Walt Disney Elementary School's Contact Information
Main Office: 585-247-3151
Attendance Office: 585-340-5560
Health Office: 585-247-3177
Email: lamiller@gateschili.org
Website: www.gateschili.org/wds
Location: 175 Coldwater Road, Rochester, NY, USA
Phone: 585-247-3151
Facebook: facebook.com/gcwaltdisney
Twitter: @GCWaltDisney
Message From the Principals: Dragons on the Go!
Hello Disney Families!
It has been a wonderful start to the school year! Our students have settled into academic routines. There is hard work on display every day in our building. If you get the chance ask your student what book they are reading in class, what they are writing about during writer's workshop, and what math strategies they have added to their math toolboxes recently.
Students in grades 1-5 completed their fall i-Ready math and ELA assessments by the end of September. We administer these assessments three times a year to design small group instruction to meet students' individual needs in class while making sure that they are making adequate academic growth throughout the year. We plan to send home students' i-Ready growth reports in January and May.
We launched our building's new Dragon Buddies Program last month. This program intentionally pairs students from an older classroom with students from a younger classroom. The classrooms meet at least once a month on GC Pride Days (the last Friday of the month) and work on activities together that are aligned to our social emotional learning curriculum. The goal of the program is to promote a sense of community, ownership, and leadership among the students in our building. Ask your student what they worked on with their Dragon Buddy last month!
Band, chorus, intramurals, and our fall club session are underway! We have over 200 students in grades 2-5 participating in these activities before or after school every week. Our goal is to have as many students involved in extra curricular activities as possible. When students feel connected to their school community we see higher rates of attendance and academic growth. Be on the lookout for winter club signups in the month of December.
Last, but not least, we have been working with various teams of teachers and community partners to plan Fall Family Fun Night. This event is scheduled for October 26 from 4:30-6:30 pm. The rain date for this free, family friendly, event is October 27. This event should be a ton of fun as we are working to plan wagon rides, pumpkin picking, pony rides, fall games, and more. We hope to see you there!
Proud to be your principals,
Dr. Z (dtzdanowski@gateschili.org) and Mr. T (cxtavelaris@gateschili.org)
Logistical Considerations....
To ensure that our main office can serve you in a timely manner when you need it, have you considered completing the following?
- Completing Income Eligibility Form (application linked here)
- Verifying contact information is up to date in our Parent Portal (login directions linked here)
- Verifying your child's approved pick-ups are up to date in our Parent Portal
- Considering signing up to be a volunteer- needs to be completed every year (application linked here)
- Following our school on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (@GCWaltDisney)
Food and Nutrition Updates...
4th and 5th grade students can purchase a second entrée for $2.85. All students receive their first entrée free!
Please remember the cafeteria does not break change. All additional cash during a transaction is added to our students' meal accounts. Students are encouraged to keep money on their My School Bucks for additional purchases in our cafeteria.
Families do not have to complete any forms for their student(s) to receive free meals at school. However, it is imperative that families still complete an Income Eligibility Form, formerly known as the Free and Reduced Meal Application. This form is tied to many other important benefits and programs within our school community. Families should go to gateschili.org/IncomeForm to download and complete the form.
A Message From the Health Office...
During certain times of the year, the health offices typically see increases in the number of illnesses. This occurs in the fall, when students are back in classrooms, after breaks from school, and at other times during the year when illnesses are more prevalent. Parents and staff should remind students about proper handwashing and other illness prevention strategies, and parents are encouraged to monitor their children for signs or symptoms of illness. As a reminder, any student with a fever of 100.4 degrees or higher must be kept home from school until fever-free for at least 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medication.
Parents are not notified about any contagious illnesses or conditions in their child's classroom unless there is an extreme circumstance that might require notification. The decision to notify parents is at the discretion of the school nurse and the district medical director.
Mark Your Calendars...
Week of October 16: Red Ribbon Week to promote healthy choices
October 17: Virtual School Improvement Meeting, 5:00 pm on TEAMS (meeting link will be sent the week before)
October 18: PTO Meeting, 5:00 pm, Disney Library
October 20: Elementary Football Night, 6:00 pm at Spartan Stadium
October 20: GRADE 3 RBTL permission slips due
October 26: Family Fun Fest, 4:30-6:30 pm, Disney Back Field (rain date 10/27)
October 27: School Picture Day
October 27: GC Pride Day, wear GC or Disney gear and show off our school spirit!
October 31: Disney Costume Parade, 9:30-10:00 am (no masks or blood please)
November 10: NO SCHOOL in observance of Veteran's Day
November 10: Town of Gates Veteran's Day Service, 10:30 am Gates Town Hall Front Lawn
November 15: PTO Meeting, 5:00 pm, Disney Library
November 17: GC Pride Day, wear GC or Disney gear and show off our school spirit!
November 22-24: NO SCHOOL, Thanksgiving Recess
Week of November 27: Fire Safety Lessons occur in school
November 28: Virtual School Improvement Meeting, 5:00 pm on TEAMS (meeting link will be sent the week before)
PTO Highlights
Please consider adding your name and email address to our 2023-2024 mailing list (click here). We use this list to advertise meetings, share minutes, and call for volunteers at school events. Please see the most recent contributions to our school community below. All are welcome to join our Parent Teacher Organization! At our last meeting we...
- Reviewed the fundraising plan for the year
- Reviewed the programming plan for the year
- Discussed volunteering models to involve as many families as possible
- Appropriated funds to support events at our upcoming Fall Family Fun Night
Our next scheduled meeting is Wednesday, October 18, at 5:00 pm in our school library. We hope to see you there!
Anyone can view our meeting agendas, minutes, and budget by visiting our website www.gateschili.org/wdespto.
Walt Disney Elementary ESOL Team
What is ESOL?
ESOL stands for "English as a Second Language". We are proud of our rich diversity here at Walt Disney Elementary School. We have a team of dedicated educators that support our students in acquiring the English language by pushing into classrooms to support ELA instruction or pulling students out to work in small groups.
Ms. Ray, Mrs. Shirley, and Mrs. Ecija work hard throughout the year to support our students, support our classrooms, and highlight the rich cultures and backgrounds present in our school.
Thank you, Ms. Ray, Mrs. Shirley, and Mrs. Ecija, for all that you do to make Walt Disney Elementary a safe and comfortable place to learn!
Get Involved, Dragons!
We have over 130 students in grades 2-5 signed up for clubs! Clubs meet once a week after school from 3:30-4:20 for eight weeks. The Fall club session will end around Thanksgiving recess. We will send interest forms out for the winter club session in December. Our goal is to have as many Dragons involved in our school community as possible!
Chorus and Band
Our 4th and 5th grade students are already preparing for our winter concert on December 13! The Spartan Way of hard work is on full display as students are learning and practicing new music. We cannot wait to showoff all the talent we have in our building at the end of the semester.
Student Council
Our building is starting a student council this year! This group will give 4th and 5th grade students a space to learn democratic rules and procedures while helping to plan school-wide events. Be on the lookout for student council applications that will be going home with students at the end of October!
Student Newsletter/Year Book
ANY student in the school is welcome to submit a piece to our student newsletter. (Poems, art work, stories, interviews, fun facts, games, etc.) We have a group of 4th and 5th grade students that contribute to and edit this publication weekly. As a school, we are striving to publish three edition of our student newsletter and one year book throughout the year.