Dear Sidney CSD community,
At the Sidney Central School District, one of our main focus points is culture, climate, and #SidneyPRIDE.
While the focus of a district is strongly on students and student achievement, we only can celebrate all of the great things our students do because of our amazing staff.
Our teachers and support staff, as well as every other employee in the district, serve an integral part in our students reaching such high levels academically, artistically, musically, and athletically.
The culture and climate of our district then takes a bigger look – with students and staff embracing and believing in #SidneyPRIDE.
In turn, we work as hard as we can to celebrate the achievements of everybody within the district.
Another part of this is trying to give our students experiences they may not have elsewhere, all while giving our staff the ability to be creative in their classrooms.
As October rolled in, we’re taking to our social media to celebrate many achievements. We want not only the district to see the success of students and staff, but the greater Sidney community.
We are highlighting our service award winners, new staff, and senior athletes throughout the month, in an attempt to give a glimpse of how great all of these individuals are. We have several service award winners who have been with the district for more than 20 years. We’re proud that these employees have stayed with us for as long as they have, and our community should be as well.
Our Farm to School program continues to evolve and grow. Utilizing ingredients from our own gardens, as well as partnering with local farms, we are continuing our monthly taste test. This program, which creates interesting dishes that could eventually appear on school menus, gives students in grades K-12 the chance to maybe taste something they never have before. Students then vote whether they like it or love it, or if they would leave it. This gives students a voice in what they eat in our cafeterias. This program is one of the best in the area, and we’re proud of how it continues to grow and how it is inclusive to all of our students.
School lunches, which are free to all students in our district, have been reshaped over the years. We’re extremely proud of how our staff has developed and created menus and choices that our students have fully embraced.
In our elementary school, for example, a program is underway for grades K-2 that is taking a holistic approach to meals, allowing students to eat together in the classroom. It’s a nice approach, giving the feel of family and friendship instead of just a hustle to get through the lunch line.
I’m lucky to be the superintendent, too, of a district where staff work together with the students. It’s not the world of chalk and chalkboards anymore. We have interactive and innovative teachers who think outside the box, embrace technology, and involve students in the learning process. The result is students being invested in the work and being much more energetic about being in school. While some traditional methods will always be part of the classroom, the reality is we have to continue evolving as society continues to grow.
This focus point is one of the most important ones the district has. It’s a wide net in what it covers, but it encompasses nearly everything we do. We want to continually celebrate what everybody at Sidney CSD does, and we want to always show #SidneyPRIDE.
Sincerely.
Eben Bullock
Superintendent of Schools