MSHS Newsletter
March Edition. Newsletter #7
A Message from Principal Salatel:
I hope you are doing well. I am thrilled that our school has almost made it to Spring Recess and has remained open from September. We are continuing to update our plans for getting more grade levels back four days a week in person. Listed below is specific information pertaining to grades 7, 8, and 12. Please contact the MS/HS Main Office if you have specific questions or concerns related to the instructional model in which your student is currently enrolled. I am happy to discuss possibilities to better support your student. Our MS/HS Staff are hoping that additional restrictions are lifted so we can get all students back in school on a regular basis. Once again, I am grateful for the efforts of students, staff, and parents to allow our school to continue to make learning a top priority. We will communicate new information to families in a timely manner. Listed below are several pieces of important information for you to review. The end of the school year always seems to go quickly and is filled with special events, so we’ll do our best to keep you updated on current happenings in our MS/HS. Please contact the MS/HS Main Office if have any questions or concerns. I hope you and your family enjoy a fun and exciting Spring Recess.
An Important Message from Mr. Veley:
Requirements specific to the pool:
· For health and safety concerns, face coverings are not to be worn by individuals while in the water. However, individuals are required to wear face coverings when not in the water.
· No more than 2 swimmers per lane.
· Pool locker rooms will be accessible with no more than 6 individuals in the locker room at one time.
· Groups and/or individuals occupying the space will be responsible for adhering to and enforcing all guidelines.
· Safety procedures, such as a rescue, override the occupancy and social distancing guidelines.
· Entering / exiting the building: Main entrance
Fall II Sports - two spectators/athlete are allowed to attend games/matches.
Volleyball - Home only
Football - Home and Away
**Must wear mask at all times and socially distance when sitting or standing**
Student Spotlight: Adam Wright
Adam recently completed his HS basketball career at GCS. He became only the fourth player in GCS history to score over 1,000 points during his HS career. Adam is an extremely talented multi-sport athlete. Congratulations to Adam on his amazing accomplishment and commitment to our athletic program!
Student Spotlight: Katie Pearson
GCS 7th grader Katie Pearson has won an award in this year’s Finger Lakes Start Here Art Show held at RIT. She was one of two middle school students to win an award. Katie won for her pencil drawing of a flute. GCS Art Teacher, Mr. Antonucci, worked with Katie for several weeks on the drawing. The piece of art is truly amazing. Congratulations to Katie on winning this special award and representing GCS in the finest manner. Katie is a talented young artist, and we are looking forward to enjoying her future pieces of artwork.
Student Spotlight: Girl Scouts Silver Award Project
Madeline Geiser-Getz and Anna Levy recently completed the prestigious Girl Scouts Silver Award Project. Their project included meeting with the Conesus Lake Association regarding invasive species and their threat to the environment. After researching the topic thoroughly, Anna and Madeline created brochures and posters. Their strong intellectual abilities and work ethic helped them produce these posters and brochures, which are available at Vitale Park. We are very proud of Anna’s and Madeline’s desire to protect our environment and their service to our community. Congratulations!!!
Karli Hy, Maia Kolberg, and Anna Ferrero recently earned the prestigious Girl Scouts Silver Award. These talented and very caring young ladies created a project to help people in our community during the COVID-19 pandemic. They created 275 masks that were donated to the Teresa House, Rotary Food Drive, and Geneseo Parish Outreach Center in December. They started their project in late March by learning to sew from Anna’s grandmother, who lives in Albany. They gathered donated materials from the Teresa House and their families. The students then worked diligently sewing the 275 masks. Our school is very proud of their generosity and thoughtfulness. Congratulations!!!
Madeline Geiser-Getz and Anna Levy (L to R)
Karli Hy, Maia Kolberg, Anna Ferrero (L to R)
Community Spotlight: Mr. Hop Manapol
Staff Spotlight: Bettina DeBell
Mrs. DeBell came to GCS back in September 1990. Since her arrival at GCS, Mrs. DeBell has been a valuable asset to our school community. Mrs. DeBell taught in our Special Education Department from September 1990 to June 2010. Since the fall of 2010, Mrs. DeBell has served as our Enrichment Teacher at the elementary and middle school levels. During this time, she was named a TV Channel 8 “Golden Apple Award” winner.
In addition to her talents as a teacher, Mrs. DeBell has held the position of GCS Drama Club Director from 1993 to present. Under Mrs. DeBell’s leadership our Drama Club has won multiple awards throughout the years. The GCS Drama Club is widely recognized as one of the very best in the Greater Rochester Region. Multiple graduates of GCS went on to display their talents in college, and some even have had successful professional careers in acting. The time, energy, and service that Mrs. DeBell has given to the GCS Drama Club throughout the years is truly remarkable. She spends countless hours rehearsing with students, gathering supplies and costumes, organizing events, ordering posters, and handling many other responsibilities to ensure our productions are always of the highest quality. To say Mrs. DeBell has a big presence on our stage would be an understatement. Her legacy and footprints will be etched forever in our auditorium. Mrs. DeBell is retiring as a teacher at the end of the school year. Fortunately, she will continue to serve as our GCS Drama Club Director for the next several years. The GCS staff and students would like to congratulate Mrs. DeBell and wish her the very best in her retirement.
Drama Club Production:
Our school is excited for the upcoming Drama Club performances on March 26, 27, and 28. We encourage the GCS Community to watch our talented students perform in our upcoming productions of Little Women the Broadway Musical. Please refer to the flyer below for specific information pertaining to this special event.
Grades 7, 8, and 12 Return to 4 Days!!
We are so excited to announce that our grades 7, 8, and 12 students are returning to school four days a week starting on March 22. It's very important that our students continue to follow all the safety protocols that we have had in place since September. We are able to accommodate the additional students by placing barriers in the classrooms. Please refer to the picture below to see an example of how the classrooms will be designed. We strongly encourage students who are currently in the Hybrid and Remote Learning Models to consider coming back to school in our four day model.
At this time, the restrictions currently in place from the NYSDOH prevent us from bringing back grades 9-11. The major obstacles are related to transportation, classroom, and cafeteria spacing limitations. As stated in my opening message, we are hoping that some of the restrictions will be lifted in the near future. If so, we will transition the additional grade levels back in a timely manner. Wednesday will continue to be a fully remote day for all MS/HS students.
Please contact the MS/HS Main Office if you have any questions or concerns related to your student's instructional model.
SUNY Geneseo Tutoring
The SUNY Geneseo Education Department is providing virtual tutoring/instructional support sessions for K-12 students. SUNY Geneseo is looking to find parents of local K-12 students who are interested in having a SUNY Geneseo student tutor their child remotely. The Office of Student Volunteerism and Community Engagement is partnering with the Ella Cline Shear School of Education to facilitate this tutoring program. Many (but not all) of these tutors will be teacher candidates in an Education Preparation Program. All tutors will be trained and will sign documents holding them to safety and security practices while participating in tutoring sessions. Please refer to the informational flyer for additional details related to the program. Each flyer has a sign-up QR Code and link that will be used to match interested students/families with a Geneseo tutor. SUNY Geneseo will match a tutor with a student based on schedules and grade level/ subject proficiency. The sign-up link may also be accessed here. They will do their very best to make a successful match but cannot guarantee that a successful one will be made.
For a quicker turnaround time in beginning tutoring sessions, they also ask parents to complete the attached Participation Agreement/Consent Form. They will be using Zoom as the platform to conduct this remote tutoring and will record each session into a secure Google Drive. Parents will be able to access each tutoring session that is recorded upon request, and parents will also receive the Zoom meeting link so they can check in anytime during the tutoring session.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Brianna McConnell, Student Coordinator, at americareadscounts@geneseo.edu or Garth Freeman at freemang@geneseo.edu.
Meal Delivery
On Wednesday, March 24, we will be delivering meals to the Highlands Apartments pick-up location. The meals delivered on this date will cover both days (Superintendent’s Conference Day 3/24 and Asynchronous Learning Day 3/25) when students are not in the building.
Women in History Month Recognition
Spring Concerts
We are currently in the process of developing a plan for our traditional spring concerts. Due to current COVID-19 restrictions of 100 people or fewer for an indoor event, we are not able to host a live concert. As of now, we are planning for virtual concerts. However, if the current restrictions in place are lifted, we will explore options of having in-person concerts. We will communicate our plans to families when they are confirmed.
End of the Year Field Trips
Grade 6 Seabreeze Field Trip:
We have tentatively scheduled the Seabreeze Trip for June. More information will be forwarded to families.
Grade 7 Darien Lake Field Trip:
We are finalizing plans for our students to attend the Darien Lake Field Trip. Specific details of the trip will be communicated to families in the near future.
Class of 2021 Senior Trip:
The originally planned 2021 Senior Trip is still on pause. We are awaiting further details from the venue and NYSDOH. If the originally scheduled trip is not approved, we will organize some day trips for the senior class.
Upcoming Events:
Monday, 3/22: Grades 7, 8 and 12 students may attend 4 days per week
Wednesday, 3/24: Superintendent’s Conference Day – no school for students
Wednesday, 3/24: Grades 9, 10, and 11 College Planning Night 7 pm via Zoom (The link will be emailed out to families prior to the event)
Thursday, 3/25: Asynchronous Learning Day- No in-person or remote instruction
Friday through Sunday, 3/26-3/28: Drama Club Production -Little Women the Broadway Musical
Monday through Friday, 3/29-4/2: No School – Spring Recess
Friday, 4/9: End of 30 Weeks
Wednesday, 4/14: NJHS and NHS Induction Ceremonies (via Zoom)
Spring Recess and Travel Guidelines
Recent revisions to the NYS traveling guidelines have been approved. Students will not have to quarantine if they are traveling domestically. Students may return to school on or after April 5 upon their return from traveling outside NYS if they are COVID-19 asymptomatic. Please monitor your student closely for any of the COVID-19 symptoms and do not send them to school if they experience any of them.
End of the Year Special Events:
Junior/Senior Prom: We are currently planning to host a Junior/Senior Prom on May 22. Specific details will be sent to families when they are finalized.
NJHS/NHS: We are in the process of selecting students for induction into NJHS and NHS. Our current plan is to have a virtual ceremonies via Zoom on Wednesday, April 14. The NJHS Ceremony will begin at 6:00 pm followed by the NHS Ceremony at 7:00 pm.
High School Awards Night: Junior and Senior Awardees will be selected this year. A plan for honoring these students will be communicated to families.
2021 Commencement Ceremony: I will be gathering input from the Senior Class Officers, Graduation Coordinator, Administration, and Faculty to determine the venue and specifics related to our 2021 Commencement Ceremony on June 26. We will work diligently to create a ceremony memorable for our wonderful Class of 2021.
Junior High Interscholastic Mathletics Competition
Congratulations to Coach John Baer and members of our Junior High Interscholastic Mathletics Team. GCS Students Gianna Cucchiara, Anna Ferrero, Noah Rose, Catherine Staley, Harry Tamura, Simon Aguilar, Natalie Capel, Reagan Donegan, Noah French, Eddie LaFleur, and Ian Sorge led our team to the championship. It was another great season for our middle school. The team wasn’t sure that they would be able to participate in a competition this year due to COVID-19. However, the team was able to perform practices and competitions remotely here at Geneseo. The team participated safely by maintaining a distance of 6 feet at all times, wearing masks, and, most importantly, without traveling to other schools. Competitions and practices took multiple days a week to complete, and three students even completed the competitions from home using Google Forms.
The team competed in three Southern Region BOCES Competitions, which were held in December of 2020, January of 2021, and February of 2021. The team came in first place in all three meets, winning by 90 points over Letchworth, the only other team in the BOCES Southern Region to compete. Traditional rivals Livonia, Avon, York, and Cal-Mum did not compete. The team also scored enough points to beat every team in the Northern Region by at least 24 points. Those teams included Attica, Byron-Bergen, Batavia, LeRoy, and Oakfield-Alabama Central School Districts.
The team was led by savvy 8th grade veterans Harry Tamura with 63 points and Noah Rose with 46 points, and by new 7th graders Natalie Capel with 44 points, and Simon Aguilar and Noah French with 42 points. Rounding out the team were strong performances from Gianna Cucchiara with 35 points, Catherine Staley with 34 points, and Eddie LaFleur, who scored 31 points in just two meets. Mr. Baer expressed his pleasure and gratitude for being able to coach such a hardworking and friendly team.