Stonehedge News

Dear Stonehedge Families-

We are excited to welcome our students back for the first day of school on Wednesday, September 4th. The first day is definitely the most exciting day of the year. We will have all staff on hand to assist students as they enter the building.

As a reminder the school day is from 9:00 AM to 3:17 PM. Don't forget to discuss lunch options with your child(ren). Lunch is always exciting. Remember students order lunch in the morning, so if you can help them know what they'll be having it will help us tremendously. On Wednesday we'll have french toast sticks for lunch. (Yup, we are starting Day 1 with syrup!) See the menu on our website for the rest of the month.

Please be patient for the first few weeks as we get our arrival and dismissal procedures set. For those students riding the bus, be sure to be out at your stop 5-10 mins before the expected time. Typically, the buses run a bit late on the first day. Be sure to grab a family photos before the bus arrives. Regarding drop-off in the morning, do not drop-off students in front of the construction fencing. Please be sure to drop-off students along the sidewalk nearest the main entrance.

The safety of our students and school staff is most important to us. One of the ways we stay safe is by holding school safety drills. To help us practice and learn, we will be conducting evacuation drills next week. Before we practice a drill, we teach students and staff what they need to do. We talk about how the drill will be announced and we always inform students and staff that it is a drill. After the drills, students and families are encouraged to ask questions. Please talk to your child(ren) about the importance of these safety drills.

Five more sleeps until our first day! Enjoy your Labor Day Weekend.

Amanda

Stonehedge Main Office

phone: 315-487-4633

fax: 315-487-4699

email: stonehedgeoffice@westgenesee.org

Stonehedge Health Office

phone: 315-487-4636

fax: 315-487-4599

9/4 - First Day of School for Students

9/9 - PTA Spirit Wear Sale Begins

9/10 - PTA Welcome Back Meeting - 6:30pm - Library

9/10 - Beginner String Night (4th grade) - 7:00pm - WGHS Auditorium

9/11 - Curriculum Night

6:00pm- 6:30pm - UPK, K & 1 6:30pm - 7:00pm - 2nd, 3rd, & 4th

9/16 - Beginner Band Night (4th Grade) - 7:00pm - WGHS Auditorium

9/23 & 9/24 - Stonehedge Picture Days

10/1 - 10/3 - PTA Scholastic Book Fair - 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm - Blue Gym

On Wednesday, August 21, 2024 parents and guardians were sent an email from DoNotReplySchoolTool@westgenesee.org. This message gave parents, guardians, and caregivers access to Schooltool our student management system (SMS).

If you did not receive this email by August 22, 2024, please email your child(ren)s building and they will activate your account. Please be looking for future communication to help with how to access information in Schooltool.

East Hill: easthill@westgenesee.org

Split Rock: splitrock@westgenesee.org

Stonehedge: stonehedgeoffice@westgenesee.org

Onondaga Road:ononroad@westgenesee.org

West Genesee Intermediate: wgis@westgenesee.org

Camillus Middle: cms@westgenesee.org

West Genesee High School: wg@westgenesee.org

As we launch the ParentSquare Communications system over the rest of this month, please be on the lookout for more information to your email, text, and eventually to the ParentSquare mobile app!

• You should have received an electronic invitation to download the ParentSquare app to your phone and to activate your account. (You will also be able to access this information from your personal computer.) If you did not receive this invitation, please email publications@westgenesee.org ,and we will follow-up on sending that email.
• Review your contact information, and you may be asked to verify your information. Please feel free to make corrections as we will be notified and will update our Student Management System (Schooltool). After we update the the Student Management System (Schooltool) the correction will show in your account. If you have any questions, please contact centralregistrar@westgenesee.org
• Receive intermittent posts and information with tips on the use of ParentSquare. (See a tip below about adjusting your Notification Settings.)
• Receive a hard copy instructional page in the mid-August mailing that will come home from your home schools.

Click here to view a quick slide deck with introductory information about ParentSquare.

The ParentSquare application is used throughout the region in many school districts. We believe this will offer authentic communication capabilities within our school community with features that include: two-way translatable messaging; direct messaging with staff; sign-up forms for events (like field trips, parent conferences, etc.); and submittal of attendance notes directly via the app.

Note: Parents who work in other school districts that use the ParentSquare format will have the ability to combine accounts, if desired, for professional use and as a parent.

Please accept our continued thanks for your partnership with strong communication and relationships.

Users can fine-tune their notification settings for posts for each school and district. For General Announcements, you can select Digest, Instant, or choose to turn off notifications altogether (excluding emergency alerts and notices.) You can choose to receive email, text, and/or app notifications.

A secondary parent/guardian contact may want to turn off all notifications except for emergency alerts (This is particularly useful if their partner parent/guardian manages school-related daily activities).

ParentSquare allows users to customize their notifications by notification type and select their preferred delivery method for each school and district.

You can set the frequency of notifications for posts. The Instant setting will send all post notifications in real time. The Digest setting sends direct messages, alerts, and time-sensitive posts instantly, but sends all non-time-sensitive posts at the end of the day, reducing the number of notifications you receive daily. Note: we recommend the Digest setting.

Notification types include:

• Urgent Smart Alerts & Notices - urgent alerts, attendance notices, and auto notices marked as critical notices (cannot be disabled).

• General Announcements & Messages - posts, direct messages and reminders.

• School Alerts - smart alerts and other student notices.

Under General Announcements, you can select how often you want to receive notifications for posts. Select Off, Instant or Digest notifications.

• Off: no notifications about posts will be sent to you. Emergency Alerts and Notices will still be sent. School Alerts will still be sent if turned on.

• Instant: you'll receive an email and/or text and/or an app notification every time a notice or message is sent.

• Digest: you'll receive an email and/or text and/or an app notification once a day in the evening with all posts from that day.

The default setting is typically Digest, so that you receive all notices and post messages in one convenient notification once a day. All emergency notifications still come through instantly, and a school can override settings as needed for an urgent message. If you choose Instant notifications, and have multiple children in multiple schools, that can add up to a lot of messages.

How to Update Notifications on a Phone

Click here for a printable PDF.

How to Update Notifications on a Phone and/or a Web Browser:

Click here for a web article (Note: To see web article and video you will need to be logged in to ParentSquare.)

Here is a great video from ParentSquare to help you with the basics of navigating the ParentSquare app! (About 15 minutes long, but well worth the time…) Note: please pay special attention to messaging and posts. A few other features such as forms, permission slips and sign-ups will be coming after our initial launch.

We are pleased to inform you that West Genesee CSD will be implementing a meal certification option available to schools participating in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs for 2024-2025.

What does this mean for your child(ren)?

All students enrolled at West Genesee CSD are eligible to receive a healthy breakfast and lunch at school at no charge to your household each day of the 2024-2025 school year. A full meal must include a serving of a fruit or vegetable for breakfast and lunch. If a fruit or vegetable is not taken, the student will be charged a la carte for their meal. Milk is included as part of the free meal. Milk is also available for purchase.

No further action is required of you. Your child(ren) will be able to participate in these meal programs without having to pay a fee or submit an application.

If you have any further questions, please contact us at ecullen@westgenesee.org.

Erin's Angels is a local nonprofit organization focused on reducing food insecurity in Central New York. The West Genesee School District is fortunate to work with Erin's Angels to provide Power Packs to students who may benefit from bringing home snacks to eat during the weekend when they do not have access to breakfast and lunch at school. Power Packs consist of foods such as instant oatmeal, granola bars, applesauce, and fruit snacks. Last year Erin's Angels provided school counselors and health offices with over 150 power packs to distribute to students each week.

Please contact your child's school counselor if you are interested in having your child receive a Power Pack. If you would like to donate funds to support the Power Pack program, visit https://erinsangels.com/west-genesee-program.