Warwick Valley School District happenings this month

Warwick - To the delight of many, our students in particular, the weather has provided a number of free days to enjoy the much awaited winter weather. This week finds all settled back into their classrooms with a flurry of activities throughout the schools. The following summarizes some accomplishments and upcoming events: Warwick Valley School District: • New York State Mathematics Exams will be administered to third, fourth and fifth grade students during the week of March 5; the state math exams will be given to sixth, seventh and eighth grade students during the week of March 12. The TONYSS will be given to second graders the week of March 26. • The next Board of Education meeting will be held Monday, March 12, at 7:30 p.m. at Pine Island Elementary School. • High School students will be dismissed at 10:05 a.m. on Thursday, March 15. • Elementary students will be dismissed at 11:45 a.m. on Thursday, March 22. Warwick Valley High School: • The High School has distributed National Honor Society applications to those sophomore, junior and seniors satisfying the initial criteria of superior scholastic achievement. To be a National Honor Society recipient, the student must also demonstrate notable accomplishments in the areas of character, leadership and community service. To be inducted into this national organization is both an honor and a responsibility. Warwick Valley National Honor Society recipients contribute to numerous school and community events, including peer tutoring and food and clothing drives, volunteering in the Middletown soup kitchen and are students of whom all Warwick community members can be proud. Currently the Warwick chapter of the National Honor Society has more than 200 new applicants who hope to distinguish themselves as scholars, leaders and humanitarians. Best of luck to all of the new applicants. • High School Parent Conferences will be held Wednesday and Thursday, March 14 and 15, with sign-up starting at 5 p.m. each day. • The Warwick Valley High School Drama Club presents its spring presentation of the musical, “Annie Get Your Gun” on Friday and Saturday, March 16 and 17. Tickets can be reserved by calling the High School office at 987-3050 and following the appropriate prompts. • The High School Combined Band will hold a concert in the High School Auditorium on Wednesday, March 21, at 7 p.m. • The next PTSA meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 15, at 7 p.m. • High School daily announcements can be reviewed on the district Web site (www.warwickvalleyschools.com) by clicking onto “our schools” and scrolling to the High School and then “Announcements.” Warwick Valley Middle School: • Character and responsibility is filling the halls of the Middle School as the theme for the second half of the school year. As part of Principal John J. Kolesar Jr.’s plan that each student understands the importance of good character, each team of students has meet with the assistant principals during an insightful Power Point demonstration by which students thoughtfully addressed three important questions: “What is important to you?” “What do you want to achieve?” and “How do you plan to achieve your goals?” • Congratulations to Both Odyssey of the Mind Teams who took first place in their respective divisions during the regional competition held this past weekend in Goshen. Both teams move on to compete at the State competition to be held in Binghamton on March 31. • Middle School Parent conferences will be held Tuesday, March 6, and Thursday, March 15. Parents should contact their child’s teacher in advance if they wish to schedule an appointment. • There will be a PTA dance for grades to be announced on Friday, March 23, from 7-9 p.m. • The next PTA meeting will held Tuesday, March 13, at 7 p.m., during which board nominations for the next school term will be accepted. • Parents and students are asked to check the daily announcements which appear on the district Web site (www.warwickvalleyschools.com) under the Middle School for the latest school information. Park Avenue Elementary School • Park Avenue students are probably some of the most polite students you will encounter. Since becoming principal more than six years ago, Mrs. Kathleen Affigne has incorporated a “manner’s moment” as a focal part of each day. Recent “manner’s moments” have included “holding the door open for the next person,” “cleaning up after ourselves” and “pushing in our chairs.” As a reward for the students’ continuous good behavior choices, the entire school is hoping the snow stays for awhile so they can plan a “Great Manners Day Celebration,” which will include sleigh riding and ice skating at Stanley Deming Park. •Park Avenue students are not only polite, but also talented. Two fifth grade chorus students, Andrew Brown and Maya Ramos, will perform in this year’s All-County Music Festival and Liam Brown was chosen for the All-County Elementary Orchestra. Also Park Avenue is happy to congratulate Emma Brown, Kirk K. and Suzanne More-Straton for moving to the State level of the Reflections Art competition. Emma is moving up in the art category, Kirk is moving up in the music category and Suzanne is moving up in the dance/choreography category. • The Park Ave PTA will be holding its second annual Tricky Tray fund raiser on Friday, March 9, at 6 p.m. All community members are encouraged to attend for a fun and relaxing evening, which is held in large part due to the generosity of our local merchants. • Park Ave Book Fair will be held March 7-11, with a special “Buy one, get one free” offer. • Park Avenue students continue to show their generosity by providing donations to the Warwick Food Pantry on a monthly basis. Donations are accepted throughout the year. The March collection will be held on Friday, March 16. • The Park Ave Drama Club will be presenting “Honk, Jr.,” an exciting original dramatic production on Thursday and Friday, March 22 and 23, at 7:30 p.m. Contact the school office for further information. • Enrichment activities, during which parents teach students some special skills, will be held in April. The PTA is looking for additional volunteers for this inspiring event. Additional details will be available soon. • Look ahead for the PTA’s Spring Bulb Sale, Mother/Father’s Day Bazaar and Bike Safety Day, all upcoming in the Spring. • Park Ave PTA meeting will be held April 26 at 7:30 p.m. Pine Island Elementary School • The Pine Island Odyssey of the Mind teams took second- and third-place in their respective divisions in this past weekend’s regional competition. • The PTA is proud to announce that PI secretary Laura Introini and Liz DiPalmer were this year’s Founder’s Day winners. • Tryouts for the drama club’s spring production are under way. Please contact the school office for details. • Pine Island Science Family Fun Night will be held Friday, March 2, at 7 p.m. • The next PTA meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 6, at 7:30 p.m. Kings Elementary School • Yearbooks are available for purchase through Friday, March 9, at the price of $10. • For some new ideas for dinner, consult the Kings PTA Cookbook, which is a collection of 200 recipes from the kitchens of Kings Elementary families. Cookbooks will sell for $12, but the PTA is accepting advance orders at a discounted price of $10. • Kings fourth grade choral concert will be held Tuesday, March 20, at the High School at 7 p.m. • On Friday, March 23, the Kings PTA will hold its annual Krazy Ticket Night, which promises to be a fun and exciting night. All community members are invited. • Kings has just concluded a four-week Enrichment Program, which, thanks to volunteer instructors, gave students the opportunity to learn a language, kitchen science, crafts, chess and more. • The Kings Drama Club continues to practice for “100 Years of Broadway” to be presented on May 31 for senior citizens and community groups and on June 1 at the Lycian Centre. • The Kings PTA reminds community members to collect and submit box tops for Education and Campbell Soup/Pepperidge Farm Labels to the school. The PTA is able to purchase supplemental educational, art and athletic equipment with the money received by these programs. • The next PTA meeting will be held Tuesday, March 6, at 7:30 p.m. Sanfordville Elementary School • The annual four-week Enrichment Program is underway with 20 extracurricular classes being offered to students, including various craft techniques and even forensics. • Congratulations to the Sanfordville Odyssey of the Mind team that took first place in its division of the regional competition this past weekend. The team moves on to compete at the state level on March 31 in Binghamton. • The next PTA meeting is Thursday, March 8, at 7 p.m. The Elementary Schools and the Middle School would like to thank Port of Call and Tony and Deborah Blomfield for offering their gallery as a professional venue to display the artistic talents of the students participating in this year’s Reflections competition. Please remember that interim information about the schools is available at the District Web site, www.warwickvalleyschools.com, and by joining any of the PTAs. This article was compiled by Virginia Snigur, president of the PTA Council.