Marlena Levine was selected by Detective Louis Velasco to read her DARE essay during the KLR 5th grade DARE graduation ceremony.

Marlena spoke about what she learned from the DARE program, including the dangers of drugs, tobacco and alcohol use.

Thanks to the Monticello Rotary Club, each student was given a DARE t-shirt in addition to their certificate.

ClubRec's summer program for preK through grade 5 kids, scheduled for July 14-August 8, is accepting applications.

The program runs Monday-Friday, noon-5:30 p.m. at the Cooke Elementary School. Cost is $75 per week. For more information or to register your child, call 794-8830, ext. 6.

Rutherford Elementary School 5th grader Katelyn Kozachuk has been awarded a $50 gift card from the Kohl’s Kids Who Care Scholarship Program. She was nominated by school principal Kim Patterson, because of her involvement in helping others within the community.

During the colder months Katelyn collected clothing donations for the Federation for the Homeless to distribute to the needy.

As a store-level winner, Katelyn is recognized for her outstanding volunteer efforts. She now gets entered regionally for a chance at a $1,000 scholarship.

As part of the Rutherford Elementary School third grade curriculum, students in Debi Levine’s class got a first-hand education about how our government works during a visit by Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther.

The children learned many things, including how a bill becomes a law in New York State. Students were grateful to Ms. Gunther and her legislative director, Steve, who answered many questions about our government (and some personal ones, as well!) 

Every year fifth-grade teacher Joe Prestianni teaches his class how to play chess. He does so, because chess is a great thinking game. It teaches patience, strategy, planning several moves ahead, and how to be fair when winning or losing. After every game, the players shake hands and say, “Nice game”.

Once students learn some basic moves and strategies, they put them into practice by participating in class tournaments. During the winter months when recess is inside, the kids get very excited about playing chess. Playing helps build their confidence and gives them a sense of accomplishment that they do not always get from other activities. Most of the students are now looking forward to joining the Chess Club next year at the RJK Middle School.

Rutherford third-graders Jonathan Liciaga and Tyler Simon used straws and clay to gain experience with 3-dimensional shapes.

This hands-on practice is learning that expands on a prior lesson on solid figures.

KLR teachers Petrina Kavleski and Kathy King enjoy offering engaging activities like this one to expand student understanding of challenging concepts.

Rutherford Elementary School student Peter Mkryan has been awarded the Rutherford Medal for his exceptional work in math.

During a recent math facts contest, Peter beat Assistant Principal John Correa by a split second, making him the KLR math fact champ.

Way to go Peter!

Rutherford students collected change to donate to needy patients at the Catskill Regional Medical Center (CRMC). More than $100 was collected and used to purchase potted plants that will be distributed throughout the hospital.

CRMC Director of Community Services Jodi Goodman visited the school to personally thank the students. She noted that "this is a great way to bring the outdoors in" for some patients that are unable to enjoy the nice spring weather.

It just goes to show that small change CAN make a big difference!

Photo: from left, KLR teacher Debi Levine watches as CRMC Director of Community Services Jodi Goodman addresses students at a recent assembly.

On Friday, April 25, Maria Shvartsman, a student from Lindsey Lentini’s class, visited Debi Levine’s class to show-off her amazing talents.

Maria juggled balls and clubs and also balanced a club on her head while spinning on the floor. She was able to juggle eight balls and four clubs.

Maria explained to the class how she learned her skills from family members and how she started juggling at the age of six. Her parents and sisters are talented as well and she has performed with them in many places. Maria’s older sister, Gena, has won many awards around the world and one day Maria hopes to be an award winning performer as well.

Students learn about Native Americans of NY

Photo: from left, Rutherford 4th graders Jenna Hogue, Weronika Bonar and Justin Kozachuk.

After having read the book, Only One You, by Linda Kranz, Lori Wilson's 3rd grade class created posters filled with inspirational sayings.

Students then gave answered questions and explained what the sayings meant to them. The youngsters had a great time with this project which really allowed them to express a positive approach to life.

This once again exemplifies that "that is the Rutherford Way!"

Michele Prestianni's and Lauren Terwilliger’s class had a special visitor on March 19. Fourth grade student Ileytza Soto-Perez brought her grandmother, Dolores, who just moved here from Puerto Rico, to school. Abuela (grandma) Dolores participated in the class' morning meeting and answered questions about her life in Puerto Rico. Later, she taught the class how to make a traditional origami basket that she creates as part of her yearly spring celebration. During the visit, Ms. Prestianni and Abuela Dolores read to the class the book, Grandma’s Records, by Eric Velasquez. Since the story was written in both English and Spanish, Ms. Prestianni read the English parts and Abuela Dolores read the Spanish parts of the memoir about a Latino boy and his grandmother from Puerto Rico and how they loved to listen to records together, how they saw Ismael Rivera at a theater in the Bronx and that the singer dedicated a song, En Mi Viejo San Juan, to the boy’s grandma.

Abuela Dolores explained that the song was special because it is about coming to a new country and leaving loved ones behind and that you put your hand over your heart when you sing it (almost like a pledge). Before she left for the day, Abuela Dolores sang the song for the class, a moment, they expressed, was extremely special for them.

Two Rutherford students, Katelyn Kozachuk and Katie Lucas were awarded the Triple “C” Award from the New York State Attorney General’s office.

The three C’s stand for “Character, Courage and Commitment.” Both Katie and Katelyn have worked hard at helping our community and have demonstrated their character, courage, and commitment.

They were presented their awards by Principal Kim Patterson at a recent Fun Friday assembly as their parents watched with pride - way to go girls!

At the January 23, Cooke/Rutherford PTA meeting, Cooke Elementary School physical education teacher Gena Frey and librarian Tammy Porter presented a workshop titled "Raising Healthy Kids." 

During the event, Ms. Frey discussed activities that help promote physical fitness while Ms. Porter talked about nutrition and provided the audience with healthy snack recipes. Participants got up and "got physical" and then tried some of the healthy snacks that were provided!

Ross Miceli, from the Monticello YMCA, was also on-hand to discuss some of the YMCA programs available to children, and he gave all attendees a free one day pass to the new YMCA Wellness Center located at Monticello High School.

Recently, Rutherford Elementary School held its annual geography bee for its fourth and fifth grade students. More than 30 students qualified to compete in the school bee competition.

Though semi-finalists Joseph Balotti, Teshawn Phillips, Adam Rapp, Michael Dorn, Brianna Bowdren and Brandon Salzman answered many tough questions, as the competition heated up, Adam Rapp and Joseph Balotti emerged as the leaders and moved on to the finals.

After answering even more difficult geography questions, Adam Rapp edged out Joseph Balotti to win the 2008 Geography Bee. Adam then had to take a very hard written test to see if he qualifies for the New York State portion of the bee.

Photo: Adam Rapp proudly displays his geography bee awards.

Rutherford Elementary School fifth grader Katelyn Kozachuk proudly collected sleeping bags, blankets and clothes in an effort to help people in need during this chilly winter. She then wrote letters to some community organizations, such as the Sullivan County Federation for the Homeless (SCFH) and the United Way offering her donations.

During her quest, Katelyn contacted the local Rotary club, as well as the Office of the Mayor of Monticello seeking donations. She was delighted to meet Monticello Mayor Jim Barnicle and the vice president of the Monticello Rotary Club Pam Sussman, who personally offered donations to help with her collection.

Katelyn collected a truckload of items which she brought to the SCFH, and she plans to bring future donations to the United Way.

Photo: Fifth grader Katelyn Kozachuk dons the Rutherford Medal that was presented to her for her generous efforts by KLR Principal Kim Patterson .

After reading "The Keeping Quilt" by Patricia Polacco, Lori Wilson's 3rd graders created a class quilt.

As part of the project, students proudly wrote their New Year's resolutions on a quilt square, which they then decorated.

Once the quilt was assembled, the children learned about mathematical arrays, a lesson that tied together reading, writing and math skills.

Photo: Third-grade students Kyle Parlapiano, Jonathan Brown, Syeira DelValle and Justin Marte stand in front of the finished quilt, which is on display at Rutherford Elementary School.

Rosie Van Etten's and Judith Carnell's class recently made their traditional gingerbread houses. The students not only had fun licking icing from their fingers but learned an valuable lesson about the importance of a good foundation.

As part of the multi-faceted lesson, students discovered that by building a strong, sturdy, solid foundation their houses were easily constructed without collapsing. After construction was complete, they applied shiny red licorice, sugary gumdrops, colorful M&M's, and tiny candy canes, creating wonderful fairy tale houses good enough to eat!

While December brought many celebrations of the diverse holidays, Jennifer Jessup’s third graders decided to celebrate something different instead…dance!

They took the last week of 2007 and spent time learning the reasons why people dance. The lessons included reading stories of dancers and then actually learning how to dance. With instruction from Martha Landau, they learned how to square dance. And with the help of Orietta Accardo they learned how to do the Irish jig.

To end the week, they walked to the high school and performed for the Fine Arts Academy’s dance class and dance instructor Kelly Keesler.

As a special treat, the high school dancers taught the third graders how to properly stretch before dancing and performed a small routine for their enjoyment.

To make reading even more fun, Jennifer Jessup’s third grade students had to actually become their favorite character!

The project required them to dress as their character, explain the personality of the character and share their favorite part of the book to the class.

Some of the characters included Junie B. Jones, Peter from "The Lion Witch and the Wardrobe," and Jack from "The Magic Tree House."

Students celebrate with multicultural feast
In late November, Rutherford Elementary School 4th grade teachers Claudia Cordisco, Jill Harrold, Terri Seitel and Rose Marie Van Etten had their classes celebrate the season with an outstanding multicultural feast.

Students, families and teachers got to partake in some delicious and diverse dishes ranging from turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy to Mexican enchiladas, Spanish rice and beans, Italian lasagna and other yummy cultural creations.

To top-off the amazing meal was an abundance of sweet and scrumptious pies, cakes and cookies. All agreed that it was a great way to experience the different cultural dishes of our students and their families!

Students connect with community members
As 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 sum up the experience, the community members were invited to an exhibit displaying the work of the students. The children enjoyed sharing their models as well as light refreshments. Many of the community members are displaying the models at their place of business.
Photo: Third grader Lillie Carnell with Steve Gottlieb from the Rock Hill Fire Department

Rutherford 4th graders take a Haiku Hike
After reading the book Haiku Hike written and illustrated by fourth-grade students from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Mansfield, Massachusetts, RoseMarie Van Etten and Judy Carnell decided to take their 4th grade class outdoors.

The students went on a hike as a way to explore nature and to look for things to write about in their own autumn Haikus. What they found was an abundance of bright colorful leaves, red berries, green pine needles, and decaying tree bark. So with pencil in hand, materials set about, they soon found themselves putting words together and tapping out five-seven-five syllable sentences.

Once they finished their haikus, they added their bounty of leaves, berries, and bark to create beautiful works of art that are presently on display.

Congratulations to Rutherford Elementary School's Students of the Month for October: Hayden Carnell, Lexus Marshall, Stephanie Benjamin, Karol Escobar, Cesar Colotla, Bengy Franscisco, Tiffany Frey, Dennis Hopper, Justin Kozachuk, Scott Hughes, Cristal Ortiz, Britney Noye, Anthony Rosito, Krystopher Pupo, Michele Rodriguez, Jordan Santiago, Anthony Rizzuto, Brandon Parker, Sarah Rustic, Kyeshia Reddick, Devin Williams, Karina Hernandez, Arnisa Rraci, Christopher Chambers, Austin Wells, Thomas Schuk, Yeimily Ortiz, Rebecca Bass, Sydney Johnson, Taylor Brudermann, and Selena Martinez. wing, please stop by and enjoy the wonderful show pieced on display.

Rutherford students enjoying their new dictionaries
The Kingston Club of Telecom Pioneers gave everyone third grader at Rutherford Elementary School their own personal dictionary for them to keep and enjoy!

Students expressed that the dictionaries made them feel happy because it will teach them different things and help them learn more. The Pioneers gave students the dictionaries to help them learn harder words and their meanings and to help them build their knowledge. The books will also help students with their homework.

After looking through the dictionaries, students realized that there was more than just words in the book. They found information on planets, maps, measurements, multiplication tables, sign language and so much more.
Some classes plan to use their dictionaries to help them learn how to spell different words, pronounce a word, and understand the meaning of a word. They also plan to use them to learn about the United States and the different countries around the world.

Thank you to the Kingston Club of Telecom Pioneers for your generosity!

Submitted by Cindy Bright’s Third Grade Class

"Whirled" Peace the Rutherford way
On Wednesday, Oct. 3, all of the KLR students met in the gym carrying a peace pinwheel. Art teacher Regina Kaufman, who was in charge of the Pinwheels for Peace Project, had students make the pinwheels in their art classes and had each student put their personal peace message on their finished work.

Mrs. Kaufman got the idea for the project after seeing pinwheels on the side of the road in Scranton, PA. She found out that the pinwheels were part of the Pinwheels for Peace Project and decided to register KLR to be a part of it.

There were 520 pinwheels made at KLR, and it was quite a sight to see all of the peaceful pinwheels in the gym at the same time. "We hope our dreams of peace come true," expressed the students.

KLR students Carley Van Etten, Destiny Bridges, and Raquel Egeland contributed to this story.

Students exploring the world of science
Lori Wilson's 3rd grade class dressed-up as real life scientists as they learned and studied about a variety of scientific theories and concepts.

During the lessons, they learned how scientists make new discoveries. And, that it is very important for scientists to dress in protective clothing for safety reasons, since they could be using dangerous chemicals in laboratory experiments.

KLR students learn lessons through music
On October 3, David Levine visited with all of Rutherford Elementary School's third grade classes to sing songs about friendship. He also talked about having empathy for others and explained that empathy means understanding how someone else is feeling.
He told students a story about his own son's first day of pre-school and about the adventures he had. Then led a sing-a-long with the classes about lifting each other up and not putting people down. He explained how little problems can become big problems, and he showed students how they can use their hands to show connect and reject (hands together means connect and hands apart means reject). The students had a great time and look forward to Mr. Levine's December visit.

This article was contributed by the third graders at KLR and is part of the school's new writing/literacy campaign.

Congratulations to this year's Sullivan Renaissance "Spruce Up Your School" award winners:  Chase and Rutherford Elementary Schools and RJK Middle School.

Students thriving in new summer program
Housed under one roof at the Rutherford Elementary School, the newly named Extended Year Program (EYP) has combined the previous Summer Reading
Academy and the Summer Learning Academy into one PreK through Grade 5 summer school program.

More than 350 students are working on their literacy and math skills in a relaxed and focused environment in which students work to catch up, maintain, or prepare for school in September. Most important of all is that students stay connected to reading, writing, and math easing their transition to the next grade and the higher academic expectations to come. The program ran from July 16-August 10.

Photo: Fifth grade EYP students take a break to greet Superintendent of Schools Dr. Patrick Michel, pictured in back with teachers John Slaver and Joe Prestianni. 

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