Kendall school district will partner with OCALS for peer tutoring
KENDALL – The school district is beginning a partnership with OCALS – Orleans County Adult Learning Services, a literacy organization that currently partners with Lyndonville, Holley and Albion school districts.
OCALS provides free and confidential literacy services to residents of Orleans County and contiguous areas and utilizes trained volunteers to assist students based on each individual student’s literacy needs.
Carol D’Agostino, Kendall’s Junior/Senior High Principal, told the Board of Education this week that OCALS will allow the district to get “peer tutoring back up and running.” OCALS will provide services twice each week during the 8th period.
D’Agostino said the partnership is part of an overall effort to build relationships between the school district and county-level organizations and agencies.
“We would like to see continued networking with services in Orleans County,” she said, “to build positive relationships and maximize everything we can do for our kids.”
D’Agostino said the district is also inviting community residents to take part in the “Kendall Reads Event” which includes Kendall High School Library’s first “Community Read” planned for Thursday, March 23, at 7 p.m.
Community members are encouraged to read The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson and join in a discussion of the book at the March 23 event, which will also include light snacks. All ages are welcome to take part.
“It will build a sense of literacy in the community,” D’Agostino said. “It’s an exciting thing for the whole community.”
Copies of the book will be available at the high school library. For more information call 659-8959.
Members of the Board of Education on Wednesday also briefly discussed the preliminary school budget for the 2017-18 school year.
Superintendent Julie Christensen said the district anticipates a 1.4 percent increase in Foundation Aid which she said is operating aid the district receives from the state. The tax cap for 2017-18 is 1.26 percent compared with .12 percent under the current budget. Christensen said health insurance rates are expected to increase by 12 percent, while pension costs are expected to go down.
