Linkageswww.geneseocsd.org Communicating Excellence to the Community November 2011 Self-Help Musical On GCS McCarthy Aud Stage A fast and funny self-help musical comedy, set in the era Open Swim Times of TV’s Mad Men series, is the Morning Lap Swim: fall production of the Geneseo Monday-Friday, 6-7:30am Central School Drama Club. It’s How To Succeed In Business Family Swim: Without Really Trying, and this Tuesday & Friday, 7-8:30pm classic play will be given three During week-long school breaks, the performances, November 17, 18, pool will be open Tuesday and 19 at 7:30 PM. Tickets are and Thursday, $8 for adults; $6 for seniors and noon-2pm for students. All seating is reserved. family swim. Advance sale tickets may be ob- tained by calling the box office at 243-3450, ext. 3013. With a brilliant song score by Frank Loesser, How To Suc- ceed In Business Without Really Trying is a sharply observed satire on office life. It follows the progress of an ambitious, “clear- GCS Board of Education eyed” window washer J. Pierpont Finch, who uses his wiles and a Marlene Hamann-Whitmore, handbook to climb the corporate President ladder of the Worldwide Wicket Stephen Miskell, Company. Kathryn Nesbitt and Ethan Fletcher are climbing the Vice President ladder to success – the easy way – in the classic musical Playing Finch, the opportunist How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying. It Catherine Bennett who capitalizes on misunder- will be presented November 17, 18, and 19 at 7:30 PM Roger Collins standings and dropping the name in McCarthy Auditorium. Leah Fletcher, Ph.D. of the company president at aus- Mark Peace picious moments, is Ethan Fletcher. Kathryn Nesbitt is featured as Rosemary, the secretary Craig Phelps who is instantly smitten with Finch. Jon Stone plays J.B. Biggley, the President of Worldwide Wicket. Ben Kelly is cast as Finch’s nemesis Bud Frump, Biggley’s obnoxious nephew. Timothy C. Hayes, Other office space archetypes are depicted. There’s mailroom head Mr. Twimble (played Superintendent by Kyle Fletcher); Director of Personnel Mr. Bratt (Matthew McClure); his secretary Smitty Kyle Adamczak, (Liz VanSickle); Biggley’s humorless secretary Miss Jones (Melita Kingston); Biggley’s Linkages Editor continued on page 4 2 Geneseo Central School District Taking Stock by Superintendent Timothy C. Hayes In any field, it’s critical to take stock in the league and our girls soccer team difficult time adjusting to 8:00 a.m. of where you are. At this moment our won a first round sectional game. start time District is having success in so many dif- As the athletic teams have been practic- • Changes in bus routes and drivers ferent areas that I feel it is important for ing on the fields and courts, our award • A shortage of GCS bus drivers result- us to reflect on how every person in our winning drama club has been rehearsing ing in the utilization of contracted First organization contributes to the success for their production of the musical How Student drivers to cover vacant routes of our students. This morning Business to Succeed in Business Without Even The District is committed to determin- First released its rankings of the schools Trying. I am certain that this production ing if the single K-12 school day is the in the upstate area. Of the 431 districts will be a hit with our school community. most effective and efficient schedule that were ranked, Geneseo Central was As you can see, it’s been a great fall here for our schools. In January 2012 all ranked 66th. This places us in the top at GCS. GCS families and staff will be surveyed 15% of the rankings. Details regarding regarding the single K-12 schedule. This the survey can be found at http://tinyurl. Single K-12 School information, along with financial and com/upstate2011 The achievement Day Changes staffing considerations, will be utilized to results that account for our District’s high determine the schedule for the District in A major change that occurred in our rankings in recent years are due to the 2012-2013 and beyond. District this fall is the move to a single outstanding work being done in class- schedule for grades K-12. As with any big Property Tax Cap and rooms and the professional development change, the institution of a single K-12 that has strengthened our curriculum and School Budgets: school day has brought benefits and chal- our practice. lenges. As Districts across New York State Along with this very positive academic begin to build budgets for the 2012-2013 news comes the achievement of our fall Benefits include: school year, the property tax cap will play sports teams. As I write this column our • Increased flexibility and availability of a huge role in determining final budget Football Team has just one the first Sec- K-12 staff numbers. Although the tax cap has been tion 5 football title in school history. Our • A common schedule for all staff identified as a “2% tax cap”, in reality Boys Soccer, and Boys and Girls Cross • A later start time for adolescents the final tax levy numbers may differ. Country Teams have also won Section • An earlier end time for elementary stu- The actual property tax cap by law is a 5 championships. The Girls Volleyball dents cap on the growth of school property Team finished second in the sectional • All students in a family on one schedule taxes at 2% or the Consumer Price Index tournament. Our Boys Soccer, Football, • Reduced number of bus runs & mileage (CPI), whichever is less. If the CPI is less Girls Volleyball and Girls Cross Coun- Challenges with the new than 2% (which it was last year), then try Teams all placed first in the regular schedule include: the property tax cap would be less than season league standings. Meanwhile the • An earlier start time for elementary 2%. The property tax cap law also allows Boys Cross Country Team placed second students – some students have had a certain costs to be excluded from the cap. Payments for capital projects and employee benefit increases in retirement Parental Access Support System In Place costs above 2% are excluded from the property tax cap calculations. Munici- Parents now have the option to access information regarding their middle and high palities (including school districts) may school students via the GCS District website. It’s through the Parent Access Support also present a budget to the community System (PASS) that parents can find their children’s marking period grades, current that exceeds the property tax cap limit. classroom grades, schedules, test history, and vaccination information. In order to be adopted, this budget must pass by a “super majority” of 60% of the The PASS link can be found in the “Parents” section of the GCS District website. It voters. is where information from Schoolmaster and the Student Information System can be viewed. To access this information, parents use the student’s six digit Schoolmas- In theory, the property tax cap sounds ter ID and a four digit pin number selected by the parent. simple. In reality, it is a complex calcula- tion that will have a dramatic impact on To request an account, download the PASS form from the District website and school budgets across New York State. return it to Kathy Mackey in the school counseling office. Stay tuned! Communicating Excellence to the Community 3 Capital Project Update Phase I: If you have visited campus Two items that were originally planned ings, lighting, flooring are included. The this fall you know that it was a very for Phase I - Elementary Playground brown wall tile in the main pool area will busy summer for construction at improvements and removal of the tennis be painted in order to brighten up the GCS. The first phase of our $11.4 mil- courts – were not included in the sum- space. New showers, lockers and seating lion project has been completed. mer work and have been moved to Phase are included in the locker rooms. II of the project. These items will be Substantial work on the plumbing and Here is a review of the main completed in the summer of 2012. components from Phase I: chemical feed system is also included. Phase II: Most interior renova- 5. Middle/High School (large) 1. Art and Technology Classroom tions will be completed in Phase II of Gymnasium, Locker Rooms and Renovations – The middle and high the project. Phase II construction is Team Rooms – The same treatments school art classrooms as well as the scheduled to begin in late December. that transformed the small gym in Phase middle school industrial technology I will take place in the large gym during classroom had new flooring, cabinets The following major items are Phase II. However, the large gym will and Smartboards installed. included in Phase II: not have the floor replaced as the cur- 2. Elementary (small) Gymnasium 1. Classrooms and Media Centers rent wood floor is in excellent condition. – This space has been transformed in – Classrooms in the District Office A permanent wall will be added behind to a beautiful multi-function teaching Hallway, the band and chorus rooms, the bleachers to enclose the mezzanine space. New ceiling, lighting, flooring and and the elementary and MS/HS Media area and provide additional instructional windows have created a bright and open Centers will be renovated. Work will space for physical education classes. The learning and play environment. This is included heating, ventilation and air addition of a heavy vinyl drop curtain truly a highlight of the project to date.