March 31, 2013

High stakes exams raise questions for parents


Parents have questions of their own about tests

Published 8:38 pm, Saturday, March 30, 2013


Max Powers is worried that one test will keep him from graduating from fifth grade.

The 10-year-old from Albany now dreads school, worrying about the standardized exams he will take over a few days next month. That's when schoolchildren across the state in third through eighth grade will sit for their English and math standardized exams. And even though low scores won't keep them from graduating, the anxieties of many children, like Max, have parents questioning the values of the exams.

March 30, 2013

True sign that Spring is here!


 All deliveries have been received and final preparations are being completed. Summer hours are 4 to 11 Monday through Saturday and 3 to 10 on Sunday. Hope to see you soon!

March 25, 2013

The Anchor

The Anchor Food Pantry and Thrift Shop is moving from The Trinity Lutheran Church to their new home at  34 Boltwood Avenue in Castleton as of May 2nd, 2013

Their new location is behind The Riverside Center for Rehabilitation (formerly Resurrection Nursing Home) in the building previously used by the Maple Hill Pre-School. 


The Anchor's phone number will remain the same at 732-4120.

Schodack eNews - Districtwide News Correction on Board of Education Meeting Start Time


IT IS THE MISSION OF THE SCHODACK CENTRAL SCHOOLS  to develop our students to become "...active, reflective, creative learners. In our schools, they will engage in rewarding work and practice behaviors that are intelligent in both an academic and a practical sense. Students will develop the attitudes, skills and understandings that will allow them to fulfill their potential and to function successfully in their individual and social roles." 

SCHODACK CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT 
1216 Maple Hill Road, Castleton, New York 12033-1699 

March 26, 2013 Maple Hill High School Library 

BOARD OF EDUCATION AGENDA – REGULAR MEETING 

March 24, 2013

Did you get yours?


March 24
The Castleton - Schodack Kiwanis Club will be selling chicken barbecue dinners on Sunday, March 24th, to raise monies for its community service programs. The cost of the dinners is $9.00, and the dinners may be picked up from 12:00 noon to 5:00 P.M. at the Castleton Volunteer Fire Company in Castleton. For more information, or to order the dinners, call 732-2225. Walk-ins are welcomed.

March 19, 2013

Free Event


Local historian and Civil War lecturer JJ Jennings will share his knowledge about the Battle of Gettysburg on Wednesday, March 20 at 7:00 p.m. in the High School auditorium. This lecture is a free event and open to the public.

March 16, 2013

Music Parents Indoor Garage Sale


Today @ MHHS

Music Parent Association  Indoor Garage Sale -

The Maple Hill Music Parents Association is holding an Indoor Garage Sale today  -  Saturday, March 16 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. 

March 15, 2013

NY SAFE Act


The town of Schodack passed a resolution opposing the NY SAFE Act joining an ever growing list of towns, counties, sheriffs associations and others standing in opposition!

PIZZA NIGHT!

Every Third Saturday

SCHODACK VALLEY PIZZA NIGHT IS BACK! We are back and ready to serve you! Come and join us for our Pizza Night at the Schodack Valley Fire House from 5PM to 9PM. Bring the family for Pizza, Antipasto, Wings and more. Additional seating is available. As always, you can eat-in or take-out. For take-out, call us at 477-4215.

Chicken Parm and Buffalo Pizza!

Calendar Events

March 16

Music Parent Association Seeks Items for Indoor Garage Sale - The Maple Hill Music Parents Association is seeking donations for their Indoor Garage Sale to be held Saturday, March 16 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. We need gently used items, but cannot accept personal care items, clothing, magazines, televisions, computers or stuffed animals. 


See the full calendar HERE


To have an event listed on The Schodack SCENE, send the information (including date, time, street address and cost if any) to catherine.sager@yahoo.com. 

The Community Calendar is updated every Thursday.

March 14, 2013

For Immediate Release: March 16, 2013


Adaptive Snowsports Race for Athletes with Disabilities hosted at Jiminy Peak

(Hancock, Ma) Seventy-five disabled ski racers from across the Northeastern states will participate in STRIDE’s 18th Annual “Great Race / Diana Golden Mills Cup Level I Adaptive Race” held on Saturday morning, March 16th, 2013 at Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort in Hancock, MA. 

March 11, 2013

From the Troy Record

Schodack Central School District's energy savings rewarded with grant

The Schodack Central School District is one of 12 across the state to receive a portion of a $9 million grant as a reward for finding $9 million in energy savings.

School districts across the state were invited to apply for the grant by demonstrating how innovative cost-savings were implemented in their districts. The dozen schools found efficiencies and savings in their district’s operations, in areas such as transportation, maintenance staff, and administrative support. As models, these districts will serve as roadmaps for other districts to follow when containing costs which continue to escalate every year.


“Our education system must become more efficient and direct spending away from the bureaucracy into the classroom,” said Gov. Andrew Cuomo. “The 12 districts we are awarding today stand out as leading examples and will serve as models for other districts across the state.”
Schodack was awarded $298,761 over three years for identifying a total of $331,956 in eligible savings by consolidating and reducing central office administrative responsibilities and positions and installing solar panels.
Read more...

  


March 7, 2013

Police search for man who stole tip jar


EAST GREENBUSH - Police have released surveillance pictures of a man they say was really determined to get his hands on a tip jar.
The man is seen here trying to break down the door at Grand Premier Tire on Columbia Turnpike, last Thursday.
Police say it took several tries, but he finally got in.
The stolen jar had several hundred dollars inside.
Anyone with information is asked to call East Greenbush Police.

March 6, 2013

For Immediate Release


   Photo and press opportunity                                             
Major General Donald L. Rutherford
23rd Chief of Chaplains of the United States Army to Address Wounded Warriors in Troy, NY

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/06/DonaldLRutherford.jpg/220px-DonaldLRutherford.jpgTroy, NY- STRIDE Adaptive Sports welcomes 21 Wounded Warriors with their families to the Capital Region for a weekend of healing through sports. Arriving in Troy, they will spend four days touring the capitol of New York State, and then join STRIDE team of instructors at Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort learning how to ski and snowboard Saturday and Sunday. 

Perv Patrol?

East Greenbush PD attempting to identify a man accused of forcible touching
Posted: Mar 06, 2013 4:41 AM EST 

EAST GREENBUSH, N.Y.--The East Greenbush Police Department is attempting to identify the white male depicted in the photo wearing a blue colored jacket and tan pants. The victim reported the suspect to have forcibly touched her buttocks while she was shopping at the East Greenbush Wal-Mart store early Tuesday morning. She was in the presence of her 18-month-old son at the time of the reported incident. The suspect then fled the store in the white vehicle also pictured.
Anyone who is familiar with the subject is encouraged to contact the East Greenbush Police Department at (518) 479-2525.

March 5, 2013

Headlines that caught my eye


Police: Parent had gun at school


RENSSELAER — Police on Monday arrested a Hudson man they say displayed a concealed handgun to Doane Stuart School officials inside the school Monday.

Overlooked evidence leads to mistrial

Roberts asked Judge Andrew Ceresia to declare a mistrial with prejudice, alleging prosecutorial misconduct had permanently tainted his client's case.

Hugo Chavez Dead: Venezuela's President Dies At 58, Vice President Nicolas Maduro Says

Chavez had been fighting cancer since 2011, and had chosen Venezuelan Vice President Nicolás Maduro as his heir-apparent when it became clear that health concerns might force him from office.

106-year-old Mass. man gets high school diploma


BEVERLY, Mass. (AP) — Fred Butler was married for 65 years, raised five children, served in the Army during World War II and worked for years for the local water department, but the fact he never earned a high school diploma always bothered him.
Not anymore.

March 4, 2013

State Trooper Stabbed At Empire State Plaza


WRGB-TV Channel 6 News :: News - Top Stories - State trooper stabbed at Empire State PlazaSunday, March 3 2013, 04:33 PM EST

Updated: Sunday, March 3 2013, 11:15 PM EST
UPDATE : 9:45 p.m.
ALBANY - A state trooper patrolling the concourse of the Empire State Plaza was stabbed in the neck Saturday afternoon after a man approached him and began a conversation.
State and local police, including police dogs, were searching for the man.

According to state police, the attacker struck Trooper Rodney Smith with a steak knife several times around 3:15 p.m. while he was checking the man’s identification.

Smith was cut on the left side of his neck, his face, arms and hands. After a brief struggle the man ran off with Smith’s radio.

Police say Smith called for help on a phone and was rushed to Albany Medical Center where he had surgery and is expected to fully recover.

"Our troopers can find themselves in dangerous and sometimes life threatening situations on any given day,” said State Police Superintendent Joseph D’Amico. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Trooper Smith’s family."

Trooper Smith is a 15-year veteran of the New York State Police.

ALBANY - Police and K-9 units are searching for a homeless they believe stabbed a State Trooper with a large kitchen knife.

It happened on the Concourse level of the Empire State Plaza this afternoon.

Police say the Trooper, identified as Rodney Smith, is out of surgery.

He's listed in stable condition at Albany Medical Center.
Officers believe the homeless man has the Trooper's radio in his possession.

ALBANY - State Troopers and Albany Police have closed the Concourse at the Empire State Plaza after a state trooper was stabbed in the neck. 

He has been transported to the emergency room. His condition has not yet been released.

Albany Police are investigating. Extra officers have been called to the scene to assist. 


Jennifer Lewke is on the scene. You can follow her on twitter at @CBS6Jennifer

State paid $1M to settle gov't sex harassment cases


Posted: Mar 04, 2013 5:25 PM EST

Updated: Mar 04, 2013 5:25 PM EST
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Records obtained by The Associated Press show that state officials spent more than $1 million in public money over the past four years to settle sexual harassment claims against state workers.
Almost half of the cases were settled in court last year as Albany was embroiled in a scandal over a $103,000 settlement paid to women who accused Assemblyman Vito Lopez of sexual harassment. Lopez has denied harassing anyone and was easily re-elected to his Brooklyn seat in November.
The records obtained under the state Freedom of Information Law show 13 women and one man brought cases against several agencies.
The largest payout was for $650,000.
Records from the state comptroller show millions more in cash settlements, but don't identify which cases involved sexual harassment claims.

Film Screening: The Economics of Happiness


Thursday, March 7 at 7 PM @ the Castleton Library

"The Economics of Happiness describes a world moving simultaneously in two opposing directions. On the one hand, an unholy alliance of governments and big business continues to promote globalization and the consolidation of corporate power. At the same time, people all over the world are resisting those policies, demanding a re-regulation of trade and finance—and, far from the old institutions of power, they’re starting to forge a very different future. Communities are coming together to re-build more human scale, ecological economies based on a new paradigm – an economics of localization." 

Visit www.theeconomicsofhappiness.org for more information about the film.

March 1, 2013

Opponents of NY’s new gun-control law rally outside the Capitol

ALBANY — Thousands of angry opponents of New York’s new gun-control law rallied outside the Capitol yesterday to vent their anger at Gov. Cuomo and demand a repeal of the state’s strict new rules on guns.


Shannon DeCelle

“What’s happened in New York is outrageous,” Keene said after the rally. “Nothing in the legislation that he’s passed is going to prevent another Newtown.”
Read more... 

For Immediate Release

Contact:  Nina Martino 732-7023
Subject: Friends of the Castleton Public Library’s Annual Meeting
The Friends of the Castleton Public Library will hold their Annual Meeting on Wednesday, April 17th at 7pm in the upstairs Library Programming Room. This meeting will review 2012, plan for 2013 and elect Officers and Trustees. If you are interested in one of these positions, please emailfriendsofcastletonlibrary@yahoo.com for details.  

  

Sequester Deadline All But Blown, Obama Hopes For Big Deal

Automatic spending cuts set to go into effect at midnight.

The president has summoned the top bipartisan congressional leadership to the White house, a meeting designed to give all sides a chance to stake out their fiscal positions with a new threat of a government shutdown less than four weeks away. There were no expectations of a breakthrough.

Read more...


BACK IN THE BLAME GAME

Former GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney said Friday that Republicans were right to feel hurt after President Barack Obama gave speeches on the looming sequester.

"Well, no one can think that's been a success for the president. He didn't think the sequester would happen. It is happening," Romney said...
Read more... 

DWI charge for TV director


David Ciliberti, in charge of news at WTEN, WXXA, arrested early Thursday

Updated 8:47 pm, Thursday, February 28, 2013

City Court Judge Rachel Kretser released Ciliberti on his own recognizance and ordered him to return to court on March 21.

Read more...