Ithaca City School District -

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will conduct a nationwide test to assess the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) capabilities today, October 4, 2023, at approximately 2:20 p.m. HOW WILL THIS AFFECT YOU? Wireless phones should receive a test message accompanied by a unique tone and vibrations. The messages will read: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.” If Spanish is the set language, the message will read: “ESTA ES UNA PRUEBA del Sistema Nacional de Alerta de Emergencia. No se necesita acción." People listening to radio and television broadcasts will hear a one-minute test message similar to the regular monthly test. It will state: “This is a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System, issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, covering the United States from 14:20 to 14:50 hours ET. This is only a test. No action is required by the public." While this emergency test has nothing to do with the schools, we are sharing FEMA's plan for nationwide testing since the alert will likely cause some disruption to classrooms. Unless phones are turned completely off, the test will bypass silent or vibrate mode. Please plan accordingly.

OCTOBER 2, 2023 (1:40 p.m.) There is a gas leak in the area of S. Albany Street and S. Titus Avenue causing heavy traffic and power outages, including many of the traffic lights on Route 13. Please take extra care when traveling to pick up your students from school today. Buses will reroute accordingly.

IHS Girls Tennis held their senior night on Friday! Congratulations, athletes! 🎾

It’s HR Professionals Day! 🎉 We’re so grateful to our ICSD HR department for their invaluable efforts in creating a harmonious, engaged, and more equitable workplace. Thank you!

Fall sports practices are in full swing! 🍁 ICSD athletes are working hard on the field and the courts outside IHS 💪

National Merit Scholarship Corporation announces four Ithaca High School Semifinalists! Congratulations to our students on this impressive achievement: https://www.ithacacityschools.org/o/highschool/article/1240629

September is Attendance Awareness Month! The start of the year is a great time to establish habits that help students understand why attendance matters. Even a few missed days, whether excused or not, can add up to missed learning opportunities. From pre-k to high school, every day counts! For many more helpful resources, visit www.attendanceworks.org. #schooleveryday #showinguptogether #icsdproud #teamicsd

It’s National Arts in Education Week - a time to celebrate the incredible impact of the arts in our schools! Here’s to all the ICSD arts educators inspiring creativity while encouraging meaningful skills development. Thank you for empowering our students! #artsineducation #nationalartsineducationweek

At last week's annual Convocation, Dr. Brown announced that the Aspiring Educators Award will be renamed to the Abraham and Denise Lee Aspiring Educators Award in honor of two longtime educators who worked in the district for over 45 years. The award is given out each year, in partnership with the Ithaca Public Education Initiative (IPEI), to Ithaca High School students who are considering careers in education. Congratulations to this year's winners: Tatianna Gelinas and Sean Silvers! Read the full article and watch a special video message from Denise Lee below: https://www.ithacacityschools.org/article/1232190

Welcome back, ICSD! Here's to a brand new year of beginnings, friendships, learning, and growing. Let's make this year the best one yet! #teamicsd #icsdproud #backtoschool

UPDATE: ALL indoor and outdoor after-school activities occurring before 7 p.m., including those normally held indoors, are canceled today, September 6, due to the extreme heat. This includes any planned staff or club meetings and this evening’s Board of Education Audit Committee work session. The girls varsity soccer match will proceed as scheduled at 7:15 p.m., and the girls varsity tennis team will practice from 7-9 p.m.

All Ithaca City School District-sponsored outdoor after-school activities, including all outdoor athletics practices and games, are canceled for today, September 6, 2023, due to the extreme heat.

Today we welcome Pre-K through 6th, 9th, and new entrants to the 2023-2024 school year! Have an amazing first day! #ithacany #teamicsd #icsdproud #ithacacityschools #firstdayofschool

The ICSD Board of Education will meet this evening at 5 p.m. for a Policy Work Session, at 6:30 p.m. for a Special Voting Meeting, and at 6:45 for an HR Work Session. For more information, please visit www.ithacacityschools.org/board.

The ICSD is closed on Monday, September 4, 2023, in observance of Labor Day.

Last week, we welcomed our new educators for orientation! We can't wait to start the '23-'24 school year with this talented group joining our dedicated staff. Photos include a team-building exercise where educators had to build structures with only two newspapers and two lengths of tape! #teamicsd #icsdproud

Many ICSD schools are hosting Welcome Back events this week! Be sure to stop by, and for future events, check out school calendars on the district website by navigating to your school's home page. #welcomeback #backtoschool #teamicsd #icsdproud

The newest ICSD e-Insider is out now! View here: https://mailchi.mp/icsd/icsd-e-insider-august-2023... Subscribe to future issues here: https://mailchi.mp/3be69607a34a/icu9bs0j89 #icsdinsider #teamicsd #icsdproud

Last week, Project Innovation students had a wonderful chance to collaborate with Circus Culture, Ithaca's circus school! @circusculture #teamicsd #icsdprojectinnovation

On Monday and Tuesday, ICSD administrators gathered for their annual retreat where they collaborated on learning targets and instructional leadership. Later, the group visited the St. James A.M.E. Zion Church as a community field study to discover its past and present!