After the cruise, students walked to Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum on 42nd Street and 8th Ave. for a fun and unique experience. At the museum, students had their pictures taken with such famous people as Michael Jordan, Muhammed Ali, Whoopi Goldberg, Pele, John F. Kennedy, Bill Clinton, George Bush, and many more.

The students got to see the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Ground Zero, the Empire State Building, Chelsea Piers, and various other sites.

On Monday, May 21, 33 students from RJK Middle School entered the school cafeteria. Tension was in the air. You could hear chatting about who was going to win and things like that. Some were determined to win - others were just going to try to win. Some students were nervous, while others confident, as they took their seats and waited for the school’s sixth annual RJK Middle School Spelling Bee to begin.

The volunteer judges, Mrs. Bertorelli, Mrs. Orlan, and Nicole Ryan, provided definitions and other important things for the competitors. During the bee, tricky words such as "accordion, malign, and ambiguous" appeared, stumping many of the students.
And after several rounds, Adrian Derello, Latiqua Lyles, Devon Cabrera, and Erica Concors were the only students left.

Then Latiqua Lyles and Erica Concors each misspelled a word putting them in third and fourth place respectively. In the final round, Adrian Derello spelled his word correctly and Devon Cabrera spelled his incorrectly, making Adrian the first place winner for the second time in two years. He received a trophy for his first place honor. The second and third place winners received a marble paperweight and every entrant received a certificate.

An award ceremony and refreshments followed the competition. The RJK Word, the school’s newspaper, sponsored this event and would like to thank all involved who contributed to making the Spelling Bee a success especially ELA teacher Mrs. Barbara Hill, who facilitated the event.

This story is an edited version of the original written by RJK Word student reporter Jared Weiss.

On Friday, May 4, from 12:30 – 2 p.m., 590 RJK students in grades six, seven, and eight were rewarded for their good behavior. These students received no referrals during the third marking period which enabled them to participate in the school’s Activity Day.

Students chose and then participated in one activity from a list which included creating bird houses, cooking, crafts (apron making), games, movies, dance, sports, origami, and a fireman presentation with fire truck.

Other students participated in community service activities which included volunteering at the Rutherford and Duggan Elementary Schools, volunteering at ELANT Nursing Home in Newburgh, planting annuals and perennials on school grounds, and building community boxes for used cell phones and ink cartridges.

The purpose of this program is to reinforce positive behavior through RJK’s Panther Pride PBIS (Positive Behavior and Intervention and Supports) initiative.

The PTA and parent volunteers assisted the teachers in making this a very special event.
 

On March 22, the Robert J. Kaiser Middle School Sullivan County Interscholastic Team participated in their third competition of the 2006/07 school year. The event was held in the Tri-Valley School District with teams from eight school districts participating. The theme of the competition was What's Eating You? Activities included writing a 2000 calorie menu, making a poster to promote a healthy diet, solving puzzles and comparing fast food items for nutrition.

Students Katie Fisher, Kristen Druse, Jessica Nesin, Shannon Thomas, Matt Young, Victor Vargas, Connor Briggs and Charlotte Ference placed third in the competition. Seventh-grade social studies teacher and SCIL Jr. coach Donna Nestler, is pictured holding the trophy.

The program was specifically organized around developing a positive sense of belonging to the school and to a productive peer group; increasing academic success; improving social behaviors, attitudes, personal responsibility, and decision making; improving attendance; and finally, improving relationships with family and community members.

RJK guidance counselorTanya England and Virginia Maher, a high school career counselor, organized the program. The high school mentors were ninth-graders Thomas Gonzalez and Arthur Johannes and seniors Tanlesha Gray, Ray Castro, and LaShawn Moorer.

On January 30, Nickelodeon television producers came to the RJK Middle School scouting for potential subjects for their upcoming youth wellness series, "Go Healthy Challenge - Let's Just Play." The show's executive producer Steven Lerner (pictured), a Monticello High School alumni, picked the school as a way to "give back to the community" he grew up in and still loves.

The show will feature one boy and one girl from different geographic and demographic backgrounds. It will put them through a six month challenge to get in better shape. The show is one of Nickelodeon's efforts to address some of the issues that are surfacing nationwide, such as the concern about the decrease in children's activity levels and the alarming statistics on childhood obesity.

More than 40 girls went through the 3-minute, videotaped audition process hoping to be picked for the coveted spot. According to one 6th grade student Ayanna Henderson (pictured), she was scared to audition, but after her older sister gave her confidence, she signed up. Now her plan is to "hope and pray" that they pick her!

This exciting new program was implemented in our elementary schools earlier this year and has proven to be very successful. It also allows the school to print out a memo for parents that includes account balances, money owed and a report on what foods their child is purchasing to eat.

For more information, or for questions, please call 796-3058.

graders get true-to-life coal mining experience

They traveled 300 feet below ground level and learned how coal contributed to the success of the U.S. during the second Industrial Revolution. They also experienced what it was like for children to work in the mines.

Students were given a tour of the Anthracite Heritage Museum to help them enriched their understanding of the railroads and canals, child labor, textile mills, and immigration.

The purpose of the program was to reinforce positive behavior through RJK’s Panther Pride PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports) initiative. The PTA and parent volunteers assisted the teachers in making this a very special time.

RJK Field Trip to Frost Valley
On November 13, Team Phenomenon grade 6 at the RJK Middle School traveled to Frost Valley in Claryville, NY for an outdoor, educational experience. The purpose of the trip was to build team unity, leadership, and environmental awareness through a variety of experiences.

The students participated in “Project Adventure” which included hiking to High Falls waterfall, going on the “Flying Squirrel” zip line, picking apples, and making apple cider and apple prints. After a healthy lunch provided by Frost Valley, the students learned how to recycle and make compost from their garbage.

Through fundraising activities, the students made enough money to go on this trip. Ms. Jamie Goodman and Ms. Jennifer Romano, sixth grade teachers, organized the trip for their students.

RJK Panther Pride Kick-off
In September, the RJK Middle School in Monticello began its Panther Pride initiative for the year by holding a poster and essay contest. 150 students entered the contest, which was based on the theme “How do respect, responsibility, and safety help to make RJK Middle School a positive environment?”
A reception for the winners was held on October 3.

The poster contest winners were:
1st place Nathaniel Whidbee grade 6
2nd place Jasmine Cifuentes grade 6
3rd place Samantha Cohn grade 7
The essay contest winners were:
Grade 6 1st place Mae Bonnaci
2nd place Jared Weiss
3rd place Brianna Cruz

Grade 7 1st place Charles Gambino
2nd place Ian Kolaitis
3rd place Emily Morey

Grade 8 1st place Janeene Gambino
2nd place Kayla Stephenson
3rd place Marcus Daniels-Penn

RJK Middle School’s fall play, “Into the Woods, Jr.,”
was enthusiastically received by a two-night audience of more than a hundred family, friends and community members who enjoyed the performances.
The musical comedy was about the adventures of a baker and his wife who were cursed by a witch, and their journey to try to break the spell. The show starred Robert Kerstner and Nicole Ryan in the title roles, was directed and choreographed by Jennifer Romano, and was produced by Monticello Music Department Director Dr. Kevin Dirth. Other characters included a handsome prince, a fair maiden, a hungry wolf, a three-headed girl, a mysterious man, and of course, some evil step sisters!

Thanks to all who participated in Lee National Denim Day.
A total of $770 was raised to help in the fight against Breast Cancer.  Participants included administrators, faculty and staff.  Individuals who donated $5, wore denim and the color pink, were given a breast cancer ribbon pin.

SCIL Jr. goes fishing
On October 27 the RJK Middle School SCIL team participated in the first competition of the 2006/07 school year. The event was held at the Catskill Fly Fishing Center in Livingston Manor. The teams had to tour the museum and answer questions. Then they watched a fly tying demonstration and created three original flies of their own. Students designed and produced a poster targeted at attracting people to vacation in Sullivan County and then they wrote a song, rap or jingle promoting the highlights of the county. Our team placed sixth in the day’s competition.

Participants included Caitlyn Bonnaci, Hayley Brennan, Alistair Byrne, Zachary Yearwood, Charlotte Ference, Kristen Druse, Latiqua Liles, AJ Nitolli, Matt Young, and Elion Bend. Mrs. Donna Nestler, seventh grade social studies teacher, is the SCIL Jr. coach.

Virtual field trip takes students to Virginia
The 7B Patriot Team at RJK Middle School attended an electronic field trip from Colonial Williamsburg. The trip commemorated the 225th anniversary of the surrender of General Cornwallis to George Washington in Yorktown, Virginia - the event that basically ended the Revolutionary War. Students watched the broadcast and were able to phone in and e-mail questions to historians. Noel Komatz, a seventh grade student, was featured as a call-in participant!

Because of her outstanding work, seventh grade social studies teacher Mrs. Donna Nestler, was awarded the series of seven Colonial Williamsburg Electronic Field Trips while attending the Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute. Monticello’s Technology Director Shelley Rossitto, her tech staff, and RJK Principal Deborah Wood, assisted in organizing this first-time event at the Middle School.

RJK teacher attends foreign language conference
This past October, RJK Middle School teacher Kim Seymour, attended the Annual Meeting of the NY State Association of Foreign Language Teachers (NYSAFLT) in Saratoga Springs, NY.

This year’s theme was “Diversify, Differentiate, Discover the Power of Language!" Ken Stewart, ACTFL’s first Teacher of the Year, keynoted the conference and co-presented a pre-conference session on preparing students for the new Spanish AP examination. Teachers then attended group workshops focusing on topics such as foreign language in elementary schools, meeting the NY State Learning Standards, and teaching students with disabilities.

LOTE (Languages Other Than English) is a core subject area in New York State. All students are required to earn one high school credit in a modern or classical foreign language or American Sign Language.

NYSAFLT is a professional organization dedicated to providing the foreign language teachers of New York State with professional development opportunities.

RJK Middle School receives $500 grant
Once again, the Robert J. Kaiser Middle School has received a $500 ExxonMobil Educational Alliance Grant through the efforts of the Van Etten Oil Company.

It is because of this funding, that RJK is able to continue its Student of the Month program, which encourages students to try hard and promotes positive self-esteem.

Every month teachers in each subject area choose a student who they feel has put forth extra effort in class.  These students receive a certificate of recognition and a trip to the Imax Theater at the Palisades Mall.

The Student of the Month trips are held every three months and are made possible because of the generosity and support, year after year, of the Van Etten Oil Company.

The P.B.I.S. initiative at R.J.K. is helping
students feel "proud" to behave properly

Principal Deborah Wood

The Middle School has adopted a new program to help promote positive behavior. P.B.I.S. (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports) or as we call it Panther Pride was initiated last November in the middle school.

The program supports and encourages proper behavior in students by rewarding students who are caught “doing the right thing”. Students who are caught displaying proper behavior in the hallways, cafeteria, and class can be issued a coupon ticket by any staff member.

These tickets are placed in a box and a drawing takes place at the end of the week. Students whose names are drawn receive valuable prizes. These prizes can range from a free food voucher at local establishments, movie tickets or store gift cards.

In addition to prizes, students who do not receive a referral during each marking period are entitled to pick an activity which they would enjoy participating in during activity day. Activity day is established at the end of each marking period and is comprised of a two hour block of time generated by shortening the regular periods. Some of the activities that are available are social/dance, movies, cooking, tie-dying, science lab experiments, building bird houses, scrap booking, origami, craft projects, and sport activities.

Students who have received referrals are assigned to character education classes during the activity day. This is to help provide the students with the tools necessary to avoid receiving future referrals.

Moving further into the 2006-2007 school year Panther Pride will concentrate on a central theme of Respect, Responsibility and Safety.
There are numerous laminated posters displayed throughout the school explaining to the students what is expected from them.

For information about the 8th grade Boston trip, scheduled for May 23-25, Please contact Michelle Knowlton at mknowlton@k12mcsd.net or Mary Ellen Hurley at mhurley@k12mcsd.net or call 796-3058, Ext. 20615 or 20613. Fundraising opportunities available.

School Bus Information Correction
Please note: The departure time for the High School and Middle School late bus listed on the School Bus notice mailed recently to parents in the district information packet is incorrect. Late buses depart from the High School and Middle School on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday afternoons about 4:45 p.m.  The late bus is available for athletes, students in detention, and students receiving academic assistance. Students must have a pass issued by a teacher or administrator to board the late bus.  

Middle School student achievement is on the rise
RJK students are scoring higher than ever before on the New York State assessment tests.

“Our entire staff has worked extremely hard to improve academics and create a positive school climate,” says Principal Deborah Wood. “The overall objective is continuous improvement,” says Wood, who notes that it’s rewarding to see that on-going initiatives such as differentiated instruction, guided reading, and instructional strategies in all content areas are helping students to succeed.

A brochure containing detailed information about rising student test scores, and the various staff initiatives that contributed to the Middle School's continuous improvement, has been developed for parents and community members. For a copy of the brochure, click here.