NorthStar Lights

North Syracuse Central School District's weekly e-news

Issue #19 | April 1, 2021

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

As much as I hoped this morning's weather was just a cruel April Fool's joke, here we are with snowfall on Spring Break. You are receiving our newsletter on Thursday this week because all staff are off tomorrow for Good Friday and the final day of Spring Recess. For those of you that have been able to take time off this week, I hope you have had a chance to relax and refresh. For those of us that have continued to work, I hope this first Spring holiday weekend brings a sense of renewal into your homes.

We head into the month of April knowing that great things are happening. We will soon be welcoming a greater number of students and staff back to our buildings for longer periods of time. We are excited about the changes and are in the process of creating a summary that we hope to get out early next week. In the meantime, please remember the following key points:

K-4 students will attend 5-days/week starting on Monday, April 12.
5-12 students will attend 4-days/week (M, T, Th, F) starting on Monday, April 19.
Students who receive special education services for 4 or 5 days/week will continue attending 4 or 5 days/week according to their program.
Students who have opted to remain in Remote Instruction will continue Remote Instruction.

Enjoy your weekend and stay well!

Sincerely,

Daniel D. Bowles, Superintendent of Schools

zoom_out_map

Meal Program to Reallocate Food Service Resources with Expanded In-Person Instruction

As students in the North Syracuse Central School District return to school for additional in-person instruction on a staggered schedule this month, the District will reallocate its food service resources to meet the changing needs. Families of students continuing to learn remotely will still be able to pick up meals in the morning or afternoon (each Monday through Wednesday) depending on their preference. Additionally, families can take meals for up to five days at a time.

With Grade K-4 students returning 5-days/week on April 12, and grade 5-12 students returning 4-days/week on April 19, the NSCSD’s new schedule for meal pickup (as of April 12) for remote students will be:

Monday – Evening pickup (4:30 to 5:45 p.m.) at Cicero-North Syracuse High School (6002 Route 31, Cicero)
Tuesday – Evening pickup (4:30 to 5:45 p.m.) at North Syracuse Junior High School (5353 West Taft Rd., N. Syracuse)
Wednesday – Morning pickup (9 a.m. to 12 noon) at Roxboro Road Middle School (300 Bernard St., Mattydale) AND Cicero-North Syracuse High School (6002 Route 31, Cicero)

Click here to read the full article online.

zoom_out_map

C-NS High School Students Invited to Submit Artwork

For the second year in a row, students at Cicero-North Syracuse High School are putting together a virtual art exhibit to showcase student work that may otherwise go unseen. The "C-NS Gallery" is asking students to submit their original artwork for its "Impact" exhibit. Click here for additional details.

All work should be submitted to thegallerycns@gmail.com by
April 16, 2021.

Wellness Wednesdays - Mental Health Resources

Feeling stressed by the COVID-19 pandemic? You are not alone. Call the NY Project Hope Emotional Support Helpline 7 days a week, 8am-10pm at 1-844-863-9314 or visit https://nyprojecthope.org.

Visit the North Syracuse Central School District's website and click on the Mental Health Resources button for more information. It's OKAY to Ask for Help - Text "Got5" to 741-741 - a free, 24/7 confidential text line.

When NSCSD school buildings had to close their doors to students and staff in the Spring of 2020, the District started "Wellness Wednesdays" as a way of pulling families together in spite of COVID-19. As the 2020-2021 school year progresses, we need to connect now, more than ever, so we've gotten the "Wellness Wednesdays" band back together. The Wellness Wednesdays website will be our way of sharing resources, information and importantly YOUR thoughts, photos and artwork.

Visit the Wellness Wednesdays Website

Stories Come to Life During Cicero Elementary School's PARP Celebration

zoom_out_map

Students at Cicero Elementary School were among the thousands of elementary students across the country to celebrate PARP, or “Pick a Reading Partner” throughout the month of March. PARP is a New York State PTA (Parent Teacher Association) program that asks a partner (parent, grandparent, babysitter, older sibling, cousin, friend, etc.) to read with a child for at least 20 minutes daily, stressing the fact that reading can be fun as well as informative.

Each year, schools throughout the NSCSD come up with creative themes for PARP month and devise fun ways to participate. This year, because of COVID-19 restrictions, the staff of Cicero Elementary School created the theme of “Even Apart, We READ Together!” and set a school-wide goal of at least 100,000 minutes of reading. To ensure that all students had reading partners, the school held virtual PARP read aloud events each weeknight with special guest readers including their very own mascot, Chipper!

Click here to read the full article online.

Send Us Your Photos!

Because this school year has been so different, it has been challenging to get new photos for our District website at www.nscsd.org and other publications. So...we need your help! We would love to share your photos of at home school environments. If you're willing to share, please send your high quality images using the link below. 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 or click here to upload them.