2007-08

2008-09 Budget Approved by Voters
Residents of the Greater Johnstown School District approved the $29,061,903 budget for the 2008-09 school year on May 20, 2008 by vote of 268 in favor and 225 opposed. Re-elected to serve three year terms on the Board of Education were incumbents Leslie Buggeln-Bosworth (378), Scott Miller (375) and Robert Curtis (369). Learn more about the budget here, or check out these budget glossary terms.

Johnstown's Jansen Avenue Elementary Selected as One of the Top 19 Schools in New York State to Make Significant Academic Progress
What does this mean? The U.S. Department of Education has established the “No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon Schools Program” to honor schools that are academically superior or make dramatic gains in student achievement. “Dramatically improving schools improved the performance of all students to high levels in reading (language arts or English) and mathematics on state assessments.” The Department of Education decides how many schools each state may nominate. For 2008, only 19 NYS schools have been selected to apply for this honor – and the Greater Johnstown School District’s Jansen Avenue Elementary is one of them! Read More

Dan Jones is Wal-Mart State Teacher of the Year!
Congratulations to GJSD music teacher Dan Jones, selected as Wal-Mart’s State Teacher of the Year! Mr. Jones was honored with this prestigious award at a surprise celebration in the Warren Street School gymnasium on October 18, 2007. Wal-Mart presents this award annually to one educator in each of the 50 states. As part of its acknowledgement of Mr. Jones’ dedication to children and teaching, Wal-Mart will present a $10,000 educational grant to the school district. Winners of the state teacher award are selected through a partnership between Wal-Mart and the Phi Delta Kappa international professional education association. Jones became eligible for consideration for the state award after being presented with the local Wal-Mart Teacher of the Year award in a ceremony at Warren Street on May 8, 2007. More Photos.

Physical Education Leadership Awards Ceremony
Several students from each of Johnstown's four elementary schools, together with several Knox Junior High School students, were among more than 600 Capital District Area students recognized at the twenty-third annual Capital Zone Physical Education Student Leadership Awards Ceremony held at Hudson Valley Community College on May 5. The students were recognized for character, sportsmanship, citizenship and leadership both in and out of the classroom. Congratulations to each of them!

JHS Physical Education Leadership Award Winners
Johnstown High School students Natalie Engel and Phillip Satterlee were recognized with Physical Education Leadership Awards on February 2 during a dinner at the Century House Restaurant in Latham. The awards are given to one female and one male student from each high school in the Capital Zone of the New York State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. Selection is based upon their commitment to education and health, with criteria for the award including a high level of physical performance, scholastic achievement, leadership qualities and service to the school and/or community.

21st Century Field Day & Family Night Fun
The 21^st Century Community Learning Center After-School Program held a field day and family night at Knox Field on June 2, 2008 for students from programs in Johnstown, Amsterdam, Fort Plain and Gloversville. Each student attending the field day was treated to a new book bag filled with a variety of items.

A number of fun events were offered, including tug of war, a foul shooting contest, crazy kickball, water balloon toss, Frisbee toss, football toss and jewelry making, just to name a few. The Johnstown School Museum was also open to students and parents for tours. Community groups that worked with the students during the school year, including members of ASAPP'S Promise, the Boy Scouts, Cornell Cooperative Extension, the Girl Scouts, the James A. Brennan Humane Society and the National Guard, were on hand and staffing tables filled with information.

Fulton County Spelling Bee
The sixteenth annual Fulton County Spelling Bee, presented by The Leader-Herald, took place on Monday, March 10 at the Gloversville Middle School. Pleasant Avenue sixth grader Kevin Ammann displayed amazing spelling prowess, earning a second place finish from among the 42 fourth through eighth graders vying for the opportunity to represent Fulton County at the 2008 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.  Congratulations to Kevin, and to the following Greater Johnstown School District students, who each earned a place in the competition based on the results of spelling contests in their school buildings:

Fourth Grade	Fifth Grade	Sixth Grade	Seventh Grade	Eighth Grade
Ryan Ammann Pleasant Ave.	Hannah Chamberlain Pleasant Ave.	Kevin Ammann Pleasant Ave.	Alex Hollister Knox Junior High	Becky Hladik Knox Junior High
Victoria Baker Glebe St.	Alex Fountain Warren St.	Gage Kilmer Jansen Ave.
Christina Bridge Warren St.	Sophia Hayes Glebe St.	Elizabeth Rousseau Warren St.
Kyle Polidore Jansen Ave.	Jessica Manno Jansen Ave.	Serena Smith Glebe St.

Johnstown’s Winter Guards are Number One
The Mid-York Color Guard Circuit’s 2008 Championship Color Guard Competition took place on April 5 and 6 at Shenendehowa High School. Johnstown’s winter guards (Gold Dust Elementary Guard, Amethyst Junior Guard and Amethyst Gold Senior Guard) competed in their respective classes before a packed gym of supportive spectators.

On Saturday, April 5, Gold Dust placed first in the Novice class, earning the gold medal and a chance to perform in exhibition that evening as the new champion. On that same day, Amethyst placed first in the Scholastic regional A class, also earning the gold medal and an exhibition performance on April 6. Returning to Shenendehowa on Sunday, Amethyst Gold placed first in the Scholastic Open class, earning the gold medal and stretching its championship title to encompass a fourth straight year.

Currently ranked first in New York State and twenty-first in the country, the Amethyst Gold Senior Guard will be competing in the Winter Guard International (WGI) World Championships in Dayton, Ohio April 10 –12.

View performances of "Lights in a Box" by Amethyst Gold; "He Lives in You" by Amethyst; and "I’ll Be" by Gold Dust. To learn more about the Johnstown Winter Guard season, click here.

Bringing Cheer to our Troops
Students in Ms. Campbell's five math classes at Knox Junior High are adopting a soldier for the year and, once a month, will put together a box with letters, cards and personal items, to send to each adopted soldier. The first boxes were sent out on December 7, in order to assure arrival by Christmas. New boxes will be sent out at the beginning of each month during the school year. If you would like to participate in this great opportunity to help others, donations are more than welcome! Not sure what to give? Check out this reference list of items requested by soldiers and then send your items to the main office at Knox.

PTA Reflections Program
The Johnstown Central Council PTA, the PTSA/PTA units and Greater Johnstown School District staff members were happy to see the participation of many students from each building during this year’s National PTA Reflections program. Forty-eight entries were displayed at the Central Council PTA Showcase on December 17 at the Johnstown Public Library.

Congratulations to the following students for sharing their talents (students with asterisks by their names have been selected to move on to the Mohawk Valley Showcase scheduled for January 16): James Raspanti*, Emily Colasanti*, Molly Sear*, Juliet Sear, Zachary Simone, Kendra McCoy*, Laura Raspanti*, Michael Bevington*, Caliope Brower*, Rachel Perras*, Serena Smith*, Cody Brewer*, Griffin Klena*, Samuel Miller*, Maddie Willet*, Maymie Winright, Jessica Manno*, Opal Pandya, Rhea Sharma*, Daviannah Spencer, Elizabeth Willet*, Mike Brown*, Jacob Miller*, Adrianna Randolph*, Alexis Randolph*, Katherine Ammann*, Ben Empie*, Haley Claes*, Lindsey Fiore*, Ryan Ammann*, Kevin Ammann*, Dalton Town*, Samantha Wright*, Allison Hanmer, Hannah Nettles, Tatyana Rosario, Hannah Putman*, Aylene Newman*, Andrew Raylinsky*, Casey VanValkenburgh* and Breanna VanValkenburgh*.

Special congratulations to Jacob Miller from Jansen Avenue for submitting our first film/video entry; to Kevin Ammann from Pleasant Avenue for our only musical composition; and to Ryan Ammann for our only photography entry.

Every student who participated will receive a certificate and a dessert gift card from McDonald’s for each entry.

Storybook Writing Contest Winners
Winners of the annual Storybook Writing Contest sponsored by the Friends of the Johnstown Public Library read their stories at a pre-school story time held on November 14. This year's winners included: first place, B. Hladik; second place, S. Brown; third place, H. Cimo & B. Simpson; fourth place tie, J. Smicinski & A. Demarco; honorable mention, K. Gillen. Stop by the library and look for these winning stories, which will be on display in the children's room through December: Bella the Bat; Bake With Jake; Pigs in Pointe Shoes; The Ugly Pug; Tank Goodness for Goldfish; and It's Springtime Hurray.

The JTA Cleans Up
The Johnstown Teachers Association recently sent out a call to its members asking them to donate a little of their time to pick-up trash for the Adopt-A-Highway program. Sweeping in to action on the morning of Saturday, October 13, were Becky Voudry, Judy Swatt, Quinn Swartwout, Helen Reed, Gloria Bruno and Cindy Fiorenza, who cleaned up Route 67 as it stretches from the corner of State Highway 30A to its junction with Route 103 (Stoners Trail Road). Thank you JTA members for helping to make the roadway, and our school district, look good!

What’s Purple & Gold and…Pink?
Our fall sports teams! October is breast cancer awareness month and, in an effort to raise funds for breast cancer research, Johnstown’s student athletes have stepped up to the plate and become involved in a fundraiser sponsored by the Johnstown Teachers Association. Members of the modified, junior varsity and varsity field hockey teams; j.v. and varsity football teams; boys and girls soccer teams and the cross-country team have purchased pink ribbon stickers from the JTA and, as a show of support, are now sporting them on their uniforms and equipment; take a look around - pink ribbons abound on Johnstown football helmets and field hockey sticks!

Other “think pink” fundraisers sponsored by the JTA include Friday dress down days for teachers, the sale of pink ribbon magnets and a raffle for a pink blanket. Magnets can be purchased by anyone for $5 from JTA representatives and are available in each school building. Raffle tickets will be available for $1 right up until halftime at the October 12 homecoming game on Knox Field, when a winner will be drawn. Proceeds of these JTA fundraisers will benefit the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer program.

Don't forget to apply for the 2007 Middle Class STAR Rebate
As part of the New York State 2007 Middle Class STAR program, homeowners must file an application to get their property tax rebate checks this year.
Rebate amounts will be based on several factors, including local property tax rates and the homeowner's 2005 income level.
It is anticipated that the NYS Department of Tax & Finance will mail information and application materials to Fulton County homeowners during the week of September 10. Applications must be completed and filed by November 30, 2007. Note: Senior citizens who receive an enhanced STAR exemption on their 2007-08 school tax bill do not need to apply; they will receive a rebate check automatically.
For more information visit http://www.tax.state.ny.us/star/2007/ or call 1-877-678-2769.

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