FEBRUARY 2026
CONNECTED CANASTOTA NEWSLETTER TABLE OF CONTENTS Connected District Bulletin Connected Partners Collaborations & Contributions Training Highlights Initiative Wide Highlights Staff
Connected Canastota Connected Canastota
VALENTINE'S
Dinner
The Canastota Valentine’s Dinner was a smashing success. Over 100 community members stopped in to check out this free meal and all our family friendly activities! We had free valentine making with Madison County Public Health, story time with MO BOCES and MO FACE, and fundraising flowers and face painting with the National Art Honor Society. Mr. Carter even got behind the line with our school cafeteria team to prepare meals for families! Thank you to everyone who helped make this a wonderful start to our Winter Break.
Connected PSES had a birthday celebration! The Erie Canal is celebrating its 201st birthday, and as a Canastota staple it was worth recognizing. Students learned fun facts about the canal with Ms. Bruno, a volunteer with The Canal Town Museum, and everyone sang the Erie Canal song before making a mule craft to take home!
February's Water Wednesday flavor was Strawberry Kiwi! Students shared their takes on this creative beverage, with each student having a bit of a different opinion. Students overall enjoyed this flavor and said that they would consider trying it on their own. Thank you to Ms. Carol from CCE for bringing this to Canastota.
Ms. Val visited our Connected CHS students to talk about the upcoming Legislative Day! Canastota Reality Check students will get to visit the NYS Capitol Building to discuss tobacco’s impacts on their community and how legislators can help.
I IN NV VI IT TA AT TI IO ON NA AL L
The RSMS Fortnite Invitational was a success! Teams played a round robin qualifier, with the championship being on Friday. Prizes were awarded to players based on sportsmanship, level of play, and best creative jersey! Thank you to everyone who attended.
Connected RSMS Terrific Tuesday Huddle was full of fun challenges with Ms. Jocelyn from Canastota Public Library. Afternoons with Ms. Jocelyn are always full of smiles, laughs and teamwork!
Canastota SSES students and staff were excited to welcome Ms. Stephanie and Ms. Jamie from Madison County Rural Health Council. They provided Cavity Free Kids lessons, demonstrating how to properly brush teeth and what tools we use to brush, floss and swish. The PreK students especially loved singing along with their visitors and brushing Mr. and Mrs. Chompers! The students were highly engaged and eager to learn about creating good oral health habits. Everyone received dental healthcare kits to take home. We are very thankful to have partnered with such a generous community partner for this program!
Connected Canastota RSMS was full of acts of kindness this week! The students might have even been a little extra kind with the "Caught Being Kind Challenge" in full swing. As students were caught being kind they were given tickets to turn into the counseling team. The grades who earned the most tickets were able to enjoy a special treat! Thanks to Stewarts Shop of Chittenango NY, ice cream sundaes were served to the 5th and 8th grades by Ms. DiGeorge, Mrs. Murray, Ms. Rogan and Mr. Jesse. A thank you to Ms. Tammy and Ms. Stephanie at SSES for helping us out as well! It was a wonderful week celebrating our students' positive contributions to our school community!
CONNECT 4 MENTORING PROGRAM
CHS Connect 4 Students celebrated the conclusion of training with a cookie decorating day! Students were able to use their creativity to design cookies however they wanted, and then were able to have a tasty treat. They look forward to working with both CHS and PSES students soon.
RSMS Connect 4 was a blast! Students worked on communication with body language and pace of speech, as well as speaking with proper tone with Mr. Jennings’ discussion. Mr. Jennings also brought students a special Valentine’s Day treat: Dunkin Donuts!
HUB HUDDLES HUB HUDDLES This month’s Game of The Month was Hey Ho Cherry O’s! Students were able to play this classic board during lunch with friends. It was a day filled with laughs and we enjoyed seeing everyone have such a good time together.
Fun and games continue in SSES with HUB Lunch Huddles. The HUB is so popular during lunchtime we had to start a waiting list! The top 3 games this month are… Connect 4, Bananagrams and of course giant UNO! It is wonderful to see the students so engaged and enjoying this space.
Tetris wooden puzzles have been a huge hit this month with the 5th grade. They have been competing to see who can finish the quickest and what new designs they can create. Abbi stole the show with most completed puzzles! This month’s running theme in the HUB was snacks and conversations! Students have been developing strong friendships with one another and it truly shows as they now visit the HUB just to chat. Topics range from upcoming break plans, field trip excitement, homework help, and more! It’s so nice to see students view this space as a welcoming environment for them to see one another.
ConnectedPARTNERS PARTNERS
Connected
Madison County Mental health continues to support students during and after the school day, and have been strong supporters to those in crisis situations.
COLLABORATIONS COLLABORATIONS & & Contributions Contributions MO BOCES MO FACE Madison County Public Health Madison County COAD Oral Health Partnership of Madison County
Canastota Library Reality Check CCE of Chenango County MVCAA
Connecte d Canastot a would like to th ank everyone that help s! We canno t do it without y ou!
Trends
Trends
Sufficient and stable housing continues to be hard to find these days, and Canastota is no exception to that reality. Connected Canastota has been a help to multiple families of late in finding both short and long term housing solutions for families in need. Connected Canastota coordinates with the district LINK teams and outside agencies to streamline what can be a complicated process, so families have support to make this difficult transition as seamless as possible. We continue to strive to alleviate worries for district families, and we look forward to continuing to support them throughout the year.
UPCOMING UPCOMINGEvents Events Pre Prom Sheriff’s Visit
Spring 2025 More details to come
Ag in the Classroom at Connected PSES & SSES
March 16 - 20
INITIATIVE INITIATIVE WIDE WIDEHighlights Highlights Advocating for Students and Families in Albany
On Feb. 10, Nora Bajhor, Director of Impact, and Daniel Turk, Project Manager of Quality Assurance, traveled to Albany to meet with state legislators to advocate for funding for Community Schools that support students, families, and communities across New York State. The day began with a powerful video highlighting the realities of childhood poverty across New York, which set the tone for the conversations ahead. The video was both moving and impactful, and several colleagues from the Connected initiative were featured in the presentation. After the video Nora presented as a panelist representing Connected. Throughout the day, the group met with legislators to discuss the importance of sustained support for programs that address the barriers many students and families face. One highlight of the day was an impromptu meeting with a local Assembly representative, who graciously took time to speak with Dan’s group. The conversation was encouraging as he has three Connected school districts in his legislative district, there is hope that he will support the proposed legislation should it move forward to a full Assembly vote. The day provided an important opportunity to highlight the impact of Community Schools and ensure that the voices of students, families and communities are part of the conversation shaping policies across New York.
Click here to watch the 1 in 5: Confronting Childhood Poverty in New York Video.
TRAINING TRAININGHighlights Highlights Youth Mental Health First Aid Training – Free & Open to All!
Did you know that Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) Training is available at no cost? This valuable program is designed to help faculty, staff, and community members recognize the signs of mental health challenges in young people, provide support, and connect them with appropriate resources. By participating, you’ll gain practical skills to respond confidently to students in crisis, foster a supportive environment, and make a real difference in the lives of youth in our community. Who can attend: All faculty, staff, and community members Cost: FREE Registration: Registration link Empower yourself with the knowledge to support youth mental health—because every student deserves to be seen, heard, and supported.
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Denise R
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Connected Canastota Connected Canastota Team Team an og YOUR CANASTOTA SITE COORDINATOR
315-737-3773 willardl@connectedcs.org
315-360-4496 deniser@connectedcs.org
CENTRAL HUB TEAM
COLLEEN MATTHEWS
ALEXIS TOWNE
RAIN RIDGNER
KALI FOUNTAIN
KAELYNN BARBER
DIVISONAL DIRECTOR OF CONNECTED COMMUNITY SCHOOLS
DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR OF IMPACT
DELIVERY TEAM
NORA BAJOHR
DUSTIN TROTZ
KNOW SOMEONE LP? IS IN NEED OF HE O H W Have them reach out to a Site Coordinator today!