March 28th Update

This Week:

Tuesday, March 29 - Talk With The Superintendent - 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm - WGHS LGI Room

Wednesday, March 30 - Thursday, March 31 - 3rd and 4th Grade NYS ELA Assessments

Thursday, March 31 - Last Day For Kindergarten Registration

In the Near Future:

Monday, April 11 - Friday, April 15 - Spring Recess - No School

Important Information:

Report Cards

Electronic report cards will be available via SchoolTool beginning Saturday, March 26.  Click here to access the viewing instructions. Here is a short video that also explains how to access the report cards online. If you need to update your email or phone number in SchoolTool, please click this link. If you need a hard copy of your child's report card mailed to your home, after March 26, please contact our school office.

NYS Testing

Our 3rd and 4th graders will be taking the state assessment in English Language Arts on Wednesday, March 30th and Thursday, March 31st.  Please make sure your children have a good breakfast (always) and arrive to school on time. 

Appropriate Dress

We ask that your child dress in a manner that reflects personal pride as well as respect for others. The elementary years help students develop habits that will carry through middle and high school years. Shirts/blouses must cover the stomach completely. Exposed under garments, tank tops and “spaghetti straps” are not appropriate. Should a student come to school dressed inappropriately, we will contact parents to find solutions.

We do ask that all students wear appropriate outerwear for playtime particularly during the winter months. Classes do try to go out for playtime, weather permitting. This time is an important time for the students to get fresh air and be active. 

Kindergarten Registration 

Kindergarten Registration for the 2022-2023 school year opened virtually on December 1, 2021, and will go until March 31, 2022. This will allow our families to register their children from the comfort of their home or office. Please click here to start the Virtual Registration process. This will schedule a telemeeting with you.

When registering, parents should be prepared to upload the following:

• proof of residency (ie. mortgage or property statement or signed lease agreement)
• proof of immunizations
• proof of age

A physical examination is also required and a dental certificate is requested for entry into kindergarten. These examinations should be done up to one year prior to the first day of school. Children who enter kindergarten this fall must be five years of age on or before December 1, 2022.

Positivity Project:

Humor

The character trait pr next week is humor.  It means you like to laugh and bring smiles to other people. To learn more about humor, please click here.

PTA:

PTA continues to need support from you.  Please join our next PTA meeting. 

Around School:

Rock Your Socks

On Monday, March 21, our school celebrated World Down Syndrome Day.  Students wore their most colorful socks in celebration of people with Down Syndrome and the many ways that they make our world brighter.  Look at all the different socks and remember that we are all different and that different is a good thing to celebrate.

Mrs. Kermes' 3rd Grade Class

Mrs. Stalter's Kindergarten Class

Open Library Night

Students really appreciate the chance to come to the library with their parents.  They especially like the fact that they get to check out bonus books in addition to the ones checked out in class. 

Stonehedge had an AMAZING Professional Development Day!

Weekend Update March 18th

Mrs. Olson and and friends rocking their St. Patrick's day green

Next Week:

Monday, March 21 - Rock Your Socks Day (see below)

Wednesday, March 23 - Open Library Night - 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm - Stonehedge Library

Thursday, March 24 - Gertrude Hawk Pickup - 4:00 pm - 7:30 pm  

Friday, March 25 - Professional Development Day for Stonehedge - No School for Stonehedge Students

Saturday, March 26 - Report Cards Available on SchoolTool

In the Near Future:

Tuesday, March 29 - Talk With The Superintendent - 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm - WGHS LGI Room

Wednesday, March 30 - Thursday, March 31 - 3rd and 4th Grade NYS ELA Assessments

Thursday, March 31 - Last Day For Kindergarten Registration

Important Information:

Appropriate Dress

We ask that your child dress in a manner that reflects personal pride as well as respect for others. The elementary years help students develop habits that will carry through middle and high school years. Shirts/blouses must cover the stomach completely. Exposed under garments, tank tops and “spaghetti straps” are not appropriate. Should a student come to school dressed inappropriately, we will contact parents to find solutions.

We do ask that all students wear appropriate outerwear for playtime particularly during the winter months. Classes do try to go out for playtime, weather permitting. This time is an important time for the students to get fresh air and be active. Students who are not appropriately dressed (coats, boots, hat, gloves/mittens) will be allowed to go outside, but will stay in areas where the snow is cleared (ie: sidewalks).

Rock Your Socks

Together we can create a single global voice advocating for the rights, inclusion, and well-being of people with Down syndrome in our school, community, and around the world.  Every year, on March 21, people all around the world come together to celebrate World Down Syndrome Day by wearing brightly colored, mismatched socks.  March 21 is symbolic because people with Down syndrome have 3 copies of their 21st chromosome. Socks were chosen because the karyotype of Ds chromosomes actually looks like mismatched socks! 

A Message From Our Librarian:

 Who says that basketball is the only thing to do in March? We had an epic Open Library Night on Wednesday, March 9! So many families came in, looked at books, read for a bit, checked things out and some even played a little chess. It was a great way to spend a dark and misty night. We were so happy to see many of our former Stonehedge students who came with their younger siblings…it was a true alumni night! Don’t forget, we have another “OLN” scheduled for Wednesday, March 23rd from 6:30-7:30…AT NIGHT! 

I’d like to put out a little teaser about a huge spring celebration we are working on at Stonehedge! In May we will be doing our first “One School, One Book” reading initiative. This is a chance for everyone in our Stonehedge community: students, staff, and families to enjoy the same book and some really fun activities. Details will follow, but for now, we are in need of a few brave “parental” souls who would like to do some recorded sessions that will be posted as read-alongs. If you are interested in helping out with this, send me a note at dabbott@westgenesee.org. Be on the lookout for more information about “One School, One Book”!

WGCSD March Calendar Adjusted: Superintendent Days

At the regular BOE meeting held on February 2, the Board of Education acted on the Superintendent's recommendation to amend the 2021-2022 school calendar for purposes of professional development for our staff. In year’s past this has been built into the calendar.

The changes involved are dates during the month of March. The addition will be that of Superintendent’s Conference Days for each of the K-8 buildings.

Unlike traditional Superintendent’s Days when no students report to school, each K-8 building has a date specific to only that school.

The conference dates for each K-8 building are:

March 9: West Genesee Middle School

March 21: Camillus Middle School

March 22: East Hill Elementary School

March 23: Onondaga Road Elementary School

March 24: Split Rock Elementary School

March 25: Stonehedge Elementary School

For example, on March 9, WGMS students did not attend school as the staff has professional development. All students in Grades K-4 and 7-12 had a regular school day.

Notable is that West Genesee High School is not included in this particular plan as there are different opportunities for the HS staff.

Click here to read the entire letter from Superintendent David C. Bills.

Report Cards

Electronic report cards will be available via SchoolTool beginning Saturday, March 26.  Click here to access the viewing instructions. Here is a short video that also explains how to access the report cards online. If you need to update your email or phone number in SchoolTool, please click this link. If you need a hard copy of your child's report card mailed to your home, after March 26, please contact our school office.

Supplies For Ukraine

The district had an unbelievable response from the community!  Thank you so much for your support! We will no longer accept any more supplies. You can make monetary donations directly to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA via PayPal by clicking here.

NYS Testing

Our 3rd and 4th graders will be taking the state assessment in English Language Arts on Wednesday, March 30th and Thursday, March 31st.  Please make sure your children have a good breakfast (always) and arrive to school on time. 

Kindergarten Registration 

Kindergarten Registration for the 2022-2023 school year opened virtually on December 1, 2021, and will go until March 31, 2022. This will allow our families to register their children from the comfort of their home or office. Please click here to start the Virtual Registration process. This will schedule a telemeeting with you.

When registering, parents should be prepared to upload the following:

• proof of residency (ie. mortgage or property statement or signed lease agreement)
• proof of immunizations
• proof of age

A physical examination is also required and a dental certificate is requested for entry into kindergarten. These examinations should be done up to one year prior to the first day of school. Children who enter kindergarten this fall must be five years of age on or before December 1, 2022.

Positivity Project:

Students this week celebrated their love of learning, this week's P2 trait.

Mrs. Erwin's 2nd Grade Class listed all the things they love to learn

Fairness

Next week's character strength focus is fairness. Fairness means you believe that all people have value. You approach situations with an unbiased mindset and treat everyone with respect. Cultivating the character strength of fairness helps people to become trustworthy friends, responsible citizens, and generally moral people. To learn more about the character strength of fairness, click here.

PTA:

Book Fair

We had so many families shop at our Scholastic Book Fair this week.   It was amazing! 

Thank you to all the families who attended and bought books!  Thank you for those who donated to support area schools.  We received 48 books donations which we donated to Frazier and Delaware schools in the Syracuse City School District.  Extra appreciation to everyone who bought books for teachers through our Teacher Wish List board - these are gifts that teachers & students will enjoy for years to come!

A few of the titles donated to Frazier and Delaware Schools

Scenes from the Scholastic Book Fair

Gertrude Hawk Order Pick Up

The Gertrude hawk orders will be available for pick up on Thursday, March 24th from 4:00 pm - 7:30 pm.  This drive-by pick up will be behind Stonehedge on the WGMS side. If you have any questions, please contact Johanna LeFever at jblefever@yahoo.com

Special Eduction PTA

West Genesee has a Special Education Parent Teacher Student Association (SEPTSA). SEPTSA was founded in 2009 to promote advocacy and education in the area of special education. We host meetings, events, and speakers throughout the year in an effort to continuously improve the special education experience in our district. SEPTSA membership is open to any student, parent, teacher, administrator, or community member interested in inclusion. More information is available by clicking here or email   wgseptsa18@gmail.com. 

Around School:

Virtual Field Trip

Third Graders took a virtual field trip to the NASA Goddard Visitor Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.  They learned about living and working on the International Space Station! 

St. Patrick's Day

Mrs. Colburn's 1st Grade Class

Mrs. McCarthy's 1st Grade Class

Mr. Cunningham, husband of Mrs. Cunningham, came to serenade students at dismissal.

Mr. Cunningham sham-rockin' and rollin' on the bagpipes

On St. Patrick's Day student arrived to the skirl of the bagpipes

Listening to bagpipes and excited for warm afternoon temperatures

Luckier than a four leaf clover that is was a beautiful day

We are lucky and blessed and all the rest to have such amazing students

Lucky enough to have amazing staff

Weekend Update March 11th

Mrs. Graser reads to Mrs. Shepard's Kindergarten Class in the library

Next Week:

Sunday, March 13 - Daylight Savings Begins

Wednesday, March 16 - Thursday, March 17 - Spring Book Fair - 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm - Blue Gym

Wednesday, March 16 - BOE Meeting - 6:00 pm - WGHS Library and Live Stream

In the Near Future:

Friday, March 25 - Professional Development Day for Stonehedge (No School for Students)

Saturday, March 26 - Report Cards Available on SchoolTool

Wednesday, March 30 - Thursday, March 31 - 3rd and 4th Grade NYS ELA Assessments

Thursday, March 31 - Last Day For Kindergarten Registration

Important Information:

WGCSD March Calendar Adjusted: Superintendent Days

At the regular BOE meeting held on February 2, the Board of Education acted on the Superintendent's recommendation to amend the 2021-2022 school calendar for purposes of professional development for our staff. In year’s past this has been built into the calendar.

The changes involved are dates during the month of March. The addition will be that of Superintendent’s Conference Days for each of the K-8 buildings.

Unlike traditional Superintendent’s Days when no students report to school, each K-8 building has a date specific to only that school.

The conference dates for each K-8 building are:

March 9: West Genesee Middle School

March 21: Camillus Middle School

March 22: East Hill Elementary School

March 23: Onondaga Road Elementary School

March 24: Split Rock Elementary School

March 25: Stonehedge Elementary School

For example, on March 9, WGMS students did not attend school as the staff has professional development. All students in Grades K-4 and 7-12 had a regular school day.

Notable is that West Genesee High School is not included in this particular plan as there are different opportunities for the HS staff.

Click here to read the entire letter from Superintendent David C. Bills.

Report Cards

Electronic report cards will be available via SchoolTool beginning Saturday, March 26.  Click here to access the viewing instructions. Here is a short video that also explains how to access the report cards online. If you need to update your email or phone number in SchoolTool, please click this link. If you need a hard copy of your child's report card mailed to your home, after March 26, please contact our school office.

NYS Testing

Our 3rd and 4th graders will be taking the state assessment in English Language Arts on Wednesday, March 30th and Thursday, March 31st.  Please make sure your children have a good breakfast (always) and arrive to school on time. They are well prepared for these assessments and we are anxious to see the results!

Kindergarten Registration 

Kindergarten Registration for the 2022-2023 school year opened virtually on December 1, 2021, and will go until March 31, 2022. This will allow our families to register their children from the comfort of their home or office. Please click here to start the Virtual Registration process. This will schedule a telemeeting with you.

When registering, parents should be prepared to upload the following:

• proof of residency (ie. mortgage or property statement or signed lease agreement)
• proof of immunizations
• proof of age

A physical examination is also required and a dental certificate is requested for entry into kindergarten. These examinations should be done up to one year prior to the first day of school. Children who enter kindergarten this fall must be five years of age on or before December 1, 2022.

Lost and Found: Labeling Items Is Important

If any of these items look familiar, please give the school a call by Friday, March 18.

Positivity Project:

Love of Learning

This week's character strength focus is Love of Learning. Love of Learning means you master new topics on your own or in school. Those with love of learning are intrinsically motivated and engaged in a topic regardless of achieving an external standard. They enjoy learning simply for the sake of learning. For more information regarding this strength, click here.

PTA:

PTA Newsletter

Here is the link to the March newsletter. If you wish to receive the newsletters directly to your email, you may sign up by joining the PTA here.

Scholastic Book Fair

The spring book fair is March 16th & 17th in the Blue Gym (enter through the Main Entrance).  The PTA is offering a 25% off discount off your entire purchase.

Reading for pleasure unlocks the power of information and imagination and helps children discover who they are. Here’s what you can do to help children develop stronger reading skills and a love for reading:

• Set the example. Let children see you read.
• Have a collection of books in your home. Update this collection routinely to keep up with changing tastes and reading skills.
• Support our school’s Book Fair. Allow your children to choose their own books to read.

Here is the link to the online book fair which will run March 16th  - March 29th.  Discounts do not apply to the online book fair.

The PTA is in need of volunteers to help work the Book Fair. If you are available, here is the link to sign up.

Yearbook Candids

The PTA is looking pictures to fill the yearbook pages.  If you have pictures of your child from the first day of school, Halloween, Pumpkin Hedge or other school events, please email them to lpetrik@westgenesee.org

Around School:

Math in Action

As a child learns to read a recipe, they are learning math – especially fractions. Which is bigger - 1/2 or 1/4?  Measuring cups and spoons along with the measuring of ingredients helps kids visualize fractions. 

Mrs. Personte's 4th Grade Class made bread in math class.  It smelled absolutely delicious!

Open Library Night

Students really appreciate the chance to come to the library with their parents.  They especially like the fact that they get to check out bonus books in addition to the ones checked out in class. Mark your calendars for the next Open Library Night on Wednesday, March 23rd from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm.

"You Can Find Magic Wherever You Look. Sit Back and Relax, All You Need Is a Book" - Maya Agelou

Art 

4th grade students are creating Egyptian Boats.

PE

This week students learned some dance moves in PE class.  Some dances they learned were the Cha Cha, Macarena, and Electric Slide.

Mrs. Jackson's 2nd grade class showing their Cha Cha Slide skills

Students in Mrs. Leonardis and Mrs. Lawrence's 1st grade classes were dancing the Electric Slide