Mr. Fisgus is moving on

From the Superintendent of Schools...

Dear School Community Members,

It is with mixed emotions that I share with you that our long time Principal, Mr. John Fisgus has accepted the position of Superintendent of Schools in the Oakfield-Alabama School District effective January 2, 2019. Mr. Fisgus has served the District as Middle School Principal since 2008. Among his many accomplishments, Mr. Fisgus is credited with leading our District’s School Safety efforts, the implementation of “Rachel’s Challenge” kindness and compassion model and developing a positive school culture with his staff and students. Mr. Fisgus will be missed.

It is the intention of the District to employ an interim Middle School Principal beginning in January through the appointment of the next Principal. A series of focus groups will take place to gather information on what the various stakeholders are looking for in their Principal and the position will be posted mid-December. Interviews will begin in January and involve the school community as part of its process. It is our hope to have the new Principal on board prior to April 1st. If you are interested in serving as part of a focus group scheduled for 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 11th or on the interview team, please contact the District Office at 735-2000 ext. 2318.

As always, I hope that you will make an effort to reach out and visit when you see me around the schools and town.

Sincerely,

Dr. Hank Stopinski
Superintendent of Schools

Standish-Jones Christmas Party

Standish-Jones is holding their first ever neighborhood Christmas Party this Saturday, December 1st, from 11 till 2.

- Visit with Santa Claus

- Christmas Cookie Cook-Off: try delicious seasonal cookies baked on the Big Green Egg and the Traeger & vote for your favorite!

- Coloring Contest and free coloring book for first 100 kids

- 5th Annual Holiday Basket Raffle to benefit Oishei Children's Hospital

- Fun for everyone!

Here's the Facebook event page:

https://www.facebook.com/events/238081503537933/

Breakfast with Santa

Have fun with the kids this Sunday and at the same time support our community's Independence Day celebration...

12th annual Mitten Tree

When you’re out and about shopping for Christmas, please extend your giving beyond your family. Please buy a gift for a needy child in Gasport.

The Mitten Tree will be going up just before noon on November 27th and you have two weeks to donate.

This is the twelfth year for this awesome program that is run by the Gasport Lions Club.

Here’s how it works…

The tree is located out front of the Gasport post office at the corner of Main Street and Route 31. (There is also a tree at the Middleport post office).

Take a mitten from it and give a gift that is appropriate to the age/gender of the child noted on the mitten.

Attach the mitten to the unwrapped gift and drop it off at Absolut Care or Drum Oil (they have drop boxes) or at the Elementary School (under the tree in the lobby). The Lions Club will distribute the gifts in time for the holidays.

Please participate and make Christmas a little better for a child – maybe even your neighbor – who is in need. That’s what the holiday is all about.

Buy local, buy Gasport this Christmas

When out Christmas shopping on Black Friday and beyond don't forget to "buy local." Help keep money in Gasport, drive our economy and support your neighbors by buying wine at Becker Farms and Vizcarra Vineyards, candy/jelly/honey at Schwab Farm Market, cheeses at Teacup Farm, meats at Hartland Abattoir Corp., Christmas items at Always Christmas, everything under the sun at Standish-Jones Building Supply, gifts at The Flower Barn & 1864 Boutique, gift certificates to dining establishments like Cup & Saucer Family Eatery and anything else you can think of at any number of local businesses.

Niagara Kraze is coming to Gasport

Here's some really big news about Gasport...

Niagara Kraze is pleased to announce that Niagara County's largest indoor inflatable park & entertainment facility is coming soon! Currently under construction on Rochester Rd. in Gasport (just east of Dollar General), our approximately 10,000 sq ft facility will offer the best value in family entertainment. With giant inflatables, arcade, "Lazer Kraze" / laser tag, interactive games, concessions, special events, shopping, and more, we're going to be the perfect destination for birthday parties, school, & corporate events! Be sure to give our Niagara Kraze Facebook page a "Like" and follow along with our construction process! Come see what all the "Kraze" is about & EXPERIENCE THE RUSH! COMING SOON - 2019


Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NiagaraKraze/

Breakfast cart at Roy-Hart

Kudos to Roy-Hart on great utilization of a $3,000 grant from the Cornell Cooperative Extension office (and a big "thank you" to Niagara CCE). This farm-to-school breakfast cart is a great addition to the high school:

https://www.lockportjournal.com/community/farm-to-school-breakfast-cart-rolled-out-at-rhhs/article_59db2529-efcc-5a79-9b5e-1a4035d7f8fa.html

Gasport house fire

On 11/17/2018 at about 2233 hrs, the Niagara County Emergency Communications Center received a 911 call from the homeowner of 8152 Telegraph Rd reporting a fire in the wall behind the wood burning stove at that residence. The Adult female caller and her husband were able to evacuate the single family residence and take their two dogs and cat to safety as well. Fire companies on location were able to extinguish the fire which did appear to originate at the wood stove chimney within the wall. No injuries were reported. No estimate of damage at this time.

Food pantry: November 17th

If you are or know of a family in need, the Gasport Food Pantry's monthly distribution is this Saturday November 17th and it features a special Thanksgiving meal package

GBC needs help with Christmas

The Gasport Beautification Committee's annual children's Christmas and tree lighting is December 9, at Gasport Fire company at 4 PM. They are in need of donations to help with this community-wide, family-friendly event. Toys, basket raffle items, cookies, cash donations, and volunteers at the event are needed. Santa sees close to 100 children and they each take home a toy. There will also be horse and wagon rides around town, basket raffle, cookies, pizza, crafts, Santa's elves, and singing around the tree at the lighting. Please contact Margie Granzow or any member to donate or volunteer. Margie's email address is mmg315@icloud.com

107 year old Ruthie Ripple passes away in Gasport

There aren't many centenarians on this Earth and we lost one last week as 107 year old Ruthie Ripple, formerly of Johnstown, PA, passed away while under care in Gasport. 107, think about that...she was born before the first World War!

https://www.tribdem.com/news/late-centenarian-hailed-for-work-ethic-faith/article_a5a370fc-e3da-11e8-8cdf-67e297e9e3e4.html

MUMC Thanksgiving service

The Middleport Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service will be at the Middleport United Methodist Church (MUMC) on Sunday, November 18, 2018 at 2 pm. Participating in the Service will be member churches from the Middleport Area Clergy and Church Association including the MUMC, Holy Cross Lutheran Church, the Fundamental Baptist Church, and Holy Trinity Parish – St. Stephen’s Church. Also participating will be the MUMC Bell Choir and the Middleport Community Choir. There will be a free will offering and collection taken of personal care items which will be distributed in the community. A simple reception will be held in the rear of the Sanctuary immediately following the Service. All are welcome to attend.

FMC's safety record

FMC Corporation’s Agricultural Solutions plant in Middleport recently celebrated three consecutive years as an accident and injury-free workplace without an OSHA recordable incident.

State Sen. Robert G. Ortt and the New York State Senate issued a proclamation recognizing this significant safety milestone and extending their sincere appreciation to FMC for its history of serving the community.

“As a core value of our operations, FMC is committed to safety in the workplace and this core value affects everything we do as a company,” said Dr. Roberta Kloda, FMC Middleport plant manager.

She said this safety achievement is the result of a work culture based on teamwork, strong management support and the commitment by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers that all fellow employees go home safe.

“Our safety record is something we can all be proud of,” Kloda said.

With operations dating back more than a century, the FMC Middleport plant formulates and packages a number of key product lines to protect over 100 crops in more than 75 countries around the globe.

Roy-Hart remediation continues

The final phase (Phase 5) of the soil remediation at the Royalton-Hartland (Roy-Hart) School property in Middleport is scheduled to begin in November 2018. The remediation will be conducted by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) at no cost to the Roy-Hart School District. Download the fact sheet here:

http://www.dec.ny.gov/data/der/factsheet/932014ou4phase5.pdf

Standish-Jones raffle

Standish-Jones Building Supply's 5th Annual Holiday Basket Raffle is officially on! Tickets are $5 a sheet to benefit Oishei Children’s Hospital. Winners will be drawn Saturday, December 1st. Need not be present to win.

Bluegrass concert November 10th

Terry's Corners meat raffle

Roy-Hart: Early release this Friday

Roy-Hart superintendent Hank Stopinski's message about this Friday's early release...

As you may know, our schools have been working with local law enforcement and emergency services agencies in a comprehensive review of our school safety plan and procedures. Our students have routinely completed mandated fire drills, lockdown, lockout, shelter in place and evacuation drills as outlined in our school’s safety plans.

We have increased our safety and security at the entrances to the school and as you have experienced, you must sign in and register at our buildings. We are near completion of a secure entrance at the Elementary School that is modeled after the entrance at the Middle School. We thank you for your patience.

As part of our annual safety plan and required evacuation drills, we will be conducting an early release drill on Friday, November 9th. The Middle and High Schools will be released at 1:50 p.m. and Elementary School released at 2:45 p.m. I ask that families plan for the arrival of your students approximately 30 minutes early on Friday afternoon. We will also be testing our communication systems for students, families and staff.

Our school’s safety team, administration and staff continually look for ways to improve our systems and ultimately the safety of our students and staff. I am grateful for all those within our community who continue to support our efforts.

As always, I hope that you will make an effort to reach out and visit when you see me around the schools and town.

Meat raffle at TC fire hall: November 10

There's nothing but good times to be had at a meat raffle...and it supports an important service: Terry's Corners Fire Company. This Saturday at 6:30 PM

https://www.facebook.com/events/166389364295787/

Fisgus is finalist in Oakfield-Alabama search

The Oakfield-Alabama Central School District’s Board of Education (BOE), has named three finalists in the search for the district’s next Superintendent.

Matt Lamb, president of the Oakfield- Alabama Central School District’s BOE, said he is pleased with the high-quality candidate pool and is enthused about the potential the three finalists have to offer.

“Choosing the best superintendent for our district is the board’s main priority,” Lamb said. “The field of candidates was diverse, which made narrowing the field very difficult. We are confident that one of these individuals will be the best candidate for our school district and community.”

The three finalists are John C. Fisgus, Frank Bai-Rossi and Kathleen E. Affigne, Ph.D.

Fisgus is currently the principal of Royalton-Hartland Middle School, in the Royalton-Hartland Central School District (RHCSD), where he has served since 2008. His responsibilities as principal include supervising and hiring all instructional and support staff, developing and managing a building budget as well as assisting with the district budget development process. Fisgus created honor courses in all four academic core subjects within the middle school and is the facilitator of the district’s Professional Learning Community Team. Prior to that, he served as the assistant principal at Lake Shore Middle School. Fisgus began his career in education in 1998 as an eighth-grade math teacher at Depew Middle School in the Depew Union Free School District. He holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Secondary Mathematics Education from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Fisgus earned a Master of Science in School Administration from Canisius College and holds a New York State School Administrator/Supervisor and School Administrator Certificate.

Final rounds of interviews with the three candidates are set for Nov. 14, 15 and 16 at the Oakfield-Alabama Central School District. Candidate meet and greet forums will be held from 4-4:30 p.m. in the Oakfield-Alabama High School Auditorium on the following dates:

• Kathleen Affigne, Nov. 14
• John C. Fisgus, Nov. 15
• Frank Bai-Rossi, Nov. 16

The anticipated start date for the new superintendent is January.

Send us your news

I've been running the Gasport blog since 2007 and the accompanying Facebook page since 2009. Even to this day, organizations, churches, businesses, and government functions based in Royalton or Hartland either forget about or feel uncomfortable with sending their news items, press releases, upcoming events, and fliers to me for posting. In many cases, my daily Google search of "Gasport" is where I discover info about events and activities.

Don't be afraid. I don't bite.

And I don't charge anything for the service. This isn't a commercial enterprise.The whole point of the blog/Facebook is to share all the news and announce all of the things that are going on in Gasport as means to show just how special Gasport really is and promote the community, its people, and its organizations.

Just email all such items to me at bobconfer@juno.com

Election day chicken & biscuits

There will be an Election Day Chicken and Biscuit Dinner on Tuesday, November 6th from 4:30 to 7:00 pm or until sold out at Hartland United Methodist Church, 8017 Ridge Rd, Gasport. The dinner is prepared by Donna Eick. The meal includes chicken & biscuits, mashed potatoes, squash, applesauce, pie, and beverage for those dining in. Take out is available. Cost: $12, 12 and under: $7, under 3: Free. Presale recommended. Call 716-772-2376 leave a message and your call will be returned or see a member for tickets.