NorthStar Lights

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

I'd like to use my column this week to talk about a disturbing trend that is taking place in our schools. For those of you that haven't heard of the ‘devious lick’ TikTok challenge, please take a moment to read this article as it is something we are seeing in our District.

We had multiple instances of disruptive student behavior at our junior high and high school buildings this week. While we cannot discuss specific student issues, the instances taking place are very concerning and are a strict violation of the District’s Code of Conduct. These behaviors will not be tolerated. Appropriate consequences will be handed out to any and all students found to be in violation of the Code of Conduct.

I sent a letter to families about the issue earlier this week but I wanted to include some resources for help in this article. We knew that bringing students back together after so much time away would be challenging and we prepared for changes by adding mental health staff to our buildings. Social and emotional learning is something that can be taught at home too. The New York State Office of Mental Health recently released a new video series to help parents and students prepare for the new school year. You can find the full video series here.

We know it is also important to teach our young people about digital citizenship. Common Sense Media provides parents, educators and advocates a variety of resources by age level and topic. I invite you to join me in using these resources to learn more about helping our students.

By working together, we finished the week on a positive note. We have implemented some new intervention strategies and put additional resources in place in potentially problem areas. We are now working to make these solutions permanent. This has not been an easy week for anyone but I want you to know that we remain committed to providing the best education for our students in the safest environment for all of us. I want to thank our parents for continuing to support our goal of maintaining 5 days/week of in-person learning.

Sincerely,

Daniel D. Bowles, Superintendent of Schools

This past week, students at various schools in the NSCSD took part in “Chalk the Walk and Have a Talk” activities at their buildings. The project, hosted by the Onondaga County Suicide Prevention Coalition, encourages participation with messages and images of hope, resilience, suicide awareness and prevention and promotes family discussion around the topic of suicide.

School staff worked with students to develop inspiring messages and artwork and then provided chalk for the students to bring their messages to life outside the schools. Staff from Roxboro Road Elementary and Middle School and Cicero-North Syracuse High School shared photos and will use the pictures to create an event video.

Check out the students’ messages of hope, encouragement and positivity.

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.

Shannon Lindstrom shared the above photos of her daughter, Hayden Lee VanBuskirk, heading off for her first day of kindergarten at Lakeshore Road Elementary School.

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