Amanda Galandino from The Ride For Missing Children (RFMC) visited with 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade students to share information about the organization's mission and the important work it does to raise awareness about missing children. In addition to discussing the RFMC's mission, Amanda provided age-appropriate safety education, helping students learn valuable strategies for staying safe at home, at school, and in the community.
LEARNING THE POWER OF PERSEVERANCE
Casey from the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oneida County joined our Elementary Lunch HUB to facilitate an engaging lesson on perseverance. Through interactive discussion and activities, students explored the importance of overcoming challenges, maintaining a positive mindset, and continuing to work toward their goals even when faced with obstacles.
EXPLORING THE IMPACT OF PERSUASIVE TECHNOLOGY
Marina from Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oneida County visited the High School HUB to present an engaging lesson on Persuasive Technology. Students gained valuable insight into how technology and digital platforms are intentionally designed to capture attention, influence behaviors, and shape decision-making. The presentation encouraged thoughtful discussion and critical thinking as students explored the ways technology impacts their daily lives. We are grateful to Marina for sharing her expertise and helping students become more informed and mindful consumers of digital media.
HEALTHY CHOICES IN ACTION WITH SNAP-ED
Ellen from SNAP-Ed visited 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade students during HUB programming to provide an engaging lesson on healthy nutrition. Students learned about the major food groups, the importance of making healthy food choices, and how nutritious foods help our bodies grow, stay strong, and function properly.
To reinforce their learning, students participated in a fun game of Hedbanz, using clues about food groups and nutritional characteristics to identify different foods. The session concluded with a hands-on activity where students prepared and sampled their own mango-banana smoothies. The delicious treat was a hit and provided a great opportunity for students to practice healthy eating in a fun and interactive way.
EXPLORING THE IMPACT OF PERSUASIVE TECHNOLOGY
Mr. Ron and his therapy dog Guinness visited the Connected Mount Markham Elementary School for one last time this school year. Guinness was able to visit the entire first grade and both special education classrooms. Of course several other teachers and students were able to stop in the hallway to say “hi” and get their pets in. While with the classes, Mr. Ron read teacher selected stories, talked with the students, and the students were able to get their last therapy dog snuggles of the year!
Connected Site Coordinator Nichiah Humphrey hosted a Prom Ready Event to help students prepare for their big night. Students were invited to receive complimentary hair and makeup assistance, along with quick barber cuts provided by Crafted Cuts of Richfield Springs at no cost.
The event offered a welcoming space for students to feel confident and celebrated as they get ready for prom, with support from caring staff and community partners who helped make the experience special
This month’s Open HUB was held at the elementary school. Families were able to stop in to say hi to our Connected Team and restock their pantries before the long holiday weekend. Families picked up extras like fresh bread, pasta, danish, meat, and vegetables.
HUB HUDDLES HUB HUDDLES
HUB Huddle continues to be a highly anticipated opportunity for many 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade students. During this lunch-time program, students build important social and life skills, including active listening, respectful communication, conversation skills, and positive peer relationships. HUB Huddle provides a welcoming environment where students can connect with one another, develop new friendships, and engage in meaningful discussions with their peers and Ms. Nevills.
Participation in HUB Huddle also reinforces positive school engagement. Students understand that maintaining good attendance, completing classwork, and demonstrating positive behavior are important expectations for participation. Classroom teachers determine student participation, using HUB Huddle as an opportunity to recognize and encourage positive student success both academically and socially.
This Month, students have been competing in Battleship! Students who won were able to pick prizes from the Treasure Chest! Fun has been had by all. The HUB continues to be a safe place for all students to need a break from the day to day things.
meaningful conversations with each other and / or Ms. Nevills and Ms. Humphrey. Our Seniors have definitely utilized the HUB Huddle to talk about all that is changing in their worlds the next few months as graduation gets closer including all the emotions that go along with it.
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:
Individual Academic Support Meetings
Social Emotional Assessments
Personalized Learning Plans
SUNY Polytechnic Institute Liberty Partnerships Program Staff:
Caryn Schweinsberg – Project Director
Career Exploration
Employment Preparation
School-based academic support programs Summer Programs
Mrs. Caryn Schweinsberg is a graduate of SUNY Polytechnic Institute, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Community and Behavioral Health. She is currently pursuing a Master of Social Work degree at Keuka College. Caryn’s professional interests include school prevention initiatives, mental health support, and socialemotional learning to promote positive outcomes for children and adolescents. She currently oversees SUNY Poly Liberty Partnerships Program operations as well as LPP supports and services within Central Valley Central School District.
Contact: schweic@sunypoly.edu
Eva Fuess – Student & Family Advocate
Ms. Eva Fuess earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Community and Behavioral Health from SUNY Polytechnic Institute and is currently pursuing a Master of Social Work degree at the University at Buffalo. Eva’s professional interests focus on student mental health and school-based prevention programming. She currently oversees Liberty Partnerships Program services and supports within Little Falls, Herkimer, and Dolgeville Central School Districts.
Contact: fuesse@sunypoly.edu
Sophie Valente – Student & Family Advocate
Ms. Sophie Valente graduated from The College of Saint Rose with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology, with a concentration in Clinical Counseling. Her professional interests include student mental health and the impact of social media on biopsychosocial well-being and self-image. Sophie currently oversees Liberty Partnerships Program services and supports within Mount Markham and Frankfort-Schuyler Central School Districts.
Contact: valentesl@sunypoly.edu
Currently, the Neighborhood Center’s embedded clinic is serving 5 high school students, 6 middle school students, and 4 elementary students within the Mount Markham District. Through this partnership, students are able to access convenient, school-based mental health supports designed to meet their individual needs. The embedded clinic model continues to strengthen connections between students, families, and providers, helping ensure timely access to care and ongoing support across all grade levels.
Marina Brigham from Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oneida County
Ellen Canarelli from Cornell Cooperative Extension - SNAP-ED
Eric Radley from Fidelis Care
Ron Kamp and Guinness the Therapy Dog Crafted Cuts
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As the cost of living continues to increase, many families are finding it difficult to meet basic needs, including providing groceries and household necessities for their families. Through our Connected Team, families have access to Open HUB each month, where they can visit once each month to select food and essential items at no cost.
Beyond providing basic necessities, the Open HUB also creates an opportunity for our team to build relationships with families and better understand any additional challenges they may be experiencing. During these interactions, we can identify barriers, assess needs, and connect families with appropriate resources and community services. By helping families navigate available supports, we work to bridge gaps in services and promote long-term stability and well-being.
For families who are unable to visit the HUB, our team can prepare and deliver food boxes directly to their homes. Through these efforts, we help reduce immediate stress while ensuring families have access to both essential resources and the support systems needed to thrive.
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.
Mother Daughter Mother DaughterCircle Circle
Mother-Daughter Circle sessions put an emphasis on the importance of communication. Participants learned about S.T.E.P.S which is an effective way to see where your emotional baseline is and how to go forward with communicating while under stress. This group practiced this technique with role playing exercises and shared experiences. Learning about communication skills is vital to any relationship, but often being overlooked is learning how to communicate while under stress.
Creativity and mindfulness helped the group with a guided visualization of their younger selves. Participants listened to questions and cues while painting a rock to represent their younger selves. Creating a roadmap of their parent/child relationship helped participants to see the difficulties they have weathered together, some of their favorite memories and strengthened their connection by creating this road map together and then being able to share this with the group. Participants consisted of not exclusively mothers & daughters, as this cohort also included step parents and fathers. We are so proud of the progress being made together!
These activities helped to understand that and allowed students to feel more comfortable discussing their own challenges as well as areas in which mental health services within our community could be utilized to meet the needs of our youth. Students were able to show off their creativity this month painting kindness rocks during after school programming as well.
Youth Ambassador Council (YAC) members at Connected Jarvis Middle School took an active role in promoting Mental Health Awareness throughout their school community by hosting a lunch-time table where students were invited to sign and write positive messages on green ribbons in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month. The completed ribbons were then used to create a meaningful display at the entrance of the school, serving as a visual reminder of support, kindness, and awareness. Council members have also begun planning to meet over the summer to continue their work and prepare for the upcoming school year, and are excited to brainstorm new ways to share their message and promote YAC at school events and community activities.
During May after school programming activities in each of the Herkimer County Connected Districts focused on a variety of engaging activities to promote mental health awareness and acceptance. Students participated in games to test their knowledge on mental health facts versus myths, as well as a guessing game where students heard the names of celebrities, famous athletes and artists and had to determine what their mental health diagnosis was. This led to great conversation among students and helped to break down stigma associated with mental health.
CENTRAL VALLEY
DOLGEVILLE HERKIMER MT. MARKHAM
TRAINING TRAINING TRAINING
Connected Partner Highlight: Legal Aid
As part of our May Connected Partner Highlight, we welcomed Olivia Furman and Linda Lark from Legal Aid Society to share information about the valuable services their organization provides to individuals and families in our community. They explained the intake and screening process and discussed the wide range of civil legal matters they assist with, including evictions, landlord-tenant disputes, access to healthcare, green card renewals, estate planning, divorce and family law issues, and foreclosure prevention. They also highlighted their partnership with the Office for the Aging and emphasized that their services focus exclusively on civil matters rather than criminal cases. The presentation provided staff with a greater understanding of available legal resources and how Legal Aid can help connect community members with support during challenging situations.
May All Staff Meeting Focuses on Family Engagement and Community Partnerships
During the May All Staff meeting, Connected team members participated in breakout sessions centered on strengthening family engagement strategies across our districts and communities. Staff had the opportunity to collaborate, share successful practices, and explore new ways to build meaningful connections with students and families. The meeting also featured a presentation from Sleep in Heavenly Peace, which highlighted the organization's mission of ensuring that every child has a safe and comfortable place to sleep. Their presentation provided valuable insight into the impact of community partnerships and the resources available to support local families. The meeting served as an opportunity for professional growth, collaboration, and continued commitment to supporting the whole child and family
Strengthening the Future: Insights from the New York State Education Department Portrait of a Graduate Conference
Connected Herkimer Project Manager Shae recently participated in the Exploring New York State Education Department’s (NYSED) Portrait of a Graduate conference, a collaborative forum focused on integrating key student attributes into educational practice. The conference provided a deeper understanding of the six core competencies outlined in the Portrait of a Graduate framework and highlighted the vital role community schools play in supporting this statewide vision.
Throughout the day, participants engaged in meaningful discussions about current district efforts and explored innovative opportunities for future growth. The experience reinforced that the Connected HUB serves as a natural environment for fostering these competencies by strengthening student-community connections, promoting engagement, and supporting collaborative partnerships.
Shae returned with valuable resources, fresh ideas, and practical strategies to build upon the work already taking place across the Connected Initiative. These insights will be shared with both Connected Districts and to further enhance programming and support for students and families.
Strengthening Our Impact Through Statewide Collaboration
Connected Rome Senior Site Coordinator Katherine Fountain attended the Empower Youth Success Conference. It provided an opportunity to connect with professionals from across New York State, and engage in meaningful networking and learning. There were two very impactful sessions that she has committed to sharing with the Connected Initiative. Am I Welcome? Setting the Course for Impactful Parent Engagement offered valuable insight into the shared challenges and successes of increasing family involvement, while Every Day Matters: Our Path to Better Attendance was especially impactful because improving attendance has been a goal of mine at Gansevoort for several years.The session Learning about the Walking Bus as an initiative was also inspiring—that team shared how they walked routes before school started to determine timing, worked closely with their insurance company to address liability concerns, and secured donations for winter gear and snacks to support participating students. Overall, this conference was beneficial. It refreshed our thinking, reinforced the value of collaboration, and highlighted the importance of providing Connected staff with opportunities to learn from and connect with others doing this work across the state.
Learning Together: Connected Initiative Joins the American Federation of Teachers Community Schools Intensive in Long Beach
We would also like to recognize and thank the Rome CSD Administration team members who joined us at the National Community Schools and Family Engagement Conference. Their participation demonstrated a strong commitment to advancing the Connected Community Schools Initiative and strengthening the district's vision for student success. Together, we presented on the Connected Community Schools Initiative and engaged in an afternoon of strategic planning focused on developing an action plan for the 2026–2027 school year.
A key priority identified by the leadership team is the continued alignment of the Community Schools framework with district priorities, including Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), the New York State Portrait of a Graduate, school safety initiatives, and other strategic goals. We are grateful for the leadership and collaboration of Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Jennifer DePerno, Director of Elementary Education Dana Benzo, Director of Secondary Education Melissa Sisco, Bellamy Elementary Assistant Principal Joanne Lalonde, and Gansevoort Elementary Dean John Seifts, whose participation helped make this experience both productive and impactful.
The Connected Initiative was honored to join the American Federation of Teachers for their two Day Community Schools Intensive retreat, held in Long Beach, CA The Connected Team collaborated with over 20 different Community Schools leaders from across the United States We shared our successes, and learned strategies implemented by others to enhance family engagement, support students, families, and staff in preparing to engage in education, and deliver on the Community Schools mission of ensuring all stakeholders collaborate for student success.
The Connected Team joined Community Schools team members from across the United States at the Community Schools X Family Engagement National Conference in Long Beach, CA. The team divided and conquered the wide selection of intensive workshops, covering topics from Multi-Tiered System of Supports integration. to family engagement, and workforce development to name a few The three day conference also provided the opportunity to see Los Angeles consolidated schools in action during site visits, and a plenary opening featuring both local California school leaders and students sharing their experience utilizing the host of strategies guided by the community schools framework This was an amazing opportunity to learn from others doing similar work, and to share our experiences with peers We are excited to bring back what we learned to add to our community schools toolkit
W H O A R E W E A N D W H AT D O W E D O ?
The Ride for Missing Children (RFMC) - Mohawk Valley is a community-driven organization dedicated to the prevention of child abduction and exploitation. While our mission is famously represented by our annual bicycle ride, our impact continues year-round through our dedicated Community Education program. In partnership with Connected Community Schools, we provide students and families with practical personal safety strategies, empowering the next generation with the tools they need to stay safe both online and in their everyday lives.
O N T H E R O U T E : L E A R N I N G
S A F E T Y W I T H T H E R I D E F
M I S S I N G C H I L D R E NM O H AW K VA L L E Y
Students across Willard Prior Elementary School, Westmoreland Primary Elementary School, Notre Dame Jr./Sr. High School, N.A. Walbran Elementary School, and Jefferson Elementary School recently participated in The Ride for Missing Children - Mohawk Valley route presentations. Each session introduced students to the mission and highlighted the importance of community involvement in promoting child safety awareness.
Through interactive, age-appropriate discussions, students explored essential safety topics including bike safety, online safety, and personal safety skills. Younger students at Willard Prior engaged in a “Safety Superpowers” presentation focused on building confidence in making safe choices, while older students at Notre Dame Jr./Sr. High School participated in discussions tailored to their increased independence and responsibilities.
Across all schools, students learned how their communities support child safety efforts and gained excitement for the Ride’s upcoming passage through the area in June.
As part of Bike Safety Week at Ridge Mills
Elementary, students participated in a highenergy presentation focused on safe and confident riding skills. Students learned to check their “Bike ABCs” (air, brakes, and chains) before riding, practiced hand signals, discussed helmet safety and visibility, and explored the importance of staying aware of their surroundings. Interactive activities, including a “Spot the Hazard” game, helped reinforce important lessons while keeping students actively engaged throughout the presentation.
Students across Ridge Mills Elementary, Mount Markham Central School, Denti Elementary School, and Adirondack Jr./Sr. High School participated in engaging lunchtime HUB Huddles focused on personal safety, bike safety, and building confidence in everyday decision-making.
Across all buildings, students explored the 4 Rules of Personal
Safety, with an emphasis on identifying trusted adults, supporting one another, and understanding how to stay safe in a variety of situations. Ridge Mills students connected the discussion to their upcoming Bike Safety Week, while Mount Markham students reflected on personal strengths and the tools they can use to care for themselves and others in alignment with The Ride for Missing Children- Mohawk Valley’s mission.
At Denti Elementary, students engaged in interactive safety stations featuring hands-on activities such as puzzles, coloring, and word games, while Adirondack Jr./Sr. High School students participated in age-appropriate discussions and scenarios focused on communication, decision-making, and maintaining safe connections as they grow older.
Together, these HUB Huddles provided students with meaningful, developmentally appropriate opportunities to strengthen safety awareness in a supportive and engaging environment.
Students at Myles Elementary School participated in a full day of engaging safety education activities focused on bike safety, personal safety, and online safety. Throughout the day, students practiced important personal safety skills, participated in interactive discussions, and reinforced lessons through games and activities, including a lively round of Bike Safety Jeopardy during lunchtime HUB Huddles. The enthusiasm and participation from students and staff created an exciting and encouraging learning environment centered around confidence, awareness, and community support.
Fifth and sixth grade students at Adirondack Middle School participated in a Netsmartz internet safety presentation focused on helping students make safe and responsible choices online. Topics included protecting personal information, recognizing inappropriate online behavior, understanding cyberbullying, and learning how to be an upstander for others in digital spaces. Students engaged in important conversations about navigating technology safely and respectfully.
