6th Grade Summer Reading Program Buys More Books Than Ever Before!

At the end of each school year, ESD funding provides all of the Hornell's 6th grade students the opportunity to pick out a book to read over the summer, and this year we've had the biggest turn out yet!

In hopes that having something to read over the summer will help fight the dreaded "summer reading slide," the ESD grant program has ordered 87 books for district 6th graders!  Research shows that students who don't read over the summer lose many of the crucial critical reading skills they've learned over the school year.  Often, this isn't because they don't want to read; many students don't have the resources to get out there and buy a book.  To help curb this skill loss, the HCSD ESD program has made it our mission to get kids reading over the summer, and the first step is putting books in their hands!

Teen Book Fest 2016

Each year, our readers group look forward to their end of the year trip to Nazareth College for the annual Teen Book Fest, and each year they have a blast!  This year was no different, with over 25 authors participating.

Over the course of the school year, ESD funding provides approximately 20 junior and senior high students with 6 books written by authors that will be present at the festival.  Over the course of the year, the students read these books, and come fest time, they get to hear the authors speak, meet the authors, and even get their autographs!

Not only is the program a lot of fun for our students, but it also does a great job in meeting our grant's goals!  From literacy to college and career readiness, Reader's Group is successful on so many levels!

The Teen Book Fest is huge event for school-ages readers in Western New York, and every year proves better than the last!

Self Defense Class taught by Sheriff David Cole

Sheriff David Cole was kind enough to offer our junior and senior high students a 6 week basic self defense class over the past few weeks!  With over 25 Hornell students signed up, it was very successful!  It was also an excellent opportunity for our students to learn basic self defense strategies as well as laws associated with defending one's self.  We certainly hope none of our students ever have to use the skills they've learned, but having the knowledge and skills necessary to defend yourself if necessary can be very important!

Sheriff Cole and his office offer a wide range of programs to benefit Steuben County's residents.  For more information on these great programs, please visit his webpage here: Steuben County Sheriff's Office.

Sheriff David Cole

171 Cedar Arts Ceramics Program

Over the course of the past 6 weeks, 171 Cedar Arts Facilitator, Amanda Warren, has been teaching our students all about ceramics.  From creating ceramic pieces, to glazing and firing, Amanda has taught our students all about ceramics.  The students always get to keep their creations, and they have a great time building!  Thanks, Amanda!

Two of our students working on pots!

Students glazing their most recent creations!

GST BOCES to Offer Adult Literacy/High School Equivalency Night Classes as HHS!

As one of our goals is to promote family and community programs, we thought we should mention a great Adult Education Program that GST BOCES is offering here at Hornell High School!

Beginning on Wednesday, February 17th, GST BOCES will be offering Adult Education classes here at HHS.  The classes will be held every Monday and Wednesday evening from 5:30-8:30 in room 142 at the Hornell High School.

The focus of these classes will be High School Equivalency Exam preparation.  For more information please call GST BOCES at 607-739-7684!

Chess Tournament on 1/27 in Friendship, NY!

Each year, our Junior/Senior High Chess League works with other local teams to participate in a multi-school tournament, and this year's event is right around the corner!  This Wednesday, 1/27, the Hornell team, led by Coach Kossow, will travel to Friendship, NY, where they'll compete against other area teams.  Not only is this an exciting opportunity for our students to test their skills, but it gives them the opportunity to build relationships with students and coaches from other districts who also love the game.

The Hornell Chess Team uses chess as a platform to build many skills.  From creative problem solving to strategy and math to communication, students build all sorts of skills that will help them grow as students and individuals.

Coach Kossow oversees a match being played between some of HHS' finest chess players!

Family Programming Slated for 2/11 at Intermediate School!

Each year we offer 4 separate sessions of parent programming which is facilitated by ProAction of Steuben and Yates.  The programs focus on all sorts of topics that affect students and their families.  Self esteem, bullying awareness, online safety and co-parenting are just a few of the topics we've covered in the past.

Our next session takes place at the Hornell Intermediate School on 2/11 from 3:30 to 5:30, and will be followed immediately by a family spaghetti dinner, free to students and their families.  All S.T.A.R.S. and F.O.C.U.S. families are invited to attend.  Please keep an eye on your son or daughter's homework folder for more information and the RSVP form.  If you have further questions, please feel free to contact me!

Bryant Session Change! New Vendor Programming!

During our last 6 week session, students received the Too Good For Violence program from the Steuben Council on Addictions and a 4-H program from Cornell Cooperative Extension.  They were both highly educational, fun, and exciting programs!

This week, our 3rd session of program starts.  Each Wednesday, Science & Discovery Center will join out 3rd graders for 6 weeks of Stop Motion Animation classes.  By the end, students will have created their own short film!  On Thursdays, we will be joined by 171 Cedar Arts for our second year of Ceramics, where every week students will create a ceramics project to keep!

Cornell Cooperative Extensions's 4-H program was a huge hit with the 3rd Grade S.T.A.R.S. Program Students!  Here they're working in small groups to complete some exciting science experiments!

Community Service Opportunities for Seniors and National Honor Society Students!

This is the second year we've offered National Honor Society and Seniors currently enrolled in Government Class the opportunity to complete their mandatory community service hours, and the turnout has been spectacular!

This year we've had over 20 students complete hours with our Bryant School S.T.A.R.S. and Intermediate School F.O.C.U.S. programs, which translates into over 400 hours of district students working together to achieve their goals!

This program has been beneficial in so many ways!  Senior High Students have the opportunity to complete their hours in a fun and exciting environment, which also offers them some great experience if their looking into the childcare or education fields.  Our F.O.C.U.S. and S.T.A.R.S. students have the opportunity to be mentored and build relationships with older students, with whom they can easily relate, while working on homework, projects and other educational activities.  Finally, having extra people at program to work with students is a big help to our staff!

A huge thanks goes out to all of our senior high students who have helped us over the course of the year!  Your hard work and dedication brings a whole new dynamic to our programs, and offers the younger students so much!

Tutoring Opportunities! Science, Social Studies, and General tutoring available!

An important part of our mission is to help students, especially those struggling with the core subjects and state exams, achieve and exceed their academic goals.  We're currently offering three tutoring opportunities to help students do just that!

Extended Library Hours/Tutoring: Monday through Thursday from 3:03 to 4:45, the library is open to all 7-12 grade students.  Students are welcomed to use any of the library resources to complete their work, and Mrs. Browne, High School Social Studies Teacher, is on hand daily to assist students with assignments.  Students who have been suspended from school are also invited to attend extended library hours, so they can complete their work until they're able to return to school!

Lab Help: Each week High School science teacher Mrs. Jackson opens her science lab for students to come and and get things done!  Students can use that extra time to complete missed labs or get some extra help with science assignments!

Global Studies Review Classes:  With the January Global Studies Regents on the horizon, Mr. Gary Kelleher, High School Social Studies Teacher, has been hard at work getting students prepared for the exam.  Mr. Kelleher's review classes run on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 3 pm to 4 pm in room 214 at the High School.

YMCA Winter Break Programming Success - February Break Program Just Around the Corner!

Over our school district's extended breaks, the Hornell City School District's ESD and 21st Century Grant Programs team up with the Hornell YMCA to offer a number of YMCA programming scholarships!  Students who receive the scholarships get full day programming at the YMCA over break, where the caring and creative YMCA staff offer art, music, literacy and PE lessons in addition to recreational time and field trips!

This time around, 18 HCSD students grades 3-8 received three full days of programming!  Not only did the students have a safe, fun and educational environment to spend their time over break, but their families had the opportunity to work without the high cost of childcare being a burden!

We will be offering this program over February Break, which runs from 2/15 to 2/19.  If you're a parent with a child who is interested in attending, please don't hesitate to reach out to us!

The Hornell Family YMCA on Center Street in Hornell has been instrumental in helping the 21st Century and Extended School Day Grants achieve their goals!

Programming Has Begun!

This year the Extended School Day Program has some great opportunities for Hornell City School District!  Here's a list of what we've got going on so far this year!

Bryant School S.T.A.R.S. Program: This 2^nd and 3^rd grade program takes place daily at Bryant School.  Focusing on homework help, PE, Art, ELA, History and STEM, this program is sure to help students struggling with their daily assignments.  The program also offers students a variety of field trips, all meant to enrich their education.

Hornell Intermediate School F.O.C.U.S. Program:  Just like the S.T.A.R.S. Program, but for 4th through 6th grade students!  Focusing on homework help, PE, Art, ELA, History and STEM, this program is sure to help students struggling with their daily assignments.  It also offers students a variety of field trips, all meant to enrich their education in a fun and meaningful way.

Junior/Senior High Extended Library Hours & Tutoring:  Every Monday through Thursday from 3:03 until approximately 4:45, the library will be open for student use, and there will be a tutor on hand to assist with assignments.  Last year there were over 4,500 instances of students using the library after school, and we're hoping to build on it this year.

After School Open Lab:  Once each week, high school science teacher Kelly Jackson open her lab after school.  Students who need to complete science labs are welcomed to do so in her room.  For more information on this program, please see Mrs. Jackson in the science wing!

Community Service Opportunities:  Each year we offer community service opportunities to our high school students.  Students currently rolled in Government, as well as students taking part in National Honor Society, are invited to volunteer to help with our S.T.A.R.S. or F.O.C.U.S. programs!  Not only is this a fun way for our older students to complete their community service requirements, it also gives those interested in pursuing careers in child care or education the opportunity to get their feet wet!  It also gives our younger students the opportunity to be mentored by high schoolers!

Junior/Senior High Robotics/STEM:  Students design, engineer, build and program robots, then compete against teams from other districts at regional, state, and/or national level.

Junior/Senior High Teen Book Fest Reading Group: Students are given brand new copies of books written by young adult authors and meet throughout the year for discussions.  This program culminates with a trip to the annual Teen Book Festival at Nazareth College, where students meet the authors they've been reading all year!

Junior/Senior High Writer's Circle:  Students meet weekly to work on and peer review books they write themselves.  At the end of the year, the student-written books are bound and published with an ISBN and all!

Junior/Senior High Earth and Sky:  This program offers an in depth and interesting study of our planet, solar system and universe, and is perfect for students interested in science and space.  Throughout the year, this group takes multiple field trips to enrich their studies.

Junior/Senior High Chess Club:  This group will learn how to play chess, and win!  They’ll learn strategy, team work, and the science behind playing chess, and they’ll even have the opportunity to play in tournaments against other schools!

YMCA Scholarship Program

12 lucky Hornell students between Kindergarten and 3rd grade have won summer scholarships to participate in the YMCA Care For Kids Program.  Over the years, the Hornell YMCA has been a great asset to the Hornell community and a major partner with our grant programs.  This year is no different!  The 12 students who won the scholarships will get full-day programming at the YMCA Monday through Friday for 6 weeks.  At the Y, the students work on a wide range of skills, from STEM to physical education to the arts, all of which culminate to provide these lucky youngsters with an excellent summer experience!

K-6 Summer Literacy

This summer, the ESD Grant will be providing Hornell City School District students with the opportunity to take part in our Kindergarten through 6th Grade summer reading program.  Offering a total of 5 sites throughout the city of Hornell, students can sign up for 45 minutes of literacy intervention 4 days each week for 5 weeks.  By the end, a student who participates regular will have 15 hours of literacy they otherwise might not receive.  Not only does this help struggling and reluctant readers, but it helps students perform across all of their school subjects!

If you'd like your child to participate, please call me at 324-1303 ext 1575 or visit the program documents portion of this blog to get more information and the sign up sheet!

7th and 8th Grade Reaching For Achievement Summer Program

For quite a few years now, the ESD Grant has provided the Hornell City School District's 7th and 8th graders the opportunity to attend a five week summer program focusing on the 4 core subjects: Math, Science, ELA and Social Studies.  The aim of the program is to help students fill in any education gaps from the previous year while getting them better prepared for the school year to come.  We intend to assist students who might be at risk for failing one or more cores to break habits that may put them in that position.  With regular attendance and some hard work, we're confident that our students will have the knowledge and skills necessary to be successful for years to come.

In addition to our regular 4 core subject programming, we're also offer literacy intervention, whereby students can get one-on-one literacy assistance!  Furthermore, all students participating int he program have the opportunity to receive free breakfast every morning that program runs!

If you would like to your child to attend the Reaching For Achievement Summer Program, please contact me at 324-1303 ext 1575.

Alfred State College Cooking Program

Alfred State's Culinary Art program made a special trip to visit the Bryant School STARS Students.  3 professors and 6 college students visited the school to discuss careers in the Culinary Arts.  In addition, they taught students how to make some great snacks!

One of the most fun and educational programs the students have had all year, this particular visit was a huge success!  Plus, there were cupcakes!

STARS Students learn to make healthy wraps using yogurt, fruit and veggies!

An Alfred State Culinary Arts student teaching students that presentation is just as important as the food itself!  Here, she shows students how to make their very own Cookie Monster Cupcakes!

Second Career Day

Sarah Sassman of GST BOCES has been instrumental in bringing College and Career Readiness to the 21st Century and ESD Grant programs.  Over the course of the year, she organized  excellent career days at the Hornell Intermediate School, where students from all over the district came to explore different possible career paths.

Ms. Sassman used student interest surveys to determine what careers the students would like to explore.  The first career day brought careers in the arts.  The second brought careers in public service.  Students heard presentations from a local police officer, firefighter, veterinarian, and sports writer from Alfred State.

It was a great experience for the students, and it touched on one of our grant's key elements: exposing Hornell's students to college and career options that might interest them!

Wildlife Defenders Visit Hornell Intermediate School

The Wildlife Defenders, a division of Bridges for Brain Injuries, visited the Hornell Intermediate School to show off some of the great animals they use for rehabilitation.  Students from the STARS Program also took a field trip to see their presentation.

From Lemurs to Crocodiles, students had the opportunity see some really cool animals they wouldn't see otherwise!  This was the 5th time The Wildlife Defenders have been to our district, and every visit is better than the last!

Chess Tournament Crowns Champions

As the school year drew to a close, the Hornell Chess Players held a multi-school tournament.  Led by Hornell's coach, Carl Kossow, and organized by Chess Grand Master and Navy Champion Garry Reynolds, the tournament was a huge success.  A total of 6 area school districts came together to offer students the opportunity to compete, socialize, and see what it's like to participate in a large scale tournament.

The Chess Players Group's intention is use chess as a platform to teach students about creative problem solving, strategy, and math, all while helping students build social skills in a comfortable setting.  That group will be returning for the 2015-2016 school year, so if you'd like to join, please speak with Mr. Crowe or Mr. Kossow!

Hornell students with Coach Carl Kossow and chess guru Garry Reynolds!

1st and  2nd place from both the K-6 and 7-12 divisions!

3rd Grade STARS Field Trip - Museum of Play - 4/18

On Saturday, 4/18, our 3rd Grade STARS students have the opportunity to travel to the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, NY.  The museum, which boast a myriad of educational, fun, and interactive exhibits, highlights how play has changed over the years while exploring the way play boosts learning, creativity, and discovery while illuminating cultural history.  With the world's most comprehensive collection of toys, games and play related materials, this is bound to be and education and enjoyable trip for the STARS students!

For more information on The Strong National Museum of Play, please visit www.museumofplay.org/

Hornell students on the front steps on Seasame Street!