October 2017 District Newsletter

October Events

10/2- Parker PTO Meeting, 6:30pm
10/3- Barry School Picture Day, All Day
10/3- Senior High School Finiancial Aid Night, 6:30pm
10/5- Randall School Picture Day, All Day
10/7- Senior High School, SAT Exam, 7:45am
10/10- Board of Education Meeting at Kaufman Center, 6:30pm
10/11- Effective Communication Between School and Families, SUPAC, 5:30pm
10/11- Virgil PTO Meeting, 7pm
10/12- Virgil School Picture Day, All Day

10/12- Smith PTO Meeting, 7pm
10/13- Homecoming Football Game, 7pm
10/14- Homecoming Dance, 7pm
10/14- PSAT Exam, 7:45am
10/18- Smith School Picture Day, All Day
10/22- Virgil PTO Elks Breakfast, 8am
10/23- Barry PTA Meeting, 6:30pm
10/24- Board of Education Meeting, 6:30pm
10/26- Randall Pumpkin Painting, 6:30pm
10/26 Smith Pumpkin Palooza, 6:30pm
10/28- ACT Exam, 7:45am
10/31- Smith, Randall, Virgil, and Barry Harvest Festival, All Day

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Meet the New Teachers

We’re excited about the new staff members who have joined the CECSD team. Some teachers come to us with decades of experience, others are at an earlier part of their career. In all cases, they represent the best and brightest! Welcome to Cortland!

Click Here to Read More

Attendance Matters

The Cortland Enlarged City School District is committed to high levels of learning for all students. In order for students to learn and thrive, students must be in school as often as possible. Absenteeism in the first month of school can predict poor attendance throughout the school year. Students who miss a lot of school are less likely to be proficient readers. Math suffers, too. Even high school graduation is negatively impacted when students miss school. Therefore, interventions are immediately put in place when students are absent beyond the occasional illness. The stakes are high!

Read More About Attendance

Guide to District and

School Communication

In order to provide better communication with our families, we are using social media in addition to our website and newsletters. Our website will continue to be our primary form of communication and will be updated regularly with news stories and important information. School newsletters will continue, but will have a new look. We will use twitter with the common hashtag #WeAreCortland and various twitter handles to keep you posted with real-time news and pictures:

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We Are Hiring!

We are hiring Bus Drivers, Substitute Bus Drivers, Substitute Aides, Substitute Cafeteria Helpers, Substitute Cleaners, and more. We list all of our vacancies on our website, just click here or call us at 607-758-4100 option 2 for transportation or option 6 for personnel.

For those interested in being a Bus Driver or Substitute Bus Driver, we provide paid training! If you currently hold a CDL, you could be certified quickly to drive a bus. If you do not have a CDL, we can work with you to get you trained. Read more by clicking here .

We are also looking for part time drivers to fill runs in the evenings such as sports trips. If you have availability after 2:30pm please consider this fun part-time job opportunity. You can be part of the Cortland Athletics program by transporting teams to their away competitions and cheering them on. Go Purple Tigers!

CECSD Facilities Study

At their September meeting, the district’s facilities study committee continued their work to help answer the 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?"

After a presentation by consultants Alan Pole and Dr. Bill Silky that included an analysis of district staffing, committee members examined the list of potential school configuration options with the lenses of desirability and feasibility. The committee members analyzed the previously-generated list of options and expanded the list of options. In order to provide a thorough analysis of the options, the committee meeting schedule has been expanded by one month. The October meeting has been cancelled, while the analysis occurs, with the next meeting occurring on November 8th at Smith Elementary. The final report to the Board of Education, therefore, will occur in January rather than December.

Read More About Facilities Study

schooltool Parent Portal

An important part of the home/school relationship is having timely information. A feature of our new student information system, schooltool, is parent/guardian access. In a few days, all of the primary contacts for our students will receive a message inviting you to activate your account. Once you do activate your parent portal, you’ll be able to login (via the web or through the app) and access important information about your child's progress in school.

For parents/guardians of junior high and high school students, you’ll be able to see attendance, state assessment, grades, assignments, discipline, and attendance. For parents/guardians of elementary students, you’ll be able to see attendance information, discipline records, and state assessment information.

Auditorium Renovation Project

The Board of Education has decided to present a capital project for community approval to renovate our auditorium at the Junior Senior High School. While we have needs in all of our buildings, the decision to go ahead and renovate the auditorium is based on the urgent safety and functionality needs in the auditorium, the extensive use of the space by the district and the community, and the length of time it takes to get necessary approvals from the State Education Department. The music and theater staff have been involved in the process, along with community organizations that use the space. Using a combination of state aid and the district’s capital reserve account, the renovation will not require any increase in taxes. The referendum will occur on December 13. A website with specific information about the auditorium renovation project is being readied, and details about the project will be shared widely across the community.

A Triangle Survey: Parents, Students, Staff

The district’s school improvement process, like our own personal health, wellness, and learning, is a continuous journey. We continue to focus on the teaching- learning cycle and improving educational experiences for all students. An important part of the improvement process is gathering input from the community. We use community input to monitor progress and identify future goals.

Each year we survey parents, students, and staff. When November comes, we will again be asking you for your feedback. The survey, called the Data Triangle Survey because it includes parents, students, and staff, will be administered in November. In November, you will receive an electronic invitation to take the survey. A paper and pencil version of the survey will be available in schools too.

Thank you, in advance, for your participation. Your feedback helps us improve and provide the best possible education for our students. Together we can achieve more!

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