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syracusecityschools.com

SCSDAPP! MAILING ADDRESS

1025 Erie Boulevard WestSyracuse, NY 13204

PHYSICAL ADDRESS

725 Harrison StreetSyracuse, NY 13210

GOOD NEWSA M E S S A G E F R O M T H E S U P E R I N T E N D E N T

Dear Parents & Families,

Welcome to the 2017-18 school year!

I was pleased to see that many of our students were combating the ‘summer slide’ by taking part in our summer school programming. In this newsletter, you’ll see some photos from the #SCSDSummerLearning that was taking place throughout the district.

You’ll also learn about the students who took part in the Mayor’s Summer Reading Challenge—with the most active class of readers tallying up more than 18,000 collective minutes spent reading this summer! Reading habits start early, and the Summer Reading Challenge is a great way to encourage these habits.

Our staff were also busy developing their skills for the coming year. Pre-K staff from the SCSD and throughout the state attended our Pre-K Summer Institute, our school leaders took part in a summer Leadership Institute and our support staff attended a Student Support Team Institute.

In other words, we are ready to Strive for Success this school year! From the moment our students enter the classroom, it is our responsibility to provide them with the foundational skills they need to go on to be successful—through elementary, middle, high school grades and beyond. As you have good news to share about your child’s achievements, please share the #SCSDSuccess story with us by emailing goodnews@scsd.us or tagging us on social media (@SyracuseSchools on Twitter; @SyracuseCitySchools on Facebook)!

Sincerely,

P-TECH Students Solve Real-World Challenges in Workplace ChallengeAs part of the P-TECH summer bridge program at ITC, 10th grade students had the opportunity to brainstorm clever solutions for a local business. Mel Menon from DARCO Manufacturing shared with students the company’s struggle with its parking lot – primarily a lack of parking spaces and drainage issues that cause flooding of the space. Students worked in groups to research and plan out potential solutions, presenting their final ideas to a panel. Students’ ideas included repaving the parking lot in a slope away from the building, adding grates for proper drainage, removing unused ramps, redirecting traffic, rearranging parking spaces and more. The students’ presentations included blueprint drawings, 3D models, estimated costs to implement their ideas and more.

What’s for Lunch? Academic success begins with proper nutrition! All SCSD students are invited to enjoy free breakfast, lunch and snack at school each day. What’s on the menu? Log onto the Food & Nutrition Services website for the latest breakfast, lunch and snack menus, as well as guidance on how to handle food allergies, dietary restrictions and more. Visit syracusecityschools.com/food!

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ITC Alumnus Awarded

Syracuse Track Club Scholarship

ITC graduate Solomon Lawrence (’17) received a $1,000 George Constantino scholarship, awarded by the Syracuse Track Club. Solomon follows in the footsteps of Alphonse Mugisha (Nottingham ’13), who won the scholarship in 2013.

PSLA Senior Recognized at NJROTC Summer Leadership AcademyPSLA senior Janel Perez attended the Area 4 Leadership/Sail Academy in Newport, RI this summer. In the program – for the top 140 NJROTC cadets in the Northeast—Janel ended up graduating as a squad leader! #SCSDCareerReady

ITC P-Tech Partner Recognized with Service AwardITC P-Tech partner Ephesus Lighting was recognized by their parent company, Eaton Corporation, with a service award for participation in

the P-Tech program. Along with the recognition, they were also given $500 to donate to the program!

Seymour Staff Participate in Onondaga CupStaff members from Seymour Dual Language Academy formed a Crew Team and participated in the Onondaga Cup this summer. The team placed second in their first race and first in their second race, qualifying them for the semi-finals!

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25 BOE Operations Work Session

27 BOE Education Work Session

I M P O R TA N T D AT E SSeptember 2017

October 20177 SAT & Subject Tests

9 Indigenous/ Columbus Day (No School)

11 PSAT/NMSQT Administration

11 BOE Meeting

11 Elementary & Middle School Interim Report Cards

14 PSAT/NMSQT Administration

14 CNY Steamboat Challenge

14 Parent University and ENL Family Conference

20 All City Jazz Festival Rehearsal

21 All City Jazz Festival— Lincoln, 2:00 PM

23 BOE Operations Work Session

25 PSAT/NMSQT Administration

25 BOE Education Work Session

27 Elementary & Middle School Marking Period 1 Ends

28 ACT Test

Student

Recognition Congratulations SCSD Students!

Student Information/ Emergency CardIt is extremely important that your child’s school has up-to-date information on your child, including an emergency contact. Every family should have received a pre-populated Student Information/Emergency Card in the mail. Please review the information on the card and make any necessary changes before returning it to your child’s school. Note that throughout the school year, photographs, audio and/or video may be taken of students for use in district publications, on the website and/or social media or by news media. Parents who do not wish to have their children photographed or recorded must check the appropriate box on the current Student Information/Emergency Card and submit it to their child’s school.

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Alumni SpotlightWayne Tucker

SCSD Schools AttendedSalem Hyde, Lincoln, Henninger (’05)

College and Major(s)SUNY Purchase (Jazz Performance)

Career PathI am a full time professional musician, and I’ve practiced thousands and thousands of hours to get there. I started by playing music at home, then in school and at church. I studied music in college and I moved to NYC immediately after graduating from college to pursue a career in music.

The coolest thing about my job is… I get to set my own schedule because I’m my own boss. I also get to travel the world making people smile through the lens of music.

The most valuable thing I learned in school is…You have to work hard to be successful at anything

that you pursue.

I’m proud to be a SCSD graduate because…Our schools were diverse, and taught me how to interact with people from all walks of life.

One piece of advice I’d give to SCSD students is…

Don’t be afraid to pursue your dreams, because

you can change the world for the better by doing something that you love.

NameJules Nshimiye

Grade12

SchoolHenninger

Extracurricular ActivitiesNational Honor Society, Seeds of Peace (facilitator), Liberty Partnership Program, Varsity track, Film Club, Freedom Leaders, volunteer tutor at Tillie’s Touch, Science Technology Entry Program (STEP) and the Northside Learning Center

Favorite classPre-calc, because I get to learn new stuff and it’s challenging. I’ve learned that math is very useful – and pre-calc lets me do real things with it.

Favorite TeacherMs. Keyes, a math teacher in the Liberty Partnership Program. She has helped me learn methods for taking the SATs and I did well using them. She knows a lot of math, too!

Favorite thing about your schoolThe staff and all that they provide for us. Our counselors are nice and very useful.

Proudest achievementTrack! When I started the triple jump, I jumped 35 feet. Now, I can jump 39.6 feet and I’ve competed in sectionals! Through track, I’ve also developed new communications skills and a sense of responsibility.Hobbies outside of school: I play the guitar and I’ve performed at a lot of events. I also like to play soccer and write poetry.

Coolest thing learned in schoolEverything in my Public Policy class. In the Republic of Congo, where I’m from, we weren’t allowed to participate in the policy process. Now, I’ve learned that I can influence the process in the United States. I’ve even developed a policy that would municipalize city sidewalks which I presented to the Syracuse Common Council.

Advice for other studentsJoin some clubs and involve yourself

in some activities – they’ll help you develop useful skills. Also, learn to manage your time – that will show a sense of responsibility and will help you get into a good college.

Jules was nominated by Social Studies teacher Joyce Suslovic, who said, “I am proud to know this young man who came from the Congo three years ago and has been giving back to his new community ever since!”

Class of 2017 Students Participate in August Graduation Congratulations to the Class of 2017 graduates who participated in the August graduation ceremony! We wish you continued success and look forward to hearing about your future accomplishments.

SCSD Students Become Avid Readers Thanks to Mayor’s Summer Reading Challenge

As part of the Mayor’s Summer Reading Challenge, SCSD students were tasked with reading as much as they could this summer. Their minutes spent reading were tallied, and Mayor Miner visited classrooms with the most minutes read at each school building to present students with a bookmark, sunglasses and a cake. Congratulations to all of our summer readers on this great #SCSDSummerLearning!

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Summer Learning in the SCSDIn the SCSD, learning never stops!

Our students were hard at work throughout the summer – check out some photos highlighting the many fun and educational things they did! Students learned about painting and mindfulness at Dr. Weeks, golf at Hughes, community service at Huntington, natural disasters at Syracuse Latin, ecosystems at McKinley-Brighton, the solar system at Bellevue, there were dance parties and guest readers at Webster and more. All that #SCSDSummerLearning has our students prepared for #SCSDSuccess this school year!

Dr. King Community Garden Helps Feed Families & the CommunitySecond and third graders at Dr. King Elementary tended to the school’s community garden this summer, pulling weeds and helping to harvest its goods. They examined the garden to see what was ready and then picked lettuce, beans, collards, mint and more. Students each packaged a bag to bring home, as well as a bag to donate to the Food Pantry.

Henninger Students Create Coloring Books for Crouse HospitalHenninger students in Art classes with Lori Lizzio worked with Social Studies teacher Joyce Suslovic and parent (and Crouse Health Patient Advocate) Annette Rouse on a special project. The students created drawings to be used in an adult coloring book that they donated to Crouse Hospital patients who are in treatments and/or recovery. Ms. Lizzio said she hopes to continue this #SCSDArts project each school year.

Educators and Staff Participate in Summer Professional DevelopmentSCSD Hosts Summer Summit for Educators Educators across the SCSD attended a three-day Summer Summit focused on personalized learning and building culturally relevant schools. Led by the SCSD Office of Professional Development, the Summit included workshops, panels, make-and-takes and more to help staff improve student learning environments and relationships, address diverse learner needs, increase community and family engagement and more. Thank you to all who took part, including keynote speakers Anthony Kim, CEO and founder of Education Elements and Dr. David E. Kirkland, Executive Director of The NYU Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and The Transformation of Schools.

SCSD Hosts Pre-K Summer InstituteIn partnership with the New York State Education Department, this summer the SCSD hosted a ‘Three Year Old Public Preschool Summer Institute.’ The Institute welcomed early childhood educators from across New York State to take place in workshops, discussions, activities and networking.

Teachers learned about instructional practices for working with preschool students, creating environments that best serve preschoolers and more.

School Support Staff Enjoy Summer InstituteSchool support staff including teachers, social workers and administrators came together this summer to attend a ‘Student Support Team Institute’ intended to help engage school teams in culturally responsive activities. Staff learned about how to implement preventative strategies

and restorative practices in line with the District’s Code of Conduct, Character and Support, discussed classroom management techniques for effective teaching and more.

How to File an Appeal for TransportationThe School Board Eligibility Policy requires that a student reside more than 1.5 miles from school to qualify for bus transportation in grades K-12. This includes day care providers. A parent may fill out an appeal packet if they do not meet the district’s policy of 1.5 miles. The appeal committee will only consider distance as criteria for filing an appeal.

1. Appeal packets may be acquired at the student's school, online at www.syracusecityschools.com, or from the SCSD Transportation Center

2. The appeal packet consists of two forms: one to be filled out by the parent/ guardian and one to be filled out by the school principal

3. Submit packet to the Transportation Center by fax (435-5854) or mail (369 6th North St. Syracuse, NY 13208)

4. Transportation will notify parent/ guardian of the appeal hearing date and time

5. Parent/ guardian attends the appeal hearing6. Committee meets and parent/ guardian is notified of

the decision within a week

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NOTICE

Want more photos? Check out SCSD’s Flickr page

Visit www.syracusecityschools.com

SCSD Welcomes New Staff MembersThe SCSD welcomed over 200 new staff members to the district for this coming school year. The new staff members took part in a 10 day new teacher orientation. The orientation covered topics such as personalized

learning, culturally responsive education, English as a new language (ENL), special education and many other topics pertinent to ensuring our new staff members are prepared to kick off the school year successfully.

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Syracuse Latin Students Publish Book for CharityStudents in Ms. Bassette’s class at Syracuse Latin worked with local author and radio personality Mark Eischen and his organization Boundless Books this summer to write and publish their own book, “Max’s Dream to Save the Team.”

The book, about a T-Rex named Max, tells the story of Max’s dream to play basketball, his challenges and how he ultimately overcomes those challenges to achieve success in a different way than he had planned. With Mr. Eischen, students worked together to brainstorm ideas for the plot, including selecting words that rhyme. Then, they each showed their creativity as they illustrated their own page of the book.

“People should buy our book because it has lots of colors,” third grader Aniyrah Harris said. “And it has problems and details and solutions! I didn’t know I could draw like this, but I’m going to write my own book at home now!”

The published book is available for purchase on Amazon.com. Students wanted their project to help other kids, too, so they voted to donate all proceeds from book sales to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Central New York. They are also hoping to mail copies of the book to a school in Ghana.

Middle School Students Learn VEX Robotics at Summer CampMiddle school students from Frazer, Ed Smith, HW Smith and Lincoln enjoyed a two-week VEX Robotics camp at Frazer this summer. Students explored science, technology and

engineering through hands-on advanced activities in VEX IQ Robotics. They built and programmed robots and rockets, completed engineering challenges, enjoyed teambuilding games and even worked on competition kits for the upcoming school year.

CNY STEM Camp Helps Girls Become #SCSDCareerReadyFor a week this summer, a group of young women gathered in the Science Center at LeMoyne College. From 9 am to 4 pm, they learned about particulates, tried their hand at soldering, learned about drones and aerodynamics, attempted coding and more.

Part of the objective of the CNY STEM Summer Camp for Young Women, powered by AT&T, was to expose young women to the possibilities available to them in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math.

SCSD students attended the camp along with young women from ten other local school districts.

“I feel like I’m always on the computer and using technology, so by coming to this camp, I was able to learn some new skills!” Nottingham freshman Jayla Keeton said.

Thank you to CNY STEM Hub, Partners for Education & Business and the other organizations that made this camp possible for our young women.

Delaware Students Receive Book DonationFor the second year in a row, Syracuse writer Fran Paige organized a fundraiser at Barnes and Noble to collect

books for students at Delaware Primary. In memory of her daughter, Meg, who previously worked with kindergarten classes at Delaware, Ms. Page has donated more than 400 books to the students – many new; some gently used. Each kindergarten teacher receives a bag of books – enough for one per child – each with a sticker for students to complete that says ‘This book belongs to…’ The books are each stamped with ‘Remembering Meg’ and a gold heart representing Meg’s heart of gold. Thank you to Ms. Paige for the generous donation of books and her time!

Frazer Clothing Closet Provides Options for Students, Families in NeedFrazer students now have the opportunity to pick out new clothes at school,

thanks to a Clothing Closet.

Available initially at the school’s back-to-school open house, the Clothing Closet will be accessible for students throughout the entire school year. Clothing available includes boys and girls sizes 4-16, winter coats and boots, sneakers and shoes and more. The school will also offer a Food Pantry this year, to help provide families with additional food over long weekends and school breaks.

Supplies for the Clothing Closet (including hangers, bins and clothing racks), as well as gently used clothing and new socks and underwear, are always needed. Food items including snacks and easy to prepare meals – as well as food storage and backpacks for food transport – are also in demand. Donations to the Clothing Closet or Food Pantry can be dropped off in the main office at Frazer (741 Park Ave.); or you may contact Jen Medina with questions (JMedina2@scsd.us).

SYRACUSE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT REQUEST FOR PESTICIDE APPLICATION NOTIFICATIONIf you wish to be notified, please complete the form below and print clearly so we can notify you.

CURRENT SCHOOL/ BUILDING NAME

NAME ADDRESS

DAY PHONE EVENING PHONE CITY STATE ZIP CODE

Notification for Pesticide ApplicationsNew York State Education Law Section 409-H requires all public and nonpublic elementary and secondary schools to provide written notification to all persons in parental and guardian relationships with students as well as faculty and staff regarding the potential use of pesticides periodically throughout the school year. The Syracuse City School District is required to maintain a list of persons who wish to receive 48-hour prior written notification of certain pesticide applications. The following pesticide applications are not subject to prior notification requirements:

• a school remains unoccupied for a continuous 72-hours following an application;

• anti-microbial products;• nonvolatile rodenticides and insecticide baits in tamper

resistant bait stations in areas inaccessible to children;

• silica gel and other nonvolatile ready-to-use pastes, foams, or gels in areas inaccessible to children;

• boric acid and disodium octaborate tetrahydrate;• the application of EPA designated biopesticides;• the application of EPA designated exempt materials

under 40CFR152.25;• the use of aerosol products with a directed spray in

containers of 18 fluid ounces or less when used to protect individuals from an imminent threat from stinging and biting insects including venomous spiders, bees, wasps, and hornets.

In the event of an emergency application, a good faith effort will be made to supply written notification to those on the notification list. If you would like to receive prior notification of pesticide applications at your school, please complete the form below and mail to the Syracuse City School District, School Service Center, 214 Park Avenue, Syracuse, NY 13204; fax to 315-435-4936; or you can return the completed form to your child’s school.

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NOTICE

The Syracuse City School District hereby advises students, parents, employees and the general public that it is committed to providing equal access to all categories of employment, programs and educational opportunities, including career and technical education opportunities, regardless of actual or perceived race, color, national origin, Native American ancestry/ethnicity, creed or re-ligion, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, age, gender identity or expression, disability or any other legally protected category under federal, state or local law.Inquiries regarding the District’s non-discrimina-tion policies should be directed to: Chief Ombuds/ Student Support Services Officer, Civil Rights Compliance Officer/ Syracuse City School District/ 725 Harrison Street • Syracuse, NY 13210/ (315) 435-4131 Email: CivilRightsCompliance@scsd.us

Non-Profit Org.

U.S. PostagePAID

Syracuse, NYPermit 2563

SYRACUSE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT1025 Erie Boulevard West | Syracuse, NY 13204

MISSIONTo build, support and sustain school communities that provide all students with a high-quality education that prepares them to graduate as responsible, active citizens ready for success in college and careers and prepared to compete in a global economy.

VISIONTo become the most improved urban school district in America.

ULTIMATE GOALAn educational community that graduates every student as a responsible, active citizen prepared for success in college, careers and the global economy.

BOARD OF EDUCATIONDerrick Dorsey, President

Patricia Body, Vice President

David Cecile

Mark D. Muhammad

Rita Paniagua

Dan Romeo

Katie Sojewicz

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFFJaime Alicea, Superintendent

Patricia Clark, Chief Ombuds/ Student Support Services Officer

Dean DeSantis, Chief Operations Officer

Christopher Miller, Ed.D., Chief Human Resources Officer

Timothy Moon, Chief Accountability Officer

Linda Mulvey, Chief Academic Officer

Suzanne Slack, Chief Financial Officer

Monique Wright-Williams, Chief of Staff

Asbestos Annual NotificationAgencies of both the State and Federal governments regulate asbestos in the public schools. With the enactment of the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) in 1987, all Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) are required to identify asbestos-containing material (ACM) in schools and to formulate written plans to control and prevent the release of asbestos fibers in the future.

Buildings owned or leased by the Syracuse City School District have been inspected, and samples of suspect ACM have been analyzed by Environmental Protection Agency accredited laboratories. The results

of these inspections are available in school administrative offices. Included in these plans are specific operations and maintenance programs designed for each building for the control of asbestos.

Implementation of the response recommendations began July 9, 1989. Since the implementation of the AHERA Management Plan, the Syracuse City School District has conducted formal inspections at six month intervals and, in compliance with the law, will complete two more in the 2017-2018 school year in October and April. State and Federal mandates require that a triennial reinspection occur sometime within three years of the first AHERA inspection. The Syracuse City School District conducted a triennial reinspection in April 2016. The results of this reinspection can be found in each building in the AHERA Management Plan.

As the District renovates buildings, ACM is removed to the extent practical.

Syracuse City School District school buildings including support buildings that have been identified to contain ACM may have had some response action work completed in their buildings during the 2016-2017 school year. The details of those specific response actions have been documented in writing and can be found in the AHERA Management Plan located in the administrative office of each building.

If at any time the status or condition of any ACM is changed or disturbed through alterations, renovations or episodic release, it will be documented and Management Plans will be updated. We will continue to implement our Management Plans and alert the public about the District's efforts to control asbestos.

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>> Share your questions, comments or concerns 24/7 using the Let’s Talk tool at www.syracusecityschools.com