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Golden Bear Gazette June 23, 2025

Posted Date: 6/23/25 (5:30 PM)
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GOLDEN BEAR GAZETTE

June 23, 2025

Issue 36
A stylized bear head logo with green and gold colors.

Superintendent's Message

Dear Vestal Central School District Families,

The school year is quickly coming to an end. Tuesday, June 24th, marks the last day of school for grades K-8 for the 2024-25 school year. The summer months will bring many planned events for students and professional learning opportunities for faculty and staff. Since September is right around the corner, we have partnered with Panaroma Education to create school climate surveys for staff, students, and parents. Please consider completing the survey. The survey will close on June 30, 2025. The District Planning Group will use the summer months to analyze the results and make recommendations for our never-ending quest of continuous improvement of Vestal Schools. Please see the link for the surveys. These surveys are designed to take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete.

Due to the heat index, today and tomorrow will be half days for K-5 students. While two of our five elementary schools have climate control, we felt it would be best to keep all buildings on the same attendance schedule over the last two days of school. The good news is one more elementary building will gain climate control with our current capital project. Also, the other two elementary buildings will have climate control installed over the next two years with the 2024 capital project.  The middle school has climate control in the building and is able to maintain classes for both full days.  

There has been a lot of talk regarding the Vestal Teachers Association contract. Please see the VTA Negotiations Hub link on the website. There are many misunderstandings and misinformation being circulated. This informational hub will clarify some of the questions and concerns. 

Best wishes and good luck to our high school seniors, as they will be graduating Saturday, June 28, 2025!! We know they will enter the world beyond the K-12 VCSD classrooms well prepared to make their life dreams come true. We are all very proud of their hard work and look forward to their future success. 

I hope you have a great last full week of June 2025 and a great beginning to the summer months ahead!!


Stay Golden, Vestal!

Clifford R. Kasson, Superintendent of Schools

 


 

Upcoming Events

06/28/25 - HS Graduation, BU Events Center, 11:00am

7/8/25 - BOE Meeting, Admin. Conference Rm., 6:00pm
Example calendar with dates pinned
A musician plays an acoustic guitar on stage, illuminated by stage lights.

Summer Vibes!

June 12th was a beautiful weather day for African Road Elementary's Field Day! After an awesome concert by Vestal alum Jared Campbell, the students took part in fun outdoor games and karaoke. The fun activities included bubbles, corn hole, sidewalk chalk, inflatables and more!
Children raise their arms in a concert hall, enjoying a performance.
A young person blows a large bubble outside a building on a sunny day.
People line up to use a large inflatable water slide on a grassy field.
Children play a game of kickball on a sunny day in a schoolyard.
A group of children sing into microphones outdoors, enjoying a performance.
 
A man sits with a large Bernese Mountain Dog, both enjoying the outdoors.

Keep Calm and Pet a Dog

Exams + graduation = stress overload! With the finish line in sight, June 9th was a day of finding peace and calm at VHS's De-Stress Day event. To help students unwind, activities included a DJ, a therapy dog to pet, refreshments, bubbles, yoga, and games. Just what students needed to power through the final stretch!
Students gather outside Vestal High School, possibly for an event or activity.
People practice yoga outdoors on mats in a grassy area near a building.
Girl writing on a notepad with a shopping cart behind her filled with groceries.

Summer EBT is Here

New York State is offering Summer EBT benefits to help families purchase food while school is out. If your child receives SNAP or Medicaid, you should automatically qualify. If not, you may still be eligible, but an application is required.
Families can apply now through September 4. This program is managed by the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance.
To apply or learn more, click on the link below.
Apply or Learn More Here.
 
Bus Drivers Needed posting.

Employment Opportunities

Our school community is in urgent need of dedicated bus drivers to help safely transport our students to and from school each day.
We are also looking for Bus Attendants. Preference given to individuals interested in becoming Bus Drivers through our Drivers-in-Training program.
If you'd like to make a big difference in the lives of children and families, then this job is for you!

-Excellent health & dental insurance (if qualified)
-Paid holidays
-PAID TRAINING
-Paid time off to include sick leave, personal days, legal days
-NYS Employee Retirement System
-Opportunity for overtime compensation

- BUS DRIVER - For more information visit:

-BUS ATTENDANT - For more information visit:

-To view all job vacancies, go to:
View Job Vacancies & Apply

Farm to School Newsletter

Dig into the latest edition of the Broome-Tioga BOCES Rock on Café Cornell Cooperative Extension-Broome County and Food and Health Network's Farm to School Newsletter.

You'll see how local school gardens have been blooming and with summer almost here, farmers markets are popping up in the area. Check out the locations of where you can shop local and eat fresh!
Newsletter cover of school kids in gardens, holding produce.
Locations in Broome and Tioga Counties of upcoming Farmers Markets.
students sitting on stage listening to the principal give a speech.

Moving Up to Middle School!

On June 17th, Vestal Hills Elementary held its 5th grade Moving Up Ceremony. In September, these Golden Bears will begin an exciting new chapter as they head to the middle school. It was bittersweet watching them cross the stage to receive their certificates, but we know they are leaving with all the tools they've acquired at VHE and the confidence to thrive.
Another highlight of the event was Dr. Andrew Blaine, Vestal CSD's Director of Instruction, proudly presenting medals and certificates to 5th graders who earned the Jr. Seal of Biliteracy! These students demonstrated a high level of proficiency in English and one or more world languages.
Congratulations to all!
girl holding a certificate
boy with a self-made graduation cap that reads VHE
a family posing with their student holding a certificate
student holding a certificate
A boy in a yellow shirt does a electrical conductivity experiment using wires.

Electrifying Fun!

Mrs. Bogart's third grade class had a wonderful opportunity to have Mrs. Danielle Britton and Mrs. Christine Martey-Ochola from SUNY Broome come teach students and lead them in a STEM Day.

The students used 'Makey Makey' kits to make open circuits, closed circuits, to learn about insulation and conductivity. They also tested lemons, bread, potatoes, bananas and even themselves for conductivity! The 3rd graders learned that hair, clothing and bread did not conduct electricity. They even made a circle of 17 students and three adults and still made a complete circuit and conducted electricity. (The Guinness World Record for largest human electrical circuit was 2,576 people! Wow!)

The students used alligator clips, probes, conductive clay, a circuit board, the chrome book and the 'Makey Makey' app. They tried musical keyboards and bongos that only played if they had a complete circuit. They also got to test random objects around the classroom. Metal worked great, but plastic did not. Not only did this activity make a light go on, but it also made a 'light go on' for learning!
a group of students and teachers stand in a circle in the classroom.
A girl with red hair sits in a chair in the classroom and holds up wires used for an experiment.
a man and woman in sitting in front of a cake on a table.

A Fond Farewell

On June 17th, we celebrated two incredible Board of Education members, Mark Browning and Erynn Wilson, as they wrapped up their service to our school district. Their dedication and leadership have helped shape the future of our schools. We thank them for the lasting impact they have made on VCSD!
A cartoon bear in a swimming pool, wearing scuba mask. Fish in the background and flowers on the corners of the photo.

HAVE A GREAT SUMMER, GOLDEN BEARS!

See you in September!