Category: District News
District residents approve proposed budget and bus proposition, elect 2 to Board of Education
Fort Plain Central School District residents approved a proposed $21.8 million budget for the 2021-22 school year by a vote of 126 to 15 on May 18, 2021.
They also approved a proposition by a vote of 125 to 16 authorizing the district to acquire school vehicles at a maximum cost of $275,000, with the funds to be drawn from the Bus Purchase Reserve Fund.
Voters also elected Kimberly Keane (126 votes) and Teresa Karker (121 votes) to serve on the Board of Education for three-year terms running from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2024.
The approved 2021-22 budget maintains all academic programming with no increase in the tax levy. The approved school vehicle purchase proposition also will not have an impact on the tax levy, and it will allow the district to replace aging buses and minimize maintenance costs.
“Thank you to all who came out to vote,” said John Bishop, Fort Plain superintendent of schools. “We’re proud of our instructional programs and the services and opportunities we are able to offer our students. We appreciate the community’s support.”
Congrats Coach Phillips!
Fort Plain baseball coach Craig Phillips has been in the media spotlight after achieving 800 career wins on May 18. Known as much for his sense of humor and pranks as for his outstanding coaching of the Hilltoppers and record-breaking wins on the diamond and basketball court (regionally and statewide), Coach Phillips has been the focus of much well-deserved attention this week. Here’s just some of the coverage:
The Daily Gazette:
800 wins for Fort Plain baseball’s Phillips, countless stories for those around him
Spectrum News Albany:
News 10 Albany:
CBS 6, Albany:
https://cbs6albany.com/sports/content/fort-plains-phillips-wins-800th-game-on-the-diamond
Reminder: No school on May 27 & 28
Reminder: Per the emergency days guidance on the board-approved one-page calendar, Fort Plain Schools will be closed on May 27 and 28 because the district did not use all of our snow days. Enjoy the long Memorial Day weekend!
FPHS honors Students of the Month
Congratulations to our Fort Plain Jr./Sr. High School Students of the Month for April 2021:
7th Grade- Daniel Lancaster
8th Grade- Mariah Deese
9th Grade- Sadie Mollel
10th Grade- Amelia Gallagher
11th Grade- Sarah Florian
12th Grade- Zavia Allen
In the photo above, from left: Sadie, Mariah, Zavia, Sarah, Amelia and Dan
Sheriff Smith presents skateboard crafters with helmets, stickers & safety advice
The weather on Friday, May 14, was as spectacular as the longboard skateboards crafted by 16 Fort Plain Jr./Sr. High School 8th grade students, who were presented with helmets, stickers and safety advice by Montgomery County Sheriff Jeffery T. Smith at a ceremony in Wiles Park.
Sheriff Smith was joined by Undersheriff Carl Rust and Sergeant TW Flickinger in making the presentations, which also included certificates for their technology teachers, Kreig Heroth and Ted Arndt. Sheriff Smith, in turn, was presented with his own custom-made longboard, complete with an emergency beacon. The teachers said it was a culmination of all that they – both faculty and students – learned during the project.
After donning their Sheriff-donated helmets, the students road-tested their quick and colorful longboards in the park, experimenting with standing and seated rides and gaining confidence and skill with each ride. Some even wove their longboards around obstacles on a curvy path. Teamwork and encouragement were abundant as the students offered tips and cheered each other on.
The helmets, the project and the day were a big hit with all in attendance, even Superintendent of Schools John Bishop, who took one of the longboards out for a smooth cruise.
Mr. Arndt and Mr. Heroth said that earlier in the year, they thought it would be exciting for the students to build the longboards as a class project. Unlike typical street boards, longboards are used for gracefully cruising around town, on the bike path, etc. They are very long (38 to 45 inches) with a correspondingly long wheelbase. The students worked on the project over several months. Read more about what they learned.
Judging by the success of the 2021 longboard project, there are likely more cool crafted cruisers to be crafted at the high school in the future.
Visit our Facebook Photo Album!
Media coverage:
CBS-6 Albany, Friday, May 14:
Times Union, Sunday, May 16:
Reminder: School budget & Board of Education vote is May 18
A reminder to all Fort Plain Central School District residents: the Annual School Budget Vote and Board of Education Election will be held on Tuesday, May 18, from 1 – 9 p.m. in the Harry Hoag Elementary School gymnasium.
Please also note that the Board of Education will meet in regular session on May 18, beginning at 6 p.m. in the elementary gymnasium.
The Fort Plain Board of Education adopted a proposed $21,875,000 budget for the 2021-22 school year at their April 14 meeting. The proposed budget would maintain all academic programming with no increase in the tax levy. Visit the budget webpage for more information about the budget and board election.
Grade 4 presents “Fables,” a readers’ theatre production
Every picture might tell a story, but a fable teaches a life lesson. Harry Hoag fourth graders recently capped off their study of traditional literature with a focus on fables. Students were asked to develop a readers’ theatre production to demonstrate their comprehension of the genre.
They presented live to their peers, and we videoed their work to share with families at home. Fables feature talking animals who tell a story that teaches a life lesson. After learning about different fables and their morals, the fourth graders created staging with colorful sets, backgrounds and props, along with puppet-like characters for each tale. The students worked hard to author and perform the productions.
Harry Hoag Principal Mrs. Crisman said, “Our fourth graders did a beautiful job with the fable performance tradition. It was clear that all students contributed to the group project. I was most impressed with the performances! It is not easy to speak publicly in front of peers, let alone perform. Great job by all! ”
“This is a highlight of our fourth grade year!” said teacher Libby Arndt. “It is not only a great activity to end our traditional literature unit, but a great opportunity for students to work together. They write the screenplay, decorate the set, and build the puppets and props as a group. They are so nervous and excited to perform, and then get up in front of their friends and do such a great job! I’m always so proud of their efforts.”
View their video and learn the moral of their stories!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1am2aUBdP-30fyzgObvxK1S1UgHDGziW8/view?usp=sharing
The fables include:
“The Fox and Leopard”
“The Frog and the Mouse”
“The Owl and the Grasshopper”
“The Dog and His Reflection”
“King Lion and the Beetle”
“The Fox and the Stork”
“The Fox and the Goat”
“The Ant and the Dove”
The Donkey, the Rooster and the Lion
“The Baboon’s Umbrella”
“A Raven and a Swan”
“The Shepherd Boy and the Wolf”
FPHS earns high national, area rankings from U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report has awarded Fort Plain Jr./Sr. High School high rankings nationally and regionally rankings in its “2021 Best High Schools” report.
Schools were ranked on six factors based on their performance on state assessments, graduation, and how well they prepare students for college. Fort Plain Jr./Sr. High School continues to rank high in the national report.
Fort Plain was ranked number one in the Amsterdam, N.Y. metro area, number 467 in New York State, and number 5,470 out of 24,000 public high schools in 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Great work, Hilltoppers!
Glow Day lights up learning excitement
Who said that getting ready for state testing had to be boring?
As children across the state have been preparing for the NYS ELA assessments that will take place this week, the students in Mrs. Amy Bartholomew’s 6th grade English Language Arts classes have been doing the same . . . sort of.
Students spent all last week in her class reading incredibly challenging text passages and then analyzing and answering multiple choice questions. But since she was asking for so much effort and focus from them, Mrs. Bartholomew decided to reward her students and their hard work by making the experience as fun as possible.
They call these days “Glow Day,” and students spend their ELA class in complete darkness with blacklights, glowsticks, glow in the dark balloons, and highlighters to light their way as they work. When students completed test questions accurately, they were allowed to play glow-in-the-dark bowling, ring toss, tic-tac-toe, and basketball as a reward.
It is one of the most fun weeks in 6th grade ELA and students were actually THANKING her for their week of test prep! Mrs. Bartholomew shared that she is incredibly proud of her 6th graders and all of the hard work they’ve put in this past week, as well as throughout this entire school year.
Seth Wintermute, Patti Jarabek honored with CASDA Scholars Recognition awards
Fort Plain senior Seth Wintermute and Spanish teacher Patti Jarabek have been honored with 2021 Capital Area School Development Association (CASDA) Scholars Recognition awards.
Seth was nominated for the award by Fort Plain Jr./Sr. High School counselor Colleen Cushing. He was then asked to nominate a teacher and selected Mrs. Jarabek.
A CASDA website article about the awards said this about Seth’s nomination: “Seth is an outstanding student who will be attending Syracuse University in the fall. A recipient of Syracuse’s Leadership Scholars Award, Seth will be studying Political Philosophy and Political Science.
“While a student at Fort Plain, Seth participated in Track and Field and Cross Country, and held leadership roles on both teams. Seth received the Rensselaer Medal, The Julia Innella Memorial Award, and the Bausch and Lomb Science Award.”
About Patti Jarabek, CASDA said, “Mrs. Jarabek has been teaching Spanish for the Fort Plain Central School District for 29 years, influencing the lives of hundreds of students. Seth chose to recognize Mrs. Jarabek as the teacher that has had the most significant influence on his education because, in his words, ‘her class and guidance has helped me immensely through my career in high school and I would like the opportunity to thank her for that.’”
Congratulations Seth and Mrs. Jarabek!