Notes from Principal Simmons: April 2021

Stonehedge FAMILY.
Kind, loving, supportive, smart.
Home away from home.

...just a little Haiku Poem I wrote for you in honor of Poetry Month! This week we celebrated Poetry Month with a special Poem in "Your Pocket Day" and PoetryPaloozoom. The kids were so excited to share poems of their own creation and those from a favorite poet. Besides Poem in your Pocket Day, we also enjoyed the excitement of school spirit week (check out all the pics below!)

Thank you for all of your support as we tweaked dismissal this week. It has been more and more smooth each day and we hope next week will be better yet. I appreciate all of the staff members support in working out a new system.

Next Week:

Tuesday May 4 -Teacher Appreciation Day

I know you will join me in giving a special SHOUT OUT to our Stonehedge Teachers. Everyday, I am

impressed with the magic they create. Our teachers are a dedicated group who work hard to help students learn to the best of their abilities, support them throughout the day, and build a supportive learning community. This year has had a lot of extra challenges, but our Stonehedge teachers have risen to the occasion and have moved mountains. I can't thank them enough for everything they do to make Stonehedge special.

Wednesday, May 5 - BOE Meeting - 7:00 pm - WGHS Library and Stream

In the Near Future:

Tuesday, May 18 - Budget Vote - 6:00 am - 9:00 pm - WGHS Auditorium Lobby

Looking Way Ahead…

Mark your calendar! The Board of Education has approved two additional days for Memorial Day weekend. As long as we do not have any more snow days (fingers crossed!), we will have no school on Friday, May 28 and Tuesday, June 1, 2021.

Important Information:

West Genesee Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council

As you may have read in the Superintendent’s Message from February 26th, there is an opportunity for all members of our community to come together as members of the West Genesee Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council. The council recognizes the need to listen to the voices, experiences, and perspectives of people from diverse backgrounds in order to advance the council's mission and help all members of our community achieve success. This council is open to all members of our community. If you are interested in joining, please fill out this Google form and a member of the team will contact you directly.

Free National Park Service Passes

Every fourth grade student is eligible to receive a FREE National Park Service's (NPS) Every- Kid- in-a Park pass. NYS will accept this pass for free vehicle entry admission (with the fourth grader present) for all of their State Parks in 2021. Therefore, the student and anyone in the vehicle will have free entry. This pass is also accepted at state historic sites for the fourth grade student and up to three adults. To read more about the program you may do so at this link: https://parks.ny.gov/environment/connect-kids.aspx

Positivity Project: Leadership - Leadership can be both formal and informal. It is concerned with getting others to do what needs to be done while maintaining group morale to ensure readiness to act in the future. This character strength’s focus is on the personal qualities of leaders, rather than the practice of leadership. These qualities include the ability to understand others and inspire them toward a common goal, the capacity to mitigate conflict and mold consensus, and the desire to lead other people.

Please support our PTA!

Wednesday May 26 - 6:30 - 7:30 - Stonehedge Library - This is a general meeting and all are welcomed. As I mentioned last week, we are really in need of more volunteers to support our PTA. Please consider joining us.

Around School:

Hat Day/Sports Day for Spirit Week