Dear Friends,
Welcome to the 2023-2024 school year! We are excited to see all our students back in the classroom and eager to learn. We had a jam-packed summer - staff engaging in professional learning opportunities, administrators working on grants, our August Symposium, and the Board of Education Retreat. This year, we are starting off with many new and exciting developments. First, we are thrilled to announce the completion of our capital project, which included redesigns of our art room, chemistry classroom, and lab. These new spaces are state-of-the-art and will provide our staff and students with the resources to support instruction and learning.
In addition, we received a Healthy Meals grant that will support our ongoing efforts to support nutritional meals, our outdoor learning center, hydroponics lab, and school-community greenhouse coming in the fall of 2024. This new funding will allow us to expand our programming and give students and the community even more opportunities to learn about food and nutrition. We are excited to offer two free nutrition-focused microcredential courses for community members this fall and winter/spring. These courses will give participants the knowledge and skills they need to make healthy eating choices for themselves and their families. See more info below!
Finally, we are celebrating the kickoff of our soccer season under our new lights! We are also excited to announce the completion of our new OLC frog pond and fencing. These improvements will make our outdoor learning center even more enjoyable and accessible for our students and community members.
In the coming months, I will share snapshots of learning experiences throughout our building, including a significant new opportunity to connect our school and community through our Northville Education Foundation.
I've included highlights from the end-of-year 2022-2023 and many September 20023 highlights below.
We are grateful for the support of our community and the Board of Education for making all of these things possible. We look forward to a successful and exciting school year!
End of Year 2022-23 Highlights
Shaking Up Earth Science With Open Street Mapping: Jamie Dickinson, Jill Harris, Abby Armstrong, Danielle Flickinger, Ellen Flickinger, and Hailey Monroe presented at the ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) Conference in Philadelphia on June 27, 2023. More than 16,000 participants from all over the globe participated in an educationally rich experience. Our four students represented Northville well while relating what they had learned during an Earth Science PBL experience to an international audience of educators and students. Representatives from as far away as Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, the UK, Australia, and El Salvador, and as close as South Glens Falls, came to share some of the wonderful learning experiences happening at their schools. This was a fantastic opportunity for our students and educators to be a part of such a global event.
6th Grade Project-Based Learning (PBL): Our PBL was "The Stats of Studying," Mrs. Luey & Mrs. Kohl's statistics math classes. The driving question was, "How can we use data to help kids improve their memories?" The 1st-period class chose 3rd grade for memorizing multiplication facts, and the 3rd-period co-teach class chose 5th grade for memorizing US States and their locations. 6th graders created pre-tests to test younger students' knowledge first. Then, they studied some memorizing techniques. They will teach those techniques to the younger students and give them a post-test to see if their memorization techniques worked. Meanwhile, 6th graders have been analyzing the data from the pre-test and post-tests to learn about the concept of statistics. Students have been engaged throughout the unit and are excited to see the results.
Japanese Culture: 6th and 7th-grade students experienced Japanese culture and food, making Temaki Sushi and trying Edamame and Soba Noodles. Mrs. Luey taught them how to use chopsticks, and students tried eating Soba noodles with chopsticks and slurping (slurping while eating noodles in Japan is considered polite ;)). Almost all of the students tried everything and went for seconds. They enjoyed trying new food!
Reading Buddies Ms. Bevington's & Ms. Boyle's Classes: 6th graders are visiting their former reading buddies today and Friday to create a UV-protective sun shelter. Under Mrs. Boyle's direction, they created animals from pipe cleaners and UV reactive beads and then constructed shelters to test whether the shelter would protect their animal. The UV beads turn color when exposed to UV light. Stay tuned for the final results!
Suprise Viist - Alumni: I received a surprise visit from Northville alumni this summer. They reminisced about their time as students, and then Scott F. gave them a school tour. If you are an alumni and would like to visit, we would love to provide you with a tour! We hope to reconnect with former graduates who want to share their college and career journeys with our students.
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| LR: Hannah, Don ('87), Troy ('85), Lance ('84) |
September 2023 Highlights
Welcome Our New Educators (Filling existing positions.)
Mr. Cole, Math Teacher: My first few weeks at Northville have been a blast. I have enjoyed getting to know the students, staff, and community. Thank you to everyone for being so welcoming! My
Algebra classes have been learning how to take words and turn them into Algebra. My
Algebra Year One students have been reviewing the order of operations. All classes are getting used to the graphing calculator! In
Applied Mathematics, we have taken a financial literacy approach. So far, we have talked about budgeting and the different ways a person can get paid for their work.
Ms. Jackson, Art Teacher: In my first few weeks at Northville, I have been introduced to many students who share my love for art and staff who share my love for teaching and community. Pre-K and 1st-grade students are full of energy and enthusiasm to make art. 4th and 5th graders are also eager to create and are constantly looking to challenge themselves. All of my Elementary students enjoy sharing what they have made and participating in conversations about art. Middle and High School students are exploring higher-level techniques and using different tools/mediums to create more composed pieces of artwork.
Ms. Lazinski, Chemistry Teacher: Students in
Regents Chemistry have learned about Matter and Measurement in September. Students will complete the hands-on Density Lab and Separation Lab to tie our first two units together. We look forward to getting into the new lab to study Atomic Structure in October.
Students in 8th grade have learned about the differences between weather and climate and examined a globe and map to discuss naturally occurring events such as hurricanes, tornados, floods/drought, and ice melt. We just completed a hands-on lab activity where students looked at the heating and cooling of soil and water. Students helped design the lab set-up, collected and graphed their data and used that information to draw a conclusion. Next, we will examine the water cycle, cloud formation, wind, and air pressure.
Students in Advanced Computer Science have been learning about Problem Solving, our theme for this year. Students spent about a week designing their Marble Maze project. The objective was to create a design that got a marble from the top of the board to the bottom of the board in the slowest possible time. Students tested their designs, then re-evaluated to fix issues, and were allowed to create a second updated design.
Mr. Thomarie, Media Specialist: My first few weeks here at NCS have been very smooth. The faculty has been very welcoming and has continually asked if there is anything that I need help with or information about. The students have been on time, respectful, and ready to get their work done. I certainly feel like this is an accommodating and welcoming place to work with a lot of opportunity, flexibility, and understanding. I am looking forward to the rest of the year! The
Career and Finance class is learning about unfamiliar sports to help with their presentation skills. In the
9th grade Computer Applications class we are focusing on processes. Specifically, the processes required to create a Board Game. They will create an original board game based on the development cycle and their ideas. Ultimately, they will have playable games that must be tested by having other students play and evaluate the games. In the
8th grade Computer Class, we are currently looking at Google Sheets and how to use them for data analysis and representation. Students will generate charts and graphs from their data.
Welcome New Facilities and Transportation Staff (Filling existing positions.)
: We are pleased to extend a warm welcome to our facility staff members, Mr. Rudd and Mr. Garcia, as well as our bus driver, Ms. Emily Scott. Their dedication and positive attitude have been commendable from the very first day. Mr. Rudd and Mr. Garcia have swiftly become integral members of our facilities team, while Ms. Scott consistently greets our students with a friendly smile each morning and afternoon when they enter her bus.
OLC Frog Bog: Our Outdoor Learning Center continues to be designed and developed with the addition of a Frog Bog. Mr. Clapper shared, "The NCS Frog Bog is a tranquil frog and toad habitat that provides food sources, water, shelter, and places for frogs and toads to lay their eggs. Students are currently helping to populate our Frog Bog and learning about food chains and food webs. They are looking forward to the opportunity to witness the life cycle of frogs in the near future as well as have more learning opportunities that involve our new NCS Frog Bog." We will share more about the OLC over the months ahead as some exciting additions are in the works.
Capital Project Highlights: Please enjoy the videos and know that you are welcome to walk through the spaces after the school day. Just call me to let me know you'd like to visit.
Art Room: Our new art room is complete and beautifully appointed by Ms. Sedon, who spent many days over the summer preparing the space for our students before school opened in September.
Chemistry Classroom & Lab: Our new chemistry classroom and lab will come to life on Monday, October 2nd! This project was extremely challenging due to asbestos abatement in the floors, which required scraping and pouring new concrete to prep for the installation of tiles. We are excited to share the completed rooms - they are beautiful, functional, and worth the wait.
Under the Lights: As part of our capital project, lights were installed on our field. We are now enjoying evening games. See
Leader-Herald Article.
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| Photo Credit: Scott Fitzgerald |
Healthy Meals Grant - Family, Community Microcredential Courses: Northville received a hefty healthy meals grant. The grant will allow us to purchase resources for our cafeteria, Outdoor Learning Center, and future School-Community Greenhouse (coming fall 2024). Most importantly, we will offer two micro-credentials - no tests or homework - for community members who would like to join our 5 two-hour evening classes, which will take place this fall and in the winter/spring. The courses will be taught by our own Ms. Harris, Ms. Lazinski, and Ms. Bieniek, along with a surprise guest presenter. Fulton Montgomery Community College will award a microcredential for each course. We can host up to 15 people for each course, and we are planning to offer childcare and dinner for the children of attendees. More information and a sign-up form are coming your way shortly. The courses will be offered in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years. See the descriptions below. There is no charge to attend.
Dates: Oct 19 & 26, Nov 9 & 16, Dec 7, 2023 Time: 6-8 pm
Instructors: Jill Harris and Rebecca Bieniek
Where: Northville School District
Maximum Participants: 15
Issued by Fulton Montgomery Community College, this micro-credential is designed to educate the community on living a healthier lifestyle. Topics include Examining the relationship between diet and health. Understanding nutrients, proteins, vitamins, and minerals. Overview of digestion, absorption, and storage of nutrients. Food supplementation and community nutrition. Carbohydrates, Lipids, Weight Management. The role of basic food groups. Students will develop a nutrition plan for a variety of life stages. Basic Cooking techniques.
Email schauncey@northvillecsd.org to reserve your seat!
Farm to Table:
Growing, Harvesting, and Preparing Healthy Foods Dates: TBD Spring/Winter 2024 Time: 6-8 pm
Instructors: Jill Harris and Rebecca Bieniek
Where: Northville School District
Maximum Participants: 15
Issued by Fulton Montgomery Community College, this micro-credential is designed to educate the community on living a healthier lifestyle. Topics include Plant life cycle, planting medium, planting from seed, propagation, hydroponic growing systems and techniques, environmental requirements for proper growth, pest pressure and management, and harvest techniques. The role of basic food groups. Students will develop a nutrition plan for a variety of life stages. Basic Cooking Techniques to prepare healthy meals.
Team Building: Mr. Hammons was fortunate to have Shawn Flynn from HFM BOCES work on team building with his soccer team. He sent a great message to them which we hope will carry on through the season. The activities were excellent and the team had so much fun!
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| Photo Credit: Ms. Shannon Fitzgerald |
Welcome BOED Michael Luckert: Michael Luckert was appointed to the Board of Education on August 8th, 2023 to fill a vacancy temporarily. He moved to the district with his wife, Lauren in 2015 because they were looking for a good place to raise a family. Mike and Lauren currently have one daughter who is in kindergarten. Beyond enjoying the community aspects Northville has to offer, as outdoor enthusiasts, the area also provides us with easy access to endless activities. He has 20 years of experience in the construction trades including 9 years as a Construction Inspector for Verizon. Most recently, he worked in the collision repair industry as a New York State licensed independent adjuster. Additionally, he coached high school wrestling for 12 years at both the modified and varsity levels. He volunteered to be on the Board of Education out of a desire to serve the community and help improve the district in any way possible.
Chief Richardson: Chief Richardson is a lifelong resident of Northville and graduated from Northville Central School in 2001. His goals are to provide services to the community and school district. Chief Richardson does daily school premise checks. He walks the halls of the schools and interacts with the students and staff. He also monitors the school speed zones in the morning and afternoon when the students are arriving and leaving school. He is a key member of our school safety team and has been working with administrators on the school's safety and emergency response plans. Chief Richardson coaches soccer and baseball. Coaching has given him the opportunity to interact with the students on a different level. Students are comfortable speaking with him when he is on, or off duty. I look forward to continuing this partnership with the school and being a resource for the community for several years to come.
TATR Ride: Thank you, Ms. Feldman and Ms. Thomarie, for ensuring our staff and students are aware of the amazing events that take place in Northville! "TATR is a 585-mile, solo, self-supported bike-packing adventure through the Adirondack Mountains of New York State. The annual grand departure is the second Friday of September, or riders can tour the route at any time.
See here." A little after 11 p.m., the first 2023 TATR rider arrived safely back in Northville. Our own, Mike Feldman, received the TATR Triple Crown. You can see his tracking information and the map for this year's ride
here. His time was 6 days 11 hours and 16 minutes. Shannon's cowbell greets finisher #3, Michael Feldman after 588.2 miles through the most treacherous parts of the Adirondacks. I learned that Ms. Feldman's mother-in-law finished on Friday, September 22nd. Now that's perseverance! Congratulations to all.
Video Credit: Ms. Feldman
Artificial Intelligence: If you've been hearing about the recent emergence of large language model artificial intelligence tools, for example, ChatGPT, you may be interested in learning more about how AI will impact education, work, and almost every aspect of our lives (it is already happening). I have been thinking about offering an AI & Snacks Evening for families and community members. Let me know if you are interested by completing this form. I will get back to you with possible dates and times once I've determined the number interested.
Community Survey: In October, we will send a survey out to the Northville community and our staff. These surveys are essential in helping us to understand how you feel about the work we are doing. More to come!
As always, there is so much happening here that I will leave it to our amazing Shannon Fitzgerald, Communications and Data Coordinator, to keep us all in the know through her daily posts!
And that is a wrap for my September Newsletter. Fall is definitely in the air. I hope you are taking time for fall walks, cider donuts, and curling up with a good book. It's a perfect time to read and tell stories to children.
If you would like to meet with me in person or virtually, just email or call to schedule a time during the school day or after your work day.
Be sure to visit our website to keep up with district news https://www.northvillecsd.org/.
Dr. Sarah A. Chauncey, DPS-IM
Superintendent of Schools
schauncey@northvillecsd.org
Work: 518-863-7000 x4120
Cell: 845-304-8791
