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Dr. Patrick Michel
Superintendent of Schools
237 Forestburgh Road
Monticello, NY 12701
(845) 794-7700


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Board of Education meeting, Thursday, July 24, 7 p.m. in the RJK Middle School library Agenda

Due to rising fuel costs, Monticello Schools must examine its transportation plan and make some adjustments aimed at cutting expenses. There will be an open public forum and discussion on this issue, Wednesday, August 13, 7 p.m. in the RJK Middle School cafeteria. All are encouraged and welcome to attend. Click here for the complete explanation in a letter from the Superintendent.

Chase Elementary School was the FIRST SchoolRonald McDonald in the tri state area to accept and accomplish the challenge of collecting ONE MILLION pull-tabs in conjunction with the Ronald McDonald Family Room at the Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital.
Click here for the full story and more at Chase.
Click here to view the Cable 6 News coverage of this event.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT about a change in our sports physical procedure for the 2008-09 school year: All students planning to participate in fall, winter or spring sports, must get a physical during the summer.  Click here for the full details.

Monticello's Music Department honored again Monticello's Music Department has been selected as one of the nation's best school districts for music education for the second year in a row. This top honor is given by the NAMM Foundation to districts with a "superb school-based music education program for young people." MORE

RJK Middle School students, under the direction of their art teachersRJK students Elizabeth Bassett and Tricia Cahalan, created a mural on the wall of the school's courtyard.

The project was funded by a grant from Sullivan Renaissance. MORE


In the spirit of environmental awareness, SullivanChase students Renaissance, in partnership with Sullivan BOCES Natural Resources Department, presented a Red Maple tree to the students at Chase Elementary School. MORE

Monticello's School Budget passes RJK students
On May 20, residents went to the polls to vote on the 2008-09 school budget. With 806 yes votes to 562 no votes, residents approved the $73,806,760 figure.

“I want to thank our community, PTA and PTO, the Parent Advocacy Group, our CABC members, administration and the school board, whose support throughout this process has been invaluable,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Patrick Michel. “This was truly a community effort and a community victory. “It shows that our community supports our efforts and the direction we are leading our school district, even through these tough economic times.”

For the complete story and full results click here.

In a Times Herald-Record article, reporter Paul Brooks discusses the NYSED list of "high performing/gap closing schools." These are schools where students met the math and English standards for 2006-07 and where students made "adequate yearly progress" in English and math for two consecutive years.

Monticello's Chase and Duggan Elementary Schools are named on that list. Click here for the full story, courtesy the THR. Click here to view the complete State list.

School plan includes Monticello football
Story by Adam Bosch, courtesy the Times Herald-Record
MONTICELLO — Monticello is trying to revive its scholastic football program, which hasn't fielded a team since 1935. The district can renew football without adding money to the budget. Full story

Cooke students win prestigious award in Toshiba’s National ExploraVision Science Competition Second-graders Truth Muller and John-Paul Mauer Cooke studentswon 2nd place in Toshiba’s National ExploraVision Science Competition (grades K-3) for their ingenious idea for an invention - the Pet Dream Automatic Pet Door and Tattoo Pen.

The boys’ invention would allow a pet owner to use a special pen that would tattoo a metallic pigment inside their pet's ear. The tattoo would activate a magnet in the door making it open automatically when the pet approached. This way, the family cat or dog could get in and out of the house without disturbing its owners.  Click here for the full story.

Monticello Schools got "Cheered" on April 7 by the Times Herald-Record for its plan to enact the new College Pathways program! Click here to read.

Click here to read an important letter from the Superintendent quelling rumors about the YMCA. The letter also includes an invitation for parents to voice their opinions at the next Parent Advisory Group meeting, Monday, April 21, 7 p.m. in the middle school cafeteria.

Monticello passes FOIL request inquiry with a perfect score! Click here for the full story by Matt King, Courtesy of the Times Herald-Record, March 16, 2008

In the past few weeks, 26 reporters, and journalism students from Mount Saint Mary College, visited 63 village, town and city halls, school districts and police stations. We asked for the same information at each stop — either a roster of public employees and their salaries, a copy of the district superintendent's contract, or violence reports at the high school and a log of recent arrests.

In all, 73 percent earned an A-minus or better. Star performers include the Monticello School District, Greenwood Lake Village Hall and Tuxedo Town Hall, where Clerk Elaine Laurent said she takes pride in being prepared and following the law.

School district going greener
Story by Adam Bosch, Courtesy the Times Herald-Record

With an energy-producing wind turbine as its centerpiece, the Monticello School District will upgrade its energy infrastructure and create a new curriculum aimed at preparing students for "green-collar" jobs. By fall of this year, the district hopes to install a wind turbine on property between the high school and Rutherford Elementary. Monticello expects the state to approve the project by April. It would be the first wind-power turbine at a public school in our region...Click here for the full story.

Dozens of Monticello School students were chosen to perform at the All-County Music Festival this year. Click here for the complete listing.

Monticello Schools creating a plan forJohn Travis, Pat Michel, Bill Cutler greater recycling
With landfills inching rapidly towards their maximum capacities, recycling has become an essential component to the health of our future, both locally and globally. Individuals and businesses everywhere need to increase their awareness and efforts to create and comply with recycling plans as part of their responsibility towards sustaining our planet. Click here for the full story, for the link to the Times Herald-Record's coverage and for a link to the Sullivan County Recycling Newsletter.

The Middle Wrinkle and RJK Word are now linked from the middle school homepage
The Middle Wrinkle is an award-winning literary art magazine and the RJK Word is the middle school newspaper that reports news and events. Click here for more info or to check them out!

Bringing fine arts to a new level at RutherfordKLR dancers
While December brought many celebrations of the diverse holidays, Jennifer Jessup’s third graders decided to celebrate something different - dance!

They took a trip to the new high school dance studio and got to perform the Irish jig and square dance moves for the Academy of Fine Art students. To read the full story or for more great stories about Rutherford Elementary School, click here.

Click here for a listing of the additional Superintendent's Conference Days that have been added to our calendar.

Monticello High School band and chorus give live performance for U.S. Troops in Iraq
For the students in the band and chorus at Monticello High School, Monticello High School band membersthe day was filled with nervous excitement, as they awaited their turn to perform. One ninth-grade saxophonist Kyle Ruperd, summed it up when he explained that though they were prepared to play, many of the students were filled with nervous excitement, as they wanted to perform their best for the troops. Kyle personally hoped that their performance would help ease the homesick feeling many of our soldiers might be feeling during the holiday season.

Click here for the full story and for a link to the video of the performance taken by the Times Herald-Record and for a link to Richard Ross' coverage of the event (courtesy The River Reporter).


Monticello schools receive $2,500 ExxonMobil Educational Alliance grant The money is allocated in Chase kids$500 denominations for Chase, Rutherford, Duggan and Cooke Elementary Schools and RJK Middle School to use for various science and math programs.

At Chase Elementary School, Principal Susan Gottlieb is using her grant money to purchase materials and supplies for her students’ science lab experiments. For the full story, click here.

Click here to read an important letter from the Superintendent about the new oil tanks that are due to be installed at some of the district schools.

Monticello Schools Board of Education has adopted its new goals for the 2007-08 school year. Click here to read them.

Rutherford students connect with their community
Rutherford studentsAs part of a recent assignment, Jennifer Jessup and Debi Levine had their third graders interview people from their community. Students had to interview a community member, write a report, and create a model of their business, agency, or organization. Students then had to present their finished projects to their classmates.

To read the full story or for more great stories about Rutherford Elementary School, click here.


Banner season for Monticello Cross CountryBoys CC team teams
The Monticello Boys and Girls 2007 Cross Country teams completed one of the finest seasons in school history.

The boys' team placed first at the Tri-Valley and Unatego Invitationals and 7th at the OCIAA Championships. Full story

Community businesses are helping prepare ourAOF people high school students for the real working world
To read about the recent Academy of Finance Networking Breakfast and Advisory Board meeting and how the AOF program is benefiting students, click here

Monticello emerges from two-year fiscal audit with little to fix On October 29, the Monticello Central School DistrictGladys Baxter received the results of the Office of the New York State Comptroller audit for the period of July 1, 2005 through April 27, 2007. The report titled, Physical Controls for Information Technology, is a way for the State to “help school district officials manage their districts efficiently and effectively and, by so doing, provide accountability for tax dollars spent to support district operations.” In most areas of the detailed, meticulous audit, the Monticello School District was found to meet or exceed the State expectations of fiscal responsibility. Full story

RJK Middle School students frolic with fun in Wonderland In early November, Monticello Schools’ Music RJK students in AliceDepartment and Robert J. Kaiser Middle School presented Lewis Carroll’s light-hearted play Alice in Wonderland Jr.

RJK students gave a funny and engaging performance of the musical comedy that follows the adventures of Alice after she falls down a rabbit hole. The night was bursting with young, talented voices as Alice was forced to use magic potions, cakes, and mushrooms to change from small to large and back again, while dealing with new acquaintances such as Mock Turtle, March Hare, Dormouse, and the King and Queen of Hearts. Full story

Firehouse Chats bring community and school together for important discussions In an effort to continue community involvement in the school budget formation process and to discuss new plans for the upcoming year, Monticello Superintendent of Schools Dr. Patrick Michel has begun a new series of informational meetings at local firehouses throughout the district. At the first two meetings, held in Monticello and Rock Hill, discussions included: adding a football team at the high school, creating a K-5 structure at both Cooke and Rutherford Elementary Schools, and a preliminary look at some budget projections for the next five years. Full story

Cooke Elementary School fall festival fun
Cooke kids in costume
To read this story and more Cooke news, click here.

RETURN OF MONTICELLO PANTHERS? School football revival proposed
Story by Adam Bosch, courtesy the Times-Herald RecordMonticello Panthers 1936
Monticello — The pomp and excitement of high school football is rising as many local teams battle for a shot at the state title. But here in Sullivan County, pigskin fever exists in a place you might not expect — a school district that has not fielded a football team since 1935. Full story

Young scientists blooming at Monti High School Living Environment students
To read about the adventures of Jeanine Nielsen's and Chris Zottola's Living Environment class, click here.

Monticello High School opens its doors and classrooms to parents
HS Panther Parent Tour
To read about the new high school “Education Week,” designed to get parents more involved in their child's education, click here

Important Letter from the Superintendent addressing the erroneous rumors about the Upper Level Programs within the district schools click here

Outstanding Monticello High School music students secure a place in regional and state performances
2007 Area All State HS Students
Congratulations to Rachel Zager, Rebecca Perlman and Christian Giunta, who were chosen from more than 1,000 applicants. Full story

Chase makes a million commitment to Pull Tab program To help support the Ronald McDonald Family Room (RMFR) at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital in Westchester and in honor of former Chase student 9-year old Andrew Pekal, who lost his battle with cancer in the spring of 2007, the Chase Elementary School has signed on to collect one million pull tabs. Full story

E-mail notification system keeping parents in the loop District officials are pleased to announce School News Notifier (SNN), a system designed to help keep parents and the community more in touch with what's happening in the Monticello Schools. SNN is an opt-in e-mail alert system where parents and residents can sign-up to receive e-mail from different schools or the superintendent. Users can choose to receive any or all of the alerts, and they can unsubscribe at any time.
To create a profile,
click here.

Important School Tax information: the Monticello School tax office is now located on the first floor of the St. John Street Education Center in Monticello (enter from the street entrance on Bedford Ave). Please feel free to stop by with any questions, or give them a call at 794-1515.

For tax payments: payment of school taxes are accepted at Key Bank on Broadway in Monticello during regular banking hours.

For more tax bill information, visit www.taxlookup.net


1979 Monticello High School graduate dedicating her life to fighting cancer
After losing her husband and father to
cancer, Monticello High School graduate Carolyn Halbert is on a "personal mission to help others with the prevention and control of this set of diseases."

Carolyn currently works as the Statistical Analysis Coordinator for the Virginia Cancer Registry. Some of her work consists of analyzing and presenting data and creating reports for researchers, legislators and community members.

For this full story and information about other alumni, click here.


Redesigning Structure and Learning: Opening Day Ceremony inspires and invigorates
On Sept. 4, at MCSD’s Opening Day Ceremony, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Patrick Michel unveiled a comprehensive plan of action to make student learning more “relevant and rigorous.”

“Our children are facing a very different kind of workforce and a very different world than we did,” explained Dr. Michel. “If we don’t plan for them now, they won’t be able to compete in the global marketplace.”  Click here for the full story and more photos


Important Tax Rebate Information for homeowners:
Middle Class STAR Notifications Being Mailed

As you may remember, enacted within the 2007-08 Legislative Budget, was a new Middle Class STAR Rebate Program. This program is available to homeowners who receive the basic STAR exemption on their property tax bills and to homeowners who are senior citizens 65+ years or older and receive an enhanced STAR exemption on their property tax bills. In both cases, rebate amounts are based on a combination of factors, including tax rates for school districts, and the city, village, or town in which the property is located.

The following link www.tax.state.ny.us/star/2007 is to the Middle Class STAR program’s information page, and provides a plethora of information on this program and is beneficial to all who wish to take advantage of this rebate. For additional information and help, you can contact the New York State Department of Tax and Finance at 1-877-6-STAR-NY (1-877-678-2769).

School tax relief info
All area residents who own their own homes can reduce their school property taxes through the New York State School Tax Relief (STAR) program - regardless of age or income. But, the savings is not automatic; you need to apply for it through your local tax assessor's office to be eligible for the tax break. Taxpayers receiving the Basic STAR exemption do not need to apply every year, but seniors receiving Enhanced STAR must reapply. More

Healing Hearts Children's Bereavement Group Wednesdays  6-7:30 p.m. at Catskill Regional Medical Center in Harris. Open to Sullivan County children ages 4-18, and their caregivers, who have had a loved one die. Sponsored by Hospice.  For more info or to register, call Eva Ottesen at 1-800-924-0157.

Need info on state testing?
For information on grade 3 to 8 testing, visit
http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/3-8/home.html

For information about state testing, visit http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/parents/ 


Check out Sullivan's Chamber of Commerce site Explore the Sullivan County Chamber of Commerce at http://www.catskills.com.

Start preparing for the Regents Exam now!http://www.studyzone.org offers helpful resources for the Regents exams. Check it out!


Check out more district news by clicking here.

This web site is maintained according to Monticello Central School District web publishing guidelines by Communication Specialist Renata Gittler on behalf of the Monticello Central School District. The district is not responsible for the facts or opinions contained on any linked web sites. © 2008 All rights reserved.

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SNN is an opt-in e-mail alert system where parents and residents can sign-up to receive alerts from each school or the superintendent. Click for MORE INFO
 
Budget Calendar 2008-09
 
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EPIC Parent Center
 
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NY State School & Property Tax info
 
NYS Grades 3-8 Testing Homepage
 
NYS Grades 3-8 Testing Parents' Guide
 
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NYS Learning Standards
 
NYS School Report Card for Monticello
 
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2007-08 Student Health Screenings and Immunizations

2007-08 School Music Performance calendar

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