Retirement Reception to Honor Superintendent Whelan
The Central Council PTA will host a retirement reception for Superintendent John S. Whelan from 4 - 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 15, at Johnstown High School. Please join us as we honor Mr. Whelan for his nine years of service in the Greater Johnstown School District. Central Council's May meeting will immediately follow the reception.

Coming in May - Knox Musical Pirates of Penzance Jr.
A performance not to be missed, the Knox Musical "Pirates of Penzance Jr." is scheduled to take place Friday and Saturday, May 16 and 17, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, May 18 at 2 p.m. Click here for information on the story line and the cast.

Budget Vote and Board of Education Elections May 20
Residents of the Greater Johnstown School District will go to the polls on Tuesday, May 20, to vote on a proposed $29,061,903 budget for the 2008-09 school year and to elect three candidates to fill positions on the Board of Education.  Click here to read more.
 

Vacation Day Added to Calendar - School to be Closed May 23, 2008
The 2007-08 school calendar adopted by the Board of Education provided for three snow/emergency days during the school year. Only two of those three days have been used to date. The unused third day will now be "given back" as a vacation day on Friday, May 23, 2008. On that day, school will be closed for all staff and students (provided there are no emergency situations between now and then which require closing school).

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.

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:

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.

Kindergarten Recruitment for 2008-09
The Greater Johnstown School District is beginning the process of recruitment for kindergarten for the 2008-2009 school year and would appreciate your assistance. If you have a child, or know a child, who will be five years old on or before December 1, 2008 and who resides in the Greater Johnstown School District, please print out the the attached Kindergarten Recruitment Form, fill it out and send it to any of our elementary school buildings as soon as possible.

Universal Pre-Kindergarten
The Greater Johnstown School District Universal Pre-kindergarten program is accepting applications for the 2008-09 school year for children who will be four years old on or before December 1, 2008 and who reside in the district (when all sessions are full, we will maintain a waiting list for placement in the event of a vacancy). The Universal  Pre-kindergarten program addresses instructional components, cognitive skills, social and emotional development, and physical skills of youngsters. The program does not require income eligibility. For more information on the Johnstown Universal Pre-kindergarten program or to receive an application, contact Warren Street School’s main office at 762-3715. You may also download a 2008-09 Pre-K Application Packet. Applications, together with appropriate documents, must be returned to the GJSD Pre-kindergarten Office at Warren Street School.

Organizing the Post Prom Party - An Ongoing Effort
Meetings of the planning committee for the JHS Post Prom Party 2008 are scheduled to take place in the small cafeteria, at 6:30 p.m., on the following dates: Monday, February 11; Monday, March 10; Tuesday, April 1 (cancelled); Thursday, April 24 and Tuesday, May 6. Parents of juniors and seniors, or anyone else interested in assisting, are invited to attend. For more information, contact Tracy Diviyak at 762-5739, or Leslie Buggeln-Bosworth at 762-9588.\

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.

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.

Get the Most Up-To-Date Johnstown Sports Schedules
For the most up-to-date Johnstown sports schedules, visit HighSchoolSports.net and then simply select your sport, grade level and gender. You can also view Johnstown's current sports schedule. Should you have any problems or need further information in accessing the particular Johnstown sports schedule you're looking for, please contact Patti St. Peter in the Athletics Department at 762-7636.

Taking Precautions Against Antibiotic Resistant MSRA
Please take a moment to read the attached Letter from the Superintendent regarding precautions everyone can take to reduce their possibility of contact with Methicillin resistant Staphyloccoccus aureus (MRSA).

Safety First
We should always remember to keep our children’s safety in mind and to immediately report to the police department any incident of a stranger approaching a child. Please take a few moments to review these safety tips with your children. (Read more)

2008-09 School Year One Page Calendar

View or download the one page 2008-09 School Calendar

2007-08 School Year One Page Calendar

View or download the one page 2007-08 School Calendar

Free/Reduced School Meal Application

Download a free/reduced school meal/milk Application for the 07-08 school year, and/or a Free and Reduced Price Meal Application  Fact Sheet. Applications should be completed and returned to 2 Wright Drive, Johnstown, NY 12095 or your child's school building. Please call 762-1875 if you have any questions.

Got Directions?

Johnstown PTSA has travel directories available for $5.00. The directory provides directions to Section 2 schools and others in the surrounding area. It can be a lifesaver if you are running late and are trying to get to the event as quickly as possible! Keep it in your car for easy access. The directories can be purchased from any Johnstown PTSA officer or from any one of the district school building's main office.

New York State School and District Report Cards
Each spring, the NYS Education Department releases School Report Cards on every school and district in the state for the previous school year. Information is available online about the Greater Johnstown School District's NYS Report Cards.

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.

Annual Notification of the availability of the district asbestos management plan
The Greater Johnstown School District submitted in 1989, to the New York State Education Department, the Greater Johnstown School District’s Asbestos Management Plan. In accordance with the EPA Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act of 1987 (40 CFR Part 763), this memo is intended to fulfill annual notification stating that the Asbestos Management plan for this school building is available and kept on file at: Director of Facilities & Operations Office. These records are available for review during these times: 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. For more information, please contact the following persons: E.J. Maye, LEA Designee, 518-762-3212

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