Superintendent Blog Post - May 31, 2019

In this blog post there is some information about the capital project work, my welcome letter for the Calico Ball, and some information about a couple of free events worth checking out this weekend.

Capital Project Begins

Bulldozers were sighted behind Beacon High School today to begin the work for our new athletic field!  Most of the work of the capital project is taking place this summer.  In addition to the new turf field behind the high school, we are also working on a renovated science, home and careers, and special education classrooms at Rombout, and repairs and upgrades at all of our schools.  We will update the community on the progress of this work through social media and blog posts throughout the summer.  You can find out more information about the capital project here:   https://www.beaconk12.org/domain/437

30th Calico Ball next week!

A few quick things about the Calico Ball.  We are celebrating the 30th year of the performance, the district is now back to funding it in our regular budget, and most importantly, a huge thanks to the Beacon Arts and Education Foundation for keeping it going for so many years.  Below is my welcome letter in the Calico Ball program.

Welcome to the 30th Calico Ball!  This treasured tradition has a remarkable history in our district.  For three decades, BCSD students have taken the stage to demonstrate how they have expanded their understanding of cultures around the world through dance, music and storytelling .  It has become a rite of passage for our third graders and a powerful learning experience. No doubt there are many parents in the audience who participated in the Ball themselves! Special thanks to the Vanaver Caravan for bringing this opportunity into our classrooms for so many years and to all of our teachers and support staff for deepening students’ experiences with in depth studies of the countries that their class is focussed on.

In 2010, theThe district was faced with the difficult decision to pull the Calico Ball from the budget but luckily, the program did not end there.  Pete Seeger, a long-time supporter of the Ball, generously donated to the Beacon Arts & Education Foundation (BAEF) in order to keep the tradition alive and BAEF took up the torch from there.  I am grateful to the Beacon Arts & Education Foundation (BAEF) for keeping the Ball alive for the last nine years. This year I am very proud to announce that this great piece of out of the box programming is back in the district budget!!

Thanks again to co-presidents Lori Merhige and Anna Bergin for your support and advocacy during the past three Calico Ball seasons and for all of the programming you have made possible through fundraising for this district! Your leadership has made a huge difference!

A Couple of Free Events Worth Checking out this Weekend!

On Saturday, June 1 from 12:00-4:00 I AM Beacon is hosting the Rock Out 4 Mental Health Event at Pete & Toshi Seeger Riverfront Park.  The event is free and a chance to connect with community members, learn more about resources available to those in need in our community, and enjoy great music.

On Saturday, June 1 at 9:00 am the Beacon Greenway Trail Committee and the City of Beacon will be hosting a walk of the Fishkill Creek Greenway and Heritage Trail.

The event will begin at 9 am at the Scenic Hudson's River Center (aka Red Barn) at Long Dock Park and cover the entirety of the planned length of the Trail in Beacon, approximately 4 miles. The walk will end at the The Lofts at Beacon (Rte 52 and Mill Street). Shuttle service will be provided to get walkers back to Long Dock Park.

The event coincides with National Trails Day, a celebration of America’s magnificent Trail system. With this walk, the organizers hope to encourage Trail use in general, and to specifically spread awareness of Beacon’s Fishkill Creek Greenway and Heritage Trail.

The walk is expected to take roughly 2 hours. All are encouraged to join for the walk of the entire length or any portion of the Trail.

Please come out for the event to see parts of Beacon you may have never seen, and experience firsthand Beacon’s Fishkill Creek Greenway and Heritage Trail.

For additional information and updates, please refer to Beacon’s Facebook event page at https://www.facebook.com/beaconny/.

Dear Community Members:

I am honored to serve as the Superintendent of the Beacon City School District.

We work on the budget year-round by listening to constituents, analyzing current programs, and prioritizing programs and positions for upcoming years.  This year along with meeting with staff, community members, and PTOs, I also met with about 150 students from grades 5-12 in over 10 different focus groups to discuss their hopes and dreams for the school district and the school budget.  This listening process helps us refine and improve the budget process on a continual basis.

During this school year, the Beacon City School District embarked on a journey to begin a strategic planning process.  A strategic planning committee comprised of teachers, parents, community members, administrators, and board members worked throughout the school year to develop a mission statement, belief statements,  and a list of desired skills, abilities, and attributes that we want all of our students to leave our school district embodying. I feel that the 2019-2020 budget proposal is a strong initial reflection of this strategic work.  

The budget development process also took place at many board meetings over the last several months with each department head discussing their budget proposal with the Board of Education.  You can find all of the presentations to the board here:  https://www.beaconk12.org/domain/418 .

The result of this very involved process is a proposed 2019-2020 budget of $73,563,000 with a levy increase of 4.4 percent.  The proposed budget is an increase of 3.1 percent from last year.

The proposed 2019-2020 budget specifically supports several key initiatives in the district.  The budget further reduces elementary class sizes, continues the funding of the fourth-grade instrumental music program which was grant funded this year,  and adds a business teacher, social worker, and a half-time art teacher to Beacon High School. Additionally, the budget supports increased coursework at Beacon High School including expanded computer science offerings, introduction to Italian, an additional AP English class, and other electives.  Finally, our access to technology tools continues to expand with Beacon High School offering a 1:1 Chromebook program for its students and high school classrooms will gain interactive teaching screens.

I am very proud to put this budget in front of the community.  Please let me know if you have questions, suggestions, or feedback.

Please remember to vote on Tuesday, May 21, 2019.  The polls are open from 7:00 am until 9:00 pm.

Matt Landahl, Superintendent of Schools

A message from The Wellness Committee

Did you know that the Beacon City School District has a Wellness Policy? It’s all about promoting healthy students and staff. Last year, the Wellness Committee updated the policy to make sure students have the tools they need to learn and grow into healthy adults. Positive changes, like more outdoor recess and more access to fresh lunch options, support growing minds and bodies, and help create a lifetime of healthy habits. Over the next few months, we’ll share details about the policy, what it means, and more resources to help families boost those habits home.

You find the complete Wellness Policy here, or request a copy by calling your school’s main office at 845-838-6900.

More info about physical and emotional wellness for kids and parents can be found at infoaboutkids.org. At parenttoolkit.com/topics/health-and-wellness, get tips on everything from building good eating habits to helping teens learn how to make positive personal choices.

Beacon High School - Beacon Pride Mural

The Beacon High School students worked very hard alongside Joe Pimentel to complete the Beacon Pride Mural.  We are all very excited to see all of their hard work come to fruition.  

Superintendent Blog Post - April 26, 2019

I am hosting a Spring Conversation Tour of the Community. On the tour I will be discussing:

• The Strategic Coherence Plan
• Annual school district budget vote
• New developments

 

Come and share your observations, concerns and visions for our kids, community and the future. Join the conversation!

• Sunday, April 28, 2019, from 6:30 - 8:30 PM. at Beacon Light Tabernacle SDA Church (1 min. drive north of Dutchess Stadium)

          1568 Route 9D, Wappingers Falls, NY 12590 (845) 440-0148

• Thursday, May 2, from 7 – 9 PM at Beacon Recreation Center - 23 West Center Street, Beacon, NY 12508 (845) 765-2470

• Thursday, May 16, from 4:30 – 5:30 PM at Howland Library 313 Main St., Beacon, NY 12508

 

Star Student - Aiden Buggs - Sargent Elementary School  

  

Aiden Buggs is a kind, hard-working and determined student in Ms. Lizewski's fifth grade class. He is driven to do well in all that he does, both in his academic work as well as in sports and in helping others. Aiden is compassionate towards both his peers as well as adults and is always willing to go the extra mile to help someone out. Aiden can face challenges with a smile and has a rare talent of making an entire room light up! Aiden is a committed member of the Sargent Band, as well as the Morning News crew.

Employee Recognition - Donna Pavone - JVF  

  

Donna Pavone is a Teaching Assistant (TA) at JVF, she specifically serves in the capacity of a Literacy TA. She works hand in hand with Mr. Coumbes (Reading Specialist) in providing students and staff with supports to be successful readers and learners. Donna is a dedicated staff member who cares about our students and wants to see them succeed! Her love for literacy is contagious and we are appreciative to have her as a member of our school community!