November/December
2006
Editor: Bethany Burgess, LMSW
SUPERINTENDENT’S
CORNER
I would like to share with you again a
story that I feel fulfills my wishes for you. The story was written by
Brian Morgan and is titled The Legend of the Christmas Prayer. The
story goes that there was once a man who wanted give something special to
his friend’s for them to celebrate the Holidays. After thinking long and
hard the man came up with what I feel any Holiday should include. Here is
what he gave:
On the first day of Christmas, I pray for you joy in abundance and laughter, for laughter cures our ills and joy makes our spirits soar.
On the second day of Christmas, I pray a sigh when you need one, for a sigh clears the heart as a cough clears the throat, and with a sigh comes acceptance of what we cannot change.
On the third day of Christmas, I pray for you tears when you need them, for tears clear the eyes to see the stars and cleanse the soul to let healing begin.
On the fourth day of Christmas, I pray for you serenity, for the fights and wars start in individual breasts and that is where they might end.
On the fifth day of Christmas, I pray for you wisdom, for our priceless gift is the gift of choice – and we should use it every day, in word and deed.
On the sixth day of Christmas, I pray for you patience, for most troubles pass if we wait them out, and success comes with persistence.
On the seventh day of Christmas, I pray for you courage for there may be pitfalls and dangers ahead and problems can only be solved when they are faced.
On the eighth day of Christmas, I pray for you compassion, for we cannot help others until we understand them, and we cannot understand them until we walk in their shoes.
On the ninth day of Christmas, I pray for you a willingness to work, for work turns dreams to reality --- whether the dreams are ours or belong to those we can help.
On the tenth day of Christmas, I pray for you unwavering faith, for faith shapes our morals and our destiny and draws us closer to God.
On the eleventh day of Christmas, I pray for you a mind full of hope, for hope determines our attitudes, sets our goals, and creates our ideals.
On the twelfth day of Christmas, I pray for you a heart so full of love that every day you must give some away to those whose paths you cross.
This story has been sent around the world over the years to people of all faiths and now it comes to you. I wish a Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to all. May this New Year bring you health and happiness.
NYSSB
Family Association
Thanks to the Parent Network of Western New York, Ron Hager and Stacie Ricioppo for our December 8th training on:
Overview of Special Education and Individualized Education Programs (IEPs).
There was a great turn out with a few of our parents and we were able to
welcome in parents from other school districts around WNY to show them what
a great facility we have! We hope the Parent Network of Western New York
will come back and share more trainings with us!
What’s Happening in the Classrooms?
| Unit 1 | Unit 2 | Unit 3 | Unit 4 | Unit 5 | Unit 6 |
| Unit 7 | Unit 8 | Unit 9 | Unit 10 | Unit 11 |
Unit 1
Jamie Hermance, Kathy Babcock, Tricia Morse
Unit 1 has been busy learning this November! Our learning takes place in a variety of atmospheres and we feel this is how the students learn the best! We went to the park in the beginning of the month to observe the leaves, rake the leaves and then jump in them. We observed the changes that leaves make throughout the year and why they fall off of the trees. We then felt the leaves and noticed if they were crunchy or not.
We went to John F. Kennedy School and made Thankful Turkeys with the students there. We made turkeys from construction paper and on the feathers we wrote what we were thankful for. There were so many different things we all were thankful for. Hyesoo was thankful for fruit, Tendra was thankful for her keyboard, Justin was thankful for his family, Maria was thankful for music, and Sarah was thankful for everyone who helps take care of her. We certainly are a thankful classroom!
For Thanksgiving we made placemats that the students laminated and took home to use. Our hope is that they will be able to use them for the next few years and think of school when they do and how important school is. We made our own Thanksgiving Feast the last day before vacation. We went to Martins and bought everything and then we made our Feast together the next day. We had turkey, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, yams and a great dessert!
The end of the month was special too because we got to reflect on our Thanksgiving breaks, what we did and how much we ate! December brings a special time because of the many holidays and great opportunities to learn about many different cultures. We know it will be just as productive and fun as November!
Unit 1 has had a fun and very educational December! We learned about many holidays that are celebrated in December including Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. For Christmas, we read a few books, decorated a tree and made our own ornaments for the tree. For Hanukkah, we researched it on the computer, made a hand print menorah and ate potato latkes. For Kwanzaa we read a book that gave a child’s perspective of Kwanzaa, strung beads and ate fried bananas. Each of the activities we have done associated with these holidays has revolved around using tactile skills as well as all of our senses. In addition, each of these activities has helped expand our cultural knowledge base.
We have put up many decorations for the holiday season. The students made a lot of the decorations and the ones that the students did not make, they helped to hang up. We are really proud of the students and their hard work at making the holiday decorations. They have really made the classroom and hallway look beautiful! We went to the John Kennedy School for one of our outings this month and students from both schools made a vanilla and chocolate pie. We did this because our word of the week was pie!
Unit 1 would like to wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season!
Unit 2
Anne Bird, Diane Bassett, Mary Beth Demmer, Grace West
November was “O” so fun in Unit 2! We started off the month by going on an “animal safari” with the rest of our school friends. We got to see and feel different kinds of stuffed animals and furs. It was a great sensory experience. We talked about different kinds of birds this month, focusing on owls (one of our “o” words) and turkeys (Thanksgiving). We encouraged the students to be “curious owls” by asking and answering “who” questions. We also discussed “opposites” (another of our “o” words) and played a game of “Simon Says do the opposite”. That was hard!
We had the most fun with our activities relating to Thanksgiving. Everyone enjoyed doing the “turkey pokey” and playing a game of “pass the turkey”. We sang an interactive song about getting ready for Thanksgiving Day – everyone had a part to do in the song and had to be prepared when their turn came to keep the song flowing. It was a fun group project.
What a perfectly wonderful December we have had in Unit 2! We centered many of our activities around the upcoming Christmas holiday. Our main project was making presents (one of our “P” words) for our families. We also played a game called “pass the presents” and everyone ended up with a present of their own at the end of the game. This month we went on a field trip to see a theater production of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”. It was a lot of fun, and I was proud of all of my students for being a good audience. Afterwards we went to Pizza Hut for lunch and everyone remembered to use their restaurant manners. It was a fun day!
December was a very musical month, with a blues band concert for our “Big Event” day and our annual Christmas sing-a-long. We also did a dance called the “candy cane twist” – it was a fun way to work on following directions.
Unit 3
Jackie Cackett, Amy Klein, Sue McGregor, Tammy Pestlin
November kept us hopping here in Unit 3. We started our month with an interesting trip. The whole school was able to go to "Blind Kids on Safari". The trip was offered right down the street at the VA Hospital here in Batavia. It was a collection of stuffed wild animals and pelts that gave the students a truly wonderful sensory experience. The kids got to feel the fur, feathers and skins of several different animals. Deer, birds, alligators, a bear, and even our school mascot - the cougar - to name a few. The kids worked hard on their Thanksgiving projects. We made "Thankful Baskets" that were cut outs of multi-colored leaves with a little statement of what each student was thankful for. We sent them home for families to use as a centerpiece on their Thanksgiving tables. Of course we made turkeys to send home as well. The kids enjoyed making these. We traced their feet to use for the body of the turkey and their hands for the feathers. A magnet was stuck to the backs for them to hang out on their fridge at home. Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with their families and friends!! See you next month with more classroom news!
December went flying by for us here in Unit 3. We have been busy with decorating our classroom, setting up our Christmas tree with our Christmas village underneath, and making our presents to send home to the families and friends. The kids did a beautiful job on our gingerbread man chain we created for the big Christmas tree on display in the main lobby of Severne Hall. We played on the computer trying to find different Santa Claus websites. Our favorite was www.claus.com because there was a Nice-o-Meter where we were able to check our Nice or Naughty status!! We tried to squeeze in all our favorite classic holiday movies......"Frosty the Snowman," "The Year There Without a Santa Claus", and of course "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" just to name a few. What a special treat we had when Mr. Knowles came into our classroom to read us a couple of classic holiday stories. Our kids chose The Polar Express and The Night Before Christmas. The best part was when he used sound effects and different voices for the characters. He made us feel like we were part of the story!!! We listened and sang along with our favorite songs at our annual Holiday Sing-a-Long. The most exciting part was when Santa showed up. He came around to each student and passed out candy canes. This week we have been just as busy as the elves finishing our presents for home. Each child worked very hard mixing, measuring, stirring, tasting, gluing, sticking, wrapping, and smiling for all parts of their creations!!!
All of us in Unit 3 send many wishes for everyone to have the merriest of holidays and a very healthy New Year!!! See you in 2007......
Veronica Dodge, Lesley Robinson, Kim Shepard
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone from your friends in Unit #4. We have had the opportunity this month to take part in two very exciting community outings. On November 3rd, we went with many of our schoolmates, to see the Animal Safari exhibit at the Veterans Hospital here in Batavia. We got a chance to feel the pelts of many animals such as a bear, deer, fox, beaver, etc. It was a very interesting tactile experience. On November 29th we got a chance to see a play, with our friends from Unit 10, at Shea's Auditorium in Buffalo called The Snow Dragon. The Snow Dragon is about a young goat named Billy whose parents tell him a story about the legendary snow dragon who will bring him gifts on New Years Eve. Also, in the month of November we worked on several holiday crafts such as a Harvest Wreath and different types of Turkeys for the Thanksgiving Holiday. After Thanksgiving, our goal is to be working on a Holiday Ornament for our Christmas Trees until the Christmas vacation. You should see the ideas we have come up with. But, we will keep that a surprise because it is part of a Christmas Gift we will be sending home. Also, a brief Holiday shopping trip is being planned locally during the first week or two in December. Until then, see you in December.
Merry Christmas and a Happy Healthy New Year from your friends in Unit 4. We have had a very busy but productive December making all types of Christmas Ornaments for our families from everyday items such as, Santa's out of light bulbs, Reindeer out of paper towel rolls, Santa card holders out of paper plates, etc. We even had our friends from Unit 6 come over and join in the festivities of making ornaments. It was a wonderful opportunity for social interaction as well. Mr. Knowles came to read to us this week as he does every year for Christmas. We heard the old standard, The Night Before Christmas, as well as the new traditional The Polar Express. We had a special musical event at school with a Blues Band which we all really enjoyed, as well as the annual Christmas Sing Along with our music therapist Astrid Herrmann. During the Sing Along, Santa and one of his helpers showed up to spread Christmas cheer as well as give each student a candy cane and a special gift. But the holiday season would not be complete without a shopping trip. So, on Monday the 18th, we took a trip down the road to K-Mart to shop for our families. See you in 2007!!
Janet Quait, Mark Herrmann, Kim Hilburger
Tommy had a big month as we celebrated his sixteenth birthday on November 16. We also learned about other important dates in November. Both North and South Dakota became states on November 2, 1889, Montana on November 8, 1889 and Oklahoma on November 16, 1907. We listened to information about each state so we could learn more about them. We also listened to the Gettysburg Address, which was delivered on November 19, 1863. We talked about Veterans Day and Thanksgiving Day. For crafts we all made an Owl during Owl week. We are starting to decorate for the holidays and planning a shopping trip for December 6.
In December we had a great day holiday shopping at Eastern Hills Mall and going out to lunch at Old Country Buffet. December is a busy month and we celebrated National Cookie Day on Dec. 4th by making no bake cookies. J We learned about Delaware, Mississippi, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Alabama, New Jersey, Iowa, and Texas who all celebrated their anniversary of statehood this month. We made a few crafts for the holidays and had a party with cookies and hot chocolate. But most importantly, we Celebrated Dustin’s Birthday on Dec 4th.
Unit 6
Unit 6 had a quiet November. We continued to work on our explorer non-fiction books. The class listened to a web cast on OWLS, as well as a Native American Folklore Tale Called, How the OWL Got its Spotted Coat. Students measured their arm span and compared it to the arm span of the horned owl.
Opinion vs. Fact is another item students studied. What makes a statement a fact or an opinion. After an introduction, students talked about facts about owls and used the internet to check the answers. At the end of November the students were visited by residents of the Dody Group home and listened to a story about fall.
Unit 6 celebrated December and the holidays by performing and attending several concerts. Our own Justin R. performed several times at the Oakfield Alabama Central School's Holiday concert. His classmates attended the concert on Dec. 8. Jamie practiced holiday songs and did a great job playing them on the piano at our concert. Students worked on several math projects with a holiday theme. First the students conducted a survey to find out staff and students favorite holiday songs and then constructed a graph. The favorite of the six songs on the survey was "Santa Claus is Coming to Town”.
Students also learned about cooking through an edible math project using green frosting and M&M's. This was a favorite activity of several students. We continued fractions by completing several cooking projects and measuring the amounts of flour, sugar, salt and chocolate chips in 1/4, ½ and 1/3 increments. Our friends at the senior apartments will benefit from our cooking activities. The students saved and budgeted for Holiday shopping and early in the month we visited several local stores and had lunch at a local restaurant. Finally, students listened to some primary resources that talked abut Colonial Life in the Early American colonies with a special emphasis on Christmas traditions during those times.
Staff and Students in Unit 6 wish all Happy Holidays!
JoMarie McMullen, Rachael Ciociola, Ray Follett
November was an "outrageous" month for the students in Unit 7. We celebrated "O" month with several activities. We went to the Richmond library to hear a story about owls. We colored owl pictures and learned all about the night creatures. We also went to Oliver's Candy store to learn about chocolate and candy. We were given a tour of the store and a brief history of the founders of the candy store. We learned about how candy is made, that Easter is the busiest season, and that they still package their candy the old fashioned way--by hand! At the end of our visit, each student was given a chocolate sucker to enjoy. Lastly, we went to Wal-Mart and K-Mart to look for items that begin with letter "O". We found oven-mitts, Oreos, oatmeal cookies, and ornaments. The students loved the animated and musical ornaments. There was lots of singing going on in the stores. We also listened to music by singers whose names begin or end in the letter "O". There was Ray Orbison, the Osmonds, Ozzy Osborn, Outcast, etc. The students really enjoyed the music. We also visited with the Optician at Wal-Mart. He spoke with the students about his job. He also explained the difference between his job and that of an Ophthalmologist, and an Optometrist. He told the students that it is important to take care of your eyes and have them checked regularly.
We began the month with a trip to the safari. We went to the local VA to look at, learn about, and feel different animals in the wild. The students were fascinated by the different textures and sizes of animal pelts. They gave the black bear many hugs and were able to relate some of the animals to stories they have heard. There was Pumba, the warthog, from Lion King; Bambi, the deer, and Flower, the skunk, from Bambi; Crock, the crocodile, from Peter Pan; and Blue from Jungle book. It was a wonderful experience. In the classroom we learned to identify the letter "O" in words. Students looked for the correct Braille dots or the print letter. We named several words that begin with letter "O" and worked on spelling words. In the math area we worked on coin identification and money skills. The students are learning the value of each coin and how to make amounts using different coins. Social Studies consisted of learning about Native Americans from NY. The students learned that the Seneca Tribe is from Western NY, they lived in communities in long houses, hunted for their food and planted crops.
As a fun activity, we made oatmeal cookies. We incorporated measuring skills, time skills, science, and cooperation into the activity. The students identified the ingredients, measured them, discovered what happens to them when they are combined with other ingredients, and baked them. The best part was eating the cookies!
The students in Unit 7 were very busy in December preparing for the holiday season as well as working on the letter "P" for the month. They learned to locate Braille dots 1,2,3,4 in words. Some were at the beginning, others were in the middle or end. They also came up with numerous words that begin with the letter "P". Chris worked on writing the letter "P". He enjoys using the grease board for his writing lessons. We had several community outings related to the theme and the holiday. We went to the public library and practiced our audience behavior. We also assisted in telling the story "More Pies". The students did a wonderful job. We also went shopping for presents. The students counted their Shop money and decided what they wanted to buy for a family gift. It was a nice way to work on money and community skills. Lastly, we went to Pontillo's Pizzeria for pizza and pasta. Some of the students worked on their computer and writing skills by typing an invitation to people they wanted to invite to lunch.
We had our annual holiday sing-a-long. Sara had a solo singing, "Alekeleekemaka". She did a very nice job. We also went to Elba Central School for the fifth grade holiday play. The students worked on audience behavior and enjoyed listening to the play. Social Studies lessons were also related to the holidays. The students located Mexico and Sweden on the globe and their neighboring countries as they learned about the Poinsettia plant and why it is called the Christmas flower and St. Lucia Day, or the Festival of Lights, in Sweden.
Lastly, Mr. Knowles read the story "Polar Express" to the class. He explained that Christmas is a season for giving and believing. The students decided to write letters to Santa. They were able to work on sentence structure and complete sentences. They all told Santa that they were very good this year!
Melissa Schwab, Brian Hilburger, Judy Wetzel
In November, we went to the Olive Garden and started a class newspaper. Students receive their “assignments” towards the end of the week and write stories, it is published on Friday and sent home for the parents. Please excuse any misused grammar and/or spelling, their work is “under construction”. I want them excited and motivated about writing, proper structure will come in time. Students continue to exercise a lot with walks in the dorm and increased laps in the pool. During November they had an introduction to measurements, Metric vs. British. This unit will continue throughout the winter months where they will be discovering different ways and items they can measure. This month’s community outing was to the Richmond Library here in Batavia. Students checked out books on tape. In science we finished up our study of the body and how all the systems work together and in social studies we studied Ferdinand Magellan.
On December 4th we went and saw the movie Happy Feet at the IMAX theatre. The following week we watched March of the Penguins in the classroom. We compared and contrasted the two movies and wrote an opinion paper. We went to Cracker Barrel on December 7th and did some Christmas Shopping with the shop money we earned throughout the school year and had a great “Holiday Brunch”. On December 15th we had a Christmas Sing Along. Our unit was the first to use Astrid’s new set of hand held Chimes. On December 19th we went to Elba CSD for a 5th grade Christmas play. It was really good. The unit discussed doing something very similar sometime soon. We finished up our unit on Money, “The Banker Says…Deal or No Deal”. Students learned how to fold money, some money math and learned about banks. Everyone in the school enjoyed learning along with us through the display we had outside our classroom. We started reading Bridge to Terabithia. We will go see the movie in February when it comes to the theaters. This month we had a reading contest, “Seasons Readings”. The class had a challenge, read as many books as you can in one month and write a book report. I will let you know the results next month.
Unit 9
Dan Dolph, Bryan Bradt, Lana Wolcott
November has been a very busy month. Our class along with many other classes was invited to an “Animal Safari”. The students explored several different animals and learned some interesting facts about each. The black bear and baby fawn seemed to be our favorites! We explored with a chemistry set that turned the students’ fingers into “bloody fingers”. Students also learned how heat causes things to expand by making a thermometer. Inventing a miniature fire extinguisher was fun too! The students created an electronic device that made space war sounds and an ambulance siren.
In math, we began working with number lines where students use skills to sort and arrange numbers in order, backwards, by 2s, by 3s, by 5s, and so on. Some students chose to write a nice note home to their parents telling them how thankful they are. The class also planned, shopped, and cooked up a southern style Thanksgiving feast before departing for the holiday weekend. We wrapped up the month by taking a field trip to the Niagara Falls Aquarium to explore some ocean creatures. The touch tank seemed to be the highlight of the trip. Everyone had a chance to hold a lobster, star fish, horseshoe crab, clam, and a turtle to name a few.
December has been one of the busiest months for our class. We continue to work on number lines, averages and money in math. For science and social studies we wrapped the month up with a field trip to the Strasenburgh Planetarium in Rochester to see Holiday Songs and Skies with Mr. Jack Frost. The show uses the Planetarium’s indoor sky to introduce some of the most prominent stars and constellations of the season with some astronomical “did you knows”. The show also included introductory explanations of the significance of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Diwali, Chinese New Year and Ramadan.
Our class was responsible for hosting the month’s Big Event. We invited the Gregory Street Blues Band to perform. This band performed during the opening ceremonies for the Special Olympics New York 2006 Winter Games in Syracuse. This innovative, 12-piece blues band is one of the only blues bands in the nation comprised of individuals with developmental disabilities, performing along side volunteers and staff. There was a lot of positive feedback about the whole event and we may have to have them back in the years to come!
To bring the month to an end the class, along with a few other classes, was invited to a Christmas musical performance at Elba Central School. As always, everyone seemed to have fun! Our class would like to wish everyone a safe and enjoyable Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Unit 10
George Sawyer, Jaime Cramer, Amy Gromlovits
November was a busy month for Unit 10. The students of NYSSB were invited by Safari Club International to go to the Batavia VA for the experience of touching stuffed and mounted animals. Our group had a good experience overall. We also planned a visit to our local "Peking Buffet" to have lunch in the local community. Each student had the opportunity to choose their own food and drink. As usual, no one left the restaurant hungry. We collaborated with Unit 4 to attend a live play at Shea's Buffalo. This play was called the "Snow Dragon". Everyone was on their best behavior. In November, we also cooked our monthly group meal. The students and staff planned the menu, shopped for the ingredients, cooked the meal and cleaned things up afterwards. Well, that is about all to report on for this month.
December
was a busy month for Unit 10. We had the opportunity to participate in
several different types of activities. First, we went to Eastern Hills Mall
in Clarence N.Y., to go gift shopping. Each student selected and paid for
gifts to be given to their families. Holiday shopping and walking around
helps to build up one's appetite. We decided to go to Old Country Buffet to
have lunch. Our students had the opportunity to select healthy foods to
eat. Everyone was well behaved during our outing and they represented NYSSB
very well. Second, we attended the 2006 NYSSB Holiday Sing-a-Long in the
gymnasium. The solo and group performances were well received. Everyone
had the chance to sing and get into the Holiday spirit. Third, the Big
Event was very nice. The group that came here to sing was inspiring and
included some of our former students. Fourth, Mr. Knowles came into our
classroom and read a holiday story aloud to our students. We like it when
he comes into our classroom, because we know he really cares about us as
people. Finally, we were invited to Elba Central School for the purpose of
attending their annual holiday play. In all, four NYSSB Units, including
ours, witnessed a play put on by the 5th grade class. The Elba Students
performed well. It's always good to get out into the local community to
have fun and be entertained. Well, that is all to report on for this
month. See you next year!
Unit 11
In November Unit 11 remembered the things we're thankful for, #1 was our families. We also made Thanksgiving books and crafts. We talked about the contributions Native Americans made at the first Thanksgiving Feast, as November is American Indian Heritage Month. On the 13th we put our social skills to work on the International Day of Kindness. Our class celebrated our Veterans and recognized all the sacrifices they made for us.
In December we talked about all the different ways people celebrate the holidays. Our class participated in several holiday activities. On the Bill of Rights Day (15th) we talked about the rights each of us possesses as citizens. During our science activities we liked the fact that there wasn't any snow to measure and we enjoyed the warm weather. We ended this part of the school year by talking about how we can be better people in the upcoming New Year.
News from the Art Room
By Jacquelyn Rease
