Photos: Popsicles with the Principal
Yesterday, students at Jackson Elementary enjoyed Popsicles with the Principal (Maureen Notaro).
Photos submitted by Maureen Notaro.
Yesterday, students at Jackson Elementary enjoyed Popsicles with the Principal (Maureen Notaro).
Photos submitted by Maureen Notaro.
Batavia residents Chezeray Rolle and Michelle Humes have been selected to fill two vacancies on the City Schools Board of Trustees.
Rolle is a 2009 graduate of Batavia High and a U.S. Army veteran who served for six years, including two deployments to Afghanistan. He is currently employed at the Buffalo Federal Detention Facility in Batavia and coaches Batavia Bulldawgs football. He married his wife Bianca in 2012. He and his wife have three children attending City Schools.
Humes is a customer service manager at Hodgins Engraving. She is married and her and her husband's son graduated from BHS in 2020.
They replace Peter Cecere, who resigned in June, and Brenda Good, who won a seat on the board in May but resigned before taking office in order to become a candidate for an administrative position in the district.
Press release:
The Genesee Valley BOCES (GV BOCES) School Library System has been awarded a National Leadership Grant for Libraries in the area of a National Forum in response to the need to identify recommendations for effective post-COVID school library programs. This $150,000 grant will fund four virtual national forums on the future of school libraries. Given the high level of complexity, national scope, and emergent nature of the investigation, a collective impact approach will be used to gather together diverse viewpoints from across the country. Topics will include an instructional design for remote librarianship, emerging services for teaching and learning, defining the role of the school librarian, and program considerations for new learning models. Reports generated from these forums will provide actionable recommendations for school librarians across the country.
Christopher Harris, Ed.D., Director of the GV BOCES School Library System, wrote and submitted that grant and will serve as the project coordinator. Patrick Whipple, Ph.D., Director of GV BOCES Professional Learning Services, will lead the grant evaluation.
“What we want to do is take a hard look at what the pandemic brought to school libraries and really figure out what worked,” Dr. Harris explained. “We are leading this national effort to bring together thousands of school librarians from across the country to plan out how we are going to move forward to meet student needs in this new future.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, school libraries across the country made changes to procedures, spaces, and instructional practices out of necessity. Across the many models of in-person, hybrid, and remote instruction adopted by districts around the country, there were even more models for school librarians and the services they provide. It is essential that we take time after the immediate pressure of the pandemic emergency to reflect, understand, and evaluate those modified practices. The need for investigation is especially critical in those communities where school library programs were already at-risk prior to the emergency.
“The grant project is called 'Libraries Today,' ” Dr. Harris noted. “We are looking at where we are today and where we want to be moving forward. This grant will give us a chance to guide the national policy discussion around school libraries.”
The first work in the grant project will be the convening of a national advisory panel. Advisory panel members will include the School Library System directors from New York City and Erie 1 BOCES, as well as, directors from Fairfax County (VA) Public Schools, Norman (OK) Public Schools, the past president of the American Association of School Librarians, and others.
Press release:
The Batavia City School District’s Registration Office will be located at the Robert Morris Site beginning on Monday, August 2, 2021. Families are asked to use the Community Schools entrance when picking up or turning in registration materials, which is located off of the parking lot at the corners of Richmond and Vernon Avenues. The hours are 8 AM-12 PM and 1 PM-3 PM until August 20. Beginning August 23, hours are 8 AM-4 PM.
The District encourages any families with children entering Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) or Kindergarten in September to please register their child as soon as possible. Children who are residents of the District and who are four (4) years of age on or before December 1, 2021, are eligible to apply for UPK. Children who will be five years old on or before December 1, 2021, are eligible for Kindergarten. Please see the information on our District’s website, https://www.bataviacsd.org/page/electronic-registration, to begin the registration process.
Anyone with questions may call the Registration Office at 585-343-2480 ext 1010.
Scott Bischoping has been named interim superintendent for Batavia City Schools following the resignation of Anibal Soler.
Bischopping was the interim superintendent following the departure of Chris Dailey and preceding Soler's appointment at the start of 2020.
Soler accepted an appointment as superintendent of the Schenectady school district.
"His knowledge and leadership will guide us into the new school year," the district said in a statement.
A Batavia City School District trustee who held up approval of a merger between the Batavia and Notre Dame hockey teams at the district's school board meeting on Thursday afternoon met with the schools' athletic directors and coaches and said he had his questions answered and looks forward to the agreement being on the board's next agenda.
The Batavian has attempted to clarify with John Marucci that his statement means he intends to vote in favor of the merger but he has not responded to two emails.
Three Four other members of the board have responded to emails and said they intend to support the measure. One hasn't responded.
Previously, The Batavian emailed five questions to Marucci about his apparent objections to the merger, trying to clarify his position and didn't get a response until yesterday. He didn't provide answers to the question but did make this statement:
I apologize for not getting back to you sooner. Just so you know that today at 3:15, I was able to meet with BCSD BOE President Alice Ann Benedict, BCSD AD Mike Bromley and hockey coaches Marc Staley and John Kirkwood. We had a very lengthy and thorough discussion about the proposed merger between Notre Dame and Batavia as it pertains to hockey. I feel very satisfied that I had my questions and concerns answered and look forward to having this item on our agenda for our August 5th BCSD BOE Meeting.
At last week's meeting, Marucci expressed concern about other schools in the county being eased out of a combined hockey program with Batavia and that once current players from those districts have graduated, students at those schools would have to attend Notre Dame if they wanted to play hockey. He suggested Notre Dame recruits athletic students and that he was concerned the merger wouldn't be fair to Batavia students.
Our questions to Marucci included trying to find out how the merger wouldn't be fair to Batavia students. He didn't answer that question.
At the meeting, he said, "I just want clarification," and, "I'm not trying to be that guy but I guess I'm being that guy."
With two seats vacant on the board due to resignations and one person absent, Marucci's unwillingness to vote to approve the agreement meant there wasn't a quorum, so the board had to table the matter until its Aug. 5 meeting.
The merger would mean Notre Dame, which has won two sectional championships in recent years under Head Coach Marc Staley, and Batavia players would form a single unit.
Last week the schools announced the new team would be known as Batavia United.
Advocates of the merger argue that the merger would allow both schools to have a JV program, which will help produce a more successful program and end the dangerous practice of including JV-aged and -sized kids on varsity rosters.
And yes, students at schools such as Le Roy, Alexander, Oakfield-Alabama, and Pembroke, who want to play hockey in the future, will need to attend a private school such as Notre Dame. Which is how it was for those schools before Batavia, in a bid to increase its hockey numbers seven years ago, accepted those schools into its hockey program.
Since that realignment, Batavia has won 13 games with only two of those wins coming against Section V opponents and no wins against teams with winning records.
The merger is going to get the support of at least three trustees.
Statement from Alice Benedict:
I wholeheartedly support the Batavia Notre Dame Hockey merger. It will help both schools be able to offer hockey opportunities for grades 7 through 12.
Statement from John Reigle:
Thank you for reaching out to me regarding the hockey merger.
As you are aware we tabled the agenda item at our last school board meeting for some final clarification and questions. It is a big decision for our district and I’m glad our board of education is putting in so much collaborative thought and consideration into the topic. Unfortunately, our athletic director and/or the coaches were unable to attend the last meeting to have more discussion on the topic. However, it is my understanding they were able to meet with our board president and Vice President yesterday to discuss.
After speaking with some hockey families from both schools, along with learning more of Coach Staley’s & Coach Kirkwood’s goals and intentions for the United program, I am in favor of the merger. I look forward to bringing back a competitive hockey program to our city that the student-athletes, our schools, and our community are proud of.
Statement from Barbara Bowman:
I am in complete support of the hockey merger because it will be advantageous to BHS and ND students and the community in general.
Newly elected Trustee Jennifer Lendvay did not respond.
UPDATE: Lendvay's statement:
I am in favor of the merger of the BHS/ND hockey teams and look forward to seeing them play.
The shovels went into the ground at Oakfield-Alabama as soon as the summer break started on a $15.3 million capital improvement project at both the high school/middle school and the elementary school and yesterday Superintendent John Fisgus and a group of contractors gave members of the school board a tour of the work followed by an official groundbreaking ceremony.
The project includes reconstruction of the entry, parking lot, passenger pick-up, and bus lanes at the elementary school. The elementary school is also getting a remodeled cafeteria and kitchen, new main office, nurse's suite, and main entrance. There will also be a new teachers' lounge, remodeled gym with new bleachers.
The schools are also getting new, brightly colored -- blue and gold -- tennis courts.
The HS/MS is getting a remodeled auditorium.
In the fall of 2022, all of the windows of the HS/MS will be replaced and the school will get a new entrance, new atrium, and new main office.
Among the highlights of Elba's graduation, this past weekend were four fathers from the Class of 1991 (that's 30 years ago for those of you counting) who shared in watching their daughters graduate with the rest of the Class of 2021.
Michael Augello, school board president, handed a diploma to his daughter Taylor.
Pictured from left: Madison Harrington and her father Aaron. Miah Werth and her father Steve. Leah Bezon and her dad Steven, and Taylor Augello and her dad Michael.
Photo by Laura Luft.
Oakfield-Alabama held its 2021 graduation ceremony on Friday.
Above, Karly Smith delivers her Valedictorian speech.
Zachary Hall, below, was the Salutatorian.
Photos by Kristen Smith.
The children and staff at the Agri-Business Child Development Center on Brooklyn Avenue in Batavia celebrated Juneteenth today with a parade in the playground.
Students at Batavia Middle School who have been accepted in to the Honor Society were celebrated in a ceremony at Van Detta Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.
From Ashley John Grillo, principal, Batavia Middle School:
Seventh grade 2021 Batavia Middle School Honor Society inductees
Brandon Currier, Cole Davis, Payton Dickinson, Elijah Fancher, Emma Godfrey, Gianna Grillo, Landon Hamilton, Kyleigh Kabel, Kailyn Lee, Harold Mellander, Sydney Parker, Gretchen Redder, Ella Shamp, Helaina Staley, Drew Stevens, Gianna Strollo, Isaac Varland
Seventh grade students who were inducted virtually last year as seventh graders
Ava Anderson, Cameron Baiocco, Kylee Brennan, Brooke Callahan, Lila Callan, Jeremiah Childs, Allison Debo, Maddison Dennis, Kahler Evans, Roan Finn, Will Fulton, Grant Gahagan, Samuel Grillo, Faith Guiste, Ava Higgins, Jakob Hutchins, Jameson Motyka, Mia Pellegrino, Jake Phillips, Kayla Richenburg, Campbell Riley, Bridget Taggert, Trevor Tryon, Alyssa Turner, Madilyn Underhill, Ava Wierda, Allyson Wormley, Kelsey Kirkwood
Eighth grade 2021 Batavia Middle School Honor Society inductees
Madeline Bellamy, Aubrey Bisher, Bronx Buccholz, Yannis Ciornei, Isabella DeVay, Nicole Doeringer, Lillian Emerson, Emerson Fitch, Brady Mazur, Alexandra Morrill, Jayla Odom, Samuel Pies, Lylianalynn Santos-Baez, Andrew Smith, Gavynn Trippany, Payton Vickery
With field trips canceled this school year because of COVID-19 restrictions, the staff at Jackson Primary today organized a "Field Day" for the students.
Besides a visit for Deputy Andrew Mullen with K-9 "Frankie" and City fire, activities for the kids include carnival games, dance, rock painting, parachute, and moving-up certificates.
At a time when politics sometimes obscure the good work people do, Superintendent Anibal Soler "took stock" Monday night of all the things parents students, staff, administrators and school board members accomplished during the coronavirus pandemic.
As part of his regular superintendent's update, Soler ran through a list of positive things that have taken place in the district since the pandemic rolled into Genesee County 15 months ago.
"Sometimes we get lost in the current events, the news articles, this whole thing we can’t really control, people question our integrity, our commitment to kids because we may not be extreme about masks or anything of that nature," Soler said to open his remarks.
In no particular order, he said:
It hasn't been an easy year but the best barometer for how the district has performed, he said, is what the kids say.
"Most of them say we did a pretty good job with what we had to work with," Soler said.
"This is a very politically divided time," he added. "If we stay grounded on what we do for children we can never go wrong."
At the start of his update, Soler announced that two principals in the district have taken new jobs elsewhere.
Ashley John Grillo will be leaving Batavia Middle School to become principal of the Junior-Senior HS in Byron-Bergen.
Amanda Cook is leaving John Kennedy to become director of curriculum in Pavilion.
Nate Korzelius will become interim principal at BMS. Soler said Korzelius will work on integrating high-school-credit courses into the offerings at BMS and that the change will open more opportunities for those students who participate to start Genesee Community College studies while in high school.
Citing increased work and personal commitments, Peter Cecere has resigned his seat on the Batavia City School District Board of Trustees.
Board President Alice Ann Benedict read Cecere's resignation letter before the board voted unanimously to accept his resignation.
Cecere said he came to the decision after many hours of deep thought.
"These many years I have been involved have been very, very rewarding," Cecere said. "It seems like 2013 was just a few minutes ago. I have enjoyed serving the parents, teachers, and administrators of this vibrant community. But most importantly I have enjoyed being an advocate for the incredible children of this district."
Before the vote, Cecere thanked his fellow board members for their friendship during his time on the board and said increased work commitments along with his desire to spend more time coaching soccer contributed to his decision to resign.
He said he felt to remain on the board he needed to give it his full commitment and with these changes in his life, that was no longer possible.
Photo: Screen capture from video of last night's meeting. Superintendent Anibal Soler presented Cecere with a certificate and a framed collection of drawings of the district schools.
Batavia parents and students protest mask policy at Upton Monument.
On Sunday, at Resurrection Parish, Notre Dame High School held its 67th commencement exercises for the Class of 2021.
Principal Wade Bianco and Assistant Principal Michael Rapone presented senior awards, academic honors, scholarships and diplomas.
Valedictorian Amanda Mary Bergman addressed the 2021 class. Class President Bernard Skalny presented the senior class gift.
Anne Del Plato received an honorary diploma from the Class of 1971 honoring their 50th anniversary. Eric Ricks Jr. provided concluding remarks.
To view or purchase photos, click here.
Principal Wade Bianco
Valedicatorian Amanda Mary Bergman
Class President Bernard Skalny
Assistant Principal and Athletic Director Michael Rapone
Anne Del Plato recieivng the honorary diploma Class of 1971.
Concluding remarks, Eric Ricks Jr.
Press release:
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today, June 7, announced that school districts can choose to lift the requirement that their students must wear masks outdoors. Guidance on mask use indoors remains in place.
This change aligns New York State's guidance on schools with CDC guidance on summer camps, where even unvaccinated students are not currently required to wear masks outdoors.
"The numbers show that the risk of transmission by children is extremely low, especially in this state, which has an extremely low positivity rate," Governor Cuomo said. "We spoke with the CDC, and since they're not going to change their guidance for several weeks in New York State, we're going to modify the CDC guidance and allow schools to choose no mask outside for children.
"We'll leave that up to the local school district and we spoke to the CDC, which has no objection. It's very important that people understand the logic between these decisions and that they're rational and based on the science and the data. We have a disconnect right now between the school guidance and the camp guidance, and it's important to rectify it because if people don't think the rules are logical, then they're not going to want to follow the rules."
On May 24, Governor Cuomo announced that based on the current COVID-19 trajectory, all New York State schools will reopen for full in-person learning for the 2021-2022 school year beginning in September.
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Also today, Governor Cuomo announced that when New York State reaches 70 percent vaccinated, he will remove COVID restrictions and guidance (except for certain settings such as healthcare, congregate settings, schools and mass transit).
Unlike a year ago, when coronavirus-pandemic-related restrictions meant families showed up to football fields, school parking lots, and drive-in theaters in cars to witness student graduation, local school districts this year are trying to work within less strict COVID-19 guidelines to give students and families fairly traditional graduation ceremonies.
They will take place on school lawns, football fields and in auditoriums.
Some schools are even planning proms for their seniors.
Here is what the districts are planning:
Alexander:
Batavia:
Byron-Bergen:
Elba:
Le Roy:
Notre Dame:
Oakfield-Alabama:
Pavilion:
Pembroke:
Superintendent Matthew Calderon said, "The state provided specific guidance for proms and graduations, which we will be adhering to. In both cases, we will stay under the capacity limits identified so that we do not need to require testing. The standard expectations for mask-wearing and social distancing we be in place.
Adding, "Both events will be relatively normal/traditional, with the exception of the fact that we need to reduce the numbers of tickets as compared to normal to stay under the capacity limits."
Alexander
Batavia
Byron-Bergen
Elba
Le Roy
Oakfield-Alabama
Pavilion
Pembroke
Voters from throughout Genesee County are asked to go to the polls on Tuesday and vote on school district budgets and school board candidates.
Here is a summary of what is on the ballot and links for additional information for each district.
Alexander
Batavia
Byron-Bergen
Elba
Le Roy
Oakfield-Alabama
Pavilion
Pembroke
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