Cortland Enlarged City Schools

From Superintendent Edwards

Dear Cortland Community,

As we step into the month of November, we are not only greeted by the vibrant colors of fall but also by a spirit of gratitude and unity. November's newsletter is dedicated to the theme of "Giving Thanks." It's a time for us to reflect on our blessings, express our appreciation, and come together as a community.

This is also the first in a step to reset our communication protocols through our school district newsletters. Throughout the past year, with feedback from community members, parents, staff and students, we learned that separate District and Building Newsletters often share repeated information. We considered the "purpose" of our newsletters and our many other forms of communication. To be sure, our most important communication strand exists between teacher-parent-student. Beyond that, we hope to provide all in our community with information about opportunities to join us and engage in celebrating and cheering on students. And lastly, we hope to tell you about the great things we are doing for students. Our newsletters, as well as our social media, will develop from those priorities. Moving forward, we plan to focus our District Newsletter on a monthly theme. It will include updates on opportunities for community engagement, opportunities to celebrate and cheer students on, and highlights of student and staff accomplishments. As always, we will push out opportunities for you to provide feedback along the way.

Thank you for reading our November Newsletter. And if you have the opportunity to come up and visit us, please do. To all of you who provide support - who celebrate our students and cheer them on - I give thanks to you!

Click on the photo to see the Weekly Blast from Smith School.

All students in pre-K, 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, and 11th grade need to have a valid physical. If a copy is not handed into the school nurse, school physicals will start on November 4th. Hearing, vision, and scoliosis screenings will need to be done on the above-mentioned grades as well.

For the younger grades, please remember to keep an extra set of clothes in your child's backpack as accidents can happen.

Please do not send a sick or injured child to school with the intention that they will be diagnosed, and treated by the nurse. The school nurse is not a medical diagnostician.

Any child displaying the symptoms of fever, vomiting, diarrhea, undiagnosed rashes, sore throat, ear pain, productive cough or wheezing, drainage from wounds, redness or drainage from eyes should not come to school until seen, diagnosed and treated by their physician along with a note for them to return to school.

If your child is sick or needs to leave school early for an appointment, please call the attendance offices at each school.

From the Principal Joe Mack

Embedded in November is Veterans Day. I want to give thanks to all veterans, past and present, who have answered the call to protect our country. It is important that we always remember and “earn what we have done and are currently doing for us every day.

In 1988 President Ronald Reagan gave a speech honoring Veterans Day. In one part of it he says this about veterans: “We lay wreaths. We speak words of tribute. And in our memories, in our hearts, we hold them close to us still. Yet, we also know, even as their families knew when they last looked upon them, that they can never be fully ours again, … For all time, they are what we can only aspire to be, giving, unselfish, the epitome of human love to lay down one’s life so that others might live.”

Thank you!

News from Nurse Melody Scanlon

November 13 is World Kindness Day, a global observance dedicated to promoting and celebrating acts of kindness. This day serves as a reminder of the positive impact that kindness can have on individuals and communities. Our Students Against Destructive Decisions (S.A.D.D.) membership plans to participate in a Jr. Sr. High wide Positive Message to a Peer Project. Our members will provide blank note cards to homeroom teachers and ask them to challenge their homeroom every day for a week, to write a thoughtful message to someone in their classroom. We will challenge students to find something kind to say about someone different each day, leaving no-one unseen. We hope to reinforce that it is compassion that links us all together.

From Principal Zarcone

At the Junior High School, we give thanks to all of the staff and students who make this a great place to come to, each and every school day. Teachers work incredibly hard to deliver the best instruction possible. Students work hard to progress in their academics.

A note from Junior High would not be complete without a Dose of Vitamin Z, so here it is… “Never let the things that you want make you forget about the things that you have”. This quote reminds us that we should be thankful for the things that we do have instead of focusing on the things that we don’t.

From Principal Quinn

At Randall Middle School, we are thankful for our students, staff, parents, caregivers, families, and community partners that make our school such a special place. Our students are amazingly bright, empowered learners who rise to the challenge each day. Our staff are passionate, dedicated professionals who work tirelessly each day. Our parents, caregivers, and families are the support system behind our students who help them become empowered learners. Our community partners are the people and organizations who support us as we do the most important work - ensuring high levels of academic, social, and emotional learning for ALL students. What we do at Randall Middle School and the Cortland Enlarged City School District would not be possible without each one of these important partners. During November and throughout the year, we are eternally grateful for the vital role each of these contribute to our success at Randall Middle School.

From Principal Block

At Smith Intermediate, giving thanks is an essential part of being open-hearted. This month we have a couple of events to look forward to that will showcase “giving thanks”.

We are going to have our first ROAR celebration this month. Our students will be participating in activities such as creating Thanksgiving cards for the residents at the Friendship House. Some of our fourth-grade students will deliver the cards. We will also be creating our school mural for the “Together We ROAR” inclusion project. This will symbolize our unity and teamwork at Smith.

One other event that will be taking place is we will be having a schoolwide food drive to donate food to families in Cortland County through non profit organizations. Our students will then sort and deliver the food. We are proud to work together at Smith Intermediate with our students, staff, and community members.

From Principal Klumpp

In our role as building leaders, we are profoundly thankful for the dedicated staff that surrounds us. Their unwavering commitment to the well-being and academic success of our students is nothing short of remarkable. As educational leaders, we are acutely aware that our school's success rests on the shoulders of these exceptional individuals. Our gratitude extends to the office staff, whose efficiency and dedication ensure the smooth operation of our institution, enabling us to focus on educational excellence. The radiant smiles and laughter of our students serve as a daily reminder of why we chose this path – to make a positive impact on their lives. The commitment of our bus drivers to safety is a cornerstone of our students' secure journeys to and from school, which we value immensely. Additionally, our cafeteria staff's efforts in providing nourishing meals, both at breakfast and lunch, empower our students to excel in their studies. Last but not least, our custodians' tireless work in maintaining a clean and conducive learning environment is fundamental to our mission. We, as educational leaders, are profoundly grateful for this entire school community, whose dedication and support make our vision for exceptional education a reality.

If you are a 10th grade or older student with disabilities (an IEP or 504) and are considering work either while in school or after high school, see Ms. Knapp in the Guidance Office for an application for this FREE program that can give you a leg up!! Not going to work but heading off to college soon? ACCES-VR can help support you too, for FREE! See Ms. Knapp in guidance with questions. The sooner you get signed up the better! We are so grateful to have this cooperative agency to support our students!

Apps, Websites, on-line banking, on-line streaming services, on-line shopping, etc all require you to give them a ‘strong password’ along with your username. In most cases your email address is used as your username for these services listed above! To stay and keep you and your banking information safe, you should use different passwords for each of these services!

Here are a few suggestions for keeping your passwords safe and for you to be able to remember them!

• Strong passwords: Use passwords that are long, random, and unique to each account. Try using sentences, add a number and or special character instead of a space in between words.

• 2 Factor authentication: Use 2FA for all accounts that offer it. We need more than a password to protect our most important data, including email, financial accounts, and social media.

• Recognize and report phishing: Think before you click! Be cautious of unsolicited emails, texts, or calls asking you for personal information. Resist the urge to click on these links and don't click on links or open attachments from unknown sources. Please let the IT department know if you receive any email that you think is SPAM or a phishing attempt, the sender’s address can be restricted.

• Update your home computer software. Enable automatic updates on software so the latest security patches keep our devices continuously protected.

• Never share your passwords! If you think your password has been compromised, reset the password immediately.

Home Coming is part of high school. We all remember when we were in high school and packed into the gym to show spirit for our school. The cheerleaders did cheers, the mascot ran around, we clapped and stomped our feet, and the band played. The more things change the more they stay the same.

On October 6th the Cortland HS packed into the gym to continue the tradition! From the looks on all of the faces students and staff had a great time! GO PURPLE TIGERS!

29 Smith Intermediate School students were chosen as Safety Patrol for this school year. These students will have an important task of making sure that their fellow students are acting in a safe manner while on school property.

Officer Reyngoudt swore the students in and showed them their safety belts and explained their responsibilities. The students then enjoyed a donut and asked the visiting police officers questions.

Forensic Science and Earth Science students will be given two cards each to write out and send to a teacher or a staff member they are thankful for. Students will then take the time to write out cards. Then they will be placed in the teacher’s mailbox the day before we go on Thanksgiving break.

National French Week is November 1-8 this year. Students will be giving notes to say “merci” to friends, family, and staff members.

We will be doing other activities for National French Week around the building.

Congratulations to Isaac Schmohe and Quintin Hill on being accepted into the Junior High Area All-State Orchestra! Congratulations to Cole Hudson Junior High Area All-State Band. Congratulations to Amelia Fisher for Junior High Area All-State Chorus.

Mr. Milligan’s World History students are thankful to have had the opportunity to practice being a scribe using the world’s oldest writing system, cuneiform, examine and analyze the world’s oldest set of laws, Code of Hammurabi, and read the world’s oldest piece of literature, Epic of Gilgamesh. Thank you, Ancient Mesopotamia.

Performances of the fan-favorite musical Cinderella will take place on November 17th at 7 pm and November 18th at 2 pm and 7 pm in Cortland High School’s auditorium. This contemporary take on the classic tale features some of Rodgers & Hammerstein's most beloved songs alongside new characters and surprising twists. The cast is led by Bridget Madden, Braxton Towle, Sophia Ramiza, Andrew Camillo, Olivia Vitello, Sydney Seybold, Rileigh Madden, Joshua Guest, and Christian VanPatten. Featured throughout are Camarianna Inman, Alison Compagni, Alice Oldfield, Aubrey Towle, Mars Natale, Riley Madden, Maggie Ramiza, Gage Femino, Kaylee Loveall-Whittin, Vicky Ramiza, Saya Gingrich, Rebecca Spaulding, Arianna Jones, Emilia Johnson, Amelia Fisher, Lucian Brooks, and Lois Junarsin.

Tickets can be purchased online at Cortlandhightheatre.yapsody.com or at the door.