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STAFF NEWS AND NOTES

NUTS & BOLTS

24 EDITION 24, ISSUE 8

October 28, 2011

KUDOS - To Greg Bell, Kathleen Ring, Chris Shumway, Phil Coughlin, Sam Rossi, Bob Kurick, Aaron Haacker, Victoria Jones, Mary Kate Englat, Doug Racette and Mary Jane Vece, who assisted with Perfect Pals for the great activity held after school Wednesday. Our Perfect Pals painted pumpkins to celebrate the spirit (and the spirits) of Halloween. Thanks for taking the time and putting in the effort to plan and conduct this activity which benefits many of our students. - To everyone who is associated with our Stand Up committee, as it is very actively planning a variety of activities for the school year. Activities will be spread throughout the school year to keep the message of standing up against bullying and harassment alive. Thanks especially to Tracy Henry, Stacey Angell, and other members of the stand up committee for this Sundays field trip to Adirondack Extreme. 20+ students will be taking the trip to participate in a video being taped at Adirondack Extreme. The next portion of this activity will be a Zip It pledge. We will ask everyone, adults, community members, students, etc. to sign online. If we are the school that has the greatest number of pledges signed online then the video will be premiered at Shaker Junior High School and personalities from FLY92 will be present as well. Great job by all and keep the good messages and activities flowing! - To Dave Wallingford, for the second day of Peer Mediation training that took place this past Wednesday. Coordinating the program, especially the training, is huge for this program to get off the ground. Thanks, Dave, for your efforts and for keeping this program a viable part of our school climate. - To Phil Coughlin and other members of the Building Climate team for todays Wear Pink Day. Wearing pink is still near and dear to our hearts as we remember the struggles that one of our colleagues faced. Wearing pink shows everyone that we are united and that we care. Thanks, Phil and others, for your efforts in this regard and thanks to everyone who wore pink today!

Thurs. Nov. 3 Fri. Nov. 4 Sat. Nov. 5 Sun. Nov. 6

No Special Events Scheduled 7:30 pm The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood 7:30 pm The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood Daylight Savings Ends - Set Back 1 Hour 2:00 pm The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood

FRONT DOOR DUTY There has been a growing concern of students not having their parents sign them out for early dismissals. Students seem to be walking out the front door. Everyone on front door duty, please direct the students to the main office. CHARACTER TRAIT ASSIGNMENT Oct. 31 Nov. 4 English Nov. 7 10 Social Studies Nov. 14 18 Science Nov. 28 Dec. 2 Math Dec. 5 9 Art/Tech/H&C Dec. 12 16 Foreign Language Jan. 3 6 PE/Health/Music Jan. 9 13 English Jan. 23 27 Social Studies Feb. 6 10 Science Feb. 13 17 Math Feb. 27 Mar. 2 Art/Tech/H&C Self motivated Persevering Thrifty Gracious Ambitious Courageous Resourceful Joyful Kind Patient Tolerant Honest

SPECIAL FACULTY MEETING REMINDER A reminder that we have a special faculty meeting scheduled for 2:30 pm on Monday, October 31. Kathy Skeals will be presenting an overview of the SINI process and what it means for all of us. Mark your calendars! RUSSIAN STUDENTS VISIT On Friday, November 4th Shaker Junior High School will welcome a group of students from Russia. The students are from School 1158 in Moscow, and are a part of the Shaker-1158 exchange. The Russian students are going to visit our school from periods 4-6 (roughly 9:45am- 12:15pm). Unfortunately, this means that students in our first and eighth period classes will not have the chance to meet & interview the Russian guests. This week, the students who are in the 1st and 8th period classes may be asking their teachers for permission to miss class during period 4, 5, or 6 on Friday, Nov.4th. If they cannot miss your class, please just let them know and indicate this on the form. Thank you for your understanding! This is sure to be a wonderful opportunity for our Russian students! THE SOMEWHAT TRUE TALES OF ROBIN HOOD We have started selling tickets to our production of The Somewhat True Tales of Robin Hood. If you havent had chance or been reluctant to see one of our shows, this one would be a good initiation. It is VERY FUNNY, as are the actors. Hood: Men in Tights. Think Mel Brooks and Robin

PM BUS SUPERVISION ZONE #1 ZONE #2 ZONE #3 ZONE #4 CAF J. Lanni H. Lindhurst M.K. Lowe S. Rossi J. Mcdonald People are reminded to be on duty on a daily basis to make sure that supervision is provided. ALL STAFF MEMBERS ARE REMINDED THAT THE BUS SUPERVISION IS AN ASSIGNED DUTY AND IT IS IMPERATIVE FOR ALL STAFF MEMBERS TO BE WHERE ASSIGNED DUTY; IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO ARRANGE FOR REPLACEMENT PERHAPS BY SWAPPING WITH A COLLEAGUE. LONG-TERM CALENDAR OF EVENTS Fri. Oct. 28 School Picture Make up Day Wear Pink Day Spanish Club Field Trip to NYC 7:00 PM PTA Halloween Ball Fri. Nov. 4 7:30 PM Drama Production Sat. Nov. 5 7:30 PM Drama Production Sun. Nov. 6 Daylight Savings Ends 2 PM Drama Production Tues. Nov. 8 No School - Election Day Workshop Thurs. Nov. 10 Newsletter Posted 7 PM Music Faculty Recital - Auditorium Fri. Nov. 11 No School Veterans Day Mon. Nov. 14 End of First Marking Period Tues. Nov. 15 Mike Donahue Presentations 7:00 pm Mike Donahue Parent Presentation Fri. Nov. 18 PTA Activity Night Mon. Nov. 21 7:30 PM BOE Meeting Forts Ferry Tues. Nov 22 Open School Day Nov. 24 Nov. 25 No School Thanksgiving Holiday Thurs. Dec. 1 7:30 PM Concert #1 Fri. Dec. 2 Bus Drills Mon. Dec. 5 Bus Drills Wed. Dec. 7 7:00 PM PTA/PAC Meeting - Library Thurs. Dec. 8 7:30 PM Concert #2@ SHS Fri. Dec. 9 Newsletter Posted Tues. Dec. 13 7:30 PM Concert #3 Thurs. Dec. 15 7:00 PM Studio Art Show 7:30 PM Concert #4 Fri. Dec. 16 5-Week Interim Point Student Council Activity Night Mon. Dec. 19 7:30 PM BOE Meeting @ SJSH Library Tues. Dec. 20 Hall Geography Bees Mon. Dec. 26 Mon. Jan. 2 No School Holiday Break CALENDAR OF EVENTS Mon. Oct. 31 2:30 pm Faculty Meeting Tues. Nov. 1 7:30 am Staff Development Committee Meeting Wed. Nov. 2 2:30 pm PST

Any help encouraging students to come would be great word-of-mouth to sell tickets. (Of course, a free homework pass helps, too :) If you would like tickets, just drop Judi or Dianne an email or note and we will set them aside. They are $5 each. Shows are Friday and Saturday, November 4 and 5 at 7:30 and Sunday, November 6 at 2. The show is approximately 2 hours with an intermission. Goodies by Perfect Pals. Following is the cast and crew so you can see which of your students will be participating.
Robin Hood Lady Marian Towns Person Prince John Sheriff of Nottingham Friar Tuck Will Scarlet Allan Adale Little John Lady In Waiting The Fawning Ladies The Merry Men Backstage Crew Jakob Cansler Julia McGaugh Ashley Wimble Devin Canavally Andrew Stack Unnas Hussain Joseph Fletcher Nicholas Fazzone Matthew Wixted Emily Hyde Rebekah DePugh, Hannah Fitzgerald, Ali Goronsky, Shriya Iyer, Emma Marcucci Aaron Fatato, Andrew Kelsey, Chathuranga Perera, Grace Romania, Justin Searles Gaurab Banerjee, Christopher Connolly, Lauren Dentinger, Catie Henzel, Matthew Kusche, Jacob Watson, Sarah Wilson

DODGE BALL TOURNAMENT!!! On Friday, December 16, the Student Council will be holding a Dodge Ball Tournament for both faculty and students!! How the tournament will work is as follows: Faculty and students will form a team of eight people, four males and four females (it doesn't matter how many teams we have!) The faculty teams will play each other while the students watch. Students will then play one another, and once a winner is determined, that student team will play the winner of the faculty team! We encourage creativity with this event, by coming up with a team name, a captain, and making team t-shirts. We will also have a dj and will be selling concessions. There will be a $5.00 fee for students playing on teams, and for those who will be coming to watch. We are really excited about this event, and think it will be a great time for everyone!! Start thinking about your team, and once your team is formed, please let Kristina or Melissa know your team name, captain, and members! We want to start promoting this event early! Thanks, and have fun!!! NORTH COLONIE NAMED A TOP-20 SCHOOL IN UPSTATE NEW YORK The North Colonie Central School District placed 14th out of 451 schools in order of academic rank by Buffalo Business First and the Western New York State Business Council. Ratings were based on four years of data from the New York State Education Department, covering the period from 2007 through 2010, the latter being the most recent year for which a complete set of test data was available. The formula placed the greatest weight on results from the most recent academic year. North Colonie was one of four districts to have more than 50 percent of its students earn superior marks on 11 different Regents exams in 2010, To read the complete article you can go to the link below. http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/news/2011/10/27/pittsfordand-fayetteville-manlius.html MUSIC FACULTY RECITAL The Music Faculty Recital is Thursday, November 10th, at 7:00 pm in the Shaker JHS auditorium. Come hear North Colonie music teachers perform lots of great music from classical to pop to jazz! The recital is sponsored by the North Colonie Friends of Music. Donations of $3 for adults, $2 for students or senior citizens, or $6 for a family will be accepted at the door. All proceeds benefit the Linda Wagner and John Malthouse Awards for graduating SHS seniors. ARTISTIC DESIGNER NEEDED We have an opening in our musical personnel list for an artistic designer. In past years, Tim Secord and more recently Aaron Haacker have served in this capacity. If you are interested in being artistic designer for this years musical please let R. Moore, Mr. V. and/or Dianne Hobden know.

evolved over the years to work better for students with disabilities, but that the school gym and athletic fields may be exceptions. Physical activity is 4.5 times lower for children with disabilities than for their peers without disabilities, the Education Departments office of special education programs notes in the guidance. While some students lack the physical capacity to participate, others are simply missing the opportunity. The office recommends that schools have special equipment, such as treadmills, that provides even walking surfaces, and video-game systems that can simulate sports for students who cant participate in traditional ways. Educators who work with students should also have training in how to adapt physical education classes for students with disabilities, according to the guidance. Athletics in the school setting involve complex interactions in settings less controlled than the typical academic classroom, the office says. Team play and sportsmanship cannot be taught except through participation. The department's office for civil rights is expected to provide separate guidance on the legal aspects of providing extracurricular athletic opportunities to students with disabilities. Commission Pulls Licenses In Atlanta Cheating Scandal The Georgia Professional Standards Commission has voted to yank the teaching licenses of eight teachers and three school administrators in the Atlanta district, imposing the first punishments in the nation's largestever school cheating scandal. The commission ruled last week on the first set of cases from a state probe that revealed widespread cheating in nearly half the district's 100 schools dating as far back as 2001. The commission is expected to take up the rest of nearly 180 Atlanta cases by the end of the year, though appeals could mean some cases won't be settled for years. The penalized teachers can reapply for their licenses in two years, while the administrators' revocations are permanent. All rulings can be appealed up through state administrative and Fulton County Superior Courts. Calf. Gov. Vetoes Bill Banning Pay-to-Pay Brown says bill went 'too far' An effort to bar Californias public schools from charging fees for students to participate in school sports and other activities ended with a veto last week from the governor, who said the bill went too far. The state constitution still bans schools from charging students mandatory fees to play sports or join clubs, but lawsuits have been the primary way to resolve any complaints regarding mandatory fees. The legislation, which state lawmakers approved by wide margins, would have entitled the state superintendent of public instruction to punish schools that charged mandatory fees by withholding 1 percent of all funding for administrative costs. It was based on a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union that argued that pay-to-play school activities had become increasingly commonin violation of the state constitution. The ACLUs case was reported to be settled last December, but was never finalized. In 1984, the state Supreme Court cited the state constitution in ruling that educational opportunities must be provided to all students without regard to their families ability or willingness to pay fees or request special waivers. Gov. Jerry Brown said he agreed that districts should be held accountable if they dont live up to the promise to provide all students with a free public education. But this bill takes the wrong approach to getting there, he said. The bill would have required every school in the state to use uniform complaint processes to help resolve any issues with fees and to post notices about the resolution process in every classroom. Gov. Brown, a Democrat, cited that provision in his statement explaining why he vetoed the bill, saying it would mandate that all 1,042 school districts and over 1,200 charter schools follow specific complaint, hearing, and audit procedures, even where there have been no complaints, let alone evidence of any violation.

UPCOMING IMPORTANT EVENT! We are very excited to inform you that our Junior High has partnered with South Glens Falls to secure an outstanding motivational speaker for our school community. Mike Donahue, author of Reinventing My Normal, Hidden Scars, and Talking to Brick Walls, and owner/director of r5 Productions, will be speaking to our students on Tuesday, November 15th about making good choices, coping with pressures, and walking a mile in another persons shoes. In addition, he will host leadership groups during the day. He will do an hour long presentation to each individual grade level, as well as a Parent Information night for our North Colonie community. The evening program is designed to educate parents about more effective ways of communicating with their teenagers and the risks of social profiling, bullying, etc. Mr. Donahue has spoken at numerous area schools, been featured on WTEN news, and his direct approach is well received among students. In his presentation, he has been described as someone who relates well to kids without patronizing them and who really walks the talk. He also provides a follow up curriculum to reinforce his message. For your planning, the assembly schedule (high school auditorium) will look like this: Assembly #1-8:30-9:30 am. Norris 7, Norris 8, Houston 8, Clay 8
Assembly #2-9:45-10:45am. Calhoun 7, Calhoun 8, Houston 7, Clay 7

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK To know what to do is wisdom; to know how to do it is skill but doing it, as it should be done, tops the other two virtues. Anonymous

This will be an INCREDIBLE event for our students and for us as well. EDUCATION IN THE NEWS The following items were taken from Education Week, October 19, 2011 edition. Guidance Offered on Making P.E. More Inclusive Schools should prepare to offer specialized equipment, wheelchairaccessible surfaces, and teacher training to encourage broader participation of special education students in physical education, the U.S. Department of Education recommends in recently released guidance for school districts. The guidance was a response to a 2010 study by the Government Accountability Office, which concluded that many classrooms have