Jamestown Public Market Director Linnea Haskins and Market Community Coordinator Hanna Bavuso present to Jamestown School Board (October 25, 2022)

The Jamestown Public Market has received a $50,000 from the USDA to bring edible gardens to Washington Middle and Bush Elementary Schools.

Public Market Community Coordinator Hannah Bavuso, speaking to the Jamestown School Board, said bringing edible gardens to the schools is a new initiative, “The idea of these edible school gardens is to really engage students in learning about where their food comes from. So taking it from, ‘This is something good to eat. This is not good for you to eat,’ and really showing individuals about what that means. And then empowering them to learn how to do it on their own.”

Bavuso said they will be helping Washington Middle School revitalize their garden and using funds to put tower gardens in at Bush Elementary.

She said the public market had worked with the Summer LEAP program at Fletcher and Bush schools this past summer, working with 165 students, “And really talked about where their food comes from and got them engaged with planting seeds, and we created business plans around food. It was really fun to watch them get inspired and learn about this really important aspect of not just how to nourish our bodies but actually how to grow the things that do nourish their bodies.”

Market Director Linnea Haskins said the program is not only a way to help make Jamestown a healthier community, but it’s also a way to inspire kids to get involved in local agriculture and the local economy.

Fletcher Elementary School

A situation where a 12-year old approached Fletcher Elementary School with a gun Monday was quickly defused by Jamestown Public Schools staff and Jamestown Police Officers.

Jamestown Public Schools said in a statement that after classes had been dismissed for the day, a 12-year old student from another school approached a staff member outside, requesting help and disclosed she had a handgun in her possession.

Fletcher staff immediately placed all students within the building in a safe location while the Principal called 9-1-1. The Principal made the decision to secure the student in a location away from students and staff. The student surrendered the weapon to Jamestown Police without incident.

Jamestown Police said the 12-year old girl was taken to UPMC Chautauqua for evaluation with charges pending after a further investigation.

Jamestown Schools said in their statement that they “are thankful for the rapid and immediate response of our local law enforcement agency. Student safety remains our top priority and we will always keep our school community informed.”

This time, the student was from Persell Middle School. The student last attended school on Monday, November 9. The district also said it is following all guidelines from the County Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and the Health Department has advised that no in-school contact tracing will be required. Out-of-school close contacts are being notified and appropriate steps are being taken.

It was the sixth case to be reported out of the school district during the past week. There were also two cases involving students from Fletcher Elementary School, one case involving an off-site student from Bush School, a case involving a high school teacher, and also a case involve another school staff member, though the location and building was not disclosed.

Jamestown Public Schools also announced on Friday that it is taking proactive and preventive measures to help lessen the community spread of COVID-19 during the holiday season. All schools will shift to fully remote learning for one week after Thanksgiving Break from November 30 to December 4. After returning to the hybrid schedule from December 7 through 22, the district plans a second week of remote learning following Winter Recess from January 4 through 8.

School superintendent Kevin Whitaker says the district wants to ensure the health and safety of students, staff and community by providing additional time at home in hopes of keeping a COVID-19 surge from happening in the schools.

He also said that if cases remain generally low in the school district, senior high students could begin returning to in-school learning in December.

For more information, please visit www.jpsny.org/reopening.

Jamestown School officials say the district was notified Wednesday night of two individuals that have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.  One is a student at Fletcher Elementary School who last attended school on Tuesday, Nov. 10. The other is a Jamestown High School teacher who was last in school on Thursday, Nov. 5. The teacher instructs all classes by distance learning only. The district cannot release the name or any other personally identifiable information regarding anyone in the district who tests positive for COVID-19.

The district is following all guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Chautauqua County Health Department. It is also working closely with the Health Department to complete contact tracing so that any close contacts are notified and so that appropriate steps will be taken.

The two cases reported on Wednesday come after an initial case at Fletcher was reported Tuesday, as well as a case involving a student at Bush School – although that case involved a student who had not been on school property for two weeks.

The district also reminds parents and guardians that a confirmed case DOES NOT mean that you or your child has been exposed to the individual who has tested positive. Any individuals who may have been in close contact will be contacted directly by health department contact tracers with information and next steps.

“We continue to stress the importance of social distancing, face masks, and frequent hand washing both at school and at home,” said JPS Superintendent Dr. Kevin Whitaker. “If you or your family members experience any COVID-19 symptoms, please stay home and contact your health provider for a diagnosis. We must continue to work together to keep our community safe and well.”

If your child has any symptoms of COVID-19 (cough, difficulty breathing, loss of taste or smell, significant diarrhea, sore throat or a fever greater than 100 F or 37.8 C) please contact your health care provider and notify your child’s school health office.

The District will comply with applicable privacy laws and rules including all HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability & Accounting Act) and FERPA (Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act) rules and guidelines regarding information given to the Chautauqua County Department of Health or other necessary parties.

If anyone has questions, please contact your building nurse or email JPS Coordinator of Health Services, Jill Muntz at jill.a.muntz@jpsny.org or call her at (716) 483-4376.

Fletcher Elementary School fourth graders Nivette Hunter, Sara Randolph and Coleson Barber worked on BrainWare Safari software during the Fletcher Advantage Afterschool Program. The award-winning software helps build 41 cognitive skills in six areas for third through sixth graders: attention, memory, thinking, visual processing, auditory processing and sensory integration in fun games. JPS currently uses BrainWare in fifth and sixth grade classrooms during the school day creating a school to afterschool academic connection. “I love playing the game because it helps me think of different ways to get through a maze and solve a problem and it’s so much fun,” said fourth grader Darius Freeney.

JAMESTOWN – Good news for some after school programming at Jamestown Public Schools.

Jamestown Public Schools was recently awarded a one-year extension to its New York State Education Department Extended School Day Grant. The district has received the grant since 2010. The newest extension will conserve existing after school programs and services through June 2016.

The district receives $342,078 annually to help provide a number of high-priority out-of-school time services, including elementary after school programs at Bush, Fletcher, Love and Ring schools, Chautauqua Striders tutoring, visual and performing arts experiences with Infinity Visual and Performing Arts, educational presentations with Chautauqua Alcoholism & Substance Abuse Council, literacy and family night events, after school robotics program in the middle schools, After School Amigos Family Literacy Program at Love School, and a “Literacy Café” middle school reading program.

“This extension is a welcome reprieve from our anticipated funding dilemma,” said JPS Director of After School Programs Julie Poppleton. “We were advised that the existing Extended School Day grant would definitely sunset this June, and were anxious about our chances of capturing another award in light of growing competition for shrinking dollars. We are constantly working hard to secure funding that supplements modest parent fees so that we can sustain service to our community. We know that after school programs not only keep kids safe, they can also inspire learning, help improve students’ academic performance, school attendance, behavior and health, and support working families.”

Jamestown Public Schools serves over 400 students each day in its after school programming. Jamestown Public Schools, in partnership with Chautauqua Striders, YWCA of Jamestown, The Y, and other community organizations, provides academic support, a wide array of youth development activities that complement the regular school day, and family involvement opportunities at four district elementary, and two middle schools.

(Attached Picture from left to right: Playground Supervisor Nicole Prodin, Playground Supervisor Rory Jones, Playground Coordinator Sarah Mott, Parks Manager John Williams, Recreation Coordinator Julia Ciesla-Hanley, Mayor Sam Teresi, United Way of Southern Chautauqua County Communications Coordinator Bill Price)

JAMESTOWN – Another season of the Summer Playground Program will be in place for the city of Jamestown and for the first time in several years, a free lunch program will be provided at each site by Chautauqua Opportunities, Inc.

The announcement was made Tuesday by officials with the city’s Parks, Recreation, and Conservation Department. The lunch program is being made possible through a grant from the United Way of Southern Chautauqua County.

The playground program is free of charge and there are six playground program locations this year, including:

• Allen Park
• Fletcher Elementary School
• Johnson Street Tot Lot
• Lillian Dickson Tot Lot
• Lincoln Elementary School
• Ring Elementary School

Each will be staffed by a number of city college-aged residents, many of which hope to pursue a career path in education.

This year’s program will run from Monday, June 24 to Friday, Aug. 2 with all sites being open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and is geared for children between 5 to 13 years old.   Children must register the first time they attend their playground site. They are free to come and go as they wish after that point.

For additional information, please call the Recreation Office at 483-7523.

The group needs community input to create a playground design everyone will enjoy. During the group’s last meeting, Ben Frasier, a project manager for Parkitects, presented a preliminary design of a playground structure his firm created last year of a playground structure. Parkitects also provided the playground equipment for Roseland and Allen Park and is providing the equipment for the playground at Fletcher Elementary School.

The group hopes to have the design ready in time to be displayed at the neighborhood block party it’s planning for Saturday, July 21 at the park. However, they would like more input from the parents whose children will be playing on the equipment, so anyone interested is encouraged to attend tonight’s meeting.

The meeting is free and open to the public.

There are six playground program locations this year, including Allen Park, Fletcher Elementary School, Johnson Street Tot Lot, Lillian Dickson Tot Lot, Lincoln Elementary School, and Ring Elementary School. The staff will consist of a number of city college-aged residents many of which hope to pursue a career path in education.

This year’s program will run from Monday, June 25th thru Friday, August 3rd with all sites being open from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon and from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. and is geared for children between 5-13 years old.

As in past years, there will be city-wide field trips and activities scheduled including bowling, a talent show, a carnival, and the Playground Olympics. At the individual parks, there will be daily arts and crafts; and games such as kayla, kickball, football, box hockey, and wiffle ball at each playground site for the children to play with at any time.

Children must register the first time they attend their playground site. They are free to come and go as they wish after that point.

The summer playground program is made possible through support from the City of Jamestown, the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation, Ralph C. Sheldon Foundation, New York State Office of Children and Family Services, and Jamestown Public Schools.

For additional information, please call the Recreation Office at 483-7523.