Archive | October, 2012

Want full-day kindergarten? Let your voice be heard.

3 Oct

Full-day kindergarten may be in Webster’s near future.

For the last several months, the Webster Central School District has been looking into the possibility of replacing the elementary schools’ current half-day kindergarten programs with full-day programs.  An advisory committee consisting of 80 parents, teachers, administrators and community residents has been meeting since March to review current literature on the subject, and visit existing full-day programs in Monroe and Wayne counties.

Now they’d like to get some input from the greater Webster community.  They’re inviting all residents to complete a short survey to gauge interest.  It’s only got a handful of questions, so it doesn’t take very long. A few of the questions are kind of confusing, but I expect it should give the district a general idea of where people stand.

The district stresses that a move to full-day kindergarten will not require the addition of classrooms at any of the schools.  What other costs will be involved, I can’t tell you.

The survey will be available through October 12, and can be accessed online by clicking here.  Hard copies can also be found in the main office of each elementary school.

The Board of Education will receive a report from the Full-Day Kindergarten Advisory Committee in November, which will include the community survey results, along with research and site visit findings.

 

 

Wednesday Mailbag

3 Oct

News about all sorts of special events have been landing in my email box lately. So let’s get right to it…

The westbound lanes of the Bay Bridge will be closed again this weekend, beginning Friday at 5 pm, through Sunday around noon.  Traffic is going to be heavier on Empire Boulevard for the duration, so you may want to plan some alternate routes.

* * *

Webster resident Sara Cullen is organizing a benefit to fight eosinophilic esophagitis, an allergic inflammatory condition of the esophagus. The event is called Spin to Win, and is planned for Saturday October 6 from 8:30 to 10:30 am at Gold’s Gym, 855 Publisher’s Parkway.

Cullen’s eight-year old son Donovan suffers from the condition. Participants may contribute by taking a two-hour spin class at the gym from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., or taking a 9:30 a.m. body pump class. There is a $20 donation to participate.

All proceeds will go toward research through CURED, Campaign Urging Research for Eosinophilic Disease.

For more information, go to www.curedfoundation.org, or call the gym at 347-0047 to register to participate.

* * *

Did you hear that the school district is “re-evaluating” the Senior Project and has put it on hold?  That hasn’t stopped Schroeder senior Kaitlyn Newcomb from doing her own project.

Kaitlyn has organized a fund-raiser for the Webster Community Chest which is really unique. It’s called “Hoof’n It,” and will take place this Saturday morning, October 6, at the Webster Firemen’s Field. It’s a horse ride and walk. For $5 each, participants can mount a horse and take a guided 5-mile ride around the village of Webster. Anyone who does not want to ride is invited to walk along with the horses.

Registration will begin at 9 am the the ride begins at 10. Cash, check and non-perishable food donations will be accepted.  For more information, contact Kaitlyn at HoofinItWithRio@gmail.com.

* * *

Planning to go climb the iceberg at the Webster Aquatic Center on Columbus Day?  Better make other plans.

The Aquatic Center has sent word that the Iceberg Adventure scheduled for Monday has been cancelled. It’ll be back again on December 27. Contact WCSD Community Programs at 670-1087 with any questions.

* * *

Finally, this invitation from the school district:

Veterans Invited To Dinner in their Honor

Veterans living in the Webster Central School District are cordially invited to a complimentary dinner sponsored by Spry Middle School Student Council along with the Webster-Fairport B.P.O. Elks #2396 as a way of showing our appreciation to the men and women of this community who served, or are actively serving, in our country’s military. Spouses are also invited.

The event will take place Tuesday, November 13  from 4:00-6:00 PMat the Elks Lodge, 1066 Jackson Road, Webster. Reservations are required. Please call Flora Senecal at Spry Middle School at 216-0093 by Monday, November 5.

 

What I learned at camp

1 Oct

Misty or not, the Adirondack colors were more than spectacular.

So here’s what I learned at camp this weekend:  Asses like applesauce.

No, no, no — we’re talking about donkeys.  Apparently, according to my new friend Jen, the donkeys that live in the general vicinity of Las Vegas like eating applesauce out of single-serve containers. Through a car window.

As you can imagine, there’s a whole lot more to the story than that, but I won’t get into that here. Suffice it to say that was just one of dozens of stories I heard at Camp Gorham last weekend, most of which made me laugh so hard my belly hurt.

The occasion was YMCA Camp Gorham’s Women’s Adventure Weekend, a women-only, action-packed, stress-free weekend where participants could climb a wall, hike a mountain, shoot some arrows, ride a mountain bike, or just sit back in an Adirondack chair overlooking the lake and read a book.

There were about 60 women there, most of whom were from Rochester, several from Webster itself. So I saw a few ladies there I already knew. But the real fun was meeting so many new people and making so many new friends. It’s amazing how quickly strangers can become friends when you bunk with them for three days and hear them cheering you on as you hold on for dear life to the top of a 25-foot telephone pole.

The women of Birch Cabin, and my new friends.

And yes, I did finally get up on top of that pole. And I climbed the climbing wall and rode my first zip line. I kayaked on a lake that was so calm its surface reflected the mountains like a mirror. I went mountain biking and sang goofy songs around a campfire. And in the evenings, I relaxed in front of wood stove in a cabin filled with new friends and laughed till my belly hurt.

It was darn close to being the best weekend ever.

Oh, and aside from that fascinating fact about donkeys, camp also taught me that:

* It IS possible to survive without TV, computer or cell phone for an entire weekend.
* Sleeping in the top bunk is still fun, even as an adult.
* The air smells better in the Adirondacks.
* No matter how much it rains, the autumn Adirondacks colors are awe-inspiring.
* Being able to change into dry socks and shoes is one of life’s simple pleasures.
* It’s so quiet in the woods up there that you can actually hear the autumn leaves as they fall through the trees.
* When you put … another beverage … in a Styrofoam coffee cup with a coffee cup lid on it, it looks just like coffee.
* In Gaga, double-touch isn’t the same as two-hand touch.
* It’s possible to knock an archery target over forward.
* Adirondack chipmunks have some serious attitude.

 

Photographic evidence that I did stand on top of the pole. Then I jumped straight out to try to grab that trapeze. I was unsuccessful.

I also learned that in Eagle Bay, NY, throwing your sneakers over the power lines counts as entertainment.

 

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