Bird's Eye View

Hello Larries Community,

Welcome to the second edition of this year’s community digital newsletter, the Bird’s Eye View. Each month we will:

• Give small snapshots of the great things that are happening here at SLC!
• Request a helping hand on some items to make our school community the most productive that it can be for all students, staff, and community members.

Our hope is you will continue to follow us every month, so we can continue to connect our great community with the students, staff, and programs that are here to help maximize our students’ futures.

A few reminders of important educational dates:

• Parent/Teacher Conferences are set for November 16 and 17 in the elementary school and November 20 in the middle and high schools. Please know that face-to-face interaction with your child's teachers only helps to build a stronger relationship with you and the teachers as well as an increased positive relationship between your child and their teacher.

• Public Hearing on the next proposed district capital project is set for November 13 at 5:30 pm in the MS/HS Auditorium. Initial details were sent home to all community residents in October. This proposal has NO additional tax burden on our local school district community.

A few shout outs and reminders:

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

• A huge thank you to all the first responder units that came and gave of their time on “First Responder Friday”. The elementary staff and students “responded” with a ton of positive energy and comments about the day. A special thanks, also, to the staff that put in numerous hours to organize this day for our kids!

• Congratulations to all of our fall athletes and coaches! A special congratulations to our girls soccer team who won the Class C Championship and moved on to NYS play, and to our boys soccer team who lost a hard fought Class C Championship game.

• I would like to thank the entire SLC staff (everyone that works with the students of our community) for your participation in the Narcan Training that was held here on October 31st. We had nearly 200 SLC staff trained in the proper use of Narcan. Our hope is that we never have to use this treatment, but the staffs' willingness to see the importance for it was beyond commendable. Thank you to Seaway Valley Prevention for providing a great training for us.

• One final shout out goes 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 each of you, and thank you for your service. SLC would also like to thank all of the families that have gone months without seeing their loved ones, yet keep things running smoothly here back at home.

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.

Thank you for following and have a great November.

Christopher Rose

Superintendent

Dear Middle and High School Parents, Guardians, and Community Members,

We were able to end October on a great note with recognizing students, and having our fall Pep Rallies. We look forward to inviting more parents in to celebrate our successful students, and also having more fun events throughout the year that students can earn.

Upcoming Assemblies:

Act with Respect on November 21st

Renewal House in January

• Erin’s Law Presentation for Middle School

• Healthy Relationships for High School

In August 2019, New York State became the 37th state to sign Erin’s Law into legislation. New York State’s law, (Chapter 187 of the Laws of 2019) - known as Erin's Law - requires public schools to teach child sexual abuse and exploitation prevention classes to students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Erin's Law is named for Erin Merryn, an abuse survivor and activist against child sexual abuse who has advocated for similar laws nationwide for over a decade. Erin’s Law is intended to help children, teachers, and parents in New York State schools identify sexual abuse, and to provide awareness, assistance, referral, or resource information for children and families who are victims of child sexual abuse. In Summer 2020, work was completed with organizations that researched, developed age-appropriate grade bands, and found multiple resources to help school districts develop curriculum and useful lesson plans to implement Erin’s Law.

Other Upcoming Events:

• Staff Development Day November 9
• Veteran’s Day November 10
• Term 1 Ends November 10
• Missy West - Crush the Inner Critic Community Assembly November 15 at 7:00 pm MS/HS Auditorium
• Parent Teacher Conferences November 20 from 1-3 pm and 6-8 pm
• Middle School Junior National Honor Society Induction November 20 at 5:30 pm
• Thanksgiving Break November 22-24

We hope to see you at Parent Teacher Conferences on November 20th. In order for your child to be successful, the open communication between home and school is very important.

Please contact our offices with any concerns, or questions you may have.

Mrs. Zender, HS Principal and Mrs. LaBarge, MS Principal

Hello SLC Community,

Happy November! We can’t believe we are already two months into school. Senior meetings have been completed, and we plan to start our junior meetings next. If you have a junior in your household, you will receive a letter from the guidance office soon with information about the meetings.

In addition, we have had several seniors who took advantage of SUNY Free Application Week. As of November 1st, we have had over 24 students submit applications. Yay!

A few other reminders:

• Jostens will be at school on November 14th to help seniors with their cap and gown orders. Please don’t forget to order one!

• We will be hosting a FAFSA help night here at school in December. The exact date is coming soon!

Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns for us. We look forward to working with you, and your student to help them achieve their maximum potential!

Rachael Huntley (A-K) & Michaela Bethel (L-Z)

Our High School staff would like to congratulate the following students for their recognition celebrating their strong attributes of politeness and respect.

Congratulations to the following students: Zain Pasha, Grace Svarczkopf, Valerie Taylor, Kayden Snyder, Colby Griffith, Kevin VanElls, Logan Marcil, Andrew Parker, Kaleigh Recore, Lily Stevens, Audreyann (AJ) Sweet, Nekoda Barse, Andrew Crump, Addison Rubado, Gracelyn Rubado, Avia Wagner

In Studio Art class they are working on pencil shading and contour line drawing, and stippling drawings in pen and ink.

High school students in Mrs. Bissonette's Physics class had fun working with the force tables while in Physics Lab.

The Outing Club recently went on a trip to Tucker Farms in Gabriels, NY. Students had fun getting lost in this year's Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head themed corn maze. They were especially happy have to found their way out!

The senior class mentor groups spent time in September bonding together while creating a human SLC in the High School gym. Seniors also decorated pumpkins for the pumpkin decorating contest held during the Halloween pep rally.

Congratulations to Coach Chamberlain and the Varsity Girls Soccer Team on winning the Class C Championship over Brushton-Moira by a score of 4-0. They advanced to the State playoffs for the first time since 1986!

Winter Sports start on Monday, November 13th with Boys JV/Varsity Basketball in HS Gym from 3:30-5:45pm, Girls JV/Varsity Basketball from 3:30-5:45pm in the MS Gym, Cheer from 5:45-7:15pm in HS Gym, and Hockey at 3:30pm at the Tri-Town arena. Modified sports start on Monday, November 20th with Girls and Boys Modified Basketball from 11:30-1:00pm in the HS Gym.

A reminder that Missy West will be speaking to our athletes on Wednesday, November 15th starting at 7:00pm in the HS Auditorium. This presentation is free of charge and is open to the community. We encourage you to attend and listen to the former Franklin Academy (Malone) and Duke University standout. Missy is a member of the NYSPHSAA Hall of Fame. Please see below for more details about her presentation.

A reminder that the athletic schedule website has changed from last year. It is: https://www.sections710.org/public/genie/1817/school/45/. The website can also be accessed from the district website at www.bfcsd.org and the district app. Click on Menu then Athletic Schedules.

St. Lawrence Central Athletics is proud to announce that Missy West, a local Professional Speaker, will be presenting in the SLC High School Auditorium on November 15th at 7:00 PM.

Since Missy's Hall of Fame inductions she has been a sought-after keynote and motivational speaker for businesses, national organizations, high schools, youth organizations, colleges & leadership seminars around the country. Her personal experiences of failure, adversity, injury, and serious health struggles have led her on a path to inspire, uplift, and motivate people of all ages and walks of life.

To learn more about Missy, check out this video or her social media feeds: Instagram: @miswest25, Twitter: @missywest25, Facebook: Missy West.

All are welcome!

October was an exciting month in middle school counseling. We met with our 5th grade students during their advisory period to discuss our monthly theme of conflict resolution. In 5th grade, we held circles which discussed kindness, and how to be a good friend to others with questions about how to help others not to feel left out. In grades 6 through 8, we also held circles to help students learn more about how rumors and gossip can impact our community and strategies to help stop these from spreading. Thank you to Mrs. Grant, Mr. Charlebois, and Mrs. Martin for working with us to make these circles possible!

November’s monthly theme will be gratitude. We will be meeting with all grade levels for circles again this month to help students learn more about themselves and how to express gratitude. Our long term goal of holding circles is to help build a strong and compassionate school community. This month we will also be holding our 8th grade presentation in collaboration with the high school counselors to discuss transitioning to high school, and to kick off our 8th grade meetings. These meetings will be starting November 6th in order to help students to choose their high school courses and electives. Parents are welcome to attend. If you would like to do so, please reach out to your child’s school counselor.

Mr. Niles (last names A-K) - nniles@bfcsd.org or (315) 389-5131 ext. 29510

Mrs. Roldan (last names L-Z) - rroldan@bfcsd.org or (315) 389-5131 ext. 29511

Congratulations to the Middle School students recognized for Organization and Digital Citizenship: Shanta Roberts, Aiden Haverstock, Chase Monica, Draidyn LaVare, Aubrey Larowe, Alora Sweeney, Dominic LaShomb, Jaily Golden, Emma Pate, Leah Stauffer, Paul Stauffer, Kennedy Colterman, Gracelyn Clary, Marah Fiacco

This year, the 8th Grade team is implementing a reward system for students who are exhibiting the types of behaviors we want to encourage. We call these rewards "Road Trips," and to be eligible students cannot have any zeros in the gradebook, cannot have referrals, and must be up-to-date on our year-long portfolio project.

On Friday, October 20th we rewarded 34 students with a "Road Trip" to Malone's Lucky Strike Bowling Alley and McDonald's. They also made a stop to the Malone Recreational Park for some good old-fashioned recess time.

These Road Trips are completely free-of-charge for all students and are covered by grants offered to the school that allow students to have experiences they may have missed out on due to Covid closures. We hope that even more students will be eligible for the next road trip this winter. We ask parents to help their children stay eligible by regularly checking Schooltool.

The 5th and 6th grade Extended Day students enjoyed a beautiful fall day at Applewood Orchards in Rensselaer Falls, NY. They got to pick and eat apples, go through a corn maze, and play on the playground.

The Extended Day students enjoyed watching and playing the African Drums with Bomba Ferra.

A special thanks goes out to Len Mackey, Beth McDermitt, and Madison Laubscher for coming to the school to perform for our students!

Hello Again SLC Family,

Thanks to all who joined us for our annual Halloween parade! The weather was cooperative and it is always nice to bring our families in to celebrate with us.

Back in October, we celebrated fire safety week, which culminated with "First Responder Friday." This is an awesome event, which exposes our students to the many jobs first responders perform. First Responder Friday was a success! Thanks to all of our staff and volunteers who made this day happen!

One message we have been trying to consistently communicate to our students, district-wide, is that if a staff member asks you to do something and it won't hurt you, you do it. If they have concerns with it, they can ask to speak to a counselor or principal, but they should be respectful and comply with directives from staff members. It would be helpful if you could discuss and encourage this with your child at home. I ask that if your child rides a bus, please discuss appropriate bus behavior with them at home as well. The partnership between home and school is critical in supporting the needs of our students. Thanks for your help!

We will be holding parent-teacher conferences on Thursday and Friday, November 16th and 17th, 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 Thursday, November 9th for staff development. There will be no school on Friday, November 10th in honor of Veterans' Day. School will resume on Monday, November 13th and it will be a Day 3.

There will be no school on Wednesday, November 22 through Friday, November 24, in honor of Thanksgiving. School will resume on Monday, November 27th and it will be a Day 4.

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

Mr. Wilcox, a student teacher from SUNY Brockport, will be working with elementary students in Mr. Dow's Physical Education class through December. He is from Brushton, NY and has participated in soccer and baseball. He was the Baseball Program Assistant for the City of Rochester.

He decided to be a Physical Education teacher while still in high school. Throughout his time playing sports and being in physical education class, some of his biggest mentors were his coaches and teachers. The biggest reason he wanted to become a physical education teacher because he wanted to have an impact on young students like his physical educators had on him. These people motivated him as a young student-athlete, and now as a lifelong mover.

Mr. Wilcox will be teaching different themed lessons, throwing and catching while balancing, and lessons on juggling. He anticipates students will learn proper sporting behavior, cooperation skills, and the ability to become lifelong movers to allow them to live a long and healthy lifestyle.

Thank you all for welcoming Mr. Wilcox into our school community; he is excited to be a part of the St. Lawrence Elementary school.

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!

MaryBeth Mahoney was the Larries Spotlight Award winner for the month of September. September’s trait was character and Ms. Mahoney got the award from her peers based on her ability to show her true character. She knows how to lend a helping hand to any students and staff members. She is an amazing teacher who is responsible, caring, and absolutely hilarious. Ms. Mahoney brings her fun, energetic spirit to everything she does.

Thank you, Ms. Mahoney, for showing your character each day!

At the beginning of the school year, Miss Vivlamore hired four 4th graders to be writers for the Daily Prophet. The newsletter articles are written by students monthly and sent home with all 4th grade students. Once a week the group meets to work on their articles. The students that were hired to work at the Daily Prophet are Carter Russell, Quinn LaFave, Gett Clary, and Mercedes Bowles.

Pre-K students in Miss Fountain and Mrs. Potter’s classes have been playing with different forms of technology while learning about letters and fire safety. The students learned how to work Indi Sphero Cars. Besides the technology, students worked on sharing, being responsible, and working together towards a common goal.

Miss Fountain's students were able to practice their knowledge of fire safety by driving the Indi cars to items that they can touch like a teddy bear or flower while steering the car away from matches or pots on a stove.

The students used the Indi cars to practice recognizing the letters they have learned so far this year. A teacher told the students a letter, and they had to drive the cars to the letter on the mat.

The 4th grade Extended day students had a fun field trip to Breezy Maple Farms in Massena, NY. It may have been raining, but the kids enjoyed learning about farming, and the animals. Students went on a hayride, got to pet some animals, and all received a pumpkin.

Today, I would like to update you about a recent change that Google made to ensure the security, and privacy of students when using the Google Workspace for Education environment. This new policy affects any student when they are using their district assigned account.

With these changes made by Google, students will only be able to access programs and websites that use the Google login button, and that have been added to the approved third party list within the district's Google Workspace for Education account. If your child tries to access a website that uses the Google login button, and it is not on this allowed list, they will get an error message, and will not have access to that site.

Please remember that this is not a punishment, and is not a district lead objective, but rather a major undertaking by Google to help protect our students when they are online. You will most likely see this error appear when students attempt to access gaming sites that use the Google login button.

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