Cougar Connections

Our students and staff celebrated the holidays in many ways last month! NRW Elementary students received a surprise visit from Santa Claus himself, who dropped off a bag of gifts for every student. Thank you to Toys for Tots for helping make this possible for our students! Santa also made an appearance at the After School Discovery Program holiday party, where students received treats and books. NRWE also held its annual Gingerbread Day and enjoyed winter crafts and holiday activites. Our middle and high school musicians put on fantastic winter concerts and held their traditional holiday teas, and for the first time this year the high school put on a winter-themed Peppermint Pep Rally!

See our Facebook page for more photos from the festivities!

We are happy to announce that this year our North Rose-Wolcott Spelling Bee will take place on Monday, February 9th, at 6:00 pm in the Middle School Auditorium.

This event is for students in fourth through eighth grades. In addition to improving students’ spelling skills and increasing their vocabularies, spelling bee participation provides valuable experience in developing skills necessary for public speaking, performing arts, and athletics!

More information on how to register for the spelling bee has been shared with fourth through eighth grade families via ParentSquare. Once your student is registered, they will receive information on how to study words. The registration deadline is Wednesday, February 4, 2026.

The top NRW student will be nominated for the Regional Spelling Bee to be held on Saturday, March 21st, 2026.

Do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

Elementary School Contact: Meagan Pentycofe - mpentycofe@nrwcs.org

Middle School Contact: Jill Ricci - jricci@nrwcs.org

CALLING ALL FUTURE COUGARS! North Rose-Wolcott's 4-year-old UPK program has open slots available! Introduce your child to the school setting and prepare them for kindergarten in the fall!

Children who live within the North Rose-Wolcott Central School District are eligible to enroll now if they turned 4 years old by December 1, 2025.

Call (315) 594-3141 for a registration packet or for more information.

Understanding means to be sympathetically aware of other people's feelings and perspectives. Understanding Cougars appreciate that people view things in different ways. They listen to others, ask thoughtful questions, and are open-minded.

This year, we are recognizing staff members who go above and beyond and make a positive impact with Cougar Kudos! Anyone who is part of the NRW community may nominate any staff member. Whether it’s a teacher who motivates their students, a bus driver who shows kindness, or a staff member who lends a helping hand – we want our entire community to hear about it!

Read more about the wonderful staff members who received Kudos this month on our website -- and if you want to nominate someone for a future edition of Cougar Kudos, fill out our form at www.nrwcs.org/kudos!

The North Rose-Wolcott Central School District is committed to fostering effective communication between schools, families and the community. We have established a process for working through questions and concerns so that we may come to solutions quickly and effectively. Please visit our website or see the graphic below for more information on who to contact with a question or concern.

Our North Rose-Wolcott faculty and staff play a crucial role in helping to ensure each student leaves the NRW family with pride and preparedness for their future path. Check out our current job openings at www.nrwcs.org/employment.

The North Rose-Wolcott Strategic Action Plan adopted earlier this year featured seven components that make up the Portrait of an NRW Graduate. These characteristics represent a clear vision for what it means to be a graduate of the North Rose-Wolcott Central School District. They guide our daily work to prepare our students to thrive beyond NRW as lifelong learners, engaged citizens, and compassionate leaders.

Cultural Competence

Understands and respects the values, attitudes and beliefs that differ across cultures.

A person with cultural competence understands and respects the values, attitudes and beliefs that differ across cultures. North Rose-Wolcott graduates are open-minded and empathetic, embracing the richness of diversity. They understand and respect others' perspectives and are prepared to engage in a global community with compassion and understanding.

Monday, January 19: Martin Luther King Jr. Day - NO SCHOOL

January 20-23: Regents Exams, HS and MS Midterms

Thursday, January 22: Board of Education Meeting, 5 p.m., District Office LGI

Friday, January 23: End of Quarter 2

Monday, January 26: Cougar Pride Parent Group Meeting, 6 p.m., High School

Friday, January 30: NRWE Cubby Club, 1:30 p.m. (gr. 2-4) and 2:20 p.m. (gr. UPK-1)

Friday, January 30: Middle School Cougar Pride Assembly, 1:30 p.m.

Wednesday, February 4: Elementary Report Cards Go Home

For the most up-to-date event information, visit www.nrwcs.org/calendar.

The Cougar Cupboard Backpack Program plans to distribute our food bags for this month on 1/16, before our long weekend for Martin Luther King Jr. Day and on 2/13 next month, which is right before our break. This program provides assistance to families by providing non-perishable/shelf-stable foods such as granola bars, cereal, pasta/mac and cheese, canned fruit and veggies, soup and more to NRW students. With inflation, these foods can get expensive for the program at times, so if you would like to donate to help the Cougar Cupboard and our NRW families, we would take food donations of these specific items or monetary donations to Sandy Motyka (smotyka@nrwcs.org) in the high school or Miranda Motyka (mmotyka@nrwcs.org) in the elementary school (checks can be made payable to Cougar Cupboard). If you have any questions or would like to sign your child up for the Backpack Program, please feel free to reach out to either of the people listed above or email cougarcupboard@nrwcs.org.

As our next round of i-Ready diagnostic testing approaches, the instructional coach is partnering with teachers to ensure the process is meaningful, organized, and supportive for students. The coach’s work centers on helping staff understand how the diagnostic provides an up-to-date picture of each child’s strengths and needs in reading and math. Leading up to the window, the coach models ways to prepare students with growth-mindset conversations, testing routines, and strategies that encourage perseverance without “teaching the test.”

Our building will host an i-Ready pep rally for students in order to explain what testing looks like and why it is important to do our best. Mrs. Haak and Mr. Stopka have a variety of i-Ready incentives to share with students as they prepare for our mid-year diagnostic!

During the testing period, the coach assists with scheduling, technology checks, make-up testing, and accommodations so classrooms run smoothly. After assessments are complete, the focus shifts to guiding teachers in analyzing reports, identifying trends, and grouping students for targeted instruction and WIN time. Professional learning sessions highlight how to use i-Ready data alongside classroom evidence to set goals and select high-impact lessons. We appreciate all of the resources that i-Ready offers our students and teachers in their personalized learning journeys.

Our second graders are actively using Fluency Flight, a math-based program within i-Ready, to strengthen their math fact fluency. Fluency Flight provides students with engaging, targeted practice focused on building speed, accuracy, and confidence with foundational math skills.

Through short, consistent sessions, students practice key math facts while receiving immediate feedback and adaptive support. This program allows teachers to monitor progress, identify specific skill gaps, and adjust instruction to meet individual student needs. As a result, students are becoming more efficient and confident when solving math problems in the classroom.

We are excited about the growth our second graders are making in math fluency and appreciate your continued support as we build strong mathematical foundations.

Our students also recently explored the science concept “Made of Matter” through a fun and engaging hands-on activity—root beer and orange floats!

As students created their floats, they identified and discussed the different states of matter involved. The ice cream represented a solid, the root beer or orange soda represented a liquid, and the bubbles formed by carbonation helped demonstrate gas. This tasty experiment helped students make real-world connections while reinforcing key science vocabulary and concepts.

Learning through hands-on experiences like this makes science memorable and meaningful, and our students had a great time investigating matter in action!

We are beginning to prepare for our I-Ready (grades K-4) Winter Benchmarking period. This is a time for us to see how students are progressing towards the New York State Standards and to set goals around growth. The winter benchmark is always an exciting time because students have grown SO MUCH, and we get to celebrate their success during this time.

We are also closing in on the end of quarter 2. You will receive your child’s next report card on February 5th! At any time, if you have questions about your child’s progress, feel free to reach out to the classroom teacher!

Grade 5 - In Social Studies we have wrapped up our unit on Earliest Americans and Early Civilizations! We will be moving onto Exploration and Explorers next. In Science class, we are still working through our Toys Matter unit where we are learning about solid, liquids and gasses, physical and chemical changes, and are doing lots of experiments! In math we are learning how to multiply double digit numbers and solve word problems involving multiplication! In ELA class students just wrapped up their figurative language unit. Moving forward into January students will be preparing for their midterms and then we will begin our next book, "I Survived the American Revolution" by Lauren Tarshis.

Grade 6 - We will be kicking off the new year in math by calculating surface area! We will then be doing some review of our first four units in preparation for midterms. We will be finishing up our book Among the Hidden in ELA and completing our second essay of the year. Then, we will be reviewing for our midterm and previewing our next book Elephant in the Garden.

Grade 7 - In ELA 7 we are beginning our next fictional novel. We are collaborating again with Mr. Maring's social study curriculum, as we take a closer look into learning about the Puritan way of life. The main character in our new story goes from living a well pampered life on the island of Barbados, to having to live in the Puritanical lifestyle in the colony of Connecticut. We will follow the character in the story through her extraordinary journey, where she is faced with difficult choices and new realities.

Grade 8 - Our 8th grade students will be finishing their current instructional units and then shifting their focus to preparing for upcoming midterms and the i-Ready diagnostic assessments. Please help support your child by reminding them to complete all classroom assignments and homework, as this preparation is essential for their success.

Please use this link to order your yearbook today! https://www.jostens.com/apps/store/productBrowse/1052504/North-Rose-Wolcott-Middle-School/2026-Yearbook/20250903042318987101/CATALOG_SHOP

The Cougar Store will be open February 5th and 6th!! The store is going to be loaded with great stuff we KNOW our students will love! Please remind students to bring their Cougar Cash in to use on these days!

Middle School LIFT students celebrated with some holiday fun before the break. They enjoyed watching a holiday movie, eating popcorn, playing games, making cards, drinking hot cocoa, decorating and eating sugar cutout cookies, and receiving a stocking with some small surprises inside from the LIFT Staff.

Principal Yarnes and Assistant Principal Canori will join students each week to call home together and share good news about something that happened at school. Cougar Pride calls help recognize students for doing a good deed, brightening someone else’s day, helping a friend, mastering a goal, or overcoming an obstacle! Check out the North Rose-Wolcott Central School District Facebook page to see which students are chosen each week!

Please see below for the Regents and midterm exam schedule for the week of January 20-23, 2026. Information was also sent home to families earlier this month.

AM TEST SESSION: 8:00 AM-11:00 AM

AM Arrival: 7:30 AM (Students will ride their normal bus to school if scheduled for an AM exam.)

7:30-7:45- Breakfast available in cafeteria

8:00-11:00- AM Testing Session

11:00-11:30- Lunch available in the cafeteria

11:30AM- AM Session Dismissal (mid-day transportation will be provided)

PM TEST SESSION: 11:30 AM-2:30 PM

PM Arrival: 11:00AM (Buses will be available for students needing transportation.)

11:00-11:30- Lunch available in cafeteria

11:30PM-2:30PM- PM Testing Session

PM Session Dismissal: 2:30PM (first bus run)/ 3:10 PM (second bus run)

Yearbooks must be purchased on the Jostens website. They will not be sold at school. Use the following link to purchase: https://www.jostens.com/apps/store/productBrowse/1052503/North-Rose-Wolcott-High-School/2026-Yearbook/20250830042032250134/CATALOG_SHOP

On February 6, FBLA will be going to the District 10 Spring District Meeting. Some members will be competing for the first time and some members will be learning more about FBLA while assisting with the conference management. Best of luck NRW FBLA!

Student Council did a fantastic job with the Holiday Tea and would like to thank the music department for the outstanding entertainment. They would also love to give a shout out to Sweets by Sarah (NRW alumnus Sarah Brown) for the delicious cookies and the outstanding service. It was a successful event and a nice send off to break.

Mrs. Ragan is very happy to return to NRW High School from her leave this fall. Mrs. Erwin, our ENL Parent Liaison brought donuts to all ENL students to celebrate her first Friday back! They were delicious and several students were able to bring an extra treat home to their families. Thank you Mrs. Erwin!

This year we will be saying goodbye to two strong supporters of our ENL Program over the past many years: Mrs. Helen Drake and Mrs. Claudia Cook, both tutors with the CitiBOCES Migrant Education program in Oswego, have decided to retire! Students and families will recognize them from summer programs, support at school, and many family home visits. We wish them both happiness in their retirements and we will certainly miss them for all of the fun with tutoring help and fun ENL gatherings on Wednesdays at the High School. Thank you for all of your support over the years!

At the same time, we are very happy to welcome Ms. Nancy Aguilera Murillo who will be supporting HS students on her schedule from CitiBOCES twice a week, ensuring that both academic tutoring and our ENL social gatherings and fun together will continue!

Mr. Jones, our Choir teacher, is very proud of the performances our Choir students gave at the December concert. It was a very busy week, as we performed for the Elementary School on Tuesday, presented a concert on Thursday night, and spread Christmas cheer by singing carols during the Friday Holiday Tea and the “Pep”permint Rally at the end of the day.

Two students had the opportunity to perform with the RPO Festival Choir in December as part of their Holiday Pops series. They prepared a large amount of music for this concert, in addition to their All-State music and our own concert music. Our students gave four performances, each to a packed house at Kodak Hall. Pops Director Jeff Tyzik declared them the best Festival Choir in his 32 years as conductor.

Our students continue to have fantastic opportunities to make music. Seven students will perform with the All-County Choir this month. This process began in September, with students preparing for auditions held in October, and they have been working on this music in lessons since December. We are looking forward to a great experience with the best singers in Wayne County.

Finally, we have begun working on music for our District concert on March 19.

We raised nearly $500 from our Operation Spread Christmas Joy campaign this year (NHS students helped Santa and the elves write letters to young children). We will be donating these funds to our local food pantries.

Second, we held a blood drive at the HS on December 17th and collected 29 units of blood which could help up to 87 people. Thank you so much to the Red Cross for their efforts and allowing us to help in this way. Our next blood drive is April 24th. Community members are welcomed to donate. You must be 16 or older to donate.

December was a great time to relax in the library and take a break from early holiday stress! Students and staff took advantage of the chance to create ornaments and other winter-themed crafts, and the results were so much fun!

January is a natural “reset” month, so our focus shifts to thinking about what adjustments we can make to help us achieve our goals in the new year. We are also giving priority to students who want to study for midterms and Regents exams later in the month!

While in the library, look for the Cougar Life Skill of the Month - this month, we are looking at how to maintain our vehicles and drive safely in wintery weather! Stay safe out there!

• JV & Varsity Softball

• JV & Varsity Baseball

• Girls Varsity Track & Field

• Boys Varsity Track & Field

• Boys Varsity Tennis

Fall:

• All JV & Varsity Teams: August 24, 2026

• All Modified Teams: September 2, 2026

Winter:

• Modified Swim: October 26, 2026

• Modified Boys’ Basketball: October 26, 2026

• All JV & Varsity Teams: November 16, 2026

• Modified Wrestling: January 4, 2027

• Modified Girls’ Basketball: January 7, 2027

Spring:

• All JV & Varsity Teams: March 9, 2027

• All Modified Teams: March 23, 2027
  

1. Be Loud, Be Proud, Be Positive!

2. Accept all decisions of the officials and event staff.

3. Display positive cheering. Derogatory chants/gestures, heckling, profanity and attempts to antagonize others will not be tolerated.

4. Demonstrate genuine concern for an injured student-athlete, regardless of team.

5. Encourage surrounding spectators to display conduct that aligns to these expectations.

6. Applaud at the end of the contest for the effort by all participants.

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