Principal's Message

Good afternoon,

I hope your student enjoyed celebrating our annual fall spirit week. The school was energized each day as students (and adults) dressed up in fun outfits to show their school spirit. The festivities culminated this afternoon with a pep assembly in the gym. Students were loud and represented all that makes Cosgrove such a wonderful school. This week also saw the return of one of our favorite guest speakers, Dennard Mitchell. Dennard’s message was one of anti-bullying and reminded students of the importance of being responsible for their actions. Dennard also discussed the concept of fear among middle school students, specifically as it relates to speaking up for themselves and others. He stressed with students the importance of the FEAR acronym and to always remember to face everything and rise. This is a message we will continue to reinforce throughout the year at school.

Below are several updates for the next two weeks:

Letter Day Rotation:

9/25 – D day
9/26 – E1 day
9/27 – A day
9/28 – B day
9/29 – C day

10/2 - D day
10/3 – E2 day
10/4 – A day
10/5 – B day
10/6 – No School for Students – Superintendents Conference Day

8th grade Boston trip information night (for 8th grade parents only): I am excited to share that our annual 8th grade trip is back again this year. We will be going to Boston on June 5-7, 2024. While the trip is not until the end of the school year, the planning of this trip has already begun. On Wednesday, September 27 at 6:30 p.m. in the Cosgrove auditorium, we will hold a meeting for parents to provide an overview of the trip. During this meeting we will share the trip itinerary, cost, fundraising opportunities, and payment schedule.

Homecoming: As a reminder, tonight is the annual Powderpuff Football game at 7 p.m. at the HS stadium. There is also the Homecoming parade and varsity football game tomorrow. The parade begins at 12 p.m. and the football game begins at 1:30 p.m. I look forward to seeing everyone at these wonderful events. As a reminder, Cosgrove students attending either of these events should be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

NYS Assessment Scores in Infinite Campus Backpack: In April and May of 2023, students in grades 3-8 participated in the mandated New York State Testing Program for English Language Arts and Mathematics and the district has administered these annual assessments using computer-based testing.

These assessments provide the district with valuable feedback in terms of our curriculum and instructional practices. Within the Infinite Campus Parent Portal, you will find your child’s test score reports for these assessments. In accordance with Education Law, these results will not be included on the student's official transcript or in the student's permanent record and are being provided to you for diagnostic purposes.

Level 1 and 2 students may require additional support in the areas of Literacy and Mathematics development offered through our district’s Response to Intervention (RtI) program. RtI services range from monitor to direct services. Although these assessment scores are important, they are only one piece of information that is examined to determine a student’s progress in ELA and Mathematics. Classroom performance, classroom assessments and report card grades will also be carefully reviewed to determine if direct academic support is required or if your student will be monitored in the program. If your student will be receiving RtI services, you will be contacted in the near future.

Erin’s Law: In August 2019, New York State became the 37th state to sign Erin’s law into legislation. Erin’s law requires public schools to provide each child sexual abuse and exploitation prevention classes in grade K-8. As you know, our students have been receiving the Child Safety Matters curriculum for the past three years in grades K-5 and the Teen Safety Matters program is an extension of this work.

Through our partnership with Bivona, we are committed to supporting the needs of our students and equipping them with skills and strategies to self-advocate. We encourage parents to engage in dialogue with their children and to monitor any sudden change in their behavior. The partnership that families share with the district is critical as we rely on one another to support student learning and personal growth. Please remember that any child can speak with their school counselor at any point and that Spencerport has a Family Support Center available free of charge to help students and parents navigate any situation.

Presenters from the Bivona Child Advocacy Center will present to 6th grade students during literacy classes beginning on Monday, September 25. 7th grade students will receive this information from Mrs. Robinson during their health class in the next couple of weeks as well. 8th grade students will receive this information during advisement in late November/December. Please reach out with any questions.

NWEA MAP assessment: Twice each school year we administer the NWEA diagnostic assessment to all students in grades 6-8. We use these results to help identify students who may need more support in ELA and math. This fall, students will take these assessments in their math and ELA classes. Math and ELA teachers will communicate with students the specific day their class will take the assessment and we plan to have these completed by Friday, October 13. Please note this is not a NYS assessment and all students participate in this diagnostic assessment. Thank you in advance for your support and please contact your child’s math/ELA teacher with any questions.

SMS Communications: As we’ve previously shared, the district will introduce a text messaging system this fall as a means of communicating important information with our families, such as school closings, safety alerts, and emergency notifications. This added service is in direct response to the preferences that you shared with us through the communications ThoughtExchange held this summer.

The next step of implementation requires an opt-in for this free service. The instructions may be found in both English and Spanish in the attached flyer. It is important to note that families may opt out of these texts at any time.

As a reminder, parents and guardians must provide a mobile number (not a landline) as their Emergency Contact #1 in Infinite Campus. To confirm whether your contacts are up to date, please access the IC Parent Portal to review. If you need to update your information, please reach out to your grade level Infinite Campus Data Management Specialist:

• Grade Level Infinite Campus Data Management Specialists:
• K-5: Charles Ocasio - (585) 349-5152
• 6-8: Phil Koyoumjian - (585) 349-5324
• 9-12: Lori McSorley - (585) 349-5247

Laptop Agreement: Below is a link to the 2023-2024 Laptop Agreement Form. Please take a few minutes to read through this and decide if you would like to purchase the district’s protection plan for your child’s laptop. I would highly encourage each of you to consider purchasing this plan. This form needs to be completed as soon as possible.

https://spencerport.revtrak.net/Laptop-User-Agreement-Protection-Plan/


That’s it for this week. As always, please reach out if you need anything.

Take care,
Jim

Important upcoming dates:

9/27 – 8th grade Boston trip parent meeting – 6:30-7:30 p.m. in the Cosgrove auditorium
10/6 – Superintendent’s Conference Day – No school for students
10/9 – Indigenous People’s Day – No school
10/19 – Community Circle Day

2023-2024 Grade level contact information:
Administrator Counselor
6th – Jim Centola
349-5302

Jackquelyn Woodard
349-5343


7th - Jamie Hill-Dougherty
349-5311

Andrew Burroughs
349-5342


8th - Tom Burger
349-5321

Erin Bell
349-5345


Social Worker
Traci Powlowski
349-5361

Social Worker
Paige Bauch
349-5363



Important Contact Info

Jim Centola

Principal Jim Centola

Main Office:  585-349-5300

School to Watch
Designated in May of 2017
 as a School to Watch 

Attendance Line:
585-349-5350

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