NOVEMBER 2025
CONNECTED CANASTOTA NEWSLETTER TABLE OF CONTENTS Connected District Bulletin Connected Partners Collaborations & Contributions Training Highlights Initiative Wide Highlights Staff
Pedro The Penguin Visits Ms. Anna and Susan from the Red Cross visited our PSES Friends to talk about fire safety, and featured a special visitor Pedro the Penguin! Ms. Anna and Susan read a story about how Pedro makes an escape plan with his family in case of emergencies. Students were even able to take home a copy of this story to share!
Ms. Carol visited CHS to share this month’s water flavor! Students were able to have apple cinnamon water, as education efforts continue to show them healthier drink alternatives. Thank you for visiting!
Ms. Allyson stopped by PSES and SSES with her canine family member Emma to talk with students about how pets can help vets. Ms. Allyson talked about the difference between a therapy dog and a service dog, and how they train these heroes to help those who need it most. Thank you for coming!
What could be better than story time? Story time with a snack! Ms Tess and Ms Alyssa from Cornell Cooperative Extension of Madison County visited Canastota SSES. They captured everyone’s attention with the book, This is the Pie That Molly Grew. This was a fun way to learn about the stages of a pumpkin from seed to table. After the book was read students took part in making a yummy pumpkin pie dip.
Connected Site Coordinator Denise joined the Canastota PTA at the book fair. She set up a craft area for families to create a bookmark. They enjoyed getting creative using art supplies to decorate their bookmarks to go along with their new books!
Terrific Tuesdays Ms. Val returned for a Terrific Tuesday huddle. She reviewed facts with the students about the effects of tobacco and vape products on the body. She was impressed with what they remembered from her last visit. Following the discussion, students created posters promoting healthy habits, which were hung in the hall for others to see.
Connected students and Site Coordinator Denise had another fun-filled visit with Ms. Jocelynn from Canastota Public Library. They all had a huge laugh playing Thanksgivingthemed games! They were wobbling like a turkey to complete an obstacle course and playing "This or That."
CONNECT 4 MENTORING PROGRAM
We are excited to begin our Connect 4 Peer Mentoring training period! We had an ice cream social to begin, and welcomed new and returning peer mentors to this program. We discussed what this program entailed for peer mentors, as well as what they can expect for future training and pairings! We are excited to get our students prepared to best help others in our district.
PantryRestock We were able to host another successful pantry restock! Families were able to stop by and pick out essential grocery staples for their homes. Thanks to everyone who stopped by!
HUB HUDDLES HUB HUDDLES The weather is getting colder, but that doesn’t stop us from enjoying the outdoors! PSES bundled up to be able to get outside and enjoy some fresh air. It was a blast to be able to visit everyone on the playground to play some catch with the football! It’s always nice to see everyone take turns throwing to new friends.
SSES HUB has been busy as usual! Students have had so much fun playing games and making crafts with friends. The game Sculpt It! has been a big hit this month with the students. As one student molds the clay others try to guess what they are creating before the timer runs out. This fills the HUB with lots of laughter and some silliness!
Ms. Bruno, RSMS profesora de Español invited Ms. Rogan to help with her World Kindness Day project. We openly discussed the importance of being kind to others and ourselves. Her students had so many amazing ideas on how they can change their school and community for the better. The students colored pictures, wrote notes and made a High Five to give to someone. The High Five had a kind word written in Spanish on each dedo (finger).
It’s been so nice to see everyone stop in during the Advisory Period! Students have been utilizing this time to decompress a bit, and enjoyed playing checkers and Connect 4 with peers. This is a great way to relax and get refocused so they can be successful in the classroom for the remainder of their day.
Connected PARTNERS
Connected PARTNERS
Madison County Mental Health continues to be a strong support for 5-12 grade students, and still has spaces available for those who could benefit from this service.
COLLABORATIONS COLLABORATIONS & & Contributions Contributions Your Nuhorizons
The Opportunity Shop
Reality Check
The Red Cross
Village of Canastota
Karing Kitchen CCE of Chenango County CCE of Madison County Clear Path for Veterans
Oral Health Partnership of Madison County Oneida Indian Nation
Connecte d Canastot a would like to th ank everyone that help s! We canno t do it without y ou!
Trends
Trends
LINK is a single point of access embedded within every Connected school. It brings together school staff and community partners to identify student and family needs and connect them with appropriate supports, services, and local resources to promote student success.This month was a difficult one for the entire nation, as SNAP funding was temporarily withheld from individuals. This impacted several families in our district, who were relying on this resource to feed their households. Our HUBs were able to support these families, providing food boxes and valuable connections to programs such as Food Sen$e to help them through this time of need. These food boxes provided essential food items for the entire family to utilize as needed, including nutritious meals for students in the homes as well. We truly appreciate families viewing us as a support in their times of need, and we look forward to continuing to come through for them when they need us most.
UPCOMING UPCOMINGEvents Events January Pantry Restock
January 15th Stay tuned for more information!
TRAINING TRAININGHighlights Highlights
November Advisory Board
During the month of November, we hosted our quarterly Advisory Board meeting. For this meeting, we had two agencies present on the programs they offer. The first agency to present was CNY Fair Housing, located in Syracuse, New York. Tysha Martin shared with the group that the primary goal of CNY Fair Housing is to fight discrimination in housing for protected classes. They cover 13 counties in Central and Northern New York. Not only do they investigate and fight for tenants, but they also educate landlords and community providers on tenant rights. The presentation was very informative and a great resource to connect appropriate families that we work with. The second presentation was by the Utica Center for Development. This agency provides a variety of services specifically aimed towards veterans and their families including assistance with tangible items as well as mental health support. One of their programs, called the Sergeant Fox Suicide Prevention Program, works with veterans who have PTSD and other mental health struggles. This is an essential resource for veterans and their families we may work with.
Connected Partner Highlights: Monthly Connected Partner Highlights are held virtually throughout the school year for staff to discover and build connections with various community partners. During the month of November, we had three different agencies present on the services they offer. One program, the Cornell Cooperative Extension Child Care Council, shared that they offer Classroom Programming opportunities focused on social emotional learning. The Child Care Council has been a great partner of Connected and is frequently booked to come into our schools. They also offer assistance in obtaining child care and financial assistance to pay for child care in Oneida, Herkimer, and Madison Counties. Our second presenter was the Madison Community Action Partnership’s Permanency Resources Program. This state-funded program, which evolved from kinship caregiver programs, provides comprehensive support to kinship caregivers, adoptive families, and families going through legal guardianship or adoption processes, in partnership with the Neighborhood Center in Oneida County. This specific program is available in Oneida and Chenango Counties, but there are similar programs throughout the state. Last but not least, we also had Indium Corporation present to our staff on the Classroom Programming that they can offer. Indium can go into local schools and teach students about what Indium does, considerations for career exploration with Indium, and learning about the manufacturing process along with some STEMrelated education. This is a great opportunity that many of our staff only just discovered during this Partner Highlight. If you are interested in bringing Indium into your school, please reach out to your Connected Site Coordinator!
INITIATIVE INITIATIVE WIDE WIDEHighlights Highlights Holiday Assistance Connected is in full Holiday Assistance mode, working to ensure students and families have the support they need this season. Last year, we assisted over 2,000 students, and we’re once again committed to spreading warmth and joy throughout our communities. If you or someone you know could benefit from holiday assistance, please reach out to your Site Coordinator or a member of the LINK Team—we’re here to help. If you’d like to help, donations are always welcome! Check out the Holiday Assistance bin map included on this flyer for convenient drop-off locations, or bring your donation to our main office at 207 North James Street, Rome, NY. Monetary contributions can also be made online at https://connectedcommunityschools.org/holiday-assistance/, and every gift helps make the season brighter for local families. Click here to access the Holiday Assistance Bin Map!
Now Open: Connected Purple Flamingo Thrift & Gift Store The Connected Purple Flamingo Thrift and Gift Store is now open! Bright, quirky, and full of character, the store offers a wide variety of thrifted and new items for sale. All proceeds benefit the Connected Initiative, making every purchase a way to support the community. If you haven’t visited yet, it’s definitely worth checking out!
Connected Community Spaghetti Dinner On November 19 in collaboration between The Connected initiative, Oneida County, and the Connected Rome CSD; the very first Connected County Spaghetti Dinner was held at Connected Strough middle school. The true strength of our communities in the Mohawk Valley is the spirit of resilience and collaboration to come together to support one another in the face of current and ongoing struggles. With the support of our volunteers from Oneida County, student volunteers, and Rome, CSD nutrition services staff we were able to distribute approximately 300 eat in and take out meals to anyone who was able to attend regardless of school district or home address. This event was proof that local action can have a wide impact.
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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
SASHA MILLER
KNOW SOMEONE LP? IS IN NEED OF HE O H W Have them reach out to a Site Coordinator today!