District Newsletter
April 15, 2020
Virtual Spirit Week
April 6th to the 10th was the first very Virtual Spirit Week. Students and staff participated by sending in photos of each day. This video captures the images that were submitted!
Barry Primary 2nd Graders View Merry Go Round Playhouse Virtually 
Each time the Merry Go Round Playhouse comes to Barry Primary it is a special event! 

2nd grade was supposed to have Merry Go Round Playhouse come in April, but due to the COVID-19 school closure, the Merry Go Round Playhouse decided to make the performance on Aesop’s famous fables come to life on the computer screen! 

2nd grade teacher Dedrea Scalza said, “We know that bringing the performance to our kids will help bring some normalcy to their lives giving that students see this as something we would all be doing in school together, so now we can all do it together online. This performance is quite amusing and will make our kids laugh, something that is much needed right now. All of the Merry Go Round Playhouse productions align to our NYS standards in listening and speaking so there is an educational piece as well.” 

Click here to learn more about the Merry Go Round Playhouse 2nd grade production on Aesops fables.
Teachers from Smith Intermediate School Restock Local Food Pantry 
When the COVID-19 closure happened, Principal Wanish and her staff knew they had to find a way to support the Cortland community. 

Principal Wanish said, “I kept thinking about all of our families who, due to COVID-19, are currently unemployed and not getting paid. So many of our families depend on the school to feed their children breakfast and lunch. Now, they will also need the support of our community resources, which means our local food pantries will be relied upon more heavily than usual. We quickly put together a food drive to help fill this need.” Read more...
Randall Teachers Send Special Message to Students  
The teachers and staff at Randall Middle wanted to find a way to send a special message to their students. Each teacher took a “selfie” holding a sign and a collage was made of all of their pictures. This was a message of unity in a time of social distancing
Junior High School
Teachers Offer Virtual Support  
The Junior High School would like to encourage parents to have their child reach out to their teachers if they need virtual help. Our teachers are using platforms such as Zoom to offer support. Students can reach out to their teachers via email using the staff directory on our website . Students all have @g.cortlandschools.org Gmail accounts to use when emailing teachers. If parents or students are having trouble assessing work or getting in touch with teachers please reach out to Principal Cafararo .
High School Student
Continues Purple Pantry 
11th grade student Alex Shaffer has been aware of the issues that many Cortland families face regarding food insecurity for years. “My mom is the executive chef at Guthrie hospital and she always told me that a quarter of families in Cortland County struggle with food insecurity. Knowing that number was so high, I came up with a plan two years ago to expand the Cortland High School Purple Pantry.” Read more…
Color Our PawPrint and
 on Your Window
Last year we spent some time building our brand and style guide! Now that we have an “official” tiger and paw print we thought it would be a nice showing of unity for us to color in the pawprint and display it on our window. Click here for our official pawprint that you can print and color in! 
Auditorium Project
Despite the COVID-19 school closure, the construction on the auditorium has been continuing. It is essential for this work to continue for safety reasons. Recent upgrades include a new concrete auditorium floor and new stage floor. Electricians are working on the sound system installation. The refurbished purple seats are going to be delivered on April 20th. Look for photos on our social media accounts! 
Food Service Continues
Breakfast and lunch will be available for every student, Monday through Friday, at locations across the community from 11 a.m. to 1p.m. Locations include:
  • Barry Primary bus loop
  • Junior Senior High School bus loop
  • Randall Middle School bus loop
  • Smith Intermediate bus loop
  • Virgil School bus loop
  • Parker School parent drop off area
  • Penguin Trailer Park (11 a.m. to 12 p.m. only) 
  • Rickard Street Apartments (11 a.m. to 12 p.m. only) 
Technology Help
For those who received a device, please read through the directions that were provided with the device. You will need to connect to your own home WiFi. If you have any questions or problems using the device, you can email: helpdesk@cortlandschools.org or call: 607-758-4188.
This same email may be used if you did not previously request a device, but would like one. Important to know: Chromebooks do not function without Wifi access.
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