Category: Archive
Fort Plain-Canajoharie Drama Club Presents—GREASE
GREASE… is the word!
This April, the Fort Plain-Canajoharie high school drama club will present GREASE—a story of love, friendship and a little bit of rebellion. With spirited rock and roll performances and dance numbers, this year’s spring musical is one not to miss!
Performances are Friday, April 19 and Saturday, April 20 at 7 p.m., with a matinee on Sunday, April 21 at 2 p.m. Shows will be held at the Canajoharie Central School District High School Auditorium, 136 Scholastic Way, Canajoharie, N.Y.
There is no advance sale for tickets. Tickets will be on sale at the venue on the day of each performance. Tickets are $5 for students/seniors and $8 for adults.
Fort Plain mourns the passing of Sandra Christman
Fort Plain Central School District mourns the passing of Sandra L. Christman, a longtime member of our teaching staff and supporter of our school community.
Mrs. Christman worked as a Spanish teacher at Fort Plain Jr./Sr. High School, a position she held for nearly 20 years.
“A dedicated educator, Sandi devoted many years of service to Fort Plain Central School District, sharing her love for learning and enriching the minds of countless students. Her commitment to teaching was matched only by her dedication to her family and her passions, which included quilting and creating countless memories at her beloved camp with friends,” reads a tribute, in part, to Sandra Christman.
View the tribute to Mrs. Christman and learn about her many interests and life experiences.
Say “yes” to the dress: promwear available at Kristy’s Closet
Beginning April 8, students looking for promwear are invited to check out the selection of fun and fancy dresses and shoes at Kristy’s Closet. All items are ready-to-wear and available free of charge.
Donations of clean and gently worn prom dresses and shoes are also being accepted. Please contact Stacey Kamp at stacey.kamp@fortplain.org or call the Main Office at 518-993-4000 to learn more or arrange for a drop off at the Jr./Sr. High School.
Kristy’s Closet is located in the basement of Fort Plain Jr./Sr. High School. Along with fancy promwear, the Closet is a place where students can access needed clothing and toiletries throughout the year.
A springtime message and updates from Superintendent Lauren Crisman
Greetings Fort Plain community members and Happy Spring! It’s hard to believe that we are nearing the end of the third marking period already.
Learning in our school community
I am continually impressed by the positive attitude and diligent work ethic our students display during each and every school day.
Learning is a lifelong process that requires curiosity, dedication and often hard work. Our classroom lessons are rich with meaningful and enjoyable learning experiences. It is encouraging to see our students using our many school resources to achieve their learning and personal goals.
Our teaching and school teams are committed to promoting student and family engagement in our curriculum and school community. We hope our actions inspire students to attend school daily and aim toward academic achievement and growth. To this end, we have in place a series of prevention strategies and intervention resources to support students, particularly those at risk because of chronic absenteeism.
As professionals, we also take the concept of lifelong learning to heart and continue to study and grow ourselves.
At Harry Hoag Elementary School, our teachers are learning about the Science of Reading and employ proven literacy learning strategies daily to teach our students.
At the Jr./Sr. High School, teachers continue to expand their knowledge about what best motivates teen learners and regularly promote student advocacy and peer leadership opportunities. Examples include the newly reinstated Jr./Sr. High School peer tutoring program and events, such as the 8th Grade Family Night and the Pops Concert, designed to bring our school community together.
School Resource Officer Program update
At the start of this school year, Fort Plain schools implemented the School Resource Officer Program in partnership with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office. Deputy Nick Manginelli has been a welcome addition to our school community. Again this year, Deputy Manginelli led sixth grade students through the D.A.R.E. curriculum, helping them learn to make health decisions and life choices.
Deputy Manginelli also coordinated ALICE training for our faculty and staff to improve our school safety response systems. Additionally, he meets monthly with our District Safety Team, which works to ensure a secure and safe campus. New this year, and as a result of our collaboration, several upgrades have been made to the building level safety plans and crisis response protocols. Too, a portion of equipment funding has been allocated for upgrades to our surveillance equipment.
2024-25 school year budget development
Spring is also the season when our community comes together to vote on our district’s budget for the next school year. One important aspect of school budgeting is ensuring that the budget aligns with the school district’s goals and priorities.
The Board of Education has identified five enduring goals:
- Improve safety in our schools.
- Improve student learning outcomes.
- Build and maintain trusting relationships with students and their families.
- Support social and emotional wellness for all school community members.
- Ensure responsible and strategic use of fiscal and human resources to best support the needs of our students.
The school budget is the biggest investment the community collectively makes with its tax dollars. The leadership team works to make sure the budget reflects support for our enduring goals. The proposed budget will allocate funding for resources that will be used to promote learning, improve emotional well-being, and promote the enhancement of all school programs. It is our goal to develop the proposed budget in a responsible and transparent manner to the taxpayers.
May 21, 2024 is the date for this year’s school district budget vote and Board of Education election.
Please visit the 2024-25 Budget resource page to learn more about this year’s budget development process and news. Updates will be added to this page and to the Budget section of the website as they become available.
Thank you for your support!
I hope you each find time to visit our schools this spring. We have so many wonderful activities planned such as an Art Show, A Minute to Win It night hosted by the PTA and the traditional spring concerts and school musical. Please look for details about these and much more in your Parent Square feed, on our district website and social media channels.
Thank you for all you do to support our efforts and those of your children. Your ongoing support of Fort Plain Central School District plays a crucial role in our ability to ensure all students are prepared for success beyond graduation.
Fondly,
Mrs. Crisman
Superintendent of Schools
2024-25 Budget Development
The school budget is the biggest investment the community collectively makes with its tax dollars. District leaders work to make the most thoughtful and effective use of resources to benefit students, to develop and manage the budget in a responsible and transparent manner and to be accountable to taxpayers.
Updates and resources related to the 2024-25 budget process will be added to this page and the Budget section of the website as they become available.
School Budget Vote – May 21, 2024
Each spring, the board of education adopts a budget for the coming school year for a community vote. New York state has designated the third Tuesday in May as the date for school budget votes.
This year, the school budget vote and board of education election will take place on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. The vote will be held at the Harry Hoag Elementary School Library from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Please mark your calendars and be sure to vote!
Board of Education adopts proposed 2024-25 proposed budget
During its regular meeting on April 17, 2024, the Fort Plain Board of Education voted unanimously to approve a proposed $23,844,000 budget for the 2024-25 school year.
The school budget represents an increase in spending of $524,000, or 2.25%. over the current year budget. The spending plan will allow the district to maintain all current academic programs and personnel, and will provide for additional supports and learning opportunities for students.
Under this proposal, the tax levy would increase by 1.43%, which is below the district’s allowable tax cap of 3.43%. Because the tax levy increase remains below the district’s allowable limit, as determined by the state’s tax “cap” formula, a simple majority of voters (50% + 1) is needed to pass the budget.
Learn more about proposed budget for the 2024-25 school year.
Opportunities to learn about the school budget
Since the start of the year, district administration and the Board of Education have been at work developing a budget for the 2024-25 school year. The goal is to maximize the district’s resources to create a fiscally responsible budget for the district’s academic, athletic and extracurricular programs and essential services in order to meet students’ needs.
- Public Hearing – Transportation, Building/Grounds and Instructional Program Budgets, 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 17, 2024 in the conference room of the District Office, 25 High Street, Fort Plain, N.Y.
- Public Hearing – Proposed 2024-25 Budget, 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 8, 2024 in the conference room of the District Office.
Early Voting/Absentee Ballots
Early voting/absentee ballot applications may be obtained from the District Clerk, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, except holidays.
Completed applications for ballots must be returned to the District Clerk at least seven days before the vote and election if the ballot is to be mailed to the voter, or the day before the vote and election if the ballot is to be delivered personally to the voter.
Early/absentee ballots must be received by the District Clerk no later than 5 p.m. on May 21, 2024, the day of this year’s vote.
2024 Board of Education Vacancies and Election
Three Board of Education seats up for election on May 21
Three seats on the Fort Plain Board of Education will be up for election this May to fill vacancies for terms expiring on June 30, 2024. The new terms will run from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2027.
Regular elections for Board of Education seats are held each year on the third Tuesday in May, the same date residents vote on the coming year’s school budget. This year’s vote date is May 21.
Petitions to run for the Board must be submitted by 5 p.m. on Monday, April 22, 2024.
For information on how to be placed on the ballot, contact Becky Smith, District Clerk, at becky.smith@fortplain.org or (518) 993-4000, ext. 1000.
Any U.S. citizen who is a resident of Fort Plain Central School District for 30 days prior to the vote may run for a seat on the Board.
Serving as a School Board Member
What does a Board of Education (school board) member do? Why volunteer to serve on the Board? Here’s some helpful information from the New York State School Boards Association (NYSSBA).
Responsibilities of a Board Member
With school children always their ultimate focus, school board members act officially at the board table, working with other board members to serve students and accomplish the following:
- Create a shared vision for the future of education.
- Set the direction of the school district to achieve the highest student performance.
- Provide rigorous accountability for student achievement results.
- Develop a budget and present it to the community, aligning district resources to improve achievement.
- Support a healthy school district culture for work and learning.
- Create strategic partnerships with the community stakeholders.
- Build the district’s progress through continuous improvement.
- Adopt and maintain current policies.
- Hire and evaluate the superintendent.
- Ratify collective bargaining agreements.
- Maintain strong ethical standards.
Characteristics of a Board Member
Below are attributes that all effective board members should possess:
- Effective Communicator: Can describe what they want and describe what others want; a good listener.
- Consensus Builder: Capable of working toward decisions that all can support and willing to compromise to achieve goals.
- Community Participant: Enjoys meeting a variety of people, can identify the community’s key communicators and reaches out to the community.
- Decision Maker: Is comfortable making decisions and can support group decision-making.
- Information Processor: Can organize priorities and schedules to handle large amounts of verbal and written information.
- Leader: Willing to take risks, be supportive of board colleagues, district staff and community.
- Team Player: Helps promote the board’s vision and goals.
Early release scheduled for April 8
An early release for all Fort Plain students at 1:30 p.m. on April 8, 2024 was approved by the Fort Plain Board of Education at its regular meeting on March 13, 2024.
On April 8, areas of New York state, including the Fort Plain region, will experience a partial or total eclipse of the sun. This is a rare occurrence, happening once every 400 years.
It is anticipated that many individuals will be traveling into and through the region in order to experience this once in a lifetime event.
Our goal, as always, is to ensure the safe and timely transport of students to and from school. Given the anticipated increase in traffic on our roads, and based on the advice of tourism, transportation and law enforcement officials, our leadership and board have decided on an early release on this day.
Learn about the April 8 eclipse
The April 8 solar eclipse will be fully visible across a narrow area of the state, referred to as the “path of totality.” People will experience a partial eclipse throughout the rest of the state.
To learn more about the eclipse, visit I Love New York and the New York State and the Department of Parks and Historic Sites.
Safety is key in an eclipse—make sure to follow all safety precautions and keep safety in mind when choosing where to watch the event.
Welcome Nicholas Comproski—Fort Plain’s new Jr./Sr. High School Principal
Join us in welcoming Nicholas (Nick) P. Comproski, Fort Plain CSD’s new Jr./Sr. High School Principal.
Mr. Comproski will begin in this new role with our district on May 1, 2024. His appointment was approved by the Board of Education at its regular meeting March 13, 2024.
Mr. Comproski has had a distinguished career in education to-date, with an emphasis on middle and high school youth and education. He brings a wealth of experience to this position, which includes time spent as a social studies teacher and special educator. Mr. Comproski comes to Fort Plain having most recently served as Assistant Principal of the Van Corlaer Elementary School in the Schenectady City School District.
“Mr. Comproski was selected based on the input of many people in our school community around the qualities they most hoped for in a new school leader for the high school. This included our students, families, teachers, community members, our administration and board,” said Fort Plain Superintendent Lauren Crisman. “We are thrilled to be welcoming Nick to our Fort Plain team. The students and our school community are sure to benefit from his experience and thoughtful approach to education.”
“I am extremely excited and honored to be selected as the next principal of Fort Plain Jr./Sr. High School,” said Nick Comproski. “In the past, I have been a teacher and an administrator in very large school systems. I feel I can make a greater impact in a smaller environment such as Fort Plain.”
“Since my first interview for this position, I have felt the small town feel, the community connection and the warm embrace,” Comproski continued. “This district’s mission statement is one that connects with many of my own beliefs and feelings. I believe relationships are one of the keys to life and look to not only create strong bonds, but collaborate with others in the school community to grow them together.”
About Nicholas Comproski
Nick Comproski is a k-12 graduate of North Colonie Schools and alumnus of Siena College and The College of Saint Rose, where he earned advanced degrees in educational leadership. He is currently working toward completion of his doctorate in Educational Leadership at Russell Sage College.
Additionally, Mr. Comproski has served as an adjunct professor at the College of Saint Rose in its teacher preparation program.
Outside of school, Mr. Comproski is a long-time firefighter/EMT with the Maplewood Volunteer Fire Department in Colonie, N.Y., and has coached teams in various sports over the years.
Since 2021, Mr. Comprowski has also served as a member of the North Colonie CSD Board of Education.
Grades 3 – 8 NYS testing information and schedules
This spring, students will be taking the New York State Grades 3-8 state assessments.
Grade 3-8 English Language Arts will be given April 8-12, 2024, with the state Math and Science tests to follow in early May (schedule below).
Students in all grades will participate in Computer-Based Testing (CBT) for their English Language Arts, Math and Science exams.
The state tests will continue to be untimed. This means that as long as students are working productively, they will be given as much time as they need to complete the tests during the regular school day.
Grades 3 – 6 NYS assessment schedule
English Language Arts (ELA) Assessments
Grades 3 and 5—Tuesday, April 9 – Wednesday, April 10, 2024
Grades 4 and 6—Thursday, April 11 – Friday, April 12, 2024
Math Assessments
Grades 3 and 5 – Tuesday, May 7 – Wednesday, May 8, 2024
Grades 4 and 6 – Thursday, May 9 – Friday, May 10, 2024
Grade 5 Science
Tuesday, April 23, 2024
Grades 7 and 8 NYS assessment schedule
English Language Arts (ELA) Assessments
Tuesday, April 9 – Wednesday, April 10, 2024. Thursday, April 11 and Friday, April 12, 2024 will be makeup days for students who may be absent on April 9 or 10.
Math Assessments
Tuesday, May 7 – Wednesday, May 8, 2024. Thursday, May 9 and Friday, May 10, 2024 will be makeup days for students who may be absent on April 9 or 10.
Grade 8 Science
Tuesday, May 14, 2024. Wednesday, May 15 and Thursday, May 16 will be makeup days for students who may be absent on May 14.
More details about the Grade 3-8 exams will be shared with students and families by teachers and the building principals.
If you have questions about this testing, please contact the Main Office of your child’s school for assistance: Harry Hoag Elementary School, 518-993-4000, ext. #3059; Fort Plain Jr./Sr. High School, 518-993-4000, #2124.
Families are encouraged to have their children put their best efforts into preparing for and taking the assessments.
We know that no single test offers a complete picture of your child’s abilities. Children are asked to simply do the best they can on these tests as the results are a valuable tool for educators to improve teaching and student learning. Please know that children’s scores on these exams will not affect their overall grades.
March 2024 Harry Hoag Roundup
Each month during the school year, Principal Coppolo shares news and information about what’s happening and upcoming at Harry Hoag Elementary School in Harry Hoag’s Monthly Roundup.
The March edition of the Roundup is now live. Read the March 2024 Harry Hoag Monthly Roundup.