December 2018 District Newsletter
December Calendar
  • 12/11 Board of Education Meeting, 6:30 p.m.
  • 12/12 District Bands Concert, 7:00 p.m.
  • 12/18 District Transition Meeting, 5:30 p.m.
  • 12/24-12/31 Holiday Recess
  • 01/02 School Resumes
Fall Sports Wrap Up
With the days getting shorter and the weather changing, the Cortland student-athletes have wrapped up the fall sports season. We sat down with all of our varsity head coaches to discuss the fall season. The following will give you highlights from the completed fall sports season!

Girls Soccer- Ilona Ryon, Head Coach
The girls soccer team earned the second seed in the Class A tournament and won their first sectional game in 10 years! Read more...
Winter Sports Season Preview
The leaves have fallen off and the weather is getting colder, which means that the winter sports season is about to get underway! Cortland student-athletes are in the gym and started practicing over the past few weeks to get prepared for the rapidly approaching year. We sat down with all of our varsity head coaches to discuss the upcoming winter season. The following will give you a preview of what is to come this winter sports season! Read more...
Scholar Athlete Teams
The New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA), believes that the athletic participation of students enhances their academic performances. To support this belief, the Scholar/Athlete Team Award Program began in 1991. Varsity teams who have 75% of their team earn a 90% or higher GPA during their sport season qualify for the NYSPHSAA award. Individuals can also qualify, if the team does not, with an average of 90% or better. Cortland has had 7 teams nominated! Read more...
Transition Planning
Preparation for the transition to three elementary schools is in full swing. Various committees are working on the transition, as are different parts of the District’s administrative team.
  • The District Transition Committee includes representatives from all five elementary schools (parents, staff, and community members). This group is making recommendations about names, identities, and transition programs between buildings. Their meetings are open to the public. Notes from the meetings, as well as meeting dates, can be found at the District’s transition planning page.
  • Ongoing meetings with the government and community partners are occurring, as the best possible use for the two closing schools are explored.
  • Questions and suggestions from parents and community members are being collected through an online tool. Questions and ideas can be submitted at any time and are regularly reviewed.
  • As decisions are made about the transition to three schools, information is added to a Questions and Answers Document. Similar questions (and their answers) have been grouped by topic.
  • Each school has a Building Transition team. The focus of these committees is on the nitty-gritty of the transition. Questions and suggestions raised at each building are collected, answered, and then shared with each other.
  • The elementary school principals are preparing for the transition, working collaboratively on staffing, sectioning, scheduling, orientation, and many other aspects of the transition.
Work remains to be done, but a great deal of progress has been made to prepare for this very important transition. Rather than thinking about this as merging five schools into three, think of this as the reorganization into a new system with schools all aligned with one another.
Parent Conferences
Parent conference day was impacted by the snow day on November 16th. Despite the loss of the day, we remain committed to good communication between home and school. As always, please don't hesitate to reach out to the school to schedule a conference at any time. Simply reach out to your child's teacher to make arrangements.
5th Graders at Randall Study
Human Rights as a PBL Unit
The 5th grade curriculum in the Engage NY learning modules includes a deep dive into the very important document, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 5th grade teachers, understanding the relevance and importance of this unit, especially in today’s world, wanted to take time this summer to rethink how they were going to address each learning standard.

Many of the 5th grade teachers participated in last school years cohort of the Deeper Learning Project. The Deeper Learning Project created a supportive and collaborative environment for staff to plan a project that has the following essential design elements: addresses learning standards, is cross curricular, answers a question or concern, incorporates student voice and choice, involves community organizations, and finally displays a public product. Project Based Learning is a teaching method in which students gain knowledge or skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to a complex question. Read more...
District History
A tradition of pride and excellence in education started long ago in Cortland. Because it is important to capture this history, we have constructed a page dedicated to our history. Always a work in progress, we are trying to document the important events and transition. Special thanks goes to the Cortland County History Center for access to their archives and their assistance with the research. Read more…
New Traffic Pattern at the High School Starting January 1st
There has been an increasing need to ensure our buses get out in a timely manner from the High School. When our buses leave on time, our students arrive home sooner and the amount of time spent on the bus is minimized. Therefore, all traffic leaving the high school at dismissal will be routed toward South Main Street from Valley View Drive starting January 1. This will occur for a brief period of time each afternoon.
Bus Safety Tips
School bus transportation plays a critical role in the education of our nation’s students. More than 25 million children ride the yellow bus every school day. Here are some tips from the  National Association for Pupil Transportation  to keep our children safe at the bus stop as well as on the bus.

  • Have your children put everything they carry in a backpack or school bag so that they won’t drop things along the way.
  • Encourage them to wear bright, contrasting colors so they will be more easily seen by drivers.

Make sure children leave home on time so they can arrive at the bus stop before it is due, ideally at leas five minutes early. Running after or in front of a bus is dangerous. Read more...
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