Weekly Update from the Office of the Superintendent
Volume 2, Issue 17 (December 10, 2021)
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Taking Engagement & Individualized Learning
to the Next Level at
Big Picture
As professional educators, we understand how important it is to connect with students and build relationships with them. We also recognize that all students learn differently. Identifying these individual learning modalities and fostering genuine connections with students is the key to their success and growth. We see this kind of authentic learning and engagement in all our classrooms, from UPK to Gr. 12. It is one of the hallmarks of the educational process in Ken-Ton. Imagine the potential of a program that not only applies these concepts but is designed with them as the foundation. That is what our Big Picture Program represents: an instructional model that takes student engagement and individualized learning to the next level.
Our Big Picture Program was created nearly a decade ago as a result of an initiative called Operation Graduation. A team of teachers, administrators, staff and other stakeholders, including our own Board of Education President Matt Chimera, set out to develop a new approach to increasing graduation rates. That led them to Big Picture Learning, a transformative educational framework that is practiced in approximately 65 schools across the country. It is an individualized student-centered approach to education that focuses on project-based learning and internships. It recognizes that some students flourish in programs that differ from traditional school environments.
The Big Picture Program operates at Kenmore Middle School. This program focuses on secondary education from 8th to 12th grade. Students maintain the option of participating in sports and extracurricular activities at their respective home school. It has traditionally encompassed 15 students per grade level who grow and learn together as part of an “Advisory” through their high school years. They participate in core classes such as math, ELA and science, but there is a special emphasis on internship experiences and project-based learning. The Big Picture Program has been extremely successful. Year after year, it is typical for 100% of Big Picture seniors to graduate. The success of this program led us to expand and double this year’s 8th grade class.
Last week, I had the opportunity to see the success of this program first-hand as students took part in Exhibitions. These are a unique component of the Big Picture Program that empower students to take ownership over their academic progress. They are essentially student-led parent/teacher conferences. Three times a year, at the end of each trimester, Big Picture students prepare a presentation and provide an overview of what they have learned. These presentations are expected to be 30-45 minutes in length and are attended by family members and other invited guests. They are a celebration of learning as students show work they are proud of in each of their classes in addition to their independent project work.
A special congratulations goes out to Big Picture Program eighth-grade student Jayden Billups for his recent exhibition. This was his first exhibition. I was extremely impressed with his attention to detail as well as his preparation. Without prior notification, I attended Jayden’s presentation and he did not waver one bit. Despite the presence of individuals he didn’t know, Jayden stepped up to the plate and knocked his presentation out of the park. This was a very authentic example of how Big Picture prepares students for real life.
Kindergarten & UPK Registration
Ken-Ton School District families will soon be able to register for the 2022-23 school year. Registration begins in January for Kindergarten and in March for Universal Pre-Kindergarten. Registration will be online and the process will need to be completed on a computer. You will not be able to complete it on a smartphone or tablet. Families that do not have access to a computer will be able to schedule an appointment to register in person at 1500 Colvin Boulevard based upon the following schedule:
- January 3-7: Holmes Elementary School and Hoover Elementary School (Kindergarten registration only)
- January 10-14: Franklin Elementary School and Lindbergh Elementary School (Kindergarten registration only)
- January 18-21: Edison Elementary School (Kindergarten registration only)
- January 17 is a holiday and Central Registration will be closed on this date
- March 1-4: Universal Pre-Kindergarten
As a reminder, students must be 5 years old on or before December 1st, 2022 to be eligible for Kindergarten and 4 years old on or before December 1st, 2022 to be eligible for Universal Pre-Kindergarten. A child cannot turn five years of age between December 2nd, 2021, through and including December 1st, 2022 to be eligible for UPK.
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Each week, we will highlight some of the exciting things taking place in our schools. Be sure to follow the Ken-Ton School District on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@ktufsd) for more school highlights! |
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Kenmore East High School: Kenmore East High School National Honor Society members recently volunteered for the “Rake and Run,” an annual event organized by the NHS to provide students the opportunity to give back to the community. These students raked leaves for several senior community members who needed assistance raking their yards. Students that volunteered were Venezia Ayalew, David Huang, Ryan Logue, Carly Orlowski, Mara Scepovic, and Toby Smith. We are proud of the work they did!
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Hoover Elementary School: At Hoover Elementary, students are working very hard to be “Respectful, Responsible and Safe.” When students exemplify these important characteristics, they earn a “Hooty Hero” ticket which they can redeem for prizes. These include special activities or opportunities like participating in daily announcements, helping in the music or art room with a younger class, playing math games with the math teacher or helping in the office. They also include items such as unique pencils/erasers, Hoover shirts and socks, pop-its, slime, fidgets, games and small Lego sets. Math RTI specialist Crista Maghrak has set out to raise money through the fundraising platform DonorsChoose to support new prize opportunities to continue to inspire and reward students. You can view the project page here.
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Holmes Elementary School: In November, students at Holmes Elementary School took a well-deserved break from their work to engage in one of their favorite seasonal activities. Students in kindergarten teacher Maureen Paolucci’s class took advantage of a perfect autumn day to go outside and play in the leaves. You can find more highlights from Holmes Elementary by following the school on Facebook @HolmesKTUFSD.
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Franklin Elementary School: Franklin Elementary School has found many creative ways to promote a positive school environment and reward students for demonstrating positive behaviors in school. One such reward was the opportunity to eat lunch with a firefighter. Winning this prize was Justus Lopez, a student in first-grade teacher Heather Pohl's class. Joining Justus for lunch was John Becker from the Kenilworth Volunteer Fire Department. A special thanks goes out to Mr. Becker and the Kenilworth Fire Department for facilitating this opportunity for our students.
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Kenmore East High School: Wendy Weisbrot from the Buffalo Holocaust Resource Center recently visited the Holocaust class at Kenmore East High School. Ms. Weisbrot is President of the Leadership Council at the Holocaust Center and a daughter of a Holocaust survivor. Her father, Joe Diamond, was a frequent speaker in Ken-Ton Schools and shared his story with thousands of Ken-Ton students before he passed away several years ago. Wendy detailed her father's account of his survival at the hands of Josef Mengele at the infamous Auschwitz death camp.
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Kenmore East & Kenmore West: Numerous Kenmore East and Kenmore West students participated in the Area All-State Music Festival at SUNY Fredonia which took place Nov. 19-20. This included, from Kenmore East, Cacey Barraclough, Allison Iacuzzo, Maria Colosimo, and Emily Gardner who participated in the Area All-State Chorus. From Kenmore West, Claire Malkiewicz participated in Area All-State Band, Jack Gradzewicz and Everette Gianni participated in Area All-State Jazz Ensemble, and Ella Zach participated in Area All-State Orchestra. Additionally, several Kenmore East students were selected to perform with the Capital University Honor Band Festival in Columbus, Ohio Nov. 13-14. They were Tessa Mihelbergel, Jessy Neubert, Andrew Wolfe, and Kaleigh Januchowski.
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On Friday, December 3rd, Board of Education President Matthew Chimera was officially inducted into the Section VI Hall of Fame. Before joining the Board of Education, President Chimera coached the Kenmore West High School Softball Team for 25 years. During this time, the team won 12 NFL titles, four Section VI championships, three Far West Regional titles, and one NYS championship. |
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RECOGNITION: TRUSTEE TODD MARQUARDT |
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Earlier this week, we were proud to learn that a member of our Board of Education and a longtime Ken-Ton coach, Trustee Todd Marquardt, has been selected for the New York State Soccer Hall of Fame. He is one of only a handful of individuals from our region to earn this distinction.
Trustee Marquardt coached a variety of Ken-Ton sports before joining the Board of Education. This included the Kenmore West High School Boys Varsity Soccer Team, which he coached for 31 seasons. His career encompassed 609 games which included two Section VI championships. He also coached softball at Kenmore West and boys bowling at Kenmore East, leading the Kenmore East Boys Bowling Team to the Section VI Class B Championship in 2020.
Trustee Marquardt will be inducted into the New York State Soccer Hall of Fame during a ceremony next fall. Only five other individuals from Section VI have earned this distinction since the Soccer Hall of Fame was created nearly 30 years ago. Please join me in congratulating Trustee Marquardt for this achievement!
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Thank you for reviewing this information. As always, we remain Ken-Ton Proud, Ken-Ton Strong, and Ken-Ton Moving Forward!
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