Saturday, October 14th, 2023: Citizenship & Science Academy of Syracuse Elementary students participated in the CNY Steamboat Challenge at the MOST. Atoms worked extremely hard on their design while testing and making changes to ensure they had the best possible outcome. Students begin by designing the boats. After designing the boats, the students used the engineering design process to design their boilers. The boiler is what creates the steam and provides power for the boat to move. 

Mr. Zinger is extremely proud of our Atoms' accomplishments and their hard work!

Tuesday, October 10th, 2023: Mrs. Daniel’s reading groups at Citizenship & Science Academy of Syracuse Elementary worked hard on their Chromebooks. Some Atoms were completing assessments, and some were working on a lesson. We have many flexible seating options thanks to a recent donorschoose project getting funded! Our Atoms love having comfortable options to work around the room! 

Wednesday, October 11th, 2023: The Citizenship & Science Academy of Syracuse Elementary Atomic Singers Club had its first meeting! Atomic Singers is an enrichment activity that allows students to learn popular music, sing in harmony, and enhance teamwork skills after school.

Monday, October 2nd, 2023: Harry Potter, Captain Underpants, A Wrinkle in Time, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and Bridge to Terabithia. What do these book titles have in common? They are all censored or challenged books. 

October 1-7 is Banned Books Week. This year’s theme is Let Freedom Read. We are taking the time to recognize censorship and how it can be reversed so students like ours can still access these books and others considered “banned.” It is important for scholars to have free and open access to information and to support the freedom to express ideas.

Tuesday, September 26th, 2023: Check out our fantastic writing strokes and shapes! Citizenship & Science Academy of Science Kindergarteners got out the Play-Doh and practiced making squares, triangles, and circles. While doing this, students discovered they could put together writing strokes to make something new, like a shape. This will be important to remember when it comes time to write letters.

Thursday, September 28th, 2023: Introducing the Citizenship & Science Academy of Syracuse Elementary School Distinguished Atomic Educator for the 22-23 school year... Ms. Claire Fagan! Ms. Fagan is a fourth-grade teacher who goes above and beyond every day. Her loving demeanor and strong teaching skills resulted in Ms. Fagan having the highest reading and math STAR student growth percentile in the entire school! Way to go, Ms. Fagan!!

Wednesday, September 27th, 2023: Thank you to Onondaga Community College President Dr. Hilton for visiting the Citizenship & Science Academy of Syracuse Middle School and giving such an inspirational speech this morning. 

Dr. Hilton discussed what it means to have an “opportunity” and debated good vs. bad opportunities. Bad opportunities don’t always look bad; young, impressionable minds must understand the difference. Dr. Hilton told Atoms about growing up in the inner city of Philadelphia and how he had to work hard in school to be a successful adult. He stressed the importance of taking advantage of the dual college credit program in High School. And he kept the talk fun and enlightening for students while giving away some free OCC swag!

Thursday, September 21st, 2023: Citizenship & Science Academy of Syracuse fourth graders participated in their first team-building science investigation. We first studied the blueprints of the Eiffel Tower and talked about what we see, think, and wonder about how towers are constructed. Students then put their design skills to the test by using a shared grappling tool to make cup towers! They had to use their knowledge of the Eiffel Tower’s design, teamwork, communication, and perseverance to build a tower with their group!

Monday, September 25th, 2023: Do you hear what I hear?

Citizenship & Science Academy of Syracuse Elementary School Atoms came to their senses with bread explorations! Ms. Youker's class used their five senses to imitate animals' ability to explore their environment. Students made observations about the sight, taste, touch, sound, and smell of the bread! The Positivity Project helped inspire Atoms to ask questions like a scientist!

Friday, September 15th, 2023: We love reading in 2C! It's only the second full week of school, and these second graders are reading book after book! We love partner reading, reading independently, and getting comfy around the room while we read. Excited to see all the books we read this year!