NorthStar Lights
North Syracuse Central School District's Electronic News
Issue #80 | December 2, 2022
Hello North Syracuse Central School District Parents, Guardians, Teachers and Staff,
Yesterday we had the privilege of hosting an Onondaga County Town Hall meeting with Micron at our own North Syracuse Junior High School. As you've likely heard, Micron is preparing to build their largest ever semiconductor plant in Clay at a site within the District’s boundaries. We are excited about their investment in this community and know that our District is going to be impacted greatly by their move here. We continue to work with Micron representatives about ways to partner.
The town hall meeting was the 4th the County and Micron have held to discuss what Micron's investment means for Central New York. While the topics discussed were incredibly meaningful and will certainly impact the NSCSD, that isn't what I want to write about. To me, one of the most impressive things about last night's meeting was the STUDENT tech crew that ran the event providing sound, lighting, video and recording. For those of you that are not familiar with 4D Productions, the group is a talented student-run tech crew whose work rivals that of any professional organization. Their recording of the meeting is available by clicking here.
4D Productions has received international attention for their incredible, state-of-the-art work and the students involved are dedicated to their craft. The auditorium of the junior high was polished and professional and was a great site for the meeting thanks to the hard work of students and staff. As we consider the high demand for technologically-proficient workers, I am excited for these young people about how far ahead they are.
I want to also extend my thanks to all of our students, staff and community members who were able to attend one of our communication focus groups in November. We've heard from the folks doing our communications audit that they received lots of great feedback. They are now working to compile the input and will be sharing suggestions with us later in the school year.
#NSBrighterTogether
Sincerely,
Daniel D. Bowles, Superintendent of Schools
The holiday season can be difficult for all of us...even students. Learn to recognize signs of depression and other mental health problems, initiate a conversation with your child, and get him or her help. Attend one of our virtual workshops on Thursday, Dec. 8. Learn more by clicking here.
C-NS Optimist Club Holding Food and Clothing Drive
The Cicero-North Syracuse High School Optimist Club is collecting nonperishable food items and hats, mittens and scarves for children. The Club is asking for the community's help by bringing these items to the high school and asking that they be brought to the school's Career Center so that children have food and winter hats, mittens and scarves for the holidays.
C-NS Food Project Holding Donation Drive Through Dec. 15
The C-NS Food Project is holding a food drive from December 1 through 15, 2002. Students across the NSCSD receive weekly meal packs through the Food Project, which are assembled by students in the Participation in Government classes at Cicero-North Syracuse High School.
The Food Project is running low on foods for the packs and is holding a donation drive through 12/15.
A request for donations is going out to our school community. For ease of drop off, we are asking that families who choose to donate items for the food project bring donations to the main office of their child's building.
Stellar Spellers Shine in Spelling Bee Competition
On November 30, 2022, thirty-three students from Roxboro Road Middle School, Gillette Road Middle and North Syracuse Junior High School gathered at the North Syracuse Central School District Office to compete in a District-wide spelling bee.
The talented youth from grades five through eight were challenged with a variety of words ranging from simple spellings such as “streak” and “freedom” to more difficult spellings such as “aggravate.” All students came to this competition after completing written and oral exams within their schools.
The competition ended with the correct spelling of “philosophy,” “Camelot” and “Penelope” by Abby Baker from Gillette Road Middle School. Finishing in second place was Teagan Hicks from Gillette Road Middle School and in third was Aiden Domanico from Gillette Road Middle School.
Junior High School Community Builders Club Donates to Local Festival of Trees
For the fourth year in a row, the Community Builders Club at North Syracuse Junior High School has donated a tree to the Everson Museum of Art Festival of Trees and Light. The theme of this year's Community Builders Club tree is Building Community through Helping Hands.
C-NS High School Students Invited to Participate in Optimist Meetings
The C-NS High School Optimist Club recently held its first meeting since March of 2020. At the meeting, they discussed projects for the next month including Salvation Army Ringing of the Bells, collecting nonperishable food items for needy families, collecting scarves, mittens, and hats for children, and participating in the Christmas Bureau. Any students interested in joining are welcome to come to the next meeting on December 6 in Room B246 at 2 p.m.
Capital Project Vote on December 6
Next Tuesday, Dec. 6, the NSCSD is holding an important capital project vote. Polling on December 6 will take place at designated locations (Cicero Elementary School for residents who live north of Route 481 or the Jerome F. Melvin Administrative Office Building for residents who live south of Route 481) from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. A meeting about the project will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 29 at 6 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Jerome F. Melvin Administrative Office Building (5355 W. Taft Rd.) in North Syracuse.
The December referendum includes $61.2 million of work to existing facilities with the majority ($32 million) designated for safety and security improvements throughout the District. An additional $21.2 million is proposed for required infrastructure work at Gillette Road Middle School and the North Syracuse Early Education Program at Main Street. Another $8 million will be used to install a multi-purpose turf field and walking trail at Gillette Road Middle School and to reconstruct the existing parking areas.
RRE Teachers Celebrate Thanks GIVING with Students
Prior to the Thanksgiving break, teachers and staff in the NSCSD, helped students prepare for the holiday by starting celebrations at school. Mrs. Sciarrino and Mrs. Dolbear, two third grade teachers at Roxboro Road Elementary School, prepared an entire Thanksgiving meal to share with their students. School Secretary Maryanne Nash, shared photos of the celebration and extended her wishes for a "Happy Thanksgiving" to the entire NSCSD community.
Snow Day, Delay and Early Closing Information
Winter weather is sure to arrive in Central New York soon and the North Syracuse Central School District wants to remind our families and community members of some important snow day, delay and early closing information.
ParentSquare - ParentSquare is a unified app for school communication so parents and guardians can receive all announcements from the District, their children’s schools and teachers in one place, with options to specify how and when parents/guardians are notified. NSCSD students, parents and employees are automatically connected to ParentSquare through our school and employee information systems.
Community members and NSCSD partners can also sign up for the system in order to receive District Alerts. If you would like to receive messages from the District, simply go to https://www.parentsquare.com/community_signups/c20fecde-1b97-4e1b-9d37-ac66a49208ac/new and enter your name and email address. You can opt to receive messages in a variety of categories including “Emergency Alerts” for school closures and weather-related delays and dismissals.
Gillette Road Middle School Students Receive P2 Awards
On Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022, a group of Gillette Road Middle School students received their school’s Positivity Project Student Spotlight awards. Students were nominated by staff members or classmates to receive this recognition for demonstrating the character strengths of integrity, teamwork, creativity, bravery or curiosity. Associate Principal Sarah Jones shared the pictures and said, "Congratulations to all of our Student Spotlight recipients. You help to make our school a great place to be every day."
Auditions for the Cicero-North Syracuse High School spring musical 'MEAN GIRLS' are taking place this Saturday, December 3 in the high school auditorium. For more information on how to sign up for a time slot, please visit the cnsmusical.com website or follow them on Instagram: @cnsmusical. Sign up today and don’t miss out, auditions are open to all C-NS high school students and are by appointment only!
Nutritional News
The North Syracuse Central School District Food Services Department provides thousands of students with healthy, nutritious meals during their school-day. Children can learn good habits for life by making healthy food choices and getting proper exercise. Food Services staff work hard to ensure that students and families know about meal and snack options available. The department recently provided a Smart Snacking guide to help students decide on choices that will serve them well. Click here to view the flyer on Peachjar.
NSCSD Students and Staff in the News
Breanna Stewart Basketball Camp at North Syracuse Junior High School - Nov. 22, One of the most well-known former Northstars, Breanna Stewart, is holding a basketball camp for students this coming Sunday, Dec. 4 at North Syracuse Junior High School. The camp will benefit a local charity and is sold out.
NSCSD Director Shares Former Student's Good News - Nov. 29, John Rice, the District's Director of Science & CTE, recently shared news from a former student of his. C-NS High School Graduate Derrick Dotson shared the news on his Facebook page on Nov. 29 that his first children's book, "The Police and Me," is available for purchase and has already received a fantastic review. The book is available for purchase by clicking here.
Local schools compete in ‘Pajamarama’ to raise funds for pediatric cancer - Dec. 1 from Eagle News Online Author Ashley Casey. Click here to view the article online.
NSEF Celebrates 20 Years of Giving in 2022
The North Syracuse Education Foundation has been celebrating 20 years of giving in 2022 and wants to use the final months of the year to get the word out about the importance of programs that have been made available to NSCSD students because of their grants. The NSEF serves a simple, but comprehensive purpose: to ensure that North Syracuse Central School District students benefit from a quality education to maintain and enhance the level of excellence in North Syracuse schools. With the unfortunate reality of diminishing local and federal funding, the NSEF has filled the desperate need of stretching budgets by funding projects and materials to enhance students’ education.
In its 20 years of existence, the NSEF has funded more than $200,000 worth of programs that have directly benefited all students from grades pre-k through 12. The group’s mission is to sponsor activities and projects intended to enhance the education and cultural enrichment of students of the NSCSD. Programs and materials provided through the NSEF supplement those typically funded by the regular school budget.
Scan the QR code above to make a donation to the NSEF 20K for 20 Years fundraiser.
Onondaga County Offering Asymptomatic COVID Testing to NSCSD Students, Families and Staff
Onondaga County will again be offering asymptomatic COVID testing for NSCSD students, families and staff. Anyone that was signed up last year will only need to make sure that the school listed as where their child attends is current. Directions to follow can be found here.
Those who did not participate last year but would like to be tested this year, will need to create an account and a testing profile for their child on https://app.clarifi-covid-19.com/register
If you are no longer interested in asymptomatic covid testing, please change your child’s testing profile to "Opt Out Of Onondaga School Testing" so that their name no longer appears on the school's list. Direction for opting out can be found here.
Send Us Your Photos and Videos!
Earlier this week, C-NS Associate Principal Kim Rice shared some pictures with the following information: "I just wanted to share out these pictures of the very cool project I observed. Amy Haven and her Studio 2/3 classes have been working on functional pottery dishes that can be used to prepare or serve food in. I was able to observe the process from start to finish. The students learned about various types of dishes, their functions and ways to improve their designs so their dishes could be used to serve Thanksgiving dinner. Students made a variety of dishes ranging from platters, serving bowls, gravy boats and chip and dip platters. Today the students used their finished products to serve a portion of a Thanksgiving dinner. Pictures of the finished products are below. Many of the students used their pieces to serve their family Thanksgiving dinner or are gifting them to family. I thought you would all like to see the great things our students are doing here!"
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District Reminders!
DECEMBER 4: Stewie1 Basketball Camp at North Syracuse Junior High School
DECEMBER 5: 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 Friday, December 2. Please email jherrera@nscsd.org to attend.
DECEMBER 6: Capital Project VOTE from 6 AM to 9 PM. Residents who live North of Route 481 vote at Cicero Elementary School. Residents who live South of Route 481 vote at the Jerome F. Melvin District Office Building.
DECEMBER 8: More Than Sad: Suicide Prevention for Parents at 12:30 p.m. Learn more.
DECEMBER 8: More Than Sad: Suicide Prevention for Parents at 6:30 p.m. Learn more.
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