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Jackson School

Jackson School is building a new bus loop

By Traci Turner

The landscaping in front of Jackson School is being ripped out this week to make room for a new bus loop that City Schools Superintendent Chris Daily said will improve transportation safety for students.

The project means some grand old trees in front of the school are now gone, but Daily said new trees will be planted as part of the project.

Besides the trees, so far, the sidewalks have also been jackhammered and hauled away.

The project should be completed by Sept. 1.

In addition to the bus loop, new locks and classroom bathrooms will be installed at the school.

The construction is a part of the district’s $3.8 million capital project that was approved three years ago. 

Jackson students celebrate moving up a grade

By Howard B. Owens

It was a big day for the students at Jackson School. They moved up a grade, receiving certificates of continuation from administrators during a ceremony in the Batavia High School auditorium.

Photos: Jackson School goes wild for reading

By Howard B. Owens

Robin Zanderwers from the Buffalo Zoo shows off a turtle to students at Jackson School on Thursday evening during an event dubbed "Wild About Reading."  

Pictures: Community art displays from Jackson School students

By Howard B. Owens

Ella, Mrs. Shuknecht’s First Grade
My Snowman
My snowman’s name is Krystal. She is fancy and happy.  She likes to wear bows and a hat. Her favorite food is ice cream cake. When it is cold outside she likes to have snowball fights and go snowboarding. 

Parris, Mrs. Bigsby’s First Grade
My Grandma’s House
I went to my grandma’s house. It was a special place. First, I ate dinner with my grandpa and grandma. It was good. I had turkey and mashed potatoes with them. Next, I played at the park with my friend, Emma. We played on the monkey bars. Last, I went to feed the ducks. I fed them bread.  I had a great time at my grandma’s. I hope I can visit them again soon. 

Martha, Mrs. Bigsby’s First Grade
My Papa’s House
I went to my papa’s house and it was a special place. First, I ate dinner with my papa and my grandma. It was delicious. Next, we watched the Croods. It was a funny movie. Last, they took me to the park. I went on the swings. I had fun at the park. I had a great time at my papa’s house. I hope I can visit him again soon. 

Jay’lee, Mrs. Mattice’s Kindergarten
Penguins
Penguins can swim. 
Penguins have blubber. 
They have claws. 
They have beaks. 

Trey, Mrs. Wolff’s Kindergarten
Seasons
My favorite season is summer because I play baseball with my brother, mom and my dad.

Brandon, Mrs. Colvin’s First Grade
How to Build a Snowman
To make a snowman I would first roll three snowballs. One big, one medium and one small. Then, I would stack them. The biggest on the bottom, then the medium and finally the smallest on the top.  I would decorate. My arms would be sticks. My nose would be a carrot. My eyes would be coal.  My mouth would be rocks. I would do a scarf with a zigzag design. I would name my snowman Snowy and give him a hug. 

More after the jump:

Dominic, Mrs. Torrey’s First Grade
I Went to Our Cottage
I went to our cottage. It is a special place. I jumped in the pool and got all wet. We played ice buckets. We got dried off and went inside and watched T.V. I had a great time at the cottage. I hope I can go again. 

Sophie, Mrs. Colvin’s First Grade
How to Build a Snowman
To build a snowman I would first roll three snowballs. One big, one medium and one small. Then, I would stack them. The biggest one on the bottom, then the medium and finally the smallest on top.  Then, I would decorate my snowman. My arms are sticks. My nose is a carrot. The eyes are coal, my mouth is a banana, my hat is on him. Finally, I would name him Olaf and play with him. 

Payton, Mrs. Radley’s First Grade
How to Train a Dog
First, you give the dog a bath and you play with the dog. Next, you say sit, stay, lay and stay again. Then, you play with the dog and you sit in the house for a little bit. Last, I give the dog to the owner. 

Kyleigh, Mrs. Radley’s First Grade Class
How to Babysit
First, you play with the kids and if they cry rock them slowly. Next, you put them to bed. If they are bad you put them in time out. Then, the two kids that did not go to bed can go outside and play in the snow. Last, you have to take their snow clothes off and wake up the baby and give the kids to their mom. 

Xaviar, Mrs. Colvin’s First Grade
How to Build a Snowman
To make a snowman I would first roll three snowballs. One big, one medium, one small. Then, I would stack them. The biggest one on the bottom, then the medium and finally the smallest on top.  To decorate my snowman, my arms will be sticks. My nose will be rocks. My mouth will be rocks.  My eyes will be rocks. A hat with a zigzag pattern. Finally, I would dance with him. His name is Frosty. 

Lily, Mrs. Torrey’s First Grade
How to Build a Snowman
To make a snowman I would first, pack three snowballs and stack them up. Then, I would put buttons on her tummy. I would put a pink hat and pink mittens on her. Then, I would put two sticks for her arms. Then, I would give her a broom. Finally, I would give her a carrot for the nose and a watermelon for her mouth. Her name is Rosie. We would play Barbies together.

'Cheer-a-thon' planned for preschooler with leukemia - 'We Got This!'

By Billie Owens

A preschooler at Jackson Elementary School was diagnosed with leukemia on Jan. 17 and a cheer-a-thon is planned in March to help her and her family.

Four-year-old Emma Harris is very passionate about cheerleading and has been involved with the Batavia Bulldawgs. So a fundraiser focused on cheerleading is a great way to help "Team Emma." Its motto is "We Got This!"

Participants will get a T-shirt and will perform a cheer, short dance routine, stunts, jumps and other fun activities.

There is no charge for attendees to watch the performances. Donations are welcome but not required.

The cheer-a-thon will be held from 3 to 6 p.m. on Saturday March 14 at Batavia High School gym for anyone ages 4 to 12. It will be followed by a performance at 7 p.m. by local high school cheerleaders, dancers from local dance studios and cheer-a-thon participants. In between time, there will be pizza for the participants.

There will also be a 50/50 drawing and Chinese auction at the performance to help the family with medical and travel expenses.

Prizes will be awarded to the top three cheerleaders who bring in the most donations. Cheerleaders may bring sponsor forms -- or a list or donors and their contributions -- to the door.

Cheerleader entrance fee / donation is $25. Make checks payable to  EMMA HARRIS. Please register and pay by Feb. 28 to guarantee pizza and T-shirt.

Registration information must include:

  • Participant name and age
  • Parent name
  • Address
  • Phone
  • T-shirt size
  • Donation  and/or  payment of registration fee ($25 minimum)

Mail with entrance fee to:

Sherri Wahr

17 Elmwood Ave., Batavia NY 14020

For questions / information call or text Sherri at (585) 356-0639.

****Business sponsors are sought to donate items for the Chinese auction. T-shirt sponsorships are sought for a donation of $50.

Another avenue to help is this direct link to donate to Emma:

GoFundMe.com/kvpqb4

Child found safe on Washington Avenue after leaving Jackson School without permission

By Howard B. Owens

A kindergartener at Jackson Street School apparently misunderstood instructions from a nurse today and left school grounds instead of waiting for his father to pick him up, according to officials.

The child was missing for only a few minutes, Officer Eric Hill told WBTA.

At about the same time the nurse was calling Batavia PD, a child was located, dressed in hat, gloves and coat, on Washington Avenue. 

The school district issued the following statement about the incident:

Today at Jackson Primary School, a kindergarten student who was being dismissed from school early, walked out of a side door as per his normal dismissal procedures and started walking home rather than going to the school office for release. School officials immediately instituted their Emergency Procedures and contacted the police. The child was located shortly thereafter and returned safely to school and his parent.

The District will be reviewing its procedures to determine how today's incident occurred and make changes as necessary. As always, we place the safety of our students first and will take the necessary measures to protect  them.

Our news partners WBTA and 13WHAM contributed to this story.

Jackson School students will have creative work displayed at local businesses

By Howard B. Owens

Local businesses are supporting the education of local kindergarteners and first-graders by displaying framed examples of their drawings and writings in their shops.

The unique program to highlight the creative work of students was created by the administrators and teachers of Jackson School.

Above, Ken Mistler, left, owner of Showtime Cinema in Batavia accepts the framed work of Mark Bomdaruk, pictured with his teacher Ann Marie Koukides.

Here's a list of particpating businesses and institutions and the names of first-graders with works displayed for January.

  • Art a la Cart, Emma Englehardt
  • Southside Deli, Gretchen Redder
  • T.F. Brown's, Mikaylah Sweet
  • Big Pauley's Pizza, Landon Hamilton
  • Kreative Kitchens, Karvel Martino
  • Wendy's, Bryce Nicometo
  • Main Street Pizza, Alexandra Crater
  • The Rack Shack, In February
  • Holland Land Office, Anthony Lecointe-Naegely
  • Bank of America, Liam Walker
  • Five Star Bank, Zofia Bailey
  • Richmond Memorial Library, Marley Santos
  • Alex's Place, Emilio Rosales
  • Genesee Community College, Emma Godfrey
  • City Hall 1, Harry Malander
  • City Hall 2, Helaina Staley
  • Tim Horton's, Julia Plath
  • City Slickers, Michala Faulkner
  • Next Level, Ella Shamp
  • Max Pies, Will Stevens
  • Showtime Cinema, Mark Bomdaruk
  • GO ART!, Sydney Parker
  • YMCA, Kayli Palone
  • YWCA, Drew Stevens
  • Sunny's, Elaina Stringham
  • Dunkin' Donuts, Lila Fortes
  • Sport of Kings, Elijah Fancher
  • T Shirts, Etc., Ethan Bastedo
  • McDonald's, Jacobi Childs

Photos: Free coats from firefighters at Jackson School

By Howard B. Owens

Fire Chief Jim Maxwell and Principal Diane Bonarigo help a student at Jackson School try on a new winter coat at the school this morning.  

IAFF Local 896 gave out about 90 winter coats to students at the school.

UPDATE: Here's some additional info about the coat distribution:

City of Batavia firefighters, Local 896 distributed 90 brand new 100-percent American Made winter coats to children grades K-1 at Jackson primary. This is the second year firefighters have partnered with the national not-for-profit Operation Warm. More than $3,600 was raised to provide the coats. Local 896 would like to thank all who supported this great program. It truly is more than a coat. The coats give children a sense of pride having something brand new and all their own. New coats also promote a healthy lifestyle for children during the winter months and having a positive impact on school attendance.

Firefighter Adam Palumbo

Firefighter Chuck Hammon stretches out his arms to show a student how to test the fit of his new coat.

Parents picking up students at Jackson School mostly like new traffic barrier on extension

By Howard B. Owens

A parent complained to The Batavian about the new barrier blocking off the little extension road by Jackson School on South Jackson Avenue, so we thought we would investigate.

Of the nine parents we spoke with, seven gave the barrier an unconditional thumbs up. At first, one said she thought it made the traffic situation worse, but after being asked, "in what way?" She said, "I guess it's OK. It's not really a problem."

The first mother we spoke with said the barrier was a big improvement. She said when parents could park on the extension, they would pull in and pull out "any old way, acting like idiots." She thought it was much more dangerous for children without the barrier.

"They're picking up their kids, but they act like they have to get out so quick to do neurosurgery or something," the woman said. "I don't get it. I guess that's just the way it is today. People are in a hurry."

A grandmother -- the ninth person we spoke to and one of the last to arrive -- called the situation since the barrier was put in a "cluster." She said there was more parking available before the barrier went up.

A father with a younger child in the back seat said he's never had a problem at the school, either before or after the barrier.

"I just get here early enough to get a parking spot," he said.

The barrier went up after the city discovered a problem with illegal garbage dumping at the end of the extension, but it's unclear whether the city or state erected the barrier. The no trespassing sign installed behind it says "New York State."

Attempts to reach City Manager Jason Molino this afternoon for clarification were unsuccessful.

UPDATE: We just heard back from Jason Molino. He confirmed the extension is state property and the state put up the barrier.

Photos: Jackson School kindergarteners get visit from Batavia PD as thanks for thank you cards

By Howard B. Owens

A few weeks ago, as a writing assignment, a pair of kindergarten classes at Jackson School decided to send cards and a "police survival kit" to Batavia PD officers.

Today, three officers in the department returned the favor by going to the school and showing off their police cars and answering questions about their jobs.

Participating officers were Kevin DeFelice, Mich Cowen and Felicia Degroot.

The police survival kit contained candy and gum.

"We decided to come down and show them we appreciated what they did for us and that we're here for them anytime they need us," DeFelice said.

Boys and girls invited to summer youth basketball camp at Jackson School

By Howard B. Owens

Young, aspiring basketball players are invited to a youth basketball camp Aug. 11-15 at the Jackson School Gym in the City of Batavia.

The camp is sponsored by Batavia Boys Basketball Boosters and is open to boys and girls entering grades 3 through 7.

The cost is $65 and includes a camp T-shirt.

Coach Jim Fazio, youth director for Batavia Junior Blue Devils, will lead the camp, with assistance from other coaches and current Blue Devil basketball players.

The camp will focus on the offensive fundamentals of the game including shooting, passing, dribbling, and ball handling, with a major emphasis on shooting. There will be daily contests with full-court and half-court games.

For more information and the registration form, click here.

Photos: Ag Teacher of the Year award presented to Christine Bow

By Howard B. Owens

At Jackson School today, Christine Bow received her official certificate and recognition for being named 2014 New York Agriculture in the Classroom Teacher of the Year from Cornell Cooperative Extension.

Above, Bow shares her bouquet of flowers with some of her students.

Barb Sturm, Cornell Cooperative Extension, handed out seeds to teachers to give to their students. Above, Bill Calandra collects seed packets for his class.

Award-winning local teacher digs into farming with her students

By Bonnie Marrocco

Teaching is a passion for Christine Bow. She is dedicated to integrating agricultural education into her classroom and inspiring her students to develop an understanding and appreciation for farming and all that it entails.

Bow, a first-grade teacher at Jackson Primary School in Batavia has been selected as the 2014 New York Agriculture in the Classroom Teacher of the Year. She was nominated for the award by Genesee County Agriculture in the Classroom Coordinator Barb Sturm, who works for Cornell Cooperative Extension.

“Since agriculture is Genesee County’s largest industry, it’s important for students to see it as a viable career choice,” Bow said. “People think of farming as a farmer and shovel, but modern farming is technically advanced, efficient and innovative.”

This is the first time a teacher from Western NY has been selected as the recipient of this prestigious award and it is a huge honor for Bow. She credits Cornell Cooperative Extension, in particular Strum, for her invaluable resources: assistance with agricultural teaching materials; help with incorporating farming into the first-grade curriculum; and providing learning opportunities with the local agricultural community.

Katie Bigness, coordinator for New York Agriculture in the Classroom, praised Bow for her innovative approach to cultivating interest in agriculture.

“The ways in which she has weaved agricultural concepts into opportunities for teaching and learning inspires students, teachers, and families,” Bigness said.

Bow incorporates books, games and activities with farming themes in her classroom. Students learn about horticulture by potting seeds and caring for the plants they grow. They learn about incubation and embryology through hatching chickens, which teaches them about the chicken’s lifecycle, its importance to man and its role in the reproduction of the species.

“Interacting directly with plants and animals is fun and interesting for kids,” Bow said. “Agriculture brings real-world situations into their lives and it fosters an excitement for learning.”

She believes illustrating agricultural concepts enhances their understanding of social studies, reading, math and science.

“Right now we’re studying early civilizations and how the ancient Egyptians in Mesopotamia dug canals to grow their crops. The children will eventually make models to test their irrigation systems. We make the connection to modern agriculture,” Bow said “and, with math being used on farms for things like measuring area or volume, I teach the concepts by using examples such as animal feed rations.”

“One of the students favorite activities is “Dairy Days.” This allows them to learn about farming in a hands-on and engaging way. Children from all over the county take a field trip to a local dairy farm where they milk cows, while learning about the nutritional benefits of milk. They also visit different stations where they learn about veterinary care, composting, recycling on the farm, soil health, irrigation and farm equipment. Students see the many career options available at local farms after meeting with farmers, vets, milk truck drivers, as well as machine and computer operators. 

As recipient of the Agriculture in the Classroom Teacher of the Year Award, Bow will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to the 2014 National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference in Hershey, Pa., in June.

She is a Batavia native and a graduate of Geneseo with 30 years of teaching experience. She lives in Bethany with her husband, Randy, and their two grown children, Amanda and Eric.

Photos: Kindergarten Thanksgiving lunch at Jackson School

By Howard B. Owens

Kindergarteners at Jackson School got firsthand experience at a Thanksgiving feast today with all the trimmings. The students filed into the auditorium, some of them dressed as Native Americans and others arrived as Pilgrims on the Mayflower. Teachers then served them a lunch of turkey, stuffing, potatoes, corn and apple sauce.

Above, Colin gets his meal, and below are Julia and Cameron.

Photo: Jackson School students learn about polar bears

By Howard B. Owens

Tiffany Vanderworth, curator with the Buffalo Zoo, leads a group of children at Jackson School this morning in a discussion about polar bears. Vanderworth covered the nature, habits and habitat of polar bears.

Photos: Reading is a sweet treat at Jackson School

By Howard B. Owens

The students at Jackson School took a trip to Candyland today, guided by teachers, staff and City Schools Superintendent Chris Dailey, who played King Candy in the play written by two Jackson teachers.

The play -- "Reading is a Sweet Treat" -- was all about the adventures of reading and honoring the students who did the best in reading recently.

Candy was distributed to teachers for the kids at the end of the play CORRECTION: The bags contained books.

The children seemed to have a blast throughout the whole performance.

Photos: McMahon dancers at Jackson School

By Howard B. Owens

The students of McMahon School of Irish Dance made their rounds today of the Batavia City Schools, performing traditional Irish dances as St. Patrick's Day approaches. 

We caught up with them for a few minutes at Jackson School.

Staff and students honor Shawn Clark on last day as Jackson School principal

By Howard B. Owens

Text and photos submitted by Steve Ognibene.

Today at Jackson School, friends, family, teachers and staff had their awards assembly and also payed tribute to Shawn Clark principal of Jackson who will move next fall to Batavia High School. 

Many students spoke about Mr. Clark and his contributions over the last four years as principal. They recounted how he was a great proponent of down with bullying and how he served to instill in them all the values that they will carry into the future. 

There was a photo slide show of Mr. Clark with students. They ended with farewells, hugs, but not goodbyes, as they will see him someday at the high school. This afternoon followed with a school-wide picnic day and outdoor fun with bounce houses.

Jackson principal speaks to community on bullying and district-wide prevention program

By Daniel Crofts

Shawn Clark, current principal of Jackson School in Batavia and soon-to-be principal of Batavia High School, got bullied Thursday night. Teachers and students ganged up on him, as parents looked on, in a church no less.

The sham was a demonstration called a "bullying circle," used to help educate people about how bullying tends to work in a school environment.

Clark spoke to the community at Batavia's First Presbyterian Church about a new district-wide anti-bullying initiative.

According to Clark, the district is using the popular Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, which has more than 30 years of research behind it.

The vast majority of students who make up that "middle ground" -- that is, those who are neither bullies nor bullied -- is a key focus of the program.

"Most kids want to (help the victims)," Clark said, "but they don't know how."

It is very important, Clark said, for teachers and students to know how and when to respond to incidents of bullying.

"Research shows that when no action is taken, empathy goes down over time."

People then think that either bullying is no big deal or it's the victim's fault, and the problem gets worse.

This program, he said, educates kids and adults on what they can do to help stop bullying in its tracks.

At Jackson, a group of staff have formed a committee called Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports to help build a positive, comfortable and friendly environment where every student can feel safe and welcome.

Once per week, the committee facilitates classroom discussions wherein kids can engage in face-to-face interactions with each other and discuss what's going on in their lives. They can talk about anything from problems at home to what they did on vacation.

"The point is to cultivate a family environment where the kids can feel safe talking about issues," Clark said.

Another function of these discussions, according to Clark, is to encourage an atmosphere of empathy. In talking about this, he made a distinction between sympathy, which is a feeling, and empathy, which is a "learned skill."

"Sometimes if the kids who are bullying know what's going on in the victims' lives, then they'll see them as human beings who deserve respect."

When asked if he has seen a difference as a result of these types of intervention, Clark replied: "Absolutely."

"The kids feel much more comfortable coming to adults and talking to them about their issues (including those that can be symptoms of, or precursors to, bullying)," he said. "And when we get the kids to work things out, the problems tend to be so much more minor than if we had let them go. (This way) we can take care of them before they escalate into something more serious."

The district's bullying prevention initiative has had its critics, though. Clark said that some people have suggested to him that what staff members really should be doing is "toughening kids up" so that they can fend for themselves.

According to Clark, it's not that easy.

"Research shows that kids who are bullied are so traumatized by it that they can't help themselves," he said.

Bullying can cause problems in kids' lives that make it very hard for them to stick up for themselves. The trauma resulting from bullying can lead to psychological disorders like anxiety and depression, and can even cause physical symptoms such as headaches, nausea and trouble sleeping.

Problems like these can, in turn, lead to frequent absence from school, which negatively impacts the student's overall academic performance.

Another challenge is the stigma attached to "snitching," or telling on a bully. But Clark maintains that there is a huge difference between "tattling," which means telling on others because you want to get them in trouble, and "informing," which is a way of keeping people safe.

"I never understood the (anti-snitching) mindset," Clark said. "It's okay to ignore the situation when someone is being bullied, but it's wrong to tell an adult about it?"

For Clark, this is all about rights.

"Do the kids at our school have the right to come to school and get an education without having to be afraid? I think the answer is yes."

But the concerns surrounding the reality of bullying don't just apply to the victims. Clark also talked about the risks bullies themselves face.

"(Bullying) can be a sign of a behavioral disorder that can escalate," he said. "Kids who bully are four times as likely to be convicted of crimes (by their 20s). They are also four times as likely to join gangs."

He speaks from experience, having formerly taught at an elementary school in inner-city Rochester. One of his former students has since joined a gang, and was recently killed.

As far as what people can do to reach out to kids who bully, Clark warned against the temptation to assume that they are outcasts who need a boost in self-confidence.

"The bullies might be the most popular kids in school," he said. "Many times, a lack of self-confidence is not the problem -- they have too much self-confidence."

These kids tend to have good leadership abilities, but they use those skills in a negative way.

Principal Clark appealed to citizens to do their part to help eradicate this scourge of mistreating others.

"If you have sons, daughters, nieces, nephews or friends in the Batavia schools," he said, "just talk to them about bullying. The more people talk about it, the better. The more information we can get out there, the better."

In addressing parents, Clark pointed out the role modern technology -- which he called the "new playground" -- has in the whole bullying phenomenon.

"It's so much harder for kids to escape bullying now than ever," he said.

Whereas bullying used to be more or less confined to the schools, now bullies can reach their victims through computers, cell phones, etc. Even at home, over the weekend, and on vacations, someone can make comments about a schoolmate on Facebook or send him/her a harassing text message.

"Parents should monitor what their kids are doing," Clark said. "The kids are not necessarily doing anything wrong, but someone else might be doing wrong to them."

Clark noted the very positive, caring environment at Jackson Schooland and its great group of students, teachers and staff.

There are more than 400 kids at Jackson, and Clark knows them all by name.

Clark's talk was part of a free spaghetti dinner hosted by Peaceful Genesee, a coalition of local community members and organizations dedicated to fostering nonviolence as a way of life in Genesee County.

Photos taken by Steve Ognibene

Photos: Anti-bullying seminar at Jackson School

By Howard B. Owens

Teachers, teachers' aides, administration, staff and community members gathered in each of the city shool districts schools this afternoon for further education on anti-bullying initiatives.

From 12:30 to 3 p.m., with students on a half-day schedule, each school hosted a seminar on how to recognize and deal with bullying in schools, from pre-K up through 12th grade.

Shawn Clark led the discussion at Jackson Elementary School and said the turnout was strong and participation high.

"It links community members, businesses and the schools," Clark said. "What we're looking at is a communitywide impact here."

He said the programs were a year in planning and the district intends to conduct annual seminars to stop bullying.

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