NorthStar Lights

Hello North Syracuse Central School District Parents, Guardians, Teachers and Staff and Welcome Back to School!

We’re back and brighter than ever! We begin each school year with joy and the promise of great things. This year, that feels especially so. We have a renewed Mission and Vision and a re-commitment to be Brighter Together. I've spent a lot of time lately thinking about what it means to be Brighter Together and I found a great example of it on the first day of school while I was visiting Lakeshore Road Elementary School.

As you can imagine, the first day is full of excitement...but many students, especially our younger ones, are also nervous about new beginnings. While at the school, I noticed a third-grade girl, Emma, who I've met before. She was coming into the school with her younger sister Molly, who is a brand-new kindergartener. I greeted the girls and asked them about their summer and their teachers. Emma proudly told me that she was going to take Molly to her new classroom so she could show her around.

I decided to go with them. As we walked, I listened to the proud big sister talk about how cool their school is and how nice her new teacher, Mrs. Meives, is — and Emma would know because she too had Mrs. Meives too when she was a kindergartener. As we traveled through the halls, I sensed that Molly was becoming more comfortable in her new school. When we arrived at Mrs. Meives' classroom, both students were greeted with warm smiles and kind words. With that, Molly confidently said goodbye to her big sister and eagerly joined her classmates for a memorable first day.

I was so impressed with how big sister and the classroom teacher worked together (not necessarily even knowing that they were doing so) to familiarize Molly with her new environment. I know that our lives are not lived in elementary buildings and kindergarten classrooms, but what if we approach all our interactions knowing that we can benefit from what others have to offer? How much better can we become?

I hope you're looking as forward to this new year as I am. As I said earlier, we begin with a renewed Mission and Vision and a re-commitment to be Brighter Together. These concepts are elements of our new 5-year Strategic Plan. For those of you that have not yet had the chance to familiarize yourself with the plan, I encourage you to take a moment to learn about the great work that has been done and the concepts that will guide us this year and beyond.

You might have noticed an updated star graphic being used in our latest publications and on the website. This graphic was designed as part of the Strategic Plan as a refresh of and an accompaniment to our current 5-star logo. Please use it as a reminder and reflection of our updated Mission and Vision. Think of this new star as a touchstone anchoring us all to the idea of becoming Brighter Together!

Sincerely,

Daniel D. Bowles, Superintendent of Schools

Lakeshore Road Elementary School Principal Tina Chmielewski reached out this week to give a "shout out" to the custodial crew at the school. Upon noticing that the week of Sept. 12-16 is designated as "Maintenance and Operations Appreciation Week, Chmielewski thought is was timely to share the following: "I want to give a shout out to the stellar team at Lakeshore Road Elementary. It has been a tough few years with 200 additional students, COVID, additional staff and new programs coming and going. You don't realize how much falls on Mark and his team when it comes to moving teachers in and out of buildings, helping another school move teachers in while working to prepare SKATE classrooms. Every summer I question how it will ever get done before students come back and every year this team doesn't disappoint. They get it done and they are always smiling! They go above and beyond, exceeding expectations. Everyone here at Lakeshore Road Elementary is so very grateful for this team." #NSBrighterTogether

School breakfast and lunch meals are offered to all students in the North Syracuse Central School District through the District’s Food Service Program. The Board of Education, the legal sponsor of the program, is committed to ensuring that every child has access to healthy and nutritious meals.

Meal prices are set according to by the United States Department of Agriculture program guidelines. The North Syracuse Central School District offers healthy meals at reasonable prices every school day.

Breakfast $2.25 for all grade-level students

Lunch
$3.25 for elementary students
$3.50 for middle school students
$3.50 for junior/senior high students.

While school meals are reasonably priced, some families may still need assistance. Families are encouraged to fill out an application for free/reduced price meals. Applications are now available online by clicking here.

Students at the following schools will receive free meals regardless of family income, through the USDA’s CEP program:

• Roxboro Road Elementary
• Roxboro Middle School
• Smith Road Elementary
• North Syracuse Early Education Program at Main Street
• OCM BOCES Thompson Road Campus

Click here to read more in a letter to parents.

Click here to view the Food Services Department website.

Onondaga County will again be offering asymptomatic COVID testing for NSCSD students, families and staff. Anyone that was signed up last year will only need to make sure that the school listed as where their child attends is current. Directions to follow can be found here.

Those who did not participate last year but would like to be tested this year, will need to create an account and a testing profile for their child on https://app.clarifi-covid-19.com/register

If you are no longer interested in asymptomatic covid testing, please change your child’s testing profile to "Opt Out Of Onondaga School Testing" so that their name no longer appears on the school's list. Direction for opting out can be found here.

The North Syracuse Central School District is hiring! There are a variety of positions available, both full and part-time. The District is holding its first-ever substitute teacher/teaching assistant job fair on Wednesday, September 28 from 3 to 6 p.m. The event will take place at the Jerome F. Melvin Administrative Office Building (5355 West Taft Rd.) in North Syracuse.

We love to share photos and videos from our students, families and teachers. If you're willing to share, please do! We'll be using your photos in this newsletter and other publications throughout the school year. Additionally, high resolution, horizontal photos will be considered for the District website. If you'd like to share pictures, please email them to our Communications Officer, Laurie Cook at lcook@nscsd.org.

Pictured: Among the hundreds of back-to-school photos we received, Jennifer Lowe shared this photo of her daughter, Charlotte and her friend Evelyn. Jennifer said that the two have grown up together right across the street from each other since they were babies. Jennifer also said, "Sadly they have never been in classes together but that does not diminish their bond…hopefully one day they’ll actually get to have a class together!" #NSBrighterTogether

Lindsay Marzullo, a second grade teacher at Smith Road Elementary School shared this photo of some of her young students showing their school spirit on a sunny September Friday. The kids are probably getting ready to cheer on the NorthStars football team tonight at 6:30 as they "tackle" their opponents, Monroe Woodbury. Tickets for the game are $3 each and can be purchased at the stadium. For those planning to attend, please keep in mind the following requirements for students:

• C-NS students in grades 10-12 must show student ID to be admitted to the game and sit in the student section.
• Students in grade 9 must show their SchoolTool student ID number/photograph to be admitted and sit in the student section.
• Students younger than those in grade 9 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian and must stay seated with their parent/guardian.

Did you know that the North Syracuse Central School District's Athletics Department has a weekly email newsletter? If you'd like to subscribe to the newsletter, click here to learn more.

The North Syracuse Central School District produces a weekly digital newsletter, "NorthStar Lights," to share important information and good news with NSCSD families and staff. Parents and staff members automatically receive the newsletter through ParentSquare. Grandparents, community members and all friends of the NSCSD are also welcome to subscribe. Newsletters are emailed each Friday when school is in session. Help us share the good news and the great things happening in the NSCSD! Click here to learn more.

Email: webmaster@nscsd.org
Website: www.nscsd.org
Location: 5355 West Taft Road, Syracuse, NY, USA
Phone: (315) 218-2100
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NSyracuseCSD/
Twitter: @NSyracuseCSD