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:

• Please be on the lookout for a food donation event that is in the works to support those 282 students at SLC whose families may be missing a few weeks of their SNAP benefits. A variety of SLC student led groups are currently planning this event.

Reminder of Important Educational Dates:

• November 7th-FULL Leave Early Evacuation Drill off campus. Please read further details inside.

• November 10th-Full Staff Development Day (students are off this day) . SLC will be hosting Brian Mendler, an expert on classroom behavioral management techniques for the day.

• November 11th-Veteran’s Day there is no school for students or staff. A big shout out to all those who currently serve in our United States Military Armed Forces, along with those VETERANS in our community, we owe so much to!

• November 12th-Red Cross Blood Drive being hosted here at school during the school day by our National Honor Society. Please call the school to make an appointment if you wish to donate.

• November 14th-Picture retake day for all ES, MS, and HS students.

• November 17th-Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held in the Middle and High Schools from 1-3 and 6-8 pm. Students in the MS/HS will be released early at 11:30 am. Please know that continued face to face interaction with your child(s) teachers only builds a stronger relationship with you and the teachers as well as an increased positive relationship between your child and their teacher.

• November 21 & 22-Best of luck to the cast, crew, and directors of the upcoming fall play Frozen Jr. Performances will begin at 7pm each night in the HS/MS auditorium. New this year…the play is performed by our Middle School students with help in directing, stage crew, and more from our High School drama students.

• November 24 & 25-Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held in the elementary school. Elementary students will be released at 11:30 am each day.

• November 26-28-Thanksgiving Vacation…all students and staff will off for the holiday.

Shout Outs and Reminders:

• Thank you to all the first responder units that came and gave of their time on “First Responders Day”. The elementary staff and students had a great time visiting all the stations (especially the station where students could work the fire hose to put out flames in the make-shift house) that were set up for the day. This year we owe a big shout out to our Elementary Nurse, Amber Tuper, for taking the lead and organizing this great event.

• Congratulations to all of our fall athletes and coaches for a very entertaining fall season! Special congratulations to our girls varsity soccer team for not only reaching the Class C Championship game, but for WINNING it also! Best of luck on Tuesday in the first round of the NYS Playoffs.

• Congratulations to all those that have been recognized, in this November issue, for the outstanding work you are doing.

Please have a safe and healthy November.

Christopher Rose

Superintendent of Schools

The New York State Council on Children and Families (CCF) has one simple goal: to help every child in New York get the best possible start. To do it, they need your voice. This short survey takes just a few minutes, but it can help them make a lasting impact on generations of parents and children.

Your opinions and experiences can help them:

• Understand what families really need to know.
• Spread the word about childhood development, milestones, and early screenings.
• Connect parents with trusted resources and support.

The survey is voluntary, anonymous, and confidential.

Take the survey here: EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES SURVEY

Please complete this survey by the end of the day on Tuesday, November 21 to make sure your voice is heard. If you have any questions about the survey, contact The Council on Children and Families at NYSB5@ccf.ny.gov. Your feedback will help them support families across New York State.

Thank you for helping them give every child the strong start they deserve!

Congratulations to the following students who were recognized as Students of the Month for September and October! The character traits were Politeness and Respect.

Alaquin O'Hara, Caitlin Lawrence, Evyn Sutton, Claire Todd, Gracelyn Clary, Brianna Williams, Zaida Sweeney, Brayden Baker, Addison Rubado, Manny Irizarry, Isabelle Earl, Thomas Lane, Lily LaBier, Zachary Finazzo

Missing from photo: Aiden Thomas & Makayla Collins

Mrs. Barse's Life Skills class 3D printed Halloween cookie cutters, and then used them to baked their own cookies!

In their ELA class, the students read Animal Farm by George Orwel, and then created projects that corresponded to the story.

On October 17th, our students had the incredible opportunity to take part in Manufacturing Day, where they explored exciting local career pathways in the modern manufacturing industry! Students toured Alcoa and Arconic or Arconic and Curran Renewable, gaining a firsthand look at the innovative work happening right here in St. Lawrence County.

We are so grateful to these local businesses for opening their doors and showing our students the amazing employment opportunities available to them and their families—right in our community!

A huge thank you to everyone who made this day possible and to our students for representing our school with pride and curiosity!

The Physics students were experimenting to be able to calculate their reaction times in a lab recently.

Regents Chemistry students got to experiment with fire as they completed the Flame Test Lab. Students got to see first hand how the electrons in a metallic ion got excited in the flame of the bunsen burner and emitted colorful spectra when they returned to lower energy levels.

The High School Robotics team, St. Lawrence Stingerz, has been hard at work this fall learning and preparing for this upcoming FTC season. They are hosting a scrimmage here at SLC on November 8th from 1-4 pm in the Middle School Gym. They look forward to working with other area teams.

The team would like to give a BIG THANK YOU to the Northern Community Foundation for their $1000 grant and Arconic for their $750 grant to help with the expenses for this program. It would not be possible without their support!

The IMPETUS program had two great trips to Clarkson already this school year. The students are excitedly completing "Problems of the Week", starting small group research, and of course winning cool prizes.

Many thanks to Clarkson University and the New York STEP program.

SLC was wonderfully represented at the yearly Whiz Quiz competition. This year's team members are Andrew Crump, Adam Kohl, Stella Todd, Aiden Haverstock, and Nadia Cootware. You can watch the competition on WPBS or online at https://www.wpbstv.org/.

On October 21st, the BRAIN-STEM crew took a trip to Clarkson University. The students spent the day learning about and working toward treating their "patient".

Pictured are students investigating portions of the brain: Leyah Chapman, Raven Barse, Tristan Cartee, Alyvia LaBier, Liam Frank, Abigail Holmes, Madison Newtown, Abigail Newtown, Marleigh Mattison, and Blake Parker.

The first project that students make in Studio In Art class is their sketchbook. They design the cover using the art of collage, and they base the theme of the collage on themselves. They use their sketchbook throughout the year for drawing assignments and for planning out other assignments.

Studio In Art students just finished Surrealistic landscapes in pencil or colored pencil. These works challenge the boundaries of the imagination.

In Drawing and Painting class, students build their own sketchbook, but they use the theme of I am and I want to. They have to do some self-reflection as to who they are, and what they want to do in the future.

Below are a couple of awesome ceiling tiles painted in Drawing and Painting class.

Independent students are working on a few different works.

Mikayla Tobin just finished a pen and ink drawing titled "Hometown Hero". This work is done entirely with words that describe the subject of her drawing. To see it in person is very moving, and a very nice tribute.

Zaida Sweeney completed a work doing a process called reduction, drawing using charcoal. She covered a piece of white material with charcoal and then used an eraser to expose the white underneath creating the image. This is a different process, and proved challenging, but the final image turned out very well.

Fall sports are winding down and Winter Sports will be getting underway soon. If your child missed sign-ups, that's fine, they can still ask Mr. Reome to add them to the list, or show up on day one for practice.

Tentatively, here is the day one practice schedule for each winter sports team:

• Boys Varsity Hockey - Monday, November 17th from 3:30-5:30pm at Tri-Town Arena
• Girls JV/Varsity Basketball - Monday, November 17th from 3:30-5:45pm in the HS Gym
• Boys JV/Varsity Basketball - Monday, November 17th from 5:45-8:00pm in the HS Gym
• Cheer - Monday, November 17th from 3:30-5:00pm in the MS Gym
• Boys Modified Basketball - Monday, November 24th from 3:45-5:15pm in the Elem Gym
• Girls Modified Basketball - Monday, November 24th from 3:30-5:00pm in the MS Gym

Winter Sports physicals will be offered in the disctrict on Thursday, November 6th. Students can't begin practice without a physical on file with the school nurse.

As far as the Fall athletics, Swim Sectionals will be held on Sunday, November 9th at 1:00pm at Maxcy Hall in Potsdam. Congratulations to Sonja Wultsch-Fuller on the many school records she broke this Fall! She will definitely have a great chance of going to the New York State Tourney.

The Girls Varsity Soccer Team had an outstanding regular season, finishing 2nd in the East Division with an impressive 12-3-1 record — highlighted by a memorable Senior Night victory over 1st-place Chateaugay. Their hard work paid off with five All-Northern selections! The team carried that momentum into the postseason, capturing the Class C Championship with a thrilling 2-1 win over Lisbon. Best of luck to Coach Chamberlain and the team as they compete in the first round of the NYS Playoffs on Tuesday, November 4th!

A reminder to all Seniors, if you are planning on going to college and you play a sport for SLC, please apply for the Lalonde Family Initiative Scholarships. $60,000 will be awarded this year. See Mrs. Jenkinson in the High School Guidance office for an application.

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,

Last month I shared instructions with parents on how to access Schooltool for students. Please notify the office if you are having trouble with this so we can make sure you have access to your child in order to support them at home. We have a lot of middle school students that go home and tell their parents they do not have any homework when they have many incomplete assignments.

Hello Middle School Families,

We can’t believe October is already behind us! The school year is moving quickly, and we’ve been busy supporting students across the Middle School.

In advisory classes and with 7th graders, we’ve been talking about mean moments, conflict, and bullying to help students understand these situations and handle them respectfully.

Next quarter’s character trait is communication. Students will learn how to express their needs clearly and respectfully, including using assertive language, tone, and body language. These skills are important for positive interactions at school and beyond!

Eighth Grade Individual Meetings are coming up soon! These meetings help students plan for high school by reviewing course options, electives, and NYS graduation requirements. Parents and guardians are encouraged to attend, either in person or by phone/email if needed. All 8th-grade families should have received an email about scheduling — please reach out to your child’s counselor to set up a time.

Eighth Grade Field Trip: In November, all 8th grader students will visit Seaway Tech to explore a variety of career and trade programs, helping them see options for their future.

We’re excited for the months ahead! As always, if you have any questions, please contact your child’s counselor.

Mr. Niles nniles@bfcsd.org (Students A-K)

Mr. Clookey dclookey@bfcsd.org (Students L-Z)

Eighth grade ELA students learned about persuasive techniques that authors and advertisers use to try to make their statements convincing. To practice, students designed their own custom shoes, and wrote a persuasive sales pitch expressing why we should buy their shoes. There were some really creative designs and excellent persuasive write-ups. Check some out!

The Middle School Art Room would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Mrs. LaBarge for her generous donation of pumpkins! 🎃 Students have been hard at work drawing pumpkin still lifes, decorating real pumpkins, and sharing them with SLC staff members to spread a little fall cheer throughout the school.

Fifth graders kicked off the year by creating their own sketchbooks and practicing pumpkin drawings while exploring a variety of patterns and designs.

Sixth graders began the year by making sketchbooks, then moved on to drawing pumpkin still lifes. They focused on adding value and shading to create depth and realism in their artwork.

Eighth graders started the year studying the work of street artists from around the world. They designed their own graffiti-style tags and personalized sketchbook covers using collage techniques. They then applied their drawing skills to pumpkin still lifes, experimenting with pencil types, values, and blending techniques. Some of these pieces will be on display at the Brasher Falls Town Hall building starting Tuesday, November 4th, and will remain on exhibit for the month. The building is open to the public Monday–Thursday from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm—please stop in to see their amazing artwork!

🎉Students in Ms. Chapman’s 5th grade classes have officially earned their very first Classroom Bingo Party!

To earn this celebration, students have been working hard to master the Three Es — Entering, Existing, and Exiting the classroom. This focus has helped create a positive, productive learning environment for everyone.

Students voted on their party choices, which included fun options like Popcorn & PJs, Extra Recess & Pizza, Electronics & Ice Cream Sundaes, and Free Time with a Candy Salad.

Congratulations to all of our 5th grade students for their teamwork and dedication!

5th grade students explored parabolic art in Ms. Chapman's class! They combined math and creativity by transforming their geometric designs into spooky spider webs—a perfect blend of art, math, and Halloween spirit! 🎃

Hello SLC Families,

Thanks to all who joined us for our annual Halloween parade! It is always nice to bring our families in to celebrate with us.

At the beginning of October we celebrated fire safety week, which culminated with "First Responder Day." This is an awesome event, which exposed our students to the many jobs first responders perform. First Responder Day was a huge success! Thanks to all of our staff and volunteers who made this day happen. We even had one lucky student win a ride home from school in a fire truck! Congratulations Audrey Love!

On Friday, November 7th, St. Lawrence Central will be holding our mandated Evacuation Crisis Drill at dismissal. All elementary staff and students will participate in the off-site evacuation drill, which will begin with a fire drill. We appreciate your patience and understanding with these drills, as they help staff and students better prepare for emergency situations. If your child is a permanent parent pick-up or needs to be picked up for an afternoon appointment, you are asked to pick up your child before 1:00. You will need to sign out your child at the Elementary Office. There will not be any announcements this day. Students will not be allowed to leave once the evacuation drill has begun and will be put on a bus. If you have any questions concerning the drill, please call the office at (315)389-5131 ext. 29300.

There will be no school on Monday, November 10th for staff development. There will be no school on Tuesday, November 11th in honor of Veterans' Day. School will resume on Wednesday, November 12th and it will be a Day 5. Also on November 12th, our first through fourth grade students will attend a field trip to Clarkson University for a hockey game.

We will be holding parent-teacher conferences on Monday and Tuesday, November 24th and 25th, with dismissal at 11:30 for elementary students. After the first quarter we like to meet with each child's parent/guardian. Please be on the lookout for information regarding scheduling your conference from your child's teacher. Many of you may have already scheduled your appointments. We look forward to meeting with you!

There will be no school on Wednesday, November 26th through Friday, November 28th, in honor of Thanksgiving. School will resume on Monday, December 1st and it will be a Day 3.

I cannot believe how quickly the first couple months of school have come and gone. With everything going on in November, it is sure to fly by just as quickly.

Respectfully,

Mrs. Colterman

Hi Larries and Families,

October was a busy and exciting month at school! Our school-wide character trait was empathy. Empathy means understanding and caring about how someone else feels.

All classes read The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig. The story is about Brian, a quiet boy who often feels left out until a classmate shows him kindness and helps him feel included. Students talked about how even small actions like smiling, saying hello, or inviting someone to join in can make a big difference in helping others feel seen and valued.

Talking About Empathy at Home:

You can help your child build empathy with small, everyday moments. Try asking:

• “How do you think your friend felt today?”

• “What’s one kind thing you did for someone?”

• “Has anyone done something kind for you lately?”

You can also:

• Share your feelings — Tell your child how you feel and what helps you calm down.

• Notice kindness — Point out acts of kindness you see at home or in your community.

• Practice perspective-taking — Ask, “How would you feel if that happened to you?”
  
  

Here are some ways you can help to build empathy at home!

These simple ideas help children strengthen empathy, kindness, and problem-solving skills — no special materials needed!

1. Kindness Catch: Toss a soft ball or stuffed animal back and forth. Each time you catch it, say something kind about someone you know.
2. Walk in Their Shoes: Talk about a situation from someone else’s point of view. For example: “How might your teacher feel when students talk while she’s giving directions?”
3. Thank You Notes: Have your child draw or write a thank-you note for someone who has helped them—a bus driver, teacher, or friend.
4. Feelings Detective: While watching a movie or reading a story, pause and ask, “How do you think this character feels right now?” or “What made them feel that way?”
5. Family Kindness Jar: Put a jar on the table. Each time someone in the family does something kind, write it down and add it to the jar. Read the notes together at the end of the week!

Too Good For Violence:

This month, we welcomed the Seaway Valley Prevention Council into Library and Life Lab! They taught the Too Good For Violence program to our Kindergarten through 4th grade students. A big thank you to both: Seaway Valley Prevention Council and Mrs. Ronan in the library for offering this program to our students.

This program helps students learn important social-emotional skills such as:

• Solving problems peacefully

• Managing anger in healthy ways

• Showing respect and kindness to others

You can continue the conversation at home with questions like:

• “What can you do if you start to feel really angry?”

• “How can you solve a problem without yelling or fighting?”

• “What does respect look like at school? What about at home?”

• “What’s one way you can help make your classroom or family feel more peaceful?”

Understanding Rules in Different Places:

One topic we’ve been talking about a lot this year is that different places have different rules. For example, at home, your child might be allowed to go to the bathroom with the door open, but at school, we always keep it closed.

Learning that rules can change depending on the setting helps children understand boundaries, safety, and respect for others. The counselors kindly ask that you talk with your child about what rules look like in different places such as: home, school, the store, or the playground. Along with talking about these places and why those rules might be different.

These conversations help children adjust more easily between environments and build good social awareness.

Third Grade Team-Building:

This month, third grade welcomed Mrs. McFarland to complete team-building challenges and activities. Students worked together to complete a puzzle and then discussed the importance of trust in teamwork, including:

• Different levels of trust

• How to offer trust to others

• Why trust is important when working together

These lessons help students understand how cooperation and trust make teamwork stronger and more successful skills they can use in school, at home, and in their community.

Attendance Matters:

As the weather gets colder, please remember how important it is for students to come to school every day, on time. Each school day builds on the one before it—when children miss school, it’s harder to catch up and feel connected.

When students attend regularly, they:

• Build strong friendships

• Learn more and gain confidence

• Feel more comfortable in class
  
  

If your family is having trouble with attendance, please reach out. We are here to help and can connect you with support or resources.

Thank you for helping us make October a month full of kindness, empathy, and learning!

Your School Counseling Team

Mrs. McFarland & Ms. LaBarge

Our Pirate-Themed Family Night was a treasure-filled adventure! Families came together to enjoy hands-on activities such as building pirate ships, coding treasure maps, and hunting for hidden treasures around the school. The excitement continued with games, crafts, and a visit from the Children’s Museum Traveling Math Lab. It was wonderful to see so many families participating and having fun together! A special thank you to the Arconic Foundation Grant for sponsoring this event—and to our amazing staff and volunteers for helping make the evening such a success.

The fourth graders wrapped up their Middle Ages unit with a fun-filled celebration! The students had an amazing time stepping back in time to experience what life might have been like during the medieval period.

They enjoyed a variety of hands-on activities, including shield making, castle designing, and creating their own stained glass art. They also shared some yummy Middle Ages–themed foods, which everyone loved!

In Elementary Physical Education, Mr. Dow wrapped up the kicking and soccer unit with a fun a game of Angry Birds. The activity helped students build teamwork skills in both small and large groups while practicing turn-taking, and improving their accuracy to knock down the structures they created.

As we enter the holiday season this November, it’s important for our entire school community—students, parents, and teachers alike—to be aware of a growing challenge in today’s digital world: misinformation. With advances in artificial intelligence, technologies like deepfakes and AI-generated content are becoming more sophisticated, making it harder to tell what’s real and what’s not.

As part of our commitment to preparing students for the digital age, one of the goals this year’s at SLC is to help students better understand the misinformation and bias that AI can produce. Many students may not realize that not everything generated by AI is accurate or true. By raising awareness about how AI can unintentionally spread false information or reinforce biases, SLC aims to equip students with the critical thinking skills needed to question and verify the content they encounter. This initiative supports our broader effort to build digital literacy and encourage responsible use of technology throughout the school community.

For students, learning how to recognize and critically evaluate digital content is a vital skill that supports responsible media consumption and digital citizenship. Parents and teachers can work together to foster open discussions about the importance of verifying sources and understanding how technology can both create and combat misinformation. This holiday season, as families gather and share stories, it’s a great opportunity to talk about the role technology plays in shaping what we see online, and how we can stay informed and be thoughtful consumers of information. Together, our community can build stronger digital literacy skills that empower everyone to navigate today’s complex media landscape with confidence.

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