November 2012

A MessAge FroM the superintendentmdrahos@m-ecs.org

Sincerely,

Michael R. Drahos, Superintendent

In this month’s article, I would like to try to explain the new teacher and principal evaluation system (APPR) that is now required in New York State. Like all reform efforts, this system has both positive and negative aspects attached to it. On the positive side there is going to be much more accountability based on actual student growth and performance. On the negative side of that, the only way to demonstrate growth and performance is to base it on assessments (tests).

Under the new system, 40% of a teacher’s or principal’s evaluation (now tied to a 100 point score) will be tied to student growth and performance based on tests which are created beyond the control of any individual teacher. To arrive at 40% of the 100 point scoring system, three types of tests can be used: Regents and statewide exams, assessments created by testing companies or tests created by groups of teachers. In order to show growth, teachers are required to give these at the begin-ning of the year. Many students may be frustrated because some of the test items will be ones they had never seen previ-ously, but should know by the end of the year. Our teachers have tried to assure all of our students that these beginning of the year tests are only going to used as a reference to where the student ends up after a year of instruction.

The other 60% of a teacher’s and principal’s evaluation is tied to observations and evaluations conducted throughout the year. In Morrisville-Eaton, this 60% is based on a state approved rubric developed by Kim Marshall. For the teachers, these rubrics are organized around six domains covering all aspects of a teacher’s job performance: Planning and Prepara-tion for Learning, Classroom Management, Delivery of Instruction, Monitoring, Assessment and Follow-Up, Family and Community Outreach and Professional Responsibilities. The rubrics use a four-level rating scale with the following labels: 4 – Highly Effective, 3 – Effective, 2 – Improvement Necessary and 1 – Does Not Meet Standards. The principals will base the ratings in each of these areas on multiple observations which are both announced and unannounced. In turn, I will be rating each of the principals on a similar rubric developed for administrators. You can view the teacher rubric at: http://www.marshallmemo.com/articles/Marshall%20Teacher%20Eval%20Rubrics%20Aug.%2031,%2011.pdf or the principal rubric at: http://usny.nysed.gov/rttt/teachersleaders/practicerubrics/Docs/MarshallPrincipalRubric.pdf

So what does this all mean for students? First, the emphasis on student performance on tests and the frequency of those tests is going to increase. This is driven by federal and state mandates. Secondly, the principals and I will be in classes much more frequently. This may mean that a response to a call or e-mail will not be quite as immediate as it has been in the past. It may also mean that we schedule more of our meetings after students and teachers leave for the day. Finally, we will continue to do our best to create an enjoyable learning environment, but emphasizing the common core curriculum and assessing student achievement must be at the forefront of all instructional strategies and decisions.

A copy of the APPR plan, as submitted to the New York State Education Department, is available on our district website.

“High Achievement always occurs in the framework of high expectation.”

- Charles Kettering

M-ECS CEntEr StagErS

The Morrisville-Eaton Center Stagers will present Frank Loesser’s GUYS and DOLLS on Friday, No-vember 16th and Saturday, November 17th at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $6 advance sale and $7 at the door. Tickets will be available for purchase beginning November 1st, and can be obtained from any cast member and at both the elementary and high school offices. For more infor-mation, call 684-9121.

November 2012 2

FitnESS CEntEr HourS

The fiTness cenTer will re-open To The public sTarTing november 26Th. The hours iT will be open are: monday and Thursday nighTs

from 6:30 To 8:00 p.m.

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

5

1 2 3

4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17

18 19 20 21 22 23 24

25 26 27 28 29 30

Modified Wrestling & Volleyball begins

SAT Exam

Daylight Saving Time Ends JV/Varsity Wrestling begins

Fruit Sale Sponsored by Class of 2014 November 11/5-11/16

Food Drive Sponsored by SLC November 11/5-11/9

Election Day PTO Meeting; 6:30 PM

Blood Drive @ High School Sponsored by NHS

Physicals @ High School from 8:30am-12:00 PM

End of 10 Week Marking Period Can/Bottle Drive Sponsored by Class of 2013

American Education Week November 11-17

Veterans’ Day

JV & Varsity Basketball and Volleyball begin

Veterans’ Day - No School

Shared Decision Making Group Meeting, 6 PM at M/HS Library

Grade 7-12 School Pictures Retake Day

Great American Smokeout

Report Cards Mailed

High School Musical @ 7:30 PMHigh School Musical @ 7:30 PM

½ Day – Parent Teacher Conferences Elementary

Poinsettia Sale Sponsored by NHS November 11/19-11/30

½ Day – Parent Teacher Conferences Elementary

Thanksgiving Recess No School

Thanksgiving Recess No School

Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving Recess No School

Regular Board of Education Meeting, 7 PM M/HS Library Elementary School Pictures

Retake Day

November 2013

LionS CLub SErviCE awardS

if you feel your son or daughTer could be eligible for The lions club service award please call ann marie marTorana aT 684-5903.

M-ECS SoundS oF tHE SEaSon The Morrisville-Eaton Middle/High School Music Department invites you to celebrate the sounds of the season with us at our an-nual Holiday Concert on Wednesday, December 12th at 7:00 p.m. in the M/HS Auditorium. This concert will feature the middle and high school chorus, band, and chamber choir. This event is free and open to all who want to enjoy an evening of music.

ELEMEntary ParEnt-tEaCHEr

ConFErEnCE HaLF dayS

novEMbEr 19, 2012novEMbEr 20, 2012

MarCH 21, 2013

11:15 a.M. diSMiSSaLLunCH wiLL not bE SErvEd tHESE dayS.

November 20123

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

6

1

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

9 10 11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20 21 22

23 24 25 26 27 28 29

30 31

Wrestling Tournament

SAT Exam

Entertainment Book Sale Sponsored by Class of 2016

December 12/3-12/14

PTO Meeting; 6:30 PM National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

Tree Lighting Ceremony, 7:00 PM @ Crouse Community Center

ACT Exam

First Day of Hanukkah Shared Decision Making Group Meeting, 6:00 PM at M/HS Library

M/H School Band/Chorus Concert @ 7:00 PM

Elementary Concert; 7:00 PM; Cafeteria

Elementary In-School Concert; 9:30 AM, Gymnasium

End of 15 Week Marking Period

HS Winter Ball For Grades 9-12 from 7:00-10:00 PM

Regular Board of Education Meeting, 7:00 PM M/HS Library

15 Week Reports Go Home

Progress Reports Mailed

First Day of Winter

Christmas Day No School

Winter Recess No School

Winter Recess No School

Winter Recess No School

Christmas Eve No School

New Year’s Eve No School

December 2013January 1St

wintEr rECESS, no SCHooL

CHriStMaS trEE LigHtingfriday, december 7Th

7:00 p.m.crouse communiTy cenTer

Come Join in The holiday Fun

* sanTa and mrs. claus will be arriving on a horse drawn sleigh aT 7:00 p.m. * carol around The newly liT chrisTmas Tree wiTh The elemenTary chorus * visiT wiTh sanTa while enjoying cookies and hoT cocoa * sleigh rides

SponSored By The CampuS CommuniTy relaTionS CommiTTee oF The Village oF morriSVille and morriSVille STaTe College

* This evenT will be held regardless of a school relaTed closing.

ELEMEntary wintEr ConCErt~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~December 13, 2012

7:00 p.m.

Fruit SaLE

The class of 2014 is sponsoring a florida or-ange and grapefruiT sale from november 5Th Through november 16Th. anyone inTeresTed in or-dering can e-mail karin howleTT aT khowleTT@m-ecs.org. profiTs from Their sale will go Toward The junior prom.

Mark your CaLEndar!

The Writers’ Jubilee will be held on

Saturday, aPriL 20, 2013with Keynote Speaker

Jerry Pinkney

November 2012 4

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NEWS

Dear Families and Students:

We are looking forward to Parent-Teacher Conferences this month. The information below is intended to help you feel prepared for and comfortable with your conference.

What will you receive at the Parent-Teacher conference?• Yourchild’sreportcardWhat should parents expect from a Parent-Teacher conference?• anopportunitytogettoknowyourchild’steacher• anopportunitytohearaboutyourchild’sprogressinacademic,social,andemotionaldevelopmentandtolearnabout strengths and special abilities• achancetoestablishmutualgoalswithyourchild’steachertogiveadditionalsupportinareasneedingimprovement• achancetoshareimportantinformationwiththeteacherwhichwillbehelpfulinunderstandingyourchild’sneeds• anopportunitytoaskspecificquestionsYour child’s teacher will discuss your child’s school progress including some or all of the following:• specificinformationonperformanceinacademicareasandhowyourchildisdoinginrelationtogradelevelstandards• samplesofclasswork• thebooksandmaterialsyourchildisusing• informationonyourchild’sspecialinterestsandabilities• relationshipswithothers• behaviorinandoutofclass

The teacher also may share observations which could be helpful to your child (hearing, seeing, etc.) or may have suggestions or ideas you can use at home to help your child in school. It is also an opportunity for you to share information about your child that can be helpful to us when working with your child.

Helpful hints• Pleasebeontime.Trytofollowtheschedulewhichhasbeensetup.Ifyoufeelyouneedmoretime,askaboutsettingup another conference at a future date.• Calltheschoolifalastminuteemergencypreventsyoufromcomingatthescheduledtime.• Pleasekeepinmindtheparent-teacherconferenceisscheduledtoexchangeinformationaboutyourchildandthe curriculum at the grade level. The parent-teacher conference is not the time for a general discussion of educational philosophy, nor is it the time to discuss the ability, style, or program of another teacher.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at 684-9288 or via e-mail at ddushko@m-ecs.org.

Sincerely,

Debra A. DushkoElementary Principal

A MessAge FroM the eleMentAry principAl

tHriLLing tHird gradE rEadErS PiCturEd bELow FroM LEFt to rigHt arE CaMEran gELatt,

aLEJandra MEdina-LoEza, and Cara FELLonE.

November 20125

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NEWS

tHriLLing tHird gradE rEadErS

Weareworkingtoimprovefluency,expression,andcomfortwith oral reading! Each Friday, a student in Mrs. Pierce’s class-room community reads to the class from a book of his or her choice. A new reader is chosen on Monday of each week, and that student prepares and practices throughout the week in order to be an expert reader for Friday’s honor. Our pictured reader is DaisyAbrahamson.Shewasthebravefirstreader!

Mrs. Lake's Second Grade Class

Pictured above: Victoria Sgarlatta

Pictured above: Karyn Hill & Sarah Lepkowski

Pictured above is Delaney Koehl's cell diagram

ab”CELL”LutELy aMazing SCiEnCE

Mrs. Duffy’s and Mrs. Tay-lor’s 5th grade Science classes have been busy learning about and exploring plant cells and animal cells. Students were excited to learn all about these microscopic “building blocks of life”. Students had the chance to create animal cell diagrams using noodles, cereal, twizzlers, and other crafting materials to represent cell organelles. Students were also able to use the mi-croscopes to check out slides of amoebas, leaf cells, cheek cells, onion cells, chromosomes, and even cell organelles like mitochondria and vacuoles! Students also learned how cells group together to form tissues, organs, systems, and organisms.

Fifth graders are now going to be applying their knowledge of cells to future science units exploring human body systems. They are very excited to begin the next unit, the digestive system.

Mrs. Tracy Baker and her son Evan sharing at open house

Joshua Tomcho "reading to self"

Haley Cranwell and James Dapson "reading to a partner"

November 2012 6

MIDDLE/HIGH SCHOOL NEWS

Dear Families and Students,

The Middle/High School has had a very successful start to the school year. Fall is in full swing and the scenery in our community is absolutely amazing. Students and faculty are hard at work diving into their curriculums. I would like to re-mindeveryonethatthemarkingperiodofficiallycomestoanendonFriday,November9th.Reportcardswillbemailedon Friday, November 16th.

On November 16th and 17th, the drama students will perform the musical, “Guys and Dolls”. All performances begin at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium. Mr. Rogers, Mr. McCarthy, and Mrs. Farrar have been working diligently with our student performerstomakethisafunfilledandenjoyableeveningforeveryone.Iencourageyoutocomeoutandenjoytheperfor-mance. Tickets will be $6 in advance and $7 at the door. You may purchase tickets from any cast member or by calling the school at 684-9121.

AremindertoallparentsthattheParent/Student/TeacherAdvisoryGroupmeetsonthefirstWednesdayofeverymonthat5:30 p.m. at the elementary school. Everyone is welcome to attend the meetings. Are you interested in receiving text message or e-mail reminders about events at the middle/high school? In an effort to improve our communication with parents and students, we have set up a new system through Remind 101. This allows us to send a quick text or e-mail to remind you of important events. This is different from the district alert system. To set up text messaging; call the following number (858) 207-4318, in the message type the following: @morrisv and then send the text. A text will be sent back to you asking for your name, put your name in the text and send. You are now registered. If you would prefer to receive an e-mail instead, you can send an e-mail to the following morrisv@remind101.com. If you would like to read more about the system go to www.remind101.com. From time to time I also send a longer e-mail to parents. If you have not received one this school year, we donothaveyoure-mailinoursystem.PleasecallKarenDaileyatthemiddle/highschoolofficeat684-9121sothatwecanupdate your information. I would also like to remind parents that you can have access to the parent portal. The parent portal allows parents access to their student’s records. If you are interested in learning how to use the system and gaining access, please call Karen Dailey at the middle/high school to sign up for training.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at 684-9121. I hope you enjoy the rest of your fall.

Sincerely,

Christopher A. BrewerMiddle/High School Principal

A MessAge FroM the Middle/high school principAl

attEntionS SEniorS: It is important to be aware of upcoming college admission deadlines. Please communicate with Mrs. Cesta or Mrs. Anderalli in the Counseling Center about your college applications. Be sure to check out our website periodically for scholarship updates.

girLS varSity SoCCEr tEaM

November 20127

MIDDLE/HIGH SCHOOL NEWS

tHE LionS CLub StudEnt SErviCE award rECiPiEntS For SEPtEMbEr arE PatriCk aSHCraFt and andrEa JaySon

Patrick Ashcraft, a sophomore, is the son of Janine and Leslie Ashcraft. At MECS, he is involved in football, wrestling and baseball, and participates in a summer base-ball league. Patrick sings in chorus and has been in the school plays since middle school. He is a member of the Leo’s Club. Patrick is very active in his community and he helps out at the Public Library and with the Touchdown Club. He also assists at wrestling sectionals, helping in any way he can.

Patrick’s future plan is to attend college, he is un-sureofwhatfieldofstudyhewillgointoatthistime.Keep up the good work Pat!

Andrea Jayson, a junior, is the daughter of Lea-Ann Fuller and Lee Jayson. At MECS, she’s been a member of the Student Council, Leadership Club and Leo’s Club. Andrea enjoys photography and attend-ing Zumba classes. In her community, she is a Girl

Scout and participates in many fund raisers for cancer. This year she is also attending BOCES in the Culinary Arts Program.

Andrea plans on going to college to pursue a career in photography. MECS is proud of you!

tHE LionS CLub StudEnt SErviCE award rECiPiEntS For oCtobEr arE Morgan Fox and CarriE EaStMan

Morgan Fox, a freshman, is the daughter of Susan and Ray Fox. As a freshman Morgan has already accumulated 209 hours of community service. At MECS, she plays volleyball, soccer and participates in chorus. Outside of school she enjoys soc-cer, volleyball and baseball. In her community she participates in the Relay for Life, helps with the family picnics at the elementary school and is involved in “Red Tail Hawk Farms” where they raise organic vegetables, box them and distribute them to surrounding communities.

Morgan’s future plans at this time are to attend college and travel. She is also interested in possibly becoming a journalist or a career in farming. You are doing a great job Morgan.

Carrie Eastman, a junior, is the daughter of Con-nie and Gary Eastman. At MECS, she participates in

varsity softball. She is a member of chorus, GAA and also helps with the basketball stats. She belongs to the Girl Scouts, the Leo’s Club and takes dance classes. Carrie is very busy in her community, teaching hunter safety, helping with Toys for Tots, shopping for the GAA Christmas and helping with spa-ghetti dinners.

Her future plans include college and her interest is in Veterinary Medicine. Good luck Carrie!

November 2012 8

DISTRICT NEWS

MECS PTO NEWS MECS PTO is off and running in the new school year. Thank you to everyone who has sent in membership forms. If you haven’t joined yet there’s still plenty of time. We meetthefirstWednesdayofeachmonthintheelementaryschool library and look forward to new members joining us anytime. We are always looking for volunteers to assist us with the many events we hold throughout the year.

We now have a website that I will be updating on a regular basis with all of our upcoming activities. Access the school website at www.mecs.org, hover over District and then select PTO. Be sure to check it regularly so you can stay up to date.Youcanalsofindourmembershipformandmeetinginformation there.

We are preparing for a busy holiday season by sponsoring the following activities at the elementary school:•Elf’sCloset–OurannualElf’sClosetwillbeopenDecem-ber 4th – 7th during the school day for students to purchase gifts for family members. Volunteers are available to help students select from a large variety of items ranging in price from under $1 up to $10 each. Students are so proud that they can purchase their own gifts for family members.• HolidayMake&TakeCard Class –Wewill again behosting our very popular Family Make and Take card night on December 6th from 6:00 – 8:00 PM in the elementary cafeteria. Students will have the opportunity to make three different customized cards with multiple layers and embel-lishments. Please join us and show your creativity. This is a family activity so students must be accompanied by an adult.

Also, coming up are the elementary and middle/high school honor roll receptions. PTO provides a free treat from the cafeteria for all students who make the honor or high honor roll. Elementary student parents are specially invited to an ice cream reception with their children. Middle and high school students have the opportunity to win a yearbook or a $10giftcertificateforfoodfromaMorrisvilleeatery.PTOdonatesoneyearbookandonegiftcertificatepergrade.Eachstudent on honor or high honor has his/her name placed into a drawing and two winners are selected from each grade - one fortheyearbookandoneforthefoodgiftcertificate.Thisyear we will also have tickets to special events in some of our drawings such as to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Coo-perstown and a Syracuse Crunch hockey game.

Feel free to contact me at 684-3796 if you have any ques-tions or are available to volunteer at any of our events.

Sincerely,

Lynda Lehr, MECS PTO President

bottLE and Can drivE

The Class of 2013 is sponsoring a bottle and can drive on Saturday, November 10th. Cans and bottles may be dropped off at Doughtery's Pharmacy or if you need special pick up, please email or contact Kathy Roher at kroher@m-ecs.org or at 684-9121. The proceeds of the can drive will go to support the seniors’ activities.

M/HS MuSiC dEPartMEnt PiE SaLE

The M/HS Music Department would like to thank our community for supporting another successful fall pie sale. Yourfinancialgenerosity,yetagain,hashelpedustohaveanother great sale, and will provide musical opportunities for our students that we would not be able to do without your support. THANK YOU!

vEtEranS’ LunCHEon

On November 8th, the elementary student council will be hosting the annual Veterans’ Luncheon. Students invite family members and friends who are serving, or have served in the military to join them for lunch. Mrs. O’Connor and some members of the band will be honoring our veterans by playing patriotic music. Student Council and generous staff donations pay for the guests’ lunches.

In addition to our usual patriotic decorations, this year we will be creating a special bulletin board featuring infor-mation about each attending veteran and historically sig-nificantveterans. ThankyoutoMrs.Jacobs-BroedelandMs. Keefe for helping with this project.

ContaCt inForMation Please remember to update your contact information with the school secretary at each building. This includes address-es, phone numbers, work numbers and e-mail addresses.

Pictured above is the Portable Scoreboard donated to the athletic department. This donation is in memory of Richard McNamara from the McNamara family, Clark family and Parkhurst family.

November 20129

oCtobEr iS doMEStiC vioLEnCE awarEnESS MontHLaura Costello, Jr./Sr. Health Teacher

Each year over one million women become vic-tims of physical assault by someone with whom they are intimate. “One in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime” (Do-mestic Facts). About 85% of all victims are women.

Most domestic violence involves power and control against another. Warning signs of domestic violence may not always be visible, but it is important to be aware of the signs and know what to do if you, or someone you know needs help. Some of the visible signs include bruises the person can’t explain, bruises on the neck or arms and possible sprained wrists or broken bones. Other signs to be aware of, but not limited to are drug or alcohol abuse, talking about their partner’s temper and losing in-terest in daily activities that they use to enjoy.

Most cases of domestic violence are never reported to authori-ties. If you or someone you know needs help, please call:

THE NATIONAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOTLINE at 1-800-799-7233

THE NATIONAL SEXUAL ASSAULT HOTLINE AT 1-800-656-4673

THE NATIONAL TEEN DATING ABUSE HOTLINE AT 1-866-331-9474

For more information about the warning signs and ways to get help, visit the following web sites:

http://www.ncadv.org/http://www.webmd.com/search/search_results/default.

aspx?query=domestic%20violencehttp://www.thehotline.org/

FroM tHE HEaLtH oFFiCE

Germs are everywhere! Some bacteria are actually good for us i.e. helping with digestion. In preventing transfer of harmful bacteria and viruses, we all know that frequent hand washing is important. Covering a cough/sneeze minimizes airborne illness being spread. Staying home when you are in the acute stages of ill-ness also diminishes communicability. Keeping our environments cleanisanotherimportantfactor.Sinks,faucets,thetoilet-flush-ing handle and the paper towel release handle are all places that need frequent cleaning (or avoid touching by using a paper towel). Doorhandlesandfloorsareimportanttocleanalso.Duringanyoutbreak of a contagious illness, notifying your School Nurse as aconfirmeddiagnosishelpsustoknowwhattowatchfor.Alsochildren must be fever and/or symptom free without medication for 24 hours before returning to school. Please remember to keep the school informed of any changes in contact phone numbers.

FaLL 2012Shelly Kempton, LMSW

As fall has arrived and the leaves are separat-ing from the trees and students have adjusted to school and are hopefully completely in-volved with the learning of the day. Thoughts of what it takes to be completely involved in anything come to mind. Being present, emo-tionally integrating the haunting emotions that can circle in our heads and showing up for each moment, even the difficult ones.

The essence of being ethical for the greatest good and least amount of harm to all is important. Also important is setting an example of what we believe in and what we are passionate about.

Maybe this thought is associated with the knowledge that this is an election year and the sides seem so polarized. I am not sure if this is the most ethical. I sup-pose that is up to each individual to decide.

However, the example of people very pas-sionately believing in something and demon-strating it frequently is apparent. Besides just in the political venue, it is important for all of us to act on what we passionately believe in and what we can give to these ideas, ide-als and dreams. How can we support our fam-ily, our neighborhood, our community, our schools. Ask yourself what you can give by volunteering or helping a neighbor or a group in the community. It is easier to be help-ful when we feel that we have plenty of free time. It ismuchmoredifficult in timeswhenwe feel overwhelmed and undone and dis-traught.Thesedifficulttimesaretheonesthatcan create our inner resilience, our ability to push beyond what we feel we are capable of.

We are creating some “mix it up activities” in school, where students get a chance to inter-act with students they don’t typically hang out with and get a chance to stretch and grow so-cially and emotionally as well as intellectually.

Take a moment at home to discov-er how you can continue this idea. Ask your student and collaborate and enjoy.

DISTRICT NEWS

November 2012 10

2012 HoMECoMingBy Jordan haugli

This year’s homecoming was focused on school spirit. Each class decorated a section of the main hallway with banners and other items that repre-sented their grades’ extra-curricular opportunities and accomplishments. Students were encouraged to dress up each day, with themes including twin/super hero, western/camouflage, decades/sportsteams, and school colors. At the pep rally on Fri-day, the student council, leadership group, fall musical participants, and members of each fall sports team were recognized. The pep rally end-ed with a hard fought broomball tournament in which the faculty was victorious. Saturday night’s homecoming dance was well attended. Everyone that was there looked great, but this year’s trend of sparkle dresses made the girls stand out. Stu-dents enjoyed the evening with music that was provided by Reece Dailey. Admission prices were reduced with a donation to the local food pantry. This year’s homecoming week was outstanding.

MIDDLE/HIGH SCHOOL NEWS

November 201211

2012 Homecoming Court

From Left to Right: Alec Diable, Collin Pearsall, Norman Warham, J.T. Metz, Dakota Miller, Lucas MacLaury, Coach Morris,

Brandon Marshall, Reece Dailey, Cody Browning, Tim St. Hilaire

VarSiTy FooTBall SeniorS

mason warner & emma baker, dylan sToddard & sarah grabiec, Queen sara colliier, king dakoTa miller, prince collin pearsall & princess sierra williams, gracie baker & charles clark ii, naTalie raymond, maTThew paljarvi,

lacy wesTcoTT & dan hilTs

MIDDLE/HIGH SCHOOL NEWS

November 2012 12

71ST MECS NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY INDUCTION The Morrisville-Eaton Central School National Honor Society inducted fourteen ju-niors and one senior in a ceremony in the high school auditorium on Wednesday, October 24th.MECS proudly carries on its long tradition of active membership, which began in 1941. The National Honor So-ciety ranks as one of the oldest and most prestigious national organizations for high school students. Chapters ex-ist in three-fourths of the nation’s high schools and membership is an honor respected throughout one’s life. Inductees needed to have a record of meeting high standards of scholarship, service, leadership, and charac-ter. Members were selected by a faculty council selected annually by the principal. This council resides membership issues for one year. This year’s Faculty Council consists of: Mrs. Burdick, Ms. Costello, Mr. Johnson, Ms. Morgillo and Mrs. Palmer. Each candidate must initially have a cummulative GPA of at least 88.0%. The Faculty Council then considers information from (1) the “StudentActivity InformationForm”filledout by the candidate and (2) a “Facul-ty Evaluation Form” completed by those who work directly with these students. In a meeting supervised by the chap-ter advisers (non-voting, ex-officiomembers) the newmembers are chosen bymajority vote of the Faculty Council. With the candidates’ families, faculty, friends and fellow students in attendance, the MECS Chapter’s 71st an-nual candle lighting ceremony began with an introduction by the NHS president, Jessica Chandler who also spoke about leadership. She was followed by NHS officers explaining the significance of each of the other three quali-ties esteemed by the society. Secretary, Hayley Klein, spoke on service, Treasurer, Jordan Haugli, spoke on scholar-ship and Vice President Hayley Brown, spoke on character. Following the lighting of the candles, Chandler led new members in the chapter’s pledge and invited them to join their parents and faculty at a reception in the library. All members and the chapter’s advisers, Mrs. Beth Geatrakas and Mr. David Kaun, would like to thank the fol-lowing for their assistance in making the ceremony a success: Mr. McCarthy for music, Mr. Bowie and the Mainte-nance Department, the principal, Mr. Brewer, the Home and Careers teacher, Mrs. Yancey, the library aide, Mrs. Ro-her, Guidance Counselors, Mrs. Anderalli and Mrs. Cesta and the high school secretaries, Mrs. Dailey and Mrs. Dorrance. Above all, the advisers would like to offer hearty congratulations to the new members and their families. nEw MEMbErS: SEnior

CLark, aLExandEr

JuniorS

brown, SHELby

CLark, Sandra

CoLLinS, MargarEt

EaStMan, CarriE

HiLtS, daniEL

kEnt, JEnna

koniECzko, Laura

krauSE, niCHoLaS

LEHr, JoHn dyLan

MorriS, wyatt

nodECkEr, kayLa

roHrEr, MattHEw

SnydEr, avEry tHESE nEw MEMbErS Join tHE vEtEran SEniorS:brown, HayLEy…viCE PrESidEnt CHandLEr, JESSiCa…PrESidEntCoLLiEr, Sara FrawLEy, LydiaHaugLi, Jordan…trEaSurEr kLEin, HayLEy…SECrEtarykLiSH, MEgHan LEbLanC, Morgan…wEb MaStErLEonard, tayLor MCadaMS, oLiviaoLnEy, aaron tHoMaS, wiLLiaM

MIDDLE/HIGH SCHOOL NEWS

November 201213

DISTRICT NEWS

SHarEd dECiSion Making grouP

The MECS Shared Decision Mak-ing group will meet on the second Tuesday of the month at 6:00 p.m. in the Middle/High School Library. The public is welcome to attend the meetings.

november 13, 2012december 11, 2012

january 8, 2013february 5, 2013

march 5, 2013april 16, 2013may 14, 2013june 11, 2013

a notE FroM tHE girLS atHLEtiC aSSoCiation

Whether we want to admit it or not, the holiday season is fast approaching. It’s time once again for the GAA to start planning for the Christmas Charity Program. This pro-gram has been offered by the GAA for well over 50 years. We traditionally select ten to fifteenunderprivilegedfamiliesfromourschooldistrictandpurchaseChristmaspresentsfor those families. The club solicits donations from the community, individuals, and groups within the school. The GAA also sells food at all boys’ football and basketball home games to contribute to the program. We are proud to serve the community and are striving to keep this wonderful program alive. We would like you to become a part of our program by making a donation to the GAA. Checks should be made out to, “MECS GAA”, sent to Erin Tucker at the Morris-ville-Eaton Elementary School, 55 Eaton Street, P.O. Box 990, Morrisville, NY 13408.

The entire GAA would like to thank you for your continued support and wish you a happy holiday season.

CHriStMaS 2012 It’s hard to believe that we are beginning our 27th year of the Morrisville Community Christmas project. As you know, the families that we reach out to are in need of a little support during the holidays. With the economy re-maining very slow to recover it is only with your help we can offer these families the opportunity to give their children a little joy and magic that the season promises to all of us. Last year we served 90 families and just un-der 200 children. The generosity in our community and beyond made possible the most amazing experience for not only the parents, but the volunteers who work throughout the year to insure that the children of the Morrisville-Eaton School District have warm clothing, hats, mittens and of course a few toys and books.

I’m sure that no one needs to be reminded of the slow job growth in our area in the past year. The 2012 Christmas project is expected to host a similar number of families as last year. I would ask that you consider once again giv-ing generously so that we can meet the many requests for assistance that the elementary school receives.

Judy Parker, Coordinator, and the over 50 caring volunteers in the commu-nityareexcitedtoofficiallykickoffthe27thAnnualChristmasProgramandwith your support it will be another meaningful Christmas this year.

The program will be held on Saturday, December 8, 2012. Please take this opportunity to send a monetary contribution to Judy Parker, PO Box 266, Mor-risville, NY 13408. For tax exempt donations please make checks payable to, St. Joan of Arc Church, PO Box 1087, Morrisville, NY 13408. Donations of new clothing, toys, sleds, mittens, hats, children’s books, crayons, markers, jewelry and stocking stuffers would also be appreciated.

Thank you for sharing in the true meaning of Christmas. Your generosity will make a brighter holiday for the children of our area.

Warmest regards, Judy Parker Christmas “2012” Coordinator

SCHooL CLoSingS, dELayS and

CanCELLation oF aFtEr SCHooL aCtivitiES

Inclement weather or mechani-cal breakdowns may necessitate that school be closed or starting times be delayed. Local radio and television stations will carry notice of such a change. You may also check the district website at:www.m-ecs.org. A cancel-lation of district wide after school activities will also be publicized. The districtnotificationservicewillallowus to send a telephone message to you providing important information again this year. If you have any questions or concerns regarding these calls, please call theDistrictOffice at 684-9300.The following are notified for yourinformation:

WSTM•Channel3WTVH•Channel5WIXT•Channel9YNN•Channel10

Radio Stations:Television Stations:WKLL•94.9FMWMCR•1600AMWMCR•106.3FMWFRG•104.3FMWODZ•96.1FMWLZW•98.7FMWIBX•950AMWOUR•96.9FMWUMX•102.5FMWOKR•93.1FMWTLB•1310AM

November 2012 14

The Morrisville-eaTon CenTer sTagers

PresenT

Friday, noveMber 16, 2012and

saTurday, noveMber 17, 2012

7:30 P.M.

Middle/high sChool audiToriuM

TiCkeTs are $6 advanCe sale and $7 aT door

TiCkeTs Can be PurChased FroM any CasT MeMber,

FroM eiTher sChool oFFiCe, or aT dougherTy’s PharMaCy.

DISTRICT NEWS

November 201215

DISTRICT NEWS

a MESSagE FroM our atHLEtiC Coordinator, CHriStoPHEr doroSHEnko

CongratulationstoalltheMECSModified,JVandVarsityfallsportsteams.Weareveryproudofyouall!Iwouldalsolike to thank all of the coaches, athletes and parents for your time and dedication to Morrisville Eaton athletics.

Thegirlsfieldhockeyandsoccerteamsbothhavequalifiedforpostseasonplay.Thefieldhockeyteamearneda#4seedinsectionalsandwerenamedtheCSCWesternDivisionCo-Champions.Thegirlssoccerteamqualifiedforsectionalplayasthe#5seedandhasplaced2ndCSCDivision3.

We would like to thank Morrisville State College and its staff for the use of the college stadium for a number of games and practices this fall. It is a great experience for our young athletes to be able to play at this facility.

Againthisfall,wehadacombinedteamwithHamiltonCSinFootballattheModifiedandVarsitylevels.Ithasbeenagreat experience for all those who are involved and I have had a lot of positive feedback.

Congratulations to the 2012 Girls Varsity Field Hockey Team. They were the Center State Conference Western Divi-sion Co-Champions with a 7-2-1 record. Team members are from left to right (front row) Hayley Brown, Sandy Clark, Kathryn Parkhurst, Meghan Klish, Robin Latham, Rebecca Davis and Justice Armstong. (back row) Lacy Westcott, Nata-lie Diable, Margaret Collins, Jesse Woodruff, Jessi Carroll, Lauren Kellum and Jennifer Hilts. They are coached by Patti Vaughan and assisted by Cadi New.

girLS varSity FiELd HoCkEy tEaM

girLS varSity SoCCEr SEniorS iMPortant Starting datES For

tHE wintEr SEaSon:-ModifiedVolleyballandWrestling will start November 1st - Varsity Wrestling will start November 5th-JV&VarsityBasketball&Volleyball will start November 12th -ModifiedBoysandGirlsBasketball will star January 7th

November 2012 16

Morrisville-Eaton Central SchoolP. O. Box 990Morrisville, New York 13408

BULK RATEU. S. Postage Paid

Morrisville, NY 13408Permit#9

Non-ProfitOrganization

Postal Customer orRural Route Box Holder

rEguLar board oF EduCation MEEting

Monday, novEMbEr 26, 2012 MiddLE/HigH SCHooL Library

7:00 PMPubLiC wELCoME

BOARD OF EDUCATION:Marian Whitney, President

Jacalyn Groves, Vice-PresidentMurry Ames

Nichole DoroshenkoMelanie Martin

SCHOOL PERSONNEL: Michael Drahos, Superintendent

Debra Everson, Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Support Services

Christopher Brewer, M/HS PrincipalDebra Dushko, Elementary Principal

Molly Wheaton, CSE ChairpersonChris Doroshenko, Coordinator of Athletics

Tina Hankins, Head Bus DriverJanine Anderalli, Guidance Counselor

Michele Cesta, Guidance CounselorShelly Kempton, Social Worker

Ann Marie Martorana, M/H School NurseMary Ellen Burt, Elementary Nurse

SCHOOL PHONE NUMBERS: DistrictOffice .................................... 684-9300BusinessOffice ................................. 684-9158Middle/HighSchoolOffice ............... 684-9121ElementarySchoolOffice ................. 684-9288SpecialProgramsOffice ................... 684-3639Head Bus Driver ............................... 684-3014GuidanceOffice ................................ 684-9196M/H School Nurse ............................ 684-5903M/H School Maintenance ................. 684-7032

FAX NUMBERS:DistrictOffice ....................684-9399BusinessOffice .................684-9171M/HSchoolOffice ............684-7033Elem.SchoolOffice ..........684-7252GuidanceOffice ................684-9192

SCHOOL ADDRESS: Morrisville-Eaton Central SchoolP.O. Box 990Morrisville, NY 13408

WEBSITE: WWW.M-ECS.ORG

DISTRICT NEWS

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

wE HoPE you HavE a wondErFuL HoLiday SEaSon!