Gananda Blue Panther Gazette

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Welcome to the 2019-2020 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:

• ES Information Hub
• MS Information Hub
• HS Information Hub

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 are now allowing parents to report absences through a digital form on our school websites. If you need to report your student will be absent from school, 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:

• ES Student Absence Form
• MS Student Absence Form
• HS Student Absence Form

5. Additionally, the Transportation Request Form is now also available in a digital format. If your home address changes, your pick-up or drop-off location changes or is different than your home address, you can fill out this form for our transportation office. This form is also located on the transportation page of our website.

We hope this will help set everyone up for a successful school year!

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Gananda Central School District recognizes the importance of communication with parents, community members, students and staff. While every effort is made to ensure that accurate information is shared, it is not uncommon for rumors or myths to be circulating throughout the community. As such, we have started a page on our website entitled, "Fact Checker Page." This page is dedicated to providing accurate information about GCSD. If you see or hear information about GCSD that you believe is inaccurate you can have it fact checked! Please send your contact information, the facts you would like checked, and where you found the information to Shannon Bergstresser, Public Relations Specialist, at: Sbergstresser@gananda.org. The first fact check: The turf field cannot be used for JV or Varsity Football Games. Is it true? Check out the answer on the Fact Checker Page!

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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, your instructions are below.

To access your parent account:

1. Go to www.schoology.com and select “Log In” in the top right hand corner. (Do not
select “Sign Up”
2. Select “Forgot your password”
3. Please enter the email address you have provided to us for contact
a. Check your email. You will receive an email at that address with the subject line: ”How to
Change Your Schoology Password”
b. Use the link provided in the email to setup your Schoology password. Click Submit to save your information
c. You can now login from the Schoology.com Log In button. If the system does not
recognize your email address, it will display a red “ Please enter a valid email address
message.” In this case, please contact your child’s school to change or correct your email
address in our system. Once the email address is corrected, it will take up to 24 hours for you to be able to login with the correct email address. After your email address is updated, now you will need to create and confirm your password by following the steps 1-3 above

For more information visit the Gananda Website.

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Don't be left in the cold waiting for the bus! Be sure to download the Here Comes The Bus app today! You can find out more information and directions to set up the app on our website.

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The Road to 2020 Capital Improvement project is in the final phases of completion. There will still be some work done throughout this fall including redoing the awning at the high school, fixing the walkways around the elementary school that were damaged during construction, changing some light fixtures, and bringing overall construction up to district standards. As with any construction project, there are always things that need to be fixed or touched up to get to the final finished product. One of the fixes that we will be bringing up to district standard is leveling the pool locker room floor. These final touches will all complete the Road to 2020.

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All Health All the Time...

Health Services webpage

Access forms (medication, attendance, sunscreen, etc. ), attendance, information on immunizations, NYS health screenings, NYS health updates and helpful links. Also information and link to Family ID for sports sign up.

Each school has their own site as well with specific information to that school aged child.

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The UPK parent information night will take place on Monday, September 16. The elementary parent information nights will be held onTuesday, September 17 and Thursday, September 19 at Richard Mann Elementary. We will have staggered start times for each grade level at these events. Please be conscious of your start time as we have limited space due to construction. The following are the start times for the open houses:

Monday, September 16 (UPK)

6:30pm - UPK 3's
7pm - UPK 4's

Tuesday, September 17 (Grades K-2)

6:30pm - Kindergarten
7:05pm - 1st Grade
7:40pm - 2nd Grade

Thursday, September 19 (Grades 3-5)

6:30pm - 3rd Grade
7:05pm- 4th Grade
7:40pm- 5th Grade

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Please remove all dangling toys from your child's ID (bus) tag and lanyard. Such objects are a safety concern when a child wears their lanyard or gets on or off a bus. Please find a different location for these small items.

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The middle school has created an Instagram account and you are invited to follow it! There will be photos posted regularly showing what the students are working on in class, along with other activities throughout the year. To follow us, scan the middle school nametag (The photo to the left of this story). If you are unsure how to do this follow these instructions: Go to your Instagram profile, tap on the three-line button in the top-right corner, and choose the Nametag tab. Then tap Scan a Nametag at the bottom of the screen and scan the nametag. Otherwise, you can just search Gananda_MS.

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Reminder: Middle School Picture Day will be next Thursday, September 19! Students will be coming home with an order form in the next day or two. If you would like to order online, you may do so at the Lifetouch website using the picture day ID: CM079031Y0.

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SOMHA (Student Organization for Mental Health Awareness) is sponsoring a Gananda Team to participate in the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention's (AFSP) "Out of the Darkness Walk." The event raises funds for the AFSP to prevent suicide in the US. The 5K walk will be held on September 22 at Monroe Community College from 1-4pm. Registration will be from 11-1pm at the campus. Students interested in participating are encouraged to attend a SOMHA meeting or follow the link posted on Schoology. Parents interested in participating can follow the link posted on Schoology.

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The counseling office is excited to host our annual Financial Aid Night on Thursday, September 26th at 7:00pm in the high school library. Mr. Joe Bailey, Director of Financial Aid at Genesee Community College, will conduct a presentation on all things related to financial aid for post-secondary education, including the ins-and-outs of the FAFSA, scholarships, grants, loans, filing deadlines and more! This presentation is one of the most important you can attend as a family as you prepare for the next chapter in your student’s educational life. PLEASE make every attempt to bring your student with you to this presentation - making an informed decision about college includes an awareness and understanding of the financial aid process and obligations. We look forward to a packed house!

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Save the date and save your cans! The Gananda Girls Soccer program will be holding can drives monthly through October.

Please help support our Gananda Girls Soccer program by leaving your empty cans and bottles in bags by 9am on your doorstep or driveway. The soccer athletes will be around to collect them. You can also drop your cans off at the elementary school from 9:00am-12:00pm.

Please see the remaining can drive dates below:

September 14

October 12

Thank you for helping us keep the soccer program strong!

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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!

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

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A great way to spend a beautiful September Saturday is a round of golf at Greystone to support our youth lacrosse program! You can enjoy a full day of lunch, golf, dinner, games and drinks or just come for dinner or sponsor a table or hole and just stop by to say hello.

DATE: Saturday, September 21, 2019

$40 per person - Dinner only

$100 per person - 18 holes of golf, lunch and dinner

$50 Table Sponsor - advertise your company name & logo at a dinner table

$100 Hole Sponsor - advertise your name/business name on the cart GPS at a hole

$500 Cart Sponsor - 2 golfers entrance fees, your name/business name advertised on golf carts

There will be much more fun in store:

· Raffles with great prizes

· Long Drive Challenge

· Closest to the Pin Challenge

· Hole in One Challenge on the Mini Island Green

· Ice cream sandwiches & pizza during the day

· & more!

To register or sponsor please contact:

Ann Michaels at amiller-michaels@merkel.com

Ken Strang at kstrang@markspizzeria.com

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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