Activities and Clubs at Rutherford
The Kenneth L. Rutherford School has a busy schedule of activities and events to further enhance student life. These activities include educational, extra-curricular, and other programs.
Educational Programs
- D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) a drug awareness program for Grade 5 students
- Field trips
- Geography bee
- High school star students (high school students helping out in the classroom)
- Math bowl
- Science fair
- Star lab (a traveling planetarium)
Extra-curricular Programs
- Field day activities
- Instrumental lessons
- Intramural kickball
- Intramural softball
- Music concerts in Winter and Spring
Extra Programs
- 5th grade class picnic
- PTA sponsored special cultural activities
- School store (run by KLR students)
Computer Labs
The KL Rutherford School has available a computer lab of 20 computers, set up for academic remediation and assistance.
With a program called C.C.C., children execute tasks in reading and math on the computers. Their teachers then receive a print out of specific skill levels. This information becomes a valuable assessment tool, as well as a valuable planning tool for future lessons. Students use these computers as part of their media time, as well.
Empire Program
The Empire Program provides holistic after-school programming at each district elementary school that balances family need and student interest while striving towards improving academic achievement, developing social and emotional wellness skills and developing a sense of connectedness within the Monticello community with partnerships inclusive of the Boys and Girls Club and Cornell Cooperative Extension.
The district also offers an early drop-off program beginning at 6:30 a.m.
Social & Emotional Wellness (SEW)
The Kenneth L. Rutherford Elementary School recognizes that social, emotional and behavioral issues can impact learning and academic performance.
To further support student success, the school has a Social Emotional Wellness (SEW) Facilitator to assist in identifying and meeting students’ social, emotional and physical needs.
As SEW Facilitator, Mrs. Sarah Mootz plays a critical role in supporting the school in the implementation of a wellness regime that focuses on the whole child, whole school and whole community. As the SEW facilitator, Mrs. Sarah Mootz conducts a push-in program in all K. L. Rutherford classrooms on a five-day rotation. She teaches lessons on social emotional wellness, which address topics such as identifying feelings and appropriate expression, social skills, teamwork, empathy, compassion, anti-bullying and respect. She also incorporates yoga and mindfulness activities into her lessons as a way to teach our students ways to self-calm, focus, and become more in tune with their bodies and emotions. Each teacher participates with Mrs. Mootz in her lessons.
The benefits of social emotional learning are vast. They include helping the students to find an outlet for their feelings so that they are more able to focus on learning. It also helps them to deal with social conflict and feel a stronger sense of community and belonging in our school.