School concludes string of reconfig­uration open houses

PINE PLAINS — The Pine Plains Central School District has finished a series of open house informational sessions at both of its elementary schools, held as part of the transition to next year’s new configuration of kindergarten through grade five. Plans call for students in kindergarten through grade two to attend Cold Spring Elementary in Stanfordville and students in grades three to five to attend Seymour Smith Elementary in Pine Plains.

The goal, Seymour Smith Elementary School Principal Richard Azoff explained at the second-to-last session, held at Seymour Smith on the morning of Feb. 5, is to give parents an idea of the orientation that will be provided to students. The district also wanted to clarify transportation issues, which were and remain a major concern for some parents, as well as answer other pending questions.

The district has planned a number of different events aimed at introducing students from the different elementary schools to one another to help ease the stress of the big change this coming September. Those include visits to the different buildings, joint field trips and a “pen pal†program between the schools. Valentine’s Day events will be hosted by the two schools, and a “Getting to Know You†student open house was scheduled to be held Wednesday, Feb. 10, (after this paper’s deadline) at Cold Spring Elementary, with a treasure hunt to help students to get to know the building as well as small group greeting activities.

“The idea is to have a complete, ready-to-go program on Sept. 5,†Azoff said to parents gathered in Room 305 on Feb. 5.

One of the major benefits to the students, both Azoff and Cold Spring Elementary Principal Jay Glynn reiterated, is that with a higher concentration of similar-aged students, programs that may not have been feasible in the past due to low student participation will now have a better chance of coming to fruition.

“The numbers are not there now to do a lot of after-school activities,†Azoff explained. “Now Seymour Smith will be able to focus more on intermediate students, just as Cold Spring will be able to focus on primary students.â€

All services that are currently provided at both schools will continue next year, the principals reported. Transportation schedules will mean Cold Spring will start at 9:15 a.m. and end at 3:30 p.m., but Seymour Smith will continue to start at 9 a.m. and end at 3:15 p.m. As far as staff is concerned, some teachers will be making the transition between schools, but the majority will remain in their current locations.

Large transportation maps were propped up during the session and parents were given individual packets outlining the approximate busing times for their children. The routes have not been set in stone yet because the upcoming kindergarten class has not yet registered.

“The goal was to keep all student rides under an hour,†Assistant Superintendent Michael Goldbeck explained. “We’ve tried to be more aggressive than that.â€

There will be two kinds of buses under the reconfiguration plan. The first will consist of express routes that will transport students in outlying areas directly to their individual schools. The second will stop at both schools, meaning a student waiting to be dropped off at the last building will have a longer ride. To balance this out, the district’s plan is to reverse the situation in the afternoon; students who were taking the express route in the morning might be on the longer route in the afternoon, or vice versa.

Informational meetings have been held at both elementary schools, alternating between late morning and early evening. Azoff estimated a total of 50 parents attended.

The majority of parents at the Feb. 5 meeting had children headed to Seymour Smith.

“I like the whole thing,†said Maria Hagerty of Clinton Corners. “Now the kids will be with their graduating class. It’s easier to make friends when you’re younger, and I think the kids are going to love it. The benefits definitely outweigh the negatives.â€

“I was pleased,†said Melissa Spizvoco from Stanfordville after the tour of Seymour Smith. “I’d never been inside the school, and it’s nice.â€

“I think [the district has] done a pretty good job with what they’ve worked out,†said Elena Torre, also from Stanfordville.

The parents in attendance didn’t have too much concern about their children having longer bus rides, but admitted that with their children heading into Seymour Smith, it would be a different situation if they had younger children.

“I don’t think that will be a problem,†added Spizvoco, who has two girls heading into the third grade next year. “But if my kids were going into kindergarten, I would be more hesitant.â€

More information on the changes to Pine Plains’ elementary school routines can be found by visiting ppcsd.org. The district will continue to keep parents up to date and informed through several ways, including the Web site and through newsletters sent home with students, Assistant Superintendent Catherine Parsons said.