January 29, 2021

Dear Families and Community Members,

Last Friday afternoon, we heard some wonderful news from New York State regarding the status of winter and spring school athletics:  they are back!  This has been some welcomed news, as the benefits for our student athletes are plentiful, not to mention the pride our athletic programs bring to our school and community.  Welcome back and go Tigers!

 

 

Since Friday afternoon and throughout this week, our Athletic Director Jim Zeliff and I have been meeting with our colleagues and Health Department officials to review protocols and procedures for the upcoming seasons.  In addition, Mr. Zeliff and Principal Slack will be reviewing our eligibility policies to ensure they are consistent with the condensed seasons and will be instituting academic study halls after school for our student-athletes (we have also developed similar support systems for all students as well).   As I write this update, we are still finalizing procedures for games, practices, etc, and all this information will be in shared in detail in the beginning of February.  Please be patient with us, as there is much coordination that needs to occur in order for this to be successful and safe.

Earlier this month, New York State released graduation rates.  Our District has always taken great pride in our graduation rates, the 2019-20 school year was no exception.  In addition to a 96% graduation rate, we saw a near double increase in students graduating with an Advanced Regents Diploma (46%).  This diploma type signifies a more rigorous course of study for our students, along with higher achievements.  Congratulation to those students, and our Principal Aaron Slack, Counselor Jeff Kingsbury, and our secondary faculty and staff for their contributions to this rate.  Great job to all!

We were also recognized this week by the College Board with their Female Diversity Award for achieving high female representation in Advanced Placement Computer Science Principles.  Traditionally, females are unfortunately underrepresented in the sciences and math, and recognitions like these bode well for an increase in female students pursuing in these fields.  Thank you to Math teacher Jeff Qamoos for his commitment to this program.  We also have a high female enrollment in AP Physics and Astronomy as well—courses taught by Dan Dragula.

On the COVID-19 front, I can report the following:

  • We continue to test staff here at school, as we are an approved state testing site.
  • Plans are moving forward with the Health Department for vaccine clinics for staff, which will only make our entire school safer and healthier.
  • It is possible if your student is quarantined they may not get a call from the Health Department, as they are overwhelmed with contact tracing and now vaccinations.  I can assure you when a school staff member calls you to notify you of a quarantine, that it has been officially required by the Health Department.  Please feel free to reach out to me directly with any questions on this matter as well.
  • All other health and safety protocols, including masks and social distancing, are still in full effect.

We have also begun budget season in New York State, as we have begun to review the Governor’s initial proposed budget.  Our Board of Education will hear their first general update on the budget, with future presentations to following in March, April and May.  All budget presentations will be posted on our website, and these future updates will contain direct links to these presentations.

I want to continue to highlight some of the results of the communication survey.   Below, I have shared the results regarding visits to our website and you can see the results are fairly scattered.


Websites can be overwhelming, so I will share with you a few of the key parts of our website:

  • The “News” is the most often updated section, found on the main page. 
  • You can access our dining menu by going to “Explore” and then “Dining.”
  • The Board of Education tabs contain agendas, minutes and presentations, and are updated about once a month, usually just before or after Board meetings (the 2nd Monday of the month)
  • The search button on the top right corner is especially useful for finding documents, news items, school policies, etc—just search as you would on Google.
  • Our COVID-19 section contains our Re-Opening Plan, as well as each letter informing you of a positive case in our school.

Have a wonderful February, let’s cheer on our Tiger student-athletes and remember:

  • Wear a mask
  • Keep your distance
  • Wash your hands

Sincerely,

 

Jason A. Smith

Superintendent of Schools

e-mail:                  Jasmith@lcsdk12.org

phone:                  765-3101

Twitter:                @LyndonvilleCSD

@JasonJasmith

 Facebook:          Lyndonville Central School