Silver Creek CSD

Please give a warm Black Knight welcome to our new High School Principal, Mr. Kyle Yelich! 🎉 Mr. Yelich was approved at our Board of Education meeting last night, and will start with us on May 9. #BKP 💛🖤

BOARD OF EDUCATION STATEMENT The investigation into allegations contained in the March 28, 2022, Letter (the “Letter”) submitted by District administrator Jay Hall to the Board of Education is ongoing. At this time, the investigators are completing interviews with individuals who may have information regarding the allegations. A full report will be provided to the Board shortly after all the facts have been gathered and witnesses interviewed. In addition, outside agencies have either examined the room or started independent investigations. The District has been contacted by and/or has provided information to the following: the New York State Education Department’s Office of Special Education Quality Assurance; the New York State Education Department’s Office of School Personnel Review and Accountability; the Chautauqua County District Attorney through the New York State Police, Child Protective Services, the Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Board of Cooperative Educational Services Safety Office, and the Silver Creek Fire Department. These agencies have all been notified of the allegations against the District, and the District has been and will continue to fully cooperate with and provide information directly to these agencies. Since my receipt of the Letter on March 29, 2022, our board has taken this matter very seriously. Mr. Hall has alleged that under our watch, children have been mistreated. Nothing could be more serious than that. Simply put, the Board’s only goal from the start is to know whether the allegations are true, and if so, to take appropriate action. Within 24 hours, we designated an attorney to investigate the matter. Unfortunately, at every turn, Mr. Hall has done nothing but frustrate the process. He was uncooperative when requested to meet with the investigator on March 30th, the day after he sent the letter to me. The investigator only wanted to meet with him to make sure she had a complete understanding of the allegations, which any investigator would do. Mr. Hall refused to meet and she was only able to have a brief conversation with him by going to the elementary school and seeking him out. In that conversation, Mr. Hall refused to provide meaningful cooperation, although he claimed to have additional information beyond the Letter. Three weeks later, Mr. Hall now claims to have a “heavily evidenced 90+ page report.” Since my receipt of the Letter and continuing through to his current claim of having additional information, the Board of Education has directed Mr. Hall to meet with the investigator, who has made every effort to accommodate him. She has offered to meet with Mr. Hall on campus, off campus, on weekends, and via Zoom. Mr. Hall has refused. The Board of Education has also directed him to provide his information to me, to the Board, or to the investigator. He refuses. This is not right. He remains our employee and yet he refuses to cooperate at every turn. Despite Mr. Hall’s lack of cooperation, the District will continue to forge ahead with its investigation with the only goal of getting to the truth. If anyone has any information related to any inappropriate treatment of children in our school district, we urge you to bring it forward. All use of the room remains suspended during the pendency of the investigation. The investigators have provided regular updates to the Board, and the Board is confident the District is providing and will continue to provide a safe, secure, and welcoming environment for all students.

The SCCS Earth Club will be celebrating Earth Day in school on Friday April 22nd by having a SPIRIT DAY called "Earth Out the School". We are asking the whole district to wear blue or green to celebrate our beautiful planet 🌎. Thank you to Mrs. Kucharski for organizing this event!

ATTENTION 8th GRADERS: We want your BABY PICTURE in our yearbook this year! It can be a picture of you as an infant or small child :) Email or bring in your baby picture! We can make a copy of your photo and place it in our MS yearbook. Email lmacleod@silvercreekschools.org or msyearbook@silvercreekschools.org, with the picture or any questions!

**COURTESY POST** Amanda Ippolito, a current senior, is hosting a spaghetti dinner on Saturday, May 7th from 5-7PM at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in Silver Creek. This dinner is being hosted to raise money for Catholic Services in Ukraine. Along with dinner, there will be raffle baskets, 50/50 tickets, and baked goods. PRE-SALE TICKETS will be sold for $10 from April 18th-May 4th. TICKETS AT THE DOOR will be sold for $12 but will be LIMITED. Cash or checks are accepted and tickets will be sold by Amanda and Fran Page, the Secretary of OLMC. (Checks can be made out to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church). Sit down dinners are encouraged but take out will also be available. All the money raised will be donated directly to Catholic Relief Services in Ukraine. Any donations received are greatly appreciated!! #wearesilvercreek #blackknightpride #bkp

BLACK KNIGHTS GO TO WASHINGTON Silver Creek High students in the Human Rights & Genocide class recently traveled with teachers Miss Kristen Foley and Mrs. Jessica Kardashian to Washington, D.C. for a weekend on a trip via The Holocaust and Social Justice Education Program sponsored by the Hebrew Congregation of Chautauqua. “This trip is an incredible opportunity for students to experience some of the best parts of Washington, D.C., while becoming engaged and informed citizens along with learning the importance of being promoters of social justice,” says Mrs. Kardashian. The March 2022 trip included visits to the African American Museum, The Holocaust Museum and a Black Lives Matter tour. They admired the monuments during the day and also marveled at their beauty while lit at night. The Black Knight group also enjoyed discussions with guest speakers, tour leaders and students from other schools. They also went to Arlington National Cemetery for the ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. “This trip is of vast importance in what it means to be an upstander versus a bystander and in understanding the power of history and what we can do to be informed citizens,” says Miss Foley. Their teachers say the students had an incredible time learning and experiencing so much. In turn, their teachers are thankful to be able to share this opportunity with them.

MAKING AN IMPACT FROM AFAR Silver Creek Central School District united last week to help make a difference in the lives of Ukrainian refugees via a wave of generosity intended to support people fleeing war thousands of miles away. Through a fundraising drive, the district gathered more than 3,000 personal care and medical supply items totaling more than $10,000 for refugees in Poland. Faculty, staff, community members, family and friends donated not only items but also collaborated to raise nearly $1,500. Drive facilitator and teacher Jessica Kardashian, who has done humanitarian work for an orphanage in Poland since 2010, then used to purchase additional basic necessities for Ukrainians. “I have found through so many conversations and tears that so many people want to help, but weren’t sure how,” says Kardashian, who felt compelled to draw up a plan for the district to help. Silver Creek Elementary students also created cards to send to let the refugees know American schoolchildren are thinking of them. The supplies collected and shipped overseas comprise: • More than 200 bottles and packages of cold and flu medications • 200+ bottles of pain relievers • More than 1,200 gauze rolls, bandages, wound pads, and bandage wrap • More than 100 packs and bottles of allergy relief medicine • 60 antibiotic creams and burn gels • 60 brand-new backpacks • 40 packs of diapers • 30 quikstop clot packs and clotting crystals • 20 first aid kits • 10 wound cleaning medical system • 5 quikclot trauma packs, as well as • Multiple wound cleaners, multiple mini hygiene sets, some baby items, and much more. The donations were handed over to Polish caretakers last week to be delivered directly to Ukraine. The bags of supplies will be available to help doctors and others in need at a distribution point set up in the area.

𝗦𝗜𝗟𝗩𝗘𝗥 𝗖𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗞 𝗞𝗜𝗪𝗔𝗡𝗜𝗦 𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗟𝗗𝗥𝗘𝗡'𝗦 𝗙𝗔𝗜𝗥 𝗦𝗘𝗧 The Kiwanis Club of Silver Creek will host the 19th annual CHILDREN'S FAIR in the village ballpark on Saturday, June 4, 2022, from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. This year's Children's Fair will include bounce slides, pony rides, a magician show, sheriff's canine demonstration, sheriff's fingerprinting, duck races, basket raffles, shopping, food concessions and more. The Children's Fair is a low cost, fun-filled family event that you don't want to miss. Follow the event Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/SilverCreekChildrensFair

Silver Creek Elementary School students completed a “PROTECT A PEEP” engineering activity the week ahead of Spring Recess. These young Black Knights had to build a raft out of popsicle sticks, yarn, glue and tape. They needed to try to float the Peep on the raft for as long as they could. Pictures are from the classrooms of Ms. Schuster, Mrs. Williams and Mrs. Weiss. All student groups in Mrs. Schuster’s classroom were able to keep them afloat for 4 plus minutes. They were all winners!

HELPING HANDS: Key Club members of Silver Creek Central School District made lunches and wrote notes of encouragement for workers with The Healing Hub of Western New York. This nonprofit is spearheaded by Fredonia native Kelly Whitfield and serves those affected by substance abuse, sex assault and domestic violence. 🥪 💕 We love seeing our students engaged in acts of kindness toward others and promoting volunteerism. Nicely done, Black Knights! #wearesilvercreek #blackknightpride #bkp #keyclub

The Board of Education is in receipt of a letter from Mr. Sterling Stearns, Elementary Principal of the Silver Creek Central School District, dated March 17, 2022 submitting his resignation from employment with the District effective May 18, 2022. Mr. Stearns’ resignation from the District is in no way related to any allegations of abuse or mistreatment of children or any allegations contained in a letter received by the Board of Education on March 29, 2022. The Board will be acting on Mr. Stearns’ resignation letter at its next regularly scheduled Board meeting on April 21, 2022. Although Mr. Stearns is resigning from his employment with the District, the Board of Education appreciates Mr. Stearns’ full cooperation in the ongoing investigation of the allegations set forth in the letter received on March 29, 2022.

𝗣𝗜𝗘𝗖𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗜𝗧 𝗧𝗢𝗚𝗘𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥 Silver Creek High students learning about some of the great accomplishments of the Roman Empire in history class were recently discussing mosaics and their use of small tiles that create 3D objects. So students in the Global 9 classes of teacher Jessica Kardashian took an in-school "field trip" to the Silver Creek Elementary building to check out the beautiful mosaic right here in our district! Our Black Knights have seen this piece throughout their school career, but being able to tie in something at their grasp inspired by a unit within the curriculum is extra special. “It benefits the students to be able to see things firsthand and get up and move and in my last period we had a special moment with (interim elementary principal) Mrs. Bonenberger who talked with us about the Sky Woman painting on the back of the stairs right across from the mosaic,” says Kardashian. #wearesilvercreek #BlackKnightPride #BKP

SCMS MARCH 2022 KNIGHTS OF THE MONTH Congratulations to Silver Creek Middle School sixth-graders Ashanti Richmond, Marcelino Cintra, Shaun DeYoung, and Alexis Wicks; seventh-graders Kiele Boedo and Everett LeBarron; and eighth-graders Anthony Richmond and Lucas Nosbisch on being selected for Students of the Month recognition in March 2022. These Black Knights are selected based on the following criteria: strong work ethic, helpfulness, respectfulness and cooperation with others, along with a specific focus on the character trait of the month: self-control. Way to go! #wearesilvercreek #BKP #blackknightpride

Let's hear it for Silver Creek High sophomore and basketball star RAY CORTES on being named a Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Central Division First Team All-Star for 2022! Way to go, Ray! Read more via @DunkirkObserver: https://www.observertoday.com/sports/local-sports/2022/04/2022-observer-post-journal-boys-basketball-all-stars/ #wearesilvercreek #bkp #blackknightpride

Staff and students of Silver Creek Central School District united in a wave of yellow to spend the days leading up to Spring Break with a Peace Week celebration held April 4-8, 2022. Centering on themed dress-up days, the Black Knight family focused on love and kindness during the observance across all grade levels. Themes included “Dream of World Peace” with everyone encouraged to wear their pajamas to school, “Peace Love and Kindness” with tie-dyed clothing, “Peace is a Bright Idea” with neon attire, “Work Out Peace” with athleisure wear, and concluded things with “World Peace Day” with everyone in yellow apparel. Additionally, students in sixth through eighth grades added a “Team Jersey Day” and thinking about how they are all “on the same team for Peace" at Silver Creek Middle School. #wearesilvercreek #blackknightpride #bkp

Silver Creek Central School District is CLOSED for Spring Recess. We hope our Black Knight family has a safe, relaxing and peaceful break. School resumes Monday, April 18, 2022. #wearesilvercreek #blackknightpride #bkp

Silver Creek Central School District has a vacancy for FITNESS ROOM ATTENDANTS for the 2021-2022 academic year at a pay rate of $13.45/hour. Qualifications: Must have: current CPR/ AED certification. High School Diploma. Experience: Previous experience preferred but not required. Apply to: Lisa Rohloff, Business Administrator, Silver Creek C.S.D. , P.O. Box 270, Silver Creek, NY 14136. Applicants should send a cover letter, resume, and proof of CPR/ AED certification. Applications accepted through April 15, 2022.

The application deadline for the 𝗡𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗡 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗨𝗧𝗔𝗨𝗤𝗨𝗔 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗩𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗖𝗟𝗨𝗕 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟮 𝗦𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗟𝗔𝗥𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣 is Friday, April 8, 2022, by 4 p.m. 🌿🐟 Access the application information here: https://core-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/1966776/Northern_Chautauqua_Conservation_Club_2022_Scholarship_Applications_due_April_8_2022.pdf or via the SCHOLARSHIPS button on the homepage of this website.

*courtesy post* The Kiwanis Club of Silver Creek, with the help of the Silver Creek Key Club, invites children of the community to its Basket & Bunnies event set Saturday, April 9, 2022, at 10 a.m. in front of The Backline on the Village Square downtown. Bring the little ones to see the Easter Bunny, receive a chocolate bunny & other goodies. #wearesilvercreek #blackknightpride #basketandbunnies #BKP

The cast of “The Addams Family would like to say thank you to everyone who came out to support them this past weekend during the annual musical performances at Silver Creek High School. THANK YOU! #wearesilvercreek #blackknightpride #BKP