You’re the gift that keeps on thanks-giving. While you prepare your Thanksgiving dinners, before the hustle and bustle of the holiday season sets in, we want to express our sincere gratitude to each of you. It's easy to get lost in the things we don't have. The fancy car, the clothes, the latest phone. Instead, try focusing on everything you do have. Ultimately, you will find it's a much greater list with a more significant impact.

This season, focus on the things you're thankful for, and the gratitude will follow. May your blessings be many, your troubles be few, and your Thanksgiving be wonderful.

Superintendent Dr. Hayali has prepared a special Thanksgiving message. Take a look.

Monday, November 13th, 2023: KC Citizenship & Science Academy of Rochester Atoms are creating triangles out of straws! Students learned how to make three sides and three points to form the perfect point.

Thursday, November 2nd, 2023: “Today a reader, tomorrow a leader.” 

Citizenship & Science Academy of Rochester held its first Drop Everything And Read with Distinguished Men event on Thursday, November 2. Dr. Paul Miller, CEO of Charter Champions, and Willard Brown served as the distinguished readers. They read books about sharing and school spirit and explained to #CSARAtoms what they meant. Mr. Brown also told scholars about his time in the Navy. Thank you for reading to our Atoms! 

Keep working on those reading skills because it’s almost time for our next Drop Everything And Read event!

We promised something special for the spooky season, and we are delivering. Coming to you straight from Nevermore Academy… I mean SANY… we present “The Atoms Family.” Don't miss out on this highly unique take on a classic where cartoon-like gothic macabre meets a twist of contemporary humor. Plus, you’ll definitely want to see Wednesday’s killer dance moves. 

Whether you’re a newcomer to the Addams Family or a seasoned veteran, there’s something here for everyone to love. 

So do us all a favor, grab your friends and neighbors, no don’t you wait ‘till later…. Here’s the Atoms Family! *Snap* *Snap*

If you want to be part of the Atoms Family, visit apply.sany.org.

Friday, October 20th, 2023: Citizenship & Science Academy of Rochester teachers enjoyed meeting new families and catching up with current ones at our annual Open House. Families toured the school and enjoyed snow cones, cotton candy, hot dogs, and jumping in bounce houses. It’s been a  great start to the beginning of the school year!

Monday, October 16th, 2023: Curiosity, Teamwork, and open-mindedness are the character strengths that we have been working on at the Citizenship & Science Academy of Rochester. Congratulations to these Positivity Project (P2) scholars for demonstrating leadership skills through these character strengths!

Friday, September 22nd, 2023: Citizenship & Science Academy of Rochester celebrated Grandparent's Day.  Grandparents were welcomed into school for a special time to share their artistic abilities with their grandchildren while enjoying delicious muffins and coffee. Our grandparents also had a wonderful time getting to know their scholars' teachers and other staff at CSAR! Ultimately, our dean thanked our grandparents for their wisdom and insight into their grandchildren's and others' lives!

Tuesday, October 10th, 2023: Citizenship & Science Academy of Rochester Kindergarteners have spent the first couple weeks of school learning the different colors of the rainbow. Recognizing colors and identifying their names is an important part of a child’s brain development. Early identification of colors helps improve the children’s ability to communicate and express themselves. 

Greetings Citizenship & Science Academy of Rochester Families and Staff, 

With great pleasure, I welcome you to another exciting year at the Science Academies of New York. Serving SANY Charter Schools with nearly 3,000 students in grades K-12 in Syracuse, Utica, and Rochester as the Superintendent for the 2023-24 school year is a privilege. I look forward to working with you. I hope you had a safe and enjoyable summer and are ready to tackle anything the new school year brings. 

CSAR is the newest charter school under the SANY umbrella. SANY Scholars successfully completed 2022-23, including graduating with an associate degree, completing many college-level courses for free, receiving nationwide known micro-credentials through cybersecurity, regional championships in robotics, Gold and Silver Medals from the Congressional Award Program, science fairs, and many more. I hope that the list will grow this year. We pride ourselves on offering high-quality public education with a college preparatory STEM-based curriculum. Incredible things take place in our classrooms thanks to our outstanding teachers and staff, as well as the hard work and dedication of our Atoms. From volunteering and serving the community, music, and art to sports and extracurricular activities, our scholars are well-rounded in and out of the classroom. I am proud to say we stuck to our original plan of opening the school for K-2nd grade and adding a new grade each year. Following that schedule, we add third grade this 2023-24 school year. 

Almost one-third of  SANY High School graduating scholars completed most college-level courses needed to earn a two-year associate's degree, and a few even graduated with both a High School and Associate’s Degree Diploma. Through this program, SANY Charter Schools cover the cost of classes, books, technology fees, and lunch. Last school year, SANY celebrated its first student in history to graduate high school with an associate's degree. Our philosophy is the money SANY receives from the New York State per-pupil funding belongs to each student and will be spent for whatever helps make them successful. It is a beautiful feeling building a village through partnerships with higher education institutions like OCC, MVCC, SUNY ESF, LeMoyne College, Utica University, and D'Youville University and partnering with community business leaders. The saying "it takes a village to raise a child" comes from an African proverb and conveys that it takes a large group of people to provide a safe, healthy, loving environment. I am grateful to our community for working together and looking forward to seeing caring, contributing citizens from our beautiful Syracuse, Utica, and Rochester communities. 

Safety remains the top priority of our school. Our teachers and staff received safety and crisis management training over the summer, and I am confident we will have a safe and healthy year with the implementation of our safety protocols. Seeing the recent events in the news can be highly upsetting, but with our vigorous efforts, I know we can continue to keep violence out of our school. While we succeeded in our efforts last year, we must always be active regarding safety. Your efforts in assisting with this are highly appreciated. While looking ahead to this year, please take the time to go over our emergency and safety plan: https://www.csarochester.org/about-us/required-notifications/emergency-safety-plan.

Our faculty and staff care significantly about every student who walks through the door. I admire how teachers diligently plan their lessons while catering to each student’s ability. This year, I will continue my school visits and special events like Breakfast and Lunch with the Superintendent. I cherish the days that I get to spend with our bright students. They always teach me something new!

Thank you for all you do, and I look forward to working with you for the 2023-24 school year. 

Warmest Regards,

Dr. Tolga Hayali, Ed.D
Superintendent
SANY Charter Schools

Friday, August 25th, 2023: While Citizenship & Science Academy of Rochester Atoms are enjoying the remainder of their summer break, teachers are receiving training as they are gearing up to welcome students back! The first day of school is Wednesday, September 6. The school is hosting an Open House for new and returning families on Friday, September 1, at 5 p.m., followed by a Meet the Teacher Night the day before classes begin, on Tuesday, September 5. 

We can’t wait to see our student’s smiling faces.