NorthStar Lights

Hello North Syracuse Central School District parents, guardians, teachers, and staff,

It has been a busy start to the school year. As you know, we have 11 schools, and each one has been bustling with activity as we welcome students and families back into our educational community. Our administrators, myself included, have been making every effort to attend all the back-to-school BBQs and events hosted by our schools. It has been wonderful to connect with so many new families and rekindle relationships with familiar faces. It never ceases to amaze me how interconnected our school district truly is.

This past week, I had the privilege of attending the Smith Road Elementary School Back to School BBQ and the ribbon-cutting ceremony for their brand-new playground. It was heartwarming to witness the tremendous turnout, with hundreds of students, parents, and community members in attendance. What struck me even more was the fact that some families, whose children have already graduated from Smith Road Elementary, returned to join in the celebration of this new playground. The dedication and hard work of the Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO), who tirelessly raised funds for this project over several years, truly paid off. It's a testament to the strong sense of community we have here in the NSCSD.

During the event, I had the opportunity to engage in a meaningful conversation with a parent, and it was during this discussion that I realized we share a mutual connection from our past. It continues to astonish me how small our world can be and how many common threads bind us together. It's a reminder that, at our core, we all share more similarities than differences. Sometimes, all it takes is the courage to initiate conversations that help us uncover those commonalities and build stronger bonds within our school community.

The North Syracuse Central School District has a rich history that we are immensely proud of. As we move forward into the upcoming year, one of our primary goals is to find innovative ways to honor that history while also acknowledging the exceptional individuals who are a part of our school district today. We are committed to celebrating the past, present, and future of the NSCSD because it is these collective stories and experiences that make us an extraordinary and united educational community.

Thank you for your ongoing support, and we look forward to a rewarding and successful school year together.

Sincerely,

Daniel D. Bowles, Superintendent of Schools

North Syracuse Central School District students will be getting cozy for a cause on Friday, October 6 as schools take part in Paige's Pajamarama. Paige’s Pajamarama is a charity event allowing students to wear their pajamas to school when making a donation to Paige's Butterfly Run, Inc., an organization which supports children with pediatric cancer at Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital.

Since 2018, the Cicero-North Syracuse High School Principal’s Cabinet has been building a strong community partnership with Paige's Butterfly Run, Inc. First supporting Paige’s annual Pajamarama event that year, the school has worked to increase support each year since. In 2021 the Principal's Cabinet received recognition for their outstanding philanthropy.

In 2019, C-NS High School and the North Syracuse Central School District partnered with Liverpool High School and that school district in a Pajamarama competition to see who could raise more money for Paige’s. The event that year earned C-NS High School the designation of “Pajamarama Headquarters” according to Chris Arnold, the CEO of Paige's Butterfly Run, Inc.

Click here to learn more.

The North Syracuse Central School District strives to be a positive force within our diverse community of 11 schools. Our school spirit has never wavered, but as you are probably aware, a communications audit and survey conducted earlier this year revealed there is confusion among community members regarding our district's name.

More than 74% of survey respondents indicated that they had heard of the district referred to as CNS or had in fact done so themselves. Because many use North Syracuse Central School District and “CNS” interchangeably, this lack of consistency impacts our image and our brand. The district took these results and additional feedback to heart.

Click here to read the complete article.

Six Cicero-North Syracuse High School musicians have been selected as participants and/or alternates for the 2023 NYSSMA All-State Performing Ensembles, which will be held in Rochester, November 30 - December 3, 2023. The conference, including the final concerts, will take place at the Rochester Convention Center and the Eastman Theatre. Thousands of students auditioned for this honor last spring at solo and ensemble festivals throughout the State. The students performed a level 6 solo and were evaluated by a NYSSMA adjudicator.

Click here to read the complete article online.

The CNS Optimist Club is once again sponsoring a girls' basketball league at Gillette on Saturday mornings beginning in October for Grades 3-6. This is a great program to get girls ready for a great basketball career in the NSCSD! Registration is due by October 1.

Click here for more information.

The North Syracuse Central School District is interested in finding members of the Apple Muffin Gang to celebrate its contributions to the district and state history.

Back in 1987, students in Mary Craven’s fourth grade class at KWS Bear Road Elementary School campaigned to create a law making the apple muffin the official state muffin. The students wrote to state legislators promoting their bill, handed out countless apple muffins, and made four trips to the Capitol to lobby for it. They tasted victory when the state Assembly and Senate passed the bill and former Governor Mario M. Cuomo signed it into law, making the apple muffin the official muffin of New York.

To celebrate this past accomplishment, the district decided to plant an apple tree and install a monument outside the Jerome F. Melvin District Office Building. The district is now looking for students and teachers involved with the Apple Muffin Gang to further celebrate this historic contribution. If that’s you, please reach out to our school information officer by emailing Laurie Cook at lcook@nscsd.org.

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.

A big "THANK YOU" to all our students, staff and families who shared back to school pictures! We are looking forward to a great school year with you all. Click here or on the link above to watch a video compilation of photos received by Sept. 13. All photos will be kept on file and potentially used in a publication throughout the school year.

Did you know that the North Syracuse Central School District's Athletics Department has an email newsletter? If you'd like to subscribe to the newsletter, click here to learn more.

The NSCSD produces a 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 every other 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.

SEPTEMBER 26: Board of Education meeting at 6 PM at the Jerome F. Melvin Administrative Office Building (5355 West Taft Rd.) in North Syracuse

OCTOBER 6: Half-day of school for all NSCSD students - staff workshops

OCTOBER 6: PAIGE'S PAJAMARAMA

OCTOBER 9: Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples Day - No School for Students or Staff

OCTOBER 10: Board of Education meeting at 6 PM at the Jerome F. Melvin Administrative Office Building (5355 West Taft Rd.) in North Syracuse

OCTOBER 23: Board of Education meeting at 6 PM at the Jerome F. Melvin Administrative Office Building (5355 West Taft Rd.) in North Syracuse

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