
The Disney Digest
Walt Disney Elementary Family Newsletter, August 2023
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: Welcome Back, Dragons!
Hello Disney Families!
We hope everyone enjoyed their summer recess. We are excited to welcome students back to school on Tuesday, September 5.
Our teachers have been working hard throughout the summer months to prepare for another amazing school year at Walt Disney Elementary. Our teachers have been setting up their classrooms, planning engaging lessons, reviewing student achievement data, planning school-wide programs, refining school-based systems, and more. We are so lucky to have such talented, dedicated, and passionate educators in our building.
Our building and grounds crews have been working hard to prepare Walt Disney Elementary for opening day. They have done an amazing job making Walt Disney Elementary a building to be proud of. In addition to making every square inch of our building shine, they have installed our new gaga ball pit on our playground! You may recall that our students worked hard to set academic goals for themselves last spring and completed over 13,000 i-Ready reading and math lessons to earn this new addition to our playground. (Thank you to our Walt Disney Parent Teacher Organization for sponsoring this newest addition to our playground)
You may have heard last week that Gates Chili was recently approved for the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program. This program allows all of our students, regardless of household income, to be provided with free breakfast and lunch all year! We know this program will have a transformative impact on our students and families. Here are some points to consider regarding this program:
- Families do not need to complete any forms for their student(s) to receive free meals at school.
- Families should still complete the Income Eligibility Form (formerly known as the Free and Reduced Meal Application). This form is tied to many other important benefits our school and district receive that help to minimize various costs for our families. The Income Eligibility Form is available on our website at gateschili.org/IncomeForm and will be available through My SchoolApps this fall.
- Do not discard your MySchoolBucks account! Individual food items are still available for purchase throughout the year. To read more about free meals and meal accounts see our frequently asked questions.
Consider joining us for Popcorn with the Principals on Thursday August 24, from 1:00-3:00 on our playground. This will be a great opportunity to drop off school supplies and socialize with friends before our school year starts. Kona Ice will be on site with items available to purchase for those interested.
Check out the remainder of our monthly e-newsletter below. We are excited to continue to meet our school's families at our upcoming events. Do not hesitate to reach out if you ever have any questions or concerns. We look forward to working with you this year.
Proud to be your principals,
Dr. Z (dtzdanowski@gateschili.org) and Mr. T (cxtavelaris@gateschili.org)
The Disney Digest
We are happy to be sharing our monthly messages with our newsletter tool, Smore! This will allow us to send regular updates, share pictures, and provide a head's up for important information. You can find our monthly newsletters in your email inbox, on the school website, and on our social media (@GCWaltDisney).
Back to School Checklist:
Let's ease into the new school year and make sure we are all set up for success by...
- Completing Disney's Car Rider Dismissal Form (form linked here)
- Reviewing and obtaining school supplies (supply lists linked here)
- 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)
- Considering joining our Parent-Teacher-Organization Mailing List (Sign-up sheet linked here)
- Following our school on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (@GCWaltDisney)
- For families in grades 1 and 5: signing the district's new laptop user agreement (directions linked here)
- Saving a copy of the GC Pattern Day Calendar. Please note which days your student(s) have P.E. and send them to school with appropriate footwear.
- Scheduling a time to drop your student's medications off by calling our main office (585-247-3151)
- Keeping an eye out for the district calendar, a great resource for important policies and procedures on safety, security, transportation, school closings, and more (sent through U.S. Postal Service in early September).
Upcoming Events
Mark Your Calendars...
August 23: Kindergarten Bus Orientation, 5:30-7:00 pm, HS East Parking Lot
August 24: Popcorn with the Principals and Supply Drop Off, 1:00-3:00 pm
August 30: Kindergarten Orientation, 3:30-4:30 pm
September 5: First Day of School for Students! 8:50-3:45 pm
September 20: PTO Meeting, 5:00 pm, Disney Library
September 27-28: Fall Open House, 6:00-7:00, more details coming soon
Late September: After School Fall Clubs Begin, 3:30-4:20 pm (Interest forms will be sent out in early September)
October 6: Superintendents Conference Day, NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS
October 9: Fall Recess, NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS
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 26: Family Fun Fest, 5:00-6:30 pm, Disney Back Field
October 27: School Picture Day
October 31: Disney Costume Parade, 9:30-10:00 am (no masks or blood please)
Parent Teacher Organization Updates
Summer PTO Highlights
We are looking forward to another awesome school year! We saw a tremendous amount of interest in our PTO and turnout at our events last year. 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!
- Sponsored Kona Ice for all students at Disney Dragon Day
- Purchased and installed a new gaga ball pit for our playground
- Purchased t-shirts for all incoming kindergarten students to be handed out at kindergarten orientation
- Planned fundraisers for the 2023-2024 school year
- Planning a welcome back appreciation gesture for our teachers
- Planning to host a winter craft show in Disney in December
- Updated our PTO website
- Updated our PTO by-laws
Staff Spotlight
Walt Disney Teachers Recognized by Local Organizations
Mrs. Klinczar works hard to bring "the arts" to life in her classroom! Mrs. Klinczar, a 2nd grade teacher at Walt Disney Elementary School, was recently featured in the Rochester Broadway Theater League's program as an essential educational partner in the Rochester area.
Ms. Kunkel works hard to empower the learners in her classroom every day! Ms. Kunkel, a 1st grade teacher at Walt Disney Elementary School, was recently recognized as a standout teacher in the Rochester area by Get It Straight Orthodontics.
Thank you, Mrs. Klinczar and Ms. Kunkel, for all that you do to make Walt Disney Elementary a safe and comfortable place to learn!
Check out these Dragons in action!
Get Involved, Dragons!
Be on the lookout for sign-up information pertaining to after school clubs this fall! Students in grades 3-5 will be given an opportunity to choose clubs that match their interests. Students will participate in clubs from 3:30-4:20 pm one day a week beginning in late September and running through the month of November. Late bussing will be provided to all students in after school clubs.
Chorus
All 4th and 5th grade students are invited to join our school's chorus. 4th grade chorus meets after school on Tuesdays and 5th grade chorus meets after school on Thursdays from 3:30-4:20. Late bussing will be provided to all students participating in chorus. Any student interested in joining chorus for the first time should contact our vocal music instructor, Mrs. Holman (jpholman@gateschili.org). Our chorus puts on two in-school and two night time concerts a year; one in December and one in May. Chorus rehearsals will begin the last week in September.
Band
All 4th and 5th grade students are invited to join our school's band. Any student interested in joining band for the first time should contact our instrumental music instructor, Mr. Vane (rpvane@gateschili.org). Our band puts on two in-school and two night time concerts a year; one in December and one in May. Band rehearsals occur Tuesdays and Thursdays before school, 8:05-8:45) and will begin the last week in September. Students in our school band will also receive music lessons in school every week.