CANDOR CENTRAL COMMUNICATIONS November 2020 www.candorcsd.org Candor Schools ~ Shaping Our Future District Mission Statement The mission of the Candor Central School Community is to challenge students to become responsible, knowledgeable, contributing citizens within a caring environment where lifelong learning is valued and differences are accepted. PERSEVERANCE One tree held its leaves until the bitter end. INCLEMENT WEATHER DAYS Our original plan for snow days for the 2020-2021 school year was to take advantage of what the State called - a “pivot” to remote learning. In other words, the State has allowed us to switch from in-person learning to remote learning days when the weather is bad. However, with all the changes that 2020 has brought, we strongly believe that, when it is not safe to travel to school, a good old-fashioned snow day is just what our students need. Therefore, on days when the weather prohibits travel, Candor Schools will still have traditional “snow days”. Please encourage your students to play, sleigh ride, make snowmen, watch movies, bake cookies, shovel (shovel for a neighbor), and enjoy a device free day away from Google Classroom and Chromebooks. And make hot chocolate! The information below represents the television and radio stations that will announce emergency school closing information for the community and students of the Candor School District. Please do not call school offices or the bus garage to check on the status for the day. Telephone lines are needed to make outgoing calls and to handle emergencies. School decisions will be made by 5:30 a.m., whenever possible, and should be broadcast between 6:00 a.m. and 6:15 a.m. TV Stations: Ithaca Radio Stations: Binghamton Radio Stations: WBNG - (CH 12) Binghamton WYXL-FM 97.3 WHWK-FM 98.1 WBGH - (CH 34) Binghamton WQNY-FM 103.7 WAAL-FM 99.1 WIVT - (CH 34) Binghamton WIII I100-FM 99.9/100.3 WWYL (Wild 104)-FM 104 WICZ - (CH 40) Binghamton HITS 103-FM 103.3 MIX-FM 103.3 WSYR - (CH 9-ABC)Syracuse THE VINE - FM 96.7 KGB -FM 92.5 WFIZ -FM 95.5/94.9 Web Sites: WFIZ-HD2-FM 107.7 www.spectrumlocalnews.com WHCU-AM 870/95.9 WNYY-AM 1470 School closings will be listed on our school website as well: www.candorcsd.org School Messenger will also be utilized for inclement weather days/school closings. Please be sure your contact information is up to date in order to receive the automated phone calls or emails. NOVEMBER 2020 CANDOR CENTRAL COMMUNICATIONS PAGE 3 TRANSPORTATION PLEASE BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR STOPPED SCHOOL BUSES! More and more, our drivers are being passed when the RED lights are on, and the bus is stopped. This is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS and HIGHLY ILLEGAL. Reminders to all families - New York State Recommended Loading Procedures: • All students should arrive at least 5 minutes early at the bus stop. • Students should wait at least 15 feet from the road. • When students see the bus, they should form a single line. • Wait for the bus to come to a complete stop. • Load in an orderly manner. • Students must sit in their assigned seat. Each bus has students assigned to seats (one per seat or 3 in a seat if family), and attendance is taken daily for COVID tracing. • Classroom behavior is school bus behavior. All students are expected to sit in their seat with hands, feet, and all belongings out of the aisle and kept to themselves. Reminders to parents: • Please confirm the pickup time at the bus stop. • Please have your child at the bus stop at least 5 minutes before the bus arrives. • Please dress your children appropriately for the weather, just in case the bus is delayed. • Wear bright-colored clothing whenever possible so children can be visible to all motorists. • Supervision at the bus stop can prevent injuries and danger. Please supervise your children. If you are trying to reach the bus garage (607-659-3115) and are only able to get the voicemail, please either call the Elementary School (607-659-3935) or the High School (607-659-5020) as we are likely out on the road transporting students. Please help us keep our students safe! Sincerely, Holly Carling Director of Transportation NOVEMBER 2020 CANDOR CENTRAL COMMUNICATIONS PAGE 4 HIGH SCHOOL NEWS Message from the Jr/Sr High School Principal... As we proceed into the second marking period of the 2020-21 school year, I would like to thank all parents, students, faculty, and staff for the tremendous effort in transitioning to the remote learning model. Who would have thought that, a year ago, we would be in this situation? Our ability to improvise and adapt speaks volumes to what our school community can accomplish when we work together! Now more than ever, the importance of parental engagement in their child’s education is essential. Less direct contact with teachers means that increased parental supervision and support is a key component to a student’s success. Please continue to monitor your child’s engagement, and reach out to teachers with any questions or concerns that your child is having. Tech support is always available for students as needed. Working together gives students the best opportunity to find academic success and stay on track for graduation. As of today, we have been very fortunate not to have had to go fully remote. This is in large part due to the incredibly safe plan that our district has adopted through the COVID-19 pandemic. However, as has been the case in the past, we never know what the future holds. If the district were required to go fully remote, we would send out immediate information regarding the remote learning online schedule, requirements, and expectations. This information will be sent through School Messenger. Please be sure that your phone number(s) and email address are accurate so you will receive this information in a timely manner. Working together, we will continue to navigate these challenging times successfully. Please contact the school if you have questions or concerns. Be well and stay safe! ~ Wayne Aman NOVEMBER 2020 CANDOR CENTRAL COMMUNICATIONS PAGE 5 ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NEWS Message from the Elementary School Principal... Dear Candor Elementary Families, I hope this letter finds you healthy and well! Due to the thoughtfully crafted schedule that includes small cohorts of students, we have been able to keep the building up and running aside from a few small groups of students and adults having to quarantine temporarily. It has certainly been a team effort, and we wouldn’t be experiencing this level of success without the support of families on the home front. Thank you for your continued support! On October 22nd, students in grades 2-6 received mid-trimester progress reports. Be sure to consult with your child’s teacher if you have any questions regarding your child’s progress up to this point. Report cards will be issued on December 10th, and Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held on December 11th. With this being said, please don’t wait until the end of the trimester to reach out to your child’s teacher if you have questions, as it is important that you stay in touch and ask questions throughout the year. Whether your child is attending school for half-days or learning 100% remotely, all students are considered remote learners this year. Students in the AM and PM Cohorts are considered hybrid learners, and they are also required to log in to their Google Classroom accounts and complete assignments on a daily basis. It is essential that your child receives support at home with this as the activities assigned for remote learning are a huge part of their academic success. As we continue our partnership in supporting the children in the remote learning platform, here are some tips that might help create and maintain a supportive environment for your child as they learn from home: 1. Take time to establish routines and expectations. Adhere to bedtime and morning routines. Even though children aren’t getting up and attending a regular/full school day, it is important that they are well- rested, dressed, and ready to learn. Create a schedule of learning times based on meeting times and necessary independent work times. 2. Choose a good place to learn. Create a consistent space dedicated to learning with minimal distractions. An adult should be able to keep reasonable proximity in case the child is in need of support. 3. Keep in touch with your child’s teacher. Communicate with your child’s teacher regularly, and if you have questions/concerns reach out before too much time passes. 4. Help students to be responsible for their own learning. Provide support and encouragement, but don’t help too much. Promote independence by allowing your child the opportunity to do things on their own before offering help. Repeat or rephrase directions, but don’t do it for them. Remember, struggling is part of the learning process that will lead to growth. 5. Encourage physical activity and exercise. At school, we call this “brain breaks.” Children should be given an opportunity to move around and have a break every 10-20 minutes for PreK-2nd Grade and every 30- 40 minutes for 3rd-6th Grade. You know your child best so when they need a break, allow them to choose an exercise before returning to their school work. 6. Allow your child to connect safely with friends while being respectful, responsible, safe, and caring. It is important that children feel connected to their peers during this time, and although your child’s remote learning teacher may provide some socializing opportunities, you might also want to help your child maintain contact with friends through online platforms while it isn’t safe to socialize in-person.