Cal-Mum Chronicle
February 2024
The beloved 8th Grade Washington DC Trip is back! Established in 2010, the annual trek took place until fall 2019 after which it was paused due to COVID. After a couple of years of planning and fundraising, the Class of 2028 returned to our nation’s capital this month. The trip was led by assistant principal Tim McArdle, and chaperoned by middle school counselor Jinny Mancuso, librarian Liz Barbour, and teachers John Walther and Erin Streb, who also serves as 8th grade class advisor.
The class enjoyed a three-day, two-night experience, visiting many famous landmarks. Highlights included an evening illuminated tour of the WWII, Korea, Lincoln, and Vietnam Memorials, a viewing of the changing of the guard at Arlington National Cemetery, and a guided tour of the Capitol, complete with passes to the House visitors gallery, courtesy of Congresswoman Claudia Tenney.
The varied itinerary clearly appealed to the students because their description of their favorite stops ran the gamut from the Washington Monument–”I liked how you could see it in the reflecting pool” and “I liked the really tall one with flags all around it” to those who “liked the different animals at the zoo” and “enjoyed seeing the fossils in the museum”. Also frequently shouted out as favorites were watching the changing of the guard ceremony at Arlington, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Capitol. Student traveler Nevaeh Tate summed it up best, saying, “It was amazing…I definitely want to go back!”
Following the successful field trip, Mr. McArdle commented, “We are beyond thankful for the generosity of our Caledonia-Mumford community who helped us restart this amazing tradition!"
Click on our Washington video to share in the excitement of our trip!
Elementary school students and teachers welcomed spring into their classrooms with a variety of seasonal activities. Master Beekeeper Kenny Loncz from Sweetland Honey Farm in Stafford visited the second grade this month. His appearance was arranged by special education teacher Odette McClurg since Kenny is her husband Glenn’s cousin.
The session perfectly complemented the science unit about saving bees that the class just finished. According to second grade teacher Patty Wade, the students were especially enthralled with the hive he brought, which held hundreds of bees. She commented, “They were amazed but a bit hesitant at the same time. He had marked the queen bee ahead of time with a white marker, and said he does that with all his queen bees when he is able to locate them.” He also brought some honeycomb for the kids to view and displayed pictures of a large black bear knocking over the hives during the night to get to the honey! Mrs. McClurg shared, “My husband set up trail cams to help Kenny find out what was happening to his beehives. That’s how he got the great bear photos and solved the mystery!”
Jen Kelley’s kindergarten class was one of several who welcomed spring by hatching baby chicks. During the 21-day incubation period, the students learned what was happening inside the eggs and celebrated the embryo milestones which included start of heartbeat on day 2, beak formation on day 7, and development of feathers on day 12. Out of the 12 eggs in the incubator, seven hatched and stayed in the room for five days. Mrs. Kelley shared, “The kiddos were excited– they got to see four of them actually hatch right out of their shells (the others hatched overnight). It was a very exciting week.”
Both Pre-K classes enjoyed a pre-long-weekend hike to McKay’s Nature Park on Thursday, May 23. They have been learning about habitats so they enjoyed looking for plants and animals that make the trail habitat their home. Pre-K teacher Erin Hopkins reported, “We saw some beautiful butterflies and a really big toad.”
Some primary students enjoyed a program on Springtime Planting, presented through Ag in the Schools, an annual program run by the Cornell Cooperative Extension for Livingston County schools. Students learned about what a seed needs to sprout, and set up a planting experiment with soybeans. Another Ag in the Classroom program, the dairy-based “From Milk to Cheese” is scheduled on two dates in June.
Dear Caledonia-Mumford Learning Community,
I am pleased to announce that Caledonia-Mumford voters approved the 2024-2025 school budget on May 19 by a vote of 242-101 (70.55%). Proposition #2 authorizing the purchase of a school bus also passed 258-895 (75.22%). Incumbent Michael Balonek (254 votes), Rebecca McNear (253), and Margaret (Peggy) Roll (273) were elected to three-year terms on the Board of Education.
I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank school board members Jamie Fitch and Arnie Rychlicki, whose terms on the Board expired this year, for their dedication and service. Their efforts are much appreciated.
This is our last digital newsletter of the school year. Please be on the lookout for the hard copy June edition honoring our Class of 2024, which will be mailed to all homes in the district next month.
Respectfully,
Robert Molisani
Singers, guitarists, dancers, and more graced the auditorium stage on May 3 as 11 acts performed in the inaugural Raiders Got Talent show, hosted by the 6th grade class. Eighth grader Abby Hunt took home the coveted 3D-printed cup for her performance of Lady Gaga’s “Million Reasons”. An enthusiastic, encouraging audience attended and sixth grade advisor Liz Barbour stated that the show will definitely be back next year. The judging panel consisted of M/HS Principal Dr. Rebekah Chenaille, HS Spanish teacher Aminta Romaguera, and 8th grade business/CTE teacher Erin Streb. Mrs. Romaguera commented, “Everyone did a wonderful job. It was very hard to pick a winner.” When asked what stood out about Abby’s performance, Mrs. Streb explained, “It was so heartfelt and genuine that it gave me chills. She has a beautiful voice…pure and true.”
Award-winning children’s book author Patricia Gleichauf visited Mrs. Wade’s second grade classroom this month to read from her latest children’s non-fiction book “A Penguin’s World”. Patricia has published six books in her “Under the Sea” series, each of which is written in rhyme and tells the story of an endangered sea creature. In addition to being a published author, Patricia also holds the distinction of being proud grandmother to Madelyn Preston, one of Mrs. Wade’s students! (Her grandsons David and Daniel are also Cal-Mum students.)
Patricia’s daughter Caroline Preston explained that writing had been on her mom’s bucket list for a long time, and commented, “She finally got into it about five years ago, after she retired. I’m so proud of her.” Mrs. Wade said, “When the children asked how they too could be an author her advice was to always hang onto your dreams. It's never too late to achieve them!”
