Friday, September 27, 2019—When you have one of the top apple orchards in the country in your backyard it is only natural to explore, pick apples, and have a very sweet time. Kindergarten Atoms are getting ready for their upcoming project of the Apple Life Cycle activity. To get a first-hand look at all things apples, they ventured out on a field trip to Beak and Skiff Apple Orchard. Atoms picked (and yes, sampled) apples, discussed the stages of an apple tree and bonded with fellow classmates on the 'Cool Play Zone.' Thank you, Beak and Skiff for such a memorable field trip.

Wednesday, October 9, 2019—Introducing our Atoms to the community leaders and teaching them the values of respecting and caring about their communities is just one of the many ways we continue to build success one Atoms at a time. We were honored to have Syracuse Mayor, Ben Walsh, come in as a guest speaker and share with our 6^th and 7^th grade students the importance of local government and the community. Mayor Walsh invited students to ask him question and voice their concerns following his presentation. Thank you, Mayor Walsh, for taking time out of your schedule to speak with our students!

Thursday, September 26, 2019—Elementary school Atoms or should we say treasure seekers, teamed up with their families at the Back to School Welcome scavenger hunt. Families work together to solve puzzles in efforts to find the treasure, which was a fabulous dress down pass! Following the scavenger hunt, students and their loved ones browsed the book fair.

Friday, September 20, 2019—A special visit from Dean of School, Mrs. Miller, story time, and a book fair that is right around the corner. Does it truly get any better than that? Mrs. Cusano's first grade class was thrilled when they found out that it was not only story time, but Mrs. Miller was going to be leading it. She read to the Atoms, How Rocket Learned to Read, a story written by Tad Hills, which highlights the importance of reading and its many benefits.

Friday, September 20, 2019—What type of change do you get when you combine water with a coffee filter? You probably don't notice too much of a change. But, let's say your coffee filter now has some colorful design created by a second grade Atom? Well, let's find out what happened, as Ms. Peryea's class did just that. After carefully putting their artistic skills to work, Atoms dove right into the scientific method to determine how a colorful coffee filter will stand up to the addition of water. The conclusion that our astute scientists drew was colors will begin to "climb" when water is added to the coffee filter. What a great experiment to receive a hands-on learning experience about chromatography.

Thursday, September 26, 2019—Owl in a days work, 7th grade PBL Atoms gear up for a project that is egg-sighting. Students will be tasked with researching and designing their own bird nesting box. To prepare for the project, we invited ornithology expert, Peter from Lime Hollow Nature Center who shared with the students information on native birds of New York who use bird boxes, various elements needed to make their own nesting box, as well as, bird predators and how to design the optimal box to ensure the safety of the birds. Thank you, Peter, for sharing your expertise with the Atoms.

Tuesday, September 24, 2019—Many of our elementary school Atoms enjoy visiting the Betts Branch Library for a field trip. However, today was much different. Instead, they received a special visit from one of their favorite librarians, Ms. Quinn, who joined them for story time. Ms. Quinn, shared with the kindergarten class her favorite book and she also made it come to life through the incorporation of various story book character stuffed animals. Thank you, Ms. Quinn, and we look forward to having you join us each month!

Wednesday, September 25, 2019—Each month we celebrate our Atom's character traits, accomplishments and achievements during our Student of the Month ceremony. The character trait for the month of September is responsibility. The students selected for the Student of the Month demonstrated responsibility throughout their daily school activities. Keep up the great work, Atoms!

Thursday, August 15, 2019—One of our talented Atoms with an incredible vocal range was chosen to sing the National Anthem at the New York State Fair Reception, an event that was organized by the New York State Comptroller, Thomas P. DiNapoli. Such an honor, congratulations, Kennedy, on being selected.

Friday, September 20, 2019—Ripe for the picking, third grade Atoms visit one of the top apple orchards in the country, Beak and Skiff. On a quintessential crisp fall day, this fifth generation orchard was the perfect outing for a field trip. Students learned not only about the orchard itself, but about the variety of apple trees they grow, what apples are in season and ready to be picked and how they continue to make Beak and Skiff the ultimate apple picking experience. Atoms enjoyed a timeless wagon ride to the picking location for the day, which was of course followed by picking Honeycrisp apples. After a morning of picking, students gathered together for a picnic style lunch. Thank you Beak and Skiff for a great day and awesome field trip!