Bird's Eye View
Hello Larries Community,
Each of the coming months, The Bird’s Eye View will give you a window into the life of SLC—where students are learning, creating, and growing together. We’re proud of what’s happening in our classrooms, fields, and stages, and we’re grateful to share it with the community that supports us so well. Thank you for continuing to be part of our story!
Things the District Needs Staff, Students, Parents and Community Members Help with for the Upcoming Year:
- To continue to increase a culture of awareness and understanding as to why “Educational RIGOR” needs continual support in our district. Attached are this year's two Brasher Falls Central (K-12) District goals presented to the Board of Education. District Goals 25-26.pdf Please take a moment to read over District Goal #1 which explains why and how we plan to continue moving forward with this push.
- 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 sent 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 mean please take a minute to look over the following chart:
Across all of our buildings at SLC, students participated in the Chalk the Walk event. During free periods, students and staff came together to spread messages of kindness, positivity, and encouragement by writing uplifting affirmations on the sidewalks and around our schools. It was a wonderful way to promote connection and support throughout our community. #stlcyouarenotalone
As we move into the new school year, we want to partner with you to help every student reach their highest potential. Research consistently shows that family involvement is one of the strongest predictors of student success - no matter how independent teenagers may seem! Here are some key ways you can support your high school student’s growth in academics, attendance, and positive behavior:
1. Prioritize Consistent Attendance
Aim for every day: Even a few missed days can disrupt learning and make it harder to stay on track.
Schedule appointments wisely: Try to plan doctor visits or family trips outside of school hours when possible.
Communicate early: If your child is struggling to get to school, contact their counselor or our attendance office—we’re here to help.
Check progress regularly: Review grades and assignments through our online Schooltool portal and talk with your teen about upcoming deadlines or tests. If you need assistance with your account, please email Ms. Halley at bhalley@bfcsd.org for assistance. If you don't currently have a Schooltool account, please click here to have one created for you.
Create a study routine: Encourage a quiet, dedicated time and space for homework each night.
Ask open-ended questions: Instead of “Do you have homework?” try “What was the most interesting thing you learned today?”
3. Encourage Positive Behavior & Mindset
Model kindness and respect: Teens notice how adults handle stress and challenges.
Recognize effort, not just results: Praise hard work, persistence, and positive choices.
Promote balance: Encourage participation in clubs, sports, or community service to build friendships and life skills.
4. Stay Connected to School
Attend events and conferences: Your presence at concerts, games, and parent nights sends a powerful message of support. Many times teens will indicate that in high school “parents do not have to attend” but we have found a strong correlation between parent involvement and student success.
Reach out early: If you have concerns about academics, attendance, or social-emotional well-being, please contact your child’s teachers, counselor, or our main office.
Together, we can ensure that every student thrives academically, grows socially, and feels proud of their high school experience. Thank you for being an essential partner in this journey.
Sincerely,
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 begin another year filled with opportunities for learning, connection, and personal growth. Whether you’re settling into high school for the first time or preparing for your next chapter after graduation, we’re here to support you every step of the way.
🎓 Attention Seniors!
Senior meetings will begin on October 6th, 2025, and continue through November 1st, 2025. These meetings are an important opportunity to talk about graduation requirements, college applications, career planning, and more.
We encourage families to be part of these conversations! If you’d like to attend the meeting with your student, please contact Mrs. Jenkinson, Guidance Office Secretary, at 315-389-5131 ext. 29102 and let us know.
🧠 Mental Health Matters: World Mental Health Day – October 10th
October 10th is World Mental Health Day, a global reminder to prioritize emotional well-being and reduce the stigma surrounding mental health. This year, we invite our students and families to take a few moments to check in—with yourselves, and with each other. Here are a few small ways to support your mental health this month:
- 💬 Talk it out: Whether it’s a friend, family member, or counselor, having someone to talk to makes a big difference.
- 😴 Rest up: Sleep is essential for focus, mood, and overall health. Try to aim for 8 hours a night.
🌳 Get outside: Even a short walk or a breath of fresh air can help clear your mind.
📱 Take a tech break: Unplug from screens and give yourself time to recharge—mentally and emotionally.
🤝 Reach out: If you're feeling overwhelmed, don't hesitate to stop by the Guidance Office. We’re always here to help.
Let’s work together to make mental health a priority all year long.
Wishing you a successful and balanced start to the school year!
Warmly,
Ms. Eve Ruddy (A-K)
Ms. Michaela Bethel (L-Z)
Congratulations to this year's Sophomore Class Officers. Pictured from left to right: Stella Todd (Treasurer), Damyra Munoz (Secretary), Aiden Haverstock (Vice President), and Liam Marcil (President). Missing from the picture: Alexis Crites (Press Liaison).
Several SLC Cheerleaders volunteered to helped clean up Brasher on a beautiful day during the summer.
Great job team!
Fall sports are in full swing and all teams are doing well. We have added JV Girls Soccer this year, so it's extremely busy on our fields this Fall.
SLC Varsity swimmer, Sonja Wultsch-Fuller is off to a great start this year; so far this season, she has broken three school records: 200 IM- 2:16.65, 100 Fly-1:03.33, and 100 Breast- 1:11.91!
If you haven't had the chance to see the progress on the new baseball and softball fields, stop by. They are both beautiful complexes now.
Winter sports sign-ups are happening right now. If any student does miss signups, please contact Mr. Reome at jreome@bfcsd.org to get signed up. Winter Sports will start November 17th for varsity and JV and November 24th for the modified teams. Physicals will be given at school on November 6th. Mr. Reome will send an email to all students who are in need of one to start the winter season.
Congratulations to class of 2025 Hall Of Fame inductees! They were inducted this past Saturday, October 4th. Here is a link to the 2025 Hall of Fame Program.
The 2025 Hall of Fame Inductees Include:
- Meghan Buckley 1998
- Brian Newtown 2007
- Rylan Patraw 2010
- Ian Lynch 2013
- Zane Ramsdell 2013
- Blake Baldwin 2013
- Contributor: Bryan McLaughlin
- Team Induction: 2010-11 Softball
- Team Induction: 2013-15 Girls Basketball
You can find all schedules at https://www.arbiterlive.com/Teams?entityId=20061 or on our district website and app.
Dear SLC Families and Friends,
We have had a really great start to the year in middle school, and the students and staff are off to a great start. We were excited to get out in the sunshine and spread some positivity in September with Chalk the Walk. The middle school students had an investigator from the Missing Persons Clearinghouse from Albany come to present to all of our students on internet/online safety which aligns well with our current quarterly focus on digital literacy.
We have had some students enjoying the nice weather and riding their bikes to school. We love seeing students getting exercise! Please make sure that if your child is riding a bike to or from school, that they are wearing a bike helmet. We have a bike rack in front of the middle school entrance.
If you missed orientation, I have included some information to continue our home to school collaboration and also help your child’s success at school:
How Parents Can Help…
Make sure your child is present in school with the exception of illness.
Download the District BFCSD App, and make sure your contact information is updated, and also 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 them by the end of each week.
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!
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.
Schooltool Assignments:
If you do not have the Schooltool Parent Portal, please complete the request form under Parents on our school website. In the portal, you can view assignment grades for your child. If you are seeing 0’s that is a concern because they are missing due dates, and not turning in assignments. We appreciate your support with helping students stay organized and managing their time well. Even just asking them how they are spending their study hall time is helpful in making sure they are prioritizing appropriately.
Enjoy the beautiful fall weather!
Mrs. LaBarge
Hello Middle School Families,
We hope your school year is off to a great start! We are so excited to welcome everyone back and to continue supporting our students as they grow and learn this year.
As a reminder:
- Mr. Niles is the school counselor for students with last names A–K.
- Mr. Clookey is the school counselor for students with last names L–Z.
We are also fortunate to have a counseling intern, Mrs. LaPierre, who is here to support students on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Over the next couple of weeks, we will be visiting classrooms to help students explore the concepts of mean moments, conflict, and bullying. Learning these key terms is important because they are often misunderstood or misinterpreted. By teaching students the correct language and meaning, we can help them communicate clearly, understand each other better, and respond to situations in positive ways.
Our goal is to help students recognize the differences between these situations and practice problem-solving, teamwork, and responsible choices. This connects with our Student of the Quarter trait – Digital Citizenship and Teamwork. While the world is not always kind, understanding and managing mean moments, conflict, and bullying helps students take ownership of their actions, develop self-awareness, treat others with respect, and make a positive difference in their school community. These skills support growth, confidence, and a safe, caring environment for everyone.
To expand on this theme of kindness, on September 18th, students across our district participated in the Chalk the Walk event. This initiative, hosted by St. Lawrence County Suicide Prevention, helps raise awareness and spread positivity. Our SLC students did a fantastic job creating messages of hope and encouragement, setting the tone for a caring and supportive school climate.
Let’s continue to shine, start the year strong, and spread positivity throughout our school community. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s counselor. We truly appreciate your support!
All the best,
Mr. Niles nniles@bfcsd.org (Students A-K)
Mr. Clookey dclookey@bfcsd.org (Students L-Z)
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 18th. 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 Mrs. McFarland and Ms. LaBarge for organizing and overseeing our Costume Closet! We are always accepting costume donations. They can be dropped off at the elementary office.
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 to (our "Watch us bloom!" garden):
Dear Families,
Welcome to October! It has been a great start to the school year. This month, we’re focusing on healthy habits, empathy, and helping kids feel safe, confident, and supported at school.
September Recap:
We are excited to welcome our new counselor, Ms. LaBarge. Ms. LaBarge is assigned to be the school counselor for students in Prekindergarten, kindergarten, and first grade.
Here's a little bit about Ms. LaBarge: She brings 8 years of experience in education and recently earned her master’s degree and certification in school counseling. Ms. LaBarge is passionate about helping students understand and manage their emotions while creating a safe and caring space where every child feels heard, supported, and valued. Outside of school, she enjoys crafting, cooking, going to concerts, and spending time with her two cats.
We are so excited to welcome her to the Larries family!
Last month, our character trait of the month was inclusion – making sure everyone feels welcome and part of the group. To reinforce this we read the book- All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold. Through this book and class discussion, students learned about kindness, celebrating differences, and building community. Our main takeaway was: treat others the way you want to be treated, notice and enjoy what makes each person unique, and make sure everyone has a place.
We are excited to start the month of October. For October, our school-wide character trait is Empathy. Empathy is noticing how others feel and trying to understand their perspective. All of our classes will be reading The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig. The goal is for students to learn how small acts of kindness can make someone feel seen, ways to notice feelings, and offer support.
As we are settling into the school year and making routines and habits, it is important to note that simple habits help students to feel safe and confident. Some routine suggestions are:
- For bedtime: Quiet story, dim lights, no screens 30 minutes before bed
- For morning: Hug, breakfast, and a reminder of something good about the day
- For after school: Offer a snack, short break, then read or finish any schoolwork before play
As we talk about healthy habits, it is important to explain attendance and why attendance matters.
Coming to school every day helps children for many reasons. A few benefits are:
- Learn new skills and lessons
- Make friends and feel part of the group
- Build good habits for the future
- Even missing 2 days a month can add up to almost a whole month of school in a year!
Processing Big Thoughts & Big Feelings:
Many students come home from a busy day and have a hard time processing everything. Parents often notice kids having “big thoughts and big feelings” right before bed. Asking gentle questions can help children reflect and calm their minds, here are some counselor recommended questions to ask your children to help them calm their mind before:
- What was the best part of your day?
- Was there anything that made you feel worried or frustrated?
- Did someone do something kind for you today?
- How did you help someone today?
- If you could change one thing about today, what would it be?
- What are you looking forward to tomorrow?
Try asking a few of these questions during the ride home, snack time, or bedtime routine. Let your child answer in short or long responses—they just need space to share.
What’s Happening This Month:
October is full of exciting activities!
Too Good For Violence Curriculum: The Seaway Valley Prevention Council is coming back to our Life Lab to teach Kindergarten through 4th grade students about making safe, healthy choices and solving problems without violence.
Team Building & Problem Solving: Our school counselors have visited classrooms to lead fun team-building exercises, helping students practice working together, sharing ideas, and solving problems.
Plant Experiment: Several classes received plants donated by our greenhouse. (Thank you, Ms. Tatro and the SLC Greenhouse!) Students are talking to one plant positively and one plant negatively each day, then working as a class to notice how the plants respond differently. This teaches about growth, care, and the power of words and actions.
We are excited for everything we have planned and ready to roll out this month.
Your School Counseling Team
Mrs. McFarland & Ms. LaBarge
Amplify Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) is a reading and language program for students in PreK–4. It helps children learn phonics, while also giving them the chance to read and listen to rich stories and informational texts. The program is carefully designed so students build knowledge step by step, learning the skills they need to read while also using reading to learn about the world.
Every day in grades PreK–2, students do two lessons in CKLA: one focuses on building strong reading skills (like phonics and writing), and the other helps them learn about the world through stories and informational texts. By grades 3–5, students use those skills more confidently, so they can focus on reading to learn new ideas and explore bigger topics.
How you can support your student at home:
📖Read with your student daily. Even 15 minutes of reading together each day can have a huge impact.
📖Read sections of the text aloud together. If your student struggles, you might try reading the text to them with expression, then having them read it aloud back to you.
📖Talk with your child about what they’re reading and learning. You can ask simple questions like:
- What was the most interesting part of what you read today?
- Did you learn something new?
- Were there any words or sentences that were tricky?
- What do you think the author was trying to say?
- Do you agree with what the author said?
- Does this story or text remind you of something from your own life?
Watch out for Little Larries Highlights updates to see this in action!
The authors of the Daily Prophet newsletter have been officially hired! The Daily Prophet is the monthly 4th grade newsletter that goes home with articles written by the 4th grade students. Only eight students have the privilege of writing for the newsletter out of the entire 4th grade! Congratulations to the new authors for the 2025-2026 school year.
The administration at St. Lawrence Central is committed to keeping our community informed and safe by sharing almost daily alerts about dangerous online challenges circulating on social media. As a school district, we strongly believe in partnering with parents to raise awareness and provide timely information to help protect our students from these online risks.
The Importance of Parents Monitoring Students’ Use of Social Media and Protecting Our Children from Dangerous Challenges:
In today’s digital age, social media has become an integral part of how students connect, learn, and express themselves. While these platforms offer many positive opportunities, they also expose young people to risks, especially when it comes to dangerous online challenges that can harm their safety and well-being.
Why Monitoring Social Media Matters:
Parents play a crucial role in helping children navigate the digital world safely. Social media sites can be a place where students encounter harmful content, including risky challenges that encourage unsafe behavior. These challenges often spread quickly, driven by peer pressure and the desire for online recognition. Without guidance and supervision, students may feel compelled to participate, sometimes with serious consequences.
The Risks of Dangerous Online Challenges:
Many social media challenges appear harmless or fun at first glance, but some involve activities that can cause physical injury, emotional distress, or even legal trouble. Examples include challenges that encourage self-harm, risky stunts, or bullying others. Such challenges can lead to accidents, mental health issues, or damage to a child’s reputation and future.
How Parents Can Help:
Stay Informed: Keep up-to-date with the latest social media trends and challenges. Knowing what your child might be exposed to helps you talk openly about the risks.
Open Communication: Create a safe space for your child to share their online experiences. Encourage them to discuss anything that makes them uncomfortable or scared.
Set Boundaries: Establish clear rules about social media use, including time limits and appropriate content. Use parental controls and privacy settings to protect your child’s online presence.
Educate About Risks: Teach children to recognize dangerous challenges and the importance of making safe choices. Emphasize that it’s okay to say no and to report harmful content.
Model Healthy Behavior: Demonstrate responsible social media use yourself. Children learn a lot by watching how adults manage their digital lives.
Working Together for Safer Online Spaces:
Schools and parents must collaborate to ensure students understand the impact of their online actions. Schools can offer programs that educate students about digital safety, while parents provide ongoing support at home. Together, we can empower students to enjoy the benefits of social media while avoiding its dangers.
In conclusion, social media is a powerful tool that, when used wisely, can enrich students’ lives. However, the presence of dangerous challenges means parents must stay vigilant and involved. By monitoring social media use and fostering open communication, parents help protect their children’s safety, well-being, and future success in a connected world.
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.
Contact Information
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