NorthStar Lights

Over the past several weeks, our administrative team has spent time learning about diversity, equity and inclusion. I want to take a moment this week to focus specifically on equity. A graphic was presented during one of our discussions showing three people trying to look over a fence. I'm sharing that graphic here today because it had an impact on me.

In the image below, on the left side, all three people have been given equal access...a box to assist them in looking over the fence.

As you can see though, giving an equal amount to everyone, does not necessarily give them what they need to succeed. As educators we know that our students all have different needs. In order to provide educational EQUITY, we must spend time assessing and learning in order to know how to best to the jobs we're here to do.

Enjoy your weekend and don't forget to "fall back" on Sunday!

Sincerely,

Daniel D. Bowles, Superintendent of Schools

Don't forget to turn your clocks back this weekend. Daylight Saving Time officialy concludes at 2 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 7, when the clock will “fall back” one hour.

During the month of October, in recognition of National Bullying Prevention Month, schools in the North Syracuse Central School District participated in Project Connect. The project is designed to bring awareness to how every person has the ability to make a difference in our District by making our buildings more welcoming and accepting. Participation in the process is simple - students simply write a message of kindness on a strip of construction paper and the strips are then taped or stapled together to result in one long, connected chain that visually represents the power of uniting for a common cause. The background of this week's newsletter is a picture of one of the chains from Cicero-North Syracuse High School.

Click here to read the complete article online. Various photos from the project will be used as new District homepage images during the month of November.

The North Syracuse Central School District is beginning the process of developing a strategic plan to guide our decisions and resources over the next several years. One of our first steps is to survey our staff, students, parents and community in order to determine our core beliefs and values as a District. The survey will be open until 5 p.m. on Friday, November 12.

NSCSD community members are invited to watch a brief introductory video message from Superintendent Bowles by clicking the video above or going to https://youtu.be/K6Qq2F58-WU. The survey can be accessed online at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/YMXV573 through November 12, 2021.

Three Cicero-North Syracuse High School musicians have been selected as participants and/or alternates for the 2021 New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) All-State Performing Ensembles. The conference and final concerts, which will be held in Rochester at the Convention Center and Eastman Theater, will take place from December 2-5, 2021. 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.

C-NS Senior Mikey Mousaw (pictured above) was selected to BOTH All-State Chorus and Vocal Jazz. He will be representing our District in the Vocal Jazz Ensemble, which only choses 16 students from across the state. Mikey is one of 4 tenors that were chosen this year which is a HUGE honor!

Erinn Cosgrove (pictured far left) and Emily Bradley, both juniors at C-NS, were chosen this year as alternates. Erinn plays alto saxophone in the CNS Band and Emily is a cellist in the CNS Orchestra.

Congratulations to our outstanding C-NS musicians!

This Friday, November 5, the Cicero-North Syracuse High School Football team faces-off with Liverpool in the Class AA Semi-Final Game. The game will start at 7 PM and attendees should be advised that the Military Honor Roll is also taking place at the high school that evening. The game will also be broadcast live on Spectrum.

NSCSD Athletic Director Tim Bednarski has provided the following reminders for the game:

• All students 8th grade and below must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
• No backpacks are allowed.
• Masks must be worn to enter the stadium indoor area.

Tickets are available online by clicking here.

Student mental health takes front seat in CNY schools - November 3, 2021 By Lacey Leonardi, Spectrum News. Click here to view the article online.

Fifth grade students in Tia Guidetti's Science class at Gillette Road Middle School recently spent time investigating melting points when making lip balm from bees wax and coconut oil. Because of COVID restrictions, students did not sample the products in class but Ms. Guidetti provided them with the "recipe" in case they were interested in recreating it at home.

Tickets for Cicero-North Syracuse High School's Fall Play, 12 Angry Jurors, will go on sale on Monday, November 8. The production, which is being sponsored this year by Driver's Village in Cicero, will take place in the auditorium of C-NS on November 18, 19 and 20.

Tickets are available after November 8 by calling 315-218-4002 during school hours, going online to Showtix4u.com. Tickets will also be sold at the door. All tickets are reserved, $12 for students/seniors and $14 for adults. For more information, please visit cns-guild.web.app or follow on Instagram: @cnsguild.

North Syracuse Dollars for Scholars will be hosting the Bowl-a-thon on Veterans Day, Thursday, November 11, 2021. The event will take place at Strike N' Spare Lanes in Mattydale from 11a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Masks will be required for all participants. Students in grades 7-12 are welcome to come participate in this FUNdraiser! We are asking for a minimum of $25.00. Prizes will be awarded to the top three fundraisers!

The money raised at this event goes to award scholarships to seniors who live in the North Syracuse School District and plan on attending college after graduation in 2022. Participation in this event also qualifies for community service for students needing those hours! Collection forms are available from the Career Center at C-NS as well as the Career Center at North Syracuse Junior High School. Seventh graders can get one from Mrs. Millias (Roxboro Middle School) and from Mrs. Gleason (Gillette).

Beginning November 1, parents and guardians in the North Syracuse Central School District will be asked to fill out a student digital equity survey when logging into SchoolTool. Parents/guardians will be asked to complete one survey for each child prior to Nov. 19.

The survey is mandated by the New York State Education Department (NYSED), who will use the information collected to promote educational equality concerning digital access.

Click here to learn more.

In accordance with CDC guidance, students, teachers and staff who have symptoms of infectious illness (influenza or COVID-19), should stay home and be referred to their healthcare provider for evaluation care and testing. Individuals who are absent from school will need to provide either a medical note or proof of a negative COVID test (PCR test).

Students or staff members who develop symptoms during the school day will be sent home immediately. Parents of students will be contacted immediately to come and pick up their child.

Please remember the symptoms of COVID 19 include:

● Fever or chills

● Cough

● Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

● Fatigue

● Muscle or body aches

● Headache

● New loss of taste or smell

● Sore throat

● Congestion or runny nose

● Nausea or vomiting

● Diarrhea

Did you know that the North Syracuse Central School District is hiring? There are a variety of positions available, both full and part-time. Learn more about employment with the District online by clicking here. Applications can also be submitted online.

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.

The North Syracuse Central School District produces a weekly 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 SchoolMessenger.

Grandparents, community members and all friends of the NSCSD are welcome to subscribe by providing an email address by clicking here. Newsletters are emailed each Friday when school is in session. Help us share the good news and the great things happening in the NSCSD!

We love to share photos from our students, families and teachers. 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.

Sara MacMartin is a 1:1 Teaching Assistant for the North Syracuse Early Education Program (NSEEP). Sara has been working with Alexandra (Alex) Kadick this school year. Alex's mom, Allison, shares the photo with gratitude for Sara and the progress she has seen in her daughter this year. Allison is grateful for the tremendous strides that Alex has made this year and feels as though it is a direct result of the NSEEP and the wonderful people that work there. She said, "Alex absolutely adores Sara and our whole family is grateful for her and the program at Main Street."

We had several staff and families share photos of the various Halloween events that took place at schools last week so we wanted to share them here.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, we are seeing nationwide disruptions to manufacturing, supply and distribution channels. You may have experienced this yourself when you’ve tried to order something online or buy something in the store and what you’re looking for isn’t available right now.

What does the shortage mean for school meals? In short, it means that we’re having trouble getting certain foods and supplies. Your student(s) may notice that we’re serving different items than we’ve served in the past or different items than were listed on the menu.

School districts across the country are experiencing these shortages and unfortunately, we cannot control the problem. We are doing our best every day to come up with solutions to these challenges.

Click here to read the full article online.

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