Bird's Eye View

Hello Larries Community,

Welcome to the May edition of the 2022-23 school year's Bird’s Eye View. Each month's information will continue to give you small snapshots of the great things that are happening here at SLC. Our hope is you will continue to follow us every month, so we can connect our great community with the students, staff, and programs that are here to help maximize our students’ futures.

The 2023-2024 budget has been created, and accepted by the Board of Education. The budget vote will be held on May 16th from 12:00-8:00 PM in the MS Gym. The budget comes with a 0% tax levy increase to the residents of our district. A survey this past fall of all NYS superintendents found that the most prominent theme centered around the fact the schools have taken on an even wider responsibility since the pandemic. Schools, such as ours, are even more responsible for helping students and families with non-academic issues including: health, mental health, child care, after-school care, food insecurity, and recreation. Our future challenge as a district, will be to figure out how to maintain all the services we have been providing with the additional federal Covid money, once that money is gone after 2023-2024.

As a district, we will continue to do everything possible to provide the best overall educational experience we can for our SLC students. With our final large increase in Foundation Aid, your local tax levy support, and the federal money (restricted to certain areas only through the 2023-24 school year) the district is going to continue to focus heavily on maintaining the current academic programs we have bolstered, while also finding ways to be that “central-hub” that is so needed with non-academic supports. By ensuring this, we will continue to build not only a solid educational community, but one in which “all students can attain their maximum potential in the future"!

A few shout outs and reminders:

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

• We want to recognize our 3-8 students and staff for giving maximum effort on the 3-8 NYS ELA Testing in April and on the upcoming NYS Math Exams in May.

• Best of luck to all of our 5-12 Band and Chorus members as they gear up for some great performances here in May.

• Athletics: Best of luck to all of our Spring teams as they continue to find ways to “squeeze” games in around the weather. Section X website.

• Our BOCES CTE Center will again be offering a Summer Academy for middle school students in grade 8. This is an amazing opportunity for students to explore the programs and encourage skill development and career exploration with a focus on project based instruction to include Math, Science, and ELA! To learn more about CTE and the programs offered visit: Career & Technical Education - Career & Technical Education - St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES (sllboces.org)

• An extra “shout out” to this past month's TWO Channel 7 News All-Stars: Academic All-Star (Rebecca Nezezon) and Arts All-Star (Andrew LaMora). Well done to you both!

• Finally, we would like to congratulate our SLC Senior Class Valedictorian (Rebecca Nezezon) and our Senior Class Salutatorian (RyLee Daoust). Both are amazing accomplishments considering the overall academic strength of the Class of 2023!

• Please consider sharing this edition with any neighbors, relatives, friends, or alumni you may know that would like to keep updated on what goes on here at SLC.

Thanks for following us!

Mr. Rose

It is hard to believe that there are only eight weeks of school remaining in the school year! With the limited time left, there are a few important reminders from the HS building:

• The Junior and Senior Prom will be back to normal this year! Our junior class will hold prom on Saturday, May 13th. We encourage all parents and guardians to be aware of the prom expectations for SLC HS located here.

• We are excited to announce that the in-person Awards Ceremony will occur this year on Tuesday, May 16th. Students invited to the Awards Ceremony will be asked to attend by 6:45 PM with the ceremony beginning promptly at 7:00 PM. Students who have won an award will be sent an official invitation in the coming week! Please make sure you plan enough time to vote for our school budget on this day!

• Final exams for all High School students will be in class on June 12th and 13th unless otherwise specified by teachers. Students are required to sit for all exams. Please have your child communicate with their teacher if they have any questions about what to expect, and staying after school for extra support. The last scheduled day of regular classes is on June 13th.

• Regents Exams will be mandatory for all students enrolled in a Regents course again this school year. Regents Exams begin on June 1st for those enrolled in United States History, and June 14th for all other exams, and will conclude on June 22nd. Please see the schedule for exams here. Please be aware that SLC HS begins our exams at 8:15 AM for morning exams and 12:15 PM for afternoon exams. Any student enrolled in the Regents Course will need to pass the exam to be awarded course credit. No makeups will be given for any absences. Busing will be available for any student who needs it. Please be on the lookout for transportation information from Mr. Redmond in June. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to your child’s teacher, guidance counselor, or myself.

• Finally, we are working through the details of our high school graduation ceremony for the Class of 2023! We will celebrate the Class of 2023 on the SLC HS Turf Field on Friday, June 23rd. All are welcome to attend to celebrate our class and seating will be first come, first served.

Mrs. Zender

High School Principal

Mr. Ronald Jeror was the High School "Golden Apple" award winner for the month of April. He was nominated by two of his colleagues for this honor.

"I would like to nominate Mr. Jeror for the Golden Apple award. He is the 'creative spark' of the Social Studies Department, known for trailblazing ideas on curriculum, elective courses, and activities for extracurriculars. He shares his wisdom, and advice through his membership on the Union Negotiations Team, and helps mentor newer teachers. Mr. Jeror always has a positive attitude, and is willing to try new things as well as help to make existing ideas work better. Mr. Jeror is well regarded by staff and students alike, and is very worthy of the recognition of the “Golden Apple” award. "

"Mr. Jeror has exhibited nothing less than excellence throughout this year. He is constantly taking on new challenges for the betterment of the school and students, while also taking an active role in providing faculty with pertinent information regarding the e-hallpass system and mentorship programs. Through all challenges confronted by Mr. Jeror, he can always be met

with a smile on his face, and kindness in his heart. Mr. Jeror is an exemplary teacher, and an aspiration for many to follow."

Congratulations, Mr. Jeror!

Would you like to recognize a staff member? Stop in and see Mrs. Zender or email her at kzender@bfcsd.org.

Students in Senior Career Academy have had the opportunity to experience several careers within our community. The goal is to help students develop employability skills, and to expose them to a variety of fields. They have also considered what happens if the career someone chooses isn't what they expected, or hoped it would be. Part of that was interviewing people in the school community who have come to their careers in an unexpected way. For the remainder of the school year, Bird's Eye View will feature one of those interviews. This month's interview was conducted by Hunter Gotham. He interviewed Coach Joey Reome.

I wanted to go to Cazenovia, but also I took a test for the United States Postal Service. At the same time I was getting ready to leave to go to Cazenovia, I got a job offer in Watertown at the post office. I sat down with my father to talk about my options; we decided I would take the job, and go to college in Watertown. When I first applied to college, my plan was to go for business management. When I got the job at the post office, I ended up going to Jefferson Community College. Changing my school's location didn’t change the courses I took. I planned on the post office being my career, and the business courses were related to that.

When I decided to take the job at the post office, I had to find my own apartment, pay my own bills, and get my own car. I guess I grew up a little quicker than my friends who went on to college because I had to learn how to take care of those responsibilities at 18, not 22.

I worked at the post office for 28 years. Within the post office, I wore many different hats. I was both a clerk and a night clerk in Watertown. I moved to Potsdam, and became a letter carrier, then a supervisor. I later became postmaster in North Lawrence. I retired at a very young age because I started so young. That's how I became the athletic director here at SLC. I was out of work, the athletic director at the time had left, and they offered it to me. I was a varsity basketball coach, so athletic director would be a very big change. I had no idea this would end up becoming my second career. Almost nine years later, I’m still here. The change from the post office to athletic director has given me a lot of different opportunities that I would not have had otherwise, and I’m grateful for that.

I plan to work here for two more school years. If I still need to work, I’ll look for something new. It’s not because I don’t love this job, but I’m getting a little bit older, and it’ll be time for somebody new. I think that’s what everybody’s life should be. They should have a few chapters, and not just one long chapter. There can be two or three or four different things that can happen during your lifetime.

High School Guidance Counselors

Andrea Martin A-K

Rachel Roldan L-Z

Greetings from the High School Guidance Office!

As the end of the school year is quickly approaching, we would like to share some information to help students finish the year successfully.

Seniors: Several scholarships are given to students at graduation. The application for these scholarships was handed out in English class last week. Please encourage your child to complete their application by the deadline of May 5th. For students planning to attend college in the fall, the month ahead will be very busy! Once your child notifies the college of their intent to attend, please have them watch their email carefully for information regarding housing deadlines, providing proof of immunization, financial aid requirements, and orientation.

We encourage students to work diligently to complete the school year successfully. It is easy to get tired at this point, but it is important to not give up. We are almost there! It is helpful to maintain the routine your child has had throughout the year, encourage them to continue completing their assignments, and see their teachers during activity period if they need extra help. Please have your child visit the counseling office if they need support managing end of the year stress.

Parents will receive information regarding summer school by email at the 35 week progress report. Students planning to attend the career and technical education programs at Seaway Tech must be on track with their graduation requirements to attend next year. Please contact your child’s school counselor if you have any questions.

Andrea Martin

Rachel Roldán

Congratulations to Rebecca Nezezon, the SLC Class of 2023's Valedictorian, on being a Channel 7 News Academic All-Star! Click here to learn more about Rebecca and to watch her interview.

Thank you to the St. Lawrence County Board of Elections! They recently came to SLC to explain the process of voting to 11th and 12th graders. Students learned about topics such as absentee voting, registering, early voting, and even voting machine security.

This spring brings more music department events. Here are important upcoming dates, and times.

High School Spring Concert

• HS Auditorium
• Tuesday, May 9 at 7 pm

Middle School Spring Concert

• HS Auditorium
• Thursday, May 11
• 6 pm for grades 7-8
• 7 pm for grades 5-6

NYSSMA Solo Festival

• Crane School of Music, Potsdam
• Friday and Saturday, May 12 and 13 with the Times TBA

Third and Fourth Grade Concert

• HS Auditorium
• Thursday, May 25 at 7pm

Coffeehouse Hosted by Tri-M Music Honor Society

• HS Front Patio or Auditorium
• Thursday, June 1 at 6 pm

Congratulations to Andrew LaMora, a senior at SLC, who was recently the Channel 7 News Arts All-Star! Please click here to watch the video and to learn more about Andrew.

Some members of the SLC Spanish Club travelled to Puerto Rico during spring break. They visited different parts of the island, including San Juan, Old San Juan, Arecibo, and Ponce. It was a wonderful cultural experience with students participating in an authentic cooking class, dance class, visiting local restaurants and trying authentic Puerto Rican cuisine. They also toured a nature reserve, El Yunque national rainforest, did a street art walking tour, swam in the bioluminescent bay, snorkeled in a coral reef and visited the historical El Morro fortress. It was a wonderful experience for our SLC students!

The SLC Spanish Club plans a trip every two years. Any student in grades 9-12 is welcome to join the Spanish Club and attend the trips. Not interested in travelling, but still interested in culture and fun? You don't have to go on the trip, or currently be in Spanish class to join the Spanish Club. They do fun cultural activities such as cooking, crafts, and more each month. If you are interested, come see or email Mrs. M. Arquitt (room 126) Email: marquitt@bfcsd.org.

The St. Lawrence Central Mock Trial Team will put on an exhibition match at the Potsdam Town Court before Judge David Haggard on Thursday, May 18th, at 7:00 p.m. Students play the roles of attorneys and witnesses arguing the fictional case of the State of Lone Star v. Richard Grouper; a jury composed of faculty and students will deliberate to reach a verdict after the students present their testimony.

Good luck to the Mock Trial Team!

High school PE students enjoyed a few days of Top Golf in preparation for Spring Break!

Spring sports are in full swing at SLC! Even with weather related issues and a shortage of officials, as of right now, we are on track to finish on time. Varsity sports may need to be prepared for weekend games, including Sundays. Baseball and softball need to be prepared for the possibility of double headers. Lacrosse games may also need to be played under the lights, so that we can get all games in before playoffs start. Remember, you can follow along with the "rSchoolToday" app for your phone and at www.sectionxboces.com for schedule changes.

We have completed the Fall sports sign-ups. Anyone that missed the sign-ups, please contact Mr. Reome via email at jreome@bfcsd.org. Physicals for the Fall will be held on June 7th. We encourage everyone who needs a physical to take advantage of the one that we offer at school. Mr. Reome will be sending emails to those that are signed up who need a physical. Our biggest issue every year is that many Fall sport athletes do not have a physical, which causes a late start to their season.

The Varsity Lacrosse team completed a community service project on April 22nd. They cleaned up the Haleville Cemetery in the town of Lawrence.

Nice job players and coaches!

Dear Middle School Parents/Guardians,

I looked back to see what I had shared last year in my May article, and thought it was an interesting coincidence that I shared some resources for online safety. This past week I met with our entire 5th grade to discuss online safety after I learned that there was a need to review computer use policy, and online safety. I am often addressing similar things throughout the Middle School, which is why it seemed like a good time to share in our newsletter.

I hope to see all of the middle school parents take a few minutes to view the video that Mr. Welsh has included in his article in this newsletter. It shows that even with restrictions, students are getting a lot of information online that can have a negative impact on their mental health, and create many other problems for our children. This is not unique to TikTok. I have had students accessing things on other platforms as well that they replicate or share at school to find out it is extremely inappropriate. We have also had multiple concerns for issues online on social media such as SnapChat. Often, this can come from students posting negative things about each other when they have a small conflict, or group chats between kids that escalate.

Reminders:

• Make sure your child is not talking to strangers online.

• Review what your child is sending/receiving in private and group messages.

• Remind your child never to send pictures of themselves or personal information to others. Once something goes online, it is ALWAYS there, even if it is deleted.

• Remind your child to use THINK in their interactions with others

• T is it True?

• H is it Helpful?

• I is it Inspired?

• N is it Needed?

• K is it Kind?

• Please encourage your child to practice appropriate public interactions both online and in person at home, so they are able to demonstrate that at school.
  

As we near the end of the year, you can find information for upcoming events on the school website. We look forward to seeing you at upcoming concerts, sporting events, and the MS Awards Ceremony.

Stay safe, and if you ever have any concerns or questions our counselors and I are here to help you.

Mrs. LaBarge

Hello Middle School Students and Families,

Spring is finally here. I don't know about you, but we are happy to see warmer days ahead!

A few updates for the remainder of the school year. Scheduling has begun. We made it through all our yearly meetings, and will be starting to plan for next school year. It is hard to believe we are already in Term Four.

Here are some tips for staying strong and pushing through the rest of the school year:

1. Think about your goals – We all have goals to help us feel motivated and keep on track. Try your best, and keep going.

2. Nobody is perfect – We all make mistakes. Keep growing!

3. Organization – Many things will be going on in the next couple of months. Think about ways to keep track of assignments and manage time.

4. Be kind – We never know what someone else is going through.

5. Change your mindset – You won't always have a “good” day, but how we get through and manage it is up to us.

6. Do something fun – You have a lot going on at the moment. Don’t forget about your self-care!

If you need any help or support, please let Mr. Niles or Ms. Zack know.

Thank you!

Cornell Cooperative Extension brought in some baby ducks, chicks, and goats for the Extended Day students to learn about. Students love learning about the cure, fuzzy animals.

Extended Day Program went to Cornell Cooperative Extension in Canton, and took a maple tour. They also enjoyed going to see their animals on the farm. They got to meet a set of twin lambs that were born earlier that morning.

Mr. LaFave's class celebrated EARTH DAY by cleaning up the trash found outside of both the Middle School and High School buildings.

Ms. Aldrich's class has new class pets, two hermit crabs. Students are responsible for the cleaning of the home, making sure the food and water are full, and making them feel safe in the new environment. These class pets were given to them from Ms. Quinn, their student teacher.

Hello SLC Family,

NYS assessments have begun and our third and fourth graders have successfully completed their ELA assessments. This week they will complete their math assessments and soon assessment season will be behind us.

We recently sent our UPK through second grade students to see "The Ugly Duckling" play in Ogdensburg. Our third and fourth graders will be heading there today (May 1st) to watch, "The Lightning Thief."

Pre-kindergarten and kindergarten registration is open. Please do not wait to register your child. Spots are limited in UPK and much of our planning for kindergarten hinges on numbers. In order to best prepare for your child's kindergarten experience, we request that you register them sooner than later.

Dates to Know:

• Friday, May 26 is tentatively planned to be a "give back snow day." As long as we do not use another snow day before then, there will be no school on this day.
• There is no school on Monday, May 29, in observance of Memorial Day. Please plan accordingly.

Respectfully,

Mrs. Colterman

The Larries Spotlight Award was created to recognize Elementary Staff who demonstrate a specific trait each month. This award is voted upon by peers who want to give a shout out to one of their colleagues for doing an outstanding job!

Lynne Ronan and Akaycia Colbert were The Larries Spotlight Award co-winners for the month of March. March’s trait was perseverance, and both got the award from their peers because of their never give up attitude! Mrs. Ronan has been dealt a lot of obstacles in life both personally and professionally, and she always has a smile on her face. She is always determined to be positive which makes her an inspiration to others.

Ms. Colbert has done an amazing job with all of the uncertainties of being a first year teacher. She works hard each day, and is always willing to improve to be the best person she can, and the best teacher she can for her students. Almost everyone said that both of these amazing staff members show courage and resilience in everything that they do. This was what made them both perfect for this month’s award!

Thank you, Mrs. Ronan and Ms. Colbert, for being so tenacious!

During the week of state testing, all of the students showed how much spirit they had as they cheered on the 3rd and 4th grade students before state testing! Good luck on the remainder of the tests!

Mrs. Bryant’s third grade class had some fun reviewing fractions. They used chocolate bars, graham crackers, and cookies to make and compare fractions.

Mrs. Bryant had a glow bowling day in her classroom. Even Officer Daggett’s got involved!

To celebrate Earth Day, Miss Miner's and Ms. Zook's classes took to the courtyard to clean up the leaves and sticks. They also made treats for the birds by covering toilet paper rolls in peanut butter and birdseed. These sweet treats were hung in the trees for all the birds to enjoy!

Kindergarteners looked at Claude Monet's painting, "The Water Lily Pond", and learned about his life and family. To create their own water lily ponds, they used tissue paper in cool colors and mod podge. They added cut paper water lilies, pink tissue paper flowers, and a dollop of yellow paint.

Determination and Practice!!

Does determination plus practice equal success? This is the question Perry’s Pals thought about as they listened to their April book, Pass the Ball, Mo! by David A. Adler. Mo is the shortest player on the basketball team and struggles to pass the ball high enough to his teammates. Perry’s Pals learned that Mo kept practicing his passing, so he’d be ready for the game. However, the ending wasn’t quite what they expected!! Mo is a lot like first graders who have to practice reading, writing, and math facts over and over to get better!

📚💙Thank you to all of our Scholastic Book Sponsors!!! 📚💙

Southville Maples welcomed all Pre-K students to explore the process of making maple syrup from the beginning to the finished product. Students were able to see how trees get tapped, and how sap gets collected. We were able to see the process of turning the sap into maple syrup. Students were able to taste warm maple syrup, maple cream on sugar cookies, and maple candies all made in house at Southville Maples. It was a wonderful experience, and all of the students enjoyed the day!

A big thank you to Southville Maples for this wonderful experience. Thank you for welcoming us to your place, and sharing your time with us!

This month’s topic revolves around the topic of social media, and how it has become a staple in the daily lives of teens and tweens, and how this can impact their lives today, and beyond. For many parents the thought of social media, or anything to do with technology for that matter, is a terrifying subject to discuss with their teens and tweens, and that is why as a member of the community the district wants to share some details on teen usage of social media.

In recent surveys, data shows that ninety percent of teenagers from age 13 to 17 are users of social media. Further information from these surveys, shows seventy five percent have active accounts, and that over fifty percent report visiting a social media site at least once a day.

In a 2022 study, the Mayo Clinic reported that having access to social media can have some benefits as it provides teens an opportunity to create online identities, communicate with others, and build social networks. These networks provide support, especially for those that experience exclusion, may have a disability, or illness that limits their social experiences.

Other aspects that can have some benefit for teens and tweens are that it provides a platform for self expression, allows them to interact across geographic barriers, and teaches them about a variety of subjects, including healthy behaviors.

Unfortunately, for every positive experience in using social media, there is one, if not more, negatives that teens can experience when using social media. A summary of this issue was discussed in an article by TIME titled Teen Depression and Anxiety: Why the Kids Are Not Alright that states, “It’s hard for many adults to understand how much of teenagers’ emotional life is lived within the small screens on their phones.” The article also quotes an American teen named Faith-Ann, who says, “We’re the first generation that cannot escape our problems at all. We’re all like little volcanoes. We’re getting this constant pressure, from our phones, from our relationships, from the way things are today.”

There is an almost infinite number of factors as to why social media negatively affects teens, according to an article on verywellfamily.com, “For many tweens and teens, social media can become almost addictive. In a study by researchers at the UCLA brain mapping center, they found that certain regions of teen brains became activated by ‘likes’ on social media, sometimes causing them to want to use social media more.”

In addition to the reasons given above, unsupervised use of social media can lead to teens being exposed to FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) as well as exposure to inappropriate, upsetting or even traumatic content, access to inaccurate information, exposure to online predators, and exposure to cyberbullying. For these reasons it is important to have those conversations about social media usage and safety concerns.

Recently, technology leaders around the state received this video CNN takes over 14-year-old’s TikTok account. See what we came across on ‘Restricted Mode’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G628p9vCuG) that shows what types of dangerous content children can be exposed. Please take eight minutes to watch this video to see the dangers in social media that teens are exposed to regularly.

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