Superintendent's Office

November 9, 2023

Dear Parents, Guardians and Staff,

The Positivity Project Character Strength for this week is bravery, which is acting with “mental, moral, or physical strength even when you know things are difficult or scary.” Our students exhibit bravery every day in our classrooms, and on the field, court and stage! I’m so proud of our Bees for pushing through fears and overcoming obstacles. 

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the veterans in our district for their bravery, dedication and service to our country. Our schools and district offices are closed tomorrow - Friday, November 10th in observance of Veterans Day. Thank you for your service and for being a role model of bravery! 

I have a few announcements to share with you today: 

• The next Community Café is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, December 6th at C.W. Baker High School in the cafeteria. The topic discussed will be Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The district is hosting the Community Café this year to bring together students, staff, parents and community members to discuss important topics impacting the school district. Guests will gather in small groups as we share ideas, perspectives and light refreshments. Registration is required. We hope you can join us as we explore questions that matter, build relationships and share our knowledge and ideas to help build, educate and empower our students! Visit our website for more information. 

• Postseason Athletics:

  • Congratulations to our Boys Soccer team who won the Regional game last Saturday. They advanced to play in the State Semifinals this weekend. The game will be held at 5:45 p.m. on Saturday, November 11th at Middletown High School. If they win on Saturday, they will play in the State Championship game at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are through NYSPHSAA. Tickets are by day, and Baldwinsville's semifinal game is on Day 2. If we win, spectators will need tickets for Day 3. This is a digital ticketing event ONLY!

  • Congratulations to our Girls Volleyball team who won the Section III title last Friday night. The Bees will play in the Regional game vs. Shenendehowa at 12 p.m. on Saturday, November 11th at Gloversville High School.  Digital ticketing only for this event. The game will also be streamed live on YouTube. 

  • Congratulations to senior swimmer Eva Smith who was named the swimmer of the meet at State Quals last Friday.  She has advanced to States, which will be held on Friday, November 17th and Saturday November 18th at the Webster Aquatic Center.  She will be swimming the 100 backstroke and the 50 free after winning both of these events at State Quals. Digital ticketing only for this event.

  • Three of our Boys and Girls Cross Country runners have qualified for the State cross country meet. Congratulations to Kamryn Barton, Noah Covert, and Ryan Wilson. The trio will be running Saturday, November 11th at VVS High School. The girls race is at 1 p.m. and the boys race starts at 2:30 p.m. Digital ticketing only for this event.

  • You can check out our athletic schedule on our website and follow our Athletics Department on Twitter. Great job to all our athletes who competed in postseason action. We are so proud of you. Congratulations on a great season! 

• Calendar reminders: 

  • The marking period ends Today - Thursday, November 9th.

  • There is no school for students and district offices are closed on Friday, November 10th for Veterans Day. 

  • Report cards will be available in the Parent Portal on Friday, November 17th.

  • The District will be having its annual "Go Home Early" Drill on Tuesday, November 21st. All schools will be dismissed 15 minutes early to conduct the mandatory safety drill.  

  • There is no school for students on Wednesday, November 22nd to Friday, November 23rd for Thanksgiving. The district offices will be closed on November 23rd and 24th. 

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. 

Enjoy your 3-day weekend! Go Bees!

Sincerely,

Dr. Joseph M. DeBarbieri
Superintendent of Schools

Read all weekly email messages from Dr. Joseph M. DeBarbieri,
Superintendent of Schools, during the 2023-2024 school year.