Schools prepare for opening day

TRI-COUNTY AREA--With fall approaching, school districts are preparing for the first day of school. This includes finishing up construction projects on school grounds and making sure faculty and staff are prepared to implement new educational resources.
In Penn Yan, the first day of school is Tuesday, Sept. 8 from 8:45 a.m. to 3:20 p.m. at the elementary school, 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the middle school and 7:35 a.m. to 2:18 p.m. at the academy. There are 1,474 total students in the district this year, with 643 at the elementary, 314 at the middle school and 517 at the academy. Edward Foote, Kelly Johnson and David Pullen return as principals this year.
Superintendent Howard Dennis said the elementary school will continue the pick-up process that was piloted last year, while the middle school will have a special schedule on the first day to help students acclimate to the new year.
"We have a very positive outlook and renewed focus on the goals set out by the board of education," Dennis said. "All administrative positions are now filled with permanent staff."
Dennis said the middle school roof, fiber lines and district-wide wireless access point projects are done, while the middle school atrium skylight replacement will be done early this fall. He added PYE has refreshed the look and use of the great room, noting a grant from the True Value foundation and Carey's allowed for fresh paint in many areas. Dennis said there have been slight adjustments in the student code of conduct, but added those will be reviewed on opening day with the students.
In Dundee, some 754 students will be attending class Tuesday, Sept. 8 for the 2015-16 school year. There are 377 students enrolled in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade, while all others are enrolled in seventh through 12th grade. The building principals are the same as last year, with Laurie Hopkins-Halbert returning as elementary principal and Chris Arnold continuing as junior and senior high school principal.
"Each year we continue to focus on creating the strongest educational program for our students, and this year is no different," Superintendent Kelly Houck said. "We will continue to work on curriculum PreK-12 and in all content areas. We are moving forward with our STEM [science, technology, engineering and math] initiative district wide and we have also adopted a new master schedule at the seventh through 12th grade levels that will encompass an eight period day."
Houck said the elementary student dismissal time will not begin until 2:36 p.m. which will result in many students having approximately 20 minutes of additional class time daily. She added the district is awaiting notification from the state education department regarding a grant application to expand the pre-kindergarten program by opening a third, full-day classroom and also collaborating with the Dundee Children's Center to provide full-day programming for 3-year-olds at the Dundee Children's Center site.
"This year also brings the welcomed addition of the DCS field house," Houck said. "We will be having a ribbon cutting ceremony Saturday, Oct. 3 which is also our homecoming weekend. [...] We have also made some more definitive changes to our elementary drop off procedures that parents should be aware of."
Houck said the back loop is to be used for parents and families that are just dropping off their children, not for those who are going to park and walk their children inside the school. For those parents wishing to park and escort their children in the building, Houck noted the parking lot located by the the loop and elementary/district office entrance has been made available for this purpose. She said this is an attempt to create the safest procedures and protocols for students to enter and exit the building.
In Hammondsport, the first day of school will be Sept. 8 from 7:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. There are some 500 students in the district, with 270 of the being in Pre-K through sixth grade. Michelle Sincerbox will be the elementary principal while Tad Rounds returns as the junior/senior high school principal.
Superintendent Kyle Bower said the school day has been extended 10 minutes until 2:30 p.m. Students will be dismissed at 2:30 p.m. with the second bus run at approximately 3:20 p.m.
"[Our outlook is] very positive," Bower said. "Local curriculum development projects over the past year have gone very well so we look forward to implementing a rigorous, locally developed curriculum in English language arts and mathematics in grades Pre-K through 12th this year."
Bower noted the district goals this year include continuing to refine student intervention systems at all levels, increasing student access to higher level coursework in grades 10-12, and working with the community to investigate pathway options for the seventh through 12th grade students.
"We will be providing all students in grades seven-12 with Chromebooks to be used as an instructional tool throughout the day," Bower said. "We currently provide iPads to all students in grades one through six and this will extend the one-to-one program through to our seniors. Grades seven and eight will be switching from iPads to Chromebooks after a pilot project last year revealed that the Chromebook will be the most suitable tool for those grade levels."
Bower said the district has added several high school courses such as Engineering Your World, Gemini Pre-Calculus through FLCC, and AP Language and Composition this year. He also noted the district will be returning to the policy where cell phones must be kept in student lockers during the school day.
Watkins Glen will begin their school year Wednesday, Sept. 9 from 7:55 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. at the elementary school and for grades seven through nine. The regular schedule for all students begins Thursday, Sept. 10 grades seven through 12 from 7:52 a.m. to 2:47 p.m.
Superintendent Tom Phillips said there are 1,160 students in the district this year, with 600 of them in the elementary school.
"At the high school we are doing a 'soft opening' for grades seven, eight and nine on Sept. 9," Phillips said. "During the first week there will be grade level and class meetings to review expectations and rules and regulations. On Thursday, Dr. Joe Martin will be meeting with both the elementary and high school students and staff to discuss the importance of culture and respect for all as part of our focus on the character counts initiative."
Phillips said the district's focus will shift from facility and program re-organization to using data to inform them on student achievement and instructional practices. He said additionally, they are looking to start a strategic planning process in which they focus on mission and vision development with a futuristic look at Watkins Glen in the year 2030.
"We are in the process of providing all of our buses with Wi-Fi access for students in an effort to increase access for our students," Phillips said. "We are implementing a School Based Health Clinic in collaboration with Schuyler Hospital. The clinic will be open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8 to 10 a.m. and students will be seen on a scheduled basis as well as drop-in. Parents will receive extensive information related to this service and can opt to return the required information to enroll their child or children in the Health Clinic program. Basically this will be a Primary Care clinic."
Phillips noted the district completed the new entrances to both the elementary and high schools providing for monitored entrances and a higher level of security for the campuses. He said the new outdoor restroom facilities have been completed in the athletic complex area, while new lighting in both the field house and pool will provide better viewing for spectators and make the competition venue better for athletes. The district has also expanded the Bring Your Own Device initiative to include students in grades seven through 12.
Odessa-Montour will have their first day of school Wednesday, Sept. 9 beginning at 8:10 a.m. The principals this year will be Roni Lewis at the BC Cate elementary school (kindergarden through grade two), Rob Francishelli at the Howard A. Hanlon elementary school (grades three through six) and Almon McCarty at the Odessa-Montour junior/senior high school (grades seven through 12). There are 800 total students in the district with 220 at BC Cate, 220 at Hanlon and 360 at O-M.
Superintendent Chris Wood advises students and parents to pay attention to bus times on the first day of school, adding they typically are later returning home due to younger students transitioning from one bus to the next. He noted there is a significant change in leadership for this year, as only one person in the administration is in the same role they were last year. Wood also mentioned for the 2015-16 school year, there will be more accelerated college education (ACE) courses available to students. He said there will be no ongoing construction during the first day of school.
"We expect to be productive and we are ready for a fun year," Wood said.