Wednesday, November 16th, 2021—Syracuse Academy of Science and Citizenship elementary school students in Ms. Diorio's class have both bubble gum on their minds, and ‘bubble gum brains,’ which is a very good thing. Students read the book, Bubble Gum Brain by Julia Cook which is a creative story that explains the valuable lesson that 'becoming is better than being,' which can open the door to a whole new world of possibilities.

In the story, there are two main characters: Bubble Gum Brain and Brick Brain and each character has a very different mindset. Bubble Gum Brain likes to have fun adventures, learn new things and doesn't worry about making great mistakes. On the other hand, Brick Brain is convinced that things are just fine the way they are and there isn't much you can do to change them, so why try?

This clever and creative story allowed the Atoms to learn the power of the word 'yet,' as well as, the importance of having a growth mindset, where we are positive, and excited to grow and stretch much like a good piece of bubble gum! Keep up the great work, Atoms.

Thursday, October 28th, 2021—No need to wonder what the world may look like if kids were left in charge, because we have the answers. Late October, the Syracuse Academy of Science and Citizenship students in Mr. Cognetti’s first grade class welcomed guest speaker and reader, Honorable Chol Majok of the Common Council District 3.

Honorable Chol Majok is the first former refugee to hold office in the City of Syracuse, after winning Syracuse' 3^rd District Common Council seat in 2019. He shared with the Atoms his incredible life story of being a former 'Lost Boy' of South Sudan and his journey to freedom after escaping in the Sundanese Civil War at 8 years of age. 

Following his story, Honorable Majok read to the students the book, 'If Kids ran the World' by Leo and Diane Dillon. We would like to take this time to thank Honorable Majok for taking time out of his busy schedule for coming to visit and read to the Atoms!

Friday, October 29th, 2021—“The influence of a good teacher can never be erased!” No truer words have been spoken about Syracuse Academy of Science and Citizenship elementary Special Education teacher, Pat Dennison. Over the course of her career, Pat has been an influential part of many students’ and fellow coworkers. Pat took joy in supporting her students and bringing out the best in the staff around her. She will be greatly missed by all of the teachers, faculty, staff and students at Syracuse Academy of Science and Citizenship elementary school. 

We are wishing you good luck, great health and great success in your retirement. Congratulations, Pat!

Thursday, October 7th, 2021—Last month, Syracuse Academy of Science and Citizenship welcomed Assemblyman William B. Magnarelli of Assembly District 129 for a special school visit.

During his visit,  Assemblyman Magnarelli received a special guided tour by Dean of Elementary Dominic Frisina, and SANY Superintendent Dr. Tolga Hayali. While on the tour, Assemblyman Magnarelli learned about the history of Syracuse Academy of Science and Citizenship elementary school, met some of the Atoms, listened to a few lessons from teachers and learned about the future of SASCCS!

We would like to give a special thank you Assemblyman Magnarelli for taking time out of his busy schedule to spend the day with the Atoms and for visiting Syracuse Academy of Science and Citizenship elementary school!

Friday, October 29th, 2021—Syracuse Academy of Science and Citizenship elementary school 3^rd grade students get into the spirit of Halloween by participating in a hands-on, minds-on science experiment to learn about the Scientific Method.

For this Halloween themed science experiment, Atoms wrote down their hypothesis as they predicted what would happen when Candy Corn and three different substances were combined in a plastic cup. To conduct the experiment, students would place the Candy Corn in the cups and pour three different substances into each of the three cups (one substance per cup). Students would then observe and record the chemical reaction taking place to see if their hypothesis was correct.

Keep up the great work, Atoms!

Friday, October 29th, 2021—On Tuesday, October 5^th, 2021 Syracuse City School District (SCSD) held a public hearing where parents, students, teachers, faculty and staff met to share their support for Syracuse Academy of Science and Citizenship Charter School to renew its charter school term. As per the New York State Education Department (NYSED), all charter schools are required to apply to renew their charter to continue their operation every 5-years. Syracuse Academy of Science and Citizenship Charter School is going through the renewal process after receiving its last 5-year term in 2017.

As part of NYSED’s charter school renewal process, home districts, like SCSD, are required to hold public hearing meetings for the public to express their views for charter schools. The comments made during the public hearing meetings are then sent to NYSED by the home district.

During the public board meeting held on October 5^th at 5:00 PM, all 20 people spoke in favor of Syracuse Academy of Science Charter School renewing its charter school contract. Below is the breakdown of the number of people who spoke during the public board meeting.

• 13 Parents
• 5 Staff members
• 1 Student Teacher
• 1 Syracuse Academy of Science and Citizenship Elementary School Student

At this time we would like to thank you for your continued support of Syracuse Academy of Science and Citizenship Charter School. Please stay tuned for any future public board meetings held by our home district Syracuse City School District.

Saturday, October 23rd, 2021—Syracuse Academy of Science and Citizenship elementary school made waves at the annual CNY Steamboat Challenge presented by the MOST.

On Saturday, October 23^rd Atoms took to the sea in the STEM competition in 'pop-pop' or 'putt-putt' boat engineering. For this competition students could work in teams of 2-3 or individually, and were tasked with designing and constructing a miniature working steamboat powered by a single tealight candle. Teams would then present their design to the judges and are scored in 5 categories, as well as, their boat's best race time in 2 attempts.

Scoring for the CNY Steamboat Competition was based on the following criteria:

• Boat Specification
• Race Time
• Student Presentation

Congratulations to all of our Atoms who participated in this year's STEM competition. We are very proud of you, your hard work and all that you have accomplished!

Wednesday, October 20th, 2021—Syracuse Academy of Science and Citizenship elementary school had the privilege of welcoming New York State Board of Education’s Board of Regents 5th Judicial District member, Elizabeth S. Hakanson earlier this month.

During her visit, Regent Hakanson received a special guided tour of the school led by Dean of Elementary Dominic Frisina, and SANY Superintendent Dr. Tolga Hayali. While on their tour of the school, Regent Hakanson was able to listen to a handful of lessons taught by the esteemed teachers at Syracuse Academy of Science and Citizenship elementary school, as well as, met with the Atoms!

We would like to take this opportunity to personally thank Regent Hakanson for taking time out of your busy schedule to spend the day with the Atoms and for visiting Syracuse Academy of Science and Citizenship elementary school!

Wednesday, September 29th, 2021—Syracuse Academy of Science and Citizenship elementary school students invest in their future with the Empower Federal Credit Union’s in-school banking program, Dollar Dog. In the Dollar Dog program, students learn the importance of saving their money, how to be money-wise, and guides them to be smart money managers.

As a friendly reminder, there is one more Dollar Dog day coming up on Tuesday, October 26^th. Students can bring in money they would like to have deposited into their savings account. The money will be collected by a teacher, a secure lock box or an Empower Federal Credit Union representative. 

If your child is interested in becoming a Dollar Dog saver please contact Lauri Hoover at (315) 728-3474 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Happy savings, Atoms!

Membership eligibility required. Empower Federal Credit Union is federally insured by the National Credit Union Administration.

Tuesday, October 5th, 2021—Earlier this month, Syracuse Academy of Science and Citizenship second grade students were learning all about ancient civilizations. As part of their lesson, students learned about why ancient civilizations decided to settle by bodies of water. To accompany this history lesson, Atoms took to the sea (or should we say paper) and crafted their very own paper boats using the art form of Origami. This hands-on activity was a great way for the students to create a symbol that represents the ancient civilization and what they learned in their history class.