Message From Principal Mack
I Would first like to say how proud I am to be the principal at Cortland High School. Secondly, I would like to tell you how proud we are of all of our students and families and how they have accepted the challenge to do their best since the day we moved to distance learning. We only have a few weeks to finish this year, so I want to encourage all students to finish strong!
The end of the school year always presents a challenge. We have all worked very hard, and there is a tendency to start taking it easy. But it is important to remember that no instructional days are inconsequential or expendable. The last days are as important as the first. What happens in the waning days of the semester can have an enormous impact upon a student’s impression of a course and teacher to their grade.
Indeed, the efforts and achievements of an entire team can be dissipated in the final days of a term if those days are spent unproductively. What has been carefully developed can begin to erode if the same effort that went into the early part of the year is not invested in its last days.
The key focus moving forward is for all of our students to engage with their teachers and complete their assignments. We know it has been a difficult ending to the school year by having to be apart from their friends and by missing school activities. Students, we want you to engage and complete all of your current and past assignments. Keep up the good work! Remember, finishing strong includes you continuing to give effort and dedication to your learning!
Parents and families, thank you for all you are doing to support your child as we continue with remote learning. We hope you and your family are able to stay well, and will reach out when you need additional support for your child.
Stay
safe, be strong and finish strong!
-Principal Mack
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Pick up of Personal Items and Return of Calculators, Books, and Computers
With school buildings closed for the remainder of the academic school year, we recognize that some students may have personal belongings in the buildings that they need to collect. Students also have school equipment and materials that need to be returned at the close of the academic year, such as computers, calculators, and textbooks.
A schedule has been constructed to allow safe access to the Junior High School and High School. Below is a schedule of collection dates and procedures that will be followed to ensure safety and social distancing guidelines
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Pick up procedures:
- Staff and students must wear a mask and practice social distancing protocols.
- If you are displaying any symptoms of COVID 19, please do not come in. Make other arrangements through the school for a later date.
- Only students will be allowed to enter the building.
- All students will enter through the Main Office Entrance.
- The sidewalk will be marked with tape or chalk at six feet intervals.
- Students should wait in cars if the line is more than five or six students long.
- The front door will be unlocked
- Ten students will be allowed into the building at a time.
- Students will be directed to go to their hall lockers first and then PE lockers.
- Students will leave lockers open once they are cleaned out.
- Textbooks, library books, graphing calculators, uniforms, or any other district purchased items will need to be placed on tables that are located throughout the hallways.
- There will be post-it notes and pens on all the tables. Please write your name on anything that is left on the table so the district knows who has returned items.
- There will be tables for computers and mifi devices in the West Commons; a staff member will be there to sign your device back in.
- Classrooms will not be open. If a student has any personal belongings in a classroom, please contact the teacher and they will arrange for the items to be delivered to the students home.
- Students will exit through the Evening Entrance.
Medicine
- Will be arranged by appointment with your school nurse.
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Parade for our Seniors
We celebrated our seniors over three days of travel led by one of our school buses. Officer Reyngoudt joined the “parade” along with a representative from the various local Fire Departments and a host of teachers and staff members. District and high school administrators delivered personalized lawn signs to each senior at their house. The senior class advisors along with parents from the All Night Party committee handed out senior gifts and offered their heartfelt ‘congratulations’ to each member of the class of 2020. Students also received an informational sheet outlining some of the other senior events planned for the end of the school year.
Watch this video
to see some of the highlights of the three days!
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Drone Video for Class of 2020
In just a few days of planning, Jordon Lilley (transportation director), John Zarcone (11/12 principal), and Matt Maniaci (2017 CHS graduate) were able to put together a video as a show of support for our students during these unprecedented times. Using the skill of the drivers in the transportation department along with the drone skills of Matt Maniaci, a video showing the buses from a bird's eye view was put together and set to music. When asked about the coordination of the busses, Mr. Lilley said, “anything to show the students that we are thinking about them.” Enjoy the
video
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Budget Voting by Absentee Ballot
Pursuant to the Governor’s Executive Order 202.6 the annual budget vote will be conducted by absentee ballot only. You should have received an absentee ballot in mail. If you did not and wish to receive one please contact the District Clerk, Alicia Zupancic at 607-758-4100 X2202 or
azupancic@cortlandschools.org
.
Please fill out the absentee ballot by placing an X for “yes” or ‘’no” on each of the five propositions. In addition, please place an X for only two of the four people running for school board. You do not need to sign our put your name on the ballot.
Once you are completed filling out the ballot, please place it inside the postage prepaid envelope and sign and date the back of the ballot envelope. Then, place it in the mail to the District by June 5th. We need all ballots received by 5 p.m. on June 9th.
If you wish to hand deliver your ballot to the District, 1 Valley View Drive, Cortland, NY 13045, please place it in the ballot newspaper box outside the building. We ask that you kindly not enter the building to drop off the ballots.
If you have any questions on how to fill out or ballot or how to mail the ballot back, please contact Alicia Zupancic, District Clerk, at Alicia Zupancic at 607-758-4100 X2202 or
azupancic@cortlandschools.org
.
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News from the Nurse
We wish good health to all our families during this unprecedented time. As we work to ensure our current health, we also look to the future and want to share information regarding health requirements for the 2020-21 school year. Below is a list of current state mandates for students which must be completed prior to attending school in the fall. Therefore, please begin planning for your child's next well visit and required immunizations once routine visits are once again scheduled.
- All incoming Kindergarten students need Dtap, Polio, Hep B., MMR and Varicella (please refer to your provider for up to date requirements)
- Every 6th grade student requires the TDAP vaccine.
- Every 7th and 12th grader will need to receive the Meningococcal vaccine.
- When your child receives their vaccines, please make sure to have it signed by their provider.
- Every K, 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th,11th grader and new students to the district will need to have a current physical. Please send a copy to your nurse's office.
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Earth Science News
Earth Science students are turning in their “Earth Selfies”!
Students were told to look at old pictures and see what Earth Science topic lies in the background and tell me about it. Many students used this distance learning time to get out of the house and go look for Earth Science. I have received many pictures of nearby streams, tombstones (rocks), fossils, cloud types, rainbows, and even some drone shots from above. All were presented as google slide shows. Fun Stuff and of course good science!! (Photos by Ethan Hay).
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News from the Library
Summer is approaching fast and the library is getting ready to close up, this means we need to make sure everything is ready for next year. If you still have books that were checked out of the library, please return them when you are allowed in the school to clean out your locker. They may also be returned to the purple boxes at the lunch pick up areas.
Congratulations to all the seniors out there! We at the library wish you all the best in the future.
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Cortland HS Honor Society News
The members of the Cortland High School Ferdinand E. Smith Chapter of the National Honor Society have volunteered diligently throughout the 2019-2020 school year. The members have recorded over 1600 hours of community service. This does not include any additional organizations for which they may be required to volunteer outside of the National Honor Society. We are extremely proud of what our members have accomplished and are eager to see what exciting projects they will be working on next year.
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Art News
The Art Department will be featuring an online art show in June please watch for the announcement of its debut!
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Food Service Continues until
June 30th
Breakfast and lunch will be available for every student, Monday through Friday, at locations across the community from 11 a.m. to 1p.m. until June 30th. Locations include:
- Barry Primary bus loop
- Junior Senior High School bus loop
- Randall Middle bus loop
- Smith Intermediate bus loop
- Virgil School bus loop
- Additional sites added:
- Parker School (parent drop-off area)
- Penguin Trailer Park
- Rickard Street Apartments
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