Superintendent DeBarbieri's announcements for May 10, 2024

May 10, 2024

Dear Parents, Guardians, and Staff,

This week our district celebrated Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week, which gave us the opportunity to recognize the hard work and dedication of our amazing staff members. Each member of our district plays an important role in meeting the needs of our students. Our Board of Education, PTAs, administrators and families joined in on the celebration by surprising our staff with special treats. Thank you again to our staff for going above and beyond for our students in the classroom and beyond! 

I also want to take this opportunity to say thank you and Happy Mother’s Day to all of the mothers, grandmothers and mother figures in our district! Your dedication, love and support play a crucial role in your children’s academic success. We appreciate all you do! Have a wonderful Mother’s Day! 

I have a few announcements to share with you today: 

Public Vote:

Residents are asked to go to the polls on Tuesday, May 21st for the annual budget vote and board of education election. We have two videos posted on our website with more information on the 2024-2025 budget and on the two bus propositions. The videos were edited by Zoe Howroyd, a senior at C.W. Baker High School. Thank you, Zoe! We also created a quick reference guide to help voters find information on the general fund budget, board of education election and more. The public budget hearing and meet the candidates night will be held at 6 p.m. on Monday, May 13th at the Transportation Center, which is located at 2810 West Entry Road in Baldwinsville. The meeting will be live streamed on Zoom. The link is posted on our website. 

COVID Update:

Please note, effective today the district will follow the updated return to work and school guidelines for respiratory infections including: COVID-19, influenza, and RSV outlined below based on best practice recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH).

Following a positive COVID-19 test, there will no longer be the requirement to isolate for days 0-5 prior to returning to work and school.

Returning to work and school can occur when both of the following are true:

• Symptoms are improving overall, and
• Fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication.

Athletics:

• Good luck to our Girls Crew Team as they compete in the New York State Scholastic Championships this weekend in Saratoga Springs. 
• The Arcaro Relays are today at the Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium. It is an invitational for Boys and Girls Outdoor Track that will have more than 30 teams competing here.
• Boys Tennis will compete in team sectional play next week. Quarterfinals are at home on Monday, May 13th  at 4 p.m.,  if they win, team sectional semifinals are at home on Tuesday, May 14th, and if they advance, team sectional finals are on Wednesday, May 15th at Utica Parkway Tennis Courts.
• Boys and Girls Outdoor Track League Championships are at Auburn High School on Thursday, May 16th.
• Our Varsity Girls Flag Football team starts postseason action on Thursday, May 16th. Location TBA.

Bees Can Do It All!:

The "You Can Do Both” national campaign is meant to celebrate students (and adults) who are participating in music programs and athletics. Last week, we launched our own social media campaign: “Bees Can Do It All!” Our campaign highlights the accomplishments of Baldwinsville students who are in Band, Orchestra, and/or Chorus who also play a sport, and/or do other activities in or out of school. Photos are posted on our social media each school day. Make sure to check them out. Students should never feel like they need to choose one path over another. Both band and sports teach students a plethora of character traits, including never giving up when something gets tough, and personal responsibility. Baldwinsville Bees can do it all! Thank you to elementary band teacher Randall Bennett and our music department for putting this project together. 

Mental Health Awareness:

This week we’ve also continued activities related to Mental Health Awareness Month. We hope you’re following along as we post the Tip of the Day on our social media pages. If you don’t use social media, you can find the tips posted on our website.

Please continue to check ParentSquare, your email and our website, for important updates. As always, please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have. 

Have a great weekend! Go Bees!

Sincerely,

Dr. Joseph M. DeBarbieri
Superintendent of Schools