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Elementary School News |
Fifth annual Duanesburg Day is a success
 The
entire community came together for another
successful Duanesburg Day celebration on
Saturday, March 29. Inside Duanesburg
Middle/High School, hundreds of families and
community members enjoyed a variety of
activities from perusing craft and antique
vendors to dancing to the "Hearts of Rhythm" and
observing student exhibits focusing on
Duanesburg's history and heritage.
Read more.... |
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Duanesburg fifth-graders perform
The Best Little
Theatre in Town
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Students playing Mrs. Goodman and
Steve Tally work together to keep
the theater open. |
Duanesburg
Elementary School fifth-graders brought the
story of a small town community theatre to life as they performed The
Best Little Theatre in Town on
March 19 and 20 in the school’s cafeteria.
The production was punctuated with rousing musical numbers,
beautiful solos and superb dancing! |
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Students celebrate Pi day
 Math
enthusiasts around the world including
Duanesburg Elementary School students celebrated
the irrational number Pi, on Friday, March 14.
The number is Pi, 3.1415926535...ad infinitum.
It is an irrational number meaning it will
continue infinitely without repeating. Greek
letter ( ),
is the symbol for the ratio of the circumference
of a circle to its diameter.
Pi day celebrations included calculating
circumference and diameter, painting Pi drawings
on students’ arms and, of course, eating pie! |
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 Elementary
students power down during
Screen Free Week
Did you know that the average American child watches more than four
hours of television a day? That's more than two months of non-stop
television per year and nine years of a 65-year-old's life.
The Duanesburg PTSO, in partnership with the Cornell Cooperative
Extension's Eat Well Play Hard Project and the Duanesburg Family
Room, challenged families to turn off their TVs, computers
and video games during Screen Free Week, Feb. 4-8.
Fun activities were offered throughout the week
at the elementary school including
quilting, storytelling, balloon making, scrapbooking and even
boxing. At the end of the week, every child who refrained from
screen-based activities received a special prize packet and were
invited to attend a Family Fun Night on Feb. 8. |
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The real D.W.
visits first grade students
 Unlike
the main character in the book, D.W. the Picky Eater, part of
author/illustrator Marc Brown’s, Arthur Adventure Series,
Hanna Lawrence is not hard to please.
“I’ll eat anything… except cooked onions,” said the
first-grade student after a special presentation and reading
by the author’s sister, Kim Brown.
Brown delighted the audience of first graders by revealing
that she was the inspiration for the character D.W., (short
for Dora Winifred) Arthur’s precocious, independent and
dramatic little sister in the highly successful series.
Read more.... |
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Students shine
during annual spelling bee |
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Congratulations to all 37 students in
grades four through eight who competed in the 2008 Spelling Bee at
Duanesburg Elementary School on Wednesday, Jan. 23.
First place winner Sara Doriguzzi
will represent Duanesburg for the second consecutive year at the
regional competition at Proctor’s Theater in March. Runners-up
included Samantha Gifford in second place and Anna Winters and Jacob
James in third.
The spelling bee is designed to
help students improve their spelling, increase their vocabularies,
learn language concepts and develop correct English usage. |
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SOAR safety squad
forms |
Safety continues to be a top priority
for school districts across the nation, including Duanesburg.
This summer, nine new digital security cameras and a new digital
video recorder system were installed as part of the $1.398 million
capital project, approved by voters in Dec. 2006.
Duanesburg students are also doing their part to protect themselves
and each other. In late November, nearly 25 elementary students in
fourth and fifth grade, attended a SOAR ambassador training program,
facilitated by Elementary Principal Dr. Katie O'Brien, Judy Prest
and Cathy Wlling.
The group will begin meeting monthly after school in January for the
remainder of the school year to plan and implement SOAR ambassador
activities.
Duanesburg graduate Brook Rowley founded the SOAR Safety Squad last
year as part of her Seniors Honors Project. Rowley held a series of
training sessions to teach a select group of students how to
recognize unsafe behaviors and how to help facilitate safety on
school buses, in the lunchroom and hallways, during assemblies, fire
drills and recess.
The project was such a success that Rowley handed over the reins to
elementary school staff to continue the program this year. |
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Science fair sparks imaginative learning
 Why do fish sleep? Why do leaves change color? Why does it rain?
These are some of the questions that Duanesburg students in
kindergarten through eighth grade explored for several months before
sharing their discoveries during the district's annual science fair on Saturday, Nov. 17.
The following students were
named blue ribbon winners: Alan Baum, Gage Black, Tucker
Damato, Alex Fiorini, Domenic Gallo, Salvatore Gallo, Nicole
Jarvis, Rosemary Jarvis, Austin Kellerman, Mary Rachel
Keville, Taryn LaFontaine, Rylie Lohret, Benjamin Manning,
Paul Munson, Annabelle Rieseler, Peter Tkaczyk, Hannah
Wilson and Ethan Wolf.
"We are very proud of the
students who have worked hard to bring us research and
innovation of their very own design at the science fair this
year," said Elementary Principal Katie O'Brien.
Read more...
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Duanesburg
Elementary School honors local veterans
 Duanesburg
Elementary School parents, students and community members sang
America the Beautiful as local veterans proudly carried the
American flag into the auditorium for the school's annual Veterans
Day celebration on Nov. 8.
The event featured singing of the
Star Spangled Banner, Five Branches Medley, We
Honor Those Who Served, Duanesburg's Family and God
Bless America, as well as a welcoming song, the Pledge of
Allegiance and a Moment of Silence.
Read more... |
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Duanesburg
Elementary kicks off year long commitment to physical fitness
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 Duanesburg Elementary
School kicked off a year long commitment to physical
fitness and health during the fourth annual Fitness
Challenge Family School-Wide Hike and Family Field Day last
weekend.
The activities began on
Oct. 19 with a school-wide assembly featuring President of
the Duanesburg Area Community Center Mr. Romanski, Manager of Community Health Programs at Bassett
Health Care Steve Garner, Deputy Mayor of Delanson Dianne
Grygas and Town of Duanesburg Supervisor Rene Merrihew, as
well as high school athletes. Following the assembly,
students hiked back to Duanesburg Elementary School.
On Saturday, Oct. 20,
students and their families participated in a variety of
activities including
rock-climbing, a track walk, soccer skills and a Chopper
Hopper (bouncy bounce), sponsored by Price Chopper. The
Duanesburg Area Community Center also provided a series
of activities, including climbing ropes, hula
hoops and tae kwon do.
Additionally, students
participated in a one mile Kids Fun Run/Walk at the Duanesburg Area Community Center.
Congratulations to everyone involved!
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Books for
Babies program promotes importance of early childhood education
Help needed identifying local newborns and their families |
| In an effort to promote the
importance of reading in a child's early education, the
Duanesburg Teachers' Association (DTA) has been greeting every
newborn in the district with a gift book, informational pamphlet
and suggestions for developing a child's reading habits.
The DTA began this initiative
with the Class of 2016 (babies born after December 1, 1998) and
is looking forward to encouraging reading in many future
generations of students.
If you are aware of any recent
births within the district, please inform elementary school
teachers Bridget Minute (x406, bminute@duanesburg.org) or Polly
Benjamin (x428, pbenjamin@duanesburg.org) at the Elementary
School (895-8310) about the newborn and their family. Your help
is greatly appreciated. |
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Peaceful Bus
Program incorporates SOAR principles, encourages bus safety |
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| Students on
the same bus route learned more about each other
during the first peaceful bus activity of the school
year. |
Kindergarten through fifth
grade students on the same bus route met for the first
peaceful bus activity of the year on Sept. 24.
The 50-minute session is
part of the Peaceful Bus Program initiated by Duanesburg
Elementary School students two years ago to create a more
positive, peaceful bus ride to and from school.
Read more...
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Duanesburg
Family Room re-opens
for 2007-08 school year |
Schenectady County residents
are invited to begin visiting the Duanesburg Family Room again
this school year on Thursdays from 8:30 to 11 a.m. at Duanesburg
Elementary School.
Afternoon and evening events may be scheduled on occasion
throughout the school year. Monthly schedules will be posted
online.
The child-friendly room opened in November 2006 to provide
preschool parents, caregivers and young children with a place to
meet informally, play and participate in activities and
workshops that strengthen parenting skills.
Learn more... |
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> Back |
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Don't forget to vote—The
annual budget vote and board of education election will
be held on Tuesday, May 20, from 1 to 9 p.m.
at Duanesburg Elementary School.
Visit the budget
section for more information. |
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The Family Room's
monthly calendars are available online.
Take advantage of this child-friendly
room that provides preschool parents, caregivers and
young children with a place to meet informally, play and
participate in activities and workshops that strengthen
parenting skills. |
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The
April
newsletter is now available online.
Learn more about upcoming
events, the annual district budget vote, benefit
basketball game and much more... |
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Learn more about a number of activities being
sponsored by the PTSO prior to the holiday season
this December including a vendor expo, parents day out,
gift forms and pies... |
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DES Health Alert:
Please be advised that there are now seven students in
different grade levels and classrooms with peanut/tree
allergies. They are in several different grade levels
and classrooms with varying degrees of severity. Please
refrain from using peanuts, including peanut butter in
any projects done on school property. We ask that all
parents keep peanut products to a minimum, especially if
you know that your child shares a classroom with one of
the children with allergies. |
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2007-08 Bus Routes:
An additional bus
route has been added for the 2007-08 school year and minor
adjustments have been made to some existing bus routes
to
make the district's transportation services more efficient. Most
students affected by the changes have already been contacted by the
Transportation Department.
Learn more... |
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2007-08 PTSO Officers
Co-Presidents:
Tina Gamache and Amy Alberti
Vice President: Lisa Murphy
Recording Secretary: Kathy Gallo
Corresponding Secretaries:
Polly Benjamin and Jessie
Westfall
Treasurer: Jennifer Van Slyck |
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Resource
room for parents, caregivers and children |
Preschool parents and
caregivers are invited to visit the child-friendly
Family Room at Duanesburg Elementary School on Thursdays from 8:30-11 a.m.
The Family Room is designed to strengthen parenting
skills through workshops and activities for adults and
children, and offers parents opportunities to share
experiences.
No appointments are
necessary and the program is free. Simply drop by the
elementary school, sign-in at the main office and ask
school personnel to direct you to the Family Room.
Visitors are invited to stay for all of part of the
session. Coffee and snacks will be provided. Afternoon
and evening events are scheduled on occasion.
The program is a partnership of Cornell Cooperative Extension,
Schenectady County and the Duanesburg Central School District,
funded by the Schenectady County Youth Bureau.
Click here
for a calendar of events.
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