Wallkill Valley Times Dec. 06 2017

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