Welcome to 2025!

The new year is an opportunity for us to reflect on the past year, while looking forward to new experiences and opportunities. I am looking forward to a year of collaboration, growth, and learning for our students, staff, and families!

• We show our friends and classmates we care by being kind and helpful.
• We listen to others and show empathy when they need support.
• We take care of our classroom and school environment as a way to show we care.
• We help each other succeed by offering encouragement and positive feedback.

• PreK: Frankie Reuter & Avery Sage
• Kindergarten: Layla Metz
• 1st Grade: Raelyn Yunker
• 2nd Grade: Emma Carpenter & Owen Kelly
• 3rd Grade: Olivia Eddy
• 4th Grade: Kalina Pionessa

As we prepared for the hustle and bustle of the holidays, it was a great time to discuss the importance of “caring” and how we can show others that we care about them. It was a great time to remember that sometimes that littlest things mean the most.

Along with our theme of caring for the month, the elementary school staff held a “give back day” where they were encouraged to bring in two non-perishable food items for the Blessing Box in the village. Our staff filled four boxes with donations for those in need!! Members of the Leadership Club helped to take the donations to the Blessing Box to share with our community.

With the help of our amazing volunteers and members of the Elementary PTG, we were once again able to host Santa’s Secret Shop. This is a great opportunity for our students to experience the excitement of giving gifts to their loved ones. The volunteers say the smiles, thoughtfulness, and excitement in the room make the hard work worthwhile!

Finally, what would December in the Elementary School be without a visit from the Grinch or Mr. & Mrs. Claus?! We had a sing a long, held our Annual Holiday Fun Day, and filled the stockings of our class buddies. The elementary school was a busy place this month, but the smiles and laughter made it all worth while!

Throughout the month of January, our Elementary School will be focusing on the character trait PERSEVERANCE! We will focus on the following ideas -

• We persevere by not giving up.

• We have the courage to keep trying.

• We practice and practice to overcome difficulties.

• Together, through our perseverance, we are always winners.

While perseverance is a tough word, but it is an idea we talk about - even with our youngest students!

Together with your family, you can identify examples of this characteristic in several different settings. At school, learners may practice tough math facts or sound out difficult words. Perseverance is all about doing things that may not come easy right away. At home this includes riding a bike, practicing sports skills, or learning a new craft. Last but not least, in the community, perseverance can mean trying out for a team or reaching out as a volunteer.

The link below, from Talking with Trees Books, may help you to talk about perseverance with your child.

Welcome to Miss Crowley’s Counseling Corner where every month I will include information, facts and tips regarding Mental Health.

The counseling office is excited to welcome everyone back to school for the start of the 2025 year!

As a reminder, please do not hesitate to reach out to the Counseling Department throughout the school year.

Email: acrowley@atticacsd.org

Phone: 585-591-0400 ext. 2105

Dojo: I am apart of your child’s class dojo, so feel free to send me a message

Also as a reminder:

Handle with Care

If your family is experiencing difficulties at home, I would like to provide some additional support at school. I understand you may not always be able to provide details, and that’s OK. If your child is coming to school after a difficult morning, night or weekend, please email me or dojo message me: “handle with care” and I will make it a priority to check in on them and touch base with the classroom teacher.

For the month of January while getting back into the swing of things let’s focus on routines!

As adult’s, routines become habit in our everyday lives and I know for myself, I thrive on a routine. Now don’t get me wrong, I love a break/vacation but after time off I recognize when my body and mind is ready to get back to a routine or sense of normalcy.

The same can be said for children. Some benefits for children having routines are self-confidence, social skills, emotional resilience, communication skills, brain development, adjusting to change and school performance.

Try using the Routine Tracker below at home to help with keeping routines, or make a checklist of your own!

Happy New Year!

Miss Crowley

“Be the reason someone feels welcomed, loved, heard, seen and supported today”

HAPPY NEW YEAR from the Attica PTG!

We're thrilled to kick off the new year with our first meeting of 2025 on January 14th at 6 pm in the Attica Elementary Library. We have an exciting lineup of events and activities planned for the next couple of months, and we can't wait to share them with you.

As we begin the new year, we'd like to take a moment to reflect on the wonderful events and accomplishments from the first half of the school year.

Highlights from our successful events include:

- Open House: We provided a convenient and affordable dinner option for many families.

- Santa's Workshop: Our elementary students enjoyed shopping for loved ones, and we're grateful for the volunteers who made this event possible.

- Teacher Appreciation Week (the week before break) : We partnered with Principal Bennett to show our appreciation for our dedicated teachers.

We're also excited to welcome our new PTG board members who took office end of November:

- President: Molly Kirsch

- Vice President: Sommer Zimmermann

- Secretary: Katie Kennedy

- Treasurer: Kristen Hess

- Co-Treasurer: Sarah Zajac

Thank you for your incredible support so far this year. We look forward to seeing you at our upcoming meeting on January 14th and making this year the best one yet!

*Make sure like our new Attica Elementary PTG Facebook to stay up to date on all things PTG*

As we hit cold and flu season full swing, we would like to remind you of our district policy surrounding illness:

Absences/Illnesses

-If your child will be absent or late for any reason, please call the Nurse’s Office.

-If your child is absent, he/she is required to bring in a written excuse and/or a doctor’s note on the day he/she returns to school.

Our District Policy states that you may not send your child to school if he/she has had:

• Fever/chills- may return to school when fever-free for 24 hours without use of medications

• Vomiting/Diarrhea- may return if no vomiting or diarrhea in the past 24 hours

• Strep throat - may return 24 hours after 1st dose of antibiotics, child has improved and fever-free as above

• “Pink Eye”- may return 24 hours after 1st dose of eye drops and eye has improved

Notifying the Nurse if your child has an illness allows us to keep track and to notify the parents that “someone” is ill, if necessary, and if they should monitor for particular symptoms.

If you have any questions or would like clarification regarding a situation, please do not hesitate to contact me! Thank you!

Melissa M. Dispenza

Attica Elementary School Nurse

585-591-0400 ext. 2238

Did you know January is “Potato Month?” To celebrate, our first taste test of the month will be Potato Salad! Encourage your student to give our potato salad, made with fresh NY potatoes, a try on Friday January 10th! Students will also enjoy oven fries, salt potatoes, and mashed potatoes on various dates this month.

Throughout the month students will enjoy different “build-a-day” stations on Tuesdays. On Thursdays, we will be serving meals prepared with locally sourced ingredients as part of our Farm-To-School Program.

As a reminder, students wishing to purchase ala-carte items, such as ice cream, cookies, or chips, must have a note to spend money on their accounts. Prepayment cash or check can be sent directly to the cafeteria to avoid paying the online convenience fee!

“Feeding Kids is a Work of Heart!”

Mrs. Kayla George

Elementary Cook

585-591-0400 ext. 2239

January 14 - PTG Meeting, 6pm in the Elementary Library

January 20 - No School, MLK Jr. Day

January 24 - Marking Period 2 ends

January 29 - No School, Lunar New Year

January 31 - Elementary Report Cards go home

TIES is a program which promotes the participation of children/young adults, attending Attica CSD with special needs in grade 3rd-22 years of age, in extracurricular and community activities by providing effective support through trained student volunteers.

Attica’s TIES Program continues to expand as the school year progresses. TIES participants and peer volunteers took part in Attica activities, including attending a football game and participating in a board game night at the elementary school.

In December, TIES participants had the opportunity to join a Holiday Singalong Class, offering a chance to connect with peers from across Western New York and the Finger Lakes Regions via Zoom. It was a wonderful opportunity to sing Holiday Songs together and have fun with online friends!

This inclusive program is designed for all students, promoting mutual learning and growth. The diversity among participants and peer volunteers deepens their understanding and appreciation of differences. “I had so much fun playing board games with some of the kids at the elementary school. It was really nice that I was able to help out and play alongside them.” – Attica TIES Peer Volunteer

Join us for a fun and welcoming TIES Meet and Greet with Bingo on January 22nd from 3:30 – 4:30 PM in the High School Library! This is a fantastic opportunity for families, participants, volunteers, and anyone interested in the TIES program to come together, meet new people, learn about the program, and enjoy a friendly game of Bingo. Whether you are new to the program or already involved, this event is about building connections and having fun!