February 12, 2021
Dear Lyndonville Families and Community,
Last month, we recognized the contributions of Martin Luther King, Jr with a federal holiday, and this week we celebrate Presidents Day, where we honor two of our greatest Presidents: George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. All of three of these individuals made significant contributions to the development of country, and we should pause and think what can learn from each of these men (can you tell I used to teach social studies?). February is also Black History Month, where we recognized contributions of black Americans via daily announcements and bulletin board displays. And of course, Valentine’s Day is this weekend! For a short month, there is much happening in February.
Last week, we had no new COVID cases in our school! This is consistent with the data we are seeing across the county and region. So continue to wash your hands, wears your mask and social distance. I continue to be thankful to the Orleans County Health Department, as they have now hosted three vaccination clinics for our faculty and staff.
Winter athletics are back, as we hosted two games this past week, and look forward to the rest of the season. As a reminder, we are allowed two spectators per player, and no visitors are allowed—this is true across the entire league. All of our home games will be broadcast on our You Tube channel, which you may access by going to our website (look under Athletics) or simply go to You Tube and search for Lyndonville. Here is also a one page flyer with key information for the winter season: winter sports flyer
I would also like to recognize Athletic Director Jim Zeliff, Director of Facilities Kevin Czaja, Custodian/Maintenance Sonny Dent, and Technician Jason Wilhelm for the great job and teamwork in making sure we are fully prepared to livestream our games! Principal Aaron Slack and Jim Zeliff also proposed modifications to our Academic Eligibility Policy, given the shorter seasons and other pandemic and budget-related factors. These modifications were presented to our Board of Education Monday, where they received support.
Business Administrator Joe DiPassio shared with the Board the first budget update for the 2021-22 school year, which may be found here: budget presentation or you may view the presentation here via video (it starts at the 8:50 mark) Board meeting budget presentation (video). This is a multi-step process, and if you have been following state budget news, the picture is bleak. Our school is an active member of the Rural Schools Association (I serve on the Board of Directors), and the Executive Director David Little gave a brief statement on the state budget, which I encourage you to watch by going to this link: Rural School testimony (just play it and the clip will start).
This message is a bit shorter than normal, as I wish to encourage you to visit the hyperlinks above, so please do so.
We are on mid-winter recess/Presidents Week this week, so please enjoy the time with your families and continue to practice the COVID protocols to keep us safe and open!
Jason Smith, Superintendent of Schools
Jasmith@lcsdk12.org (e-mail)
765-3101 (phone)
Twitter: @LyndonvilleCSD
@JasonJasmith
Facebook: Lyndonville Central School