Notes from Split Rock Elementary

This page provides thoughts and commentary from Matthew Kimpland, the Principal of Split Rock Elementary School in the West Genesee Central School District.

We’ve had a fantastic first few days back at school! Our students have done a wonderful job adjusting to school life, and we’re thrilled to see them embrace our routines and procedures. As we continue to reinforce our building-wide expectations; Be Present, Be Responsible, Be Respectful, Be Safe, we are focused on ensuring the safety and well-being of every student.

Next week, we’ll begin our emergency drills, including evacuation and lockdown procedures. Our teachers are excellent at guiding students through these drills, ensuring everyone feels comfortable and prepared. I encourage you to discuss these safety procedures with your child as we practice them next week.

After a busy start to the school year, I’m sure our Wildcats are ready for a restful weekend! We look forward to seeing all our parents/guardians at our Fall Curriculum/Title I Night on Wednesday, September 11!

BE AWESOME!

Mr. Kimpland

Our Wildcats were eager to start this week! Here are a few pictures of our first few days back.

Mark your calendars! Wednesday, September 11 Split Rock Elementary will be holding their Curriculum/Title I Night. This opportunity offers all parents/guardians valuable insights into their child's academic year and familiarizes you with the curriculum, teaching practices and expectations within the classroom! DON'T MISS IT!

Grades K-2: 6:00-6:30pm

Grades 3-4: 6:45-7:15pm

A shuttle will be available, as parking will be limited, at the Slavic Baptist Church. Shuttles will run from 5:50 pm -7:30 pm.

We are excited to introduce some wonderful new staff members who have joined our Wildcat family this year. We believe that your warm welcome will play a crucial role in helping them settle in and feel part of our community. We look forward to the positive impact they will have on our students and their learning experiences. Please join us in giving them a warm welcome!

Rachel Bucci (Special Education Teacher)

Linda Hammond (Nurse)

Bryanna Spaulding (Special Education Teacher)

LeeAnn Kendall (Building Substitute)

Ragin Hewitt (Special Education Teacher)

Melissa Card (Teaching Assistant)

Riley Abdou (Long-Term Substitute)

Kayleigh Hanlon (Early Literacy Teaching Assistant)

Sarah Kline (Teaching Assistant)

Caitlyn McIntyre (Long-Term Substitute)

Kelly Hougaboom (Teaching Assistant)

Jessica Zimmerman (Art Teacher)

Ajantha Patankar (Teaching Assistant

ARRIVAL PROCEDURES

9:00am Parent/Guardian Drop Off

• We will begin to release students from cars at 9:00am (unless needing breakfast 8:50).

• We encourage families not to begin the lineup any earlier than 8:45am.

• No parent drop-offs should occur before 9:00am as supervision of students does not begin until 9:00am.

LATE ARRIVAL PROCEDURES

After 9:05am all arrival supervision will be ended and a single point of entry (Main Entrance) will be in effect for the remainder of the school day. Therefore:

• A parent/guardian must check their child in at the Main Office.

• If there are buses still in the loop please be sure to follow all safety laws.

DISMISSAL PROCEDURES

• 3:17pm Bus Dismissal

• Once the child’s bus is called over the PA system the child will be dismissed.

• All buses (unless there is a conflict) are dismissed at the same time.

• If there happens to be a circumstance in which a bus is much later than usual a message will be sent to notify families.

• 3:15pm Student Pick-Up

• All student pick-ups will occur in the back lot through the line-up.

• Families will receive a car tag number which will correspond to their child’s number tag (on their bookbag).

• Please be sure the car tag is visible upon arrival, as this expedites the process of dismissing students.

If you need a car tag for parent/guardian pickup, please contact the Main Office!

Breakfast and lunch are free for all students this year. Snacks and ice cream are an additional cost.

• Chips $1.00
• Cookie $1.25
• Ice Cream $1.50
• Rice Krispie Treat $1.25
• Fruit Roll Up $1.00
• Milk $.75

For any and all information pertaining to breakfast and/or lunch, including the process of MySchoolBucks please visit the district's food service website!

Staying connected is key to ensuring a successful school year for our Wildcats. Here are a couple of important ways to stay in the loop:

• Check bookbags and folders nightly: Classroom teachers send home valuable information and communication through this method. We don't want you to miss out on any important updates, so please make it a habit to review these each evening.

• Get ParentSquare up and running: This platform is essential for receiving regular communication from both the classroom and the building. It’s also where you’ll get time-sensitive messages when needed. If you have any questions or concerns about ParentSquare, please email us at splitrock@westgenesee.org.

By staying connected, we can ensure a smooth and successful school year for everyone!

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.

*Due to the timing of establishing accounts for students after the start of the fall athletic season, fall coaches may continue with other formats during the fall season.

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.

Spiritwear is available to be ordered year round! Please click below to visit the website and place your order today!

Please donate any gently used spirit wear to Split Rock, so that all children have access to shirts. Keep your eye out for more information coming home with your child.

Any questions, contact Kathleen Kolb at kkolb@westgenesee.org.

9/4 - First Day of School for Students

9/10 - Beginner String Night - 7:00 pm - WGHS Auditorium

9/11 - Curriculum Night 6:00-7:15 pm

9/16 - Beginning Band Night- 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm WGHS Auditorium

9/17- SR PTO Meeting Split Rock Library- 6:00 – 7:00 pm

9/18- SR Picture Day

9/30 - 10/4- Spirit week