Our first student half day of the school year is Wednesday, September 30.
We know half days can create some extra planning and logistics for families, so we want to share why we schedule them and what our teachers are doing during this time.
🔨 WHY?
We are in our 4th year of our Professional Learning Community (PLC) journey, and this year our theme is:
NAIL OUR WORK.
Our half days give our educators dedicated time to work together on the systems that make a difference for students every day.
📚 WHAT DO TEACHERS DO?
Teams of teachers use this time to:
Identify and clarify the most essential learning standards.
Fine-tune and align curriculum and instruction.
Develop and calibrate formative assessments.
Study student learning data and establish common data protocols.
Plan academic supports and extensions through Tier 2, Tier 3, Advisory, and WIN time, depending on the building.
Strengthen our Response to Instruction (RTI) systems.
Continue building our Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS), including academic, social-emotional, and behavioral supports.
Collaborate on ways to ensure students receive the right support or challenge at the right time.
❤️ THE BIGGER PICTURE
This work is about more than curriculum meetings.
It is about building a school system that responds to the whole student—academically, socially, emotionally, and behaviorally.
Research supports the use of purposeful teacher collaboration, formative assessment, and multi-tiered systems of support to help educators use evidence of student learning and student needs to adjust instruction and provide targeted support.
So when students have a half day, our teachers are using that time to do something very intentional:
They are working together to get better at the work that matters most—helping every student learn, grow, and reach new heights.
Thank you for partnering with us and for helping us make these professional learning days possible.
🔨 September 30 — Let’s Nail Our Work!
Bus information has been emailed to families for students who are scheduled for district transportation. Please check your email for a message from BusRight noreply@busright.me with the subject line “Bus Pass for [Student Name].”
Please be sure to check your spam/junk folder if you do not see it in your inbox.
June 22, 2026
2-Hour Delay due to power outage at Cohen Elementary and Middle Schools on Monday June 22, 2026
Good morning, everyone!
Families, students, and staff, we are so sorry for the delay today; the start of our last week of classes for the 2025-2026 school year! Calling a 2-Hour Delay at the last minute is never a decision we want to make. We appreciate everyone’s ability to adjust the many plans this morning as we dealt with a power loss at the Cohen Complex.
The basic details from this morning were that we had a power failure of undetermined nature at the Cohen Complex around 6:25am this morning. Our Buildings and Ground staff attempted to reset the power and were unable to after several minutes. As you likely know, we cannot have students or staff in the buildings without power. As the minutes ticked towards the first students being picked up for school by our buses, and the power was still not coming back on, it was determined we needed to move to a 2-hour delay. That decision was made at approximately 6:45am and notification protocols were engaged.
We have since been able to restore power to move forward with school today and we believe we have identified the source of the power outage. It is being addressed.
We are sorry for the inconvenience that this has surely caused to morning routines for families and students, as well as our staff.
Thank you to our building staff as they have readjusted end of year activities for today. Thank you to our Transportation, Buildings, and Grounds staff for their work in adjusting this morning as well!
We now look forward to a great last week of school with its many end-of-year activities, culminating with our High School Graduation this Friday!
Have a great week everyone!
Mike Gill, School Superintendent
Thank you for your flexibility, patience, and support during dismissal today. We greatly appreciate everyone's willingness to quickly pivot from our normal dismissal procedures for walkers and pick-up students.
This afternoon, our School Resource Officer (SRO), along with the outstanding Elmira Heights Police Department and support from neighboring law enforcement agencies, responded to an unexpected visitor—a curious black bear roaming near our campus facilities.
Shortly before dismissal, our furry friend decided to explore the area around our playground and bus port. While the bear remained outside of our fenced areas, it became interested enough to attempt a closer look by climbing part of the fence. Our fearless SRO helped encourage the bear to continue its journey back toward the woods and away from our schools.
While our young bear friend did appear to follow the Cohen Cougar Code by using the sidewalk when crossing the road, we felt it was best not to let them participate in dismissal activities any further!
But honestly, who can blame the bear? We do have some of the best schools, students, and staff around!
In all seriousness - following this close encounter, and out of an abundance of caution, we made the decision to transition dismissal procedures to parent or designee pick-up, eliminating the need for students to walk through the neighborhood while the area was being monitored.
We want to thank our students for their cooperation, our families for their understanding, and our staff for their adaptability. Thanks to everyone's teamwork, dismissal was completed safely and smoothly.
We would also like to extend a special and heartfelt thank you to our School Resource Officer, the Elmira Heights Police Department, and all of the law enforcement agencies that responded and supported our campus today. Your professionalism, quick response, calm presence, and commitment to keeping our students and staff safe are deeply appreciated. Simply put—you are the best!
We appreciate your partnership and are grateful for a school community that always comes together when needed—even when the situation is a little more "bear-y" unusual than expected!
Sincerely,
Michael F. Gill, School Superintendent
Calling all future little learners! 📖✨ Pre-K and Kindergarten registration for the 2026-27 school year is now open! If your child is ready to start their educational journey, now is the time to enroll.
2026 Pre-K and K Registration information: (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1H_fV2x2cS9XziDVk4Ry5JcXXTIvGC20a7gYjSVk7k60/edit?usp=sharing)
Just a reminder that Monday, March 23rd is a half day for Cohen Middle School. Students will dismiss school at 11:30 A.M.
Enjoy the rest of you weekend!
2 Hour Delay: The Elmira Heights Schools are on a 2 hour delay today Monday February 23, 2026.
Just a reminder that Friday, January 23 is a half day of school. CMS Students will be dismissed at 11:30AM. Please have your student bring a book/magazine to school Friday as we will Drop Everything And Read in the morning as a building!
There is no school Monday or Tuesday for students (1/26-1/27) as the district has Conference Days.
Stay warm and safe with the potential storm coming our way this weekend!
This morning (12/1) our fire alarm went off unexpectedly. Our building was safely evacuated, the situation was assessed, and we have been cleared to return to learning. All students and staff are safe. Thank you for your understanding.
❄️ Today’s flurries are a good reminder that winter weather season is here! ☃️
As conditions change over the coming months, please make sure your contact information is up to date and that you’re familiar with how the district shares school closings or delay announcements.
We’ll always communicate weather-related updates through:
📲 District email, text, and phone alerts
🌐 Our district website and mobile app
📻 Local news outlets and our official social media pages
⚠️ Please note: We do not monitor or respond to direct messages sent to our school social media accounts.
If you have questions or concerns during the school day, please contact the main office of your child’s school or refer to the communication platforms listed above for updates.
Stay warm and stay connected, Heights community! 💙❄️
October 13–17 is a time to thank the dedicated men and women who serve on our local Board of Education. Their leadership, vision, and countless volunteer hours help ensure every student has the opportunity to learn and succeed.
💙🧡 School board members set goals, shape policy, and make the tough decisions that keep our schools strong and our community thriving.
Join us in thanking our board members for their service and commitment to students, staff, and families in Elmira Heights Central School District! 🙌
#ReachNewHeights
Notice Regarding Bus #95 - delayed afternoon run 10/2/2025
This afternoon during the elementary run, Bus #95 pulled to the side of the road during its route home due to a student-related issue.
Out of an abundance of caution and to ensure the safety of all students, the bus remained stopped while the Superintendent and our School Resource Officer responded to assist.
After the circumstances were resolved all students were safely dropped off at their regular stops, though with a slight delay.
We want to reassure our families that student safety is always our top priority, and we are grateful for the calm cooperation of the students and the quick response of our team.
More information will be shared shortly with the families of the students who were on the bus. Thank you for your continued support and understanding.
