The ICSD e-Insider will now be released monthly! In addition to other important ICSD stories, these newsletters will provide updates on Learning Forward ICSD, the district's three-year approach to academic and social-emotional learning.
What's Inside:
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BLACK LIVES MATTER AT SCHOOL
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Boynton Middle School Presents Kalynn Bayron
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On Monday, February 6, the Boynton Middle School Equity Team kicked off a week of Black Lives Matter at School events and activities with a visit—planned in collaboration with Teacher-Librarian, Annarose Foley—from New York Times and Indie bestselling author Kalynn Bayron (who is also an Ithaca resident!).
A CILIP Carnegie Medal nominee, a three-time Cybils Award nominee, a Locus Award finalist, and the recipient of the 2022 Randall Kenan Prize for Black LGBTQ Fiction, Bayron presented the story of her journey toward becoming a published author to each of the three grade levels at Boynton.
Bayron focused on why representation in children's and young adult literature matters and described the challenges she faced getting her debut novel, Cinderella Is Dead, published. Numerous literary agents and publishers requested her to change the protagonist from the strong, queer, Black young woman she wrote to someone with, as they stated, "broader appeal." But Bayron refused to compromise. Her novel was eventually published and followed by three additional novels, This Poison Heart, This Wicked Fate, and The Vanquishers.
Bayron discussed how she continues to deal with the systemic racism that is prevalent throughout the publishing industry and the widespread book banning across the country. During the Q&A sessions with the students, it was clear that Bayron perseveres in the face of opposition for the sake of her young readers.
The district provided copies of The Vanquishers, and Buffalo Street Books was on-site to sell additional copies of Bayron's books, which she was gracious enough to sign for anyone interested.
We are so grateful to have shared the day with Kalynn Bayron and for her to engage with our students in such a meaningful way. It was truly a celebration of Black and LGBTQIA+ joy and excellence.
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More joyful moments from Black Lives Matter at School: A Week of Action. A Year of Purpose. A Lifetime of Practice. Events were held throughout the district during the week of February 6-10.
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Learning Forward ICSD is committed to reversing the legacy of racism and establishing communities built on love and joy. We believe that we can achieve this by centering four key tenets. This month we're highlighting Structures of Support. This tenet focuses on providing mental health integration, multidirectional communication, community partners, personalized instruction, Summer programming, and after-school opportunities.
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Enfield Elementary Leaders Harrington and Grainger Rally in Albany to End School Hunger
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When federal meal waivers expired in June of 2022, more than 726,000 New York State students lost access to free school meals. Among those impacted were ICSD students and families, which, in part, prompted the ICSD’s effort to prioritize healthy learners by providing meals for a student if they request one, regardless of whether they have the ability to pay.
A bill proposed in May would provide all students with free lunches, yet it did not pass. Still, according to Feeding America, 1 in 7 children in New York experience hunger. This month, students, school leaders, and lawmakers traveled to Albany to call on Governor Kathy Hochul to fund free school meals for all New York students in the 2024 budget.
Enfield Principal Keith Harrington and Associate Principal Aileen Grainger represented the ICSD on the Million Dollar Staircase alongside members from the Food Bank of the Southern Tier and spoke with Assemblymember Anna Kelles and Senator Lea Webb.
More>>
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DISTRICT UPDATES AND EVENTS
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Bestselling Author Kelly Yang Visits ICSD Elementary Schools
On Wednesday, February 15, Kelly Yang virtually visited all of our elementary schools. Yang is a #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of New From Here and the Front Desk series. Front Desk received many awards, including the 2019 Asian Pacific American Award for Literature.
“I can’t wait to share my writing journey with your students and inspire them to dream big," Yang said prior to her visit. "Just like Lina in Finally Seen, I came to this country without knowing a single word of English. I'll take your students back to those early years...and what made me finally find the courage to speak for myself. To use my voice. And use it to access a brighter future where I’m finally seen!”
We are very grateful to our PTAs and administrators who purchased copies of Yang's upcoming book Finally Seen in order to make this visit possible.
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IHS Seniors Named Finalists in 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation has now determined which of the 16,000 semifinalists will advance to the finalist standing. All five of our Ithaca High School semifinalists have advanced:
- Wali Afridi
- Divya Bhojraj
- Mika Gazit
- Boaz Ng
- William Thomas
The winners will be announced in March. Congratulations, scholars!
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Winter Sports Wrap-Up
Boys Basketball
- The team won the Southern Tier Athletic Championship for the first time since the 2016-2017 season
Wrestling
- Daniel Parker (11th) and Dikota Hamilton (10th) were sectional champions (this is Daniel Parker's third consecutive sectional title)
- Quentin Getzin (9th) placed 2nd
Indoor Track and Field
- Crosby Woods (11th) placed 2nd in the 3200 meter (9:41.86)
- Eliza DeRito (9th) won the 600 meter (1:39.88 - school record)
- John Anderson (12th) won the 55-meter hurdles (8.02 - school record)
- Moss Dengler (12th) placed 2nd in the 14'0" pole vault
- Aliou Cisse (12th) placed 3rd in the 300-meter dash (36.66 - school record; time qualifier, fast enough 3rd place standard)
- Jesse Rinzel (12th), Noah Hilker (10th), Riley Hubisz (10th), and Everett Shaw (10th) won the boys 3200-meter/4x800 relay (8:34.22)
- Noah Hilker (10th) placed 3rd in the 600 meter intersectional relay (1:26.0)
- Riley Hubisz (10th) placed 3rd in the 1000 meter intersectional relay (2:39.2)
Boys Hockey
- The team received an automatic bid to the state tournament as the Section IV representative
- They will play in the regional game vs. the Section III champion on March 4th at 12:30 p.m. at The Rink in Lansing
Boys Swim and Dive
- Rob Chatrychan (12th) placed 3rd, and Sulian Kops (12th) came in 5th at the sectional diving championship
- Koen Anderson (9th) and Ryan Bascom (12th) will compete in the 500-yard freestyle and the 200-yard freestyle, respectively, at the state championships at Ithaca College
- Boys Swim and Dive All-Stars:
- Zachary Adams (12th) - West All-Division
- Robert Chatrychan (12th) - West All-Division
- Koen Anderson (9th) - Metro/West All-Conference
- Ryan Bascom (12th) - Metro/West All-Conference
- Spencer Hwang-Geddes (11th) - Metro/West All-Conference
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Congratulations to all of our 2022-2023 winter sport senior athletes!
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Introducing a new way to get around Ithaca for anyone 12 and older!
Please visit G109A or email Martha Hardesty, Associate Principal at Ithaca High School, if you need to borrow a helmet. IHS has 40 helmets available for student use!
Download the Ithaca Bikeshare brochure or visit our Transportation Solutions webpage to learn more.
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Updating Your Contact Information
The Ithaca City School District uses SchoolMessenger to communicate with families through emails, phone calls, and SMS/text messages. The contact information loaded to SchoolMessenger is driven by students' current information in SchoolTool.
To ensure you receive communications from the district and your child's school, please verify that your contact information in SchoolTool is correct and that you are set up to receive mail. If you need to update your contact information, instructions for doing so can be found on our Parent/Caregiver Communications page.
PLEASE NOTE: If you would like to receive text messages from the district and your child’s school, you will need to ensure that your cell phone number is the first number listed in SchoolTool AND opt in. You can opt in at any time from your wireless device by texting “Y” or “Yes” to the district’s short code number, 67587.
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Free and Reduced School Meals Application
We have digitized the application for free and reduced price school meals! We know that this has been a barrier for many families in completing the form, and we hope that with the transition to online access, more families will take advantage. The application is live and can be accessed here: Online Application for Free and Reduced Price School Meals/Milk (click on “Select District & Continue”). The application must be completed in one sitting.
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Upcoming Events and Meetings
- March 3, 7:30 p.m.: IHS Choir Theme Concert, Kulp Auditorium
- March 7, 5 p.m.: Board Policy Work Session, York Hall
- March 7, 6:30 p.m.: Board Human Resources Work Session, York Hall
- March 8, 7:30 p.m.: Music in Our Schools Combined Band Concert (IHS, DeWitt, and Boynton), Kulp Auditorium
- March 14, 6 p.m.: Board Voting Meeting, York Hall
- March 19, 7:30 p.m.: IHS Chamber Orchestra Concert, Kulp Auditorium
- March 21, 5 p.m.: Board Facilities Work Session, York Hall
- March 21, 6:30 p.m.: Board Finance Work Session, York Hall
- March 28, 5 p.m.: Board Curriculum Work Session, York Hall
- March 28, 6 p.m.: Board Voting Meeting, York Hall
- March 31 - April 2: IHS Musical: Disney's The Little Mermaid, Kulp Auditorium
Click here to view the Athletics Events Schedule >>
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Thank you for reading the e-Insider! For more information about Learning Forward ICSD, visit our website at the link below.
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