Bird's Eye Viw

Hello Larries Community,

Welcome to the first edition of the 2024-2025 school year's “Bird’s Eye View”! Each month we will give you small snapshots of great things that are happening here at SLC. We may also ask for a little help to make our school community the most productive it can be. Our hope is that you will read our newsletter every month, so we can continue to connect our great community with the students and staff at SLC to help maximize our students’ futures.

Things the District Needs Staff, Students, Parents and Community Members Help with for the Upcoming Year:

1. To increase a culture of awareness and understanding as to why Educational RIGOR has to be instilled as important again in our district. Here is a link explaining this year's BFCSD K-12 District Goals that were presented to the Board of Education. Please take a moment to read District Goal #1 which explains why and how we plan to move forward with increasing Educational Rigor.

2. Attendance Concerns: In New York State, a child is considered “chronically absent” if they miss 18 or more days of school in a year. We are required to do everything we can to prevent every child from reaching that mark. Those requirements involve: reminder letters home at certain levels, phone and/or in-person conversations with parents/guardians, and if needed, reports to CPS and other outside agencies in St. Lawrence County. To help us all understand what missing school days can do, please take a minute to look over the following chart.

• Congratulations to all those that have been recognized for the outstanding work you are doing!

• Congratulations to all of this year's SLC Class of 2024 Hall of Fame members who were inducted on September 28th. Nominations for next year are now being accepted.

• Please consider sharing this edition with any neighbors, relatives, friends, or alumni you may know that would like to keep updated on what goes on here at SLC.

I hope you have a safe October. Thank you for your continued support of our great district!

Christopher Rose

Superintendent

Dear Middle and High School Parents,

Thank you for your help in getting our year off to a great start! For those of you who have not yet had the opportunity, please see the parent orientation slideshows linked below. We wanted to share some information to continue our home to school collaboration, and also to help your child be successful at school.

How Parents Can Help…

• Make sure your child is present in school with the exception of illness. We require that a student is fever-free for 24 hours once they have had an illness to return to school.

• Get our District App: Google Play or App Store

• Make sure your contact information is updated, and update emergency contacts.

• Check Agendas Daily. They are required to be used in both MS and HS this year.

• Check Schooltool assignment grades weekly. Our teachers do their best to update grades by the end of each week. Your student has received a tutorial lesson from their school counselor on how to check their grades. Please complete the Schooltool Parent Portal Form if you need access to your child's Schoolool.

• Have a designated time and location at home for homework and studying.

• Keep Chromebooks in a safe location at home. Remember to have your child check that their device is charged and ready for the school day!

• Limit electronic device time, and monitor your child’s social media accounts. Report any suspicious activity to law enforcement and or school administration as necessary. Remind your child not to share posts that could be slanderous or safety concerning. We suggest that they take screenshots and show an adult.

• Make sure your child is getting enough sleep.

• Encourage your child to not be a bystander. Also, remind them that being in the presence of negative behaviors may have negative consequences.

• Talk to your child about vaping.

• Report any harassment, discrimination, or safety issues. Encourage your child to do the right thing and report issues so that we can keep everyone safe and our school buildings and grounds beautiful. Communicate with the school if you have concerns or need help (if we do not know, we can’t assist).

• Encourage positive relationships with school staff. Reach out to staff proactively, always starting with the most direct person to the situation. For example, if you have questions about your child’s grades in a class, reach out to that teacher specifically.

• Help your child develop self-advocacy skills and encourage them to reach out if needed.

Here is some additional information to help your child start the school year off great!

• Communication Chain: For Students
• Opening Parent/Student Message 24-25 HS
• Opening Parent/Student Message 24-25 MS
• 24/25 HS Student Grade Level Opening Meetings
• HS Parent/Guardian Orientation 2024
• MS Orientation 2024

Sincerely,

Mrs. LaBarge, MS Principal and Mrs. Zender, HS Principal

Welcome Back from the High School Guidance Office!

Dear Students and Families,

Welcome to a new school year at St. Lawrence Central! We’re excited to start another year filled with opportunities for growth and learning. Senior meetings will begin on October 4th, 2024 and continue through November 1st, 2024. You will soon receive a letter in the mail with more details. If you would like to be part of the meeting, please call the guidance office to schedule your appointment.

As a reminder, the New York State graduation requirements for a Regents diploma include the completion of 22 units of credit in various subjects:

• English: 4 units
• Social Studies: 4 units
• Mathematics: 3 units
• Science: 3 units
• Language: 1 unit
• Art or Music: 1 unit
• Physical Education: 2 units
• Health: 0.5 units
• Electives: 3.5 units

Students must also pass five Regents exams with a score of 65 or higher. For an Advanced Regents diploma, additional credits and exams are also required.

At this time, no official directives regarding changes to the Regents exams have been issued. If you have questions about your student’s graduation plan, feel free to contact their counselor.

We look forward to supporting you throughout the year. Let’s make it a great one!

Sincerely,

Ms. Eve Ruddy (A-K)

Ms. Michaela Bethel (L-Z)

As the sun rises on their senior year, students from the Class of 2025 gathered on the turf field, filled with a mix of excitement and nostalgia. The sunlight symbolized new beginnings and the promise of the unforgettable moments ahead of them. Together, they embraced the adventure of their final year, ready to make lasting memories as their senior year continues to unfold.

High School Robotics students attended a three coding camp at Malone School this summer. Students learned how to control their robot to run autonomously and by using a joystick.

The High School Robotics team is off to a fun start this year. They look forward to competitions in January and February. They hope to be holding a scrimmage at Brasher in November.

Students in High School Life Skills class squeezed leftover oranges from the cafeteria to make orange juice! It turned out great!

The IMPETUS kickoff was recently held at Clarkson University. The students rotated around different stations. They learned about the problem of the week, completed STEM projects, and learned about the IMPETUS program.

The High School Physics class recently went outside to practice their measurement and trigonometry skills.

Fall sports are well underway. Again this year, a major issue for players was not having physicals on file with our school nurse. This is a major hang-up for our athletes and coaches because we cannot allow a student-athlete to practice until our school nurse has notice of a physical.

Winter sports sign-ups will begin Monday, September 30th through Friday, October 4th. Once all players have signed up, Mr. Reome will email students who do not have a current physical on file. The district will offer a physical in school in early November. Remember, physicals are good for one calendar year, which is not necessarily the school year. A player maybe good for Fall sports, but not for the winter season.

Hall of Fame weekend was September 27-28. Congratulations to all of the Class of 2024 Hall of Fame Inductees: Ronald Kocsis, Ben LaBaff, Charlie Dullea, Quinn Patraw, Brady Helmer, Lindsey Thayer, Raymond LaPrade Jr., the 2012-13 Boys Basketball Team, and the 2012-13 Boys Hockey Team! For more information you can check out the Hall of Fame program.

Congratulations to Coach Tim Brown on being awarded NYSPHSAA’s Softball Coach of the Year! Coach Brown currently serves as Section X’s coordinator for Softball as well as being our longtime varsity head coach.

Our varsity girls soccer team made its first ever overnight trip downstate to face teams from other sections. They came away with a 5-0 win over Gloversville, a Class A school from Section 2. This is SLC’s first ever win over another Section, to our knowledge. Congratulations to the team and Coach Chamberlain!

You can find all schedules at sections710.org, or on our district website and app.

Hello Middle School Families,

We are so excited to be back and hope your school year is off to an amazing start. It’s been a great beginning for us too! We’ve already had the chance to welcome SweetHeart and Heroes to work with some of our 5th and 7th graders. Through these fun and interactive circle activities, students explored important ideas like empathy and having a growth mindset—and they really enjoyed it!

As we go through the year, each month we’ll focus on different themes, covering topics like staying organized, setting goals, personal safety, gratitude, responsibility, communication, managing stress, wellness, career exploration, handling conflicts, transitions, and accountability. We’ll be sharing helpful lessons and resources during classroom visits, through emails, and with handouts to make sure you have everything your child needs to succeed and feel their best!

Upcoming Events:

• In October, we’re excited to take our 8th graders on a field trip to Seaway Tech on Friday, October 18th. This trip gives students a chance to explore vocational and technical programs in high school, helping them think about future careers. After the trip, counselors will visit 8th grade classrooms to talk about the transition to high school and what to expect moving forward.

• Later in the year, we’ll be meeting individually with students in grades 6, 7, and 8. These meetings are a great way for us to check in, talk about future plans, and answer any questions or concerns students might have. Parents/Guardians are always welcome to join, and we’ll send out more details as we get closer to the meetings.

We hope you’re all settling in well and ready for an awesome school year!

All the best,

Mr. Niles nniles@bfcsd.org (Students A-K) and Mrs. Roldan rroldan@bfcsd.org (Students L-Z)

The 5th grade Larries came into the Middle School "IN STYLE". To welcome the students back, they were given some new reading books to take home, entered a raffle for some prizes (t-shirts, water bottles a swim/gym bag), and were given a goodie bag with a special message.

Students in Mrs. Phelix's 8th grade ELA classes started the year learning about how to professionally present in front of an audience. This is in preparation for the 8th grade portfolio, which is a culminating project at this grade level. The students took the assignment very seriously and did an excellent job!

Hello SLC Families,

How great it is to be back to school! We are starting to settle into our new routines. Thanks to those who joined us for a very successful Open House on September 19th. It was great to see all of those smiling faces as our students shared their excitement for school with their families! A big thank you goes out to our faculty/staff and PTO for the work they put into this evening as well. Thanks to Ms. White for organizing and overseeing our Costume Closet! We are always accepting costume donations. They can be dropped off at the elementary office. Thanks to Mrs. Hahn for helping our families with the new Rooms feature of our school app, and to Mrs. McFarland for sharing some helpful bedtime routine tips with families.

Many of you also took advantage of the photo opportunity with our lobby bulletin board, which every member of our SLC Elementary family has contributed a leaf to (our "SLC Family Tree").

I'd like to thank Kiel Fukes for providing decals which offer some new messaging around the school. The example pictured below can be found at our main entrance.

The week of October 7th is Fire Prevention Week. SLC staff members have been collaborating with local emergency response teams to plan a fun-fill week of learning. This will not only include fire safety, but other emergency response teams/people as well.

Friday, October 11th will be a 12:30 dismissal day for the elementary, due to staff development. Please plan accordingly for your child's dismissal.

There will be no school on Monday, October 14th for Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples' Day. School will resume on Tuesday, October 15th and it will be a Day 4.

Please expect information to be coming home about the dental sealant program for our first, second, and third graders in the near future. This will be taking place during the last two weeks of October.

We are planning to have Halloween celebrations at school on Thursday, October 31st. Students are encouraged to dress in their costumes. We are very excited to welcome families to join us for this fun event! More information will be coming soon on this. On this day, Thursday, October 31st, we will also have a 12:30 dismissal for the elementary.

In case you missed the newsletters that were sent out in August, I am sharing them here again because they do contain some important information:

• Back to School Newsletter
• Attendance Newsletter

Also for your information, “Erin’s Law” requires that all public schools in each state implement a prevention-oriented child sexual abuse program. Our school partners with Renewal House, who sends an educator into schools throughout the county to deliver the required curriculum to our students. This takes place on an annual basis. More information about Erin’s Law can be found here. Additional information about Renewal House can be found here.

The month of September went by quickly. I would like to thank all school staff members and SLC families for their efforts in helping us get off to a great start for the 2024-2025 school year.

Respectfully,

Mrs. Colterman

Welcome Back to School!

We are thrilled to kick off another exciting school year! As we continue with our Livin' Like a Larrie program and Larrie tickets initiative, we’re focusing on unifying our school community with consistent messaging. This year, we are continuing with our monthly character traits, and every class will be reading the same book each month to reinforce the character trait. For September, all students will be reading Chester’s Way by Kevin Henkes, which promotes the theme of open-mindedness.

Our school counselors are actively supporting Life Lab and are excited to announce that the Seaway Valley Prevention Council will be joining us over the next few months. They will be implementing the Too Good for Drugs program, which builds students' social-emotional skills, empowers them to make healthy choices, and helps them resist negative peer pressure. Research shows that children who develop these skills are more likely to have positive attitudes, make good decisions, get along with others, and perform better academically.

As we begin the school year, we are also emphasizing the importance of regular attendance. In accordance with New York State guidelines, we will be reaching out to families when absences occur to ensure that there are no barriers to students being present. Did you know that missing 18 days of school per year, regardless of the reason, is considered chronic absenteeism? Consistent attendance is crucial because elementary school learning is sequential—each day’s lesson build upon the previous day. When students attend regularly, they not only enhance their academic learning, but also strengthen relationships with peers and teachers while developing essential social skills. We are also pleased with the success of our recent Attendance Spirit Week!

Looking ahead, some of our goals for this school year include: welcoming more guest speakers and agencies, fostering stronger relationships with our students, and providing more school-wide programming and information.

We’re excited for a fantastic year ahead and look forward to working together to support your child’s success!

Mrs. McFarland and Ms. White

Congratulations to the June 2024 Character Ed award winners. Awards were given to students for displaying leadership qualities and having a sense of purpose.

Navalert, the company that produces the content for our Digital Citizenship program at SLC, just sent out the following press release explaining the new Teen Accounts on Instagram from Meta. The inclusion of this press release in the Birds Eye View is not an endorsement for this product from neither Navalert or SLC, but rather the district helping others understand steps that can be taken to protect our students on social media.

Meta recently introduced Teen Accounts for Instagram, which is aimed at users aged 13-17 and focused on enhancing safety and parental oversight. These come with several new protections, including automatic default to private accounts, restricted messaging (limited to existing contacts), stricter content filters, and features that encourage healthier habits, such as sleep mode and daily usage reminders. Teens will also have restricted mentions and tags, and parents can view who their teen has messaged, though not the content of the messages​.

On the positive side, these updates address rising concerns about keeping teens safe online by giving parents more control and insight into their child’s Instagram activity. Meta also says they are focused on filtering content to be age-appropriate, taking steps to remove sensitive topics like violence and graphic material from teen feeds. The changes aim to create a safer, more positive online environment for young users.

While the new Teen Accounts add valuable features like stricter privacy settings and content filters, they fail to tackle a bigger issue: the platform’s inherently addictive design. Key features like infinite scrolling and algorithm-driven content suggestions, which are known to encourage excessive screen time and expose teens to potentially harmful material, remain unchanged. Critics argue that while these updates give the impression of improving safety, they don’t address the core problem—Meta’s engagement-focused design, which prioritizes profits and keeps users on the app for longer periods. Without addressing these deeper problems, the new changes may only provide superficial protection for teens.

If you would like more information, please click here.

As a member of the community, SLC is committed to helping everyone to be safe online and reminds everyone that if you see something, say something, and never forward any disturbing material you may see online.

As always, if you have any questions, you can contact me via email at kwelsh@bfcdsd.org, or call the technology department at (315) 389-5131 ext. 29250.

Catch up with the latest student stories, events, and news updates. It’s everything Brasher Falls Central School District, in your pocket. Download the app on Android or iPhone it is the best way to get notifications of school closings, delays, and cancellations.

Email: crose@bfcsd.org
Website: www.bfcsd.org
Location: 1039 State Highway 11C, Brasher Falls, NY 13613
Phone: 315-389-5131
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrasherFallsCSD