NorthStar Lights

Hello North Syracuse Central School District Parents, Guardians, Teachers and Staff!

It has been another busy week in our schools. As I spent time with our Associate Superintendent for Business Services, Don Keegan and our Director of Facilities, Matt Erwin, going to schools to talk about the December 8 Structured for Success vote, I had the chance to meet with students and staff.

When we went to Cicero Elementary School yesterday morning before school, I met some students involved with the YMCA's before and after school program. I talked with a third and a fourth grade student playing a game of Chess and I was impressed by their interactions. Chess is not an easy game but the two young ladies were working together and learning from each other. Every day we interact with various people and we have opportunities to learn from them. If we don't take advantage of what others have to offer, we miss out on a chance to become a better, stronger, smarter person.

Last night I also had the chance to see the fall play, 12 Angry Jurors at Cicero-North Syracuse High School. If you don't already have plans this evening or tomorrow, please make one to attend the show. As was I, you will surely be impressed by the talent our young people have. Also happening tomorrow, our football team is playing in the Class AA Regional Final. Last week, the team became the Section III Champions for the fourth consecutive year and we are excited to see how far they'll go. Information about tomorrow's game is listed below in this newsletter.

Next week, we head into our first extended break of the school year as we celebrate the Thanksgiving Day Holiday. Because this newsletter will not be published next week, I will extend my wishes for a happy holiday to you now. My reflections during this season of thanksgiving include my sincere gratitude for our students, staff, administrators and this wonderful community. I hope you have a restful holiday spent happily with family and friends.

Sincerely,

Daniel D. Bowles, Superintendent of Schools

Today is the deadline to submit nominations for the February Wall of Distinction induction. The Wall of Distinction was created in 1990 for the purpose of recognizing and honoring graduates who have achieved a high level of prominence in their personal and/or professional lives and who have participated in extensive community service or volunteer activities.

Throughout the month of November, students at Allen Road Elementary School have been involved in a school-wide project for a great cause. Students used some class time to decorate more than 100 brown paper bags, which will now be given to the Rescue Mission. On Thanksgiving morning, the bags will be filled by Rescue Mission volunteers and then delivered by volunteer drivers.

The bags are provided to community members in need including homeless, homebound, disabled and elderly who don’t have the money to afford a meal or don’t have family to eat with on the holiday.

Pictured above are students from Jennifer Jerome's kindergarten class at Allen Road Elementary School with Principal Lafountain and their Thanksgiving bag donations to the Rescue Mission. The slideshow below contains additional pictures of Allen Road Elementary students working on the project. This week's newsletter background is a picture of the artwork from Mrs. Jerome's students.

Click here to read the full article online and see a slideshow of project pictures.

For the second consecutive year, the North Syracuse and Liverpool school districts renewed their friendly battle to be named top supporter of Paige’s Butterfly Run, Inc. and Paige’s Pajamarama.

Paige’s Pajamarama is a charity event allowing students to wear their pajamas to school when making a donation to Paige's Butterfly Run, Inc., an organization which supports children with pediatric cancer at Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital.

Click here to read the full article online.

On Monday, November 15, The Cicero-North Syracuse High School Principal's Cabinet was honored by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Central New York Chapter with the organization's "Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy" Award.

The C-NS Principal's Cabinet, led by teacher Melissa Palmisano (pictured above left), is made up of 30-40 students recommended for the group because of their leadership skills. During the school year, the group meets with C-NS Executive Principal Jamie Sullivan (pictured above right) and the school administrative team on a regular basis to discuss how they can work together to best benefit the greater school community.

Click here to read the full article online.

More than 30 students from Gillette Road Middle School, North Syracuse Junior High School, and Cicero-North Syracuse High School participated in the North Syracuse Dollars for Scholars Bowl-a-thon on Veteran's Day. The fundraising event took place at the AMF Lanes in Mattydale with students raising $1,648 for Dollars for Scholars.

The top three prize winners in raising funds for scholarships are pictured above from left to right: Garrett Arnold (8th grade at NSJH), Derek Tarquinio (8th grade at NSJH), and Nicholas Hudson (7th grade at GRMS). Pictured at the far left is Ruth Beasley, a member of the North Syracuse Dollars for Scholars who also chaired the Bowl-a-Thon event.

Money raised through the Bowl-a-thon will provide funding for two scholarships for Cicero-North Syracuse High School students at the ceremony this June. Seniors at C-NS can apply at the end of February for over 100 scholarships . More information will be available on the application process at a later date.

Student's in Arlene Osborne's class at Lakeshore Road Elementary School recently took time to create a "Happy Veteran's Day" video for the father of one of their classmates, Evelyn Shebat. Evelyn's dad is currently deployed at a private location on the other side of the world so the kids wanted to thank him for his service. Mrs. Osborne recorded a personalized video message and sent it to him for Veteran's Day. Osborne said that Mr. Shebat responded to the message within just a minute of receiving it and included the above photo with the message, "The boys say thank you for the Happy Veteran's Day video."

Mrs. Osborne's class is also partnering with Romagnoli's Christmas Tree Farm in Canastota, NY and collecting 25 cent donations for the Trees for Troops program through Nov. 19.

Earlier this school year, North Syracuse Junior High School students in Nita Bellucci’s Fashion in Our Lives classes took part in a hands-on competition to design wedding gowns out of toilet paper. The gowns were displayed in the school's library and votes were solicited from students and families.

The results have been tallied and the results are now in! Awards were given in four categories: 1. Best Overall Design, 2. Most Original Design, 3. Best Execution & Detail and 4. Best Use of Fabric/material. This year an Honorable Mention award was also given to the group that placed a very close second.

Click here to see the winners online.

Cicero-North Syracuse High School students interested in learning more about the spring musical and how to successfully audition are invited to attend this workshop. Students who are interested in auditioning but cannot attend the workshop should send an email message to info@cnsmusical.com. Click here to view the workshop flyer on Peachjar.

In accordance with CDC guidance, students, teachers and staff who have symptoms of infectious illness (influenza or COVID-19), should stay home and be referred to their healthcare provider for evaluation care and testing. Individuals who are absent from school will need to provide either a medical note or proof of a negative COVID test (PCR test).

Students or staff members who develop symptoms during the school day will be sent home immediately. Parents of students will be contacted immediately to come and pick up their child.

Please remember the symptoms of COVID 19 include:

● Fever or chills

● Cough

● Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

● Fatigue

● Muscle or body aches

● Headache

● New loss of taste or smell

● Sore throat

● Congestion or runny nose

● Nausea or vomiting

● Diarrhea

Onondaga County continues to update their options for COVID-19 testing for students and school staff needing to return to school. As new information becomes available, the North Syracuse Central School District will update the County's flyer in this newsletter. An updated flyer will replace the version in this newsletter each time the County sends new information to us.

On December 8, North Syracuse Central School District voters will be asked to consider $64.95 million worth of construction upgrades to CiceroNorth Syracuse High School, Cicero Elementary, Lakeshore Road Elementary, and Smith Road Elementary Schools.

We call this project Structured for Success! because District leaders have worked painstakingly with our architects, the Board of Education and the State Education Department to design a proposal to maximize State Aid and minimize the local tax impact. Proposition 1, which includes renovations to the buildings mentioned above, will not increase local taxes. The priorities and structure of the project, along with good fiscal management of the District over time, creates a structure for success.

The project newsletter is available online and is in the process of being mailed to all District residents. To learn more visit the project website by clicking here or watch the video by clicking here.

What's Next?

Monday, November 29 - Public Meeting on the Bond at Cicero-North Syracuse High School (6002 Route 31, Cicero) at 6 PM

Wednesday, December 1 - Public Hearing on the Bond at the Jerome F. Melvin Administrative Office Building (5355 W. Taft Rd., North Syracuse) at 6 PM

In-person space is limited due to social distancing guidelines, and masks must be worn at all times in the building. The meetings will also be livestreamed and made available for future viewing on the District’s YouTube Channel. Click here for registration and complete meeting attendance information or contact the District Clerk at jherrera@nscsd.org.

Did you know that the North Syracuse Central School District is hiring? There are a variety of positions available, both full and part-time. Learn more about employment with the District online by clicking here. Applications can also be submitted online.

Winter weather is beginning to make an appearance 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.

Click here to read the full article online.

Congratulations to the Cicero-North Syracuse High School team for winning the Class AA Section III Championship for the 4th year in a row! On Saturday, November 20, the @NorthstarsFball will face @CorningHawks at 6pm at Vestal High School. The game will also be streamed on NFHS Network so be sure to support the NorthStars!

Did you know that the North Syracuse Central School District's Athletics Department has a weekly email newsletter? If you'd like to subscribe to the newsletter, click here to fill out the necessary form.

The North Syracuse Central School District produces a weekly digital newsletter, "NorthStar Lights," to share important information and good news with NSCSD families and staff. Parents and staff members automatically receive the newsletter through SchoolMessenger.

Grandparents, community members and all friends of the NSCSD are welcome to subscribe by providing an email address by clicking here. Newsletters are emailed each Friday when school is in session. Help us share the good news and the great things happening in the NSCSD!

We love to share photos and videos from our students, families and teachers. If you're willing to share, please send your high quality images using the link below. We'll be using your photos in this newsletter and other publications throughout the school year. Additionally, high resolution, horizontal photos will be considered for the District website. If you'd like to share pictures, please email them to our Communications Officer, Laurie Cook at lcook@nscsd.org or click here to upload them.

North Syracuse Early Education Program (NSEEP) Principal Dawn Hussein recently shared these photos (above and to the left) sent to her by one of the District’s traveling staff members who sent them to her with a thoughtful message. The staff member happened to be at NSEEP on a rainy morning as the sun broke through the clouds and a rainbow appeared. The message to the principal read, “After spending some time here, I quickly realized that the rainbow begins and ends at Main Street where magic happens every day.” Principal Hussein was touched by the person’s kindness and wanted to share the thoughtful sentiment.

Mark Vinette, a business teacher at Cicero-North Syracuse High School shared his artistic photo of the beautiful rainbow over C-NS on Thursday, November 18. The photo was then shared on the District's Twitter and Facebook pages and received several "likes" and "shares" on the two social media platforms.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, we are seeing nationwide disruptions to manufacturing, supply and distribution channels. You may have experienced this yourself when you’ve tried to order something online or buy something in the store and what you’re looking for isn’t available right now.

What does the shortage mean for school meals? In short, it means that we’re having trouble getting certain foods and supplies. Your student(s) may notice that we’re serving different items than we’ve served in the past or different items than were listed on the menu.

School districts across the country are experiencing these shortages and unfortunately, we cannot control the problem. We are doing our best every day to come up with solutions to these challenges.

Click here to read the full article online.

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