Herkimer- December 2025 - Newsletter

DECEMBER 2025

CONNECTED HERKIMER NEWSLETTER TABLE OF CONTENTS Connected District Bulletin Connected Partners Collaborations & Contributions Training Highlights Initiative Wide Highlights Upcoming Events Staff

Herkimer County Holiday Assistance Connected is proud to support families across our Connected districts through our Annual Holiday Assistance Project. Once again this year, the Connected Herkimer County school districts came together to host a special day where local families were welcomed to “shop” for their children in a joyful, festive setting. Parents and caregivers had the opportunity to select meaningful gifts they knew their children would love, making the holiday season a little brighter for them. Families also received food boxes, ensuring everyone who attended left with both full hearts and full hands. This event was a wonderful reminder of the power of community, generosity, and coming together to support one another during the holidays.

Denise Snyder from Herkimer NBT Bank visited the HUB to talk with students about the importance of saving money.

During the session, students learned why building savings matters, how much they might set aside, and different ways to keep their savings safe. The discussion provided practical financial knowledge students can use now and in the future.

In December, Miss Marina from the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oneida County’s Child Care Council visited the Connected Herkimer Elementary HUB to lead an engaging listening and communication activity. Students paired up, with one partner receiving a picture while the other started with a blank sheet of paper and a pencil. Through clear instructions and careful listening, the student with the image guided their partner on what to draw. At the end, pairs compared their drawings to see how closely they matched.

The activity sparked excitement and laughter, and students quickly adjusted their communication strategies, eager to improve so their images would align. It was a fun, hands-on way to strengthen listening skills, teamwork, and effective communication.

Herkimer County Connected staff helped organize and carry out a gift drive at the Herkimer Walmart, collecting monetary donations, gifts, and new toys to support local families in need.

The generosity of the community helped bring added joy and support to children and families during the holiday season.

Readers in Action continued in December with more third graders participating after school. Students enjoyed a fun story about a silly dog before discussing the importance of giving back. They then began their first service project by creating ornaments and decorations for senior citizens. The meaningful conversations and creative efforts highlighted the joy and impact of kindness during the season.

The Middle School/High School HUB has been filled with holiday cheer as students enjoyed festive activities like arts and crafts, ornament painting, and a cookie decorating contest. These events created a welcoming space for students to celebrate the season and look forward to winter break, no matter which holidays they observe. In addition to the fun, Connected welcomed partners from NBT Bank, who continue to visit monthly to share valuable financial knowledge and life skills with students. Together, these experiences highlight the HUB as a place of connection, learning, and community.

Connected PARTNERS PARTNERS

Connected

CHBS operates a satellite clinic within the district. This collaboration allows for seamless access to mental health support, as school counseling staff are in direct contact with the on-site CHBS clinician.

We are proud to continue our meaningful collaboration with Family School Navigation (FSN), formerly known as R4K. FSN remains a vital partner in Connected Herkimer’s mission to support local families.

We are currently collaborating to plan a series of family-friendly events in partnership with the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oneida County’s Child Care Council, Healthy Families, and the Frank Basloe Library.

These events will provide valuable resources for parents and caregivers, along with fun and engaging activities for children.

We are excited about what’s ahead and thankful for the opportunity to serve families side-by-side with such dedicated partners.

The Liberty Partnerships Program was established in 1988 under Section 612 Subdivision 6 of Education Law to address the significant dropout rate and promote positive outcomes of post-graduation among New York State Youth.

One of 52 collegiate programs, SUNY Polytechnic Institute was awarded the Liberty Partnership Program Grant in Fall of 2022. The SUNY Poly Liberty Partnership Program team strives to provide academic support, career and employment preparation as well as social emotional skill building for 5th - 12th grade students within six Herkimer County school districts: Central Valley, Dolgeville, Frankfort-Schuyler, Herkimer, Little Falls, and Mount Markham.

The SUNY Polytechnic Institute Liberty Partnerships Program currently serves over 200 students providing a series of engaging and supportive programs to aid in individual goal achievement and positive outcomes.

Supports and Services include: Individual Academic Support Meetings Social Emotional Assessments Personalized Learning Plans Career Exploration Employment Preparation School-based academic support programs Summer Programs

Trends

Trends

Most of our LINKs focused on housing and holiday assistance. Finding housing is especially challenging for families who want to remain in Herkimer. Despite these difficulties, we successfully helped several families secure safe places to live within the community. Additionally, holiday efforts from local organizations, along with Connected, assisted numerous families.

COLLABORATIONS COLLABORATIONS & & Contributions Contributions cted Conne ike ould l w r e m ne Herki veryo e k n to tha We elps! h t a ut h t witho t i o d t canno you!

Cornell Cooperative Extension Liberty Partnership Program Herkimer SOC Herkimer NHS

Herkimer BPA Herkimer PTA Local businesses & individuals who donated holiday assistance items Walmart for the donation event Connected was able to hold outside of the store

Herkimer County has teamed up with Connected Community Schools as part of the Herkimer County System of Care Initiative in order to provide Mental Health support and connections to Herkimer County Youth. The Youth Ambassador Coordinator will work with school administration, school staff and Connected Community Schools staff to identify students who could benefit from serving as an ambassador within their school district and community. The Youth Ambassador Coordinator will organize and facilitate Youth Ambassador Councils across Herkimer County School districts and within the community. Monthly meetings will be held in order to organize and implement activities, events and programming related to Mental Health support and awareness. Youth Ambassadors may also have opportunities to coordinate with Youth Ambassador Councils across Herkimer County including the Annual Youth Summit.

In December, Katie Baker, our Youth Ambassador Coordinator, supported Holiday Assistance efforts in Herkimer County and in Rome during our Initiative-wide event. Her dedication helped provide holiday cheer and meaningful support to students and families throughout our communities.

Mother Daughter Circle will begin on Monday, February 2 at the Central Valley Academy Connected HUB and continue for eight Mondays from 4:30–5:30 p.m.

We welcome families of Connected Central Valley, Dolgeville, Herkimer, and Mount Markham families to join us. This group offers a welcoming space for mothers and daughters to connect, share, and grow together through meaningful conversations and activities. Please click this link or reach out to Katie to sign up.

MEET KATIE BAKER Youth Ambassador Coordinator, Katie spends time in each of the Herkimer County Connected Districts. Her schedule is as follows:

Monday - Mount Markham Tuesday - Herkimer Katie can be reached at 315-360-4978 or katieb@connectedcs.org.

Wednesday - Central Valley Thursday - Herkimer Friday - Dolgeville Herkimer County System of Care is funded by

UPCOMING UPCOMINGEvents Events UPCOMING HERKIMER OPEN HUB DATES

UPCOMING UPCOMINGEvents Events Library Learning Series for Families Series with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oneida County’s Child Care Council, Frank Basloe Library, Family School Navigation, Healthy Families, & Herkimer County Health Net (and Connected Herkimer). All events will provide a fun, interactive activity while providing educational pieces to parents.

Taking place at the Frank Basloe Library.

February 19 | 2-4pm (Theme: Literacy) April 9th | 2-4pm (Theme: Emotions) June 24 | 4-5pm (Theme: Summer Kick Off)

INITIATIVE INITIATIVEHighlights Highlights

2025 Connected Elves Holiday Project Celebrating 8 Years of Community Impact December 2025 marked the 8th successful year of the Connected Holiday Assistance Program, supporting students and families across our Connected Districts during the holiday season. What began as a small act of care has grown into a powerful community-wide effort spanning all 13 Connected districts, rooted in generosity, collaboration, and compassion.

The Power of Community Partnerships This year, over 40 local businesses partnered with Connected by hosting donation bins for new, unwrapped toys and gifts. Their willingness to open their doors and rally their customers played a vital role in making this program possible.

We are grateful to the 40+ local businesses that served as donation sites and helped make Holiday Assistance possible.

16 th Stone Brewpub Affair with Hair Agway Holland Patent Alteri's Restaurant Arizona Tacos Artani's Pizza Bassett Medical Offices Big Jay's Pizzeria - Rome Bliss Environmental Boss's General Store Boyz From Italy Central NY Academy of Dance Cianfrocco's Subs & Wings

Collis True Value Hardware Community Bank, N.A. Camden Community Bank, N.A. Rome Franco's Pizza - Ilion Full Lotis Gehring Tricot Grande's Pizzeria Haven Salon and Lash Studio Home Outlet Utica Jervis Library Joey's Pizza Kylie's Diner La Roma Pizzeria Matteson Hotel MetLife Insurance

Mister Mikes Gyros NBT - Rome & Utica New Hartford Public Library Nola’s of Clinton Oneida County Department of Comm.

Family Services Petzotics Remington Federal Credit Union Rome First United Methodist Church RT Federal Credit Union Shook 40 Sorrento Pizzeria

Spresso’s Coffeehouse Square One Coating State Farm Michael Collea Stuff the Bus Style on Main by Nikki Marie Tanners Insurance Agency Toy for TOTS Tucker Backyard Pools & Spas Twin Rivers Paper Company Woolner Family Eye Care

INITIATIVE INITIATIVEHighlights Highlights

2025

Connected Elves Holiday Project CONTINUED

Holiday Assistance Shopping by the Numbers & Gratitude Through the collective efforts of donors, community partners, and dedicated volunteers, the Connected Holiday Assistance Program supported a total of 1,576 children during Holiday Assistance Shopping this season. With an estimated $59,000 in donated toys and gifts, this milestone reflects the generosity and commitment of our community-wide network, working together to ensure students across our Connected districts experienced the joy, care, and support they deserve during the holiday season.

Holiday Assistance would not be possible without the dedication of our volunteers, who generously gave their time to sort donations, support families, and assist throughout Holiday Assistance Shopping. Their compassion and commitment helped bring this program to life.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to every business, donor, volunteer, and community partner who helped make this season brighter. Your generosity continues to strengthen our mission of supporting students and families—during the holidays and all year long.

Together, we are Connected.

TRAINING TRAININGHighlights Highlights

Mid York Library

Monthly Connected Partner Highlights are held virtually for staff to discover and build connections with various community partners. In December, Stephanie Markham and Diana Cassulus presented to our staff regarding what the Mid York Library has to offer. They detailed services such as the "Library of Things," through which people can borrow available items including snow shoes, games, and more! Library cards are free to apply for and can give access to the Library of Things as well as discounted museum and park passes, books, magazines, movies, and affordable in-building services like printing. They highlighted that libraries are safe spaces, resource hubs, providers of free, unfiltered computer access and paper tax forms, and hosts of free early literacy programs and events listed on the Mid-York website calendar. The Mid York Library is a great partner to our Connected schools and are eager to attend events with free books and tailored materials in Madison, Oneida, and Herkimer Counties!

Connected Herkimer Team

Breanna Stiefvater

Shae-Leigh Voorhees

YOUR HERKIMER SITE COORDINATOR

YOUR HERKIMER PROJECT MANAGER

315-983-7347

315-868-8959

315-717-9748

breannas@connectedcs.org

shae-leighv@connectedcs.org

katier@connectedcs.org

Katie Rockwell YOUR CONNECTED COMMUNITY SCHOOLS DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR

CENTRAL HUB TEAM ALEXIS TOWNE

RAIN RIDGNER

KALI FOUNTAIN

KAELYNN BARBER

DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR OF IMPACT

DELIVERY TEAM

NORA BAJOHR

DUSTIN TROTZ

HOW CAN I HELP YOU TODAY AND MAKE YOUR TOMORROW BETTER?

How can I help you today and make your tomorrow better?

If you know someone that may need help, our LINK system is here to assist with any struggle, worries, or needs that may arise. If you see someone in need of help (whether it's tangible items, assistance with housing, mental health, primary care, or anything) please contact one of us.