NorthStar Lights
North Syracuse Central School District's Electronic News
Hello North Syracuse Central School District Parents, Guardians, Teachers and Staff,
As we head into Spring Recess week, which is our final extended break of the school year, I can't help but think how quickly this year has gone by. I know I feel the same way every year but I can't help wanting things to slow down sometimes.
The past two weeks have been busy with a lot of great things. I attended National Honor Society induction ceremonies at both C-NS and North Syracuse Junior High School and was again impressed by our students. I truly can't tell you how great it is to once again be celebrating their accomplishments in person alongside their families and friends.
The photo I'm sharing this week is from one of my visits to our schools - this one happens to be at North Syracuse Junior High School just this morning. I happened to come across a student named Erica Bloodworth and I noticed a spectacular piece of artwork she had done. I asked her if she might be planning to go into a career in art and she told me that it was just a hobby but something she truly enjoyed. I asked her if I could take a quick picture with her and two teachers, Marianne Pirro and Kiersten Klem. I wanted to share the picture with you as was definitely a bright spot in my day.
In addition to my visit to the junior high this morning, I've had many opportunities recently to get into our schools and classrooms and have meaningful conversations with students and staff. Last week when I was at KWS Bear Road Elementary School, I stopped into Mrs. Kelly Hahn's classroom as her students were deep into a lesson about the solar system. The students enthusiastically recounted parts of the lesson sharing some of the things that stood out to them. At moments like that one, I can’t help but wonder if it is that simple classroom lesson that happens to inspire a student to become an astronaut or scientist. It is apparent that a passion is being sparked in students at times like that and it makes me so proud to be part of our educational community.
Have a wonderful spring break week!
Sincerely,
Daniel D. Bowles, Superintendent of Schools
Public Meeting for Lakeshore Road Elementary School Phase I Renovation on April 11
The North Syracuse Central School District is getting ready to move forward with voter approved renovations at Lakeshore Road Elementary School. An initial presentation detailing the project will be shared on Tuesday, April 11 at Lakeshore Road Elementary School at 6 PM.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month - Join us for It's Okay Friday on May 5
May is National Mental Health Awareness month and the NSCSD is preparing to kick off a month-long awareness campaign around the theme. To launch the campaign, the District is designating Friday May 5th as “It’s Okay Friday,” a day to check in with each other and ask for help if needed.
Lisa Goldberg, the District’s Director of Social Emotional Wellness is hoping the campaign encourages people to connect. She said, “We want to send the message that it is okay to ask for help.”
To create an environment of support and caring, the District is asking students, staff and the entire NSCSD community to wear a t-shirt on May 5 with one of the following messages:
- A positive message about connection
- A positive message about mental health
- A positive message about asking for help
If you don’t have a shirt that fits the bill, we can help! The NSCSD has created special t-shirts available for purchase. Click here to learn more, and to order a shirt. Lisa says, “By wearing a positively messaged shirt on “It’s Okay Friday” you will be sending a message of support and caring to everyone you see. Let’s join together as a school community to “make the connection!”
NSCSD Schools Participate in Change for Hope Campaign
Final Notice for 2023-24 Non-Public School Transportation
As required by New York State Law, applications for transportation to and/or from Charter, private or parochial schools during the 2023-2024 school year, must be filed prior to April 1, 2023.
Applications can be picked up and returned to the North Syracuse Central School District Transportation Department (5520 East Taft Road, North Syracuse) or can be downloaded by clicking the following link: www.nscsd.org/transapp.
Families who need additional information should call the Transportation Department at 315/218-2107.
Optimist Club Announces Winners of Essay and Oratorical Contests
The Optimist Club of Cicero-North Syracuse recently honored the winners of their 2023 essay contest and oratorical contest. The winners of this year’s essay contest, which was based on the theme, “Who is an everyday hero that brings out the optimism in you?” were:
1st place: Junior Ava Smith (pictured center)
2nd place: Senior Colin Stanton (pictured right)
3rd place: Junior Lila Breu (pictured left)
All students received medals for their essays. Ava Smith’s essay will be sent to the next level to be judged along with winners from other Optimist Clubs in the area. College scholarships are available for contest winners at the next level.
Susan Bradt, the President of the Cicero-North Syracuse Optimist Club said, “Ava did a wonderful job of articulating this year’s theme. She expressed herself well.”
The winners of the oratorical contest, the theme of which was “Discovering the optimism within me” were:
1st place: Junior Johnny Lisi III (pictured right)
2nd place: Junior Haneefa Wahab (pictured center)
3rd place: Junior Urguen Tamang (pictured left)
Celebrating our MathCON participants
The North Syracuse Central School District is proud to announce that our top ten MathCON students will be recognized for their standout efforts. MathCON is a national online math competition and this is the first time that the District has participated. The District’s top 10 scores were all above the 85th percentile. Nickolas Scholz, who is the director of mathematics for the North Syracuse Central School District was impressed with the participation and the results. He said, “We had more than 100 student participants from every elementary building and they did so well! Our top student scored in the 91st percentile.”
Click here to see the list of student participants and read the complete article online.
Subscribe to Budget News
Leading up to the annual school budget vote and board of education member election in May, the district will present important updates and information to the board of education. To receive copies of the presentations and other budget-related news, subscribe to ParentSquare to receive notifications in this category.
Local Meteorologist Spends Time with NSCSD Students
Kate Thornton is a meteorologist for NewsChannel 9 and has been taking time the past few weeks to visit local elementary schools and two NSCSD schools were among the first she visited. On March 21, she shared a Facebook post with kindergarten students at Cicero Elementary School and on March 28, she shared two pictures with kindergarteners at KWS Bear Road Elementary School. Many thanks to Kate and NewsChannel 9 for taking time for our students!
Allen Road Elementary School Kindergarten Teacher Kathy Conese shared these adorable classroom pictures of her students after their lesson on fire safety with their own personal notes of thanks to firefighters. Great job giving much deserved praise to our firefighters! #nsbrightertogether
4th graders in Mrs. Redmond’s and Mrs. Gale’s class at Roxboro Road Elementary School began this morning on a mission to take care of one another. This restorative lesson “the crumpled heart” is a great way to talk about how words and action do impact our esteem and sense of self worth. Today the class is determined to foster less wrinkles with one another by finding ways to be gentler and kinder in our interactions. We can take care of one another. Thank you to Natalie Walters, our amazing Restorative Practices Specialist, for sharing this photo and the news.
Smith Road Elementary School Teacher Anne Marie Leaf shared pictures and said, "We have been learning about our students' cultures in Room 139 at SRE. We read stories about Ramadan and discussed and shared personal experiences. Some of my ELL students shared what they do for Ramadan. One student brought in his Qur'an and read to us, and another student read from her book of stories that her Grandmother brought back from Yemen. It was a great learning experience for all my students." Click here to read the Facebook post.
Friday before Spring Recess! What is going on in our classrooms today? LOTS! Pam Woznica shared a couple photos of the project students in her Clothing Productions class at Cicero-North Syracuse High School are working on. A Fun Bunny Quiz! She told us that students got to explore different stitches on the sewing machines. Thanks to John Rice, our Director of CTE, for stopping by Pam's classroom and asking her to share. Pam was kind enough to share her pictures AND her hopes that our families all have a wonderful April break!
District Reminders!
APRIL 3-7: SPRING RECESS - Schools Closed
APRIL 7: GOOD FRIDAY - No School for Students or Staff
APRIL 10: School Library Media Day (Observed)
APRIL 10: Board of Education meeting at 6 PM at the Jerome F. Melvin Administrative Office Building (5355 West Taft Rd.) in North Syracuse. If you'd like to attend the meeting in-person, you must pre-register by the Friday prior to the meeting. Please email jherrera@nscsd.org to attend.
APRIL 11: Lakeshore Road Elementary School Renovation meeting at 6 PM at Lakeshore Road Elementary School (7180 Lakeshore Rd.) in Cicero.
North Syracuse Central School District
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