As we close out the month of January, it’s time to reflect on the many moments that made this month memorable. While the winter weather brought its fair share of snow days, our students and staff showed incredible resilience and adaptability. Whether it was catching up on coursework or making the most of the unexpected time off, we were impressed by everyone’s ability to stay focused.

January also brought the much-anticipated Regents exams. Our students tackled these rigorous assessments with determination and perseverance. We are confident that their hard work will pay off as they continue to grow academically.

Our school community was also filled with excitement from various music events and performances. From talented solo acts to group performances, it was a true celebration of the artistic spirit within our students.

In addition to academics and the arts, our athletic teams brought their A-game to a variety of sporting events. Whether on the court, track, or rink, our student-athletes demonstrated outstanding teamwork, sportsmanship, and commitment.

We would like to thank everyone—students, teachers, staff, and families—for your continued support. As we move into February, we look forward to more achievements and a bright year ahead. Stay warm, stay focused, and let’s continue to make this school year one to remember!

Sincerely,
The Administration Team

No School - President's Day: February 17th

No School - Winter Recess: February 18th - February 21st

Spring Showcase/Art in the Atrium: April 24th

Junior Prom: May 10th

Throughout the month of January, School Counselors continued to meet individually with 10th graders to review their course selections and future planning. Next up for scheduling, 9th graders will begin with classroom presentations in early February. Mrs. Kicak will follow up individually with all 9th graders throughout the months of February and March. At the end of February, 11th graders will receive presentations on college, career, and military pathways; Individual meetings follow.

For Seniors and their families attending college, the Counseling Office hosted SUNY Oswego Financial Aid representatives for a FAFSA Completion Night on January 28th. If you’re attending college next year and haven’t yet completed FAFSA and TAP, this is your reminder to do so. If you need help, there are many free FAFSA completion events throughout the upcoming months. Visit Federal Student Aid and our website for more information on Financial Aid as well as helpful links to apply for local and national scholarships. More scholarships will continue to be posted to 2025 Scholarship Applications. Seniors who are not completing FAFSA are reminded to provide our office with a signed FAFSA Waiver form.

Recently, we realized the difference between how the Top 25 calculations were run for grades 9-11 and how the Top 25 calculations are done for Seniors was causing some confusion. We always want to be transparent and communicative so families and students understand why we make decisions and inform folks whenever we make changes to practices.

To increase consistency, we will be using the same sort of calculation for grades 9-11 that we run for the Seniors. For grades 9-11, we will rank the Top 25 students from each class based on their in-progress, weighted GPA after marking period 3. For Seniors, we will rank the Top 25 students based on their in-progress, weighted GPA at the end of the 1st semester/marking period 2.

We announce the Senior Top 5, including Valedictorian and Salutatorian, on College Decision Day, which is traditionally as close to May 1st as possible. If you have any questions, please reach out to your child’s School Counselor or the Main Office.

Congratulations to Veronica Mainville who won the Classic FM Music Educator of the Month Award for the month of February. Veronica was nominated for her hard-work and dedication to her students and their craft.

The Art Department is proud to announce that Aubrey Searfoss is our Art Student of the Month.
Aubrey was chosen by Mrs. L. Lacey because of her strong work ethic, creativity and attention to detail.

Junior High Area All-State Honor's Band - Vernon Verona Sherrill High School

Congratulations to the following students for earning a seat in this year's NYSSMA Zone 4 Junior High Area All-State Honors Band:

9th Graders: Keegan Allen, Kolton Allen, Olivia Everson, Daniel Flynn, Mason Hunter and Emmerson Wolfenden.

8th Graders: Alex Fenton and Indigo Wheeler

The Central Square High School Winter Drumline's first competition was at Eastridge High School. Congratulations on an excellent performance. Central Square placed fourth scoring above New Hartford, Cicero North-Syracuse, Liverpool, Corning Painted Post and Greece high schools in competition.

The Winterguard program is off to a great start with the recent home show. This coming weekend (February 8th) the Guard will be competing at ES-M high school.

Congratulations to Eli Connor. He has earned a seat in the NAFME All-Eastern Chorus which is a National Honors Chorus made up of talented and high achieving students who also earned a seat in their own NYSSMA State Conference Chorus. Eli will be traveling to Hartford Connecticut in April 2025 to rehearse and then perform with the 200 member All-Eastern Honors Chorus.

Please email yearbook@cssdapps.org with yearbook or picture related questions.

2025 YEARBOOK SALES ARE OPEN.

• FINAL Deadline to order a Plain Book: Valentine's day (Feb 14th)

Order early for the lowest price! Remember, ALL yearbooks MUST BE PRE-ORDERED. The program does not order extras.

sites.google.com/cssdapps.org/pvmyearbook

Yearbook B ROLL:

B Roll Winter Athletic Coverage is finished, and Drumline/Winterguard and Musical will be done in the coming weeks.

Your yearbook staff has been hard at work taking photographs-

Take a look at them here: sites.google.com/cssdapps.org/pvmyearbook/Events

Is this the first you're hearing about the B roll?

Our student staff members attend events all year long as they practice their photography skills.

As a result, we have more photos of athletic, music, and extra curricular events than we could ever contain in a yearbook.

Internship Program Spotlight: Teaching

This school year, six Seniors have been spending part of their school day interning in elementary and secondary classrooms. There they work closely with their supervising teacher learning the ins and outs of teaching. Students not only observe how teachers prepare lessons, instruct, and assess students, but they also get the opportunity to assist with these tasks. In addition, students are earning 3 college credits through Cayuga Community College for the EDU 202 Foundations of American Education course!

Any current Junior who is interested in completing a teaching internship next school year can sign up for the Career Exploration Internship - Education course when they are registering for classes!

Work-Based Learning Opportunity: Dreaming of a Career in Healthcare?

You can explore the wide array of career opportunities available in this field at Upstate’s Healthcare Exploration Camp! Campers will have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore careers in a variety of healthcare professions in a safe, fun, and exciting environment. They will meet with experienced healthcare professionals and see demonstrations of what the different professionals' work entails through hands-on sessions.

The application process includes an application, essay, and a recommendation from the student’s School Counselor. Space is limited and only open to 8th and 9th graders who are over the age of 13 prior to camp. The 2025 Healthcare Camp Application will open around March 1. Please click this Healthcare Exploration Camp link for more information and to apply.

Summer Opportunity: Science Summer Camp

Applications are now being accepted from high school Seniors and Juniors to represent New York State at the 2025 National Youth Science Camp. This in-person camp will be held from July 10 to Aug. 2, 2025, at Camp Pocahontas in West Virginia.

The National Youth Science Camp is a Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) opportunity. The camp will provide daily lectures and seminars with leading scientists, direct studies alongside visiting and resident STEAM professionals, and engage in activities in the natural, physical, computer sciences, and creative arts. Housing, meals, transportation, and supplies are provided to participants at no cost. The deadline to apply is February 28, 2025. Applications must be submitted online at the National Youth Science Academy website.

Upcoming Career Discussions

Upcoming Career Discussions and field trips being featured for the month of February include the Law Enforcement, Nursing, Music, Entrepreneurship, Sales, and Software Engineering career fields. Remember, the Career Center Calendar gives you an overview of everything that is happening in the Career Center for the school year. Check periodically as events get added often, including opportunities for volunteering and visiting with college and military representatives.

For any questions, please contact the Career Center at careercenter@cssdapps.org.

The Junior Prom is May 10th at The DoubleTree in East Syracuse.

Tickets will be $75.00 each.

There is one last fundraising opportunity to reduce your cost.

It will be a Krispy Kreme Fundraiser in March.

Tickets will be on sale April 7-11.

Gertrude Hawk Spring Fundraiser

SALE DATES AND INSTRUCTIONS

Attention Class of 2027 students and families:

We are selling Gertrude Hawk Chocolates and confections!!!!

Our sale begins February 3rd

Order form (top copy) and money are due February 13th!

* Keep the bottom color copy(pink) and brochure for your records.

* Total dollars sent in should equal Grand Total Amount on order form.

* Make checks payable to Class of 2027

Estimated order pickup is the week of March 17th!

Please return all money and orders to Ms. Blakes jblakes@cssdapps.org in room G008

or to Mrs. Hawn mhawn@cssdapps.org in room G008.