English Village Family Edition

A MESSAGE FROM OUR PRINCIPALS:

Greetings, EV Families!

We hope that you are all staying healthy and were able to enjoy the weekend.

This week’s theme for our message is in regards to gratitude. We know that we have written about gratitude before, but feel that it is critical to mention this topic from time to time. Mindset is important and has a great influence on our mood and day to day functioning and happiness.

It is easy and part of human nature to veer towards the negative side of things. However, with a little bit of effort and purpose, we can shift our minds to focusing on the positive side of things and learn to be more grateful, even for the everyday, simple things.

We have been working on doing more frequently lately as we navigated through this challenging part of the school year.

So…we challenge everyone to take a few minutes to stop and think about who and what you have in your life and show gratitude. Maybe even work to appreciate the smaller things in life.

The fact that we get to work with and impact the development and growth of your children is a huge privilege in and of itself. For that we are deeply grateful.

We also want you to know that we possess a deep sense of gratitude for you all and what you do at home to support our work here at EV every day. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Take care, be well, and have a great week!

Sincerely,

Jason Lewis

Rosa Bellone

Car Drop Off and Pick Up Reminder

Car Drop Off and Pick Up Reminder: Thank you all for your cooperation and support with car line. Here are a few reminders...

Morning Drop-Off:

Please:

Pull up as far as possible (edge of the curb) in the lane closest to the sidewalk/school in the car circle (East circle)
Wait in your car until 8:40 am when the cafeteria doors are opened for arrival by EV staff
Allow your child to exit the car and walk into our building independently. ***Please note that only students are allowed to enter our school through the cafeteria entrance. Absolutely no family members or any other adults will be allowed to enter there due to safety precautions
Promptly pull ahead/exit so that other families are able to drop their children off in a timely manner

Afternoon Pick-Up:

Please:

Pull into our car loop and get into line
Pull up as far as possible in the lane that closest to the sidewalk/building
Make sure to have your picture ID ready to show a staff member
The use of the Pikmykid app is highly recommended and will help the process to go more smoothly for all
You will be checked in by a staff member. ***Students will be put in line to be dismissed in the order that parents arrive
Do not exit your car at any time to retrieve your child. Your child will be brought to your car by an EV staff member in the order that you arrive once you are alongside the sidewalk
Do not approach the cafeteria doors to retrieve your child as he/she will be brought to you at your car
Do not leave your car unattended in the car loop
Once your child is in your car please pull ahead and exit the car loop when it is safe to do so

4/7/25-4/11/25: EV Cultural Week

4/11/25: PTA Fundraiser Pickup - 11:30am - 4:30pm

4/14/25 - 4/18/25: Spring Recess No School Prek-12

4/25/25: Parent Teacher Conference Day 1/2 Day K-8, AM PREK Only

4/26/25: Community Schools Spring Fest 11-1:30pm at Arcadia Middle School

4/28/25: Books and Bingo 6:30-8pm

5/8/25: EV PTA Meeting at 6:30pm (25/26 Executive Board Nominations)

English Village Breaking News

English Village Morning Announcements

Please check out this weeks important information in the student lead morning announcements:

The Book Fair is Coming!

We are excited to have the scholastic book fair at our school from 4/25-5/2. More information will be coming soon regarding times and shopping. We need family volunteers to make this a success, please consider signing up to volunteer with the fair, set up and clean up here.

Upcoming Events

A Letter from our PE Student Teacher

Little Bears in Action

We Focus on Habit #6 - Synergize

This week we had our Beary Good Kid Assembly. We celebrated our award recipients for Habit #6 to Synergize. These students work together, they listen to other students ideas and use teamwork.

Working Together on Suffixes

Students in 1st Grade worked together on learning suffixes. They are also working on reading comprehension and writing a summary paragraph.

Bring on Spring!

Students have been talking about seasons and doing Spring worksheets. These activities combine coloring, cutting, gluing and writing. They also worked on counting some flowers this week.

English Village students in our Bilingual Classrooms are working on reading and writing in Spanish. They have been learning new words in Spanish every day and their vocabulary is expanding.

Upcoming Community School Events

GCSD Summer Camp Registration begins Monday April 7th

We are excited to announce that registration for Greece Central’s summer programs opens on Monday, April 7! We have linked our Summer Program Booklet, where you’ll find a variety of engaging opportunities for students, most of which are free of charge. We encourage you to review the options and register as soon as possible, as spots are limited and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

How to Register

We will once again be using the Grouptrail online registration system. To sign up:

Click this link to access Grouptrail.
Enter the same email address where you received this message. (Using a different email will prevent access.)
Grouptrail will send you a one-time-use link (valid for 15 minutes) to access the registration portal.
Select and register for the programs available to your child(ren).

If you have trouble logging in, please call 966-2911 for assistance.

Important Dates

Registration opens: Monday, April 7
Some programs have a registration deadline of May 16 – be sure to sign up early!

If you’d prefer a paper copy of the Summer Program Booklet, please contact your child’s school.

Thank you, and we look forward to a fun-filled summer!

Community School Information

A Note About After School Clubs

As a reminder pick up for after school club is 4:25pm from door 15.

Community Schools Corner

Neighborhood Navigation Center - Click here to learn how our GCSD Navigation Center can provide support and services to your family

PTA Updates

Staff Appreciation week is coming up in May. We are going to be hosting our Annual Gift Card Raffle. PTA Bylaws prohibit PTA from buying Gift Cards. So we are asking for your assistance in donating Gift Cards so that we can have a successful event. Please sign up here to donate, gift cards are due by 5/2/25.

Please join us at the PTA meeting on 5/8/25 where we will be discussing the rest of the school year as well as holding nominations for the 25/26 Executive Board.

Thank you for doing your part to make our fundraiser a success! We raised a total of $4,123.50. We also achieved our goal and will be Pieing Mr. Lewis! Hooray!

Some information from the March Meeting

- We will be hosting a Books and Bingo Night on 4/28. This will be the Scholastic Book Fair BOGO night as well as Fun Bingo and prizes from Community Schools.

- Our Annual Kids Invite Someone Special(KISS) Breakfast will be held on May 14th and 15th. More info coming soon!

- We are pleased to announce that we are planning our Annual Carnival for June. More info on this in next week's SMORE!

Any questions/concerns can be emailed to evpta800@gmail.com

GCSD District News

Let's Talk Tech: A Virtual, Open Discussion for Parents and Guardians is an upcoming virtual event for GCSD parents and guardians of K-12 students. This monthly Lunch and Learn series will focus on parenting in the digital age and topics that families are navigating including online safety, digital wellness, screen time, the mental health impacts of technology, and so on. It is an open discussion format, encouraging participation from attendees. Space is limited so register today: https://bit.ly/GCSDLetsTalkTech!

Join Children and Screens for the #AskTheExperts webinar “Technical Interference: Screens and the Parent-Child Relationship” on Wednesday, April 9 at 12:00pm. A panel of psychologists and researchers will share the latest evidence on how digital media use can affect parent/child dynamics. Learn helpful tips on how to strengthen this important bond in an increasingly digital world.

Register here!

Expert panelists will explore:

Technoference–what it is, and how it can impact attachment and parent-child relationships in infancy and toddlerhood.
How digital media affects parent-adolescent relationships.
The impact of parental guilt and stress over digital media use on parent-child relationships

A Message from our Mindfulness Team

Mindfulness Nature Check In - Getting outside in nature boosts physical health, focus, creativity, and emotional well-being. Outdoor learning enhances problem-solving skills and deepens environmental awareness. Please reach out to Andrea Antonetty if you would like her to bring your students outside for a mindfulness nature based lesson to celebrate Earth Day.

The Rochester Alternative Baseball League is a non-profit organization that exposes people ages 15 and up, who may not otherwise be able to participate, to the sport of baseball. Team practices take place on Sundays from 1-3 pm at Carter Park in Greece. Players can register here at any time or choose to attend Open House practices for all on May 18th and June 15th.

Every1Camp is a free sports camp for students with intellectual or physical disabilities located in East Rochester. The camp program is staffed by NYSED certified Physical Education teachers specializing in Adapted Physical Education and offers children and families a safe and fun-filled day. Click here to register, and click here for an informational video about Every1Camp.

Kidscare Summer Program Information

KidsCare Summer Program - The KidsCare Summer Program will be held at Autumn Lane Elementary again this summer from July 7 - August 15 from 7:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. The cost is $215 per week. Enrollment opens April 1st through My School Bucks. This year's theme is Choose Your Own Adventure! Be sure to register at msbactivities.com and reserve your spot!

GTA TEACHER HIRING EVENT

The GTA Teacher Hiring Event will be held at the Transportation and Support Services Facility (located at 1790 Latta Road) on Wednesday, April 23, 2025 from 3:30-5:30 PM. Teachers from all certification areas that are interested in teaching in Greece are encouraged to stop in to participate in open interviews. Check out the Teacher Hiring Event Flyer for more information.

April has been designated as National Child Abuse Prevention Month (CAPM) to highlight the critical importance of families and communities collaborating to prevent child abuse and neglect. This dedicated month serves as a reminder that safeguarding our children is a collective responsibility, and everyone has a role to play.
Each year, MBF develops a Child Abuse Prevention Month Toolkit as a resource to promote child safety in your school and community. The toolkit was developed to assist schools in educating and increasing awareness to help keep kids safe. The toolkit includes: