Cortland High School Newsletter
February 2023
Vitamin Z in Print
“I survived because the fire inside of me burned brighter than the fire around me.”-Joshua Graham
There is always going to be tough times and chaos surrounding us (that's the fire around us). But we have to face everything that we do with positivity and passion (that’s the fire inside of us). Stay focused… you got this!
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News from the Nurse
Spring sports are right around the corner, so make sure your child’s physical is up to date. We offer physicals here at school every Monday and Wednesday, if they would like one here.
As always, please keep your child home if they are sick. According to the district website: please do not send a sick or injured child to school with the intention that they will be diagnosed and treated by the nurse. The school nurse is not a medical diagnostician.
Any child displaying the symptoms of fever, vomiting, diarrhea, undiagnosed rashes, sore throat, ear pain, productive cough or wheezing, drainage from wounds, redness or drainage from eyes, should not come to school until seen, diagnosed, and treated by their personal physician.
If your child is sick please call the attendance office at 758-4084.
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February Thoughts
February is one of the worst months for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). It's a type of depression that occurs during the darker, winter months each year. Ask your doctor about light therapy that can be 50-80% effective when used regularly. These can be found on Amazon. In the case of an emergency, be sure to dial 988 to reach the suicide hotline.
On a lighter note:
February is also known for some very special days that may also lighten your mood a bit:
Feb. 5 is National Nutella Day
Feb. 14 is Valentine’s Day
Feb. 17 is Random Acts of Kindness Day
*February is also Black History Month & American Heart Month
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French News
High School French students will have the opportunity to attend a French educational concert with Etienne next month. We will travel to New York Mills on Thursday, March 16. There are a few spots left and permission slips are due by February 3. Get them in now!
In French 1, students have learned quite a bit already this year! In February we will be able to talk about ourselves, our families, and things that we have. They are doing a great job!
In French 2 we have just finished the health and body vocabulary culminating in a conversation to show what they learned. Soon, we will be starting to learn about daily routine and beginning a super neat project involving Legos.
In French 3 we will be starting our Fairy Tale writing unit - changing the endings to well known fairy tales or writing our own!
In French 4 we have started learning about the Renaissance and will start a fun chateau project while we learn about castle life at the time.
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Internship Program
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Tech. Department News
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Orchestra News
The Orchestras would like to extend a huge THANK YOU to everyone who came to our December Concert or watched the live stream or recording. The support meant a lot to us.
The Chamber Orchestra has been working hard on their piece for the upcoming Prism Concert on February 16th at 6:30 PM. Come out and support the Music Department at this audience favorite!
Several students are also preparing for the NYSSMA Solo Festival on March 25th.
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New Media Art
Students in New Media 1 are starting a project on the art style known as surrealism. Some will combine pictures to make visual puns, others will do some face / body swapping. Still some will convert cartoons into realistic versions.
Students in New Media 2 are creating animations centered on the concept of time.
Sculpture and Ceramics News
Students in Sculpture and Ceramics class are excited to be learning how to recycle old clay with our new pug mill, a specialized piece of equipment that will save the district money by preventing waste of otherwise unusable clay.
Once they’ve reclaimed enough clay, they will return to work on their “ugly jugs.” These are large vessels with ugly and/or scary faces that were originally made during the time of slavery in America. Ugly jugs were the spiritual containers of everything enslaved people held dear, such as their dreams, values, beliefs and hopes for freedom. Because these people were not given the right of true ownership, they filled their ugly jugs with their most important intangibles and created ugly faces on the jugs to keep their enslavers and evil spirits away.
Our students are learning about this practice and when they complete their own jugs, will write an artist statement expressing what they filled them with…all the things that are precious to them and that they want to protect.