Welcome to the 2019-2020 School Year!

Welcome to the 2019-2020 School Year!

The Dryden Central School District is proud to welcome back all of our students, their families, and our staff. We are proud to serve our community, our students, and their families. 

In this edition of Points of #LionPride, you will find information about our mission, vision, and core beliefs as well as update information on our Capital Improvement Project. 

You can follow the Dryden Central School District in real time on our social media platforms. You can find us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook (@DrydenLionPride). 

You can find detailed information about the Capital Improvement Project as well as athletic schedules by going to our website. If you should have any questions or concerns, you can go to our website and click on the "Ask the Superintendent" button to share with us your feedback, concern, or question. 

We wish everyone a happy, fulfilling, fun, and safe school year! #LionPride! 

Mission, Vision, and Core Beliefs

In the Spring of 2019, representatives from the community, the staff, and the Board of Education spent two days together crafting updated mission and vision statements as well as establishing our core beliefs, which are the foundation that our mission and vision are built upon. 

The Dryden Central School District's mission is to educate and empower each learner to achieve excellence and build a better world. 

The Dryden Central School District's vision is that we aspire to be the school district others strive to become. 

Our core beliefs are:

• Students come first.
• Everyone can learn. 
• A safe, joyful, and nurturing environment promotes learning and growth.
• We encourage creativity, problem solving, and innovation.
• We act with integrity and responsibility.
• We cultivate resilience and build strength of character.
• We value diversity and treat everyone with respect, compassion, and dignity.
• Positive relationships and partnerships are essential.

New Faculty Orientation and Opening Day

Starting in the middle of August, the District began to formally open the new school year with the New Faculty Orientation. All new faculty members spent two days with IT staff, the Leadership Team, and the Dryden Faculty Association in an effort to "on board" our newest staff members with all the information they need to hit the ground running when the school year starts. The cohort also got a District-wide bus tour of each corner of the District. New Faculty Orientation was held on August 19 and August 20.

In addition to the training that is provided to the newest staff members, new faculty had an opportunity to meet with their mentor. In the Dryden Central School District, we are very proud to be able to offer this to our staff.

Capital Improvement Project 

Work has continued on the 40 million dollar voter approved Capital Improvement Project throughout the summer and into the 2019-2020 school year. The work around the project is for the most part on schedule and under budget. We are proud to be partnering with Hunt Architects and Campus Construction. Both our construction managers from Campus and our architects from Hunt continue to work with us closely and are responsive to any issues we bring forward. We appreciate their collaboration as we work to build a better future for our students. 

Work on the project this summer included continued work on the renovation of the locker rooms at the MS/HS construction of a new kitchen at the MS/HS, a new MS cafeteria, remodeling of the MS Cafeteria which will become the new HS cafeteria, new ceiling and lighting throughout the hallways in the MS, refinishing/re-striping the HS gym floors, new boilers at the MS/HS and Freeville, athletic fields, as well as new instructional spaces for music.

In addition, site work progressed to construction of the new transportation center located on Mott Road. 

You can continue to monitor the progress of the project by going to the Capital Improvement Project tab on the website or on all three of our social media platforms. 

Football and Track Come Home

Last year our track and football teams were displaced due to the Capital Improvement Project as work continued on the installation of the new track. The Varsity Football Team was able to play their first home game of the season at HOME last Friday night. They played under the brand new LED energy efficient and very bright stadium lights. The new scoreboard was also a great backdrop for the team. 

At the Patriots Game, the football team honored first responders, law enforcement agencies, and military veterans. The emphasis of this recognition was the service that these individuals provide to their community. 

The evening before the game, the District presented the coaching staff with the first #LioinPride Award of the year for the service that they provide to the football program, the District, and our community. 

International Talk Like a Pirate Day

Mrs. Pamel, the librarian from Southworth Library, invited Mr. Bacigalupi aka Captain Bones and Captain Jack Sparrow to read pirate books and participate in pirate themed activities last Saturday afternoon for International "Talk Like a Pirate Day."

This event was held at the Southworth Library in the Village of Dryden and is a great example of the District's core belief that positive partnerships and relationships are essential! We are fortunate to have a great relationship with so many community partnerships.

Many Dryden Central School District students were in attendance for the event and they each got a free book, learned how to talk like a pirate, and even found some treasure!

Luckily, no one was forced to "walk the plank."

Dryden Family Meal Connection

The Dryden Family Meal Connection is an all-volunteer group composed of current and retired staff members who work together throughout the summer months to organize grocery deliveries every two weeks. These grocery deliveries help to support families in our District with food security. 

All the food is donated to the group from local grocery stores including Tops, Wegmans, and Price Chopper. In addition, the group benefits from several personal donations as well as several small grants.

The group served 50 families this summer. This is the largest group yet. If you have concerns about your own family's ability to secure food for your or your children, please contact the Superintendent at 844-5361 x. 1 or Mary Hicks, School Social Worker at 844-8694 x.1444 for confidential support. 

First Day of School Boards and Opening Day Traditions

The Dryden Central School District capitalized on the recent social media trend in which parents have their students fill out a board with their name, the grade they are going to, and what they want to be when they grow up. 

The Dryden Central School District was more excited than ever to begin this school year, and we wanted to show our excitement as well as spread our enthusiasm in the community for the upcoming school year. These are just a few of the pictures of staff and their first day boards. You can find more on all three of our social media platforms. 

In addition, here are some pictures from the first day of school. You can find more pictures from the first day of school on all three of our social media platforms. #LionPride!