Dear Friends of Lyndonville Schools,

Meet Hank, the newest member of our Lyndonville family. Hank is a therapy dog who will spend his days here at school. During vacations and summer recesses, he will visit our summer recreation program, summer enrichment programs, summer school and community events. Hank is an English Cream Golden Retriever, donated by Donna Spearin of Spearin Farms. This is all possible through a collaboration between the School, the County, and the Orleans County Sheriff's Department. We are also grateful for the generous donations from the Lyndonville Area Foundation and the Lyndonville Lions Club for materials and supplies for Hank. Our puppy will go through a year-long Therapy Dog training. Our counselors, administrators, and members of our faculty and staff will be able to attend trainings to develop programing, supervise Hank in a school setting, and support Hank our Therapy Dog. Although ownership of Hank remains with Orleans County, SRO Deputy Jason Barnum and his family will be Hank's host family for evenings, weekends and holidays. We also have back-up host families, including my own home. Hank is not a police dog; he is a School Therapy Dog. He will support the emotional and mental well-being of our students.

There is a tremendous amount of research surrounding the positive impact of a therapy dog in school. From National Library of Medicine: “Therapy dogs have been found to reduce physiological symptoms of stress through lowering cortisol levels, increasing positive emotions, promoting engagement in learning activities and positive attitudes toward learning, reducing negative behaviours like task avoidance and aggression in the classroom, as well as encouraging prosocial behaviours and acting as a “social catalyst” to facilitate social interactions with others.” For more information about the positive impacts and programming for School Therapy Dogs, you can visit: https://www.schooltherapydogs.org/ or https://newyorktherapyanimals.org/r-e-a-d/.

Thank you to all our community members who voted in favor of Lyndonville's Capital Project. This is a three-year project. A simple summary of the scope is HVAC-heating and cooling; restroom repairs and revisions; roof replacement for the last section that has not yet been replaced; taking down the "metal building" and replacing it with four new classrooms. The Morton-style building, which we have always referred to as the “metal building,” has well outlived its predicted lifespan. It can no longer be renovated for safe student use. Security and safety upgrades will be made in both buildings. In addition, we will be replacing the track. The current track is deemed unusable by Section V. We have not been able to host a home track meet in more than a decade. Track is one of our largest teams. The track may be open as early as fall 2025 for school and community use. We look forward to spring 2026 when we host our first home track meet. I hope you will join us.

New York State Education Department has recently released the data for last year's state assessments. Over the course of the last five years, Lyndonville student achievement has continued to rise. I am grateful for the instructional leadership of our administrators, the hard work and talent of our teachers, and the support of our Board of Education. Most importantly, I am grateful for parents and guardians who support their child’s learning and growth. For elementary students, the best way you can support their growth is to read to them every night. If you need book recommendations, ask their teacher, the elementary principal, teacher aide Mrs. Mitzi Fredericks, or even me. I would love to talk with you about wonderful books to share with your children. You can encourage your child to write letters, stories and journal. You can practice with your child his/her math fluencies (math facts). For all age students, set a time and place for them to study and do their homework. Encourage your older children to challenge themselves academically and to plan for their futures. Finally, limit screen time; monitor their screen time. Monitor who they are talking to online, especially while gaming. Please monitor the sites they are visiting and the games they are playing. You are their most important and influential teachers. We are grateful for your support in your child(ren)'s education, and we are honored to be your partners in your child's academic journey.

Please feel free to contact me anytime with questions, discussion and/or concerns.

Sincerely,

Sharon Smith, Superintendent of Lyndonville Central Schools