Mount Markham CSD E-Newsletter October 2014, Edition 4 Superintendent Message Residents of the Mount Markham Central School District will have more than just the normal holiday season to-do list to attend to when December rolls around this year. On December 9th residents will be In This Edition asked to vote on a much needed capital project for the school district. At the October 14th Board of Education meeting, a resolution was unanimously approved, clearing the way for a December 9, 2014 vote SUPERINTENDENT MESSAGE on an estimated $12.9 million capital project. It proved to be an ideal time to consider necessary improvements in our facilities and infrastructure, as the proposed project will generate no increase in the local tax levy. When considering our highly favorable access to state aid, along with our ability to utilize reserves established for this very purpose, it became clear that now was the time to address these upgrades, long range maintenance issues, code updates and energy eﬃciencies. FIT TO READ PROGRAM The majority of the project involves infrastructure replacements that will promote greater eﬃciency in operation, along with addressing code updates. Some of the key elements to the proposed project include the following: ✦ Installing a new generator at the Middle School to address the need for increased capacity. Note: The school serves as a shelter for the community in the event of an emergency situation. NOT SIGNED UP? ✦ School over to the Elementary School Visit www.mmcsd.org Click on E-Newsletter Sign Up Moving the current generator in the Middle ! (Continued on Page 2) !1 Mount Markham CSD E-Newsletter October 2014, Edition 4 Superintendent Message Continued In This Edition ✦ Roof replacement in the Fitness Center at the High School ✦ Energy eﬃcient LED parking lot lights at the High School ✦ Window replacement at the Elementary School ✦ Re-surfacing of the track at the High School Of course, there are a number of other improvements included in the SUPERINTENDENT MESSAGE project. There will be several opportunities for community members to hear more details about the project at upcoming informational sessions, both at school and in the community. The schedule will be coming out shortly, and we ll make sure to share that information through our various communication channels. I think you will ﬁnd that the proposed project addresses many issues that must be dealt with, and will position us very favorably moving into the future. As always, we greatly appreciate your interest in our FIT TO READ PROGRAM school. Have a great weekend! Shawn Bissetta, Superintendent NOT SIGNED UP? Visit www.mmcsd.org Click on E-Newsletter Sign Up !2 Mount Markham CSD E-Newsletter October 2014, Edition 4 Fit to Read Program On Tuesday October 7th, our Fit to Read program started. This is an after school program aimed at keeping our children physically and mentally ﬁt. Right after school, the children get to go outside to play, In This Edition and then come in for a snack and a mini reading lesson. After that, they go to various classrooms to read high interest books that they have chosen. The books are provided to us by the Duﬀy Books in SUPERINTENDENT MESSAGE Homes USA program. On Friday, October 17th, our ﬁrst shipment of Duﬀy Books in Homes arrived. This included over 800 titles of high interest books for our Mount Markham Elementary students. Duﬀy Books in Homes USA has been providing books for our students to create home libraries for the past 7 years. Over the years, our students have been given over 40,000 books! Thanks to this program, we ve created a sense of literacy, and the children have learned the love of reading. Many FIT TO READ PROGRAM children are now saying things like, when is the Duﬀy giveaway? and I can t wait to get that book! Thank you to everyone who has contributed to making this a successful program. We d also like to give a special thanks to Mrs. Urtz, who has worked so hard to bring the Fit to Read program to the students at Mount Markham. NOT SIGNED UP? Visit www.mmcsd.org Click on E-Newsletter Sign Up !3