SUPERINTENDENT'S MESSAGE
A long time ago, I sat in a high school earth science class and learned about the four seasons of the year. Somehow, my knowledge of the coming of spring eluded me, and I had to turn to the Farmer’s Almanac to refresh my memory on March 20th’s arrival of the vernal spring equinox and what, exactly, that means. (Like I said, it was a long time ago!) Borrowing from an article in that publication, I now understand vernal to mean “new” and “fresh” while the term equinox refers to ‘equal night.’ After living through several days of the winter season, (88.994 to be exact) we have finally turned the corner and are in springtime, where the daylight we get will outlast the darker days we have endured since December. I find this to be a rather fitting transition, given our present state of affairs. Vaccinations are coming. The virus is slowing, and people are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.
This positive turn is reflected in the community around us. The CDC has eased its guidelines for six feet of social distancing in schools, and, as such, I am excited to be able to say the Groton Central School District will be able to open its doors to full-day in-person instruction beginning April 12, 2021. Indeed, much like the coming of spring, I feel like we are experiencing a fresh start. I encourage all of you to take a look at the presentations posted on our website regarding our full day of instruction plan. In addition, please be checking back in on our site for further updates as plans are finalized and we prepare to see students all day long. Happy Spring!
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Mission
Empower all students to reach their fullest potential and thrive in a diverse, ever-changing world.
Vision
Ignite the passion for learning and inspire unique pathways to success.
Core Beliefs
Students are our first priority. No exceptions.
All can learn and grow.
We encourage creative and innovative thinking.
Data informs our decisions.
We act with integrity, professionalism, trust, and fairness.
All deserve a safe, secure, and nurturing environment.
We treat each individual with respect, compassion, and dignity.
We promote family and community involvement.
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BUDGET UPDATE
As we approach the deadline for school district budget ratification, the Board of Education continues to grapple with the financial uncertainty associated with state aid. Although the federal government recently passed its 1.9 trillion dollar stimulus package, which includes a generous package for school districts, we have yet to hear how New York State will be dispersing its share of the funding to local districts. According to Senator Chuck Schumer, Groton stands to gain up to 1.7 million in aid to address costs associated with the pandemic, including reopening costs from the fall of 2020, as well as costs we will experience as we return to full day of in-person instruction. In addition, the federal government’s package earmarks some of the funds for academic intervention services, to be used exclusively to address the gaps in learning schools have seen amongst their student body as a result of a loss of instructional time. Exactly how this money is going to come to districts, and whether there will be flexibility in how districts spend the funds, has yet to materialize from the ongoing negotiations at the state level between the legislative and executive branch. We are hopeful we will be seeing updated state aid runs from the state within the next couple of weeks, given the fact the state’s budget deadline is April 1, 2021.
In the meantime, the Groton Central School District continues to make budgetary decisions based on its mission and vision statements, where the emphasis is on providing academic programming that “empowers all students to reach their fullest potential and thrive in a diverse, ever changing world” by “ignit[ing] the passion for learning and inspir[ing] unique pathways to success.” In a recent meeting, the Board of Education, in alignment with the mission and vision, reinstated three potential faculty cuts in order to allow for more academic intervention services for students in need. As a result, the total budget has seen a moderate increase from our last e-newsletter, with overall spending now at $23,157,794 which reflects a .81% increase from the 2020-2021 school year. With this budget, the district is able to maintain all academic programming at its present level, which certainly reflects its core belief that “students are our first priority. No exceptions.” As the BOE continues to work through final details related to budget ratification, including what an appropriate tax levy will be to support this plan, I encourage all of you to click on the link below and review the present proposal. Further conversations around budgeting will be taking place at our next BOE meeting, scheduled for March 29 at 6:30pm in the STEAM learning center.
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1,000 Points
Senior, Kalib Manning, achieved a goal he had set for himself three years ago. His name will be added to the shortlist of individuals to score 1,000 points. Manning was happy to see all the hard work he had put in over the years and in the off-seasons pay off. This was a huge achievement for him and one he will remember fondly. "It was incredible, it almost felt unreal for a second, but then when they stopped the game, it felt amazing," Manning said, as he recalled the moment he sunk the three-pointer that brought him to 1,000 points. Manning has had a very successful athletic career at Groton, but it is the friendships he has formed that he cherishes. "I just really enjoyed every team that I have played with and... it was amazing to make so many friends and have a good time," he said.
Click on the image below to check out the Tompkins Weekly article.
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Manning has since started his football season, which is the sport he may pursue in college. He is still weighing his decision about which college to attend... St. John Fisher, Alfred University, or possibly SUNY Cortland. We are confident he will continue his success no matter where he lands! |
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Committed
James Lucey and Sophia Bell, seniors at Groton Jr-Sr High, have both signed their commitment letters to participate at the collegiate level. Lucey will be playing basketball at Hartwick College and Bell is headed to Utica College to play soccer.
While this year was limited with games due to COVID-19, both Lucey and Bell are hopeful and looking forward to competing at the next level in their respective sports. Lucey is hoping to play “an important role and help improve the program.” Bell is setting her aim at the NCAA tournament and winning the Empire 8. “I am looking forward to having fun with my team as well as being successful on the field,” Bell said.
Bell will be an education major with hopes of achieving her “dream of teaching special education and helping the kids who need me the most. I would love to see kids who struggle succeed in life and achieve their goals without anything stopping them,” Bell explained.
Lucey and Bell know the hard work that lies ahead, including the intense off-season training to make sure they are in shape and ready to make an impact right away.
While Lucey feels confident about transitioning to the next level, Bell is still wondering what it is going to be like; “I am nervous to see what the competition is like. Is it going to be harder than club soccer, the same, or easier? I am also nervous about balancing school with soccer. Taking trips and missing days at a time of classes and having to make them up on my own.”
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It´s How We Roll
Many sports this year have been shortened, changed, or affected somehow due to COVID-19. Thankfully, bowling was one sport that was not greatly impacted by the pandemic. Teams were able to compete virtually since bowling is a non-contact sport, plus the lanes also created natural spacing between teammates.
Both the boys and girls teams had successful seasons. The boys finished second and the girls team took first place in the North division. Coach Felko was pleased with the practice and game performances of all his players. “We were really consistent as a team and if one of our players did not bowl well then another player on the team would bowl better and pick that player back up,” said Felko. He did also recognize a few standouts from each: Freddy Hulbert, Jason Rabenstein, and Cameron Brehm; and from the girls team: Lacie Hilker, Delillah Hall, and Emily Cargian. From the girls team, Hall held the girls Game High record (202), Hilker had the Series High (503-501) and Cargian was the team’s most improved (+23.8).
Coach Felko and the returners are looking forward to another great season next year with hopes of returning to in-person matches.
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SPRING SPORTS ARE HERE... SIGN UP TODAY!
As we approach the spring sports season, we wanted to send out a reminder to all of our families to speak with their students about the opportunity to be able to participate in baseball, softball, track, golf, or modified cross country.
We know our kids have had a rough school year, having to deal with a pandemic, restrictions on what they have been able to do, and bouncing back and forth between remote and in-person learning. We are EXCITED we have the opportunity to offer our students these sports programs and would LOVE to see kids outside enjoying themselves and experiencing a sense of "normalcy" at the same time.
Presently, our numbers for some of these sports programs are quite low. We would hate to see students not be able to experience a sports season because we did not have enough athletes participating. More importantly, we see student participation in sports as a way to rejuvenate their minds and bodies. It has been a rough year for us all, and sports can be a great outlet for the students.
If you have a student who is interested in playing either modified or Varsity level baseball, softball, track, or golf, please contact either Tracy Cooper at tcooper@grotoncs.org or Mark Triolo at mtriolo@grotoncs.org to get their names on the list. The season for the Varsity level of these sports starts April 19. The modified season for baseball, softball, and track starts May 3.
We also have an opportunity for 7th and 8th graders to participate in Modified Cross Country - that season starts April 5. Again, please contact Tracy or Mark if your child is interested.
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UPDATE ON STATE TESTING
The NYSED and Board of Regents revamped the Regents' exam administration due to the COVID-19 crisis and students having varying levels of in-person instruction. In June 2021, only four Regents exams will be administered: ELA 11, Algebra I, Earth Science, and Living Environment. No Regents exams will take place in August 2021.
In addition, testing for grades 3-8 has also been adjusted; only Session 1 of the Grades 3-8 English Language Arts (ELA) and math tests will be required, and only the one-session written test component of the Grades 4 and 8 science tests will be administered.
Please see the testing schedule below for specific dates.
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GES - Grades 3-5
ELA - April 20-21
Math - May 4-5
Science 4 - June 7
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JSHS - Grades 6-8
ELA - April 22-23
Math - May 6-7
Science 8 - June 7
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JUNE 2O21 REGENTS EXAM SCHEDULE
All exams will begin at 8:15 am
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Tuesday, June 22
Living Environment
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Wednesday, June 23
Algebra I
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Thursday, June 24
Earth Science
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FFA PROMOTES AG LITERACY
In celebration of National Agriculture Week (March 15-19, 2021), our FFA officers (Robert Houston, Rachel Houston, Jackson Slade, and Adelyn Clore) volunteered their time to visit our kindergarten classrooms to read ag-themed books and promote ag literacy. They also shared their experiences in FFA and working on farms. And they even made time to make some yummy "ice cream in a bag" with the kids!
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HOT MEALS ARE BACK!
We are SO excited to be able to bring back hot meals with the return to full-day instruction. We have all missed them! Please check out the full April menus for GES and JSHS on our website: Groton Lunch Menus
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TC PARENT SURVEY
The CCE-Tompkins Family and Community Development Program team have just released the Tompkins Families Community Check-In Survey, hoping to gain insights about individual and community strengths, needs and interests. We will use what we learn to help guide our work. In addition, we are inviting community members to participate in a Tompkins Community Advisory Coalition. We envision a diverse collective of people (parents, community members, agency folks) working together to inform a community response to needs and interests identified by the group and informed by the survey. The overarching vision is to support the growth and development of personal and community resilience, as defined by the advisory group. We invite you to be a part of this process....at whatever level speaks to you.
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STUDENT HELP CENTER
We've created a student-centered tech support page to assist with any questions students (or parents) may have regarding technology, Chromebook updates, various applications, etc.
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OTHER REMINDERS & INFO
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Daily Health Screenings - as we shift to a full-day in-person model, it is crucial that parents complete the Cayuga Med daily health screening for their child(red) before 7:30 am to allow for a safe and smooth start to the day.
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YWCA Cortland is offering Red Cross Lifeguard Training and Lifeguard/CPR Review sessions in both blended online and in-person. Please see the flyer for more information.
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FCC Launches Emergency Broadband Benefit Program. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has launched an Emergency Broadband Benefit Program to help households struggling to pay for internet service during the pandemic. This new benefit will connect eligible households to jobs, critical healthcare services, and virtual classrooms. This program will provide a discount of up to $50 per month towards broadband service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on Tribal lands. Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers if they can contribute toward the purchase price. Funding is limited to one monthly service discount and one device discount per household.
- Yearbooks on Sale
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Order your GES Yearbook online: Click here to order
- Junior high yearbooks go on sale on April 12, you can get an order form from Mrs. Bishop in the main office.
- If you would like to order a high school yearbook, please contact Mrs. Carr, bcarr@grotoncs.org
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GROTON CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
WWW.GROTONCS.ORG
400 PERU ROAD, GROTON, NY 13073
(607) 898-5301
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