by Robotic Autoposter » Thu Mar 01, 2012 12:30 pm
by Robotic Autoposter » Thu Mar 01, 2012 12:20 pm
“The tax cap presents many challenges to school districts as a result of the supermajority required to pass a budget above the cap. In addition, a failed budget results in a 0% increase in the tax levy which would be disastrous," explained Dr. Villanti. He went on to say that in the discussion of the tax cap what is being lost is the realization that for the second year a in a row school district revenues from New York State have been cut through a Gap Elimination Adjustment. Staying under the tax cap for this upcoming budget year is not as problematic as the continued loss of state revenues.
“The Gap Elimination Budget causes for the second year in a row Haldane to lose at least $528,451 in NYS revenues,” remarked Villanti, “And no one is talking about that. All public schools are also losing a proportional amount as well.”
Want to read more? Click here to see our Annual Budget page.
by Robotic Autoposter » Thu Mar 01, 2012 12:40 am
The Haldane Board of Education held a special meeting on Wednesday, February 15, 2012. The purpose of this meeting was for the Board to receive the recommendations from the Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) Committee and continue their discussions and receive public comment related to the field project. Please see the links below for more information. (The animation link on the Athletics web page was shown at the meeting.)
Please use the form below to request private or parochial school transportation for the 2012-2013 school year. Applications are due on or before April 1st 2012. Please see additional details on the form.
On Thursday night, Board President Joe Curto and Superintendent Mark Villanti discussed the tax cap with the Haldane PTA.
“The tax cap presents many challenges to school districts as a result of the supermajority required to pass a budget above the cap. In addition, a failed budget results in a 0% increase in the tax levy which would be disastrous," explained Dr. Villanti. He went on to say that in the discussion of the tax cap what is being lost is the realization that for the second year a in a row school district revenues from New York State have been cut through a Gap Elimination Adjustment. Staying under the tax cap for this upcoming budget year is not as problematic as the continued loss of state revenues.
“The Gap Elimination Budget causes for the second year in a row Haldane to lose at least $528,451 in NYS revenues,” remarked Villanti, “And no one is talking about that. All public schools are also losing a proportional amount as well.”
Want to read more? Powerpoint presentation and NYS revenues and GAP elimination
by Robotic Autoposter » Wed Feb 29, 2012 11:55 am
by Robotic Autoposter » Wed Feb 29, 2012 5:25 am
by Robotic Autoposter » Wed Feb 29, 2012 12:00 am
The Haldane Board of Education held a special meeting on Wednesday, February 15, 2012. The purpose of this meeting was for the Board to receive the recommendations from the Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) Committee and continue their discussions and receive public comment related to the field project. Please see the links below for more information. (The animation link on the Athletics web page was shown at the meeting.)
Please use the form below to request private or parochial school transportation for the 2012-2013 school year. Applications are due on or before April 1st 2012. Please see additional details on the form.
The budget process for the 2012-2013 school year has begun. The first step is to look at the roll over budget. A roll over budget calculates all of the known expenses for the 2012-2013 budget year. Approximately 80% of our annual budget is salaries and related benefits so this calculation is reasonably accurate. We estimate the other aspects of the budget and project its costs. A roll over budget is a starting point. The Board of Education may choose to reduce expenses or even possibly add more money to certain initiatives. Generally, the budget will be reduced from this point based on budget targets and possible cost saving ideas. Please feel free to email your questions to me or the Board of Education. Please click below to see the roll over budget.
On Thursday night, Board President Joe Curto and Superintendent Mark Villanti discussed the tax cap with the Haldane PTA.
“The tax cap presents many challenges to school districts as a result of the supermajority required to pass a budget above the cap. In addition, a failed budget results in a 0% increase in the tax levy which would be disastrous," explained Dr. Villanti. He went on to say that in the discussion of the tax cap what is being lost is the realization that for the second year a in a row school district revenues from New York State have been cut through a Gap Elimination Adjustment. Staying under the tax cap for this upcoming budget year is not as problematic as the continued loss of state revenues.
“The Gap Elimination Budget causes for the second year in a row Haldane to lose at least $528,451 in NYS revenues,” remarked Villanti, “And no one is talking about that. All public schools are also losing a proportional amount as well.”
Want to read more? Powerpoint presentation and NYS revenues and GAP elimination
The Board of Education will meet on Tuesday, February 28, 2012. This will be a workshop meeting with presentations on the Foreign Language Program and Mathematics Acceleration. Please click below for the draft agenda and administrative reports.
by Robotic Autoposter » Tue Feb 28, 2012 5:45 pm
Congratulations to the four Section 1 championship teams! Boys X-C, Girls Volleyball, Football, Girls Soccer.
11-18-2011
Congratulations to the Girls Volleyball Team
Congratulations to senior, Liz Richter for being selected for the NYSSMA winter conference this weekend in Rochester, NY. She is one of only a handful of students in New York State selected for this prestigious honor. Congratulations Liz!
Haldane students win county-wide Voice of Democracy Contest!
Tuesday January 24th and Friday January 27th the High School will be on a modified schedule. Most students should have at least one session each day. Students are not required to remain at school beyond the designated times, but the library and the HS will be available for open study. The schedule is attached.
The girls varsity basketball team raised $602.82 for women's cancer research and
donated it to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.by Robotic Autoposter » Tue Feb 28, 2012 4:40 pm
Dear Families,
On Tuesday, September 20th Clifford visited each kindergarten classroom and participated in a read aloud about himself led by Principal Brent Harrington. The students enjoyed the opportunity to greet Clifford and share their affection for the many stories that have been shared in class about their favorite large red dog. Strangely, our Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Mark Villanti, also a huge fan of Clifford, went mysteriously missing during Clifford's 45 minute visit to the elementary school!
After the students collected all their ingredients, they headed up to the big red barn where Mark and Sunny Gandara had already set up their mobile kitchen. The kids sat on haystacks and helped prepare frittatas made with all the ingredients they had just picked. Everyone got a chance to crack an egg, stir in some herbs or sprinkle on a little cheese. And in under an hour, the kids were devouring their frittatas and begging for more!
As the beautful autumn foliage in Cold Spring is upon us, our students and staff have settled into the routines of the school year. As I visit classrooms, I continue to be impressed with the level of learning that I regularly observe.
Please see the attached recipes for Apple Recipes.pdf
Haldane PTA
This past month the children in Mr. Dudar's 3rd grade class created digital stories on the life cycle of a plant. These carefully planned, illustrated, and self-narrated stories are both entertaining and informative! Be sure to view all of the stories by clicking on Mr. Dudar's webpage here.
It's hard to believe the Thanksgiving break is right around the corner. As we look forward to the welcomed opportunity to take a break from our school routines, spend quality time with family and friends and reflect on the personal blessings in our lives, I am again reminded of what a privilege it is to work with students, staff and parents at Haldane.
For the culmination of a recent fairy tale unit in Ms. Scrocca's 2nd grade class, students performed their favorite fairy tales. These readings are "really magical and magically real" as Ms. Scrocca's students performed their favorite fairy tales through Readers’ Theater. Enjoy watching Mrs. Scrocca’s 2nd graders and remember, for all of us, young and old, there is nothing more satisfying than a happy ending! To view all of the videos please click here.
Recently, our 7th grade Life Science students in Mrs. Horn's class have taken part in an educational research study along with 40 other schools in New York State. The Education Development Center’s, Center for Children and Technology (EDC/CCT), is conducting the study with funding from the U.S. Department of Education. The goal of the study is to evaluate whether a Nintendo DS video game and related classroom activities about photosynthesis will benefit students' understanding of photosynthesis. Each student was provided with a DS to take home for three days; the students were asked to play the video game for a minimum of 1 hour over the course of the 3 days. In class, Mrs. Horn provided connections between the game, other activities and regular instruction. At the end of the study the students will take an assessment to determine if they have a better understanding of photosynthesis than students from schools in the control group who did not receive DS’s. To learn more about this national study you can review a recent article published in Edweek by clicking on the link below.
http://www.edweek.org/dd/articles/2011/06/15/03science.h04.html
Have you ever wondered where your trash goes when you throw it “away”? As a combined project, the students in Mrs. Hartford, Mr. Dudar, and Mrs. LeMon’s classes brainstormed a story line from the point of view of a water bottle as it was going “away.” Check out this new, creative and fun perspective on where your trash goes.
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!! Mrs. Quick’s second grade class participated in a reader’s theater production of various fairy tale stories. Reader’s Theater is implemented as an engaging way for students to build fluency. In the fairy tale production students were able to select their groups and their fairy tale. Students rehearsed over several days before performing for their classmates. Please take a moment to view one of the productions of “The Three Little Pigs” below. The remaining videos can be viewed by going to Mrs. Quick's webpage by clicking here.
It's hard to believe that the holiday season is upon us. The elementary school concert was held on Tuesday, December 13th and as expected was an incredible success. Special thanks to Ms. Susan Kelly and Ms. Deb Contini for preparing our students for such wonderful performances.
The Haldane Elementary and Middle School libraries are excited to announce the creation of a new book borrowing location in the old payphone booth outside the nurse’s office. This booth will be a self-sustaining lending library that K-8 students can visit throughout the course of the school day. Students may help themselves to books or leave donations for other readers to enjoy.
To get our book booth started, we are accepting donations of new or very gently used, current books for children in elementary and middle school. Donations will be accepted at both libraries, as well as in the donation bin inside the book booth. Please note that some donations will also be used to supplement both libraries’ circulating collections.
Books used exclusively in the book booth will be clearly labeled with ***red stickers on their spine***. These books will not follow the same rules as those checked out from our school libraries; they can be kept and enjoyed for as long as the student pleases. To ensure the continual circulation of books in the booth, we ask that students who are frequently borrowing also make periodic donations. Thank you so much for your support in making this initiative a success!
Should you have any questions, please feel free to email Juli Burok-Hoffman @ jburok@haldaneschool.org or Josiah Peparo @ jpeparo@haldaneschool.org
The start of the new year seems an appropriate time to again share my vision for Haldane ES/MS School. Continuing to build an appropriately rigorous curriculum that seeks to meet the needs of each individual learner, while ensuring a safe and nurturing learning environment is at the core of every decision that has an impact on student learning. Simply, promoting excellence while providing curricular equity should be a universal value for everyone in our community--students, staff and parents. "As a former 8th grade teacher, middle school has long had a special place in my heart as an educator. This is undoubtedly a challenging time in a student’s life. The intellectual, physical and emotional maturity that occurs during this three year period can often feel like a tumultuous time—both for the student and the parent. The balance between providing a safe and nurturing environment, while building expectations of increased student responsibility and ownership over learning is a challenging task. As a result, we need to recognize that the importance of building 21st century skills, while placing a value on students’ opportunity to embrace academic rigor and ensure curricular equity. This is often a challenge for middle schools and is not something unique to Haldane. With that said, I look forward to the conversations with staff and parents as we continue to shape our identity as a middle school and begin to clearly articulate our values."
In an effort to increase and update our collection of children's picture books, the elementary library was recently able to purchase 101 titles with a grant from the Haldane School Foundation. Mr. Peparo purchased Caldecott and Newberry medal winners and honorable mentions from 2000 to the present. Additionally, targeted efforts were made to include popular children's series to our collection--most notably Mo Willems' Piggie and Gerald and Jane O'Connor's Fancy Nancy. We look forward to students, teachers and parents taking advantage of these enjoyable collections of children literature and wish to thank the Haldane School Foundation for their support in helping to update our collection.
Please remind your child that cell phones and other electronic devices need to remain in a student's backpack and/or locker during the school day. Cell phones should not be present during instructional time. Those students not following the policy will have their cell phones taken and delivered to the main office.
I have been told that I have not quite experienced Haldane until I survive a true winter in Cold Spring, and while this may be true, I have admittedly enjoyed the temperate weather for the winter months and the opportunity to have our students consistently outside for recess during the months of January and February. Nonetheless, it is a bit strange to see the daffodils begining to push up from the ground in early February! Weather aside, it is exciting to reflect on the first half of the year while our staff prepares for the excellent work that awaits us in the spring months.
Mr. Dudar’s third grade and Mrs. LeMon’s and Mrs. Hartford’s fourth grade classes have been working collaboratively to bring awareness to both the school and community about sustainability. The classes have been working together since October composting twice a week involving the entire school, researching new and innovative ways to help solve problems, and reaching out to the community to have their voices heard. In addition, the students (in teams of three) wrote a letter to each business in Cold Spring to spread their message. The biggest response received was actually a reaction from Cold Spring Mayor Seth Gallagher who decided to read the letter at a Village Board Meeting where the local media became aware of it and subsequently wrote this article,
http://www.philipstown.info/?p=22497. The classes sat down with Mayor Gallagher this past week to discuss new ways that the students can be more of a presence in the community. On May 1st, the students will have the opportunity to voice their ideas to the public at the Village Board Meeting, just before our Earth Day Fair on May 4th!
by Robotic Autoposter » Tue Feb 28, 2012 4:30 pm
The Haldane Board of Education held a special meeting on Wednesday, February 15, 2012. The purpose of this meeting was for the Board to receive the recommendations from the Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) Committee and continue their discussions and receive public comment related to the field project. Please see the links below for more information. (The animation link on the Athletics web page was shown at the meeting.)
Please use the form below to request private or parochial school transportation for the 2012-2013 school year. Applications are due on or before April 1st 2012. Please see additional details on the form.
The budget process for the 2012-2013 school year has begun. The first step is to look at the roll over budget. A roll over budget calculates all of the known expenses for the 2012-2013 budget year. Approximately 80% of our annual budget is salaries and related benefits so this calculation is reasonably accurate. We estimate the other aspects of the budget and project its costs. A roll over budget is a starting point. The Board of Education may choose to reduce expenses or even possibly add more money to certain initiatives. Generally, the budget will be reduced from this point based on budget targets and possible cost saving ideas. Please feel free to email your questions to me or the Board of Education. Please click below to see the roll over budget.
Celebrating 3rd and 4th Graders! Mr. Dudar’s third grade and Mrs. LeMon’s and Mrs. Hartford’s fourth grade classes have been working collaboratively to bring awareness to both the school and community about sustainability. The classes have been working together since October composting twice a week involving the entire school, researching new and innovative ways to help solve problems, and reaching out to the community to have their voices heard.
In addition, the students (in teams of three) wrote a letter to each business in Cold Spring to spread their message. The biggest response received was actually a reaction from Cold Spring Mayor Seth Gallagher who decided to read the letter at a Village Board Meeting where the local media became aware of it and subsequently wrote this article, http://www.philipstown.info/?p=22497.
The classes sat down with Mayor Gallagher this past week to discuss new ways that the students can be more of a presence in the community. On May 1st, the students will have the opportunity to voice their ideas to the public at the Village Board Meeting, just before our Earth Day Fair on May 4th!
The High School Chef/Leadership Day is an annual event held at the Taconic Outdoor Education Center. Students from Mrs. Pidala’s HS elective course, Food and Nutrition, work alongside professional chefs to prepare a gourmet lunch. This year’s menu was a Super Bowl Entertainment Menu consisting of Nachos with cheese, homemade pizza, wings with hot sauce, quesadillas with cheese & meat, and chili with rice - YUM!!!
At the same time, members of the student council along with class officers from grades 9-12 have group discussions and break-out groups to discuss problems and issues that are relevant to them. This year the topic was “Destructive Decisions.” Students went beyond the drinking and drug use issues and touched on peer pressure and the influence of older students on the younger students. Students bring the information back to their classmates and work on how to implement changes at Haldane.
On Thursday night, Board President Joe Curto and Superintendent Mark Villanti discussed the tax cap with the Haldane PTA.
“The tax cap presents many challenges to school districts as a result of the supermajority required to pass a budget above the cap. In addition, a failed budget results in a 0% increase in the tax levy which would be disastrous," explained Dr. Villanti. He went on to say that in the discussion of the tax cap what is being lost is the realization that for the second year a in a row school district revenues from New York State have been cut through a Gap Elimination Adjustment. Staying under the tax cap for this upcoming budget year is not as problematic as the continued loss of state revenues.
“The Gap Elimination Budget causes for the second year in a row Haldane to lose at least $528,451 in NYS revenues,” remarked Villanti, “And no one is talking about that. All public schools are also losing a proportional amount as well.”
Want to read more? Powerpoint presentation and NYS revenues and GAP elimination
The Board of Education will meet on Tuesday, February 28, 2012. This will be a workshop meeting with presentations on the Foreign Language Program and Mathematics Acceleration. Please click below for the draft agenda and administrative reports.
Join us for basketball playoffs!
by Robotic Autoposter » Mon Feb 27, 2012 11:50 am
Mr. Dudar’s third grade and Mrs. LeMon’s and Mrs. Hartford’s fourth grade classes have been working collaboratively to bring awareness to both the school and community about sustainability. The classes have been working together since October composting twice a week involving the entire school, researching new and innovative ways to help solve problems, and reaching out to the community to have their voices heard. In addition, the students (in teams of three) wrote a letter to each business in Cold Spring to spread their message. The biggest response received was actually a reaction from Cold Spring Mayor Seth Gallagher who decided to read the letter at a Village Board Meeting where the local media became aware of it and subsequently wrote this article,
http://www.philipstown.info/?p=22497. The classes sat down with Mayor Gallagher this past week to discuss new ways that the students can be more of a presence in the community. On May 1st, the students will have the opportunity to voice their ideas to the public at the Village Board Meeting, just before our Earth Day Fair on May 4th!
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