Welcome Back!

The school year ahead holds much promise for new beginnings as students and their families return to their regular routines which are often planned around the school calendar. Even though the summer months have allowed the greater Marcellus Community to take a much needed break from this ten month routine, the arrival of Labor Day means that once again the students are ready to return to campus for their academic, athletic and artistic adventures! Outlined below is an overview of the new 2011-2012 school year initiatives followed by a review of those summertime work projects that kept the staff busy during the sweltering summer months.

Construction Projects – Work on the recent EXCEL (Expanding Children’s Education and Learning) wrapped up this summer with the installation of the electronic signs and message boards at the Learners Landing and Mustang Hill entrances to campus. These new electronic signs were supported through a New York State Assembly Block grant and an inter-municipal agreement between the Village of Marcellus, the Town of Marcellus and the school district. Because of this cooperative venture between the municipalities, the signs will display community public service announcements and routine school district messages. In addition, the school district recently completed two smaller maintenance projects that included a NYSERDA lighting replacement project ($106,300) and a NetZero (cash-for-cash) computer network improvement project ($84,000). Even though these undertakings were much smaller in scope when compared to past construction projects, it is important to realize that New York State supported these upgrades with special funding and additional building aid in an effort to promote energy efficiency and much needed physical plant infrastructure improvements.

District-Wide Theme of “Conversations”- The Marcellus Central School District theme for the 2011-2012 school year will be “conversations”. Following up on prior annual themes of connections, communication, collaboration, coordination, cooperation, and commitment, the school district will continue its journey towards becoming a professional learning community. A professional learning community is committed to: (1) focusing on providing evidence that students have learned rather than just being exposed to quality teaching, (2) fostering a school culture of collaboration where ALL teachers, staff, and administrators work together to take responsibility to ensure success for every child, and (3) using student performance data to make informed decisions (and not just use personal opinions) about improving the teaching/learning process.

New 8^th Grade Project-Based Learning – Arriving on the heels of the new Elementary Science Learning Laboratory (in Grades 4 – 6) and the new Languages Other Than English (LOTE) introductory world language experience for children in Grade 7 which were unveiled last year, will be the new 21^st Century Skills Project-Based Learning class for students in Grade 8. In an effort to promote 21^st Century Skills such as: (1) creativity, (2) communication, (3) collaboration, and (4) critical thinking/problem solving, this new course will immerse middle school children in the exciting and interdisciplinary study of math, science, technology and engineering.

High School Learning Commons – New High School Library/Media Specialist Michael Brown (formerly at KCH Elementary) is excited about the potential of the new High School Learning Commons. Under Mr. Brown’s leadership, the high school library was transformed this summer to become a hub for student research activity. Two storage rooms adjacent to the facility have been turned into a computer laboratory and a meeting room to encourage student-led projects. The actual floor space of the library itself has undergone a “face lift” in which the free standing bookcases have been removed to provide more room for student tables and collaborative space for group projects. In an effort to create a more “open feeling” in the library, the library books once housed on these tall book case room dividers have been regulated to the built-in book shelves that adorn the perimeter of the room. In removing the book cases, the natural light from the courtyard windows is able to filter into the entire room making the “learning commons” area a warm and inviting place. The end result of Mr. Brown’s vision is an open, active floor space that draws students and teachers alike into the newly retrofitted library for group projects, student research, and class meetings.

Curriculum Task Forces – The focus of this year’s Curriculum Task Forces will be on ensuring that our educational programs are in alignment with the National Common Core Learning Standards. While English Language Arts and Mathematics will be a major focus area, content literacy in other disciplines including Science and Social Studies will be an important feature as well.

District Planning Team – This year’s District Planning Team, which includes representation from all school district constituencies, will be focused on the development of an “Anti-Bullying Policy” that is in response to the new Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) and must be in place by July 1, 2012.

Summer Curriculum Work – More than 100 Marcellus Central School District teachers and administrators were hard at work this summer on a variety of curriculum projects. Outlined below is a small sampling of summer 2011 curriculum work:

• Development of curriculum maps and course updates, Science, Mathematics, Social Studies, ELA, Fine Arts, and CTE, secondary level


• National Common Core Standards integration, secondary level


• Creation of 21^st Century Skills Project-based curriculum, DMS


• Development of an “Anti-Bullying” curriculum


• Elementary SMARTboard projects and benchmarks


• Curriculum mapping across all grade levels/all subject areas


• Guided reading, leveled literacy and ELA differentiation, elementary level


• Update of Everyday Mathematics curriculum, elementary level


• Alignment and revision of common quarterly assessments, elementary level

Maintenance and Custodial Summertime Initiatives – District maintenance and custodial staff has been working with intensity throughout the summer on a variety of projects designed to get the school year off to a successful start. Among these projects are:

• Installation of 12 SMARTboards in classrooms and new sheetrock wall dividers at the high school to make two smaller classrooms from one larger classroom


• New medical cabinetry in the DMS Nurse’s Office


• Repair of concrete wheel chair ramp at SHS and entrance to SHS Auditorium.


• New carpet in the DMS Library, SHS Library, and SHS Vocal Music Room.


• Preventative maintenance on air handling systems and older school windows


• Pit field over-seeding and fertilization for the second year after the conclusion of the campus construction project in which the pit field was used as a staging area


• Pitching mound and home plate infield mix improvements to varsity baseball field (free of charge for hosting a workshop on 6/30/11 for other school districts)


• Thorough cleaning of the artificial turf at the stadium (provided free of charge for hosting a workshop on 7/15/11 for other school districts)


• Completion of summer painting projects


• Pruning and mulching of landscaping throughout the campus


• Removal of asbestos flooring in part of the DMS basement and the installation of a new vinyl floor covering


• Refinishing and repainting of the DMS “old gymnasium” floor

In addition to the above listed projects, building custodial staffs have been hard at work cleaning classrooms, hallways, cafeterias, and gymnasiums in preparation for the opening of school.

Technology Department Summertime Initiative – As instructional technology becomes more and more of an important component in daily school life, the summertime projects of our Technology department becomes critical to a successful opening to the school year. Outlined below is a small sampling of summertime technology department projects:

• Computer replacement (153 total) as per the District’s Computer Replacement Plan: all 5 year old computers were replaced during the summer months


• Using the RUS Grant to establish enhanced video-conferencing capability


• Installation of twelve (12) new SMARTboards


• Re-imaging of 285 net book computers


• Network Maintenance: new fiber-optic run and transition to copper-switches


• Software Updates (Kurzweil, etc.) and Hardware Upgrades (including 11 SMARTboards/projectors, 30 Kindles, 12 i-pads, 1 SMART Table, 5 web cams, 3 i-pod touches, 1 Macbook, and 2 video-conferencing set-ups)

In addition to the above projects the technology staff has also worked on network updates, account maintenance tasks, and hardware reconfiguration.

Building Offices Summertime Initiatives – Although students and faculty are away for the summer, the work of our District and Building offices continues year round. Administrators and office staff have worked throughout the summer on a variety of projects which include:

• Requisitioning and distribution of instructional supplies


• Transition to a new accounting software package (Finance Manager)


• Transition to a new payroll system with the help of BOCES


• Formulation of class lists


• Revision of District and building handbooks


• Registration of new students


• Formulation of instructional schedules


• Summer mailings

Most importantly, the efficient completion of the above named tasks sets a positive tone that ensures a successful opening to the school year for our students and families.

Transportation and Food Service Summer Initiatives – The Marcellus Central School District Transportation and Food Service Departments have been hard at work throughout the summer preparing for a smooth transition to the new school year. While the food service department has worked on menu preparation, the transportation department under the new direction of Transportation Supervisor Ms. Susan Stearns (the former bus dispatcher) has been focused on bus maintenance/safety as well as bus routes and schedules.