Submitted by Laurie Cook
School Information Officer
The 2019-2020 school year begins for North Syracuse Central School District students on Thursday, Sept. 5.
This year there are many exciting things taking place and some new faces to the district and our schools.
In addition to welcoming Daniel Bowles as the new superintendent of schools as of July 1, we are pleased to also welcome several new principals and many new teaching staff! Our new principals are:
• Lakeshore Road Elementary School: Principal Tina Chmielewski
• Smith Road Elementary School: Principal Lyndsey Maloney
• Gillette Road Middle School: Principal David Cordone
• Roxboro Road Middle School: Associate Principal Ashley Carducci
Read on to see what’s in store throughout the district for the 2019-20 year:
Elementary schools
Grades K-4: Allen Road Elementary School, KWS Bear Road Elementary School, Cicero Elementary School, Lakeshore Road Elementary School, Roxboro Road Elementary School and Smith Road Elementary School
A revised trimester report card schedule for all elementary students is being implemented this year.
The new trimester schedule also allows for more open dialogue at November parent-teacher conferences and gives families the opportunity to provide insight about their child’s unique educational needs.
The district will continue standards-based reporting, which gives more accurate, specific feedback about a student’s progress toward the skills and understanding of each standard.
K-4 trimester marking period end dates are as follows:
• Dec. 6, 2019 (grades available online Dec. 13, 2019)
• March 20, 2020 (grades available online March 27, 2020)
• June 19, 2020 (grades available online June 26, 2020)
Visit nscsd.org/calendar for more information.
Middle schools
Grades 5-7: Gillette Road Middle School and Roxboro Road Middle School
A revised middle school schedule includes an updated master schedule for all students.
All students will be scheduled a period of “What I Need” or WIN time will allow students to get support in targeted areas.
Students in grades 5 and 6 will now have opportunities to explore special classes in technology, family and consumer science, STEM, business and health. Additionally, music ensembles, including band, orchestra, and now chorus, will be offered as part of the regular school day.
Renovations to the Roxboro Road Middle School main entrance and lobby have begun.
The school’s security will be upgraded, along with a new procedure for parents who are picking their children up early. More info to come!
Renovations are also being done in the music wing to create a second space for music ensembles to practice and play together.
The Positivity Project (P2) is coming to Roxboro Road Middle School. More information on P2 can be found at posproject.org.
North Syracuse Junior High School
The Positivity Project is also underway at NSJHS!
The Positivity Project is a building-wide movement focused on teaching positive psychology’s 24 character strengths over the course of the school year. Students and staff will identify their strengths in order to help them become the best versions of themselves.
This movement also embraces the #OtherPeopleMatter mindset and empowers students and staff to build positive relationships within our school community.
Our goal is that students and staff with use their strengths to affect others in a positive way and continue to build a positive school community.
Mentoring Program begins!
The NSJHS Mentoring Program will focus on supporting the social and emotional challenges that many of our students face.
The program will provide opportunities for meaningful relationships between staff mentors and their student mentees, which in turn will continue to build community throughout our school.
Our goal is to provide positive staff role models to help students work through challenges while promoting confidence, social awareness and perseverance.
All student cell phones will be required to be placed in lockers between 7:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. each day.
A new security desk has been constructed at the front doors to enhance safety and security in the building.
Cicero-North Syracuse High School (grades 10-12)
The high school will continue to focus on creating an atmosphere that promotes and rewards positive behaviors throughout the school environment through year 2 of the Positivity Project.
New classes being offered at the high school are SUPA Chemistry and Live Event Production.
The Career Center will now be staffed full time to assist with year round job shadows and college and career exploration.
An additional school counselor has been added.
Unified Sports will continue here at the high school, offering more student opportunities for all.
The High School was awarded by New York State as a Recognition School according to the ESSA Regulations. Recognition schools have high academic achievement, student growth and graduation rate and have made progress. The High School received a certificate from the Commissioner of Education.
Breakfast and lunch
The North Syracuse Central School District has been selected to participate in a new free meal program for the 2019-2020 school year.
Through the USDA’s Community Eligibility Provision program, students at three qualifying schools will receive a free breakfast and free lunch every school day for the 2019-2020 school year.
The following schools are part of the Community Eligibility Provision program:
• North Syracuse Early Education Program
• Roxboro Road Elementary School
• Roxboro Road Middle School
Additional information about the free meals program is available on the district’s website at nscsd.org.
North Syracuse schools begin serving breakfast and lunch Sept. 5.
The costs of breakfast and full-price school lunch are as follows:
• Breakfast K-12: $1.90
• Elementary lunch: $2.40
• Middle School lunch: $2.65
• Secondary School lunch: $2.90
Be prepared
In addition to these exciting changes, we’d like to provide the following important information for families. More information is listed on the district website at nscsd.org.
On opening day, students should come with:
• K-2: Bus number written down along with the address of where they will be dropped off. If going to a sitter or day care center, include name and phone number
• Grades 3-12: Pen/pencil and paper
• K-12: A positive attitude — get ready to begin a new school year!
All school and district events are listed on the district’s online calendar at nscsd.org/calendar.
Users can customize their online calendar to include multiple schools, district events and meetings and can even download event information to their mobile devices.
If dates/times listed on the calendar are in question, please contact your child’s school to verify the information.
If you have questions about opening day, call the district office at 315-218-2100.
Call the transportation department with questions about school buses at 315-218-2017.
The Jerome F. Melvin Administrative Office Building address is: 5355 West Taft Road, North Syracuse, NY 13212.
