Hello North Syracuse Central School District Parents, Guardians, Teachers and Staff,

On Wednesday this week we held our first Parent Advisory/Awareness Council (PAC) meeting of the school year. The meeting was held in person for the first time since before COVID and it was great to have people back together. At the meeting parents had the chance to hear about a 21st Century Learning Community grant the district received for the Roxboro Campus. The grant allows us to increase before and after school opportunities for students. Also at the meeting, we heard from a number of families who expressed their desire to be more involved with their child's school.

Prior to the PAC meeting, I spent time at the CANTeen talking to students. The majority of the conversations centered around connections and students looking for activities that bring them together.

As I reflected on the day, I realized that the things I heard that day all spoke to the concept of community. is designed to enhance opportunities for students which in turn will build a greater sense of community for students. I Googled the term "Learning Communities" and came across an interesting article from Harvard University. Two of the sentences that stuck with me were: "Learning communities provide a space and a structure for people to align around a shared goal" and "They connect people, organizations, and systems that are eager to learn and work across boundaries."

I also found something called an educational triangle describing parents, students and schools all working together as points on a triad to achieve success. What occurred to me then was that a truly successful model has two additional points: community and supports. So in my opinion, a star would be a more appropriate symbol of educational success. Perhaps the NorthStar...

Let's all keep working together and moving our District in the right direction.

#NSBrighterTogether

Sincerely,

Daniel D. Bowles, Superintendent of Schools

The North Syracuse Central School District is taking part in Unity Day against bullying next Wednesday, Oct. 19. Students, staff and families are encouraged to wear and share the color orange that day to send the message that we want to promote kindness, acceptance and inclusion to prevent bullying.

Unity Day, started by PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center as the signature event of National Bullying Prevention Month continues to grow every year as a tangible representation of the universal message that our society wants to promote kindness, acceptance and inclusion to prevent bullying.

For too long, the response to bullying has been silence and those who were bullied felt that no one cared. The simple act of wearing orange shows that youth experiencing bullying are not alone. The goal of wearing and sharing orange is to empower those who are bullied, and everyone around them, to speak up and reach out with kindness, acceptance and inclusion.

For more information about Unity Day and bullying prevention, visit PACER’s websites for parents and professionals, middle and high school students, and elementary students.

NSCSD Parents: Carryover meal benefits are set to expire on October 20! For families who have not yet filled out a meal application for the current school year or received a letter informing you of your free or reduced meal benefits for the 2022-2023 school year, be sure to fill out a new application before Thursday, October 20. Applications are available by clicking here or can be obtained from the food service office (315) 218-2176 or the main office of each school building.

Thank you to the amazing Linda Congdon for sharing this great photo of students at Smith Road Elementary School enjoying a beautiful fall day at recess. Autumn in CNY really is PRETTY spectacular! #nsbrightertogether

Jill Scheuer and Katrina Wheeler, kindergarten teachers at Smith Road Elementary School has a beautiful autumn day this past Tuesday, Oct. 11, to take their students on a field trip to Our Farm in Manlius. Ms. Wheeler shared some fun pictures from the trip and said that the students had a great time seeing and learning about the petting zoo animals such as goats, a donkey and a calf. While on the trip, they also took part in pony and tractor rides, saw the corn maze and even picked out their own pumpkin from the pumpkin patch.

Two elementary schools recently held their Walk-a-Thon events in support of parent-teacher organizations at their schools. Thank you to Angel Fikes and Brittany Knight from Lakeshore Road Elementary School and Stacey Peffley from Cicero Elementary School for sharing their beautiful photos of the events at their respective buildings. Both schools had gorgeous fall weather for their walks. Click here or on the link below to see a slideshow of pictures from the events.

CRUSHING IT: Griffin’s Guardians fundraiser is Oct. 22-23 in Cicero

- Oct. 6 from Eagle News Author Ashley Casey. Click here to view the article online.

The North Syracuse Education Foundation has been celebrating 20 years of giving in 2022 and wants to use the final months of the year to get the word out about the importance of programs that have been made available to NSCSD students because of their grants. The NSEF serves a simple, but comprehensive purpose: to ensure that North Syracuse Central School District students benefit from a quality education to maintain and enhance the level of excellence in North Syracuse schools. With the unfortunate reality of diminishing local and federal funding, the NSEF has filled the desperate need of stretching budgets by funding projects and materials to enhance students’ education.

In its 20 years of existence, the NSEF has funded more than $200,000 worth of programs that have directly benefited all students from grades pre-k through 12. The group’s mission is to sponsor activities and projects intended to enhance the education and cultural enrichment of students of the NSCSD. Programs and materials provided through the NSEF supplement those typically funded by the regular school budget.

Scan the QR code above to make a donation to the NSEF 20K for 20 Years fundraiser.

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.

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.

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