Roxboro Road Elementary School students learn from Mattydale Fire Department staff:
Students at Roxboro Road Elementary School recently joined their community’s fun by participating in Mattydale Fire Department’s annual coloring contest to promote fire safety and prevention. Students throughout the school created and submitted pictures and the following winners were selected (pictured left to right with volunteer firefighter Steve Stolusky): Zoe Pizzingrilli, Gracyn DeLong, Aleena Lomeli, Steve Stolusky, Adrian Pabon and Kherington Myers. Kherington, who was the over- all contest winner, was treated to an exciting ride to school on board one of the firetrucks.
Many thanks to the Mattydale Fire Department for instructing our students and for getting them involved in a fun way!
Connect to the North Syracuse Central School District using Peachjar:
In addition to distributing flyers about school and district events, the North Syracuse Central School District works with community groups and organizations that sponsor activities of an educational/enrichment nature for students and staff by distributing their relevant informational materials electronically. In an effort to be more environmentally friendly, utilize technology, and maintain fiscal responsibility, we have moved from distributing paper copies to digital flyer delivery via Peachjar, a free online service for schools.
E-flyers will now be emailed directly to parents’ inboxes, as well as posted online for easy access. Paper flyers from outside organizations will no longer be distributed within the schools.
Once a flyer is posted to a school's Peachjar site, ...
Board of Education seeking Superintendent Search Community Interview Team Members:
The North Syracuse Central School District Board of Education has hired Dr. William Silky, Castallo & Silky, LLC, to conduct the Superintendent Search to replace retiring superintendent Annette Speach. As part of the search process, the Board is putting together separate interview teams of employees, students and community members.
The Board of Education is in the process of developing employee and student interview teams and is seeking residents to serve on the community interview team. The community interview team will be comprised of no more than 15 community members. The criteria for serving on this committee would be:
A resident of the District (not a district employee or a current student – there are separate interview teams for employees and ...
C-NS Marching Band off to New York City!:
The Cicero-North Syracuse High School Marching Band left C-NS on Tuesday morning, November 19 to head to New York City to march in this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade!
Please take a few moments to watch the superintendent's video newsletter message.
C-NS students learn from Syracuse University speakers:
Hundreds of students at Cicero-North Syracuse High School have had the opportunity this school year to learn about important global issues, women's rights and terrorism, from experts at Syracuse University.
In October, the Large Group Instruction room was packed with far more than 100 students when two guest speakers came to talk about journalism and sexual harassment. The two speakers, Rakesh Arya and Ha Thi Thanh Huong, come from the Humphrey Fellowship from Syracuse University.This group has 150 mid-career professionals from 97 emerging countries visit 13 universites. Ha Thi Thanh Huong is from Vietnam and Rakesh Arya is from India.
Ha Thi Thanh Huong, a journalist who covers political issues, talked to students about sexual harassment and her personal experiences ...
Junior High students dress for success!:
Throughout the North Syracuse Central School District, students have opportunities to pursue a variety of interests - through their regular coursework as well as extra-curricular activities.
Secondary-level business courses at North Syracuse Junior High School and Cicero-North Syracuse High School are designed to meet the needs of both college-bound students and those seeking entry-level employment. From introductory business classes to advanced business law, finance and entrepreneurship classes, NSCSD students have the opportunity to tackle all aspects of business.
On Thursday, November 15, business students at North Syracuse Junior High School not only learned about the business world, they dressed for it.
Business ...
C-NS Chirp Crew t-shirts on sale:
The Cicero-North Syracuse High School Entrepreneurship Club is selling Chirp Crew t-shirts in the C-NS Star Shop. They're available for $15 while supplies last! Don't miss out!
Superintendent announces retirement at end of school year:
North Syracuse Central School District Board of Education President Michael Shusda announced today Superintendent of Schools Annette Speach, will be retiring effective June 30, 2019. The Board of Education will formally accept the superintendent’s retirement resignation at its November 19th meeting.
Speach made a public announcement to district staff during her November 6 Superintendent’s Conference Day address. “Please know the North Syracuse Central School District and all of you will always be a part of me. I feel blessed to have had such a rewarding career…as teacher, principal, HR administrator and most recently superintendent,” said Speach during her remarks.
“I am blessed to have been your leader, blessed for the support of this community ...
C-NS students take top honors in local photo contest:
The 10th Annual Bousquet Holstein High School Photography Contest is open to high school photography students in Onondaga County. Each year, the contest is inspired by the theme of an upcoming exhibit at the Everson Museum of Art. This year’s theme was centered around the 50th Anniversary of the Everson Museum of Art - which was designed by internationally acclaimed architect I.M. Pei.
Students in Mrs. Blaski’s Intermediate and Advanced Photography classes at Cicero-North Syracuse High School took pictures over the summer for the photography contest entitled “Architecture: The Mirror of Life”. Students were asked to capture photographs of architecture from different perspectives and viewpoints to reveal the inspiration of the past and the spirit of the place. ...
ABCs of STEM come to life for NSCSD students:
Many kindergarten, first and second grade students will be coming home with an unfamiliar tote bag at some point this school year.... but parents should not be alarmed.
Those students are participating in the ABC’s of S.T.E.M. Student of the Week Early Education Classroom Literacy Program . Students from more than 750 classrooms and 23 school districts across Central New York are participating in the one-year pilot program designed to bring STEM to life at home.
Karyn Burns, the program's founder, is the mother of three young children. She came up with the idea for STEM literacy kits after struggling to help her own children with their homework. "I was literally in tears trying to help my fifth grader with his math homework. I realized ...
Letter Regarding Internet outages:
In recent weeks, districts throughout Central New York have experienced significant internet interruptions. Internet services for our district are purchased through the OCM BOCES Central New York Regional Information Center. On October 4, in response to these recent internet disruptions, we received a letter (click here) from OCM BOCES for distribution to our community.
Fortunately for students and staff in the North Syracuse Central School District, the impact of these internet outages has been minimized by the fact that we have a Verizon back up circuit. When outages do occur, North Syracuse students and staff maintain the ability to connect to the internet and utilize district email. While these services continue to be accessible, unfortunately, any services housed directly ...
Marching band gearing up for Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade:
The Cicero-North Syracuse High School Marching Band is honored to be performing in this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. This will mark the band's first-ever Macy's Parade performance. The Northstars will join the Parade to the call of Let’s Have a Parade, the iconic phrase that has signaled the start of every Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade since 1924.
Each year, the Macy’s Parade Band Committee looks for bands that have the stage presence, musical and marching abilities to captivate more than 3.5 million live spectators and more than 50 million viewers. The Cicero-North Syracuse High School Northstars Marching Band was selected from more than 100 applicants as one of 10 bands to march in the 92nd edition of the annual holiday ...
Expansion of School Resource Officer program:
The North Syracuse Central School District is pleased to announce the expansion of its School Resource Officer (SRO) Program. Beginning Oct. 1, the district has contracted for two additional Onondaga County Sheriff’s Department deputies as school resource officers at secondary buildings.
The SRO program is just one part of the district’s proactive approach to maintaining a school environment that is welcoming to the community and supportive of students and staff. The SRO program is particularly well suited for secondary level schools as it fosters relationships with the students and opens lines of the communication, allowing for proactive resolution of potentially dangerous situations.
As of Oct. 1, there are two SROs at Cicero-North Syracuse High School (up from ...
Students Get Hands-On Lesson in Home Ownership:
A group of students from money and banking classes at both C-NS and East Syracuse Minoa high schools, in partnership with CORE Federal Credit Union, recently took part in Home HeadQuarters’ annual Block Blitz community revitalization day. Nearly 80 students, along with staff support from both high schools and CORE FCU, spent the day painting, landscaping, and doing other home improvements to help spruce up the Elmwood Park neighborhood on the South side of the City of Syracuse.
As a follow up to the volunteer work the students did during the Block Blitz, Home Headquarters Homeownership Counselor Jenna McClave will visit the Money and Banking Classes at each school to bring the lesson on home ownership full circle. Jenna will give the students pertinent information on ...
District launching Parent Advocacy Group:
The North Syracuse Central School District is proud to be launching a new family engagement initiative, in conjunction with the Syracuse University Parent Assistance Center (SUPAC) , this fall. The district will begin a Parent Advocacy Group (PAG) for the purpose of providing parents of children with disabilities the opportunity to collaborate with each other and the school district to build trust, cultivate relationships and gain a shared understanding of the special education process and individual needs.
The group will offer morning and evening sessions around a variety of topics related to the special education process. Input will be solicited during a round-table discussion scheduled for January 22, 2019.
North Syracuse Central School District ...
GRMS students/staff participate in "Start with Hello" Week:
Students and staff at Gillette Road Middle School (GRMS) are celebrating Start with Hello Week (Sept. 24-28) by participating in in a series of activities and exercises designed to promote a culture of inclusion and acceptance at their school. Start With Hello Week is organized by Sandy Hook Promise, a national nonprofit organization based in Newtown, Connecticut.
The premise behind the week is to teach students the skills they need to create a culture of inclusion and connectedness, and encourage them to reach out to and include those who may be dealing with chronic social isolation.
Gillette Road Middle School Principal Chris Leahey is excited about bringing Start With Hello Week to the school. “We’re really geared ...
C-NS Student is Semi-Finalist in National Program:
Congratulations to Cicero-North Syracuse High School senior Joshua Budihardjo for being recognized as a semi-finalist in the 2019 National Merit Scholarship Program.
To be considered for a Merit Scholarship® award, Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition. Over 90 percent of the Semifinalists are expected to attain Finalist standing, and about half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar® title.
NMSC, a not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance, was established in 1955 specifically to conduct the annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Scholarships are underwritten by NMSC with its own funds and by approximately 410 business organizations ...
School Open Houses Taking Place:
Welcome to the 2018-2019 school year! Our first full week of school is also filled with many open houses for buildings and grade levels. Open houses begin on Sept. 12 and individual building events are listed on the calendar sent home in August and on our online calendar . Be sure to attend your child(ren)'s open house to learn about their school and meet the teachers! Have a great school year!
Staff receive Active Shooter training:
On Sept. 4, North Syracuse Central School District staff took part in Active Shooter Training with Armoured One, a local school security planning, training and
product company. The training, which took place at both Roxboro Road Middle School and the North Syracuse Junior High School, allowed staff to learn about and participate in emergency situation training.
Additional staff will be trained later this fall allowing all staff the opportunity participate in the taining.
Armoured One follows standard response protocol and New York State protocol to standardize language commonly associated with school-based emergencies. The five emergency responses designated by New York State are:
Shelter-In Place: shelter students and staff inside the building;
Hold-In Place: ...
School Physicals:
The New York State Department of Education requires a health certificate or health appraisal of each public school student when they: enter the school district for the first time; are in Grades K, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11; participate in interscholastic sports; need working papers; and are referred to the Committee on Special Education.
All students participating in interscholastic sports programs, regardless of their grade level, must have a physical exam before participating in any sport. This physical includes health history signed by a parent and blood pressure reading.
These physicals need to be turned into the school nurse prior to the start of tryouts. If you child intends to tryout for a sport, it is important that they check with their school’s nurse before tryouts to ...