultants
recommends that the St. Johnsville Central School District enter
into a formal merger study with the Oppenheim- Ephratah Central
School District. The study was undertaken to determine if St.
Johnsville should engage in a merger study with either O-E or Fort
Plain Central School. Each of the three districts contributed to the
cost of the study.
COMPLETE ARTICLE
COMPLETE FEASIBILITY STUDY pdf
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Time capsule opened at assembly
At a Sept. 17
assembly, the student body waited in anticipation as custodian Garth
Eggleston pried open a metal box that had been placed in the
cornerstone of the school in 1955. The box had been removed by
workers as part the current school building project, which includes
area where the original cornerstone was placed.
FULL
STORY
Internet donors enhance math program,
Family Math Nights
Thanks to an
Internet site and generous donors, Fort Plain math students and
their parents will have more materials to help them learn.
FULL STORY AND PHOTO
Family Math Night was
held Oct. 28 with nine families enjoying an evening of
math-related activities and games such as dominoes, Safari Rush
Hour, and Rummikib.
Lindsay Countryman and her dad, David, are shown trying one of the
activities. The night is a way to encourage parents to become
actively involved in their child's math education. Families were
given games and math-related objects such as rulers, dice, and cards
to use at home. Many of the games and materials used at Family Math
Night were provided by funds received from a grant written by
eighth-grade math teacher Sue Summerfield, who has organized the
program at the middle school level for several years. This year, the
program is being expanded to include ninth grade students and their
families.
Family Math Night
expands to 9th grade
Family Math
Night for ninth grade students and their families was held Nov. 19.
The program’s goal is to encourage parents to become more involved
in their child’s math education. Families
played logic games and tackled problem solving activities during the
evening and took home games and manipulatives to further reinforce
math concepts. Many of the games were purchased with grants from
donorschoose.org and the Greater Capital Region Teacher Center.
Family Math Night was organized by algebra teachers Margaret DiBiase
and Sue Summerfield. This was the first family math night for
Fort Plain ninth grade students. Family Math Night for eighth grade
students has been held for several years.
Mohawk Valley to Africa – Young students in
Ghana benefit from Fort Plain’s generosity
Thousands of children's
books collected this spring by Fort Plain students, teachers, and
community members and have found their new home at a school in
Ghana.
Patrick Petty, a 2007 graduate of Fort Plain High
School and a junior at Union College in Schenectady traveled to
Accra, Ghana this summer with Andrew Happle and fellow students Mike
Clark and Kameron Simpson.
For Petty’s narrative of his trip, plans for the
future, and more photos, click
HERE
Coach gets a clipping
 Varsity
soccer player Ashley Crouse uses clippers to cut the last few
strands of hair on the head of her coach, Kim Lathers to the delight
of the rest of the team. Before the Section 2 Class C girls varsity
soccer finals, Lathers told his team that if they won, he would let
them shave his head. When the Hilltoppers emerged victorious over
Middleburgh 1-0, “I was hoping they might forget,” Lathers said. No
such luck. It was first sectional title in the history of Fort Plain
girls soccer.
NHS Blood Drive exceeds goal
As first-time
sponsors of an American Red Cross Blood Drive, Fort Plain High
Chapter of the National Honor Society not only exceeded their blood
donation goal, but made it possible for a Fort Plain student to be
awarded a college scholarship.
STORY AND PHOTO
Tradition of holiday giving continues
Continuing a
longstanding tradition of giving, Fort Plain students kept busy this
holiday season raising money for the Salvation Army and collecting
non-perishable food items for a local food pantry.
STORY & PHOTOS
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