October 2012 - Baldwinsville Central School District

Issue 108 October 2012
In This Issue
Meet Our New Staff Page 3
Administrative Staffing Changes
for 2012-2013
T
he
district has made some administrative staffing
changes for the 2012-2013 school year.
4 Tony Cardamone, who was the principal of Elden
Elementary School, is serving as principal on special
assignment at the district office this school year to
assist in the implementation of many instructional
mandates and initiatives.
4 Dee Froio, who had been an assistant principal at
Durgee Junior High School for the last three years, is
serving as Elden Elementary School’s acting principal
for 2012-2013.
Students to Attend
All-State Conference
Page 7
Turn to page 4 to meet the new assistant principals
at Durgee Junior High School.
A Message Regarding the
Vote to Close Van Buren
Welcome Class of 2025
Principal Steven Frey greets members of the district’s class of 2025 at
kindergarten orientation at Palmer Elementary School. The district’s elementary
schools held orientation for their kindergarteners at the end of August
to familiarize them with their buildings and the daily routine.
The Baldwinsville Central School District will not
close Van Buren Elementary School. At its October
1 regular meeting, the Board of Education voted to
keep the school open. The decision came after an
extensive study that included enrollment projections,
building capacities, educational impact and
building conditions. The district conducted the
study to determine the feasibility of closing a
school as a cost savings measure due to decreasing
revenue sources to school districts as well as a
steady decline in enrollments at the elementary
level since 2007.

BOE News
Board of Education
President’s Message
Burrill Wells, President
committee(s) on which you are interested in serving by
October 22. If you are a staff member, or a staff member
who is also a community member, please contact your
association president to express your interest in serving
on a committee. Volunteers will be contacted when the
committee meeting dates have been established.
On behalf of the Board of Education,
Page 2
The 2012-2013 school year is
off to a great start! All of our
schools have had their open houses
to acquaint parents with their
children’s teachers and the curriculum
for the year, and athletics
and other extracurricular activities
are in full swing. Thank you to all
of our students, staff members,
and parents for a successful
beginning to the school year.
On page 5 of this newsletter
you will find the board’s goals for
2012-2013. These goals will guide
the board, as well as administrators
and staff members in making
decisions that affect our students’
education, district finances, and
district assets.
The Board of Education is a
nine-member elected body, with
an ex-officio student member,
committed to the education of all
students and to the quality and
performance of the school district.
The board is charged with interpreting
the educational needs and
aspirations of the community while
remaining fiscally responsible to
taxpayers.
The best way to keep up-todate
with the board’s activities and
decisions is to attend Board of
Education meetings, which are
open to the public. They are typically
held on the first and third
Monday of each month at 7:00
p.m. in the cafeteria of Durgee
Junior High School. A calendar of
this year’s meeting dates is available
on the district website at
www.bville.org. Community members
can access Board documents
for each meeting on the website,
as well as review the minutes of
previous meetings. Time is allotted
in the agenda of each meeting
for requests to speak to the Board.
Budget News
The district is beginning the
budget development process for
2013-2014. The district is looking
for volunteers to serve on community
budget advisory committees
that will meet in November and
December to review specific areas
of the budget and to provide input
on the budget components prior to
the components being presented
to the Board of Education for
review.
The following budget component
committees have been established:
4 Transportation
4 Athletics
4 Special Education
4 Facilities
4 Instructional/Technology
If you are interested in serving
on any of the above budget advisory
committees, please contact
Kelly Cary, School Information
Officer, at kcary@bville.org or
638-6180 with your name, email
address, a phone number, and the
Burrill Wells, President
Interested in serving on a budget
advisory committee
Contact kcary@bville.org or 638-6180
with your name, email, phone number,
and the name of the committee on
which you wish to serve.
Upcoming Board Meetings
4 October 15, 2012
4 November 5, 2012
4 November 19, 2012
4 December 3, 2012
4 December 17, 2012
4 January 7, 2013
Board of Education meetings are held in the cafeteria
of Durgee Junior High School and begin at 7:00 p.m.
You can view an agenda for each meeting as well as
meeting materials online at www.bville.org. Under the
Board of Education tab click on BoardDocs.
District to Discontinue
Printing Menus
As of November 1, in order to decrease the district’s
costs for printing and paper, as well as to be more
environmentally responsible, the district will no longer
send home school meal menus. The October 2012 breakfast
and lunch menus will be the last menus that the district
will send home with students.
The district’s breakfast and lunch menus for K-5, Ray
Middle School and Durgee/Baker are posted on the Food
Service page of the district website at www.bville.org. A
limited number of hard copies of the menus will be available
in the school offices and the school cafeterias each
month. If you do not have access to a computer, please
contact your school to request a hard copy of the menus.

New Staff
Meet the District’s New Teaching Staff Members
New staff members are (back, l to r) Brittany Harvey, Erin
Hallinan, Kristen Aber, Jacqueline Wolken, Kelly Sue
Evans, (front, l to r) Erin Greenwood, Melinda Benamati,
and Abigail Sayler.
Welcome to the following staff
members who have joined the
district (as of August 21):
4 New at Baker High School
Santana Cummings – Ms. Cummings
joins the high school as a long term substitute
for English. She was previously a long
term substitute at Onondaga Jr./Sr. High
School. She received her bachelor’s
degree from SUNY College at Buffalo and
her master’s degree from SUNY Cortland.
Peter DePasquale – Mr. DePasquale is an
art teacher at Baker High School, teaching
drawing and painting. Last year he was a
student teacher at the high school. He has
been a volunteer art educator through
Pittsburgh’s Andy Warhol Museum and an
art instructor with Syracuse University’s
Saturday Workshops. He received his
bachelor’s degree from Syracuse
University.
Beverly DiCocco – Ms. DiCocco is teaching
tenth-grade English and twelfth-grade
mythology at the high school. She was previously
employed as a paralegal with the
McMahon Law Firm and was an English
language instructor in Tokyo, Japan. She
received her bachelor’s degree from Ithaca
College and her master’s degree from
Syracuse University.
4 New at Durgee Junior High
School
Lee Carulli – Mr. Carulli joins Durgee
Junior High School as a ninth-grade
English teacher. He is familiar with Durgee,
having been an assistant principal at the
junior high from 2002 to 2004. He taught
English for 24 years at Minisink Valley High
School and was a principal in the East
Syracuse – Minoa Central School District
for seven years. He received his bachelor’s
degree from Manhattan College and
his master’s degree and his C.A.S. from
SUNY New Paltz.
Karol Melissa Donaldson – Ms.
Donaldson is a Spanish teacher with the
junior high school. She previously taught
Spanish at a junior high school in Queens.
She received her bachelor’s degree from
Ohio Wesleyan and her master’s degree
from Empire State College University.
New staff members are (back, l to r) Beverly DiCocco,
Peter DePasquale, Lee Carulli, Mike Grennell, (front, l to r)
Santana Cummings, Janice Murray, and Karol Melissa
Donaldson.
Kelly Sue Evans – Ms. Evans joins
Durgee as an English teacher. She has
taught in Vermont and in Auburn. She has
a bachelor’s degree from Nazareth College
and a master’s degree from St. Michael’s
College in Vermont.
Brittany Harvey – Ms. Harvey is teaching
social studies at the junior high school.
She was previously a long term substitute
with the East Syracuse – Minoa Central
School District. She has a bachelor’s
degree from LeMoyne College and a master’s
degree from Syracuse University.
4 New at Elden Elementary
School
Erin Greenwood – Ms. Greenwood joins
Elden Elementary School and McNamara
Elementary School as a speech pathologist.
She previously worked for the
Fayetteville-Manlius School District, the
Torrington School District in Connecticut,
and Connections in Syracuse. She
received her bachelor’s degree from
Marywood University and her master’s
degree from George Washington
University.
continued on page 4
Page 3

District News
New Staff, continued from p. 3
4 New at McNamara Elementary
School
Jacqueline Wolken – Ms. Wolken is a special
education teacher at McNamara Elementary
School. She previously taught in Bristolville, Ohio
before working as a substitute teacher in the district
last year. She received her bachelor’s degree
from SUNY Geneseo and her master’s degree
from Syracuse University.
4 New at Palmer Elementary School
Melinda Benamati – Ms. Benamati joins Palmer
as a special education teacher. She was previously
a substitute teacher in Spencerport and in
the Caledonia-Mumford School District. She
received her bachelor’s and her master’s degrees
from SUNY Geneseo.
Mike Grennell – Mr. Grennell is a special education
teacher at Palmer Elementary School. Last
year he was a teaching assistant at Reynolds
Elementary School, and prior to that he worked as
a substitute teacher in the Syracuse City School
District and the Phoenix Central School District.
He received his bachelor’s degree from SUNY
Oswego and his master’s degree from LeMoyne
College.
Abigail Sayler – Ms. Sayler is a special education
teacher for the first and fifth grades. She was a
student teacher for the Rochester City School
District, York Central School, and Newquay Junior
School in England. She received her bachelor’s
degree from SUNY Geneseo.
4 New at Reynolds Elementary School
Janice Murray – Ms. Murray joins Reynolds Elementary School as its library
media specialist. She was previously with the Syracuse City School District. She
received her bachelor’s degree from Utica College and her MSLIS from Syracuse
University.
4 New at Van Buren Elementary School
Kristen Aber - Ms. Aber joins the school as a special education teacher. She previously
taught in the Syracuse City School District. She received her bachelor’s and her master’s
degrees from LeMoyne College.
New APs at Durgee
The district welcomes Alexander
Ewing to the position of assistant
principal for ninth grade at Durgee
Junior High School. Mr. Ewing was previously
an English teacher in the North
Syracuse Central School District where
he also completed his administrative
internship as the House I Academic
Dean. He received his bachelor’s
degree from Nazareth College, his master’s
degree from SUNY Brockport, and
his C.A.S. from LeMoyne College.
Jennifer Cambareri, who was
McNamara Elementary School’s music
teacher for the past ten years, is serving
as interim assistant principal for eighth
grade this school year. She earned her
bachelor’s and her master’s degrees at
Syracuse University and is completing
her C.A.S. through SUNY Oswego.
4 New at Ray Middle School
Erin Hallinan – Ms. Hallinan is a special education
teacher in the seventh grade at Ray Middle
School. She has worked for the Syracuse City
School District as a substitute teacher and was
the human resources manager for Syracuse China
for eight years. She received her bachelor’s
degree from Siena College and her master’s
degree from LeMoyne College.
Athletic
Schedules Online
To view the schedules for the district’s
athletic teams, visit
www.digitalsports.com.
Page 4

District News
Board of Education Goals
for 2012-2013
O
n
August 27, the
Board of Education
adopted its goals for
2012-2013. These goals
will guide the board,
administrators and staff
members in decision
making, planning for students’
educational
needs, maintaining district
finances, protecting
district assets, and communicating
with the community.
1. The district will
demonstrate incremental
progress in student
achievement to ensure
all students graduate
meeting college/career
readiness standards
consistent with the district’s
Long Range Plan.
Toward that end the district
will:
4 Continue to implement
a well-articulated,
comprehensive K-12 curriculum
aligned to the
Common Core Standards
and 21 st Century Skills
including core content
mapping, well-articulated
lesson design to support
improved student learning,
benchmark/formative/summative
assessments,
and consistency
in grading practices;
4 Promote and further
develop research-based
“best practices” for the
improvement of student
learning that supports
the “shifts” in instruction
with a focus on literacy
across all content areas;
4 Provide feedback to
all staff that is specific
and focused on continuous
improvement. Align
teacher feedback to the
state initiative in teacher
improvement;
4 Move the students
from passing and meeting
state and federal
benchmarks to mastering
state and federal benchmarks;
and
4 Continue to implement
diverse extra-curricular
opportunities that
meet the needs and
interests of our students.
2. The district will maintain
a safe and healthy
learning environment for
all students and staff.
Toward that end the district
will:
4 Continue to have the
Facilities Committee
meet and provide recommendations
to the Board
of Education regarding
capital improvements
that reflect the District
Long Range Capital Plan
priorities while being
environmentally responsible
and energy efficient
continued on page 6
NYS Law: Stop for Buses When Red
Lights are Flashing
School Resource Officers Martin
Knaul and Michael Nord would like
to remind all district residents that passing
a school bus with its red lights flashing
is illegal and dangerous.
When a school bus flashes its red
lights, all traffic, from either direction,
must stop before reaching the bus
because students are either entering or
exiting the bus. Failure to stop for a
District to Present Bullying
Presentation - November 13
You’ve probably
noticed the healthy
eating tips in the district’s
2012-2013 calendar. The
district, in conjunction
with Elden Elementary
School, received a grant
from Fuel Up to Play 60,
a program of the NFL
and the National Dairy
Council, to promote
school bus could result in the injury or
death of a student.
This law applies on all roadways in
New York, even if the bus is on the
opposite side of a divided highway, as
well as to when a bus is in front of a
school or in a parking lot. You may not
drive until the red lights stop flashing.
Fines for passing a stopped school
bus range from $250 to $1,000.
The district will present, “Bullying at School and Beyond,” November 13, from 7:00
p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in the Durgee Jr. High School cafeteria. School officials, school
resource officers, and the district’s attorney will discuss:
4 Bullying legislation;
4 The district’s procedures for investigating bullying complaints;
4 How students can report bullying;
4 Definitions of bullying;
4 What’s happening in our schools; and
4 How our schools are educating students about bullying.
This presentation is free and open to all parents and community members.
Healthy Eating Tips in 2012-2013
Calendar - Send us your feedback
healthy eating and physical
activity in a variety of
ways.
The district would like
your feedback on the
healthy eating tips. Do
you find them informative
Have you incorporated
any of the tips into
your family’s daily diet
Please send your comments
to Kelly Cary,
school information officer,
at kcary@bville.org.
District parents were
mailed the calendar mid-
August. If you are not a
district parent, you can
view a PDF of the calendar
online at
www.bville.org.
Page 5

District News
Fall Music Schedule
4 November 2 & 3 - Durgee Jr. High musical
Durgee Junior High School presents, “Annabelle Broom, the
Unhappy Witch,” with performances at 7:00 p.m. each evening in
the Baker High School auditorium. Tickets are $6, $8, and $10.
Pre-sale tickets are available as of October 15 and can be ordered
by calling 638-6086 or email mbrody@bville.org. Please provide
your first and last name, telephone number and mailing address,
which performance you’d like tickets for, how many and at which
price and if you need any special accommodations. Tickets are
first-come, first served. They will also be available at the door.
Come and trick or treat with Annabelle Broom! All children who
come dressed in their Halloween costume will receive a treat,
courtesy of the musical cast.
4 November 7 - Beginner band instruction night, Baker auditorium,
band room, and chorus room
4 November 10 - Company B Craft Fair, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00
p.m, Baker gyms and cafeteria
4 November 14 - Baker High School choir concert
The Baker High School choir and the Jamesville-Dewitt choir will
perform at the Cicero United Methodist Church at 7:00 p.m. This
concert is free and open to the public.
4 November 15 - Durgee and Baker bands
The Durgee Junior High School band and the Baker High School
band will be performing in the Baker High School auditorium. The
concert begins at 7:00 p.m. and is free and open to the public.
Board of Ed. Goals, cont. from p. 5
in a cost effective manner;
and
4 Implement the Dignity for
All Students Act (DASA)
through multi-faceted educational
opportunities including
educational opportunities on
technology/internet safety.
3. The district will maintain
financial stability while continuing
to provide quality
opportunities for students.
Toward that end the district
will:
4 Continue to explore cost
containment strategies that
are achievable balanced with
quality services to students;
4 Conduct a building utilization
study (all five elementary
schools) to determine how
best to serve the instructional
needs of students; and
4 Conduct annual review of
food services, transportation
and buildings and grounds
functions to ensure appropriate
levels of services.
4. The district will strengthen
its communication with stakeholder
groups including, but
not limited to, parents, students,
staff and community
residents with particular
emphasis on:
4 Continuation of the Key
Communicators’ Committee,
Connect-Ed messages, use
of local news media, and
BoardDocs.
Find Board of Education agendas,
meeting minutes, policies, etc. online
at www.bville.org. Under the Board of
Education link click on BoardDocs.
Ribbon Cut on New Concession
Facility
O
n
September 7 the district
dedicated its new concession
facility at Pelcher-Arcaro
Stadium in memory of Coach
Bill Neufang.
About one hundred guests
and family members turned out
for the dedication ceremony, at
which Board of Education
President Burrill Wells,
Superintendent Jeanne Dangle,
and David Perry, a former principal
in the district, spoke about
Coach Neufang and shared
Page 6
their memories of his service to
the district. The ceremony concluded
with a ribbon cutting by
Mary Neufang, Coach
Neufang’s wife.
Coach Neufang was a
teacher in the district from 1957
until his retirement in 1987. He
was a wrestling coach for 17
years and a football coach for
29 years. He also served on the
Board of Education for two
terms.

Achievement
Baker Students Selected for
All-State Music Conference
E
ight
Baker High School students have been selected to
attend the prestigious 2012 NYSSMA All-State Music
Conference, scheduled for the end of November in Rochester,
NY. Students were selected based on a rigorous audition
process conducted across the state in the spring. The following
students have been invited to perform at the conference:
(Back, l to r) Brendan O’Toole, Mixed Chorus; David
Magowan, Mixed Chorus; Michael Stapleton, Mixed Chorus;
(front, l to r) Julianna Grabowski, Women’s Chorus; Amanda
Funiciello, Mixed Chorus; Catherine Beamish, Symphonic
Band; and Molly Makowiec, Mixed Chorus. Missing is
Bridget Conway, Mixed Chorus.
Rowe to be Inducted into
Lacrosse Hall of Fame
Doug Rowe, coach of
the Baldwinsville
girls’ varsity lacrosse
team, will be inducted into
The Upstate New York
Chapter of the U.S.
Lacrosse Hall of Fame on
October 21. Rowe, a
physical education teacher
at Ray Middle School, has
coached the girls’ lacrosse
team for 22 years.
Two Baker Students are
National Merit Semifinalists
David Hutter and Emily Ekross, seniors at Baker High
School, have been named 2013 National Merit
Scholarship Semifinalists. They are two of 16,000 semifinalists
nationwide who have the opportunity to continue in the
competition for over 8,000 National Merit Scholarships.
Selected as alternates for the conference are (l to r)
Antonio Martinez, Orchestra; Maggie Walsh, Chorus;
Joseph Honsinger, Chorus; and Eve Mercer, Chorus.
Early Dismissal Nov. 20 for
Sheltering Drill
A
ttention
parents: The district will conduct a sheltering
drill at all district schools on November 20.
Students at all district schools will be dismissed 15 minutes
earlier than their usual times. Please plan on your
children arriving home 15 minutes earlier than usual.
Page 7

October & November No School and Early
Dismissal Dates
Oct. 8
Oct. 9
Oct. 30
Oct. 31
Nov. 12
Nov. 15
Nov. 16
Nov. 20
Nov. 21 - 23
NO SCHOOL - Columbus Day
NO SCHOOL - Professional Development Day
1/2 day for K-5 - Parent Conferences - Dismissal 11:30 a.m.
AM kindergarten will attend, PM kindergarten will not
1/2 day for K-5 - Parent Conferences - Dismissal 11:30 a.m.
PM kindergarten will attend, AM kindergarten will not
NO SCHOOL - Veteran’s Day
1/2 day for K-5 - Parent Conferences - Dismissal 11:30 a.m.
AM kindergarten will attend, PM kindergarten will not
1/2 day for K-5 - Parent Conferences - Dismissal 11:30 a.m.
PM kindergarten will attend, AM kindergarten will not
EARLY DISMISSAL FOR SHELTERING DRILL
All schools will dismiss 15 minutes earlier than usual.
All students will arrive home 15 minutes earlier than usual.
NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving Holiday
Sign Up for BEE Informed Email News Service
Keep up-to-date on all of the district’s news with the BEE Informed Email News Service, a free,
opt-in service for all district residents. To sign up, visit the district website, www.bville.org, and click
on the link on the home page to B-Informed Email News. After you register you will receive an
email. You must follow the directions in this email to complete the registration process and begin
receiving emails. Please note, this service is not the same as the district’s ConnectEd emergency
message system.
BALDWINSVILLE CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
29 E. Oneida St.
Baldwinsville, NY 13027
The Beecon is an
official publication of
the Baldwinsville
Central School
District.
29 East Oneida St.
Baldwinsville, NY 13027
(315)638-6043
www.bville.org
Jeanne Dangle
Superintendent of Schools
James Rodems
Assistant Superintendent for
Management Services
Matthew McDonald
Assistant Superintendent for
Human Resources
School Board Members:
Burrill Wells, President
Joan Reeves, Vice Pres.
Cheryl Cowen
Cynthia Cronin
Roman Diamond
Kenneth Dwyer
James Goulet
Jeff Marier
Steven Schweitzer
Hayley Roberts
Ex-officio Student Member
The Beecon
is written and produced by
Kelly Cary
School Information Officer
Non-profit org.
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
Baldwinsville, NY
Permit No. 5
School News For
POSTAL PATRON
(dated material)
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