Superintendent DeBarbieri's announcements for September 22, 2023

September 22, 2023

Dear Parents, Guardians and Staff,

Happy Friday! I want to take this opportunity to remind parents and guardians that there is no school for students on Monday, September 25th. I hope you have a great 3-day weekend! 

Our campus will be buzzing with activity this weekend for a home football game vs. Cicero-North Syracuse, the 71st Annual Baldwinsville XC Invitational, the Marching Band Home Show and so much more. I wanted to take this opportunity to remind families to obey the speed limit on campus and take note of our updated safety protocols. 

Beginning this Friday, new safety and security measures will be implemented at Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium. Metal detector wands will be used at the stadium entrances. No backpacks are allowed in the stadium and all other bags (purses, diaper bags, etc.) are subject to search. We would also like to remind families that middle school and elementary school students must be accompanied by a parent/guardian and seated with them during the game. We will also have an increased law enforcement detail and staff presence at all events. 

Safety and security are extremely important to our district and we have continued to be proactive with our safety protocols, infrastructure improvements and school resource officers/special patrol officers staffing. Soon our high school will feature weapons detection systems at each of its entrances. These systems are portable and once they arrive, they will also be used at the stadium to increase security during community events. Check out our website for more information on our safety priorities. 

Safety and security will be the main topic of discussion at our inaugural Community Café gathering on Thursday, October 19th from 6 to 8 p.m. in the C.W. Baker High School. District families, community members and staff are encouraged to attend the event where attendees will explore important questions and issues facing our district through small-group discussions. We’ll have more information on the Community Café next week. Save the date and stay tuned! 

I have a few acknowledgements to share with you today: 

• Congratulations to C.W. Baker High School seniors Kelsey Dwyer, Emma Huhtala, Andrew Jung and Ryan Wilson who have all been named commended students in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship program. A letter of commendation from the school and National Merit Scholarship Corporation, which conducts the program, was presented to these scholastically talented seniors. Commended students placed among the top 50,000 students who entered the 2024 competition by taking the 2022 preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship qualifying test.

• Congratulations to Eva Smith, a senior girls swimmer, for having a record-breaking week! She broke the record in the 50 free and set a new pool record of 25.08. She also broke the record in the 100 backstroke and set a new pool record of 58.47. She broke her own record in the 100 backstroke and qualified for States with her time! Congrats, Eva!

• Good luck to all student-athletes with games this weekend. You can check out our athletic schedule on our website and follow our Athletics Department on Twitter. The Marching Band Home Show starts at 6 p.m. on Saturday. We are hosting six schools for the competition.

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 3-day weekend. Go Bees! 

Sincerely,

Dr. Joseph M. DeBarbieri
Superintendent of School