NorthStar Lights

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

If you didn't have the opportunity to attend our Budget Public Hearing or watch the meeting online this past week, I invite you to learn about our 2021-2022 budget proposal in my brief video newsletter. If you haven't already received it, you will also be getting our District Dispatch newsletter in the mail. Please be sure to check it out and mark your calendar to vote on May 18.

We will continue asymptomatic COVID testing at some of our schools again next week. Remember that all students (Pre-K-12) will have a half-day of school next Friday, May 14. The Board of Education also approved an amended school calendar for the remainder of the school year to include Friday, May 28 as a day off due to unused snow days.

This newsletter is filled with good news, gratitude and celebrations and that makes me realize how quickly we are approaching the end of the school year. I hope you have some time to relax and refresh this weekend. I want to wish a very Happy Mother's Day to all of you. Thank you for your continued support!

Sincerely,

Daniel D. Bowles, Superintendent of Schools

Because this past week was Appreciation Week for Teachers, School Nurses and Transportation, the District would like to highlight people in each of these areas. If you haven’t already, please take time to consider what these employees have done for others this past year and offer your thanks!

Read more about our Shining Star Teacher, Roxboro Road Middle School's David Schmidt, by clicking here or reading the Shining Stars article below.

Click here to read about the important work our Transportation Department and School Nurses have done!

David Schmidt has been a part of the North Syracuse Central School District for nearly 20 years but says “Time flies when you’re having fun!” He has enjoyed working for the District and says his favorite things are the relationships he has developed while working here and seeing his students work hard and grow.

David was nominated for Shining Star recognition by Malissa Monaghan, the mom of one of his 5th Grade students, Kayla. Mrs. Monaghan wrote, “Mr. Schmidt is an AMAZING teacher! As a fully remote student, my daughter Kayla, enjoys her online classes with Mr. Schmidt. I work from home and often overhear Mr. Schmidt teaching.”

Click here to read more about Mr. Schmidt.

North Syracuse Junior High School shared this photo celebrating their photographers of the week. The students, both freshmen, are pictured with a display of their photos. Great work to Nadia Greco and Brenna Villnave for their excellence and creativity in Media Arts.

On Saturday, April 24, the Cicero Pop Warner football program participated an Earth Day clean-up through the village of North Syracuse. Our students spread mulch, cleaned up litter and fallen branches and helped to get some of our parks ready for spring community visitors. The students involved in the efforts are all students in the NSCSD - Great Job!

If you haven't had a chance to view IMPACT, the CNS student art exhibit, please take a few minutes to do so now and support our talented artists. There are some powerful reflections on the past year.

At their regular meeting on May 3, 2021, the North Syracuse Central School District Board of Education approved a revised calendar for the remainder of the 2020-2021 School Year. The updated calendar includes the following changes:

• May 28, 2021 – No school for students/staff due to two (2) or more unused emergency closing days by April 15, 2021.
• June 21, 2021 – last day for all students grades Pre-K-12
• Students taking Regents will continue on June 22, 23 and 24.

Click here to view a PDF of the calendar online.

Please also note that the printed calendar sent out for the school year, incorrectly lists the School Budget Vote and Board Member Election date as May 25.

The 2021 School Budget Vote and Board Member Election will take place on Tuesday, May 18, 2021

In March, the Centers for Disease Control issued updated guidance for schools operating around COVID-19 and the NSCSD updated their reopening documents. If you have not had a chance to review the changes, please click here to see the NSCSD's April addendum to the reopening plan.

Students in Kathy Conese's Kindergarten Class at Allen Road Elementary School were featured on Spectrum News for their creative mask compliance. Click here to read the story on Spectrum News online.

State funding could mean new pre-K programs for local districts - May 3, 2021 article by WRVO Public Media. Click here to view the story online.

Congratulations to Cicero-North Syracuse High School senior, Brooke Segars, who has been named girls volleyball Player of the Year for the Salt City Athletic Conference (SCAC) and was recognized as a First Team player. Senior Hannah Mingle was named Libero of the Year for the SCAC and was also recognized as a First Team player. Additionally, Senior McKenna Johston was named as a First Team player and three players, Alita Carey Santangelo, Cassidy Ormond and Maddy Howell, were named to SCAC Second Team and two players, Emma Konig and Natalie Tice received honorable mention recognition. Click here to read the story on Syracuse.com.

Congratulations to Cicero-North Syracuse High School seniors, Trace LaRobardiere, Kevin Felasco, Nico Espinoza and Brandon Millias and to junior Gabe LaRobardiere, who were all named to boys volleyball First Team for the Salt City Athletic Conference (SCAC). Seniors Jamie Courtright and Grant Sennett were named as Second Team players and two additional senior players, Chris D'Agostino and Jared Gilbert received honorable mention recognition. Click here to read the story on Syracuse.com.

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.

Sharleen Butterfield shared this photo of her children, Issac and Lila, both students at KWS Bear Road Elementary School saying that it was taken on their second time having a first day back to school. Go Bear Road Bears!

New York State recently announced a new investment in state-administered Universal Prekindergarten (UPK) programs. UPK refers to state government-funded preschool programs that are free for those who attend them. The UPK expansion funding is limited to full-day slots for four year old students. School districts will be required to submit an application and proposed budget to NYS shortly to qualify for expanded funding.

To help the North Syracuse Central School District submit a realistic application and budget, we need to determine the interest of our residents for full-day UPK. If you, or someone you know living within the North Syracuse Central School District limits, is interested in UPK, please click here to complete a brief survey. The survey will be open through May 24, 2021. Families are asked to complete the survey even if they have already registered for PreK.

The North Syracuse Central School District is currently accepting registrations for its North Syracuse Early Education Program (at Main Street) for the summer of 2021 and 2021-2022 school year. Registration for the state-funded Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) program

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 fill out the necessary form. To view this week's athletic newsletter, click the download link below.

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