Seneca School

Dear Families,

First, a big shout-out to all third-graders who participated in their first state level reading test this week! We are super proud of their hard work and know they will make you proud on their math tests next week. too!

I hope you are finding time with your family to enjoy the start of some warmer days as they bring many opportunities for walks, early spring bike rides and playdates on the playground. At school, our students are enjoying more time outside during recess, albeit still in bulky coats! The end of the school year is almost upon us, and I encourage you to look below at our Upcoming Events listed for your planning purposes.

As we head into the last months of schools, I want to let you know about the summer plan for your child’s laptop and some of the processes to support your child as they transition to the next grade level.

Summer Plans for Devices

Where possible, students will keep their laptops (and chargers) over the summer, giving them continued access to educational and enrichment materials (such as online books) while school is out. The exception will be current kindergarten students. Students completing kindergarten this June will leave their devices and chargers in their classrooms at the end of the school year and receive a new device through a central deployment process at the start of first grade. Kindergarten students participating in Extended School Year or Summer Lab programs will use loaner devices to support their work in these programs.

Students completing first, second and third grade will keep their laptops and chargers until the end of fourth grade (including summers). Any students leaving the district at the end of the school year can turn in their laptop/charger at their building on the last day of school. Students leaving the district over the summer can turn in their laptops/charger at District Office, 321 List Avenue, prior to August 30, 2025.

Processes to Support Transitions to the Next Grade

Across our district, K-3 teachers and staff have a variety of ways to support and transition students to the next grade level. While transitions from kindergarten to first grade and third grade to fourth are quite structured, informal and formal transitions occur for all students toward the end of each school year. The following points describe specific transition process by grade:

· First, second and third-grade teachers work together to either visit various grade-level classrooms or have students visit their upcoming classroom. During these visits, teachers often deliberately seek out and talk with students from the lower grade that they may have in their class the following year.

· Third graders in each neighborhood school will have an opportunity to either visit Rogers Middle School or Iroquois Middle School via an in-person tour. Preparations for this visit usually include writing questions in advance for fourth-grade staff and students. The comprehensive visit usually includes viewing a video of classrooms as well as informal meet-and-greets with fourth-grade staff members. Students will learn about various clubs and other formal school activities, homework expectations and lockers.

As the end of the school year draws near, I look forward to celebrating this special time with you and your child.

In partnership,

Alicia Spitz, Principal

Secretary: Connie Iglewski | connie_iglewski@westiron.monroe.edu

Main office: 585-336-1620
Health office: 585-336-1628

Fax: 585-336-1621

Transportation: 585-336-2992 | Website

District Office: 585-342-5500

District website: westirondequoit.org

Email: connie_iglewski@westiron.monroe.edu
Website: https://seneca.westirondequoit.org/
Location: 4143 Saint Paul Boulevard, Rochester, NY, USA
Phone: 585-336-1620
X/Twitter: @Spitzy19

SENECA FULL CALENDAR

May

2-6: NYS Grade 3 ELA Make Up

5-9: Staff Appreciation Week

7-8: NYS Grade 3 Math Assessment

12-14: NYS Grade 3 Math Assessment Make Up

13: PTSA Candidates' Night, 6:30 PM at IHS

20:District Vote & Board of Education Election (more details)

26: NO SCHOOL- Memorial Day

June

6: PTSA Carnival 5:30 PM

10: Third Grade Culture Fair 9:00 AM

11: Kickball game

13: Flag Day 10:30 AM

19: NO SCHOOL- Observe Juneteenth

20: Kindergarten Celebration 1:30 PM

23: 3rd Grade Recognition 1:00 PM

24: Sports Day

25: Last Day of School (1/2 day release @ 11:30 AM)

NEW: Click banner above to see the 2025-26 school calendar!

If your child is going to be late or absent from school, please call or email the office by 9 a.m. each morning of the absence.

If a student is changing their dismissal/pick up routine, please send in a note that morning or call before 12:00 p.m. Call (585) 336-1620 or email: connie_iglewski@westiron.monroe.edu

The District Vote is Tuesday, May 20th and there are four separate referendums to consider:

• District Budget for the 2025-26 school year

• Proposition #1 – Maintenance Capital Project (read in The Quote)

• Proposition #2 -- Capital Reserves (read in The Quote)

• Board of Education election (3 candidates for 2 seats)

You will find more information in The Quote newsletter, which will arrive in mailboxes the week of May 5th. There are links on our website to Budget presentations. You also are welcome to attend our School Budget Hearing, 7 PM on Thursday, May 8th. This year’s Maintenance Capital Project would fund renovations at Briarwood Elementary.

Read the bios of the BOE candidates on our website. WICPTSA’s Candidates’ Night Tuesday, May 13th in the small cafeteria at IHS.

Miss Dettorre and Ms. Putman's first grade class had a special visitor! A student's dad, Mr. Wasson, is a firefighter in the city and the class has been learning about community helpers in their Humanities unit. Mr. Wasson came in to explain how he helps the community, showed the students his equipment, and answered lots of questions. The kids LOVED it and it was so special for Nolan to have his dad here.

Our K-6 Physical Education staff teaches lessons specifically designed to give students essential knowledge and skills to safely navigate the world on foot. In a town that is as “walkable” as ours, we feel this is critical. Our pedestrian safety lessons are designed to help teach students to be responsible and make smart, informed decisions to stay safe while walking in neighborhoods and beyond. Here are some points you can reinforce with your child at home:

• See and be seen; don’t stand where a motorist may not see you

• Stop, look and listen before crossing

• Obey pedestrian traffic signs and signals

• Follow directions of the crossing guard directions

This Sunday, May 4th is West Irondequoit Day at Innovative Field and the Rochester Red Wings are offering a ticket discount to our families! Tickets are $14 and available at this link. The Wings take on the Lehigh Valley IronPigs at 1:05 p.m. The deadline to purchase is 10:05 a.m. on May 4th. Need help purchasing? Email CJ at cscroger@redwingsbaseball.com

Parents/guardians,

Do you:

• Have a new cell/work phone number or email?

• Switched phone carriers recently?

• Need to update your emergency contacts?

Please keep us informed of any changes to numbers or emergency contact info. Update it directly in the Infinite Campus Portal or send a note with your child.

WHY YOUR MOBILE NUMBER IS CRITICAL

Our system does NOT default if you have just one field filled (Home/Work/Mobile). Best practice: Whatever number you receive calls on, put that in the HOME field; for text messages, put that number in the MOBILE field even if the same number.

If your mobile number is not in the correct field, you will not receive text messages from our school/district for emergencies (such as school closings in winter months).