The National Honor Society hosted their yearly Community Giveaway, and we were so thankful to have been a part of it. Community members were able to have a one stop shop with this event, as families could speak with Madison County Public health and collect clothes, food, and toys for their holiday season. We truly enjoy seeing the community come together each year for this wonderful day.
Edible snowglobes arrived at Connected PSES this week! Originally scheduled to be enjoyed at the PSES Winter Fun Night, this lovely treat was able to be shared with everyone instead due to the event being canceled. Everyone enjoyed being able to have a special snack in the lead up to the winter break.
delicious dairy experiment. Making homemade butter is surprisingly simple - even if you have no milkmaid experience! All you need is Ms. S from CCE - Madison County, some heavy whipping cream, a jar with a lid and some elbow grease!
Ms.S from CCE of Madison County visited SSES for another fun learning experience. We used the scientific method to find out what was hiding in 6 mystery boxes and how they are related! Hypothesis - IF Ms.S is here and the boxes have a cow pattern THEN we are learning about dairy. What can we observe without actually seeing what is inside? What is the same about the boxes? Shake the box, what do you hear? Can you smell anything? Reach inside (if you dare) what do you feel? Everyone had great ideas as to what was in the boxes. Through their observations most of their conclusions were correct. The students also enjoyed a delicious snack of cheddar cheese!
Sweet memories were made at Connected Canastota RSMS Gingerbread House event! Families had fun building and decorating festive little edible houses to take home. Every house was uniquely decorated with candy cane chimneys, M&M roofs, Smarties walk ways, sprinkle gardens and gummy bears having snowball fights!!
Ms Doris from the Oneida Nation Shako:wi Cultural Center visited Canastota SSES 4th grade classrooms. The students and staff truly enjoyed the interesting information she shared regarding her culture and history. Ms. Doris' way of teaching through storytelling was captivating, and the students especially loved the opportunity to interact with the artifacts she provided.
HUB HUDDLES HUB HUDDLES
It’s always nice to see such smiling faces as students walk into school every day! These students were so excited to participate in spirit week, and were so excited to show off their outfits! A highlight was a pair of friends who wore their hair like Cindy Lou Who from The Grinch.
HUB huddles at SSES were full of holiday excitement! Students shared their Christmas wishes and holiday traditions while playing games, making crafts and coloring during lunch huddles.
Ms. Rogan treated Connected RSMS students to a fun and engaging activity. Students were excited to design their own gingerbread houses while sharing smiles, creativity, and sweet treats with friends. It was a festive and memorable experience for everyone involved.
The HUB was hopping this month! Our High School Cafeteria is under construction, so students take solace in this peaceful space during meals. Students are able to visit with their friends in a quieter setting to be able to enjoy their meal in a comfortable space and get refreshed prior to finishing their school day.
PARTNERS PARTNERSConnected Connected
Madison County Mental Health continues to be a reliable support for 5-12 grade students, hosting a clinic available to all students in these grades.
December 2025 marked the 8th successful year of the Connected Holiday Assistance Program, supporting students and families across our Connected Districts during the holiday season. What began as a small act of care has grown into a powerful community-wide effort spanning all 13 Connected districts, rooted in generosity, collaboration, and compassion
16 Stone Brewpub th
Affair with Hair
Agway Holland Patent
Alteri's Restaurant
Arizona Tacos
Artani's Pizza
Bassett Medical Offices
Big Jay's Pizzeria - Rome
Bliss Environmental
Boss's General Store
Boyz From Italy
Central NY Academy of Dance
Cianfrocco's Subs & Wings
Collis True Value Hardware
Community Bank, N.A.Camden
Community Bank, N.A.Rome
Franco's Pizza - Ilion
Full Lotis
Gehring Tricot
Grande's Pizzeria
Haven Salon and Lash
Studio
Home Outlet Utica
Jervis Library
Joey's Pizza
Kylie's Diner
La Roma Pizzeria
Matteson Hotel
MetLife Insurance
The Power of Community Partnerships
This year, over 40 local businesses partnered with Connected by hosting donation bins for new, unwrapped toys and gifts Their willingness to open their doors and rally their customers played a vital role in making this program possible.
We are grateful to the 40+ local businesses that served as donation sites and helped make Holiday Assistance possible.
Mister Mikes Gyros
NBT - Rome & Utica
New Hartford Public
Library
Nola’s of Clinton
Oneida County
Department of Comm.
Family Services
Petzotics
Remington Federal Credit Union
Rome First United Methodist Church
RT Federal Credit Union
Shook 40
Sorrento Pizzeria
Spresso’s Coffeehouse
Square One
Coating
State Farm Michael Collea
Stuff the Bus
Style on Main by Nikki Marie Tanners Insurance Agency
Toy for TOTS
Tucker Backyard Pools & Spas
Twin Rivers Paper Company
Woolner Family Eye Care
Connected Elves Holiday Project 2025
CONTINUED
Holiday Assistance Shopping by the Numbers & Gratitude
Through the collective efforts of donors, community partners, and dedicated volunteers, the Connected Holiday Assistance Program supported a total of 1,576 children during Holiday Assistance Shopping this season. With an estimated $59,000 in donated toys and gifts, this milestone reflects the generosity and commitment of our community-wide network, working together to ensure students across our Connected districts experienced the joy, care, and support they deserve during the holiday season.
Holiday Assistance would not be possible without the dedication of our volunteers, who generously gave their time to sort donations, support families, and assist throughout Holiday Assistance Shopping. Their compassion and commitment helped bring this program to life
We extend our heartfelt thanks to every business, donor, volunteer, and community partner who helped make this season brighter. Your generosity continues to strengthen our mission of supporting students and families during the holidays and all year long.
Together, we are Connected
TRAINING TRAINING
Mid York Library
Monthly Connected Partner Highlights are held virtually for staff to discover and build connections with various community partners. In December, Stephanie Markham and Diana Cassulus presented to our staff regarding what the Mid York Library has to offer. They detailed services such as the "Library of Things," through which people can borrow available items including snow shoes, games, and more! Library cards are free to apply for and can give access to the Library of Things as well as discounted museum and park passes, books, magazines, movies, and affordable in-building services like printing. They highlighted that libraries are safe spaces, resource hubs, providers of free, unfiltered computer access and paper tax forms, and hosts of free early literacy programs and events listed on the Mid-York website calendar. The Mid York Library is a great partner to our Connected schools and are eager to attend events with free books and tailored materials in Madison, Oneida, and Herkimer Counties!
