Bird's Eye View

Hello Larries Community,

Welcome to the March 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 along with a few things we occasionally may need to ask for a little help with. 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.

Budget creation season is here. We have spent the past few months collecting data on both projected expenses, and revenues for next year. As a staff, we continue to look at the community survey suggestions from last year for programs that will occur both during and after school, as well as during the summer months. Another survey will be coming shortly to the community asking for any other suggestions of programs you feel could be beneficial to our district. We will be sponsoring several summer camps again this summer, many of which were taken from last year's community survey results. Please reach out with any interest your child(ren) may have. Structural additions will also continue to be calculated for the entire district with more specific updates to come.

A few shout outs and reminders:

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

• Can we just say WOW to the Drama Club’s presentation of, The Wizard of Oz, this past weekend! Congratulations to all our students, staff, and parents that participated in any way during the creation, and production of this great show. Super job!!

• To our athletes and coaches: we appreciate the efforts you all made in the month of February, and during the winter playoff season. Congratulations to all students, coaches, and teams that received team and/or individual academic, sportsmanship, and athletic awards at the end of the season. Dates and times for events can be found on our SLC website and app.

• Reminder to all families with a “little one” getting to be school age. Both Pre-K and Kindergarten registrations are now open. Information can be located on our Brasher Falls Central webpage under community/registration. Please get your child(ren) registered as soon as possible, so we can budget for accurate numbers for next year.

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 with us at SLC.

Thanks for following us!

Chris Rose

We have funding for students to attend private summer camps again!

If you are interested, please complete the form by March 31st at: https://forms.gle/myjcHm68H7Po9TzbA

It is hard to believe that we are almost 25 weeks into the school year! With our realization of where we are at in the school calendar comes many questions about the New York State Regents Exams. Below you will find the NYS Regents schedule for June 2023:

http://www.nysed.gov/state-assessment/june-2023-regents-examination-schedule

If you find that your child is struggling academically, please remember to reach out to each teacher for directions on how you can help. Teachers are available most days after school now through the end of the school year, and can work to support your student’s success.

As always, if you have questions about how to best help your child succeed in school, please do not hesitate to reach out to us, and we are happy to help!

Mrs. Zender

High School Principal

Mr. Dan Cruikshank was the High School "Golden Apple" award winner for the month of February. He was nominated by several colleagues for this honor.

"We would like to nominate Dan Cruikshank for the Golden Apple award this month. As a new teacher here at SLC, he has jumped into the deep end, and is balancing coaching, and teaching on top of building great relationships with the students. He is polite, and friendly to all, and really models a “can-do” attitude. He works very well with his Social Studies Department, and has demonstrated excellent attention to detail as well as focus when proctoring the Regents Exam. Dan is a team player who is positive, and fun to work with, and is very deserving of the Golden Apple."

Congratulations, Mr. Cruikshank!

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 Brevin Gardner. He interviewed Mr. Brown, SLC's High School Art teacher.

I originally went to SUNY Plattsburgh for biology (I wanted to be a game warden), but I didn't care for it. During my second semester of college, I took a drawing class and I really enjoyed it; I remembered that I loved working in art and I wasn't bad at it. I took a year off and worked as a carpenter. I realized I didn't want to do that the rest of my life, so I went back to school and started taking art courses and just enjoyed it.

My sculpture teacher, somewhere along the line, one day said, “You would make a good teacher.” I had never given it a thought until he said something, but then I looked into it, and I started taking education courses. Still not sure that I wanted to be a teacher, I ended up substitute teaching for a month. I realized it was something that I really enjoyed and something that I really wanted to do, so I pursued it, and just kinda got lucky.

I was actually between two schools because I was between here (SLC) and Massena. It was very hectic just trying to get my feet underneath me and figure everything out. I was very busy trying to stay afloat. Trying to find my path was hectic, busy, crazy, and stressful, but in a good way.

Teaching is exciting. I'm motivated by seeing some of the things kids come up with. When I get that kid who might not enjoy art that much, but they create something that they like, that's pretty rewarding.

I'm a carpenter in my free time. I like to hunt as well. In five years, I'll be retired. I'll probably be working construction somewhere, building a home, renovating a home for somebody, and spending some time with my grandkids. I just like to work.

Congratulations to the Drama Club and the cast and crew for all of their hard work on this year's musical presentation of The Wizard of Oz.! The musical performances were awesome and thoroughly enjoyed by all who attended!

The Wizard of Oz poster was created by high school student, Cassadee Brothers.

Here is a link to the North Country Now article published the day before the production.

Hybrid Animal Clay Whistles created by a high school Studio Art class.

Some of the SLC Spanish Club members volunteered to wait tables at the Tri-Town Winter Carnival masquerade dinner. McKenna Bowles, Ella Bellinger, Hope McDonald, Mackenna Knapp and Jaelei Brothers represented the Spanish Club, and volunteered their time.

High School Guidance Counselors

Andrea Martin A-K

Rachel Roldan L-Z

Hi Everyone,

We wanted to reach out from the high school guidance office to share some information for parents and students by grade level:

Grade 12: New scholarships are coming in each month, so please stop down to see what is available! Senior scholarship packets will be coming out in April in ELA classes, all students are encouraged to apply. Seniors are encouraged to check out the scholarship binder to learn about new and upcoming opportunities to finance their post high school plans.

Grade 11: Junior Scholarship packets will be handed out later this month, and interested students are encouraged to apply. These scholarships are school specific, families are encouraged to look through the application, and research opportunities that may apply to their student.

Grade 10: Sophomore scheduling meetings are continuing this month. Students who are interested in attending a program at Seaway Tech next year must turn in completed applications no later than March 17. Slots are limited, and students must submit an application if they would like to attend.

Grade 9: Parents and students, please be on the lookout for information for upcoming 9th grade meetings. If you are interested in attending with your child, please reach out to Julie Jenkinson in the Guidance Office x29102.

As the school year transitions through the spring semester, students are encouraged to continue to keep their grades and attendance up. If your child is struggling academically, please reach out so that we can help connect them with their teachers, and additional resources to help them to have a strong finish to their year.

Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions for us!

Mrs. Martin and Mrs. Roldan

The Larries have wrapped up the winter sports season.

• Cheer placed second in Sectionals in the Co-ed Division, and second overall. That is a great achievement for our program. Great job by Coach Brault, Coach Mitchell, and the team!
• Varsity Boys Hockey finished 5-15-1, and a 7-4 loss to Norwood-Norfolk in the D2 Quarterfinals.
• Girls Varsity Basketball finished 12-9 with a very tough 63-57 loss to Madrid-Waddington in the Class C semifinals.
• JV Girls Basketball had a perfect 13-0 record in the East, and won the Division! They finished 15-5 overall.
• Varsity Boys Basketball finished 15-7 with a playoff win over Norwood-Norfolk in the Class C Quarterfinals before losing to Tupper Lake 57-38 in the Class C Semi's.
• JV Boys Basketball finished 14-6, and came in second in the East with a 10-2 record.
• Congratulations to Cheer and Girls Varsity Basketball for being named Winter Sports Scholar Athlete Teams!

Sportsmanship Team Award Winners

• Congratulations to Boys Varsity Basketball on winning The Glenn Bissell Sportsmanship Award!
  
• Congratulations to Girls Varsity Basketball on winning The Ed Bush Sportsmanship Award!
• The sportsmanship awards are awarded to only one of the 24 Section X schools yearly for best overall Team Sportsmanship which includes the coaches, players, and fans. It is rare that both the girls and boys teams from the same school will win the awards.
  

Spring sports get underway on Monday, March 13th for Varsity Lacrosse, Varsity Baseball and JV/Varsity Softball. Modified sports will start Monday, March 20th.

Spring sport physicals will be given on Tuesday, March 14th. Anyone without a physical cannot practice. Please see Ms. Hallahan in the HS Nurse's office to obtain the proper paperwork.

All Section X events are now free of charge. You will only have to pay to get in to watch Regional/State playoff games.

The Section is in dire need of officials in all sports. It has become such a problem, Modified games are sometimes now officiated with one official, or cancelled. JV/Varsity games are constantly being shuffled around to new dates, so they can find available officials. If any interest at all, please contact Mr. Reome at jreome@bfcsd.org and he will send you in the right direction.

Dear Middle School Parents,

It is so wonderful to have made it to March! However, it does not look very spring-like yet outside. Our grade level teams have all been making fun plans for the end of the year, and we are also gearing up for state testing, and completion of our year academically.

We want to see all of our students put their best effort in for the end of the year, so they can be successful. We will have progress reports coming out the week of March 13th. This is just a reminder that they can be accessed digitally on Schooltool. I encourage all parents to be checking their child's assignment grades weekly in Schooltool. If something has a zero, that means it has not been turned in, or attempted. Our teachers appreciate you helping to support students in getting all of their assignments turned in. If you have questions about any class assignments or grades, please reach out to teachers.

State testing for ELA in grades 5-8 will be April 20-21. Math will be May 4-5. Science lab will be May 23-25, and the written science exam will be June 5. Although I know that this can be a lot for students, we appreciate your support in encouraging your children to do their best on their tests. The data that we receive from testing helps us both to serve your child, and also helps us to know the needs of our whole school.

I hope to see you at one of our upcoming spring events,

Mrs. LaBarge

Middle School Principal

The SLC Comfort Cart is up and running. In less than three weeks, we have been asked for 43 items that were bagged up, and delivered. The donations from the community, and staff have been amazing. Our class gets super excited to fill up the cart, and be part of spreading kindness by helping their peers.

If you or your family need anything, feel to message us at mrutledge@bfcsd.org, or send in a note with your child. This is a school wide program. A clean environment is one of the best ways for you, and our children to stay healthy.

The 8th Grade Class would like to thank everyone who helped make our Valentines Day Dance fundraiser a success! We were able to raise over $1,400 for the 8th grade class! We would especially like to thank Bob Pike from Platinum Entertainment for donating his DJ services, allowing our dance to really come alive! Thank you!

This fundraiser is part of the Gr8 Experience, an 8th grade initiative that allows students to develop real-world skills by researching, choosing, planning, and carrying-out a class-wide fundraiser and using the proceeds to research, plan, and attend a grade-wide field trip, as well as kick-start fundraising for high school events like Prom and Senior Trip. This fundraiser was completed almost entirely by our 8th graders and taught students skills related to communication, event planning, budgeting, and money management.

Keep an eye out for more fundraisers from our 8th grade class, including a Flower Bulb sale (February 27th through March 10th), and our rescheduled Parent's Night Out event on March 20th!

The Extended Day 5th graders recently went bowling in Malone. All had a great time!

Notan Collage Artwork created by 7th grade art students

Mrs. Nezezon's Mentor Group had a great time taking on the Pop-Tart Challenge!

Hello Again SLC Family,

Last week we had a visit from our middle and high friends who gave us a sneak peek at this year's school musical, The Wizard of Oz. Our students really enjoyed this treat! Thank you to all who participated and congratulations on a successful weekend!

Pre-kindergarten and kindergarten registration is now 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:

• There is no school on Friday, March 17, since the district will participate in a regional staff development day. Please plan accordingly.
• Spring Break will take place from Friday, April 7 through Friday, April 14.

Respectfully,

Mrs. Colterman

The SLC PTO held a fundraiser in honor of the 100th day of school in the Elementary building! Our goal was to have 100 soup cans donated. We surpassed this by raising 247 cans!! All soup cans were donated to the Tri-Town Food Pantry. We would like to thank Terri Rios-Passon for delivering these items to those in need.

Thank you to all of our Little Larries and their families for donating, and supporting our community!

Students in Mrs. Hahn’s 3rd Grade Class were excited to use the school's new Sphero Indi Cars! Students first had to solve a math word problem then designed a path to the correct answer. Students placed color tiles on the floor to tell the Indi where to go, and how fast. They came up with creative ways to get to the correct letter, and practiced working together while waiting for their turn. Students reflected on what worked best and fine-tuned their tracks. We are excited to use them again!

Mr. Dow's PE classes have started a new unit on striking, eye tracking, and volleying using balloons!

As the calendar is quickly moving towards April, and Spring Break, we would like to remind our students and families of some important technology safety tips to use if you will be traveling. While these tips are always important, cyber thieves know when spring break takes place, and they often take advantage of unsuspecting travelers.

To help protect you, and your family following these suggestions can assist in protecting your data:

• Beware of connecting to fake public networks, and turn off your Wi-Fi when not in use.
• Use a secure Virtual Private Network (VPN), if you must use Wi-Fi connections
• Avoid using public Wi-Fi networks to conduct personal business, bank, or shop online.
• Turn on Find My Phone to track, and remotely erase data on lost or stolen devices.
• Passcode-protect mobile devices, and set lock to activate after a few minutes of inactivity.
• Make sure anti-virus software is up-to-date, and running on all devices

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