District Update
October 14, 2024
A Message From Dr. Brown-Hall
Welcome to the District update!
Over the weekend, we had an incredible showing at UB as they hosted a District Spirit Day and Kids Day for their football game against Toledo! We are hoping to partner with UB again, as their men’s and women’s basketball seasons soon begin.
This week, is School Board Recognition Week. All nine members of the Board are volunteers. While we have our Board Meetings each month, there is a lot of time, energy, and effort put in by all Board Members to ensure student success. Our Board Members dedicate themselves to our students, families, faculty and staff on a daily basis. They are informative and responsive to our community – transparent and honest in their interactions with stakeholders. We appreciate their work in Williamsville.
Next, as the weather begins to change, we are once again entering cold and flu season. Whether your child walks, is dropped off or picked up by a friend or family member, or rides a bike or the bus, please be sure they are prepared for the weather each day. We don’t want our students to be unprotected from the elements as they arrive or leave school.
Along with that, the District will be hosting a family flu clinic on Monday, October 21st from 4:30 – 7:30 p.m. at Casey Middle School. If you and your family plan to attend, please schedule an appointment and bring your insurance card. Please also enter through door #10, which is located in the athletics parking lot between Casey and North High School. If you have any questions, please call 716-805-1020. An informational flyer was sent through WITS and is also available in the District and school building newsletters.
As we have shared over the past year, we are exploring School Start Times. Later this week, members of the School Start Time Committee, District administrators, and a member of the Board of Education, will participate in the National School Start Time and Adolescence Sleep Conference in Maryland. This is an opportunity for our District to learn from experts in the field, hear from schools across the country that have explored changing start times, the outcomes, and best practices.
Our School Start Time Focus Groups featuring parents, students, and employees will begin meeting later this month as well. We will provide updates as we keep our school community informed through this process.
As we near the end of this week’s update, I want to highlight two incredible accomplishments in our District.
First, last year, the Art team at North, piloted an animation program. This past weekend during the Buffalo Film Festival, “DMV” which is an animated short created by Williamsville North students, was selected and previewed! Zelda Abramovich, a senior at North, shared the importance of the arts and these programs during our last Board of Education meeting. I want to encourage our families and staff to watch her speech and their video, which is included in the newsletter.
On behalf of the District, I want to wish best of luck to East’s Aashi Parasure, who will be competing for Team USA at the World Kickboxing and Karate World Championships in Portugal at the end of the month. This is such as incredible accomplishment to compete on the international stage and we look forward to following her journey in the tournament. Her story is also included in the District newsletter!
Finally, this coming weekend, the Amherst Police Department will once again be hosting their 3rd annual Boo-tastic Halloween Bash. We have an incredible partnership with the Amherst Police Department and our School Resource Officers. This is a great way to learn more about APD, build relationships with local law enforcement, and a fun way to build community as well. If you plan to attend, grab me a Twix!
Please stay warm, continue to work hard, and have a great week.
