KUDOS to the Intermediate School “Route 6” K-Kids and Otisville K-Kids clubs, who joined forces in November in a service project supporting Wreaths Across America at the Orange County Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Goshen with a collective donation!
The mission of Wreaths Across America is to “remember the fallen, honor those who serve, and teach future generations the value of freedom.”
Students from both clubs raised $1,842 and sponsored a total of 107 wreaths! Along with community members, they volunteered to honor every veteran by helping to place over 4,000 Remembrance Wreaths on the grave sites of local veterans. THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to the success of this initiative.
K-Kids is a global student-led program that provides members with learning and experiences to build character, improve communities and gain leadership skills through service. We appreciate the ongoing support of our Minisink Kiwanis partners to work with our students.
Cliff Loretto’s ES kindergarten music students have been working on a song called “Going on a Sleigh Ride Today.”
Students first warmed up with a snowflake vocal-exploration activity, following a line drawn on the Promethean Board. They matched the contour of the line by using their voices to show how it moved from high to low. Cool stuff, right?
Students also experienced the form of the song by adding body movements to each section. Later, these little ones added jingle bells and listened for musical cues to know when to play and how to position the jingle bell in relation to their bodies.
Vocal-exploration activities are important in kindergarten music classes because they build the foundational skills for students to become confident singers. They’re learning how their voices work and ear-training skills to know specific notes. Plus, they’re building listening and concentration skills in a creative and imaginative way!
“And what happened then? Well, in Whoville they say
That the Grinch’s small heart grew three sizes that day.”
The High School's Youth Against Cancer (YAC) and ES PTO's "Kids Night Out" fundraiser, held this past Friday was a huge success! Everyone had a wonderful time, which included an opportunity to meet The Grinch! Thank you to all who worked hard to make a memorable night for attendees and for supporting the good work of both organizations.
As part of their work, students worked in groups, focusing on their chosen tribe, and created a slide presentation and diorama to show their knowledge about their research work. The details each group presented include the tribe’s location, the area’s climate, types of homes, transportation, food, clothing art, government as well as the role of men and women.
Studying the Erie, Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, Mohawk, Mohican, and Lenape is important for New York fourth-graders because these nations are a central part of the New York’s history, geography, and cultural identity. These tribes lived in what is now New York long before European settlers arrived. Learning about them helps students understand who was here first and how the land and resources were used and cared for.
Two important byproducts of Mrs. Eichwald’s students recent work were they worked in groups – so there were opportunities to share ideas, listen to others, compromise, respect different opinions and solve problems together—skills they will need in school and future jobs. Presenting their work to their peers allowed students to gain more experience in sharing ideas clearly and presenting their information to others while building confidence. WELL-DONE, everyone!
If so, THANK YOU for your support of the group’s mission to support community organizations caring for cancer patients and cancer patients through their fundraising efforts. YAC sold 151 wreaths, raising $1,109 which will be earmarked for their important work!
Sixteen schools from all over New York State competed in the tournament, which was hosted by the Girls Varsity Wrestling Team.
“When the dust settled, our girls walked away as team champions with 327 team points,” said Head Coach Dan Gallo. “Shenendehowa and Middletown came in second and third respectively.”
Seniors Keira Filip (120-pound weight class) and Jaida Macaluso (165-pound weight class) earned Most Outstanding Wrestling (MOW) honors. At 120 pounds was senior Keira Filip and at 165 pounds was senior Jaida Macaluso.
“Every single Minisink wrestler won a match,” added Coach Gallo. “That’s pretty cool.”
Champions
Calista Vargas, 100-pound weight class
Aubrey Weed 138-pound weight class
Treven Costello, 165-pound weight class
Olivia Carroll, 185- pound weight class
Keira Filip, 120-pound weight class
Sara Pauls, 132-pound weight class
Jaida Macaluso, 165-pound weight class
Finalists
Kolbie Furman, 107-pound weight class
Kensi Nigro, 132- pound weight class
Kenzie Welch, 145-pound weight class
3/4th
Zoe Ford, 94-pound weight class
Mady Thorpe, 126-pound weight class
Avery Wingen 138-pound weight class
Joanna Wodzinski, 152-pound weight class
Amaris Miklwood, 165-pound weight class
“Keeping the beat” is an important foundational skill which paves the way later for rhythm and tempo. Before students can read rhythms, clap patterns, or play instruments accurately, they need to feel a steady beat. This activity also supports coordination and body control. And, this activity helps strengthens the connection between hearing something and physically responding to it in addition to enhancing listen and focusing skills.
As part of their work, students were faced with the challenge of creating a bow and arrow with limited resources. They had to create the technology while making sure it functioned. Each group created its own variation of a bow and arrow and tested it by trying to knock down cups.
The group with the best results would be most likely to survive during the Paleolithic Period, which is the earliest and longest phase of human prehistory, lasting from about 2.6 million years ago to roughly 10,000 BCE.
Bows and arrows were important in the Paleolithic Period because they made hunting more efficient and safer. Hunters could then attack from a distance, reducing the risk of injury or death. Hunting success also increased because of the ability to aim and strike animals quickly, which meant more reliable food supplies and better survival for groups. Arrows were perfect for catching animals that were hard to catch with spears. Bow and arrows were not only lightweight and portable, they also represented a major innovation, which also demonstrated growing intelligence, planning, tool-making skill, and the understanding of physics.
BRAVO to the students and staff who participated in the Middle School's Operation Giveback yesterday, Dec. 11!
Scarves were made for local veterans organizations; Christmas tree ornaments were made for nursing home residents; bird feeder garlands, made up Cheerios and berries, were made for their bird friends at home; and bags for use for future breakfast bag use for the local warming station in Middletown were created.
And as a special treat for their very kind work and thoughtfulness, everyone got to decorate (and, of course, eat) fresh, homemade gingerbread cookies baked by FACS teacher Victoria Ingrassia.!
KINDNESS MATTERS! Thank you to all who participated and to those who organized this gathering.
“Everybody Wants to Be a Cat!”
Take a peek at rehearsals and set design work for the Intermediate School Drama Club's upcoming production of "Aristocats KIDS!" Students are working hard to learn choreography and dialogue in addition to creating the sets for the performance. The IS production is a joint venture with the High School's Drama Club --- high school students are serving as wonderful mentors and assistants to to help create magical performances on Jan. 27 and 28! Stay tuned for ticket information!
Working in small groups, students have been practicing the concepts covered in their daily lessons. Through these math-based games, students are building their automaticity and fluency with addition, subtraction, and making partners of 10. The hands-on practice helps reinforce student understanding while keeping learning fun and interactive. Teachers use this to help students build strong addition and subtraction skills, because knowing which numbers make 10 makes math faster and easier.
Do you know all the partners of 10? We’ll help:
• 0 and 10
• 1 and 9
• 2 and 8
• 3 and 7
• 4 and 6
• 5 and 5
Book swaps are an additional way of keeping students excited about reading and are a fun social event, too! Students had the opportunity to feel pride in swapping out a book they enjoyed so someone else can have the experience of knowing that story. They also were able to recommend a book title to their peers, too! PLUS: Choosing a new book to read during the swap can give students a feeling of positive empowerment --- they’ve chosen that book to read and enjoy versus reading an assigned book. Everyone gets something new to read!
Thank you to the Otisville PTO for organizing this wonderful literacy event!
This "color the stairs" concept refers to a visual and hands-on activity where students arrange linking cubes to create "number stairs." By coloring each step to represent a number, they can see that each subsequent step is one more and can also see the one less pattern as they count down. This exercise helps build a foundational understanding of number order, one-to-one correspondence, and the concepts of adding one and subtracting one.
Students were first “chaining” words with “ai” spellings. “Chaining” is simple vocabulary and phonics activity where students change one letter at a time to make a new word. It helps them understand how letters and sounds work.
Then, Mrs. Kelly dictated words with the 'ai' spelling (such as maid, aid, wait, paid) and words with the short /a/ spelling (such as mad, pat, cat, cap) and students sorted them as they wrote them.
Understanding the "ai" spelling for the long /a/ sound is useful in second grade for improving both reading and spelling skills, as it helps students recognize a common pattern and apply it to writing. It builds reading fluency by allowing them to decode words like "maid" or "paid" and enhances spelling by giving them a tool to write words like "train" or "aim" with the correct vowel team.
In Oaxaca, Mexico, a large part of the culture is the art of the Alebrije, colorful and lavishly decorated fantastical creatures. Students have been tasked with identifying three of their own "spirit animals," or "tona," to create a unique and new fantastical creature. They’re currently working on their armature (skeleton of the sculpture) and will soon be plastering and painting their work. You can already see the creativity and uniqueness in each one!
•Folk art is typically created by individuals from a specific community, often with humble or traditional materials, and reflects cultural heritage and social history.
•Alebrije sculptures originated in the 1930s in Mexico City by Pedro Linares Lopez, who fell ill with a high fever and dreamed he was in a strange land filled with fantastical, brightly colored creatures shouting the word “Alebrije!” Upon recovery, Linares began recreating the creatures in a “cartonería” (papier-mâché)- surrealist dream-state.
•His art caught the attention of artists Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, who commissioned him to create more.
•In the 1980s, artisans in the central valleys of Oaxaca adapted the Alebrijes by carving them from copal wood.
HOW FUN! Half-days are great for PJs, milk and cookies!
BOCES Otisville Satellite Principal Pilar Rocha and Acting Assistant Principal Terry Reynolds read wonderful books to all Otisville and BOCES satellite students during Otisville’s “Milk and Cookies” gathering, held this past half-day on Friday, Dec. 5, an annual event where the Otisville and BOCES PTOs supply the refreshments.
This year's book selections were:
•Michael Rashad’s “Everything for Christmas”
•Adam Wallace’s and Andy Elkerton’s “How to Catch a Gingerbread Man”
•Jennifer Jones’ “Gingerbread on Strike”
•Matt Taveras’ “Dasher Can't Wait for Christmas”
•Erin Guendelsberger’s “Little Red Sleigh”
Otisville and the BOCES Otisville Satellite Program have a wonderful partnership, and events like this reinforce this special relationship. Thank you, Mrs. Rocha and Mrs. Reynolds!
Thank you to everyone who supported the High School’s Youth Against Cancer (YAC) Club’s effort to bring awareness to the many health issues impacting men in November, particularly during its Nov. 21 GOING BLUE DAY. The group’s coin jar collection efforts at Perino’s Market, Slate Hill Market and Callie's Coffee Café raised $121.50. THANK YOU to everyone who donated to these jars and to our friends at Perino’s, Slate Hill Market and Callie’s Coffee Café for agreeing to have these jars on display.
But... it gets better! A Buildings & Grounds collection drive raised an additional $325. THANK YOU to everyone who donated! All these funds will be donated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, a favorite charity of retired Maintenance Mechanic Joseph Palazzo, who initiated the district’s men’s health awareness initiative years back, with funds raised donated to St. Jude.
And... it still gets better! Mr. Palazzo, though retired from the district but who holds the St. Jude mission in high regard, IS MATCHING the amount raised! A GRAND TOTAL of $893 will be donated to St. Jude, which treats children with serious illnesses and finds cures, no matter their family’s ability to pay. THANK YOU, THANK YOU ---this total amount is the highest amount ever collected!
Yes, we know teams can’t “redshirt” themselves.... but we did it anyway for the 2025 Special Olympics New York Polar Bear Plunge. Next year, we will be back!
We’re grateful to officials from Special Olympics New York’s Hudson Valley chapter who visited us this past Friday, Dec. 5, to present us with the 2024 Cool School Challenge Trophy (we raised $4,022) and brought celebratory pizza for anyone from the 2024 team who was able to attend. They gratefully recognized the efforts of the 2024 team and are completely energized to work with us to get an awesome team in place for 2026.
However, the trophy didn’t stay in our possession very long. It’s now in the safekeeping of our friends at the nearby Chester School District, the Cool School Challenge winner for the 2025 plunge at The Rez in Highland Mills. Congratulations, Chester, but you better watch out: We’re coming after you in 2026 to reclaim our title!
