A motor-vehicle accident with injuries has been reported on Route 33 and West Bergen Road.
Bergen Fire Department and Mercy EMS dispatched.
UPDATE 8:05 p.m.: First chief on scene reports a car off the side of the road.
UPDATE 8:09 p.m.: A chief reports no entrapment. Everybody is out and walking around. Minor injuries. Route 33 is being closed.
UPDATE 8:13 p.m.: Two flatbed trucks requested for the tows.
A fire is reported at 56 Buell St. in the City of Batavia, apartment 1. It's not yet known if everyone is out of the building. City fire is responding.
UPDATE 5:40 p.m.: A police officer on scene reports there is smoke coming from the upper apartment, but it's not yet known if there are flames. The building's entryway is on Elizabeth Street.
UPDATE 5:42 p.m.: City firefighters are now on scene and report there's "nothing showing."
UPDATE 5:44 p.m.: The fire was contained to the stove top. It's out and firefighters are ventilating the apartment.
UPDATE 5:51 p.m.: "Gas is off to the stove. We're all set with the ventilation," says a firefighter.
UPDATE 6:02 p.m.: City fire is back in service.
A two-car accident is blocking traffic at 8484 Alleghany Road, in front of the Flying J Travel Center. Pembroke and Indian Fall fire departments are responding along with Mercy EMS. Unknown injuries.
UPDATE 5:35 p.m.: The accident is partially blocking the entrance to the travel center. There are two injuries reported, unknown severity.
UPDATE 5:59 p.m.: One person is being transported to UMMC for evaluation. No word on the status of others.
UPDATE 6:09 p.m.: A 76-year-old female is being taken to UMMC complaining of right leg pain after the vehicle she was driving was allegedly T-boned on the passenger's side as she attempted to turn north on Route 77. She was wearing a seat belt. Also, an 11-year-old boy is being taken to UMMC, accompanied by his grandmother, for evaluation.
UPDATE 6:15 p.m.: The responders are back in service.
Press release:
Four persons were arrested on Oct. 7 by the Le Roy Police Department after allegedly being found in possession of more than $1,000 worth of stolen property, which was taken that night from the outside of a furniture store in the Village of Caledonia.
The investigation started about 10:30 p.m. that evening when a BOLO was sent out by the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office asking officers to be on the lookout for a vehicle occupied by people who witnesses say just stole furniture from the store.
The vehicle was located by the Le Roy Police as it was passing through Le Roy, headed west on Route 5 toward Batavia. The four occupants were allegedly found with multiple stolen items inside the vehicle worth more than $1,000 and taken into custody.
The four suspects, their vehicle and the property were then turned over to the Livingston County Sheriff’s Department and the four were charged in Livingston County for the theft. The four are also being charged in the Village of Le Roy with criminal possession of stolen property in the fourth degree, a Class E felony.
The four people arrested are:
Amy Lynn Showler, 37, of 19 Manhattan Ave., Batavia
Richard Donald Hammer, 45, of 5 Wood St., upper apt., Batavia
Jennifer Ann Zimblis, 40, of 34 Main St., apt. 2, Le Roy
Daniel John Wolfe, 38, of 5 Wood St., Batavia
It's the time of year again for The Batavia Cemetery Association's annual Candlelight Ghost Tours at the historic Batavia Cemetery. The first tour was Saturday night and another will be held at the cemetery this Saturday from 7 to 9 p.m. The cost is $10 and proceeds benefit the association and upkeep of the cemetery.
Sue Conklin as a Gypsy fortune-teller.
Tim Buckman as Philimon Tracy.
Charlie and Connie Boyd was Dean Richmond and his wife.
Saturday, the Elba Historical Society hosted its annual barn dance at the Torrey Farm barn on Route 98. The barn dance is one of the major fundraisers for the historical society. This year, the event was held in honor Ron Komar, the former president of the historical society who passed away in July at age 63.
Yesterday was the official opening of Alexander Elementary School's outdoor classroom. Sixth-graders McKenna Moran and Nick Allen did the honors for the ribbon-cutting ceremony, with some assistance from preschool teacher Ellie Jinks.
Parents, kids and community members braved the autumn morning chill to attend the ceremony celebrating the opening of the very first certified outdoor classroom in Upstate NY.
McKenna and Nick were among the students who helped with this project last year as fifth-graders. They were honored student speakers at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, where each praised the outdoor classroom's merits from a student's perspective.
"(It's great that) instead of just staying inside all day and writing papers," McKenna said, "kids get to be outside doing hands-on things and still learn the same things they would be learning inside."
"I think it's a great addition to our school," Nick said when addressing the crowd. "We don't get to go outside very much. And like McKenna said, instead of just reading about nature in books, we get to go outside (and learn in a hands-on way). I want to thank all the donors (and everyone who helped out)."
Guest speaker Sen. Michael Ranzenhofer called Alexander's outdoor classroom "a shining example of what all of Genesee County, and really the rest of New York State, should do."
He also said that "our kids are in front of too many screens (TV screens, computers, iPods, etc.)," and that projects like this show dedication to "where education should be going -- into the future."
Alexander School Board Vice President Reed Pettys cited studies indicating that:
"Our hope is that for many years and decades to come," Pettys said, "this outdoor classroom will give relief to many individuals."
More photos after the jump (click on the headline):
Jinks, who has taught in Alexander for 38 years, jumpstarted this project a little over a year ago.
She applied for and won a Pepsi Refresh grant, and with the help of teachers, school administrators, school board members, parents, community members and local businesses -- as well as the Arbor Day Foundation and Dimensions Educational Research Foundation -- she was able to make her dream of an outdoor classroom a reality.
She drew her initial inspiration from something she learned as a student at SUNY Geneseo.
"I learned that unstructured play is good for the health and relationships of both children and adults."
Throughout the process, she was inspired by the generosity and support of the school and wider community via fundraisers, social media and a lot of hard work.
Alexander Central School District Superintendent Kathleen Maerten said she was "most proud of the fact that funding for this project came from grants, local businesses and community generosity. No district funds were used."
Maerten emphasized that there is still work to be done. The Outdoor Classroom Committee would like to eventually install a bike and walking path around the classroom, an amphitheater for performances and a greenhouse.
In addition to these, of course, is the challenge of routine maintenance.
"This is going to require a continued commitment from the school and the community," Maerten said.
More photos:
Kathy Busch, vice principal of the elementary school, contributed to the Fall "mood" by serving apple cider.
Patrick Kelly enjoyed the sandbox while his sisters tiptoed around the edge.
Billy Marchison, meanwhile, was rocking the "Wheeled Toy Area."
Businesses that have supported this project include the following:
Pepsi Corporation
Alexander Equipment
Attica Packaging Co.
Concreations, LLC
Eberhard Landscaping
Johnson's Nursery
Pudgie's Nursery
United Materials
Home Depot Foundation
A-1 Supply Co., LLC
Bernard Schmeider PE, LS
Conservation Connects
Frey Sand and Gravel
Merle Excavating
Springtyme Landscaping
Z & M Ag and Turf
Lowe's Foundation
Attica Hardware
Bonsal American
Dominick and Daughters
Iroquois Job Corps
Palmiter's Nursery
Thomson Rustic Furnishings
Previous coverage:
New classroom will give Alexander students a place to learn in the great outdoors
Alexander Elementary School holds open house for outdoor classroom
Dr. Micheal Merrill shared these pictures of the Batavia HS girls cross-country team from their meet Saturday in Alden. There are no results available from the meet.
Tim McCulley and Jared Thornton made quite a duo on Saturday, helping to lead the way for a Notre Dame victory over Attica in an overtime game, 32-26.
The quarterback and receiver connected 10 times for 240 yards and four touchdowns.
The two biggest plays came in the fourth quarter and OT.
Down 26-18 with less than three minutes on the clock, Thornton jumped off sides to turn a fourth-and-five into a fourth-and-10.
"I just wanted to make it up to my teammates," Thornton said. "I just tried to make it up best I could."
When the ball was snapped on that fourth-down play, McCulley dropped back and looked for Thornton cutting across the field. He put the ball up and Thornton snagged it.
I just wanted to make the first down," Thornton said. "I caught the ball and somebody hit me, but I just bounced right off him so I just kept going."
The score followed by a two-point conversion knotted the game at 26 apiece.
On its next possession, Attica stalled and with less than 30 seconds on the clock, just let time expire, deciding to roll the dice on OT.
The Blue Devils won first possession of OT and on the first play from scrimmage, QB Austin Skawienski ran a sweep to the far sideline. Attica dodged a bullet when he fumbled the ball was ruled down before the ball sprung loose.
Two plays later, Skawienski tried for a corner end zone pass but Notre Dame's Josh Johnson stepped in front of the ball and pulled it down.
The Irish took possession on the 20-yard line, but before the first snap, a player jumped off sides.
From the 25, McCulley dropped back to pass, Thornton streaked toward the back corner of the end zone, McCulley tossed it high, Thornton jumped, but so did Zach Kozma. Kozma actually got his hands on the ball first, but Thornton pulled it away.
As the players tumbled to the ground, Thornton's helmet popped off, but he held firm to the ball.
TD and a ND win, 32-26.
"He’s really good at jump balls, kind of like Calvin Johnson, I guess," McCulley said of Thorton. "I just throw it up there and he goes up to get it."
With the win, Notre Dame secured a first-round home game in sectional play.
"It was a fantastic game," said Head Coach Rick Mancuso. "I thought both teams played their hearts out. It’s a shame that anybody had to lose that game. I give all the credit in the world to Attica. They lose the quarterback in the first quarter and they gutted it out and they gave it everything they possible had. We just managed to pull it out in the end. I’m really proud of our guys."
The Irish defense had their hands full with junior running back Matt Perry who carried the ball 27 times for 181 yards and one TD.
"Perry is a workhorse," Mancuso said. "He can take the ball 50 times and be as tough on the last carry as the first carry. He’s a heck of running back and they have a great line."
QB Skawienski was 3-6 for 58 yards and one interception for Attica. He replaced Corey Ruddock in the first quarter after Ruddock was transported by Mercy EMS to an area hospital with possible back and leg injuries.
While Attica dominated on the ground -- 287 total yards to Notre Dame's 139, the Irish looked at times like Air Coryell. McCulley was as likely to drop back and look for an open man as he was to hand it off. On the day, the junior QB was 14-22 for 270 yards and the four TD tosses to Thornton.
On the ground, McCulley carried the ball 11 times for 79 yards. Nick Taylor had six carries for 35 yards and Andrew Mullen had six carries for 25 yards.
In those final minutes of the fourth quarter, the situation did look pretty bleak for the Fighting Irish.
After the Blue Devils marched the ball 70 yards down field, and knocking at the door of another TD, Perry coughed the ball up on the one-yard line.
That could have been a turning point for Notre Dame, a chance, down 19-18, to move the ball into scoring position.
After a second-down penalty negated the positive gain of a first-yard play, McCulley ran a bootleg. He never made it out of the end zone. While it appeared that he was trying to pass the ball while being dragged by Jake Dollard, the play was ruled a fumble. Attica recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown.
For a lot of teams, that would have been the game right there.
"I just told my guys, a win starts with belief," said senior lineman John Lapple. "If you believe you can win, great things can happen, never go down on yourself. You’re always positive and you know what’s going on."
On defense, Aaron McDonald and Josh Johnson had nine tackles apiece. Johnson also had the interception. Thornton and Taylor each had 6.5 tackles. Jason Hart and Charlie Hebert had five apiece.
In other football action Saturday:
If you're unable to view the slide show below, click here. To purchase prints of these pictures, click here.
Tie game, the 80th meeting of Cal-Mum and Le Roy, and a coach on the side lines yells, "Just give it to Mistersaro."
During the next drive, Marcus Mistersaro's #40 was called at least four times and the senior who is listed on the roster as a tight end, gained most of the 95 yards he had on the night in those carries.
With runs of 28 and 31 yards, Mistersaro helped set up a three-yard push by Tom Kelso with 39 seconds left in the game to give the Oatkan Knights a 19-12 win.
The loss for the Red Raiders (4-3) knocks Cal Mum out of the playoff picture for the first time in a long, long time.
The Knights (6-1) were already guaranteed a first game at home for the Section V Class C tournament.
After the game, Head Coach Brian Moran praised Mistersaro's work ethic.
"There’s a perfect example of a young man who spent his winter in the weight room and it showed in the 4th quarter," Moran said. "He just dominated the 4th quarter.
"There was a young man who put the weight of the team on his shoulders and said, ‘we’re not going to lose tonight,' " Moran added.
It was a big deal, Mistersaro said, to be given a chance to make a contribution in a big game.
"It means a lot," Mistersaro said. "It's 12-12 against Cal-Mum. You just kind of have to step it up."
For senior outside linebacker Archie Cappotelli the win was special on a couple of levels. One, his family is from Cal-Mum. Two, it's the first time senior players from Le Roy experienced a win against the Red Raiders.
"It means a lot to the whole team," Cappotelli said. "We’ve all been working hard since the beginning of August and even before that in the weight room."
The 6-1 record, Cappotelli said, proves what the players knew even before the season started. This is a good football team.
"Everybody was down on us at the beginning of the season, but we’ve been showing them," Cappotelli said. "We can play. We’re for real. We’re ready to go for sectionals now. This game is going to feel good for tonight, but next week we’ve got to focus and get ready for our next team."
You knew this was going to be a hard-fought game when the first quarter ended without a score from either side.
Cal-Mum got on the board first with a two-yard run by Kurtis Haut, but failed its two-point conversion attempt.
Le Roy struck back on the next drive when QB Mike McMullen hooked up with Ryan McQuillen on a 53-yard pass. A Dylan Johnson extra point made the score 7-6.
The Red Raiders opened the second half with a TD drive capped by Haut's one-yard dive into the end zone.
But the Knights didn't get down, Cappotelli said.
"We never gave up," Cappotelli said. "This team is like a big family. We're all good, ready to go. We knew we were going to win."
A safety later in the quarter made the score 12-9, setting up a big decision in the fourth quarter when Le Roy was near its own end zone on 4th down with four yards needed for a first down.
At first, Moran sent out the offensive unit, ready to go for it, but as the Knights lined up for a play, Moran called time out.
Thomas took the field and kicked the ball through the up-rights to tie the game.
"12-12 is 12-12," Moran said. "If we tie it up, we extend the game. Dylan did a great job for us tonight."
Moran was excited about the win and his players. After a big stop at the close of the first half when a Cal-Mum drive stalled one the one yard line, Moran charged onto the field pumping both fists, congratulating his players.
He was just as excited when time ran out and the win was secured.
"These games are always big," Moran said. "Caledonia is six miles down the street. Any time you play them, it’s a big game. It’s great for our communities, and that’s what it’s about. High school football. These kids know each other and they talk all the time. It’s just nice to get together."
He's also proud of his team's 6-1 record going into sectionals. He said this team has been special.
"It’s enjoyable when you come to practice and kids are ready to work hard," Moran said. "When you have young men who want to learn and do the things you ask them to do, it’s just a pleasure to coach them. You know, they’ve done the things we’ve asked and it’s shown on the field."
In the game, besides Mistersaro's 95 yards on eight carries, Kelso had 16 yards on 16 carries and one TD. Dylan Johnson had four rushes for 10 yards. McMullen was 2-8 for 53 yards and was intercepted twice.
On defense: Kody Lamkin, 10 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 pass breakup; Zack Fitszimmons, 10 tackles, 1.5 for loss; Cappotelli, 9 tackles, .5 for loss; Kelso, 9 tackles, 1.5 for loss; Mistersaro, 5 tackles; Sean McMullen, 5 tackles; Alex Dunn, 4 tackles, 2 pass breakups; McQuillen, 3 tackles, 1 interception.
In other Friday night action:
No stats are available for these games.
If you're unable to view the slide show below, click here. To purchase prints of these photos, click here.
A woman who came home to her River Street apartment about 10:30 p.m., Friday, was unable to rescue her dog and firefighters believe the dog had already passed by the time they found it in a back bedroom.
"She said she tried to get the dog out but the smoke was too thick," said neighbor Ed DeJaneiro. "She crawled but couldn’t reach him."
Lt. Marty Hinz, city fire, said when firefighters arrived a partition in the apartment's living room was engulfed in flames. The first order of business was suppressing the fire. Then they located the dog.
When the dog, "Scooter," was brought outside, the resident and neighbors tried to resuscitate it but where unsuccessful.
As a result of her attempt to rescue her dog, the woman suffered smoke inhalation and was transported to Strong Memorial Hospital by Mercy EMS.
Her name at this time has not been released.
The fire was likely the result of an electrical problem, Hinz said.
There's no damage estimate available.
The fire was contained to 102 River, which is the left side of a duplex. The other apartment had no fire damage.
The woman's husband had left for work at 4 p.m., Hinz said. Investigators have not yet been able to interview the woman and neighbors provided conflicting accounts of when she might have left.
Accounts do agree that she returned around 10:30 p.m. She found smoke coming from her residence and went to her neighbor's apartment to report the fire. The neighbor evacuated his three daughters and called 9-1-1. He then tried to attack the fire with a fire extinguisher, but was unsuccessful.
Batavia PD officers were first on scene.
By that time, DeJaneiro said, flames could be seen in the living room.
According to DeJaneiro, he and his wife left for dinner about 6 p.m. At that time, he said, they smelled smoke and commented that somebody must already be using their wood-burning stove this time of year.
The temperature at 6 p.m. was into the 30s or low 40s.
Another neighbor thought he heard a smoke detector at one point, but didn't pinpoint the location, DeJaneiro said.
"This may have been going on since six o’clock," DeJaneiro said. "I don’t know. It may just have been smoldering and unfortunately, this is the end result."
DeJaneiro said the woman's husband was particularly fond of Scooter.
Officer Thad Mart points out to a parent a newly installed "No Stopping" sign installed on Ross Street across from Batavia Middle School.
Lt. Eugene Jankowski explained that parents parking across from the school on Ross are a traffic hazard. The street isn't wide enough to accommodate parking on both sides. The area had been posted no parking, but parents picking up their children would protest that they weren't parking, but just stopping. Now, no vehicles will be allowed to park or stop on this section of Ross during morning and afternoon school hours.
Officer Mart was assigned the duty today to ensure parents take note of the signs.
At about 3 p.m., we noticed a problem with the Web site. The wrong headlines were appearing on stories. The wrong comments were appearing on stories. If we tried to edit a story, the wrong edit screen would open.
All of the content of The Batavian is served out of a database. Databases have segments known as tables. Different tables perform different functions and are related to each through numeric sequences. One of the tables of our database stores revision history. This table had become corrupted, which caused the content to get scrambled.
We don't believe any malicious act caused this, or even human error. It just happened.
The most recent available back-up of the site was from 10 p.m., Thursday.
It took a great deal of time to first figure out the problem and then look over our options for recovery. We decided to back up some files on the server, back up the back-up database and then install everything on a secondary server and make sure that the restored database wasn't also corrupted.
We then had to restore the primary server.
All-in-all, the site was offline for about seven hours. It came back online at 10 p.m. or so while I was at the Cal-Mum vs. Le Roy football game. Then we had a house fire on River Street, so this is my first opportunity to post something and fill you all in on what happened.
The worst of the news is -- besides being down for seven hours -- is that everything posted on Friday was lost. The good news is, I was able to manually save copies of all the home page posts from Friday, so my next task is to repost those. From the best of my memory I'll time stamp the stories to the approximate times originally posted.
Unfortunately, all of the comments left on those posts are gone. Any obituaries, events, announcements, etc., posted on Friday are gone, too.
We apologize for the inconvenience of all of this. It wasn't any fun for us, either. It reminds me of the time I was a reporter at a daily paper in California and the press broke down just as it started the afternoon paper's run. The sense of helplessness feels the same. It's an unhappy situation, but tomorrow's a new day.
A house fire is reported at 100 River St. in the City of Batavia. City firefighters are en route. Town of Batavia Fire Department is also called. The fire is fully involved.
UPDATE 10:40 p.m.: The Town of Batavia's Fast Team is also called and Alexander is asked to fill in at the city fire hall.
UPDATE 10:42 p.m.: All occupants are evacuated. A medic is called to evaluate a female for smoke inhalation and another ambulance is called to stand by at the scene.
UPDATE 10:45 p.m.: River Street will be shut down at Pearl Street.
UPDATE 10:48 p.m.: The city's Fast Team is asked to continue and its second engine is told to stand down.
UPDATE 10:49 p.m.: People at the scene tried to resuscitate a dog on the property but failed.
UPDATE 10:55 p.m.: National Grid has been notified. No ETA given.
UPDATE 11:04 p.m.: The location is actually a duplex, with smoke spewing from both units, 100 and 102 River St.
UPDATE 11:19 p.m.: The fire is under control.
Mike Lullo kept the key tacked to a bulletin board in his office for years.
"I told my wife, 'I'm going to ride that motorcycle again.' "
Her response, "yeah, yeah, yeah."
Soon, Lullo will ride that motorcycle again.
The motorcycle in question arrived in Batavia last night and was uncrated outside his insurance office on Center Street this morning.
It's a 1969 BSA Rocket III, a highly desirable bike in its day that Lullo acquired in 1975 while attending college in Albany.
It was his primary transportation for awhile. He took it on some road trips, and on one of those trips it broke down.
Lullo took the bike into the basement of a building he owned and started repair work.
"It was at the time what’s known as a basket case," Lullo said. "It had broken down, had some engine problems and was being repaired. It was somewhat disassembled, so to the untrained eye it was just a bunch of parts, a frame with some wheels on it."
One of Lullo's tenants took it upon himself to sell the bike to somebody locally. It was some time before Lullo discovered the bike was missing and about 11 years ago, he reported it stolen.
The former tenant still lives in Batavia and recently told police, Lullo said, that he sold the bike because Lullo told him to clean out the basement and get rid of everything.
"Yeah, right," Lullo said.
Even if the former tenant admitted to stealing the bike, it wouldn't matter much now.
"The statute of limitations is only five years," Lullo said. "That was 14 years ago. There's no touching him at this point. I'm just happy to get the bike back."
The tenant got $150 for the BSA and it changed hands a couple of times before it was sold to a man in Syracuse for $200.
That buyer sold the motorcycle on Ebay last November for $3,350.
In March, one of Lullo's insurance customers came into his office and they started talking motorcycles.
Lullo mentioned he once owned a BSA, and the customer said, he once did, too. Lullo asked him to describe the bike.
"It was your bike, wasn't it, Mike?" the customer said.
With that clue, Lullo was able to find the guy in Syracuse who wound up with the motorcycle and sold it on Ebay.
At that point, Lullo recontacted Batavia PD. Det. Pat Corona got involved in the case and between the two of them -- Corona contacted Ebay for help -- they were able to track down the online transaction and the buyer in England.
The buyer in England is a retired fellow, Lullo said, who is quite into motorcycles and buys and sells parts on Ebay.
"He was a bit taken aback when he discovered he had purchased a stolen motorcycle and really didn’t want to give it back because he had invested a lot into the restoration," Lullo said.
The man shared receipts with Lullo showing $7,500 in work on the motorcycle.
The restoration project was never completed because once the man found out he would be sending the motorcycle back to the U.S. he stopped working on the project.
He returned the bike and all the original and restored parts, professionally packed in a well-constructed crate.
Lullo paid for the shipping and reimbursed the man in England for some of the restoration, otherwise, the man in England is out his purchase price and some of the restoration expense.
While Lullo expressed some sympathy for the man, he did buy a motorcycle without absolutely no documentation and once Lullo established rightful ownership the man in England, legally, had to turn it.
According to Lullo, because the buyer is in England, Ebay's buyer protection program doesn't apply to the transaction.
Proving Lullo owned the BSA wasn't necessarily easy.
Back in the 1970s, New York didn't issue title on motorcycles, so all he had was sales receipt and a registration. Those documents disappeared with the bike.
One of the things Lullo learned about the bike the man in England had was that it was missing a side panel.
When the bike was originally stolen, the thief and/or buyer left behind a side panel.
The paint job was a custom color and that color matched the color of the bike at the time the buyer in England received the motorcycle pieces.
That helped prove Lullo was the proper owner of the motorcycle.
Getting the motorcycle back to the United States proved problematic. It was shipped to England as motorcycle parts along with other freight, so there was no export record for a motorcycle, so to customs it looked like a new import. Lullo had to produce police records and other documentation to prove the bike was being repatriated to the U.S.
After not hearing from customs, Lullo called Newark and this time he apparently got the right guy on the phone who said simply, "Your bike is ready. Come and pick it up."
Immediately, Lullo jumped in his pickup truck and drove down to Newark to retrieve a very important connection to his youth.
After unpacking it today, he stood back, held his arms out wide and with a broad grin said, "It's back home."
Annual External Audit Report Presented
David Mancuso of Freed Maxick, CPAs, PC, presented a summary of their audit of the basic financial statements of the Batavia City School District for the fiscal year that ended June 30, indicating that there were no significant, unusual or controversial transactions or accounting practices.
Some specific points from the report and presentation follow.
The complete report will be available on the district’s Web site (www.bataviacsd.org): go to the “District” tab for a drop-down menu, scroll down and click on “Business Office,” click on “Financial Reports,” then scroll down to the appropriate report.
More after the jump, click on the headline.
Jackson Primary School Toured
Jackson Primary School Principal Diane Bonarigo welcomed the board of education members and guests to the school which now houses two universal pre-kindergarten classrooms (each with a morning and afternoon class), 10 kindergarten classes, nine first-grade classes, and one 12:1 class. In addition to providing a tour of the facility, she introduced several initiatives that will begin soon. The first, Science Stars, “starring” first-graders, will run from November to June and will involve various labs and activities that will culminate in a science fair. A second will be an ELA and math night this fall for students and their parents in which teachers will plan and present fun lessons aligned with the Common Core Standards. In January, advanced writers and readers will have an opportunity to publish a piece of their work, ideally one with a national audience.
Annual Professional Performance Review Plan (APPR) Approved
In the final step before submitting it to the NYS Education Department (NYSED), Deputy Superintendent Chris Dailey presented the district’s APPR plan to the board for its approval. In his presentation, he explained the 100-point scoring system that is used to rate teachers and principals as highly effective (91-100 points), effective (75-90 points), developing (65-74 points), or ineffective (0-64 points), noting that “effective” and “highly effective” are the only acceptable target scores. In addition, he explained state and local criteria and measurement tools -- such as student grades on state and/or local assessments, on-site observations by a supervisor, and setting and meeting targeted goals that boost student success -- that are used to determine scores. While the APPR format is new, the process of staff development and of implementing strategies to improve student learning -- the true aim of the APPR plan -- have long been the standard.
The board adopted the plan which now will be sent to the NYS Education Department for approval. While expecting the plan to be approved by the state, Mr. Dailey also reminded the board that this was a one-year plan so the committee will continue to review and adjust it in preparation for next year. The board and superintendent of schools commended Mr. Dailey and the committee for their work in the development of the plan.
The APPR plan, once approved by the state, will be posted on the district Web site.
2013-2014 Budget Calendar and Board’s Budget Guidelines
Business Administrator Scott Rozanski submitted for approval a budget calendar to be followed for the preparation and presentation of the 2012-2013 spending plan for the district, leading up to the vote in May. Some important dates to note include the following:
· Deadline for turning in Budget Ambassador applications: Jan. 3
· Budget Ambassador meetings: Feb. 13 and 20
· Board of Education petitions due: April 24
· Voter Registration Day: April 24
· Proposed Budget available for public view: May 6
· Presentation of Proposed Budget/Propositions: May 14, 7 p.m., Batavia High
· Budget, Board of Education, and Propositions (if any) vote: May 21, 7 a.m. through 9 p.m. at Batavia High and John Kennedy Intermediate schools.
He also presented suggested guidelines requiring board input and approval, based on parameters that the board has set in the past for the development of the preliminary budget. Those guidelines, as approved by the board, include:
Student Count and Consolidation; Superintendent Report
Superintendent of Schools Margaret Puzio reported that the annual count of students which provides a snapshot of student enrollment -- the Basic Educational Data System (BEDS) -- held no big surprises. The district has 23 more students than at this time last year, most of which are in the ninth grade and, to a slightly lesser degree, the fifth grade.
In continuing to check in on the consolidation process, Mrs. Puzio visited the fifth-grade wing at the middle school during one of the enrichment periods held twice a week. Noting that “it was even better than expected,” she cited the students’ enthusiasm and engagement in their activities, which included groups involved in keyboarding, math games, an art project, and a creative thinking activity. Staying through dismissal, she was pleased to report that it all went very smoothly.
Genesee County Emergency Dispatch Center reports that a portion of Griswold Road in Stafford is now closed for road work until further notice. It's the part that spans Black Creek, with an address of 6120 Griswold Road on the west, and 6164 on the east.
If you've spent any time outdoors in the past couple of weeks, chances are you've noticed the telltale coloration of Virginia creeper off in the distance, whether in the hedgerows or the edges of woodlots.
Often mistaken for poison ivy, Virginia creeper, aka parthenocissus quinquefolia, is a prolific climber.
Also called "five finger" because of the number of leaves per cluster, Virginia creeper's vivid shades of red and burgundy start to appear well ahead of the peak autumn foliage colors.
Maybe it's me, but this year the colorful vine seems to be permeating the countryside, its colors more resplendent than in years past.
Whether hiking or driving, it has been hard to take my eyes off of it -- and numerous times over the past couple of weeks I've heard Claudia say, "Watch the road!"
When Genesee Community College students in the "Alpha Iota Upsilon" chapter of Phi Theta Kappa met for their organizational meeting over a year ago, they came to realize that they had all been affected by breast cancer in some way or another.
"Be it a family member, friend, or acquaintance," said Chapter President Thomas Wieszczyk,"we all knew someone who had battled breast cancer."
That's why they started "Walk for a Cure," a walk in honor of breast cancer victims and survivors that will be heldat 10 a.m. on Saturday on GCC grounds (at 1 College Road in Batavia). This will be the second annual walk; the above photo, which features student officers and volunteers, is from last year.
Pre-registration is not required to participate in the walk, which is open to the public. Lasting about 30-45 minutes, it will begin at the nature trail west of the campus and then wind its way through the woods and across the field, ending at the student forum.
Tickets cost $3, and T-shirts can be purchased for an additional $4.
Around 11 a.m., there will be a post-walk gathering in the student forum with refreshments -- including drinks and pizza from Mark's Pizzeria -- guest speakers and information on how to conduct a self-examination.
Guest speakers will include Bobbie Noto of GCC, Sharon Occhino of "Komen for the Cure" and Susan Smith, a GCC student and breast cancer survivor.
The event will also feature:
According to Wieszczyk, "Walk for a Cure" was sparked by a desire to start a "project that would help our community, raise student involvement within the community and fit into Phi Theta Kappa's national initiative for that year."
"Our then-president, Devon Kleinbach, called for order and said that she would very much like to do a breast cancer awareness walk."
The first walk raised over $1,000, which was donated to United Memorial Medical Center "to cover the cost of breast cancer screening for people who could not otherwise afford it."
The same will be done with this year's proceeds.
So far, the students of Phi Theta Kappa have gotten a lot of support, with community organizations and individuals donating gift baskets and nearly $300 raised from a pre-walk bake sale on Tuesday.
"If things continue in this fashion," Wieszczyk said, "we will have another phenomenal year."
Photo submitted by Thomas Wieszczyk
The winner of last week's contest was Jacob Quinn, who was among six people who picked Curtis Lofton for most tackles. Quinn's name was selected in a random drawing of those six people.
To enter this week's contest, click here.
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