This month at our Dolgeville Connected, our amazing RN friends Ms. Tracy and Ms. Alex from MVHS stopped by to chat with our middle schoolers about personal hygiene and the importance of taking care of ourselves — inside and out!
Such an important conversation and valuable life lessons for our students!
We’re so grateful for this connection and the support from our community!
This year at our Dolgeville Connected School, Mr. Kevin Morales is leading The Council at Dolgeville this year. The Council is an inclusive, strengths-based group that builds leadership and respect among our young men.
Ms. Wendy was very busy this month at our Dolgeville Connected School. She met with Mrs. Bowen’s class and all of the 3 graders to explore the wonderful world of pumpkins The student made pumpkin pie in a rd
Then she met with the entire 4 grade to put o ! We swe th
Ms. Valerie Pettengill, Nutrition Program Education from Cornell Cooperative Extension is back at DCS again this year. We have started Cornell’s six week nutrition education program in three of Mrs. Countryman’s Home and Career classes. We love when Ms. Valerie comes to visit, not only do we learn something but we get to make some yummy treats together!
Eat the Rainbow lesson! Chatting about the importance of increasing your fruit and veggie intake!
What’s in Your Drink? Chatting about Sugar Sweetened Beverages!
Yummy apple cinnament wraps and knife skill and safety review!
Lesson on whole grains and a yummy popcorn snack!
This month at our Dolgeville Connected School, we welcomed Ms. Marina Bingham, Community Wellness Educator for Cornell Cooperative Extension, stopped by to chat about all things kindness! Ms. Marina met with Mrs. Bowen’s class and all of 1 , 2 , and 3 grade classes. st nd rd
This month at our Dolgeville Connected School, Ms Deb Grogan was back to continue our Dolgeville Connected year long financial literacy programming. This month’s lesson was all about Savings and Checking Accounts. Students learned the difference between a savings and checking account, the difference between a bank and credit union, how to set up accounts (what information you need), and some basic
able information!
This month we were so lucky to have two full days packed with Working Solutions amazing information. The first day, Ms. Lisa Mang, guided our students through resumes, resources, and interview preparations. Our students learned what information belongs on your resume, and worked to create/update their resumes. One day two Ms. Nicole Meyers guided our students through all aspects of professional interviews. Our students learned what is appropriate to wear, questions they should be prepared to answer, and what to do when following up after i t i t i th i titi d !
It has been such a busy month at our Dolgeville Connected School. We were very excited to welcome Ms. Kimberly Dean back to DCS to give presentations to our Juniors and Seniors on amazing opportunities at Job Corps.
Today at our Dolgeville Connected School, we stood up to bullying with our Unity Day Heart project! This is our 4th year supporting Unity Day by having each student write something they can do to stand up to bullying on their orange heart to display This year we anted up by inviting our new friends from Oneida County Cornell Cooperative Extension, Ms. Lisa and her amazing doggie pal Willa to join the fun!
The DES PTO Trunk or Treat had an outstanding turn out! We loved seeing everyone in their costumes!
HUB HUDDLES HUB HUDDLES
Our Connected HUBs are e have magnet building sets, programming connections g
UPCOMING UPCOMING
NOVEMBER PROGRAMMING AND EVENTS: THE COUNCIL YWCA MEETINGS-WEDNESDAYS AND FRIDAYS 5TH, 12TH 19TH, 14TH 21ST 11/6-FIRST SOURCE-CHECKS VS DEBIT CARDS
11/4, 11/18, 25TH-MS. VALERIE CORNELL PROGRAMMING 11/14-MS.WENDY FROM HERKIMER COUNTY CORNELL COOPERATIVE EXTENSION WITH 2ND AND 5TH GRADERS
11/18-WORKING SOLUTIONS PROGRAMMING 11-22 DOLGEVILLE CONNECTED MOVIE MORNING AT VALLEY CINEMA
Connected Connected
The Youth Ambassador Council is coming to Herkimer County Schools this fall! The Council is meant to give you the opportunity to have involvement and voice in their school and community. It is a platform for youth to organize and/or implement meetings, activities, events and programming related to the awareness and connectivity to Mental Health Supports. Youth Ambassador Council meetings are held minimally monthly within the school or community. Youth Ambassadors will have opportunities to coordinate with other Youth Ambassador Councils across Herkimer County including the Annual Herkimer County Youth Summit, in order to promote support, awareness and resources. We are on the lookout for student ambassadors to join the council!
From July 1 to September 30, in our Dolgeville Connected District, 178 referrals were made to supports and services to address concerns such as housing, mental health, counseling, financial relief assistance, and food insecurity relief. We refer to a variety of community partners to help provide support including the Neighborhood Center, MVCAA, Catholic Charities, as well as spreading knowledge regarding our local support treasure troves the Dolgeville Food Pantry and King’s Provisions.
As expected, for this time of year one of our biggest identified needs was for school supports, in which we gathered and supplied several district families with their school supplies.
Additionally, the following was provided to the school and surrounding community through Dolgeville Connected HUBs from July 2025 through September 2025:
1,450 snacks have been distributed to students worth $2,900
This equates to a total of $45,101 worth of tangible items delivered to the Dolgeville HUBs to meet students and families basic needs this year alone!
The SOC continues to collaborate with Connected Districts through engaging outreach and student support initiatives. For World Mental Health Day, the Youth Ambassador Coordinator tabled during CVA lunch periods with an interactive Mental Health Quiz, sharing resources like the 988 Helpline, peer support tips, and information about the Youth Advisory Board and Mother Daughter Circle—inviting students to get involved through a brief recruitment form.
The Youth Ambassador Coordinator also brought fun and connection to several community events this fall. At the Herkimer District Trunk or Treat and Utica Comets “Frights & Flights” Game, CoCo the Connected Bear made special appearances to greet families and hand out treats—joined by Leslie Nevills, Project Manager at Mount Markham, as CoCo’s handler. The fun continued at Central Valley’s Trunk or Treat, where the Coordinator teamed up with the CVA Connected team to serve apple cider and candy to all the ghosts and goblins! ����
Herkimer County Youth Summit - Youth Ambassador Coordinator had the opportunity to attend this day long event that was hosted and organized by Catholic Charities and partially funded by Herkimer County System of Care. Youth heard from keynote speaker Taes Leavitt, attended 3 breakout sessions and worked on and presented an action plan to bring back to their districts to increase mental health awareness, and work towards goals they felt could benefit their peers and improve the overall culture within their district for students and staff.
Bruce Brodsky with the Utica Dollars for Scholars came to our October all-staff meeting in Rome to share with staff the scholarship opportunities available to many of the students we serve. The application for Utica Dollars for Scholars is open now through March of 2026 for students in Herkimer and Oneida Counties looking for funding for higher education. Bruce identified that they want to get the word out to students and not only ensure they are aware of the opportunity, but also get support to follow through the full application process, as many start their application but don’t finish it The presentation was very insightful for our staff who support high school students in the Herkimer and Oneica Counties, and hopefully we can get those students connected to the scholarship opportunities available.
Monthly Connected Partner Highlights are held virtually throughout the school year for staff to discover and build connections with various community partners In the month of October, we had three different agencies present on some services they offer, including OnPoint for College, the Alzheimer’s Association, and Neighborhood Center’s COMHPS program.
Partner Highlights
Earlier in the month, Anny Guerrero-Brown provided an overview of OnPoint for College, detailing its expansion beyond college access and success to include support for certificate programs, licenses, and trades, serving students in Herkimer, Madison, Onondaga, and Cayuga counties with broad eligibility criteria and individualized support across college access, college success, and career services Jennifer Engram elaborated on career services, including advising, workshops, and internship opportunities. Anny concluded by emphasizing OnPoint for College's holistic, free, and continuous support, focusing on removing barriers to education and building strong relationships with students
Lisa McCarthy provided an overview of the Alzheimer's Association, discussing the financial and caregiving impact of dementia, the association's funding and research efforts, various types of dementia, warning signs, and strategies for brain health and prevention The Alzheimer’s Association is available to table at any events where we may want to share information on dementia and Alzheimer's support.
Paul Ukena introduced The Neighborhood Center's OMH grant-funded COMHPS (Community Mental Health Promotion and Support) program, outlining its focus on community mental health promotion and support, the Neighborhood Center's broader services, and the program's activities, including outreach, referrals, and emotional support, emphasizing its free and short-term nature The COMHPS program offers Classroom Programming opportunities including interactive tabling and group content delivery using different activities to allow participants to express their creativity while promoting mental well-being. The program is available in Oneida County, so if you are interested in bringing them into your classroom, contact your Site Coordinator!
INITIATIVE WIDE INITIATIVE WIDE
Connected is in full Holiday Assistance mode, working to ensure students and families have the support they need this season. Last year, we assisted over 2,000 students, and we’re once again committed to spreading warmth and joy throughout our communities. If you or someone you know could benefit from holiday assistance, please reach out to your Site Coordinator or a member of the LINK Team—we’re here to help.
If you’d like to help, donations are always welcome! Check out the Holiday Assistance bin map included on this flyer for convenient drop-off locations, or bring your donation to our main office at 207 North James Street, Rome, NY. Monetary contributions can also be made online at https://connectedcommunityschools.org/holiday-assistance/, and every gift helps make the season brighter for local families.
Connected Community Schools is kicking off the Connected Food Drive to help ensure families in our community have access to nutritious food this season. With the support of generous donors and community members, we aim to make a meaningful impact for local families in need.
Donations of non-perishable food items can be dropped off at any Connected Community Schools site or at our main office at 207 North James Street, Rome, NY. Monetary contributions can also be made online at https://connectedcommunityschools.org/donate-2/.
Every gift helps nourish children and families across our community.
