HUDSON CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT NEWS
Governor's Budget: We Need Your Help
Are you concerned with Governor Paterson's proposed budget for 2010-11? Please help us communicate with elected officials on how his proposal would impact Hudson City School District. Go here for more information.
Hudson CSD Budget Survey - We want to hear from you!
Based on the budget proposed by Governor Paterson, the Hudson City School District is facing a significant state aid cut for the 2010-2011 school year of approximately 1.3 million dollars. Our school district is evaluating all programs and expenses so that we will be able to make up for the significant cuts we anticipate from the state. The Board of Education seeks your input as we develop our budget during these difficult times.
Please respond to the questions here – your input is needed and valued!
Board of Education Meeting and Budget Workshop Schedule
Click here to view a schedule of Board Meetings and Budget Workshop dates for March and April.
Parents in Partnership Open House
Parents in Partnership will be holding an Open House on Tuesday, March 16 at 6:30pm in the Junior High School Cafeteria. All parents and community members are invited to attend. To learn more about Parents in Partnership click here.
National Read Across America Day at HCSD
Students celebrated National Read Across America Day (NRAA), also the birthday of Dr. Seuss, on March 2. NRAA is an annual reading awareness and motivational program that calls for every child in a community to celebrate reading. This was the district’s first year participating and the event was a huge success! Click here for more.
Hudson Junior High School Odyssey of the Mind Team Takes 3rd Place!
Congratulations to the Hudson Junior High School Odyssey of the Mind team for taking 3rd place in their division at this year’s Odyssey of the Mind Competition! This is the first time Hudson has won a medal at an Odyssey of the Mind competition. Click here for more.
Hudson CSD to Host Spring All-County Music Festival
On Friday, March 5 the Hudson CSD will host the Columbia County Music Educators Association Spring All-County Festival. The event will feature over two-hundred talented music students from Columbia County performing in ensembles including the Elementary Band, High School Band and Junior High School Chorus.
The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. in the High School Auditorium and all are welcome.
Attention Greenport Residents
Due to the closure of Greenport Elementary School, the new polling place for Greenport residents for all district elections will be Greenport Pumper Company #1 at 216 Green Street (across from Cedar Park Cemetery/Newman Road). Please contact the district office at 828-4360, ext. 2100, if you have any questions.
District Seeks Parent Participation in Shared Decision Making Plan
At the February 22, 2010 BOE meeting, the Shared Decision Making Plan (SDM) originally written in 1994 (and recertified in 1996 and 2002) was recertified to bring us into compliance with the Commissioner’s Regulation Section 100.11 (CR 100.11) which includes the requirement of biennial reviews.
The SDM Plan was recertified with the understanding that it must be revised and updated. Each building will work with (or establish) a School Leadership Team (SLT) that has the participation of parents (including those not employed by the district), teachers and administrators in school-based planning and shared decision making. The SLT will meet regularly with a District Leadership Team (DLT) comprised of members from each SLT. The DLT will meet quarterly to discuss joint topics of interest and to review the district-level plan in preparation for the biennial review and report due in February of 2012 and biennially thereafter.
An agenda and minutes of such meetings will be kept on file. It was further recommended that the plan be edited to shorten sentence structure, reduce repetition of language and align the key ideas over the next two years. Should any school be designated by the state, the SLT would take over the task of developing a Comprehensive Education Plan without losing site of the need for participation in the DLT and the biennial review of the SDM Plan.
The full text of Commissioner’s Regulation 100.11 can be found on the web here.
The time and place of School and District Leadership Teams will be announced. If you are interested in participating, please contact the Office of the Assistant Superintendent at 828-4360 Ext. 2134.View the District's Shared Decision Making Plan here.
NYU College of Dentistry Returns to HCSD
During the week of February 8th the New York University Dental Program returned to the HCSD spending time at John L. Edwards Primary School.
The program focuses primarily on providing dental care to children who have no dental insurance. The program also provides more than just preventive dental care. At each appointment students can receive services such as fluoride treatments, sealants, x-rays, restorations, fillings, root canals and extractions. Students also receive education on how to properly clean their teeth and gums.
The NYU dental team will return in June to examine and work on teeth of MCSIS students. The program is funded by the New York Health Foundation.
Task Force on Student Academic Performance Presents Final Report
Task force on Student Academic Performance(TFSAP) Chairman, Peter Meyer, presented the team's final report to the Board of Education at the February 22nd meeting. The Task Force was established by the Board last June, with a mandate of recommending to the Board ways the District could improve academic achievement. The full report may be viewed here.
Sophomore at Hudson High School Chosen to Participate in Rotary Student Youth Exchange Program
Krystov Fout, a sophomore at Hudson High School, received a $500 scholarship from Director of Investments in Youth, Pat Maloy, at a gathering held in his honor.
Krystov has been selected to participate in the Rotary Student Youth Exchange Program for the Class of 2010-2011. This program is a tremendous adventure allowing thousands of young people to travel to distant parts of the world to live and attend school. The prime purpose of the program is to promote an international understanding by granting young people a unique opportunity to broaden their knowledge and widen their horizons.
Krystov will learn of the country he will be traveling to in March. The district is proud of this fine young man and wishes him the best as he embarks on this educational journey.
Security Drill at the Montgomery C. Smith Intermediate School - February 19, 2010
In order to ensure the effectiveness of our emergency procedures, the district conducted a Security Drill this morning at 9:30 a.m. in the Intermediate School. The drill was held in conjunction with the Hudson Police Department, Columbia County law enforcement and the New York State Police. Read more.
2nd Annual Hudson Children’s Book Festival
FREE BOOKS, GOOD FOOD, BIG FUN
The 2nd Annual Hudson Children’s Book Festival is scheduled for Saturday, May 1 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Hudson Junior/Senior High School. This year’s event will feature over 100 authors and illustrators including John Farrell, Hudson Talbott and Gail Carson Levine. Children of all ages are invited to attend and will receive a free book donated by the Hudson River Bank and Trust Foundation.
Radio Disney will again broadcast live from the event, thank you to our sponsor Fidelis Care for this opportunity. Children will be able to meet and talk with the authors and illustrators of their favorite books. The day will also include entertainment, face painting and food. Thank you to our sponsors-- Investments in Youth, the Hudson City School District and Hudson-Catskill Newspapers. Admission to the Festival is free!
April Academic Academy
As part of the M. C. Smith’s Comprehensive Educational Plan, we will be utilizing a portion of the school improvement allocation to conduct April Academic Academy the week of April 5, 2010. The academy will specifically target the area identified for improvement. Read more.
New Director of Student Services
The Hudson City School District welcomes Kim Lybolt as the new Director of Student Services. We are pleased to have Mrs. Lybolt as a member of our Bluehawk team!
MCSIS Students Receive Needed Dental Care
More than 1,000 children in the Hudson City School District received dental care last week and more will in February thanks to an innovative program of the New York University College of Dentistry. The college offered its service in a public school for the first time when it was in Montgomery C. Smith from Dec. 7-11. Read more.
Missed the Community Budget Meetings? See the Power Point
Two public information sessions on the HCSD budget process were conducted Nov. 30 and Dec. 7. The meetings were developed in response to a survey conducted last year on the district Web site, with an eye toward increasing public participation in the process. Superintendent Jack Howe's power point presentation from those meetings lays out parameters of the budget considerations, such as timetable, expenditures and revenues. View the presentation.
LEFT: Business Manager Dan Barrett, Superintendent Jack Howe and Rotary Club President Greg Fingar, in Mr. Howe's office, brainstorm how to get people out to the sessions. Photo: Robert Ragaini/Hudson-Catskill Newspapers
What's Happening at M. C. Smith Intermediate School
Fourth grade students in Mrs. Curry and Ms. Merwin's classes collected items, boxed them up and sent care packages to local soldiers in Iran and Afghanistan.
Students in Mrs. Palmentier's and Mrs. Risch's classes concluded their unit on Native Americans by building longhouses.
MCSIS students have been participating in the "six-word memoir" project, summing up an important time in their lives in six words.
Read More at the MCSIS homepage.
What's Happening at John L. Edwards Primary School
Mrs. Zito's first grade students helped the Hudson Police Department get ready for Winter Walk by decorating their storefront window. The event is a 20-year-old tradition. Read more at the JLE home page.
High School teacher Mrs. Howe and first grade teacher Ms. Brown are helping their students bridge the generation gap. Once a week they "buddy up" to read together or do special projects, like making holiday cards for U.S. military personnel and veterans.
District's New Arts and Humanities Fund Gets a Big Start
An anonymous donor has made a gift of $200,000 to launch the Hudson City School District’s new Arts and Humanities Fund, established by the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation. Of that amount, $l00,000 is a challenge to the community to match the gift for a permanent endowment by 2014. The other $100,000 will come in five annual installments of $20,000 for five years for immediate grantmaking. The purpose of the fund is to enhance and enrich the educational experience of students and teachers in the district through access to programs in the arts and humanities that emphasize excellence, innovation and creativity. Read story from the Register-Star.
HHS Food Drive Helps Local Food Pantries
More than 450 canned and boxed food items were donated to local food pantries by HHS home rooms the week of Thanksgiving as the result of a food drive conducted by the National Honor Society.
Committee Forming to Assess and Improve Curriculum
Members are being sought for a new committee of the Board of Education that has been formed to oversee the development, assessment and improvement of the schools' educational programs. Learn more.
Updates on H1N1 Flu
Read updates from the NY State Department of Health about the H1N1 Flu in New York, and learn what the symptoms are and what to do if you or your child gets the flu, by clicking on the following links:
- - Click here to read the Nov. 12 update regarding H1N1 influenza
- - Centers for Disease Control Flu Guide for Parents
- - Update on H1N1 from the NYS Department of Health
- - What to do if you get the flu
- - H1N1 Information for Students and Parents, from the NYS Dept. of Health
HHS Grads Making Waves
Several Hudson High School alumni have been recognized for their achievements post-graduation. First, Jill Cozza-Turner, class of 1995, won a daytime Emmy Award for her writing on the PBS children's series, WordWorld.
Gary Sheffer, class of 1978, head of communications at General Electric Co., addressed the Columbia County Economic Development Corporation CEO Roundtable on the topic of how Columbia County fits into the larger economic picture.
Intermediate School Parent Group Raises $5,500
In its first fundraiser of the year, the MC Smith organization of parents and educators, HOPE, raised $5,500 by selling candles. Top selling classes were rewarded with pizza parties.
'Hudson Reads' Moves from Tea to Spiders
The HCSD community reading program "Hudson Reads" began its discussion of "Charlotte's Web," by E.B. White, Monday, Nov. 9. The group meets from 6 to 7:30 p.m. every Monday at the Hudson Opera House, 327 Warren St., Hudson. "Hudson Reads" completed its journey through Greg Mortenson's "Three Cups of Tea" with a group reading by local political, educational and cultural leaders Nov. 2.
Elks Donate Reference Works to 3rd and 5th Graders
Members of the Hudson Elks Lodge brought gifts of dictionaries to all third-grade students and thesauruses to all fifth-graders on Friday, Oct. 30 at M.C. Smith Intermediate School. A toal of two-hundred-seventy-five books were distributed.
How to Access the Swimming Pool
Those who come to the early morning lap swimming from Monday through Saturday may enter the building from the rear parking lot near the loading dock, on the south side of the junior high school. At other times, access should be available from front or back doors. More Pool Information…
Get Yourself Ready for the Job Market
Are you an HCSD student 14 or older and thinking about entering the working world sometime in the future? Then the YES Program may be for you. YES stands for Youth Employment Services Program, it's free, it will prepare you for employment and it could lead to a paid internship. Learn more.
Hudson's 'Culture of Literacy' Focus of SUNY Newsletter
The University at Albany's Center on English Learning and Achievement devotes most of its September 2009 newsletter, "Partnership for Literacy," to the Hudson Children's Book Festival and developments in literacy in the classroom and community. See newsletter.
Hudson Senior Named AP Scholar
High School Senior Alex Ebel has been honored as an AP Scholar for his outstanding performance on the Advanced Placement tests administered in the spring semester of 2009. The award is granted to a student who achieves grades of 3 or higher on three or more AP Exams. Alex scored 4's in Biology and World History, and 3 in U.S. History. Currently, he's taking the New Visions course in Law and Government as well as AP courses in English and Criminal Justice. He is looking into various colleges as he considers life after HHS.
New Upcoming Events Calendar
A new district-wide calendar that will be continually updated is now available on this Web site. To access it, go to “UPCOMING EVENTS” on your left and directly under that click “District Calendar.” The current month's calendar will appear. Under “Category” at the top center of the page, scroll to which event dates you want to view, Board of Education, District, Faculty or any one of the district’s five schools, or “All” to view district events as a whole. To move to the next month, click on the highlighted name of the month in the upper right-hand corner.
Fall Registration Forms Now Available Here
Click here to go to Registration Page.
HIGH SCHOOL POOL INFORMATION
The Hudson High Pool offers a number of programs, including regular public swimming sessions, adult lap swimming, opening swimming, and water aerobics classes. More Pool Information…