C O N N E C T E D
M T M A R K H A M N E W S L E T T E R
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Connected District Bulletin
Connected Partners
Collaborations & Contributions
Training Highlights
Initiative Wide Highlights Staff
CARNIVAL CARNIVAL
HerkimerCountyConnectedDistrictspartneredtogethertohostacarnivalevent attheHerkimerARCPark ThiseventwasoriginallythevisionofSiteCoordinator, NichiahHumphrey Sheworkedtirelesslyplanningandorganizingeverylast detailrightupuntiltheeventdate.Theteamwantedtoprovideafreefunfamily eventforthefamiliesofall4HerkimerCountyConnectedDistrictsthatincluded alltheHerkimerCountyConnectedStafftoworktogetherasateamforthis countywideevent.Carnivalgamesandfoodwereahugedrawinadditionto over26localagenciesprovidingtheirresourceinformationtotheattending families TheConnectedClownalsomadehisfirsteventappearance!
ThankyoutotheARCParkforprovidingthisamazingspaceforustohostthis event!TheHerkimerCountyConnectedTeamplanstomakethisanannual event.
July & August Recap
Connected Site Coordinator, Leslie Nevills, greeted students daily who attended the elementary summer school program. Ms. Nevills also helped cafeteria staff to hand out “to go” breakfasts as students arrived to school.
This event was a huge success!!! Several district families attended; games were played; families interacted with each other and with the Connected staff Connected Staff served ice cream with toppings; water and lemonade all donated by Stewarts Stores. Thank you to Waterville Site Coordinator Jesse Sibley for helping out at this amazing event!!
This summer, students and families had the opportunity to participate in Weekly Wellness and gardening activities. The Tuesday Morning Walking Group met from 9–10 a.m. on the trail behind the high school, though attendance has been limited due to transportation and scheduling conflicts. The Garden Group welcomed two families, with participants helping to weed, water, and harvest from the garden. Despite challenges, both groups will continue throughout the summer, offering ongoing opportunities for families to connect, get active, and enjoy the outdoors.
Our Mount Markham Connected Team hosted their second annual Back To School Haircut Event to provide students with haircuts at no cost to the families. Stylists from Style on Main By NikiMarie donated their time and services which we are beyond grateful for. This event was intended to take some of the financial stress off of our families as they prepare for the return of the new school year.
ac th kin k t ce e m us on Th he ye on d s me
It was a day of connection, celebration p g y th challenges.
September Recap
Ron Kamp and his therapy dog Melo returned to the Elementary School for the ‘25-’26 school year. They visited the first, third, and Special Education classrooms sharing information on working therapy dogs, answering questions students had, and reading to the children from Ron’s Book of Poetry.
The organizers of this annual fall festival reached out to Project Manager Leslie Nevills to see if her team again would like to be a part of this amazing community event. The team was also asked to organize a Touch A Truck during the Fall Fest which Leslie was able to do. Leslie also provided a table with information on Connected Community Schools with materials to color their own fall scene.
Marina Brigham, from Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oneida County, has begun her classroom programming at our district with all three schools with various age groups. Social / Emotional & Coping Skills are practiced with the younger students while Perspective Taking is introduced to the older students.
Connected Mount Markham hosted Open HUB Hours, welcoming families to drop in and access the tangible items
and resources they need. From school supplies to personal essentials, families were able to connect with staff, gather support, and learn about additional community resources available to them. These Open HUB Hours provided a valuable opportunity for families to receive direct assistance while building relationships with the Connected Mount Markham team.
HUB HUDDLES HUB HUDDLES
HUB Huddles have begun at the Elementary School on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Our HUB Huddles are helping to encourage attendance, completion of tasks, and positive behavior. We have already had some HUB programming on Social / Emotional Coping Skills with Marina Brigham. The students were able to make their own calming bottles.
CONNECTED CONNECTEDPartners Partners
Carley Stockham has accepted a position at the Mount Markham School District as a School Counselor at the Elementary School. Victor Chambers will replace Carley as the provider through the Neighborhood Center at Mount Markham. He will be working with all three schools and will be in the district two days per week.
The Connected Mount Markham Team has submitted one new student referral during the month of September for mental health counseling. This referral is currently in process.
CONNECTED CONNECTEDPartners Partners
Wecanwithoutyou!
Throughout July, LPP welcomed eight Mount Markham CSD students to SUNY Polytechnic Institute for education and career-based summer camps in arts, sciences, engineering, 3D printing, and nursing. Students represented Mount Markham with kindness, supported their peers, connected with college professors, and showed great effort and passion in all activities.
In September, LPP met individually with students to discuss academic and personal goals for the 2025–2026 school year. A new student has also joined LPP through a Connected referral. The LPP Homework Club for middle and high school students will resume on Monday, October 6, after school in Room B140 at the high school.
COLLABORATIONS & COLLABORATIONS &
July & August September
ICARE program- Katelyn Land
Great Swamp Conservancy
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oneida County- Marina Brigham
West Winfield VFW- Trisha Smith
Agriculture Teacher Mr Bugbee
Ron Kamp - Melo
First Source -Deb Grogen
Herkimer ARC
Cornell Cooperative Extension
Ron Kamp
Tori Roberts MMSD teacher / Sandra Smith (Mayor)
Herkimer CSD Senior completing Senior hours with the Connected Initiative.
TrendsTrends LINK LINK
TransportationcontinuestobeabarrierformanyMountMarkhamfamilies SiteCoordinatorshavebeen meetingfamilieswheretheyare literally byvisitinghomestoprovideneededresourcesorcollect requiredsignatures.Familiesareencouragedtoride-sharewhenpossibleandutilizeMedCabservicesfor medicalordentalappointmentsifeligiblethroughMedicaid
Asthecostoffoodandbasicnecessitiescontinuestorise,familieshaveincreasinglyreachedoutfor assistancewithfoodinsecurity,schoolsupplies,andclothingforthenewschoolyear.TheConnected MountMarkhamteamhasbeenactivelyconnectingfamiliestotangiblesupportssuchasfood,clothing, andschoolsupplies,aswellascommunityresourcesincludingOpenHUBHours,transportationassistance, theFederatedChurch,andotherlocalsupportstohelpmeettheseongoingneeds.
The Herkimer County System of Care hosted Chalk the Walk in August, giving children and families the chance to connect with local resources and support services. The event featured fun, engaging activities to get kids excited for the new school year. Thanks to Katie Baker, Joanne from Stella Salon was on hand to provide free haircuts to children, adding an extra special touch to the day!
The Out of the Darkness Walk for suicide awareness and prevention was recently hosted by Catholic Charities, providing a meaningful opportunity for Youth Ambassador Coordinators to engage with young people affected by suicide, either directly or indirectly Attendees were able to access important mental health resources and referrals from Herkimer County System of Care, as well as information about the Mother Daughter Circle and the Youth Advisory Council.
Exciting news! Katie is now trained to facilitate Mother-Daughter Circle and Girls Circle Groups. These programs give girls and their mothers—or female-identifying caregivers —opportunities to connect, build strong relationships, and support positive growth. The Mother-Daughter Circle (ages 11–18) strengthens bonds during the transition to young womanhood, while the Girls Circle (ages 9–18) fosters self-expression, resiliency, and healthy relationships in a trauma-informed setting. Opportunities to join will be launching soon—stay tuned for details!
Classroom
Programming with Marina from Cornell Cooperative Extension
TRAINING TRAININGHighlights Highlights
Monthly Connected Partner Highlights are held virtually throughout the school year for staff to discover and build connections with various community partners. September kicked off the presentations for the '25-'26 school year. Melinda Robinson, a research coordinator at Bassett's Research Institute, presented to our staff on her role in cancer awareness, prevention, and education, noting her work with youth tobacco prevention using pigs' lungs as an educational tool. This tobacco prevention education is available for any of our Connected Districts, so our Site Coordinators can work with her to schedule her interactive presentation to schools, at no cost! The presentation, featuring healthy and damaged pigs' lungs, aims to deeply resonate with students about the consequences of tobacco use. For more information or if you are interested in bringing Melinda into your school, please connect with your Site Coordinator!
Learn how to support the mental health of young people in your community! This 6-hour interactive training is designed for anyone who wants to better understand youth mental health, recognize signs of concern, and connect youth with the right resources and supports. Gain practical skills, increase your confidence, and make a positive difference in the lives of young people.
In August, we held our initiative-wide Back to School Bash in partnership with National Grid. 1,300 students from our Connected Districts were able to receive the school supplies needed according to their teachers’ lists. About 3,000 individuals were in attendance to learn about the Community Partner resources, have a meal, and enjoy a variety of activities alongside the school supply giveaway! Thanks to our partnership with National Grid, students were able to start
Our first annual Connected Visionary Awards: Not a School Night Celebration was a huge success! The award recipients included Colleen Fahy-Box, Jessica Lattimore, Jason Mitchell, Julia Thet, Karen Belcher on behalf of the Food Bank of CNY, Anne Lansing on behalf of Safe Schools Mohawk Valley, and Richelle Singer on behalf of Cornell Cooperative Extension. The Beeches was a fabulous location with amazing food. There was a silent auction, locker giveaway, painting, and more! We greatly appreciate our Connected Partners and are glad to give them the acknowledgement they deserve for supporting our Intiative.
ero Awards ero Awards
OurCo-Leader,MelissaRoys,wastherecipientoftheHunger HeroAwardshostedbytheFoodBankofCentralNewYork duetotheworkdoneintheTheConnectedInitiativethrough back-to-backnaturaldisastersinCentralNewYork
TheConnectedInitiativeishonoredtocelebrateMelissa Roys,2025HungerHero,whilealsorecognizingthesteadfast leadershipofDanielleMartinandtheentireConnectedTeam fortheirtirelesscommitmenttofightinghunger, strengtheningfamilies,andbuildingresilientcommunities.
CoordinatorAppreciationWeekwasheldnationallySeptember 14th-20th Ourteamcelebratedtheonlywaythatmadesense–bycelebratingeachofourstaffandhighlightingthestrengths theybringtotheConnectedInitiative! Eachstaffmemberreceivedapersonalizedawardfortheunique contributionstheyoffer.
Connected Mount Markham Team
