City School District
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1895
A publication of the Tonawanda City School District Board of Education
WINTER 2015
Chromebooks Bring Information
Right to Students
Every day sixth-graders at Tonawanda Middle School have access to educational websites,
videos and online practice problems right at their fingertips through new Chromebooks.
The electronic tablets go everywhere with the sixth-graders - home at night and to math,
social studies, English and science classes during the day.
It’s almost as though each student has their own personal technology research and
information center.
District administrators know that this instant access to technology can supplement and
expand learning in the classroom and is a concept that is here to stay. The Chromebooks,
purchased by the district and distributed to students in October, are part of the district’s
STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) initiative.
With the Chromebooks, students have immediate access to daily class practice exercises,
class presentations, instructional videos, messages from their teachers, homework and much
more. It puts everything they need right at their fingertips.
“A typical math class starts with students going to Google classroom. There they find the
class spiral (math problems) and begin working on them,” said Deborah Hill, a sixth-grade
math teacher. “During the lesson, children can follow along with my PowerPoint right on
the Chromebook. When it comes time to practice the problems, students can practice the
problems using an electronic whiteboard on the Chromebooks.”
Students are using the Chromebooks differently in each subject. But one feature all classes
use is that homework can be sent out to every student through Google classroom.
The Chromebook project was begun as a pilot this school year. The 135 sixth-graders and a
high school AP chemistry class are part of the 1-to-1 pilot initiative and are allowed to take
the Chromebooks home.
Each student needed a Gmail account so they can access Google classroom and student apps
for education. The email accounts are a closed email community set up similar to group
accounts, where the group can email one another, but cannot send or receive emails outside
of the group.
“In Regents Chemistry, all students have school district Google
accounts which allows me to share out videos, assignments
and websites,” said high school teacher Laura Schmidt. “I use
Google Classroom as a platform for flipped instruction. Using
Google Classroom, students watch short
instructional videos (recorded by me)
to complete lessons on their own and
then utilize class time with me doing
practice problems and working with a
group or partner on specific chemistry
concepts.”
Parents of
Preschool to Fifth
Grade Invited to
Reading Carnival
The district’s annual Reading Carnival
aims to capture kids’ attention with
fun activities that promote reading
and writing. Families with students in
preschool through fifth grade are invited
to the carnival on March 5 from 6-8 p.m.
at Fletcher School.
This year’s carnival theme will be seen
throughout the night. Families can visit
various stations with activities with
photos, books and reading, writing, and
face painting. A representative from
the Tonawanda City Library will be
available.
A special performance of “Read to
Achieve” will be made by Nels Ross, a
local performer who uses comedy and
various props to entertain and reinforce
the benefits of reading.
High School
Engineering Class
Uses 3D Printer
The high school
engineering design
class has started
using a 3D printer
for classroom
projects. The
printer purchase
was part of the
district’s STEAM
initiative which
continued on page 8
continued on page 7
Fletcher Athletes
Students from Fletcher participated in
the Punt, Pass and Kick competition.
2
Tonawanda CiTy SChool diSTriCT
Administrators
Present
their Faculty
Meeting Model
at National
Conference
Three Tonawanda administrators
recently presented “Faculty Meetings:
Moving from Dissemination to
Engagement” at the 2014 Learning
Forward annual conference in
Nashville, Tenn. This well-established
national forum draws education
leaders from throughout the nation
with sessions aimed at promoting
professional learning to advance
effectiveness and improve student
performance.
Assistant Superintendent Mary Beth
Scullion, MS/HS Principal Jessica
Lyons and Interim MS/HS Vice
Principal Rachel Wagner presented
a session to administrators that
demonstrated innovative techniques
and strategies for building the
instructional capacity of teachers
during faculty meetings.
Mrs. Scullion, Ms. Lyons and
Mrs. Wagner have developed staff
meetings that are devoted to the
practices of teaching and learning. They
realize that the most important place
for a teacher to be is in the classroom
teaching students. However, they also
recognize the need for teachers to
engage in professional conversations
and professional learning. They
developed a meeting model that
emphasizes the type of learning
Meet the Director of
Business and Finance
Rubie R. Harris began work as the director of business and
finance for the Tonawanda City School District last July.
A resident of Niagara Falls and graduate of Niagara University,
she has strong ties to the area. In her new position with
Tonawanda, she oversees all the financials, purchasing, use of
school facilities, food service, transportation, human resource
and the payroll department, as well as records access and
management. Read on to learn more about her.
Where did you work previously?
I was a junior accountant for the Niagara Falls City School District for a little over 4 years.
What do you like about Tonawanda City School District?
Walking into Tonawanda CSD, everyone was very welcoming. I mean that from the top
of management assisting me with duty transitions, to building cleaners and maintenance
rearranging my office space, to students stopping me in the halls to introduce themselves.
They wanted me to feel I was part of the team and that they were glad I became a part of
the district.
What college did you attend?
I attended Niagara University and earned a bachelor of business administration degree in
2008, a master of business administration degree in 2009, and a school district business
leader certificate of advanced studies in May 2014. In the fall of 2014, I enrolled in a
doctoral program at Niagara.
Tell us about the Ph.D. program.
I recently began Niagara University’s Ph.D. program on Leadership and Policy. I believe this
program is going to better develop my leadership skills, as well as help me grasp a deeper
understanding of policy making to assist with policy decisions in the future. The program is
very in-depth and my plan is to graduate in three years. The knowledge gained will be worth
all the hard work.
Did you grow up in the area?
I was born and raised in Niagara Falls and still currently live there.
What do you like to do for enjoyment?
For enjoyment I like to volunteer with Hospice, attend different sporting events whether
student or professional games and spend time with friends and loved ones. With so much
limited time between work and my Ph.D. studies, I cherish any extra time and spend it
doing the things I love.
continued on page 5
3
Message from the
Superintendent:
Dear Tonawanda Community Residents:
During the May 2014 budget vote, the
community approved the budget with
a tax levy increase below the property
tax cap. A refund of the allocated tax
increase was allotted to tax payers
in the city. By adopting the tax cap
freeze our district agreed to develop a
financial efficiency plan that showed a
reduction of 1% of our tax levy, which
was $115,278. The chart below outlines
savings realized in our district as we look for efficient ways to reduce
the tax burden and save the district funds.
Maintaining Fiscal Stability through Shared Services
and Identified Efficiencies
Shared Service or Efficiency Program Savings Amount
Shared Out of District Transportation with the
North Tonawanda School District
$150,000
Joined BOCES Workers Compensation
Consortium
$145,000
Stop/Loss Health Insurance savings $43,000
2005 Bond Refunding $164,000
Energy Performance Contract $75,000
TOTAL DISTRICT SAVINGS $577,000
The total savings is well above the required
1% from our tax levy amount. The Board of
Education, administrators, and school staff
are continually looking at ways to reduce
costs, so our district can continue to remain
financially stable. Recently, Moody’s Investor
Service increased our rating, so the district
can realize lower interest rates when
refinancing bond anticipation notes and
bonds.
The District will continue to be prudent as we find ways to be more
efficient either through shared services or identifying efficiencies
that can be realized as savings over the short and long term. We will
continue to strive to lessen the tax burden in the city.
As always, thank you for your continued support of our district.
Respectfully,
James P. Newton, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Tonawanda CiTy SChool diSTriCT
Cheerleaders Earn First
Place ECIC Award
The Tonawanda varsity cheer squad only had two minutes
and 30 seconds to impress the judges at October’s ECIC cheer
competition. They succeeded and brought home a first-place award.
The team’s hard work during off-season put them solidly ahead of
the five other local schools competing in the annual Erie County
Interscholastic Conference competition. Tonawanda competed
against five other teams in the small varsity division; West Seneca
East, Depew, Alden, Iroquois and Pioneer.
“In the past, Tonawanda varsity cheerleading has taken home
many division titles; however the last one was in fall of 2007 and
winter of 2008. For the past four years, our athletes have dedicated
themselves to the program and worked extremely hard to return
to being a top team in our region,” said coach Jessica Stuart.
Front row: Miranda Ralston,
Melissa Lorich (Captain) Sarah
Szortyka (Captain). Middle
row: Lexie Hammond, Jocelyn
Shepler, Carly Szortyka, Nicole
Green, Jessica Brinker, Lexi
Brock. Back row: Rachel Stryker,
Lauren Stryker, Dakota Finiki,
Claudia Downey, Venessa
Velazquez, Madison Shields.
THS Students Do Well at
NCCC Tech Wars
Tonawanda High School students tied for third place overall
and several teams earned individual awards at the annual
NCCC Tech Wars competition in January.
Competing among 30 other teams in the capture the flag
event, the team of Sam Armenia and Brandon Geercken placed
first and the team of Cody Hartman and John Gerace placed
second. Collin Smith designed the winning T-shirt design about
modern space travel. Alex Ostrowski and Jarrett Robert placed
second with their beach house on stilts in the architectural
design event. The relay team of Andrew Ball, Jesalyn Cala,
Kyle Zack and Corey Treitley earned a first place award for the
cardboard boat regatta. A third place award was given to a space
travel video produced by Larenz Jefferson, Michaela Walsh,
Eric Baumann, Rich Jones, Ronnie Jones and Sarah Frears.
Overall, the Tonawanda team tied for third place in the high
school category.
There were close to 500 students competing from 23 schools
and 19 school districts. Tonawanda High School teacher
Gary Novits was the lead coordinator this year along with
professor Mark Voisinet from NCCC. There were 22 different
events offered including various robotic challenges, architectural
design, structural testing, 3D modeling skills, video production
and a cardboard boat regatta.
4
Tonawanda CiTy SChool diSTriCT
2014-15 District Goals
Focus On Instruction
The district shall provide curriculum, instruction and programs for the effective education
of all students.
Objectives:
• Promoteapositiveschoolenvironmentthroughthecontinuoususeofprogramssuchas
Leader in Me, Olweus Program, and Warrior Way. The District will use evaluation tools
to record events in order to measure progress and continue to develop evaluation tools to
measure success.
• EnsurethatDistrictcurriculumalignswithCommon-CoreStandardsacrossallacademic
disciplines with the intent to increase achievement results over the prior year.
• PositivelyaffectDistrictattendanceanddrop-outratesbystrengtheningtheDistrict’sRTI
program, and increasing attendance and graduation rates from prior year.
Focus On School and Community Relationships
The district shall promote a positive image and provide a pathway to continue building
strong relationships with community, students and staff.
Objectives:
• ContinuetoupdateandadviseprogressoftheDistrictinitiatives.(CommonCore,APPR,
CDEP, School Climate and Budget)
• EvaluatecurrentandexplorenewmeansforthedisseminationofDistrictinitiativesand
information.
• IncorporatetheTaskForceModeltoencouragecommunityinputonDistrictissues.
• AppraisecommunitymembersontheeducationalandnancialchangeswithinNewYork
State.
Focus On Fiscal Stability and Facilities/Equipment
The district will continue to explore the effective use of district facilities in order to provide
an improved educational environment and to control future costs of the district.
Objectives:
• ContinuetoinvestigatetherecommendationsthataffecttheDistrictathleticand
educational facilities.
• Presentabalancedbudgettothecommunitythatsupportsstudentsandprogramwhile
reflecting the current economic climate and legislative initiatives.
• Continuallymonitorthestatusofallsourcesofrevenueandtakeappropriateactionsto
accommodate any deficiency or surplus.
• Gogreen!Reducetheamountofpaperused.Increasetheuseofelectronics.Investigate
further recycling within the district. Reduce the amount of waste.
Adopted by the Board September 9, 2014
Two Board
Member
Openings
There will be two openings for the Board
of Education for the May 19, 2015,
budget vote. Members will serve a three-
year term commencing July 1, 2015, and
expiring June 30, 2018.
Interested candidates can pick up
applications from the Board Office
located at 100 Hinds Street between
the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Petitions
must be signed by at least 100 eligible/
qualified voters. Completed petitions
must be filed with the Board Clerk by
5p.m.April29.YoumustbeaU.S.
citizen, at least 18 years of age, resident
of the district for one school year prior to
the election, and able to read and write.
Erie County Association of School
Boards is holding a free training session
for prospective school board members
on Saturday, March 28 at Erie 1 BOCES
in West Seneca. Individuals may
call 821-7297 to register or e-mail
snowak@e1b.org.
NYS Scholar
Athlete Teams
Fall 2014
Girls’ Volleyball:
Coach Renee Smith.
Athletes are:
Sarah Vicari,
Ciara Woodin,
Kristen Toth,
Megan Charrois,
Jaclyn Haynes,
Rachel Warthling,
Haley Snyder,
Amanda Przybyl.
continued on page 7
Veteran’s Tax Exemption
A non-binding proposition will be placed on the ballot for the May 19, 2015 referendum
vote to obtain community input on a proposed Veterans’ Tax Exemption at an
exemption cap level of $6,000/$10,000/$20,000. An information page will be available
on the District website.
5
ElEmEnTary SChool nEwS
Students Learn Chinese Language,
Culture Through Partnership with
UB’s Confucius Institute
Bright, colorful, hand-held Chinese fans
caughtstudents’eyesbeforeYingKanghad
even taught one Chinese language lesson in
the Tonawanda School District.
He had given fans as gifts to Superintendent
Dr. James Newton and Dr. John McKenna,
principal at Fletcher School. As Kang was
taken from class to class for introductions,
he would enter a classroom, unfold a fan
and show it to the students.
A simple fan helped set the stage for Kang.
When he returned to the classroom for
the language lessons, students were already
curious and ready to learn.
Kang will teach Chinese language and
culture in Tonawanda City Schools for
three years, through June of 2017. He is a
guest teacher, placed in the district through
the Confucius Institute at the University
at Buffalo. This year, he is teaching
kindergarten to fifth-graders at all three
elementary buildings and in January he
began teaching at the middle/high school.
In the classroom Kang starts with the basics;
the same words a young child would learn
as they start speaking English - hello, please,
thank you, you’re welcome and how are
you?
“If you can learn one more language,
your world becomes larger. It gives you a
worldwide vision and you can make a lot of
different friends,” said Kang.
His teaching philosophy is “keep it
interesting.” As a young boy, Kang was
taught English by a teacher who was not
very interesting. He was bored and that
destroyed his interest in the language, he
said. He had to repeat the class, and the
following year he got a good teacher who
made it interesting, and encouraged and
praised him.
So now he tries to not spoil his students’
interest.
When he pulls out the calligraphy mat
and writing brush, the students clamor
for a turn. The calligraphy mat template is
made of fabric marked with grids and lines
to show the direction of strokes. Students
use a water-dipped brush to practice the
complicated strokes that comprise Chinese
writing. As the water absorbs into the fabric,
it leaves a dark mark similar to ink, but it’s
temporary and disappears when the water
quickly dries. Using the template and water
saves on paper and ink since writing takes so
much practice.
“In the beginning, when they first start,
students are very interested in developing a
foreign language. They learn by themselves,”
he said. “The more languages you can
master, the more intelligent you can become
and your world expands to connect with
other countries.”
National Conference
continued from page 2
culture they envision for teachers and
students: participatory, differentiated,
collaborative and reflective.
“When faculty meetings are developed
from this point of view they become
exciting, enlightening and relevant to a
teacher’s work,” said Mrs. Scullion.
“The teachers are able to learn from
their colleagues, which in turn, increases
their instructional capacity and increased
student achievement,” said Ms. Lyons.
Some of the strategies they shared
during the conference were the use of
technology (such as Poll Everywhere and
Google Forms) to elicit teacher input
giving them the ability to participate
in decision-making. Team building
activities were shared to aid in the
creation of a positive school climate.
Active learning strategies (Gallery Walk,
Jigsaw, and Pass It On) were discussed
as a way to get teachers thinking and
sharing instructional knowledge to take
back into their own classrooms.
One of the most innovative strategies
shared was their model of “Flipping
the Faculty Meeting”. On the first
day of school for staff in September,
Ms. Lyons wanted to afford her teachers
time that afternoon for preparing, so
they were ready for the students the next
day. Mrs. Wagner collaborated with her
on programs available to achieve her
goal. She recorded the information the
teachers needed regarding “managerial”
topics and gave them the option of
watching it prior to the opening day
of school or on that afternoon. It was
so well received, she used the “flipped”
technique in October to afford teachers
the opportunity to complete their
required BEDS forms.
The three are participating in the STLE
grant which funded their opportunity
to present at the conference. They have
recently been accepted to present in
Houston, Texas in March. They are
looking forward to spreading the word
about the innovation in education
happening right here in Tonawanda,
N.Y.!
6
middlE / high SChool nEwS
Middle Schoolers Sample
“Taste of Tech” Career Program
Tonawanda Middle School students tried their hands at welding, nursing and the
construction trades during the Taste of Tech program at Erie 1 BOCES Kenton Career &
Technical Center.
Students had the opportunity to rotate through several career education programs that
provided them with a safe hands-on event or demonstration. The eighth-graders learned
about different career paths in nine areas; auto collision, auto technology, baking and pastry,
culinary, building trades, sports science, cosmetology, nursing and welding. They could
choose three of the nine programs to visit.
In the building trade session, Tonawanda students put on safety goggles and used a router
to carve their name into a piece of wood. Other students chose to use a band saw to cut a
wooden shape.
In the culinary and baking and pastry sessions, they saw demonstrations of cinnamon sticky buns
and baked apples. In the welding session, students donned protective face masks and welded.
In the nursing session, they recorded each other’s temperatures. In the sports science session,
students had a chance to use the fitness equipment much the way a personal trainer would.
Middle School principal Jessica Lyons and counselors Patricia Burns and Suzanne Boling
accompanied the students.
TonawandaMiddleSchooljoined1,000studentsacrossWNYinaregionalefforttoexpose
youth to various career paths. Taste of Tech is planned by Erie 1 BOCES in connection with
theWesternNewYorkMiddleSchoolCounselorAssociation.
Program
Addressed
Social Media
Apps and
Keeping
Children Safe
If your child has a cell phone, and
you were unable to make the Jan. 14
presentation of “Keeping Children Safe
in an Electronic Age,” the materials are
available on the district website at
www.tonawandacsd.org
Presentations were made by Jessica Lyons,
middle/high school principal;
Dave Sellan, assistant principal;
Rachel Wagner, interim assistant
principal; Jason Balling, school
resource officer and by four students.
“There are so many social media apps
available and kids are all on social media
sites. Many children think their life
revolves around social media, and it’s
beneficial for parents to know what’s out
there and what apps their children are
using,” said Ms. Lyons. “Some of the sites
are scary with the level of information
they contain about users and what
can be posted so parents will learn the
capabilities of what various apps can do.”
The presentations were geared for parents
of students in grades 6-12 or any parent
whose child has a cell phone. Tips shared
were how to research various devices, put
restrictions on phones and set rules and
parameters for use. Parents also heard
why it’s important to find teachable
moments with their children, create open
dialogue and talk about the consequences
of posting inappropriate materials.
7
middlE / high SChool nEwS
College on Track:
Building a Mindset of
Success
College on Track is a web-based education planning system that
allows students to build digital literacy and help prepare for
college and careers. The College on Track program is another tool high school counselors
can use to help guide students toward making decisions about their future.
This school year the high school counselors, Mrs. Heeter, Dr. Fezer, and Mrs. Kiely, are
working with freshmen and sophomores with the College on Track program. The counselors
presented information about the program in English 9 and English 10 classes and had
students perform a series of personality and interest inventories. Since all students have
various learning styles and personalities, the inventory results help students learn which
careers match their personalities and interests, as well as identify their personal strengths
and blind spots. Students can then research various careers that emerged from the inventory
results, including what the employment outlook is and wage earnings in individual states.
The students have their own individual accounts
and passwords and will have access to College
on Track through their high school years. Next
year the high school counselors are planning to expand the
program to the junior class and incorporate the college search
portion of this program. For more information, please visit
www.collegeontrack.com or speak to your child’s school counselor.
3D Printer
continued from page 1
aims to enhance students’ knowledge of
science, technology, engineering, arts and
math principles.
As a first project, the printer’s SD card came
loaded with bracelet and comb patterns.
Next up was a small engineering activity
to check the precision of the printer. The
students designed the lego type part seen in
the photograph and then took some guesses
on what size hole would fit over the peg of
the lego. Attempting
to get two parts to
fit together from two
different parts is an
excellent
engineering project because students
had to determine how much clearance is
required between the parts. They also had to
calculate if shrinkage or deformation would
occur in a 3D print.
The class, led by teacher Gary Novits,
also printed pre-designed items from the
website Thingiverse. Pictured on page 1 is a
miniature Eiffel Tower the class uploaded to
the 3D printer.
Scholar Athlete Teams
continued from page 4
Boys’ Cross Country:
Coach Elizabeth Randell.
Athletes are: Christopher Ranney,
Andrew Ball, Anthony D’Arrigo,
Matthew Bowser, Shane Salgot,
Nicholas Lewandowski,
Andrew Danford.
Golf:
Coach Jeff Frey.
Athletes are: Jonathan Kurdziel,
Allison Garippo, Richard Jones,
Anthony Angelo, Ronald Jones,
Erik Ellman, Timothy Brady.
Girls’ Soccer:
Coach Angela Nicholas.
Athletes are: Haley Schoelerman,
Hope Balling, Shana Johnson,
Amy Farnham, Michaela Walsh,
Grade Stranahan, Gabrielle Krajewski,
Jenna Hassett, Jesalyn Cala,
Heather Farnham, Jocelyn Lorenz,
Sydney Kowsky.
Girls’ Swim:
Coach Lisa Schroeder.
Athletes are: Georgia Corbett,
Olivia Carson, Leighann Kemp,
Olivia Langa, Megan Price,
Emily Haentges, Cassandra Butzer,
Claire Ermer, Emily Horn, Joan Davide,
McKaelyn Gross.
Board
Workshop
The public is invited to a Board
Workshop March 3, 2015 from
6-8 p.m. in the Senior High School
Library Media Center where
members will listen to architect
presentations for the proposed
Tona 2020 Capital Project for a
single elementary campus. Questions
can be submitted after the meeting
through a link on the District website.
City School District
Tonawanda City School District
100 Hinds Street
Tonawanda, N.Y. 14150-1815
www.tonawandacsd.org
James P. Newton, Ed. D., Superintendent
Board of Education:
Mrs. Jennifer Mysliwy, President
Mrs. Danielle Opalinski, Vice President
Mrs. Geraldine Angelo
Mr. Fred Busch
Mrs. Diane Misner
Mr. Robert Starr
Mrs. Sharon Stuart
Non-Profit Org.
Bulk Rate
U.S. Postage Paid
Permit No. 170
Chromebooks
continued from page 1
The tablets come with a lot of rules and fees
if they are damaged. Parents had to attend
an information meeting and both parent
and student had to sign acknowledgement
forms that they read and understood
the district’s Acceptable Use policy and
the Chromebook Policy, Procedure and
Information Handbook. Students who use
the technology to misbehave, face whatever
discipline is already in place for that
violation. For instance, if a student forgets
the Chromebook, they can get a loaner
to use for the day, but they are penalized
the same as if they had forgotten their
homework. If they are caught cyberbullying,
it is the same as bullying or harassment and
the appropriate punishment is given.
“Having Chromebooks will help students
stay abreast of all the changes that are
taking place with technology,” said Mary
Beth Scullion, assistant superintendent.
“It is making learning more engaging
and collaborative. Some classrooms are
using Google classroom and flipping their
classroom, others are using it to have
students share a document in the cloud and
collaborate to edit and revise with one
middlE/high SChool nEwS
another, some teachers are videotaping
their lessons so students who are out sick
do not miss valuable information.”
“Chromebooks work more seamlessly than
either the iPad or laptops. They also do
allow students to work at their own pace,
so there is less frustration and boredom,”
said high school chemistry teacher
Anne Ruppert.
“We hope that the Chromebooks will
allow our students to be able to eventually
communicate with people around the
world, not through email, but through the
web,” said Mrs. Scullion.
