Dear Parents, Guardians, and Staff,

As the first week of school wraps up, I want to take a moment to thank our families and staff for making this an incredible start to the 2025-2026 school year. It’s been wonderful to see students arriving with smiles, reconnecting with friends and settling into classroom routines. Here’s to a great year ahead! Go Bees!

I have a few announcements to share with you today: 

Carl Sanfilippo Field & Donation Celebration:

I had the honor of officially welcoming everyone to Carl Sanfilippo Field at Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium on Thursday evening before the Varsity Football game. A dedication ceremony was held to honor Coach Sanfilippo for his lasting legacy that impacted our students on and off the field for four decades! 

During the ceremony we also gave a huge thank you to the generous donation of new state-of-the art and industry leading LED sports lighting. This was made possible through a very generous gift to our school community from Baldwinsville residents Joe and Amy Casper, and M3 Innovations cofounder Chris Nolan. “On behalf of our entire school community, we say thank you for their unwavering support of our students and athletes,” Board President Victor Jenkins said during the event. “We are excited to see how this new system will enhance the experience for both fans and players, while also supporting our district’s commitment to growth in technology and innovation.”

Read more about the event on our website.

Traffic Safety

This morning our district hosted the Traffic Safety Advisory Board's annual Schools Open Traffic Safety Press Conference at our Transportation Department. Law enforcement officers from all over Central New York gathered to remind drivers to slow down, watch for children walking to school and obey all traffic laws, especially around school buses. Watch the video and learn more on our website.

Public Notices:

There are also two required forms for all families that were released in ParentSquare last week. Please take the time to review and respond to the following:

• CODE OF CONDUCT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
• 1:1 TECHNOLOGY AGREEMENT WITH ACCEPTABLE USE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Let’s Go Bees!

Our Bees are back in action. Good luck to all student-athletes with games this weekend. You can check out our athletic schedule on our website and follow our Athletics Department on X (Twitter). Good luck to our Marching Bees as they prepare for the first competition of the season, which will be held on Saturday, September 6th at the Jordan-Elbridge. 

Please continue to check ParentSquare, your email and our website at www.bville.org, for important updates. As always, please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have. 

Go Bees!

Sincerely,

Dr. Joseph M. DeBarbieri
Superintendent of Schools

Dear Parents, Guardians, and Staff,

We are less than one week away from the start of the 2025-2026 school year. Students return on Wednesday, September 3rd! I’m excited to welcome everyone back to the hive! 

I wanted to take this opportunity to share with you a few important updates:

School Safety:

Like many across the country, we are deeply saddened by the tragic events that took place this week at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis. Our thoughts are with the victims, their families and the entire community as they grieve the loss of two young lives and the trauma inflicted on so many others.

We believe that every child deserves to feel safe and protected in their school. Incidents like this, though distant geographically, understandably stir deep concern within our own families. In light of this tragedy, I want to reaffirm our district’s commitment to school safety. We are adding new safety and security measures for the 2025-2026 school year, including the addition of ID Badges for all students. Students will receive their badge on the first day of school. Elementary students will attach their ID to their backpacks using luggage tags, which will be provided. Elementary IDs will be used for transportation purposes. Secondary students will wear lanyards with their IDs. Secondary IDs will be used for transportation, in the lunch line and in the library. All parents/guardians will be able to track when their student gets on/off the bus on the MyRide K-12 app. Learn more about our other safety measures in place for the new school year.

Early Dismissal for Secondary Students:

In an effort to aid student dismissal on Wednesday, September 3, 2025, Thursday, September 4, 2025, and Friday, September 5, 2025 the district will be releasing secondary students (grades 6-12) at Ray Middle School, Durgee Jr. High School, and Baker High School at the following times:

• Baker High School -- 1:50 p.m.
• Durgee Junior High School -- 2:10 p.m. 
• Ray Middle School -- 1:50 p.m. (parent pick-up will remain at 2:30 p.m.)

This adjustment to our ending times will help ensure our school buses arrive back to our elementary schools for our PK-5 student dismissal at approximately 3:15 p.m. Please be patient as our bus drivers, students and staff become reacquainted to new routes and procedures. The regular/standard dismissal of secondary students (grades 6-12) will begin on Monday, September 8, 2025.

Public Notices:

The Back-to-School edition of the Hive was mailed to district families last week. Please take the time to review it because it contains important forms, notices and information for the 2025-2026 school year. The Hive can also be viewed on our website. There are also two required forms for all families that were released in ParentSquare on Thursday. Please take the time to review and respond to the following:

• CODE OF CONDUCT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
• 1:1 TECHNOLOGY AGREEMENT WITH ACCEPTABLE USE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

There are also opt-out forms available in ParentSquare for parents/guardians.

Back-to-School Questions:

The Back-to-School Quick Reference Guide is posted on the homepage of our website. Please review it for form information, school supply lists and more. Please let us know if you have any questions. You can email questions about the guide, website, Hive or District Calendar to support@bville.org.

After School Enrichment Information:

Principals sent out information on Wednesday regarding after school enrichment opportunities for elementary school students and Ray Middle School students. Check your ParentSquare for details. The deadline to register is September 12th.

School Bus Safety Program:

Starting Wednesday, September 3rd, Onondaga County is launching a School Bus Safety Program to protect our students and stop the illegal — and dangerous — act of passing a stopped school bus. Over 500 school buses, including ours, are now equipped with state-of-the-art stop-arm cameras to catch drivers who ignore the extended stop sign. Violators will receive citations by mail from the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Department. Help us protect our students as they travel to and from school. 

We are excited for the first day of school on Wednesday, September 3, 2025. Please continue to check ParentSquare and our website, www.bville.org, for updates. As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions.

Enjoy the last weekend of summer break. We’ll see you on Wednesday!

Go Bees!

Sincerely,

Dr. Joseph M. DeBarbieri
Superintendent of Schools

August 15, 2025

Dear Parents, Guardians, and Staff,

The countdown to the 2025–2026 school year has begun! Students return to school in just 18 days on Wednesday, September 3rd!
 

I’m excited to welcome everyone back to our hive! Whether you’re joining us for the first time or returning, I’m excited to have you with us and I wish everyone a successful school year. Remember, we’re all here to support you.

I wanted to take this opportunity to share with you a few important updates:

• The 2025-2026 class lists, schedules and teacher assignments for students will be available next Friday - Friday, August 22nd - in the Parent Portal. Visit our User Guide for help accessing your account. New this school year, bus information can be found in the My Ride K-12 App. With the My Ride App, parents and students can access their bus stop location, route, and pick up time. The app uses vehicle GPS geolocation to show bus arrivals each day. The My Ride K-12 App is available on a computer or on a smart phone. Instructions on how to use the program can be found here. You will need your child’s student ID when registering. Your child’s student ID can be found in SchoolTool. If you have any questions about the app, please call the Transportation Department at 315-638-6097.
• New York State passed legislation that will restrict the use of cellphones and other electronic devices by students beginning in the 2025-2026 school year. On September 3, 2025, all schools in our district will be required to implement a “bell-to-bell” ban, prohibiting students from using cellular phones and other devices with internet capability from their arrival to school until dismissal. Learn more about our policy in our Code of Conduct and on our website.
• You should receive the Hive in the mail in the coming days. Please take the time to review it because it contains important forms and information for the 2025-2026 school year. You also should receive the District Calendar soon. We hope you enjoy it!
• Reminder if you have extended family members or know interested community members who want information on school closures, important updates, budget information and public events, please have them sign up for our community group on ParentSquare.. Share this sign-up link with those who you think would be interested in joining our Bees Community Connection. 
• The Back-to-School Quick Reference Guide is posted on the homepage of our website. Please review it for form information, school supply lists and more. Please let us know if you have any questions. You can email questions about the guide, website, Hive or District Calendar to support@bville.org.
• Reminder: The district is excited to share that we have partnered with the Onondaga County Health Department and Drakos Urgent Care to provide required immunizations to all students right here on our main campus. The immunization clinic will take place from 1 to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, August 27th and from 4 to 6 p.m. on Thursday, September 11th at C.W. Baker High School. Visit our website to register and learn more. 

We are looking forward to the first day of school on Wednesday, September 3, 2025. Please continue to check ParentSquare and our website, www.bville.org, for updates. As always, please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have. 

Enjoy the rest of the summer break. We’ll see you in 18 days! 

Sincerely,

Dr. Joseph M. DeBarbieri
Superintendent of Schools

August 1, 2025

Dear Parents, Guardians, and Staff,

I hope everyone is having a restful and wonderful summer. We’ve certainly had lots of beautiful summer weather to enjoy. 

Despite school being out, our Hive continues to buzz with excitement. If you’ve visited our main campus, you’ve noticed significant progress at C.W. Baker High School where crews are demolishing the former small gymnasium to make way for the school’s new swimming pool. Renovations continue at Durgee Junior High School and the finishing touches are being put on our new multi-purpose field. At Ray Middle School, work is continuing on its new access road, which will improve parent drop-off and pick-up.

We are incredibly grateful for our community’s ongoing support as we upgrade our facilities to enhance the safety and experience for our students, staff and community members. Check out our Facebook page this summer for videos and photos of the progress!

Today is the final day for our Building Upon Success summer enrichment camps. Our campers enjoyed two weeks packed with learning, laughter and lots of fun!. Thank you to our staff whose hard work and dedication made this summer experience both beneficial and unforgettable! Our Extended School Year summer program continues for two more weeks, and the students are having a great time! Visit our Facebook page to check out photos from our camps and summer programs. 

Our staff is busy working to prepare for students to return and we’re looking forward to the first day of school on Wednesday, September 3, 2025. Later this month you will also be receiving the district calendar and the Hive newsletter in the mail. Please take the time to review the Hive because it contains several important public notifications and forms for the 2025-2026 school year. 

Please be on the lookout for important updates via ParentSquare and email from your child’s school and from me as we prepare for opening day. The 2025-2026 class lists, schedules, and teacher assignments for students will be available in the Parent Portal and bus information will be posted in the MyRide K-12 App on Friday, August 22nd. 

I want to bring your attention to two important announcements:

School Supplies

Our staff has compiled district-wide school supply lists for each grade level for the 2025-2026 school year. The lists are available on our website.

If your child is in need of school supplies, please fill out this form. Distribution is planned for August 20th and August 21st at the Student Services building on the main campus. Requests will be filled using building supply lists based on what we have in inventory and what we receive through this year's drive to fulfill requests. Also, if you are interested in a "free" new school year haircut for your student(s), please also indicate on this form. 

We will hold our 8th annual School Supply Drive next week. This year we’ve teamed up with the Baldwinsville Christmas Bureau to help collect school supplies. Your support can make a BIG difference in setting our kids up for a successful school year. Whether it's backpacks, notebooks, pencils or markers, every donation counts! Donations will be collected at the District Operations Building on main campus from 3 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, August 5th and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, August 6th. Visit our website of lists of needed supplies and more information. 

NYS required immunizations

The district is excited to share that we have partnered with the Onondaga County Health Department and Drakos Urgent Care to provide required immunizations to all students right here on our main campus. The immunization clinic will take place from 1 to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, August 27th and from 4 to 6 p.m. on Thursday, September 11th at C.W. Baker High School. Visit our website to register and learn more. 

I hope you enjoy the rest of summer with your friends, family and loved ones! Go Bees!

Sincerely,

Dr. Joseph M. DeBarbieri
Superintendent of Schools