School News: Character Education Awards October 2003

KLR June Students of the Month
Rutherford Elementary School's Students of the Month for June are Precious Ellis, William Kimmons, Maria Regan, Selena Melendez, Cecilia Carvajal, Zehidy Hernandez, Joey Torres, Logan Gonzalez, Cory Deitchman, Samantha Gray, Jillian Dernbach, Jonathon Mann, Leslie Fernandez, Nicolas Robinson, Rayquan Robinson, Michael Kaiser, Cecike Davis, Dashawn Steele, Jenna Nogueira, Daniel Acton, Ynez Berg-Jones, William Betz, Anel Koljenovic, Sekou DeGroat, Asia McNeal, Jonathon Resnick, Latise Sanders, Ezekiel Romero, Cheyenne Smith, Brianna Bowdren and Chasity Morales.

Rutherford students chosen to sing with professional opera company
Fifteen students from the Rutherford Elementary School, along with their music teacher Amy Abraham, will be singing in the Hudson Opera Theatre's production of “Carmen” this summer.

Mrs. Abraham, a member of the opera company, has been working with her students, diligently training and preparing them for the production's children’s chorus. Students had to audition to get into the chorus and those who qualified have been rehearsing with Mrs. Abraham at school. In July, they will join the opera company for rehearsals and performances, under the direction of Ron DeFesi.

Public performances will be various dates from July 22 through August 12. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit the opera website at www.hotopera.com or call 661-0544.

The students involved are Ashlynn Barbarite, Ynez Berg-Jones, Marie Cruz, Precious Ellis, Zakirah Garvey, Katie Michel, M’kayla Morgan, Gwen Nieves, Destiny Ortiz, Courtney Parlapiano, Shivani Patel, Skye Rundle, Jordan Santiago, Yahaira Santiago-Morales, Linda Seminario, and Aleah Vir.

Students lend a helping hand to animals in need
Several classes from Rutherford Elementary School worked together to collect donations for the Rock Hill SPCA.

Items such as food, toys, bowls, treats and cleaning supplies were donated to aide our furry friends.

Photo: Evett Tate and Michael McGee with some of the donations.

A warm welcome for incoming third-graders
The second graders from the Cooke School attended an orientation at the Rutherford School, where they will be attending third grade next year.

After the orientation, the students were treated to an ice cream sundae party which was sponsored by the Cooke/Rutherford PTA.

Photo: Cooke/Rutherford PTA President Cindy Deitchman helps students find their way to the gummy worm bowl!

Garden program creating future masters
Martha Landau's fifth grade Lunch Club students received a grant from Sullivan Renaissance to create a container garden. So, students took a field trip to the local Agway and purchased the plants and created their garden on June 8. As part of the program, the students learned about soil and plants from Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners.

To view the garden, take a spin past the front of the Rutherford Elementary School building!

Rutherford Elementary School third-graders learn about the making of laws
Debi Levine’s class had been learning about our government and got a

good taste of what it would be like to be in the NY State Assembly when Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther (pictured) visited the third-grade class on Friday, May 4.

Gunther explained to students how the Assembly works and how a bill becomes a law. The class then held a mock assembly where they had to vote on a new bill to have more recess. Of course the majority voted for the bill to become a law!

KLR April Students of the Month
Rutherford Elementary School's Students of the Month for April are Azy Mingot, Rahmeik Warner, Tyler Foxwell, Attilah Snowden, Nakeitra Threat

t, Richie Reyes, Weronika Bonar, Stephen Hong, Ben Kapito, Joseph Klein, Shaun Jackson, Heather Trotta, Jaclyn Bellamy, Shandell Jones, Shakiah York, Jahzaia Smith, Alexander Morales, Linda Seminario, Shakyra Bridges, Kayla Greco, Briana Rodrigues, Sienna Tate, Jordan Drapkin, Deanna Snowden, Hassan Berry, Rashawn Clark, Taylor Brudermann and Quanasha Wilks.

These students continue to follow the 3 Be’s as well as the Rutherford Way!

Congrats to Rutherford Medal Winners Shivani Patel, Sydney Johnson and Cameron Johnson. If you want to see the Rutherford Way in action, these are the young ladies to watch!

Many activities without TV - bringing families together
In April, Rutherford Elementary took part in the National TV Turn Off Week. This is a week in which families vow to forgo television and similar activities in order to spend much needed quality time together. To help families

come together, KLR designed nightly activities that were free for families to attend. Activities included science experiments, community readers, a book fair, and open gym. Two students were awarded the Rutherford Medal for their participation: identical twins Camryn and Sydney Johnson (pictured right) attended every night and participated in the activities offered.

KLR March Students of the Month
Rutherford Elementary School's Students of the Month for March are Tatianna Hayes, Destiny LeGrand, Michael D’Abbraccio, Jahdeja Richards, Allen Sonn, Luis Garcia, Thalia Vargas, Katie Stackhouse, Dustin Thomas, Elizabeth Koenig, Kimberly Ortiz, Tyler Sanford, Megan Owens, Steven

Turner, Christian Pacheca, Alison Wells, Aleah Batzano, Leon Martin, Kennie Diaz, Evelina Vaskiv, Anthony Caballero, Trisha Babcock, Michael Washington, Chion Robinson, Michael Dorn, Christina Gonzales, Mara Resnick, Akasha Anderson, Chelsea DeJesus, Victoria Turner, and Esther Fitzgerald.

These students continue to follow the 3 Be’s as well as the Rutherford Way!

Science experiments - and minds - expanding at Rutherford
The students at the Rutherford Elementary School applied their research skills and knowledge about science to complete entries for this year’s science fair. There were many interesting and creative projects submitted, which made for tough judging!

The following students were awarded prize ribbons for their contributions:
Grade 5
1st place: Jaclyn Bellamy, Kemberly Gill, Cheyenne Chessa, and Mara Resnic
2nd place: Ester Hong, Hailey McManus, and Daniel Bediako
3rd place: Christopher Bair, Brandon Stein, Tatiana Sanchez, Yahira Santiago-Morales, and Bailey Mitchell
Honorable Mention: Lexi Reeves, Lucas Smith and Joseph Klein, Bhumi Parekh, Sahar Waknine, Michael D’Abbraccio, Latise Sanders, and Deanna Snowden
Grade 4
1st place: Aleah Vir, Allison Wells, Katelyn Kozachuk, and Tristen Fabricant
2nd place: Ashley Walker, Courtney Wissman, and Stephen Hong
3rd place: Ryan Pinto, Adam Rapp, and Isaiah Rossado
Honorable Mention: Isaiah Fields, Nicholas Koenig, Cortney Conklin, Charles Sabitino, Michael Kaiser, Christiana Poli, and Demi D’Abbraccio
Grade 3
1st place: Jordan Drapkin, Sydney and Cameryn Johnson, Samantha Dorn, Tierra Tasca, Austin Wells, and Daniel Acton
2nd place: Jonathan Resnick, Trisha Babcock, Dakhari Williams, Ryan Mendels, Jordan Dorn, and Michael LaRuffa
3rd place: Riley Lindholm, Kaci Stackhouse, Jenna Hogue, Allison Kurthy, and Olivia Mulhern
Honorable Mention: Brianna Bowdren, Rebecca Bass, Monica Hughes, McKaela Bunce, Mackenzie Mitchell, and Kayla Nero

Rutherford Elementary School students create patchwork of learning
Martha Landau's third grade MEP students have been participating in a simulation of pioneer days. As part of their assignment, students

completed a patchwork quilt to send to a great-great-great grandmother in Mexico.

During their studies, students learned to cut material, pin pieces together, baste and sew on an old fashioned machine. They then "graduated" from their Apple Valley pioneer school with a celebration that included book talks, singing and square-dancing. The quilt was displayed as part of the school's February Fun Friday.

Rutherford ESL students learn about Guide Dogs
Recently, Rutherford Elementary School's ESL students had a special visit from 7-month-old yellow Labrador retriever Baxter, a puppy guide dog- in- training and his puppy raiser, Mr. Burbage.

The 3rd-grade students from Margie Sweet and Janet Veale's class had been learning about the courage of Helen Keller, the challenges of blindness and the importance of guide dogs. So as part of the lesson's finale, teachers invited the trainer and pup.

Mr. Burbage, a former NYPD detective and head of security at the Discovery Center in Harris, is involved with a program called “puppies behind bars” in which prisoners spend one year raising a puppy to get ready for training as a working dog. For Baxter, his successful training will lead him to a career in sniffing out bombs at airports.

Students were very excited to meet the puppy and learned a lot about the important responsibilities Baxter will soon have.

Seussville attracts students to books
Rutherford Elementary School celebrated the birthday of Dr. Seuss while promoting Read Across America, when teachers, Jennifer Jessup, Amie Quackenbush, Judy Lynn, Cindy Bright, Tim Truesdell, and Michele Prestianni worked with their students to transform one wing of the school into “Seussville.” Students from around the school enjoyed touring Seussville while looking for characters from their favorite Dr. Seuss books.

Hypothermia lesson brings high school and elementary students together
During a recent project, high school science students in Christine Hart's class were studying the effects of hypothermia and creating informational packets to inform people about its dangers. To add another dimension to the lesson, students created coloring books to help Rutherford Elementary School 4th-grade students from Jennifer Jessup's class understand how a person gets hypothermia and what they can do to avoid it and treat it.

As part of the presentation, the high school students prepared hot chocolate for the younger students and explained that it was one of the best remedies for hypothermia, since it warms the body to its core, provides glucose for immediate use and protein and fat for energy later. As an added treat, the high school students surprised the elementary school students with popcorn as well.

The high school students really enjoyed working with the Rutherford students and expressed that it was a very fulfilling experience for them. According to their teachers, they also enjoyed working together and they felt their classes really benefited from this collaboration.

That’s the Rutherford Way!
The students of Rutherford Elementary school pulled together to raise money for a great cause. Dara Kaplan, Debi Levine and Tavi Bockman’s third-grade classes hosted the school’s February Fun Friday.

As part of the celebration the classes created Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory and sold hundreds of chocolate bars throughout the month. The chocolate sales raised $700 to purchase needed library supplies. The children dressed up as Oompa Lumpas, sang songs and had fun! They even had a surprise guest...Willy Wonka himself!

KLR February Students of the Month
By following the Rutherford Way and the 3 Be's, these students have earned their Student of the Month certificates. For their hard work, they will be rewarded with a movie and popcorn.

Keep up the wonderful job because that's the Rutherford Way!

KLR January Students of the Month
To qualify for the honor of Students of the Month, students have to follow the three BE's - Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be Responsible.

These youngsters will be rewarded with a movie and some freshly popped popcorn. Congratulations!

Congratulations to Hailey McManus, the winner of the 2007 Kenneth L. Rutherford National Geography Bee

Finalists, pictured from left, were Ethan Sherwood, Hailey McManus, and Jack Drapkin.

Students view movie about courage

Following the NY State English Language Arts Assessment, RoseMarie Van Etten and Jodi Gonzalez’s class enjoyed an evening at the movies as a reward for their hard work. They watched Arthur and the Invisibles.
During the following class, each student completed a detailed writing piece specifying how the character Arthur showed signs of courage in the movie.

BINGO! brings fun and games to school
Recently the Cooke/Rutherford PTA sponsored a bingo night at the Cooke School. Children were asked to bring in a used book to trade for a bingo card, the more books, the more cards!

Refreshments were available for purchase, and prizes were donated by the Monticello Trading Post. The books were given to the school library system, so in the end, every child was a winner!

KLR Winter Concert brings songs of the season to life
The recent student performance was a dramatic and spectacular show of the talent that is abundant in our children.
Holiday music filled the school and warmed our hearts!

Fifth-grade students and teachers open their hearts for the holiday
After reading the recent Times Herald-Record article, “Safe Homes

Families Seeking Santas to Fulfill Their Wishes,” about the organization looking for people to adopt survivors of domestic abuse and their children for the holidays, the students in Mrs. Weiss and Mrs. Yannetta’s fifth-grade class decided to adopt a one month-old baby boy who is in desperate need of necessities.

The students and teachers donated such items as clothing, bottles, gift cards, toys, baby wipes, baby wash, towels, bibs and blankets in order to help make this holiday season a little brighter for one family.

Mrs. Weiss and Mrs. Yanetta delivered the items to the English Rose Day School located in Washingtonville so they may be delivered to the family.

Gingerbread houses constructed with holiday spirit

Ms. Van Etten and Mrs. Gonzalez's class of engineers and architects enjoyed constructing homes made of gingerbread, frosting, and a variety of candy for this wonderful holiday season.

We anticipate receiving our certificates of occupancy on Friday, Dec. 22!

High School Readers learning and teaching
Ms. Hart and Mr. Zottola's Living Environment inclusion class wrote interactive children's books on the life functions and ecological niches of organisms of interest to elementary children. The purpose was to research, write, then read their books to elementary children at the Rutherford School. Miss Jessup's class, Mrs. Cordisco's class, Mr. Truesdell and Mrs. Bright's class were glad to welcome these students into their classrooms.
This technique works well as it provides the older students a chance to experience one aspect of the teaching profession and it offers the younger students a chance to see what will be expected of them in the coming years. Both groups came away with a new perspective on both the teaching and learning processes.

December Students of the Month
Daniel Fernandez, Andrew Nagoda, David Watkins, Matthew Morris,

Jaclynn Sorenson, Nakeitra Threatt, Kimberly Ortiz, Taylor Ottino, Lily McCausland, Stephan McCline, Cristal Staten, Jason Gonzalez, Trisha Yearwood, Ethan Sherwood, Joseph Herrman, Melissa Morris, Kalondra Smith, Alexander Morales, Jaquito Williams, Ryan Mendals, Nichelle Jackson, Katelyn Kozachuk, Adam Rapp, Mandi Wright, Haley Ripa, Victoria DeMestrio, Cierra Moore, Rebecca Bass, Connor Reiber.

These students have worked hard and followed the Rutherford Way every day!

Guest speaker shares experiences and life lessons
Guest speaker David Levine reviewed empathy and discussed making smart choices with KLR students at a recent visit to the school.

Students listened to songs and stories and shared life experiences with each other.

Spanish teacher takes a cultural approach to learning The Day of The Dead is a Mexican celebration honoring loved ones who have

passed on from this world. It is a day of remembrance, of festivity and of love, a love that doesn’t die because someone is gone, but is cherished and remembered year after year.

At Monticello High School, Spanish Language Department Director Donna Leyden wanted to share her knowledge of the holiday as a tool for learning about different cultures. So she invited Jennifer Jessup’s 4th grade Rutherford Elementary School class to participate in fun and games, back-dropped by traditional decorations and authentic Mariachi music. Some of the day’s activities included paper folding, mask-making, and a word search game using the Spanish language.

High School Spanish teacher Maritza Waknine and her Native Speakers Class participated in the activities by constructing an alter honoring those who have passed away. This tradition is also part of the Day of the Dead holiday and it is used to help the living honor and remember loved ones by displaying items they liked and photos from their lifetime. Many candles are lit through out the home and local towns, as it is believed it helps guide the spirits on their journey.

Celebration and learning at Rutherford

On October 31, family members were invited to share in the celebration being held in various classrooms throughout Rutherford Elementary School. The students enjoyed a visit from school administrators as well.

Students from Mrs. Levine's class, Mrs. Bockman's class, and Mrs. Kaplan's class shared memoirs at writing celebrations, while Miss Jessup's students shared poetry.

Mrs. Harrold and Mrs. Moore's students loved listening to her read an excerpt from Barbara Park's, “Junie B. Jones has a Peep in her Pocket.” To add excitement, Mrs. Moore even dressed the part of Junie B!

"Officer Phil" safety program featured at district elementary schools The Monticello Police Department, with support from local businesses, presented a safety assembly called "Officer Phil". The new concept, that illustrates the necessity of obeying rules set by parents and society, provides students with positive solutions to problems encountered within today's society. The program included magic tricks, humor, and an animated program with a mouse puppet named Mack.

Mack discussed 'stranger danger', bus safety, how to cross streets safely, and how to answer a phone when an adult is not present. A game show activity allowed two students to face off each other in answering questions about being a bully or a buddy.

District officials are extremely thankful for the businesses that supported this program, as well as the Monticello Police Department's dedication to protect and communicate the importance of being responsible citizens and members of the community.

Rutherford students also enjoyed attending the Morris Brothers Program where they learned how to deal with bullying and strategies to avoid negative situations.

Teamwork - the Rutherford Way

School Principal Kim Patterson and Assistant Principal John Correa demonstrate how to do things “the Rutherford Way,” which is always working together and always doing your best.

Because It's the Rutherford Way
Only about 60 percent of those who attempt to reach the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro actually make it. This past winter, John Correa, assistant principal of the Rutherford School, and his 15-year-old son Kevin climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro (19,340 ft.) in Tanzania. Mr. Correa was very intent on reaching the top so he could unfurl the Rutherford Way banner to show the students at KLR - if you dream, prepare, and persevere you can move mountains (or at least climb them!) A video of this amazing journey is now available for all to view.
(The movie file can be opened with a multimedia player such as QuickTime or Windows Media Player. Download the free Quicktime Player. Viewing time is 23 minutes.)

A Message from the Transportation Department
Please make sure your child is at the bus stop at
least five minutes prior to pick-up time. It is
imperative that the buses remain on schedule so
your child arrives to school on time. If you have
any questions or concerns, please call 794-8570.
Thank you for your cooperation.

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