November 2017 District Newsletter
  November Events
  • 11/8: Smith Elementary Building Tour, 5:45 p.m.
  • 11/8: Facilities Study Meeting, 6:30 p.m.
  • 11/9: District Early Dismissal
  • 11/10: No School in Observance of Veterans Day
  • 11/14: BOE Meeting, 6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m.
  • 11/15: Understanding the IEP, Presented by SUPAC, 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.
  • 11/17: Parent Teacher Conferences, No School for Students
  • 11/22-11/24: Thanksgiving Break, No School for Students
  • 11/24: Auditorium Project Hearing & Board of Education Meeting, 6:30 p.m.
The Harmony Bridge Project
On October 20th, members of the Cortland Junior High and Senior High School Bands went to the Cortland Regional Medical Center to perform for the residents in the rehabilitation center. This was the inaugural performance of the Harmony Bridge Project in Cortland. Through music performances, conversation and interaction, our students will experience the power of caring and sharing, while developing an understanding of their own abilities to make their community and the world a better place. Students visited with residents after the performance and many made friends for whom they hope to perform for again. Music has a way to bring people together. Read more...
Lowes "Heros" Repairs Bridge and XC Trail
Have you ever noticed the shed to the right of the high school visitor parking? That shed is located at the start of a series of winding trails through the woods on campus. These trails had been the cross country course, but had fallen into disrepair and were impassable. Through a partnership with the Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation, the trails are back in shape and ready for a run. The shed has been cleaned and painted, brush has been cleared, and the bridge has been replaced. Read more...
Tiger Time and the Positivity Project
The High School has launched the Positivity Project, and with it a twenty minute advisory time called "Tiger Time." During Tiger Time, teachers work with small groups of students to discuss the 24 character traits of the Positivity Project.  Principal John Zarcone collaborated with a team of teachers and created the Tiger Time curriculum which is based on the character traits. Through videos, articles, and discussion, teachers and students dive into the deeper meaning of each of the character traits. Read more...
Auditorium Renovation
Our auditorium needs help! Except for a few minor modifications, it remains as it was when it opened in 1964. Located at the Junior Senior High School, it’s the only auditorium we have in the district; all seven schools share it. There are safety issues that we need to fix, in addition to catching up on the last fifty-three years since it was constructed. Almost all of the project (88%) will be funded by the state, and the Board of Education has saved enough in the Capital Reserve Account to cover the other 12% without having to raise taxes to do it.

Detailed information will be sent to all households in the district. We’ve also established a special page on our website, cortlandschools.org under “quick links,” where you can see pictures, watch a video about the proposed project, and read more about it.

The vote will take place on Wednesday, December 13, 2017. The polls are open from 12:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Cortlandville (District 9) and Cortland (District 1) will vote at the Kaufman Center. Virgil residents will vote at the Virgil Town Hall. Please note that the Cortlandville location is not a voting location due to its unavailability. Learn more regarding this project at the Public Hearing on November 28th at the Board of Education meeting.
Presenting The Secret Garden
The Cortland High School Theatre students and directors have been hard at work this fall preparing roles, music, and the set for the upcoming musical: The Secret Garden . Performances will take place in the Cortland High School auditorium on Thursday, November 16, Friday, November 17 and Saturday, November 18 at 7:30 p.m. Doors will open at 7pm. Tickets can be pre-purchased at www.cortlandhightheatre.yapsody.com for $6 or will be available at the door for $8. Don't miss your chance to see this entertaining performance and support Cortland’s talented theatre department!  
Family Engagement: Your Feedback Matters!
The district’s school improvement process depends on you -- we need your input in order to improve. One of the ways we gather your input is through a survey. Like other years, we will survey parents, students, and staff. 

In a few days, a special message with a link to the Family Engagement Survey will be sent to you. In addition to the link in the special message, the survey will also be accessible from the district’s website: cortlandschools.org .

The survey will be open through November 30th and will take approximately 15 minutes to complete. Responses are anonymous. The company conducting the survey provides us with summary data for analysis, planning, and discussion purposes. Surveys will be available in other languages and in paper format if preferred. Alternate formats can be requested through your building principal.   

We hope you will take a few minutes to share your experiences and feedback with the district. 
Get Ready for Parent Conferences
Parent conferences are scheduled for November 17th in the Cortland Enlarged City School Districts, although they can and do happen at many different times. Parent conferences are a chance for teachers and families to meet and hear, in-person, about the learning. They are a special, dedicated opportunity to chat about progress in addition to the usual, ongoing communication that occurs. Each school communicates with families directly about the procedures for signing up for conferences. In some schools, sign-up has already occurred.

A little preparation for the conference can help make the most of the scheduled time. Before the conference, talk with your child about school and her/his learning. It’s a good idea to identify the positive, as well as to identify any worries. Jot down some questions you want to be sure to ask, in advance. After the conference, it is also important to follow-up with your child, again stressing the positive in addition to any concerns. If there are any concerns, make a plan together to tackle them.
Receive Important Text Messages from School
Our district uses SchoolMessenger to communicate important information with families, including snow day messages and other emergency information. In addition to sending announcements via email and phone calls, the system can deliver text messages straight to your mobile phone.

To receive text messages from the system, you must first agree to receiving them. We will soon be sending out a message to the mobile phone numbers in our system asking whether you want to participate in the text messages. When you are asked, you will be instructed to answer “Y” or “Yes.” And, of course, you can discontinue the service at any time by simply replying “stop.” SchoolMessenger is compliant with the Student Privacy Pledge, so you can rest assured that your information is safe and will never be given or sold to anyone.
Facilities Committee
The district’s facilities study committee did not meet in October. Because the committee expanded the list of options to study, the consultants who are facilitating the study (Alan Pole and Dr. Bill Silky) used October to gather information in order to have it ready for the committee’s November 8th meeting. That meeting will be held at Smith Elementary; a tour of the school will occur at 5:45 p.m. with the committee meeting set to start at 6:30 p.m.

All of the work done by the committee and the consultants is intended to answer these guiding questions: "What options exist to arrange the grades and school buildings to maintain, and perhaps enhance, the education of Cortland Enlarged City School District students while ensuring fiscal responsibility to the taxpayer? How could the grades and schools be organized?"
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