Welcome to our 2nd Edition of The Keeper's Secret, our monthly MBK newsletter. Here you will find all of the latest happenings in our My Brother's Keeper Program for Monticello Central School District. With so many amazing things happening in Monti-MBK, why keep it a secret? In this monthly newsletter we will stop at nothing to make sure every voice is heard and no story is left untold. Stay tuned every month and help spread the word so that nothing we do is kept a secret.
Also watch our MBK Public Service Announcement to catch up on all of our highlights from last school year.
The 2nd Edition of our monthly newsletter will be focused on highlighting all of the most recent events and activities happening in our Monti-MBK program. In this 2nd Edition of The Keeper's Secret, you will also learn about what we have been doing to engage our students, faculty, families, and community at large. Please follow us on all of our social media accounts to stay informed in live time and keep reading to discover all of our latest updates.
UPCOMING EVENTS
THANKSGIVING FAMILY NIGHT... AN EPIC & MBK COLLABORATION
When: Monday, November 19th from 5:00pm-9:00pm
Where: 22 St. John St, Monticello, NY
Come join us for a family style Thanksgiving Dinner and take home a FREE Turkey!
Fun, Food, Games, and FREE ENTRY TO BINGO with Holiday Shopping Gift Card Prizes! Bring the whole family!
This event is open to the public. Turkeys go first come first serve so don’t miss out!
MONTI-CARES ANNUAL SKI TRIP FUNDRAISER
Our students work hard, and so do you!
Help us raise money for our MBK students facing hardship to experience the joy of skiing in Vermont!
Monticello High School has been hosting an annual ski trip for years. Unfortunately many of our students facing hardship have never been able to afford the expenses of this trip. Why don't we show our students that Monti-Cares, and help them experience the trip of their lifetime!
Last year we raised NEARLY $2,000 thanks to all of your generous donations and compassionate hearts. Our students had the time of their lives in Vermont and remember it as a "trip they will never forget". Let's make this dream become a reality again and send 4 new students on the trip of their lives!
This year we will be offering scholarships to 4 of our My Brother's Keeper Student's who have earned their ranks as established leaders in our program. Students selected will be those among our top tiers who have consistently demonstrated positive leadership, behavior, attendance, and school performance.
Your contribution will earn you the chance to win a FREE vacation to Camelback Resort Lodge and Aquatopia Indoor Waterpark! This is a $500 VALUE!
Includes 1 night stay for up to 6 guests, with 6 Aquatopia passes; and 4 ski or tubing tickets.
Entry Prices: 1 Entry= $25 : 5 Entries= $50 : 10 Entries= $75 : 20 Entries = $100 (GREATEST ODDS / BEST VALUE)
Let's show our students MONTI CARES!
Watch these videos below to see how your generous donations impacted our local youth!
RECENT EVENTS
KEYNOTE PRESENTATION AT 2018 MCSD SUPERINTENDENT'S CONFERENCE DAY
MBK Students engaged the entire school community during our Superintendent's Conference Day at MCSD, sharing our Monti-MBK Public Service Announcement along with their civic engagement project to our faculty and administration across the entire district using their musical talents in their song titled "Wrong Way". They made this song to speak about their life’s struggles and triumphs. Check out their heart-felt performance in the video below:
MBK FAMILY & COMMUNITY MOVIE NIGHT: A PRE-RELEASE SCREENING OF THE MOVIE CHOICES- WITH LIVE PERFORMANCE FROM LANDAU EUGENE MURPHY!
MBK TRICK OR TREAT BOOTH AT THE SULLIVAN COUNTY GOVERNMENT CENTER
1ST MEETING FOR OUR NEW MID-HUDSON FAMILY & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ADVISORY COUNCIL
We have officially begun our 1st Mid-Hudson Family & Community Engagement Advisory Council, and started planning collaboratives with local agencies, organizations, mentors, parents, students, teachers, and school administration from multiple districts.
The purpose of this advisory council is to focus on sustaining our efforts in engaging our families and communities and strategically plan how we can join together to ensure the continuation of this movement in the Mid-Hudson Region of New York State.
So far we have joined with the NAACP, Human Rights Commission, Fallsburgh Central School District, Ellenville Central School District, Every Person Influences Children (EPIC), The Center for Workforce Development, and SUNY Sullivan Liberty Partners Program. We are just getting started and encourage EVERYONE to get involved!
Contact Michael Regan the MBK Coordinator to find out how you can get involved at mregan@k12mcsd.net
MONTI-MBK STUDENT BOOTH PRESENTED AT THE 2018 NYSSBA (NEW YORK STATE SCHOOL BOARD ASSOCIATION) 99TH ANNUAL CONVENTION
MBK STUDENTS PRESENT AT OUR RECENT MCSD BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING
Two of our MBK students presented at our MCSD Board of Education Meeting about our Monti-MBK Program and shared their experience networking at the 2018 NYSSBA Convention.
Our Board President, Lori Orestano James, and recently elected Board Member, Todd Grodin, were provided with exclusive Monti-MBK apparel as a thank you for all of the support they have offered MBK, which is much needed and greatly appreciated!
PHONE CONFERENCE / BOOK STUDY WITH NYSED ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER DR. ALSTON
We are grateful to New York State Education Department’s Assistant Commissioner Dr. Alston for spending his evening to talk with our Monticello MBK students through a phone conference for his book study of “The MADD Truth” by Dr. Wyatt.
Together, our students joined in on this call to discuss what they read in Dr. Wyatt's book as Dr. Alston opened up the discussion to listen to the students feedback and offered them some words of wisdom. We appreciate your support!
MCSD OPENING BBQ AND PRIDE RIDE
During our MCSD opening day BBQ, our MBK Students attended the "Pride Ride" to lead the way for our school faculty, administration, cheer leaders, and MTA Union as we knocked on doors and called on our local Monticello families from Evergreen, Sleepy Hollow, Shaker Heights, Horizons, and Kinnebrook to come join us for our MCSD BBQ and Homecoming Football Game! During the event, they shared about MBK at our booth showing videos and highlights from our program.
FEATURED IN SULLIVAN DEMOCRAT
Two of our MBK Students, Afton Florez, and Dayshawn York, were featured in the Sullivan County Democrat, School Scene Edition, for their efforts and dedication to our MBK Program. Congratulations to our MBK brothers!
ACADEMIC TUTORIAL WORKSHOPS AND SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL CIRCLES
We have been getting a great turnout every Monday, Tuesday, and Friday for our MBK Academic Tutoring and Homework Help thanks to Ms. Wilson and Ms. Daniel providing our students with some great supports to help them advance academically. Students have also been enjoying social-emotional circles each day with Jesse Hinton as they wrap us their homework.
ATHLETIC MENTORING PROGRAM
Our MBK Basketball Practice has been a huge motivator for many of our MBK Students thanks to our Athletics Mentor's Coach Dennis and Coach Farr.
All students attending our basketball practice have been earning their tickets from our MBK Academic Mentor, Ms. Wilson and attending social emotional circles with our MBK Liason Jesse Hinton.
This basketball practice offers our students team building, leadership, and life coaching through an activity they mind meaningful and engaging! Check out our video of a practice session below:
DIGITAL LITERACY LAB
Students have been highly engaged in our Digital Literacy Lab instructed by music producer "Drawzilla", CEO of Drumline Studio's out of Poughkeepsie, NY. Students meet every Wednesday after school.
So far they have been learning about the business aspect of the music industry and assigning themselves roles in a mock record label company, which they will use as their platform to practice civic engagement through voicing their strengths, hardships, and life lessons learned as young men of color growing up in Monticello.
Drawzilla is currently teaching them how to use protools to mix and edit their own audio recordings. This finished product will result in an EP (6 songs) on an album which will be advertised to the community at large.
This video below is an example of a civic engagement project our students made over the summer.
WEEKLY VIDEO CONFERENCES AND BOOK STUDY OF THE FREEDOM WRITER'S DIARY
Our Monti-MBK Program will be featuring a new and exciting book study as we read "The Freedom Writer's Diary" followed by weekly video chats with the actual authors who wrote the chapter we read each week at the Dream Tank with Regent/Judge Josephine Finn.
This book features the real and authentic stories of high school students who grew up facing poverty, hardships, mental illness, addiction, and trauma, and discusses they used writing to change their lives and the world around them!
For a sneak peek at our first video chat discussion, please watch the video below