
Next up is Daniel Mulligan: "It's important to me to live a life defined by service, dedication, and an unwavering commitment to the community I call home."
Thank you for your dedication and service to our district, staff, students, and community! #LionPride 💜

This National School Lunch Week, the Chef Ann Foundation is highlighting five districts as Renegades for their exceptional contributions to school food nationwide. If you want to learn more about our story, and how we’ve transition away from reheating to cooking from scratch, see the write-up: https://www.chefannfoundation.org/blog/meet-the-2026-school-food-renegades/
Thank you for your continued support as we work towards providing healthy and delicious meals for our students! And congratulations to Food Service Director Megan Munson and the entire Food Service Team on this distinction and award! #LionPride!

This year's theme is Cafeteria Circus, and our Food Service Team is gearing up to serve some creative meals this week, from Ringmaster's Pulled Pork Tot-chos to Big Top Chili Dogs, and everything in between! 🎪🎡🍿
We are excited to celebrate this week as school lunch takes center stage. #LionPride!

It's NYSSBA's School Board Recognition Week, so we are highlighting our wonderful Board of Education members throughout this week!
First up is Christina Cushman: "To me, being a Board Member means making Dryden a safer district for all students."
Thank you for your unwavering commitment and service to our district, staff, students, and community! #LionPride 💜


Beginning October 13, 2026, Regular Business meetings will commence at 6pm.
Visit https://www.dryden.k12.ny.us/page/board-of-ed for more information and meeting Zoom links!

Thank you for your unmatched dedication to our staff, students, and community. Your leadership, compassion, problem-solving, and #LionPride are what make our buildings run smoothly day in and day out. We appreciate you!
Cassavant & Freeville Elementary: Tia Dickson
Dryden Elementary: Katie Willson & Justin Wood
Dryden Middle School: Lora Champlain & Greg Harris
Dryden High School: Sarah Powell & Todd Kwiatkowski


Nominations could include district staff, community members, professional partners, students, or anyone who has distinguished themselves by not only living our mission, vision, and core values but going above and beyond in their efforts, work, or actions.
#LionPride Award Nominations will be accepted through June 30 of each school year, and reset on September 1 for the following school year. Any teacher or staff member who receives a #LionPride Award will also be considered for Teacher of the Year and Employee of the Year awards.
A link to the nomination form is available below and on our website under Staff, Community, and Parent/Student Resources. Thank you for helping us highlight our #LionPride Heroes!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSewVBSGKurlnHLgFcP-BwWVb4bv-lkDglkmLMK3EAr15oC_bA/viewform

Please join us in congratulating her for her #LionPride! 💜

The live broadcast will air starting at 6am tomorrow (Sept. 25) and you won't want to miss it!

We 💜 our amazing staff!

We hope to see you there! #LionPride

Next week is spirit week, and our elementary schools (DES, Cassavant, and Freeville) are celebrating with spirit days!
Tuesday, September 22: Sports Day: represent your favorite sports team! 🏈⚽
Wednesday, September 23: Crazy Hat or Hair Day: wear a silly hat or hairstyle! 🎩
Thursday, September 24: Pajama Day: wear pajamas to school! 😴
Friday, September 25: Purple & White Day: wear your school colors! 💜🤍

Check it out at:
https://zapathletics.chipply.com/Dryden-CSD

Register for a FREE parent-child communication skills workshop on Tuesday evenings from 5-7:30pm, September 15 through November 3 at the High School!
Dinner is included and childcare is available upon request. This workshop is intended for parents and their children ages 6-10. Learn more and sign up at: CCETompkins.org/family
#LionPride! 💜

It is hard to believe we are already halfway through the day!
This is just a reminder that as this is the first day, we want to make sure that everyone is safe and feels safe and gets to the right place, the right bus, the right daycare provider, the right house/bus stop, and the right pick up line, etc.
As a result departure from our elementary schools may be slightly later than normal as we double and triple check lists and dismissal plans. In addition, many students have a different dismissal plan on the first day of school then the one they will normally have, so this is another potential variable that requires some additional double checking.
We ask that you be patient with staff this afternoon as they learn who your child is and who you are and what your child's dismissal plan is today vs. the rest of the year, etc. Again, the time we are taking today to make sure the everyone gets to where they are supposed to be after school will diminish rapidly over the course of this week and next week.
We will message all PK-5 Parents once the last elementary bus has departed for its route to drop off students.
Please call your child's school's main office at 607.844.8694 and follow the voice prompts to the right school. Take care of yourself. Take care of each other. Always....#LionPride,!
Please help us keep our students safe by obeying posted speed limits in school zones (15 mph around the Elementary Schools, 25 mph around the MS/HS), and being mindful of crosswalks. Please utilize the button on crosswalks to activate the warning lights to alert drivers.
Let's work together to keep our school community safe! #LionPride!

As we prepare to welcome students back to school next week, we want to share the reminder that the District encourages you to reach out to us anytime your child is dealing with something big or small, in school or outside of school, at home or in the community, and we will always be more than willing to help you access the right resources and people to support you and your student.
You can submit a report anytime using the District Tip Line at https://www.dryden.k12.ny.us/.../tip-line-report-an-incident
#LionPride!

Please be aware of the District's plan to implement the NYS No Cell From Bell to Bell Policy at Dryden Middle School and High School.
Read the full policy on our website.
Please reach out to your student's main office with any questions. #LionPride
