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 F-F
Elementary officially receives its 2009 National Blue Ribbon School
Award
It all became official on Nov. 2 and 3 as Principal Alicia Henry
and Reading Coach Sue Wolf formally accepted Fonda-Fultonville
Elementary School's 2009 National Blue Ribbon School Award
during special ceremonies in Washington, DC. They proudly
accepted a plaque and a flag to mark the event. (full
story and photos)
What's New on the FFCSD Website?
Students arrive home 15 minutes early on Early Release Day
Fonda-Fultonville Central School will hold its annual Early
Release Day on Friday, Nov. 20. Students will be released from
school and arrive home 15 minutes earlier than usual. Parents of
small children are asked to make appropriate arrangements to
accommodate the change in schedule.
New York State requires all school districts to hold Early
Release Day as practice for an emergency evacuation.
Braves football finds amazing way to thank coach and his wife.
 It began with a
simple comment and grew into something extraordinary.
Fonda-Fultonville senior and football player Cody Headwell heard
about the "Avon Walk for Breast Cancer" and mentioned
it to his
Fonda-Fultonville teammates. He thought it would be a good
idea to hold a fundraiser to support the cause and to honor
their football coach Tom Carpenter and his wife who is a breast
cancer survivor.
"Mrs. Carpenter gives up a lot for our team," said Cody.
"Coach is always gone. He spends all of his time at practice and
games. He goes to scout opponents. I thought that this would be
a good way to say thank you." (read
how they did)
 "National Mix It Up Day" helps stop division
in school
Fonda-Fultonville Middle School joined 2883
schools across the nation on "National Mix It Up
Day" on Tuesday, Nov. 10.
"Mix It Up Day" is a simple call to action:
take a new seat in the cafeteria. By making the move, students
can cross the invisible lines of school division, meet new
people and make new friends. "Mix it Up at Lunch Day" helps
students become more comfortable interacting with different
kinds of people. (full
story, photos, and thanks to businesses who helped make the day
a success)
Community Swim/Walk to resume
Now that the
pool renovations have been completed, the school will again
be open for our annual Community Swim and Community Walk
programs. Fonda-Fultonville residents are invited to swim in the
pool or walk laps through our hallways throughout winter and
spring. Swimming begins Dec. 6 and walking begins Dec. 7. (further
details and schedule)
$175,000 grant to upgrade lighting
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority has
awarded Fonda-Fultonville $175,000 to upgrade the district's
outdated lighting to new, energy-efficient fixtures.
New T-8 fluorescent lighting will replace outdated fluorescent
and incandescent lighting. The new fixtures will use 25-60
percent less electricity than traditional fluorescent and
incandescent bulbs.
"We win twice," said Superintendent Dr. James Hoffman. "The
grant will pay to replace our existing fixtures without added
cost to the local school taxpayer. And the energy-efficient
lighting will yield ongoing savings by reducing our energy
costs."
Governor's proposal would cut Fonda-Fultonville aid by more than
$400,000
Citing a decline in state revenues, Governor Paterson announced
on Oct. 15 a plan to cut promised aid to school districts. If
enacted, his proposal would reduce Fonda-Fultonville's 2009-10
state aid by $424,605.
"The governor’s actions, while understandable given the New York
State budget, would devastate our program," said District
Superintendent Dr. James Hoffman. (full
story)
Texting—it’s no big deal?
Trooper Wittner shares the following:
New studies show that drivers overestimate their ability to multitask behind the
wheel. Do you wonder how distracting texting can be?
Check out this game designed to demonstrate the potential consequences of distractions
like texting on your driving ability. The game measures how your reaction time
is affected by external distractions. Regardless of your results, experts say, you should not attempt to
text when driving. (As with all games, intense levels of
concentration or repetition can lead to more successful outcomes.)
 Ribbon cutting celebrates refurbished
swimming pool
About 25 people turned out for the official ribbon cutting to celebrate
Fonda-Fultonville Central School’s newly renovated swimming pool on Monday,
Sept. 28. Following the brief ceremony, guests enjoyed a brief tour of the
facility. (full
story)
"Make-your-own" items temporarily removed from
high school menus
The high school cafeteria will discontinue serving
"Make-your-own" entrees until the flu season passes. The
change will begin with the October menu (Monday, Oct. 5). "We regret
having to make this decision, but the risk of spreading the flu
greatly increases with the use of shared utensils such as those
spoons and tongs found on the 'make-your-own' bars in our
cafeteria," said District Superintendent Dr. James Hoffman. "As soon
as the risk of flu decreases, we will put these popular items back
on our menu."
 School staff tests their dairy skills
Fonda-Fultonville district superintendent Dr. James Hoffman,
high school principal David Halloran, middle school principal
Beth Donovan, and second grade teacher Linda Hanson took a
seat—or more accurately, a milking stool—in support of local
agriculture at Montgomery County Farm Bureau's "Sundae at the
Farm" held Sunday, September 20 at Sand Flats Orchard in Fonda.
(full
story and photos)
Sending teens a life-saving message
The New York State Police has developed a teen-focused safety effort to address high fatality rates and low seatbelt
use rates among teenagers. This effort is founded on the
fact that motor vehicle crashes are the number one killer of teenagers AND that 55
percent of teenagers who die in motor vehicle crashes were not wearing
seatbelts at the time of the crash. The focus of this initiative is to educate
teens on the facts of seatbelts and to encourage seatbelt use for all vehicle
occupants, every trip, every time. (full
story)
Prepaying for meals saves time and hassle
Why look for lunch money in the morning or worry about running a
forgotten lunch to school? Just deposit funds in your child's
meal account and end the worry and hassle. It's simple and fast.
Just register on the
MyNutriKids website. (You will need
your child's Student ID number). You can deposit any
amount using your credit card. Don't have a credit card? Just
send cash or check to school with your child and the lunch staff
will credit the full amount to our child's lunch account.
After-school program expands to include elementary students
Beginning this fall, the Advantage After School Program will
serve students in grades K-8. The program is expanding to
include younger students thanks to new funding from the state.
This is a supervised program that provides homework time and
activities. (learn
more, get forms)
Back to school driving reminders
Fonda-Fultonville School Resource Officer Trooper Hal Wittner
reminds all drivers that changes in day length, school buses on the
road. and children walking to school and waiting for buses will
change your summer driving routine. Paying attention to these
changes can help you avoid a ticket or worse—an accident. (learn
more)
Dr. Hoffman's H1N1 (swine flu) update
Superintendent Dr. James Hoffman shares the following update on the
H1N1 virus:
As we prepare for the 2009-2010 school year, one of the concerns we
are addressing is how we respond when students contract the H1N1
virus, otherwise known as “swine flu.” We will follow guidelines
given to us by the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC).
 The CDC recommends (view
the plan) that school NOT be closed if relatively few cases are
found. Rather, they recommend that we deal with cases promptly,
carefully, and with caution. That will be our direction this year on
this topic.
Steps will take place include:
-
Encourage students to wash hands frequently and
thoroughly;
-
Send students with flu-like symptoms to the
nurse immediately;
-
Use masks on students exhibiting symptoms until
they are sent home;
-
Ensure common areas (classrooms, cafeterias,
media centers, locker rooms) are cleaned thoroughly on a regular
basis;
-
Above all, encourage parents to keep ill
students home.
According to the CDC, these actions will be
sufficient to protect students from an unchecked spread of the H1N1
virus. Obviously, if the situation changes, and large numbers of
students are ill, we will re-examine our processes, and respond
accordingly. We also want to hear from you if you have any
information that you feel would be helpful to us in helping us keep
our children safe. Learn more about
H1N1 and the latest information on the
H1N1 vaccine. You can find more information at the
New York Statewide Health Services Center.
New meal prices for 2009-10
Following are the breakfast and lunch prices for the coming school
year:
Access your school lunch account online
Parents can now access their children's school
lunch accounts through our MyNutriKids web site.
Simply
click here to visit the site and register. You will need
your child's Student ID number. You may obtain this number by
calling your child's school office, calling Judy Murray FSD @ 853-4508 or by email:
jmurray3@ffcsd.org. The site is fast
and simple to use. You can check out the easy-to-follow
MyNutriKids parents guide for step-by-step instructions to
get started.
District Survey—Where should we be heading?
The Board of Education wants to hear the community's feedback on
the district's long-term plan. Are we headed in the right in the
right direction. Do you agree with our priorities?
Let us know in our online survey.
Alumni: Don't forget to
register in database
The FFCSD Web site features an alumni directory, which almost 300
former F-F students have registered in to date. Want to register?
Click here.
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