Gananda Blue Panther Gazette
Weekly Newsletter of Gananda Central School District
September 21, 2020
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Parent Square
Gananda Central School District will begin using ParentSquare for school communication in the fall of 2020. ParentSquare allows us to communicate with email, text and app notifications. The platform automatically generates an account for each parent, using their preferred email address and phone number. We encourage parents to access their accounts so they can download the mobile app and update their preferences on when and how they are notified. Visit the Gananda website for more information.
Schoology
Did you know that you can find your child's daily assignments online? Log in to Schoology for your all-access parent pass. If you haven't already signed in, follow the instructions on the Gananda website.
COVID-19 Information Hub
COVID-19 has had a substantial impact on our lives in many ways and we are all continuously evolving to daily life changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. As we all experienced in the Spring of 2020, schools are just one of many areas in life that have had to be adjusted, and we continue to make adjustments for the 2020-2021 school year.
The COVID-19 Information Hub has been created as a one-stop source of information for our parents, students, staff, and community members. We will be continually updating the information contained in this area as we gain more insight throughout the 2020-2021 academic school year. You can access the COVID-19 Information Hub on the Gananda website.
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Welcome to the 2020-2021 school year! We are excited to have the students back and look forward to many great things ahead. We just wanted to share a few bits of information to help start the year off on the right foot.
1. On each of our individual school webpages, you will now find a link under the "Parents" heading entitled, Information Hub. This page will have all of the necessary documents to keep you organized throughout the year. Information includes items such as Color/Letter Day Schedules, Parent/Student Handbooks, Instructional Calendars, and more. Links to each Information Hub page can be found below:
2. We realize as parents there will be situations that arise where you may not know the best person to contact. Gananda Central School District has developed a Communication Road Map guide to address your questions and concerns quickly and effectively. The communication guide starts with the staff member closest to a situation, as that person usually has the most information, and moves up the chain from there. We recognize that at times additional personnel are required to resolve specific situations, but we encourage you to start with Step 1 to get your questions resolved in the most timely manner. Any and all questions from parents and residents regarding school matters are welcomed! Please note: this document is also located on each school's "Information Hub" page on the website.
3. Technology has become an important aspect in our lives and Gananda Central School District is no exception. Many of our resources for parents are also digital but we realize it can be confusing with so many different platforms. To help you navigate our digital world, we have created a Digital Cheat Sheet.
4. In keeping with our digital platforms, we also allow parents to report absences or request an early dismissal through a digital form on our school websites. If you need to report your student will be absent from school or will need to be dismissed early for an appointment, go to the school's website and go under the "Parents" heading and click on the Report Student Absence link. Links to each Student Absence page are also included below:
We hope this will help set everyone up for a successful school year!
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COVID-19 Weekly Health Screening Form
The Covid-19 Health Screening Form will be available to complete beginning at 7pm each Sunday evening on ParentSquare. Once it is available, you will see a "Complete Health Screening" link at the top of ParentSquare if you log in on your desktop and/or in in the app. Please complete this form by 10am each Monday. This only pertains to our students attending classes in person during the week.
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Remote Learning Material Pick-Up Thursdays
Reminder: All Chromebooks need to be fully charged when brought into school each day.
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#Outstanding
Thanks to the staff, administration, and students for making our first couple of weeks a huge success!
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Decision Making Guide: Can My Child Go To School Today?
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Helpful Documents
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Richard Mann Elementary is using a program called PikMyKid to help organize the school dismissal process and improve safety. This program is an app downloaded onto your smart phone.The app can be found in the app store and will allow you to notify the school of pick-up changes and authorize others to pick-up your child from school, alert you when your child has been picked up or sent home on the bus, as well as help organize the car line during pick-up.
The registration process is easy and we have included several resources below to help you understand how to use the application and assist you with the app. Please make sure when registering you use your personal current mobile phone number or the app will not allow you to access your child’s information; this is for security reasons.
If you do not think the school has your mobile number on file or if your child does not appear in your app’s home page, contact support@pikmykid.com after registration, with your child’s name, school, grade, and your updated contact information.
Anyone who will be picking up your child should also register with the application. Their screen will be blank and they will not have any authorization until you allow it within the app.
To learn more about how to use the PikMyKid App, be sure to watch the PikMyKid Parent Training Video.
For more information, go to the Gananda website.
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Reminder: Remember Your Water Bottle!
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Elementary School Picture Day
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Gananda Middle School has an Instagram Account!
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Reminder: Picture Days Tuesday and Wednesday!
Picture Day for our full remote students will be Wednesday, November 4 from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Ordering information will be posted when we get closer to the date.
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Gananda Dollars for Scholars News and Events
GDFS is Looking for Volunteers
GDFS is looking for volunteers. The group helps provide scholarships to many students in the district each year. Michelle Miller, GDFS President, explains why she started volunteering back in 2005 when her oldest was in 3rd grade. "I had won a Dollars for Scholars award from the Victor Italian American Club when I graduated from high school. Fast Forward 20 years, and then my kids were in school! I was volunteering for PIE (Partners in Education) here in Gananda and one of the moms asked me if I would be interested in volunteering for GDFS to help with fundraising etc. I said I would love to, having won a scholarship myself. It has felt so good to give back to the organization that raised money and had given me a scholarship that covered the cost of my books freshman year! I think GDFS is one of the most important organizations to get involved in here at Gananda. We Support Achievement and Reward Potential. I can't think of a better way to invest my time! Maybe you would like to as well!"
Upcoming 2020-21 Meeting dates
October 6th
November 3rd
All in-person meetings are being held in the HS Library at 7:00pm
Did you know that you can start gathering volunteer hours as soon as you leave 8th grade? Just download a volunteer log from the Gananda Dollars for Scholars webpage, and start recording your high school volunteer experience!
Amazon Smiles
Did you know that you can help GDFS by shopping online? If you use Amazon, you can help raise money for scholarships! Simply start off by going to AmazonSmile, and select Scholarship America, Gananda Dollars for Scholars as the organization you want to support. From then on, you just go to AmazonSmile to shop and you have access to the same site as Amazon or Amazon Prime. That's it! About 0.5% of your purchase before tax will be donated to GDFS.
Gananda Dollars for Scholars, Rewarding Achievement, Supporting Potential
About Us
Email: ganandapr@gananda.org
Website: www.gananda.org
Location: 1500 Dayspring Ridge, Walworth, NY, USA
Phone: (315)986-3521
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GanandaSchools/
Twitter: @WeAreGananda