NEWS FROM CANAJOHARIE CENTR AL S CHO OL
Feb r u a r y 2015
Inside...
ning. . . 2
Spotlight on lear
owski . 3
Meet Mr. Rewak
on. . . . . . 3
Learning in acti
eases. . . 4
Graduation incr
Important Dates
• Feb. 28 - All County Music
Festival at Canajoharie • March 10 - Music In Our
Schools Month Concert,
7 p.m., Canajoharie Library
and Art Gallery • March 13 - Middle School
Dance 5:30-8:30 p.m.
• March 18 - Superintendent’s
Conference Day, No School
• March 21 - Family Fun Day,
East Hill Complex
Embracing academic rigor
New Honors Biology course prepares students early for college level work
Students at Canajoharie High School this year
have the opportunity to start preparing for college
level work earlier than ever before.
The new Honors Biology course at CHS – open
to eligible freshmen and sophomores – offers
students the opportunity to go more in depth on
topics giving them the background they’ll need to
be successful in Advanced Placement (AP) Biology
in their junior or senior years.
“Advance Placement changed and became
more rigorous. The district has to strengthen our
courses if we’re to expect students to compete at
the AP and college level,” biology teacher Patricia
Prime said. “Just like the Common Core Learning
Standards, the AP is asking that students learn
topics more in depth. Our students are embracing the academic rigor and should be better
prepared for the AP exam when they’re upperclassmen.”
Following the completion of the biology course, students will move on to chemistry, which is a
requirement they must satisfy before qualifying for AP Biology.
Students, teachers pilot use of elementary
science kits
Thanks to a pilot partnership with the
Oneida-Herkimer-Madison BOCES Science
Center, students at the East Hill Elementary School this year have access to a wide
array of scientific tools and instruments.
Through the BOCES Science Kit Program,
K-5 grade teachers can order various kits
containing physical teaching items and
supplemental resources to strengthen
classroom science lessons. Kits are
ordered for a specified period of time for
class use, usually about a month.
Available kits can help students learn
about topics such as chemical reactions,
magnetism, pendulums and scientific
• April 21 - Middle School
Report Cards Issued
• April 23 - High School Report
Cards Issued
• April 24 - East Hill Report
Cards Issued
For more information
Visit www.canajoharieschools.org
for updates on district events, stories, photos and other important information.
Also check us out on Facebook
(facebook.com/canajohariecsd)
and follow Superintendent Deborah Grimshaw (@dgcanjoschools)
and CHS Principal David Barnes (@
DBarnesCHS) on Twitter. investigation using tools like microscopes.
The kits offer a cost effective way for students to dive deep into topics over a period of
time. For fifth graders using the microscope kits, for example, the unit began with students
learning about the parts of the instrument and its history. The unit culminated more than a
month later with students making their own slides for observation under the lens.
The kits come complete with curricular content including student worksheets, media presentations and video tutorials to help teachers provide rich, hands-on lessons.
www.canajoharieschools.org
February 2015
NEWS FROM CANAJOHARIE CENTRAL SCHOOL
Spotlight on
Learning
Common Core in action
The implementation of the Common Core standards is
visible everywhere in our district! Our teachers are using a
variety of materials and instructional strategies to teach the
standards that will make our students college and career
ready. Below is just one example from each of our schools.
At the high school, students recently engaged in a close
read of Rudyard Kipling’s poem “White Man’s Burden,” to
learn about imperialism in their global studies class. Mr. Horender had students read the poem, mark words
or lines that appeared significant or that they did not
understand, and respond to three questions. After working
individually and in small groups, they shared out what they
had identified. They discussed the word “sullen,” determined
its meaning, and therefore its role in the poem. They also
discussed “half-devil” and “child” and the connotations of
these words. This led to a discussion of imperialism and how
the white Europeans viewed the native populations of Africa.
This exercise challenged student thinking and required
them to use and interpret a primary source document rather
than read a chapter out of a textbook.
At the middle school, students in Mrs. Egelston’s seventh
grade art class worked on a cultural lesson on African
masks. While making their own masks, students studied the
meaning of mask designs and explored artistic techniques
using a “word wall” to gain an understanding of common
vocabulary. The students also researched and studied
the tree and wood types used to make the masks in Mrs.
Bowerman’s science class.
This integrated approach gave students an in-depth
knowledge of African culture and its influence on our
culture today. Students will be ready to demonstrate their
knowledge when Master African Drummer Bernard Woma
visits the school in March.
East Hill second graders in Mrs. Cheney’s class recently read
and compared a non-fiction text and a fictional account
about service dogs. The lesson included listening and
interacting with the story on the classroom’s Smart Board,
completing a graphic organizer and doing a close reading of
the non-fiction text.
During their reading, students used the spotlight on the
Smart Board to highlight text-based moments illustrated in
the book’s pictures.
This was a thoughtful and engaging pairing of texts for this
grade level. Students were eager to participate in the learning
experiences, particularly those with the Smart Board.
2
What’s happening in our
schools
“The Lion, The Witch and
The Wardrobe” in December.
The production was a great
success.
The school also had several
visitors recently.
Escorted by the Student Council, U.S.
Rep. Chris Gibson toured the middle
school this fall. On his tour, the
congressman saw a demonstration
of the school’s 3D printer. 3D
printing, recently in the national
news for its use on the International
Space Station, is technology
available to middle and high school
students at Canajoharie.
East Hill
Thanks
to the 75 people who turned
out for the Community Build,
students began using the new
K-2 playground in October.
The Playground Committee is
working to raise funds for its
completion.
Also this fall, 20 teachers
at East Hill were thankful to
receive $50 reward cards from
Walmart through its Teacher
Rewards program.
In February, with the help
of second-grade family
volunteers, the school will
be supporting the Nutrition
Detectives Family Study, a
Bassett Research Institute
initiative. The aim is to see if
families may be guided toward
healthier food choices.
CMS
Thank you to all
the parents and community
members who came out for
www.canajoharieschools.org
Just before Election Day,
U.S. Rep. Chris Gibson
visited the school and toured
classrooms and spoke with
students, teachers and
administrators.
Also recently, students
learned about online safety
and cyberbullying during
a visit from Officers Kalyn
Deso and Jason Peruzzi
of the Canajoharie Police
Department. Students also
received a visit from Deputy
Erik Krug and K-9 Kilo from
the Montgomery County
Sheriff’s Office.
CHS
The school’s new
STAR (Student-Teacher
Activity Rally) initiative
continues to flourish with
monthly activities designed
to build school spirit,
encourage students to get
to know one another and
to help them work towards
common goals. Activities so
far have included a field day,
a student club showcase, a
concert by the band Flame
and a staff/student breakfast.
The school also recently
began a Peer Mentor
Program. The program
matches younger students
with upperclassmen who act
as mentors by serving as role
models and as a source of
encouragement.
February 2015
NEWS FROM CANAJOHARIE CENTRAL SCHOOL
Canajoharie welcomes new math teacher
Brett Rewakowski, joined the district as a math teacher in January to fill the vacancy created
by the resignation of Erin Poole, who left for a position in another district.
Mr. Rewakowski grew up in Syracuse and graduated Onondaga Community College before
attending Buffalo State to pursue graphic design. After a year, he left college to operate his own
landscaping/water feature and carpentry business. He returned to college in 2001 and obtained
bachelor’s and master’s degrees from SUNY Oswego. In addition to math, he is also certified to
teach elementary and art.
Since entering the teaching profession, he has held many long-term substitute positions in
several school districts.
In his personal life, Mr. Rewakowski is a professional artist selling more than 100 paintings
a year. He is also an avid Star Wars enthusiast and owns the largest Star Wars memorabilia
collection on display on the East Coast of the United States and the second largest displayed
collection in the world.
Mr. Rewakowski is also a self-taught magician and enjoys snowboarding, hiking and camping.
Learning in action
Canajoharie and Fort Plain life skills classes went on a joint field trip this fall
on the Charlotte Valley Railroad. They learned about transportation history
and the history of the local area.
By reading a novel and incorporating social studies, third graders
studied France recently. A visit by high school French students helped
them learn French terms. Above: students recreate French landmarks.
Left: Art students in Mrs.
Van Loan’s classes again this
year crafted ceramic bowls
and sold them to raise funds
for a local family. Next
year will be the project’s
10th anniversary. Local
potter Mrs. MaryAnn Nellis
volunteers each year.
Art students in Mrs. Egelston’s
classes this fall had two-day
workshops with professional
photographer Mr. Philip Scalia.
Bringing together art and
technology, eighth graders
learned to use Adobe Photoshop
to manipulate and enhance
photos creating their own
stylized works of art.
Above: Published children’s
author and CHS social studies
teacher Mr. Phillip Horender
visited East Hill Jan. 16 to help
students develop writing skills.
Right: Reenactors and lunch
at the Fort Rensselaer Club
helped seventh graders learn
about local Colonial history.
www.canajoharieschools.org
3
February 2015
NEWS FROM CANAJOHARIE CENTRAL SCHOOL
From the Superintendent
As this edition of our district
newsletter goes to print, the
external environment of
education, specifically the
Governor’s education reforms
linked to school aid, is receiving
much attention. It is important
to be knowledgeable about the recommendations
and what the impact may be; however we cannot
be distracted from doing our jobs everyday to help
every student learn. And so the work of educating
students continues, in spite of the rhetoric.
Our teachers, administrators and school staff work
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Parent Today
diligently, every single day, to educate our children.
The Governor’s blanket statements about teacher
effectiveness and poor school performance do
not distract them. We continue to show positive
increases with the most significant indicator –
graduation rate (related story below).
Your Board of Education is committed to
providing the highest quality education and services
with the resources we have. Our Board wants to
hear ideas from our community about programs
and services for our students. Please contact my
office at 673-6302 to be part of the dialogue while
the 2015-16 budget is being developed. Now is the time for positive advocacy for school
funding. The Gap Elimination Adjustment still
exists. The school aid formula is not equitable or
sustainable. Whatever school aid will be, it will not
provide adequate resources to push our students’
education forward in substantive ways. Check
out the Advocacy Page on our website for more
information and legislative contact information.
Make a call, send a tweet, post a Facebook message,
write a letter. The time is now – our kids matter too!
Regards,
Debbie Grimshaw
Canajoharie Central School
Canajoharie, New York 13317
The district is encouraging parents
to sign up for
Parent Today, a
bimonthly
e-newsletter
that provides
tools and
information to encourage parents to be even
more engaged in their
children’s education. It
features easy-to-read,
blog-style posts talking
about what matters most
for families. Visit the district website to sign-up.
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Canajoharie graduation rate shows increase
Overall, high school graduation rates in
New York State rose slightly in 2014 to
76.4 percent, according to a December
report issued by the New York State
Education Department (NYSED). The
figure, a measure of graduation rates
for students who entered ninth grade
in 2010 and graduated 12th grade by
August of 2014, is a 1.5 percent increase
from last year.
For the Canajoharie Central School
District, the data shows a graduation
rate for 2014 of 88.3 percent, a nearly 12
percent increase over 2013’s graduation
rate of 79 percent.
“Our graduation rate is showing a
positive increase,” Superintendent of
Schools Deborah Grimshaw said, noting
the district is working to implement
strategic professional development to
support instructional programming for
student success.
The state data underscores that while
graduation rates for all districts have
increased over the past five years,
there still exists a performance gap
between high-need and low-need
districts. Approximately 94 percent
of students from low-need districts
4
www.canajoharieschools.org
graduated compared to 79.6 percent of
students from high-need rural districts
and 66 percent of students from highneed urban and suburban districts.
“This is why is it important to advocate
for our schools to receive equitable
state aid,” Grimshaw said.
Again this year, the district has led a
number of advocacy efforts including
hosting its Third Annual Fair School
Funding Rally Feb. 5. The district’s
Advocacy Committee also met with
elected state representatives.