Northstar Nation Updates
September 2023 - C-NS High School
Welcome Back
This newsletter will go out monthly and will contain a lot of information for both students and parents.
We hope everyone has a great year and we can't wait to see you back!
Important Dates
August 30, 2023 - CNS Walk Through- 9am-6pm
September 7, 2023 - First day of school for students, half day for juniors and seniors
September 19 - September 22, 2023 - School pictures for sophomores and juniors
September 27, 2023 - Meet the teacher night 6:00pm - 7:30pm
October 3, 2023 - Financial Aid Fact night and College Fair
October 6, 2023 - Half day for students, students dismissed at 10:26am
October 6, 2023 - End of 5-week, reports on SchoolTool October 13, 2023
School Start and End Times
Please plan on taking extra time if you are a driver or if parents are dropping students off to school. There is HEAVY traffic on route 31 every single morning. This is nothing that the school can control. Plan to leave houses with extra time built in during the morning commute to account for Route 31 traffic. Route 31 in front of CNS is a major thoroughfare for people living in the housing developments around our building, especially in the morning. Again, the traffic is out of our control. Students that arrive late will be subjected to consequences, school starts promptly at 7:35am.
New This Year-STAR Time!
We have created a new support for our students who are struggling in multiple academic areas and would benefit from a structured setting, instead of being placed in a regular study hall. Star time will focus on helping identify root causes of students’ struggles, and implement strategies that get students on a path to a successful year.
Star time teachers will be working with students on executive functioning skills, study skills, and academic skills that can be used across curriculums, such as organizing their thoughts for essay writing, reading comprehension, etc. Star Time teachers may be reaching out to you if they have one of your students assigned to them to get information on how best to support your students.
After School Help
First day/BOCES first day
Parent drop off and pick up locations
Directions: When entering CNS from route 31, take a right (the side that goes down to the stadium) and then pull into the parking lot that is your first left. Park there to drop off or pick up students. We do not allow parents to pick up or drop off in the main parking lot at arrival and dismissal times. It is a safety concern with so many cars entering and exiting while our seniors are parking or leaving.
Please see map below for a visual representation.
Breakfast and lunch--Free this year!
This year all of our students in the building will qualify for one free breakfast and one free lunch each day. Any student wanting more that one breakfast or lunch will have to purchase them at the school rate. Additional breakfast meals will cost $2.30 and additional lunch meals will cost $3.55.
We have a very strict policy on outside food being delivered by food delivery or by parents. We do not allow outside food to be dropped off. This shifts the focus of our security guards from making sure the building is safe, to constantly managing food deliveries.
If a student is experiencing food insecurities, parents or students may reach out to their school counselor and we will make sure they have a bag of food to bring home on the weekends.
Nurses office
Michelle Koslowski 10th grade Nurse 315-218-4177 mkoslowski@nscsd.org
Kelly Shumway 11th grade Nurse 315-218-4103 kshumway@nscsd.org
Kelly McClure 12th grade Nurse 315-218-4178 kmcclure@nscsd.org
Nurses Fax number 315-218-4170
For further information and forms please check our webpage: https://sites.google.com/nscsd.org/c-nshealthoffice/
All entering 12th graders are required to have the Meningococcal Immunization. If your child
Has not received that immunization by September 21, 2023 they will Be excluded from school.
All medications need a new order every school year Including self -carry.
Please send all physical exams and any Doctor notes directly to the school nurse.
Hallways
Bathroom changes this year
Morning Extra Help
English - room 214
Living Environment - room 269
Earth Science - room 272
Social Studies - room 114
French - room 304
Spanish - room 303
Math - room 309
School Counselor Contact Information
Ms. Scott, secretary - (315) 218-4107
Ms. Mack - smack1@nscsd.org - (315) 218-4126
Ms. Heffron - sheffron@nscsd.org - (315) 218-4120
Ms. Nappi - cnappi@nscsd.org - (315) 218-4127
House Two Counselors:
Ms. Feidt, secretary - (315) 218-4207
Mr. Breindel - ebreindel@nscsd.org - (315) 218-4214
Ms. Kwilos - ckwilos@nscsd.org - (315) 218-4212
Ms. Scarcella - mscarcella@nscsd.org - (315) 218-4211
House Three Counselors:
Ms. Frey, secretary - (315) 218-4307
Ms. Catera - scatera@nscsd.org - (315) 218-4312
Ms. Murphy - dmurphy@nscsd.org - (315) 218-4311
Ms. Wilson - awilson@nscsd.org - (315) 218-4203
Classic FM Music Educator Award Honoree-Karen Seamens
WCNY is producing a half-hour TV special focusing on honorees, and their wonderful students. “Our Teachers, Our Future” will air on WCNY-TV Wednesday, August 30, 9-9:30pm. This will not only honor Ms. Seamen's achievements, it will also serve as the official kickoff of season two of the awards program. We hope you will be able to watch, and we hope you enjoy the show!
CNS Fall Play!
CNS IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE, 'ARSENIC AND OLD LACE' AS THIS YEAR'S FALL PLAY!!!!!
AUDITIONS WILL TAKE PLACE SEPTEMBER 13-14 AND INTERVIEWS FOR OUR PRODUCTION CREW WILL BE SEPTEMBER 15TH!
IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN BEING PART OF THIS YEAR'S FALL PRODUCTION - PLEASE CLICK THE LINK BELOW FOR ALL INFORMATION AND SIGN UP FOR 'ARSENIC AND OLD LACE'.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iLhWRfZXD3oPYl7KJCuMLEvRfOgNQo3EPwYkj6TuqQA/edit?usp=sharing
CNS Vocal Jazz and CNS Ensemble Auditions
Auditions for the CNS Vocal Jazz and CNS Jazz Ensemble will take place in the first few weeks of school!
Anyone interested in auditioning should visit the link to get more information on how to become part of these INCREDIBLE groups. Sign-up times for auditions can be found HERE
September 11-12th - CNS VOCAL Jazz Auditions https://docs.google.com/document/d/1es4qCb66d4AHjZw2oysBQVDfuP_y2m-qkGOS7iLX_fE/edit?usp=sharing
September 19-20 - CNS INSTRUMENTAL Jazz Ensemble Auditions: Please prepare the music for your instrument from the following link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vt0s1Qc_4z0EV7668CR33RKoiCtthFWJ/view?usp=sharing
School Pictures
Senior Pictures
IF YOU WANT TO SAVE TIME AND MONEY, senior yearbook portraits will be taken by Upstate Images for free, and they are booking sessions now for their new studio location in the plaza next to CNS. Of course, you may also purchase one of their professional portrait packages if you so choose. (see the attached page from Upstate Images) For anyone who is unable to schedule a portrait session before autumn, Upstate Images will be coming to CNS Monday 10/23 through Friday 10/27 to take the remaining senior portraits.
If you want to have your photo taken with a professional photographer other than Upstate Images, THE DEADLINE TO SUBMIT YOUR PORTRAIT IS OCTOBER 2nd. If your senior portrait is not submitted by the October 2nd deadline, you will still be able to have it taken by Upstate Images in school in October.
In order for Balfour, our yearbook publisher, to achieve strong reproductions, the photographs are required to be of professional quality. While we want to offer you flexibility in choosing your senior portrait photographer, we also need to maintain the consistency in quality. If you choose to go to a different professional photographer, these are the requirements that your photographer is required to follow:
- Photos must be in color
- Your photographer should use standard blue/grey background
- No backlighting or special effects
- NO props, hats, cats (or any other pets) in the photos
- NO photos from cell phones and no candid photos
- Must be a .jpg format at 300 dpi
- Your photo file must be saved with the file name: Last Name_First Name (example: Doe_John).
- You must submit your photo file to Dropbox using the following link or click the GREEN BUTTON below:
https://www.dropbox.com/request/YoQbhIwQk4iGQrx8SvzC Be sure to give your photographer this link or code!
* If UPSTATE IMAGES is taking your portrait, they will take care of submitting your portrait and therefore, you do not have to submit it.
GIVE THESE REQUIREMENTS TO YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER IF YOU DO NOT USE UPSTATE IMAGES
It is the responsibility of the senior to make sure the photographer (if you use one other than Upstate Images) has the link above so he/she can submit the photo to CNS Yearbook. Also, it is the responsibility of the senior to check to see if their portrait was received by CNS Yearbook.
You can get as many casual shots for your own personal use with your photographer; however, we require the traditional head and shoulders portrait for the senior section of the yearbook. If there is space, we may include a section for the non-traditional shots like standing by a car or a fountain, etc. for you to submit in addition to your portrait, but that all depends on the available space in the yearbook.
Once again, we will be providing senior portrait sessions for you with Upstate Images. If you do not attend the spring/summer portrait sessions with Upstate Images, you will be able to sign up with your English teachers for the in-school photo session as the date approaches. Again, this is a FREE service and is provided to give you a high-quality portrait, which will be unified with the rest of the senior portraits in the yearbook, but you may also purchase a photo package if you choose.
Attendance is important!
- Students should miss no more than 9 days of school each year to stay engaged, successful and on track to graduation.
- Frequent absences can be a sign that a student is losing interest in school, struggling with school work, dealing with a bully or facing some other difficulty.
- By 6th grade, absenteeism is one of three signs that a student may drop out of high school.
- By 9th grade, attendance is a better predictor of graduation rathes than 8th grade test scores.
- Missing 10%, or 2 days a month, over the course of the school year, can affect a student's academic success.
What you can do:
- Talk about the importance of showing up to school every day.
- Help your teen maintain daily routines, such as finishing homework and getting a good night's sleep.
- Try not to schedule appointments during the school day.
- If your teens must stay home because they are sick, they are responsible for getting the work missed from their teachers. They can email their teachers from home while out to get school work.
Additional resources for parents: https://www.attendanceworks.org/resources/handouts-for-families-2/
Yearbook
It's that time again...CNS Yearbook Pre-Sale! We will be taking pre-orders before school in room 318 starting September 11th until December 21st . The pre-Sale price is $65 - Cash or checks only. Please make checks out to: CNS Yearbook. Personalize your yearbook with a name plate for an additional $6.
Credit card orders are available online at www.Balfour.com.
The price will increase January 1st.
Class of 2024
Senior year is finally here! We are planning on having our first meeting in the fall for any students in the Class of 2024. This meeting will provide general information about senior year. The date and location for the meeting will be on the morning announcements, our Class of 2024 website, and our Google Classroom page. If a student is unable to attend, the information will be posted on our Google Classroom page (join code: KRXW2TF) and our class website.
Our bottle and can fundraiser will be continuing until the end of the year in June. Bring any bottles and cans from home to the Cicero Bottle and Can Return at 6195 Route 31 (plaza behind Walgreens near the high school). You don't need to wait in line! Just put a sticky note on the bag that says CNS Class of 2024. This ongoing fundraiser has already earned the class $1000 which is put towards class expenses. Let’s keep this fundraiser going strong through the school year!
Career Center Updates
- In person college visits will begin September 18. They will be held in the Career Center at 10:45am and 11:45am. These visits will be 30 minutes each. Students can sign up in the Career Center and on SCOIR. The schedule will be updated on the Career Center website.
- The CNS College and Trades Fair will be held on Tuesday, October 3, 2023, 6:30pm to 8:00pm in the CNS large gym. Over 80 colleges, universities and trade areas will be represented. More information will be posted on the Career Center website in the coming weeks.
- In person Military visits will begin the week of September 18, Mondays through Thursdays. These visits will take place during lunches in the Student Center in cafeteria 1. The schedule will be posted on the Career Center website when it is available.
- The CNS Job Shadow Program will begin in October and run through April 2024. See the Career Center website for more information.
- The ASVAB Career Exploration Assessment will be offered to CNS students in October. Stayed tuned for dates.
- Check out the Career Center website for schedules, events, resources and more for your CNS student! https://sites.google.com/nscsd.org/cnscareercenter/home .
Annual Student Password Reset
For students that may be unsure of their default password, email messages will be sent to parents with information about default settings. Parents/students will also receive a pop-up message with instructions when logging into SchoolTool prior to August 22.
After passwords are reset on August 22, students or parents that run into an issue can get tech help by completing a short online request form on this site: http://www.nscsd.org/districtpage.cfm?pageid=4667
Parent Notification
During the school year, your child may have the opportunity to have their photo taken, video image and voice recorded, and/or art and written work published in connection with a school district activity or program. Your child's photo (image), school work and/or name may be published in local newspapers, posted (displayed) on the district's internet site, or used by the requesting organization (local TV or print media) for programming, i.e., backup and their news stories.