GCCSD News and Updates - Jan. 2024
Dear Gates Chili School Community,
Welcome to the start of a promising new year!
As we step into 2024, I'm filled with gratitude for the dedication and enthusiasm of our students, families, faculty and staff. As a district, we are all filled with anticipation for the milestones and accomplishments that await thousands of Spartans this year. For our seniors, this is the year they've been waiting for the culmination of years of hard work, dedication and growth.
This month marks a fresh startβa chance to set new goals, embrace growth opportunities and celebrate the successes that lie ahead. Let's harness this momentum to inspire learning, compassion and positive contributions within our diverse school community. Let's make this year an exceptional one, filled with learning, growth and meaningful connections.
I look forward to the experiences and accomplishments that await us all in the months ahead. Wishing everyone a prosperous and fulfilling start to 2024!
Go Spartans!
Christopher J. Dailey
Superintendent of Schools
π From dough to decor!
Second-grade Dragons and their families had a fun afternoon constructing gingerbread houses, following a few weeks of students reading and comparing different gingerbread person stories.
πBuddying up for literacy success!
Armstrong primary students eagerly engage with their reading buddies in grades 4-5, forming connections over shared stories.
π€Stage set for verse vibrancy!
Fifth-grade Brasser Bears took part in a poetry slam live on stage as they read original and classic poems.
πΌA lunchtime musical treat!
The GCHS Show Choir brought warmth and festive spirit to the Monroe County Office Buildingβs lunchtime concert series filling the audience with festive cheer!
πSeasonal gesture spreads cheer!
The GCHS Service Club organized a heartwarming event, hosting a holiday food and gift pick-up, ensuring families felt the spirit of the season.
Thank you to those who came out to the Eclipse Fair held on Dec. 6! The event, hosted by the GCMS Outdoor Club Eclipse Ambassadors, featured student-led activities, crafts, snacks and more! More than 100 people came out β including channel 13! You can see their story here.
This month, the Outdoor Club at Gates Chili Middle School has important information to share about eclipse safety.
Attention Gates Chili community: It is imperative that you wear safety glasses when viewing the Solar Eclipse on April 8!
Did you know that the sun can burn your eyes if your eyes are not protected? In fact, looking directly at the sun can damage 99% of your eyesight resulting in permanent blindness. During the solar eclipse, be sure to wear viewing glasses to protect your eyes.
We know you may want to photograph this historic event, however, using a camera or telescope during the solar eclipse can make UV rays stronger and more dangerous. It is also important to note that you should not wear your solar eclipse viewing glasses while driving as this would be the same as driving blind.
The great news is that solar eclipse glasses will be available for all students and staff members. Weβll share more about that as the eclipse gets closer. For now, mark your calendars for April 8 at 3:20 p.m., which is the approximate time of the event!
The GCMS Outdoor Club was selected by the Rochester Museum and Science Center (RMSC) to serve as Community Eclipse Ambassadors ahead of the April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse in Rochester. Each month, a section of this newsletter will be dedicated to sharing student-curated resources, interesting facts, information and/or activities about eclipses.
What is something that you are good at?
Lea: Yo-yo, βcause I already know how to do it. You just put the middle finger in the circle and then you do this (demonstrates). You try to make sure you donβt go all the way down. Sometimes my yo-yo goes down to me, but I sometimes try again, and it works because if it goes down, Iβll make it go up and Iβll try again.
What one thing do you think makes a great friend?
Lea: Helping!
What do you love about being in kindergarten?
Lea: Doing writing. We do math, we write, we do morning meetings. We learned something about reindeer. That their antlers fall, and they grow new ones!
In response to the valuable feedback from our communication and satisfaction surveys over the past two years, Gates Chili is thrilled to announce a major upgrade that will positively impact communication with families.
Starting in the 2024-25 school year, the district is moving to ParentSquareβa powerful and user-friendly communication platform!
This move means that families will be able to keep track of news, activities and events from all their studentsβ schools in one place. This change is a result of your input, which has been instrumental in shaping our efforts to improve communication within the district.
No immediate action is needed on your part.
Staff will be working throughout the remainder of this school year to prepare for the launch of ParentSquare in the fall of 2024. The district is committed to a smooth transition and will share more information, guidance and resources in the coming months.
If you visited the main campus in December, you likely noticed upgraded signage at every turn!
Entrances to campus were renamed to include cardinal directions (north, west and south) and outfitted with new signs to help with clarity. Crews also installed wayfinding signs to direct people to points of interest and parking lot signs to help decipher the best place to park for those points of interest. Lastly, schools and buildings on main campus received new building signs.
The next phase of the districtβs signage project will include new signs at elementary schools.
This Friday is the last day to sign up to be a Gates Chili Budget Ambassador!
The district is again holding the Budget Ambassador program to gain valuable feedback in the budget development process. Ambassadors will review the preliminary 2024-25 budget as developed by the administration within parameters established by the Board of Education and recommend to the BOE any modifications they would like to see.
Ambassadors will commit to serve on a committee that meets for three (3) two-and-a-half- (2.5) hour evening sessions with the superintendent and assistant superintendent for business on the following dates and times:
- Thursday, March 7 at 6 p.m.
- Thursday, March 14 at 6 p.m.
- Thursday, March 21 at 6 p.m. (if a third meeting is needed)
No experience is necessary, but ambassadors must be residents of the district. A maximum of 15 ambassadors will be accepted into the program on a first-come-first-served basis. To apply to participate in this program, complete the form below by Friday, Jan. 5, 2024 at 5 p.m.
Get ready for the ultimate showdown: the world-famous Harlem Wizards face off against Gates Chili staff! Witness jaw-dropping dunks, epic plays and non-stop action.
WHEN: Friday, Jan 12. at 7 p.m.
WHERE: Spartan Field House at Gates Chili HS, 1 Spartan Way
WHY: To benefit the Gates Chili Education Foundation
Tickets are selling fast β grab yours today at gateschili.org/Wizards or by clicking the button below.
- Jan. 1: New Yearβs Day (District Closed)
- Jan. 1: Kwanzaa ends
- Jan. 5: MS Gr. 7-8 Social, 7 p.m., GCMS
- Jan. 7: Eastern Orthodox Christmas
- Jan. 9: BOE Mtg., 6:30 p.m., GCPLC
- Jan. 9: HS Winter Choral Concert, 7 p.m., GCPAC
- Jan. 10: MS Gr. 6 Band Concert, 7 p.m., GCPAC
- Jan. 12: Harlem Wizards vs. Gates Chili Spartans, 7 p.m., Spartan Field House
- Jan. 15: Martin Luther King Jr. Day (District Closed)
- Jan. 17: HS and MS Jazz Concert, 7 p.m., GCPAC
- Jan. 18: FB Band and Chorus Winter Concert, 7 p.m., GCPAC
- Jan. 19: GC Pride Day
- Jan. 23: BOE Mtg., 6:30 p.m., GCPLC
- Jan. 26: No School for Students in gr. 6-12 only
Instructional Positions:
- Job ID 972: Elementary General Education Teacher Grades K-6 (2024-25 school year)
- Job ID 969: Elementary Special Education Teacher (Gr. 6 for 2023-24 school year, gr. K-5 for 2024-25 school year)
- Job ID 970: Physical Education Teacher (2024-25 school year)
- Job ID 968: Science Teacher - Chemistry
- Job ID 703: Technology Teacher
- Job ID 928: School Psychologist
- Job ID 952: School Psychologist Intern (2024-25 school year)
- Job ID 956: Speech Language Pathologist
- Job ID 724: Substitute Teacher*
- Job ID 871: Building Substitute Teacher (2023-24 school year)
Non-Instructional Positions:
- Job ID 964: Security Supervisor - Provisional Appointment
- Job ID 965: Microcomputer Maintenance Technician
- Jon ID 967: Network Technician (Civil Service Competitive Position)
- Job ID 973: Data Analyst (Civil Service Competitive Position)
- Job ID 966: Fall - Varsity Football Head Coach
- Job ID 789: Lifeguard
- Job ID 747: Teacher Aide - School Aide
- Job ID 954: Food Service Helper
- Job ID 728: Hall Monitor/Cafeteria Monitor (Part-time)
- Job ID 750: Bus Attendant
- Job ID 749: Bus Driver
- Job ID 723: Substitute Support Staff
*The Gates Chili Board of Education approved new, increased
rates for instructional substitutes. Click here for details.
The Gates Chili Central School District is dedicated to fostering curiosity, growth, and diversity within our school community. The district celebrates and embraces differences and strives to dismantle exclusion, bias, racism, and prejudice of all forms.