April-May 2016 Newsletter

Congratulations to Mrs. Donna Snyder, teaching assistant at the Burton Street School, for being named the AAPSAlutely Amazing Educator Award recipient by ADHD & Autism Psychological Services and Advocacy (AAPSA). On Friday afternoon, April 22 Mrs. Snyder was presented with a plaque honoring her for her role as a teaching assistant. At the bottom of the plaque it states the recipient is selected “for her contribution to helping children overcome challenges they face in the academic setting.” Mrs. MacIntosh introduced Danielle Longo, Clinical Administrative Assistant from AAPSA, who presented Donna with this award. Some of Donna’s students (both past and present) were able to be there for the presentation along with Mr. Dan Snyder, Donna’s husband and Mrs. Pam Rightmyre. In addition to the award plaque, Mrs. Snyder was awarded a $500 Visa gift card through Walgreens by the agency to be used at her discretion. Below is the formal nomination letter for Donna Snyder that was sent in to AAPSA by district resident, Molly Hagan. ————————————- Dear Danielle: There is no one I can think of more deserving than Donna Snyder to receive the AAPSAlutely Amazing Educator Award.  Donna is a teaching assistant in the Cazenovia Central School District.  Donna works at the elementary level at Burton Street Elementary School. I do not nominate Donna as a colleague or even as her administrator.  I do not work in the Cazenovia District.  I am a parent of two children that have been in classrooms with Donna and an aunt to a very special niece that has benefited immensely from the love, support and care that Donna provided to her during her elementary years.  My niece, Sage, has a special bond with Donna.  Donna always gave the extra attention, encouragement and positive praise to Sage during her time at Burton Street and she continues to be one of her biggest cheerleaders now, even as Sage has moved on to middle school.  Donna does special things for Sage, such as trips to the ice cream shop, dress similarly for Halloween, and joining Sage for time at the Special Olympics and walks to raise awareness for Autism.  Donna goes above and beyond her job duties in helping Sage to feel good about herself by showing interest in her struggles and successes, providing support and encouragement, and making a lasting impression on my young niece’s heart. Donna Snyder may not be Sage’s current teaching assistant or a member of Sage’s immediate family, but she holds a special place in the hearts of our family.  It truly does take a village to raise a child and we are so blessed and thankful that Sage has Donna in her corner. Without hesitation, I would nominate Donna Snyder for this special recognition for all she does for students with disabilities and our Sage. Thank you, Molly Hagan Principal Seneca Street Elementary Oneida City School District

Cazenovia School District is pleased to announce that the Cazenovia C.S.D. Music Department has earned distinction as a 2016 Best Communities for Music Education by the N.A.M.M. Foundation.  For more information on this program, please visit the following link: https://www.nammfoundation.org/articles/2016-best-communities-music-education-districts?roi=echo4-33895493814-83269072-51afb301372b562b31d2e8cb4ce6e269& Cazenovia was one of 476 school districts from around the Nation selected. Congratulations to all involved for this honor! FULL PRESS RELEASE    

This school year marks the beginning of Burton Street Elementary providing Co-teaching services to all students. Co-teaching is a partnering between grade level teachers and special education teachers (Friend, 2008). In addition to teachers working together, the Co-teaching classrooms have Teaching Assistant support. The Co-teaching model benefits all students, including regular education, special education and high performing students (Hughes & Murawski, 2001). To help with the transition of providing Co-teaching services, the Co-teaching staff at Burton Street Elementary have participated in a variety of training opportunities. For example, we; (a) visited other schools who provide Co-teaching services; (b) hired consultant support; (c) attended the summer conference at Syracuse University; and (d) hosted a parent informational night. These are some of the steps we have taken to provide the best possible education to all students at Burton Street Elementary. After this training, support and research we believe the following: 1. Co-Teaching practices are equally beneficial to all students 2. Co-Teaching creates a greater opportunity to individualize instruction for all students 3. Co-Teaching model leads to more growth for all students As a staff, we are very excited about the implementation of Co-teaching services. The dedication and professionalism by all teachers at Burton Street Elementary will improve student learning. We would like to thank all parents for your trust and support. We feel fortunate to educate all students in our wonderful community. If you have any questions about Co-teaching, please feel free to contact me. Sincerely, Terry Ward Director of Special Education Cazenovia Central School District 31 Emory Avenue Cazenovia, NY 13035 tward@caz.cnyric.org

The 2015-2016 Cazenovia Central School District Calendar and Parent Guide is available online at the following address:  http://cazenoviacsd.com/homes/contact-information/school-calender/.  The actual hardcopy of the school calendar will be mailed to all homes of district residents towards the end of the month of August.

Fine Arts Night is always an exciting evening for students and their families at Burton Street Elementary School.  This year, the unveiling of the newest addition to the sculpture garden added to the delight of the proceedings. The beautiful new sculpture is an enlargement of one of Dorothy Riester’s small, elegant assemblages which she created in 2013.   Riester, founder of “Stone Quarry Hill Art Park,” worked in collaboration with sculptor, David Harper, who is best known locally for his outdoor library installation “Stacks”.

Parents & grandparents:  Please join your students for the annual Burton Street Visiting Author presentation on Tuesday, May 12th.  This year’s author is Caldecott medal winner Paul O. Zelinsky. Grades 3 & 4 will be in the front gym from approximately 9:15 – 10:05 The Mixed-Age classes & 2nd grades will be in the back gym from 10:50 – approximately 11:30 Kindergarten & 1st grades will be in the back gym from 1: 20 – 1:50 Please remember you must sign in at the front office before the presentation. Keep on reading & hope to see you there,

April,  2015   Dear Parent, We are beginning our planning for the 2015-2016 academic year.  As part of this process, we are looking at scheduling, the calendar, program needs and student placement. Your student’s current grade level teachers create class lists based on academic progress,  gender and student relationships.  If you have specific concerns regarding a conflict with another student, please share this with your child’s current teacher. As you know we have a reduction in enrollment, which has decreased the number of classroom sections. Class lists are created to ensure a balanced academic environment that is fair and equitable to all.   As a result of this, we find it necessary to eliminate the option of teacher non requests. We realize that there may be circumstances that require further discussion due to a personal experience with a specific teacher.  If this is the situation, please make an appointment to see the building principal by May 8, 2015.  Parents of students in kindergarten through third grade should make an appointment with Mrs. MacIntosh (655-1325)  and students in grade four and five should contact  Dr. Regan (655-1324). Thank you for your continued support, Yours truly, MaryAnn MacIntosh                                        Jean Regan Principal                                                           Principal Burton Street School                                     Cazenovia Middle School