T IMES
WALLKILL VALLEY
Vol. 35, No 49 3 WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2017
3
ONE DOLLAR
Christmas
in Wallkill
Page 5
www .W allkill V alley T imes . net
Pine Bush addresses absenteeism Glazing
By JASPREET GILL
[email protected]
Does your student fall into the category
of “chronic absenteeism”? According to
the U.S. Department of Education’s office
of Civil Rights, if a student misses more
than 15 days of school they are considered
to be chronically absent.
The U.S. Department of Education’s
office of Civil Rights found that in
June of 2016, six million public school
students missed at least three weeks of
school. This accounted for 20% of all
high school students, 20% of black and
Hispanic students and 25% of students
with disabilities.
“We looked at all of [Pine Bush district]
schools and they had between 10% to 15%
of their students chronically absent,” said
Donna Geidel, Assistant Superintendent
for Instruction, who gave the updated Pine
Bush school district attendance report
during last week’s board of education
meeting.
The earlier a student exhibits signs
of chronic absenteeism, the quicker the
drastic effects begin to take a toll on their
academic performance. Children who are
chronically absent in Pre-K through first
grade are much less likely to read on
grade level by third grade and chronically
absent kindergarteners are more likely to
be retained in later grades.
Students who cannot read at grade level
by third grade are four times more likely
to drop out of high school. By sixth grade,
absenteeism is an early warning indicator
that influences whether students will
graduate from high school.
Continued on page 29
Santa and his elves visit Montgomery
Drury Lane farmhouse may
give way to Dunkin Donuts
By JASPREET GILL
[email protected]
Jaspreet Gill
Santa and his helpers pose for a picture at Montgomery’s Toys for Tots event on Sunday. Story, photos on page 3.
over
history?
What do you envision when you think
about the Town of Montgomery? Do you
see a town full of rich history and acres
of fertile farm land, or a Dunkin Donuts?
About two weeks ago, Middletown-
based Warner Construction, Inc, started
a new project on the corner of North
Drury Lane to re-align the road. A house
on the corner of the road is being torn
down to make room for a Dunkin Donuts.
There has been some speculation that
the house, which dates back to the 18th
century, is a part of the Colden Mansion
estate.
“In the last few years we have lost some
very significant historical resources and
have allowed the adjacent ruins of the
nearby Colden Mansion to deteriorate,”
says Robert Williams, a former 15 year
Town of Montgomery historian. “Is this
really the direction we want to go - wipe
out everything old and replace it with
something new?”
Williams argues that by tearing down
the house on the corner of North Drury
Lane, the community will never get the
chance to find out how exactly the house
Continued on page 4
SERVING CRAWFORD, GARDINER, MAYBROOK, MONTGOMERY, PINE BUSH, SHAWANGUNK, WALDEN AND WALLKILL