What's Inside. . . Superintendent’s Letter ....... 2Hip Hip Hooray .................. 2Parent-Teacher Conferences .. 2Athletic Hall of Fame ......... 3Guidance News ................... 4News from Nurse ................ 4Art Club Pretzel Sale .......... 4Music Notes ........................ 5Art Department News ......... 5Box Tops for Education ...... 5Morning Program ............... 5Box Tops ............................. 5Colorguard Show ................ 6News from CROP ............... 6Girls on the Run ................. 7Calendar of Events .............. 8Red Cross Blood Drive ....... 8February Menu ............ Insert

Thank you to the Laurens

Jaguar Advocates for

sponsoring this issue of the Leopard’s Tale.

Volume II, Number VI February 2018

LAURENS CENTRAL SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

It Was Grinch Week!

The last four days of December were spent celebrating Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas in second grade. The class read the book, discussed its message of importance being placed on time with family rather than on presents, sang You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch while hunting for different parts of speech, completed a place value math project about stolen presents, wrote Grinchy Mad Libs, used a chemical change to grow the Grinch’s heart, and had a party where we feasted on Grinch kabobs, Who-Ville cook-ies, and drank Grinch punch. Our dress-up day was a big success as many students had Who-hair, wore green, or had a Santa hat or reindeer antlers.

Thank you to all the parents and volunteers that helped make our week “Grinchy.” —Mrs. Boyce

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From the SuperintendentThe month of February is known for many things. Valentine’s Day! A day to

share kind thoughts and words with those we cherish and love. And to, of course, eat a lot of chocolate! Also, February is generally the coldest month of the year. And, during the month of February we celebrate the 100th day of school, which means the school year is more than half over. We are all starting to get Cabin Fever, staying inside in an effort to stay warm; BUT here at LCS a lot is going on! So you will want to brave the cold and get out to a school event! Please note: • We have completed the entire first semester, and will soon celebrate the 100th

day of school. Elementary teachers will be sharing information about that with their students.

• Our basketball games have been exciting and the season will soon be coming to a close. Be sure to get out to a game!

• The annual Contrast of Colors color guard home show will be held on February 10. Always a great event!

• Report Cards for grades 7-12 will be sent home on Monday, January 29.• Report Cards for grades K-6 will be sent home on January 31. Parent/Teacher

conferences for all grades will be held on February 7. Be sure to schedule an appointment

Of course, February is also the time when schools begin to learn about the Governor’s plans for our state and educational systems. Governor Cuomo contin-ues to have strong opinions and high goals for our schools, teachers and students. As of this writing, schools are waiting for the governor to present his executive budget, which will outline State Aid for schools. And while the governor’s budget may not match the amounts requested by the Department of Education, it will be the dynamics between the Governor, our legislators and SED that will once again be taking the forefront of media coverage in the coming months. Stay tuned for more information to come!

And, Laurens . . . Where Community and School Create Success!(And it has happened again, and again, and again!)

COACHES VS. CANCERA very special “Thanks” to everyone for their support and generous donations

received for our fourth annual “Coaches vs Cancer” Fund Raiser. $4,341 was raised through donations and raffles. The LCS Athletic Booster Club will be contributing additional funds! Congratulations to our Basketball teams and Booster Club for sponsoring this event. And a special “Thanks” to our community for your support!

SERVICE ACTIVITIESAnother Thank you goes out to Mrs. Francisco and the students participating

in Key Club. Key Club is a Service Activity, and our students take that charge seriously. Key Club members serve at many of our school functions. For example, they helped to serve lunch to our Veterans in November and they again helped to serve dinner at our Annual Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Dinner. In addition, this year Key Club members helped to organize the Give and Take night where families could bring in children’s winter clothing that had been outgrown and trade it for much needed larger sizes.

These activities are in addition to the annual Blood Drives, Food Drives and Holiday Gift Giving Projects in which our students, faculty and staff actively participate. Several families were supported during the holidays as a result and the Food Bank at St. Mathew’s Lutheran Church was replenished. We are now onto other service projects. Caring for and supporting others in our community is alive and well at LCS. Congratulations LCS!

Hip Hip Hooray• To Samantha Budine and MaKenna

McNicol for helping the third grade track kindness!

• To everyone that contributed to Coaches vs. Cancer! It was a huge success.

• To all of the inductees of the Athletic Hall of Fame—Congratulations!

• To Sadie Lincoln for being chosen to participate in the Morris Rotary Exchange Program. Sadie will be heading to Brazil next school year!

• To everyone that helped our com-munity families during the holiday season.

• Macee Dutcher has been accepted to SUNY Delhi, SUNY Plattsburgh and Mount Saint Mary College

• Nick White has been accepted to SUNY Delhi

• Allison Hungerford has been accepted to SUNY Cobleskill

• Rachelle Soucia has been accepted to SUNY Plattsburg

• Georgia Quattlebaum has been accepted to Herkimer College

• Kaitlyn Watson has been accepted to The College of St. Rose

• Eve Rokhvadze has been accepted to University at Buffalo

• Kylie Hatalla has been accepted to Sage College, SUNY Buffalo State College and SUNY Cortland

• Hannah Faulkner has been accepted to Hartwick College

• Marina Maier has been accepted to Utica College and Hartwick College

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Parent-Teacher Conferences for students in grades K-12 will

be held in the afternoon on Wednesday, February 7.

All students will be dismissed at 12:35 p.m.

Please call the Main Office to schedule your conference at

432-2050, ext. 1220

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LCS Athletic Hall of Fame Welcomes New Members On December 29 during the Pat Grasso Holiday Tourna-

ment, the LCS Athletic Hall of Fame welcomed two new individual members and one team.

Kellisue Loftus Friedman, Class of 1984, was inducted as an individual athlete. She was a valuable contributor to the LCS soccer, volleyball and softball teams and was also a member of the Ski Club. She carried her love for athletics into her post-graduate career by majoring in Kinesiology and playing soccer for SUNY Brockport. She went on to work as an exercise physiologist for Johns Hopkins University and coached soccer at an all-girls school in Baltimore, MD. She went on to obtain her degree as a Physician Assistant and has worked in urgent care and internal medicine.

Duane Trask was inducted as a contributor to the LCS athletic program. A 1964 graduate of LCS, Duane or his wife Debbie, also an LCS alumna, attended every single athletic competition that one of their four children participated in. Duane has driven buses for countless athletic trips, has worked in our maintenance department, worked in the concession stand, helped build props for color guard shows, assisted in the conversion of our first marching band equipment bus, and still contributes to the athletic department by selling tickets and chaperoning games.

We also inducted the 1958 Football Team. This team was the first of Coach Grasso’s two consecutive undefeated Tri-Valley championship teams. Members of the team that were able to attend the ceremony were Charles Pierce, Ronald Whitmore, David Wikoff, Robert Wikoff, Ralph Wright, and Roger Wright. Other team members were Donald Anderson, Elvin Bookhout, Ralph John Brightman, Allan Davidson, Michael Dunn, Richard Elderkin, William Gravelin, David McLaud, Donald Peet, Francis Toombs, William Webster, and Richard Whitmore.

Congratulations to all of our new inductees and thank you to the cafeteria staff, the buildings and grounds staff, Mrs. Wenck, Mrs. Francisco, the members of the Hall of Fame Committee and everyone who helped to make this a wonderful evening for all involved.

Congratulations!

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February 2018 Guidance NewsJUNIORS AND SCHEDULING FOR SENIOR YEAR

Mrs. Sider will see juniors in class sometime in February and then individually to discuss their senior year schedules and college/career/military plans. Please discuss these pos-sibilities with your child if you have not already done so.

Here is a to do list to keep you organized for the next few months:• Make a file to manage your college search, testing and

application data.• Visit college websites and request materials.• Find out about college-prep summer programs or enrich-

ment programs. Check www.summeroncampus.com.• Look into SAT subject tests (information online or in the

Guidance Office), in addition to SATs and ACTs.• Develop a list of 10 to 15 colleges that attract you and

that you may wish to visit—then visit!• Sign up to attend Junior Visit Days offered by many

colleges in the spring and summer. Many are during vacations.

• Create a resume of extracurricular activities, athletics and other honors and experiences you have received or participated in while in high school.

FINANCIAL AID AND SCHOLARSHIPSThe Guidance Office has a variety of information on finan-

cial aid and scholarships. Parents and students are encouraged to visit and utilize these helpful resources. Check out these websites for scholarship and financial aid information:• www.hesc.ny.gov• www.studentaid.ed.gov• www.finaid.org• www.collegecost.ed.gov/scorecard• www.suny.edu/smarttrack/types-of-financial-aid/

scholarships• www.studentscholarships.org

News From the NurseAt this time of year, it is a good idea to talk with children

about cold weather safety. Extra care is needed, especially in younger children, to be sure that frostbite does not occur.

It is important to check your children’s, even teen’s, outerwear every day during extreme weather conditions. Warm jackets, hats, scarves, boots and an extra pair of dry gloves in their pockets will protect them during extremely cold temperatures.

Develop an emergency plan and teach your children your emergency plan in case you are not home before the bus comes to pick them up. If a bus is delayed, they need to know where, when, and how to get help if they think they are waiting outside for a bus longer than they should, or if they sense danger. Tell your child that if you are not home while they are waiting outside for the bus how long they may wait outside, where to go in the event the bus is delayed, and what the dangers and risks of extreme weather are.

EXPLAIN DANGER SIGNS AND RISKS AND WHEN TO SEEK HELP IF • the child gets cold or wet, especially boots or gloves; • the child feels pain or numbness anywhere especially

hands, feet, ears, or nose;• the child senses they have waited longer than five minutes

when you have alerted them temperatures have dipped into the teens, especially on a windy day; and

• the child thinks they may have frostbite which behaves like a burn and requires medical attention.

Teach your child about your cold weather plan even if you are not there to help them. Be sure they know: • when to ask for help; • where to find safe shelter in an emergency; and • how to protect themselves with proper winter clothing

and an understanding of danger signs. Stay warm and safe. Happy winter!

Art Club Chocolate Covered Valentine Pretzel SaleDark Chocolate with mini chips or nuts

Milk Chocolate with sprinkles or mini chipsWhite Chocolate with sprinkles or nuts

$2.50 a bag!

2 DECORATED PRETZELS IN A VALENTINE BAGPre-orders taken until Friday, February 9. Delivery Tuesday, February 13.

Additional pretzels will be sold Tuesday, February 13 in the Trophy Hallway during lunchtime.Make checks payable to LCS Art Club

Dark Chocolate ________ (bags) mini chips ________ (bags) nutsMilk Chocolate ________ (bags) sprinkles ________ (bags) mini chipsWhite Chocolate ________ (bags) sprinkles ________ (bags) nuts

_________Total x $2.50 = $ ____________________

Name ___________________________________________ Homeroom _______________________

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Music NotesThe LCS Music Department is proud to host the All-

County Music Festival #1 on Thursday, February 1 and Saturday, February 3. We will welcome select student musi-cians from 10 area schools to participate in Junior Chorus, Senior Band, and Jazz Choir. The Festival will culminate in a concert Saturday, February 3 at 2:00 p.m. in the gym. Admis-sion is $1 for students, $4 for adults, and $10 for families.

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR LCS PARTICIPANTSJunior Chorus: Genesis Bushnell, Maggie Lincoln, Katie

Madsen, Cassidy Moxley, Kassidy Qua, Natalie Segina, Charlette Sprenkle

Senior Band: Faith Gaglia, Kylie Hatalla, Jacob Lyons, Seth Stevens

Art Department NewsStudents at LCS have recently been challenged to show off

their talents in two extracurricular art exhibits. The first was a Problem Gambling Poster Contest spon-

sored by the local LEAF Council. Students were to create and submit a poster in any media to identify and help correct the myths some youth hold about gambling. Participants had their work displayed at a state wide conference in November. Cash prizes were awarded. The People’s Choice Award and top prize of $200 went to Faith Gaglia. The following runner up students were awarded prizes of $100; Jenna Bordinger, Christopher Long, Marina Maier, Meghan Saggese, Jillian Segina, Zachary Shaul, Kassidy Smith, Jordan Weir, Mason Wilms and Quinn Yorks.

Assistant Professor of Art, Richard Barlow, has called for the submission of portrait art to create an exhibit at The Foreman Gallery at Hartwick College in Oneonta called, “High School Portraits: Otsego, Delaware, Chenango.” The exhibit ran January 9-26, with a closing reception on January 26 from 4:00-6:00 p.m. Portfolio Reviews took place from 4:00-6:00 p.m. The gallery is located in the Anderson Center for the Arts, gallery hours are from 9:00 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. Participating students were: Jenna Bordinger, Camillia Cimko, Faith Gaglia, Christopher Long, Marina Maier, Brie Moore, Zachary Shaul, Jillian Segina, Meghan Saggese, Kassidy Smith, Kaitlyn Worden, Jordan Weir and Quinn Yorks.

Morning Program NewsThe Morning Program theme for the 2017-2018 school

year is Animals. Each month we will learn about a differ-ent kind of animal. Our theme for the month of February is Arctic Animals.

SOME FEBRUARY DATES TO KEEP IN MIND: 2 Kind and Caring Kid Awards 5 Monday Routine 9 Mr. Pollock 12 Monday Routine 16 Joke Day 19-23 Vacation 26 Monday Routine, Bus Awards

Come join us Monday and Friday mornings at 8:30 a.m. in the cafeteria. It’s a great way to start your day!

***On weeks where there is no school on Monday due to a holiday, we will have Morning Program on Tuesday and the last day of the school week.

Box Tops for EducationThe Box Tops for Education program is alive and well at

LCS. You can find these labels on many things you buy, from cereal to notebooks. See the website BoxTops4Education.com for more information. Please send box tops that you have col-lected in with your child. Our school earns 10¢ for every box top that we collect. Thanks!

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Laurens Leopards

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2018 @ 5:00 IN THE SCHOOL GYM

DOORS OPEN @ 4:30

Admission: $6 adults, $4 students/seniors Under 5 free

43” Smart TV Raffle ~ 50/50 Raffle ~ Lotto Board Raffle ~ Food

News from CROPJanuary proved to be a cold and bitter month. I hope every-

one had a well needed vacation break and stayed warm. Now that February has started hopefully the cold weather will just be a memory.

The K-1 and 1-3 groups are in the process of finishing up making tie blankets for our Head Start class to keep them warm during their nap time. Our 5-8 group were concerned about our birds not getting enough food during these cold months and made some bird feed hangers to take home and hang outside their homes. The 3-4 group is doing a great job working on kindness activities and creating a bulletin board in their classroom to show their progress.

We had a visit from our partner program LEAF council to talk about bullying with our 3-4 and 1-3 groups. A fun activity was planned where everyone got to participate and talk about subjects they were concerned about.

The K-1 finished their lessons with the Cooperative Exten-sion Catch program. They made some wonderful healthy snacks, learned to make good choices for meal time and did lots of fun exercise during play time. The 1-3 group is in the process of finishing up their time with Cooperative Extension and has really enjoyed all kinds of new foods they were able to make and taste.

We have some fun field trips coming up in the near future. One will be this month on February 7 to the SUNY Oneonta Museum. In March we have a fun field trip to Noah’s Play Place. Look for more details soon.

Parents please check DOJO, school website, notices and Leopards Tale about changes in schedule for C.R.O.P.

We look forward to a fun second half of the year. Any questions or concerns please contact myself, Jody Trujillo at 432-0958, email jtrujillo@laurenscs.org, or call the main school at 432-2050.

Thank you,Jody TrujilloCROP Coordinator

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Girls on the Run is so much fun!

We inspire girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum which creatively integrates running.

Online registrat ion opens January 22 and closes January 28

Season begins: March 13, 2018Location: Laurens Central SchoolMeeting days and times: Tuesdays and Thursdays: 3:00-4:30 p.m.Register at: www.girlsontheruncny.org/get-involved/register-your-girl

For registration or more information contact:Jody Trujillo/Beverly Murch

jtrujillo@laurenscs.org or bmurch@laurenscs.org

www.girlsontheruncny.org

DC

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Prin

ting

Serv

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Non-ProfitOrganizationU.S. Postage

P A I DPermit No. 18Norwich, NY

13815

LAURENS CENTRAL SCHOOLLaurens, New York 13796

BOARD OF EDUCATIONCynthia Struckle, PresidentThomas Francisco, Vice PresidentJerry MurelloPeggy BushMargaret Wikoff

SUPERINTENDENTRomona N. Wenck

BUILDING PRINCIPALWilliam F. Dorritie

EDITORSheryl A. Dugan

Current Resident or

POSTAL PATRONECRWSS

Laurens Central School

Blood DriveHosted by Key Club

School CafeteriaFriday, March 2 • 3:00-7:00 p.m.

Appointments may be made online.

February Calendar of Events 1 Zumba, 6:00 p.m. 2 BVBB Playoffs 3 All-County Festival @ LCS GVBB Playoffs Zumba, 9:30 a.m. 4 Community Basketball, 6:30 p.m. 6 BVBB Playoffs Zumba, 6:00 p.m. 7 ½ Day of School—P/T Conferences, K-12 GVBB Playoffs YFC, 6:30 p.m. 8 Zumba, 6:00 p.m. 9 BBB vs. Unatego (if no playoff) Color Guard Alumni Dinner 10 Tri-Valley Championship BMBB @ Schenevus GMBB @ Schenevus Zumba, 9:30 a.m. COLOR GUARD HOMESHOW 11 Community Basketball, 6:30 p.m. 12 BMBB @ Morris GMBB vs. Morris 13 GBB vs. Harpursville Zumba, 6:00 p.m. POMP Meeting, 7:00 p.m. 14 YFC, 6:30 p.m. 15 Zumba, 6:00 p.m. 17 BMBB vs. CVS GMBB @ CVS Zumba, 9:30 a.m. Color Guard @ Vestal 18 Community Basketball, 6:30 p.m.

19-23 WINTER BREAK 19 Booster Club Meeting, 7:30 p.m. 20 Boys’ Sectionals—Round 1 Zumba, 6:00 p.m. 21 Girls’ Sectionals—Round 1 Board of Education Meeting, 7:30 p.m. 22 Zumba, 6:00 p.m. 23 Boys’ Sectionals—Round 2 24 Girls’ Sectionals—Round 2 Zumba, 9:30 a.m. Color Guard @ Mohonasen 25 Community Basketball, 6:30 p.m. 26 Classes Resume 27 Boys’ and Girls’ Sectionals Round 3 Zumba, 6:00 p.m. 28 Boys’ and Girls’ Sectionals—Round 3 YFC, 6:30 p.m.