Notes from Onondaga Road

Dear Onondaga Road Families,

The Solar Eclipse of 2024 was a wonderful learning opportunity for our students and I hope the memories of the day will be something they will remember for years to come. Many classes read books together and created models to help students understand the reason for the eclipse. Students learned about why special protective glasses are needed, the different types of eclipses, and how often they occur. It was a great teachable moment and it was great to see students engaged in the various activities.

We are noticing more and more signs of Spring here at Onondaga Road. Besides the great artwork on display and plants starting to sprout in classrooms, we have started our practice of safety drills. Officer Charlie and the classroom teachers have reviewed the procedures for the various drills with classes. Practicing these drills helps to ensure a smooth response in the event of an emergency and provides us with an opportunity to fine-tune our procedures.

Next week our 3rd and 4th graders will be taking the NYS ELA Assessment. These tests will take place on Wednesday, April 17th, and Thursday, April 18th. Having a healthy breakfast and getting a good night’s sleep will help to ensure that students are ready for the tests and will be able to demonstrate their learning.

Thank you for your continued support and please do not hesitate to reach out to me with any concerns or questions that you may have.

Respectfully,

Michelle Collier

See our Onondaga Road students in action!

Students creating diagrams to help understand the solar eclipse.

Students learn about needing protective glasses for the eclipse.

There are many signs of Spring around school.

Our Food Service wanted to remind families to have discussions with students about what they are purchasing for lunch. Our District offers free breakfast and lunch for all students, but if students would like to get extra snacks or ice cream those are items that will need to be purchased. Also, sometimes students will purchase snacks and share them with their friends. While we love to see this generosity in our students, we want to make sure that families are aware of the potential costs with this.

The PTA has had a great year and is getting ready for end of the year events including the Olympics, End of the Year Picnic and special events planned for the graduating fourth graders! Please consider volunteering for these events by signing up via the Onondaga Road Elementary School PTA page on Facebook once sign ups are posted. More information about the PTA’s End of the Year Picnic will be coming home in May, and in keeping with years’ past this is the only PTA event that charges admission of $2 per person, with a maximum of $10 per family.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Gertrude Hawk fundraiser, which raised just over $10,000 towards next year’s PTA budget.

Join us for the next PTA meetings on May 2nd at 6:00 pm in the Library.

There are a couple of reminders that Officer Charlie and I wanted to share with parents who pick up their students at dismissal time. We ask that parents remain in their cars while they wait for their students to exit the building. We will only load students into cars at the sidewalk areas. If you are not next to the sidewalk, we ask that you wait until we can pull the next round of cars up to the sidewalk before your student gets in the car. These procedures will help to keep things moving along to help prevent traffic backing up and will ensure the safety of our students.

Also, please remember to send in a note or call the main office if you are planning to pick your student up from school. We know things happen and plans change unexpectedly, but informing the office of your dismissal plans will help the school ensure that we can quickly have your student ready for you.

The District Calendar for the 2024-2025 school year was approved by the Board of Education at their meeting on March 6, 2024.

The calendar is now available on the website by clicking here: https://www.westgenesee.org/o/wgcsd/page/calendarsor directly at https://5il.co/2g6gf.

Kindergarten Registration for the 2024-2025 school year is now open through March 31, 2024.

Watch for registration information on the Central Registration webpage. If you have any questions, email the Central Registrar at centralregistrar@westgenesee.org, or call Central Registration at (315) 487-4683.

When registering, parents should be prepared to upload the following:

• Two proofs of residency (i.e. mortgage or property statement or signed lease agreement, utility bill )
• proof of child's age

A physical examination and proof of immunizations are also required for entry into kindergarten and a dental certificate is requested for entry into kindergarten. These examinations should be done up to one year prior to the first day of school. Children who enter kindergarten this fall must be five years of age on or before December 1, 2024.

To access the most updated health requirements click here.

• April 17 & 18 - NYS ELA Assessments for Grades 3 and 4
• April 22 - 26 - Spring Break (school not in session)
• May 2 - PTA meeting at 6:00 p.m.
• May 8 - Grades 3 and 4 Chorus Concert at WGHS Auditorium at 7:00 p.m.