Notes from Split Rock Elementary

This page provides thoughts and commentary from Matthew Kimpland, the Principal of Split Rock Elementary School in the West Genesee Central School District.

I hope this message finds you well! We continue to ROCK it here at “The Rock,” and I’m excited to share some updates from our week.

As part of our commitment to safety, we will conduct emergency drills throughout next week. We’re hopeful for favorable weather to facilitate these important practices.

For our families with Grades 1-4 students, please look for an informational letter coming home today regarding our universal screening procedures and your child's math and reading FAST reports. These documents are incredibly valuable in helping us tailor our instruction and support for our Wildcats as we work through the fall and winter months.

Are you connected with ParentSquare? If not, now is the perfect time to get set up! This platform is a fantastic way to stay connected with your child’s teacher and receive important updates. Just a reminder: our staff will respond to communications within 24 hours during school hours, so we appreciate your understanding as we strive to maintain effective communication.

Looking ahead to next week, we’re eager to announce our September "Wildcats of the Month" and our “Pack Awards,” all part of our positive behavior program, P.A.W.S (Positive Action and Wildcat Spirit)!

Mr. Gangemi would also like to remind all grade 3 and 4 students and their families that they will complete the mile run next week with grades k-2 walking or jogging laps for physical education class!

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend! Let’s return on Monday, ready to learn and grow together!

BE AWESOME!

Mr. Kimpland

Positive Action and Wildcat Spirit

Purpose

Encourage and reward positive behavior and action among students, fostering a supportive and respectful school environment that aligns with our “Wildcat Way!”

• Be Present

• Be Respectful

• Be Responsible

• Be Safe

Classroom Awards

“Pack Awards”

• Golden Broom (classroom cleanliness)
• Golden Tray (classroom behavior in the cafeteria)
• Golden Whistle (classroom recess behavior)

Individual Awards

“Wildcats of the Month”

• Recognizes and celebrates students who consistently act as great role models while demonstrating outstanding effort and hard work.

Recognitions

Pack Awards/Wildcats of the Month:

• Monthly announcements will be held. Classrooms will receive the Golden Award to keep for the month. The Wildcats Of The Month will receive a certificate, and their picture will be posted on the weekly blog.

Split Rock Families,

Another great week of getting to know your children at "The Rock". Here are a few updates I would love to share.

• Over the next few weeks I will be visiting our kindergarten classrooms for social emotional learning lessons. Students will learn about my role as a school counselor, identifying feelings/emotions and learning new coping skills.

• Any students new to Split Rock will join me for a weekly lunch group starting next week. This group helps new students feel welcomed and learn about Split Rock.

• Split Rock offers weekend Power Pack bags. These bags are filled with small snacks and easy meals such as mac and cheese for kids. If you are interested in receiving a weekend power pack for your child please contact me.

Please feel free to call or email me anytime with questions, concerns, or with any information you think I should know about your child. Another great way to contact me is through ParentSquare.

~Miss G
School Counselor
mgiannino@westgenesee.org

(315) 487-4656

Staying connected is key to ensuring a successful school year for our Wildcats. Here are a couple of important ways to stay in the loop:

• Check bookbags and folders nightly: Classroom teachers send home valuable information and communication through this method. We don't want you to miss out on any important updates, so please make it a habit to review these each evening.

• Get ParentSquare up and running: This platform is essential for receiving regular communication from both the classroom and the building. It’s also where you’ll get time-sensitive messages when needed. If you have any questions or concerns about ParentSquare, please email us at splitrock@westgenesee.org.

• Daily Routine: Please be sure to send you child to school each day with a water bottle and a snack. Students also need a change of clothes and sneakers for gym. Also, be sure to LABEL ALL ITEMS, you will be glad you did!

By staying connected, we can ensure a smooth and successful school year for everyone!

Starting Monday, September 16, 2024, you can submit your child’s absence reason through ParentSquare. You must wait for a notification from ParentSquare (via text, app notification or email) confirming your child’s absence before providing the reason.

You have until the end of the school day to submit the reason via ParentSquare. If you miss this deadline, please contact the school directly or send a note with your child.

From the Website:

• Click “Send Note to School”

• Enter the reason for the absence

• Click submit to send it directly to your school’s attendance office

Click here for a printable version (PDF) from the website.

To respond to an attendance notification and submit a note, you need to be logged into ParentSquare as a registered user. We’ll send another email invitation this weekend to parents who haven’t registered yet. Please check your spam/junk folders if you don’t see it in your inbox.

As we launched the ParentSquare Communications system over the past month, please be on the lookout for more information to your email, text, and eventually to the ParentSquare mobile app!

• You should have received an electronic invitation to download the ParentSquare app to your phone and to activate your account. (You will also be able to access this information from your personal computer.) If you did not receive this invitation, please email publications@westgenesee.org ,and we will follow-up on sending that email.
• Review your contact information, and you may be asked to verify your information. Please feel free to make corrections as we will be notified and will update our Student Management System (Schooltool). After we update the the Student Management System (Schooltool) the correction will show in your account. If you have any questions, please contact centralregistrar@westgenesee.org
• Continue to receive intermittent posts and information with tips on the use of ParentSquare. (See a tips below about adjusting your Notification Settings and how to access SchoolTool from ParentSquare.)
• Should have received a hard copy instructional page in the mid-August mailing that came home from your home schools.

TIP: Did you know? You can access SchoolTool from ParentSquare from:

*’More’

*’District website’

*then select ‘SchoolTool’ from the website homepage (you can do that from your phone or a computer!)

FYI…This tip is also posted to ParentSquare in the feed area of all schools! Check it out!

ParentSquare Tip: Overview of Notifications

Users can fine-tune their notification settings for posts for each school and district. For General Announcements, you can select Digest, Instant, or choose to turn off notifications altogether (excluding emergency alerts and notices.) You can choose to receive email, text, and/or app notifications.

Click here for the article with the full Tip information on Overview of Notifications.

Breakfast and lunch are free for all students this year. Snacks and ice cream are an additional cost.

• Chips $1.00
• Cookie $1.25
• Ice Cream $1.50
• Rice Krispie Treat $1.25
• Fruit Roll Up $1.00
• Milk $.75

For any and all information pertaining to breakfast and/or lunch, including the process of MySchoolBucks please visit the district's food service website!

Mr. Donaldson, Mrs. Jackson and Mrs. Ritch will be hosting the Grade 4 Robotics Club. It will be held on Wednesdays from 3:30-4:45 pm in the Split Rock Library. Students can pick one 5-week session to participate in, held once a week after school. They will work together to complete "challenges" which are fun, hands-on activities that help them perceive coding and engineering in a fun and positive way! Register your student in one of the following sessions:

• Session 1-October 16- November 20
• Session 2- January 22-March 12
• Session 3- March 26- May 7

*Limit of 12 Students per session* * Registration Closes on October 8*

MON 9/30: COLOR YOUR WORLD DAY! WEAR YOUR FAVORITE COLORS OR TIE-DYE

TUES 10/1: EMBRACE DIFFERENCES DAY! WEAR CLOTHES INSIDE OUT, MISMATCHED, OR BACKWARDS

WED 10/2: KINDNESS DAY! WEAR YOUR FAVORITE HAT OR CRAZY HAIRSTYLE

THURS 10/3: CELEBRATE YOURSELF & OTHERS DAY! WEAR YOUR FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM JERSEY, HAT OR COLORS

FRI 10/4: COMFORT OTHERS DAY! WEAR PAJAMAS OR COMFY CLOTHES

Spiritwear is now available to be ordered year round! Please click below to visit the website and place your order today!

Any questions, contact Kathleen Kolb at kkolb@westgenesee.org.

Monday, September 30-Friday, October 4 - Spirit week

Tuesday, October 2- Author Visit- Stanley Tucker

Thursday, October 10 -PTO Meeting 6:00 pm, SR Library

Monday, October 7-18 P.A.R.P. Pick A Reading Partner

Monday, October 14-Columbus/Indigenous Peoples Day- NO SCHOOL

Thursday, October 17- Book Fair Family Night, 6:00-7:30 pm SR Art Room

Thursday, October 17- Friday, October 18- Scholastic Book Fair in School

Friday, October 18- Spirit Day- Recognizing Grade 4

Wednesday, October 23- Trunk or Treat 5:00-7:00 pm WGHS

Friday, October 25- Fall Dance- 5:30-7:00 pm