Due to the extreme cold weather advisory for tomorrow, our district will operate on a one-hour delay with a bus advisory. A one hour delay means the bus will come one hour later in the morning. and school starts one hour later than it normally does. If you bring your child to the before school program or drop your child off at school, you should do so one hour later than you normally do.
Why are we not closing or doing a two hour delay?
The temperatures are not going to moderate during the day. In the morning, afternoon, and evening the temps will be the same, so closing for the day or delaying for a longer period is not going to provide any additional relief.
In addition, if the District is closed tomorrow it would be the third weekend in a row that was a three day weekend in which some students are missing meals and without a relatively warm environment not to mention the additional disruptions to learning.
The delay is primarily to ensure that the Transportation Department has a little extra time to get buses started, running, and warm. Due to the multiple days of extreme cold temperatures in the morning this has been increasingly more difficult and we would prefer not to take any chances tomorrow.
A one hour delay will offset any transportation issues but have a minimal impact on the day.
What if I feel it is too dangerous to send my child to school?
We absolutely respect your right to keep your child home tomorrow. You are the parent and get to make that decision.
What is a bus advisory?
When a bus advisory is in effect a Dryden Central School District bus will pull over to pick up any students they see walking even if the distance between the child and school does not typically qualify for a transportation route. In addition, we encourage students to wait inside their home or in a car with a parent until the bus pulls up to the bus stop. Buses will wait a bit longer at stops tomorrow. Please let your child know about the bus advisory and make sure they understand that if a bus stops to offer them a ride, that they should not board the bus until they have checked the side of the school bus to make sure it says "Dryden Central School District".
Please be aware that, because of the bus advisory , bus routes may experience slight delays.
All schools will be open, and we look forward to welcoming students into a warm, safe environment for the day. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we navigate these challenging weather conditions.
Please take care of yourself. Take care of each other. Aways....
#LionPride,
Josh Bacigalupi
Hawke Gelder, an 11th-grade German exchange student, shared his journey to the USA — from meeting his host family and playing sports, to loving school spirit and discovering new favorite foods.
Students asked some GREAT questions and learned that:
🧀 Yes, they do have mac and cheese in Germany
🏓 Table tennis is Hawke’s favorite sport back home
❤️ And while he’s thankful for every experience here, his hometown in Germany is still his favorite place in the world
A wonderful reminder of how learning from one another helps us see the world a little bigger. Danke (that's "thanks" in German) Hawke, for inspiring us today! 🌟
DCSD is looking for Teacher Aides
Interested? Apply on Tompkins County Civil Service website at:
https://www.tompkinscivilservice.org/civilservice/apply/9393
Join the #LionPride!
Picture 1 - all of our December Nominees (from left to right):
Grace H, Yuki T, Bailey W, Liam J, Theo S, Ben R, Zack H, Axel N, Kayleb S, Savannah S, Josephina R, Kairi R, Emmalee F (not pictured: Tzapporah J, Colton L)
Picture 2 - 6th Grade December Students of the Month:
Zack H & Bailey W
Picture 3 - 7th Grade December Students of the Month:
Liam J & Kairi R
Picture 4 - 8th Grade December Students of the Month:
Yuki T & Theo S
Registration for Pre-K and Kindergarten for the 2026-2027 school year is open. All eligible students must be residents of the Dryden Central School District and meet the age requirements.
Pre-K students must be 4 years of age by December 1, 2026. Selections for the Pre-K program are done through a public drawing to be held on May 28th.
Kindergarten students must be 5 years of age by December 1, 2026. Registration packets will be mailed out on March 1st.
For more information and to confirm we have a packet ready for your child, please contact Kati Coon, District Registrar, at 607-844-8694 x2608.
Registration Link:
https://cnyric01.schooltool.com/dryden/onlinepreregistration/
We're Hiring - Join the #LionPride!
School Bus Attendant (multiple open positions)
Bus Driver
Teacher Aide
Cleaner (2nd Shift)
2026 DRYDEN SKI & BOARD CLUB:
JANUARY 7th IS THE LAST DAY TO SIGN UP FOR SKI CLUB
1. Club Fee/Transportation: This club registration/health form and payment of $50.00 is required to participate in Dryden’s Ski Club. Participants in the Ski Club program must pay the club fee to cover supervision, transportation, and equipment. If it is necessary for a student to ride home from Greek Peak with his/her parents, the parent must sign the official Dryden School District Transportation Release Form with a Dryden Ski Club chaperone.
Students have the opportunity to ride home with someone other than with their parents ONLY if parents have cleared it IN WRITING with a ski club advisor and our Athletic Director, Todd Kwiatkowski 24 HOURS PRIOR to the scheduled skiing night. An email directly from a parent or guardian stating that “____has permission to ride home from Ski Club tonight (or multiple nights) with____” addressed to both Mr. K and an advisor will suffice. Mr. Kwiatkowski’s email address is tkwiatk1@dryden.k12.ny.us. Students CANNOT leave Greek Peak without informing a chaperone.
2. All students in Ski Club, 6th grade or below are encouraged to have a BUDDY with them at all times! On the first day, students who are renting equipment and taking lessons from Greek Peak will be shown to the rental shop and the Ski School area by a buddy or a member of the chaperone team.
3. TIME SCHEDULE: HS and MS Ski Club members will leave from the auditorium lot at the high school at 2:30pm, immediately after 9th period. Ski Club members in DES will depart from the Elementary School at 3:30, or as soon as possible following school dismissal.
MS/HS Ski Club passes are good from 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm. DES Ski Club passes are good from 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm, and all students MUST be ready to load the bus at 7:30pm so that we can do a head count.
The time schedule for departure from Greek Peak and student pick-up in Dryden is as follows:
7:15 pm - in Rental Shop, returning equipment
7:30 pm - at the bus, ready to board
7:45-8:00 - Students must be picked up at DRYDEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
IF STUDENTS ARE LATE BOARDING THE RETURN BUS OR ARE PICKED UP LATE AT THE SCHOOL, STUDENT TRANSPORTATION PRIVILEGES WILL BE LOST THE FOLLOWING WEEK.
SKIING WILL BEGIN ON THURSDAY, January 8th
Scheduled dates: Jan 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th
Feb 5th & 12th
If we need a make up day it will be Thursday, Feb. 26th*
4. SIGN UP ONLINE:
● www.greekpeak.net/school-programs
● Access Code: EJJXP
● Pin # 0774
You can also scan the QR Code on the poster to Register
If you have a season’s pass, please sign up using the QR code. This is how we know your child is “signed up” for Ski Club. There is NO additional fee. The meal plan is an available option for pass holders.
If you have any questions, please contact us at:
Neal McDowell
Dryden Middle/High School
Ski Club Co-Adviser
607-844-8694 x4288
nmcdowe1@dryden.k12.ny.us
Charl Wojcik
Elementary School
Ski Club Co-Adviser
607-844-8694 x1458
cwojcik1@dryden.k12.ny.us
This new apparel store will remain open, with items being produced as they are ordered. This is structured with a portion of every sale coming back as a donation to the HANDS Fund. There are various designs available on each item, as well as options for personalization. It has a little bit of something for everyone. #LionPride 💜
https://zapathletics.chipply.com/Dryden-CSD/?action=viewall
All afterschool activities in the Dryden Central School District are canceled this afternoon and this evening, 12/19/25. Due to rapidly falling temperatures after a morning of heavy rain, roads in our region are expected to become icy. These road conditions combined with diminishing daylight are the primary reasons for this decision. This means all students PK-12 need to leave at their school's regular dismissal time. Please take care of yourself. Take care of each other. Always...#LionPride!
