The Eagle Express
December 4th, 2017
From Your Plank South Leadership Team
Plank South Families,
Happy December!!! We've already had a great start to the month and this week is an exciting one with both our Holiday Shoppe and Poetry Day this week. Our one piece of brand new news is that our annual (required) Emergency Release Drill will be on Friday, December 22nd. The only change is that students and buses leave approximately 15 minutes early on that day. More information to come, but please mark your calendars.
Thanks so much to all of you are helping out with the events this month. As you'll see below in the PTSA section, there are lots of chances to help out. Also, please be sure to read the Board of Education update. An important study group is forming to explore potential changes in school-start times!
For the Calendar!
- Mon 12/4 – Thurs 12/7: Holiday Shoppe
- Wednesday 12/6, 6:30pm: Poetry Night
- Tuesday 12/12: School 17 Gift Wrapping 9:15am-12:00pm
- Wednesday 12/13: 5th Grade Winter Concert 7:00pm
- Monday 12/18: School 17 Gift Delivery
- Friday, 12/22: Emergency Release Drill, school ends 15 minutes early
- Tues 12/26 – Tues 1/2: Winter Recess
- Tuesday 1/9: PTSA Meeting 9:30am
- Thursday 1/11: Rollerskating – Grade 1
- Saturday 1/20: Movie Marathon Day
- Thursday 1/25: Literacy Night 6:30-8:00pm
Warm Regards,
Your Plank South Leadership Team
Scott Wilcox & Jen Sullivan
The 5th Grade Concert
5th grade families (and any of you who want to attend!),
Be sure to have your calendars marked for the 5th Grade Orchestra, Chorus, and Band concerts on Wednesday, December 13th at 7pm (a performance for the students will be in the morning during the school day). Reminder: Concert attire for both the morning assembly at school and in the evening is solid white tops with dark bottoms. Ladies may wear a long skirt or dress pants. It is preferred that gentlemen wear ties! Also, students need to bring both instruments and music to school during the day!
Follow Us!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PlankSouth
Monthly Lunch Menus! Food update: The chocolate chip mini pancakes scheduled for Tuesday, October 17 will be maple flavored!
From our Fabulous PTSA!!!
Hello Plank South Families! It’s hard to believe that we are closing in on the end of 2017. It has been a great school year so far and we can’t thank you enough for your support of the PTSA.
We wish you all the happiest of holidays and all the best in 2018!
Michelle, Jen, Kathy & Kelly
Your PTSA Steering Committee
Holiday Shoppe – December 4th – December 7th
The PTSA Annual Holiday Shop is open this week! The Holiday Shop is filled with gifts for the children to purchase for family, friends or loved ones...on a kid-friendly budget. The event will be held Monday, December 4th through Thursday, December 7th during lunch time.
Envelopes to help your child plan their shopping were sent home last week. If you did not receive an envelope, please contact one of the coordinators listed below.
Click here to view the schedule to know when your child will have the opportunity to shop.
If you can volunteer to help our young shoppers, please visit the sign-up here.
Coordinators:
Terri Gervaise tgervaise2@aol.com 610-413-7861
Lisa Zoladz ultralms@aol.com 585-764-0328
Michelle Lowe michelleloweptsa@gmail.com 585-353-0766
School 17 Gift Wrapping
Tuesday, December 12th, we will be wrapping all the gifts at the school from 9:15am to 12:00pm. Anyone interested in helping please sign up here or just show up at this time and bring your own scissors. Any time you have to give is appreciated!
Book Fair Thanks!
The Book Fair Parents would like to thank all the students, parents, teachers and staff who helped to make our Scholastic Book Fair a huge success! Thanks to your generosity we sold over $11,300 in books, earning our school over $2,600 to be used for author visits for our students. We also raised $136 in the “One for Books” campaign which Mrs. Bresin used to purchase books directly from the fair for our school library. Scholastic also matched that donation with 136 books for 2 agencies dedicated to improving children’s literacy. Thank you so much!
Have a great holiday and we’ll see you in the Spring for our “Buy One Get One Free” Book Fair. Happy Reading!
PTSA Meeting – Tuesday, January 9th at 9:30 am
We do not have a meeting scheduled during the busy month of December…but we look forward to seeing you at our next scheduled meeting in January!
Movie Marathon Day – Save the Date!
Save the Date!! Our PTSA Movie Marathon Day is coming up on Saturday, January 20th Doors open at 11am so grab your sleeping bags, bean bag chairs, pillows and pajamas for a fun afternoon with your family and friends. Movies, music, food, raffle prizes and memories to be made!! More details to come…
From the Board of Education, December 2017
- Follow us on Twitter: @WCSDProud
- @superwebstercsd (Superintendent Carmen Gumina)
- “LIKE” us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/WebsterCentralSchools
- Visit us on YouTube: www.youtube.com/WebsterSchoolsProud
SCHOOL START-TIME STUDY GROUP FORMING
As a district, we strive to educate the whole child in all that we do both inside and outside the classroom. Having recently reviewed information about students' sleep patterns in regard to physical and mental health, we asked Superintendent Carmen Gumina at our November 2 meeting to design a process and gather feedback that would explore the issue of start times for our students. We invite any of you who are interested in learning more to attend an initial Webster CSD Start-Time Study Group meeting on Tuesday, January 9, 2018, from 4:00 – 5:30 p.m. at the Webster Arboretum, 1700 Schlegel Road, Webster. We’ll hear from a University of Rochester researcher, local pediatrician, and district administrators during that initial meeting so you can begin to learn more. If you would be interested in attending, please RSVP by e-mailing Larry_Wahl@webstercsd.org. Mr. Wahl is WCSD’s coordinator of strategic initiatives and will be leading the group’s work.
This will not be a short-term study. If the group determines that changes in our district are necessary and possible, those changes wouldn’t take place until fall 2019 or 2020, however, it is important that we begin to research this critical issue for our students.
‘TIS THE SEASON FOR ONE WEBSTER MUSIC!
The festivities of the winter concert season are a wonderful way to gather with the One Webster community throughout all 11 buildings in the district. Chorus, band and orchestra ensembles in grades 4-12 have been preparing to share the ultimate demonstration of the skills they have acquired in the classroom through 29 separate performances spread out now through mid-January.
On behalf of the WCSD Music Department, we would like to invite the community to attend a performance or two, or more as you are able, in order to feel the connections made with students, teachers and families who support their music education. Find event dates and times on the district calendar at websterschools.org by clicking on the “Calendar & Events” hot button in the center of the website landing page, and then again on the “2017-18 CSD Music Calendar” link below the displayed district calendar (https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed…).
Our entire board wishes all Webster CSD families a joyful holiday season!
STAY CONNECTED WITH YOUR BOARD OF EDUCATION
You can stay connected and informed with your board’s latest televised meetings, agendas, and minutes by visiting http://www.websterschools.org/board. Be sure to join us for these upcoming meetings:
Thursday, December 7 - BOE Regular Meeting: Mindfulness (6:30 p.m., Spry Middle School auditorium, 2nd floor)
Wednesday, December 27 – Special Meeting, Superintendent’s office, District Offices (8:00 a.m., Spry Middle School, 3rd floor)
Thursday, January 11, 2018 – BOE Workshop: Long Range Financial Planning and Future Capital Projects (Time typically 6:30 p.m. – please refer to WCSD web site, websterschools.org, Conference Room B, District Offices, Spry Middle School, 3rd floor)
Free Throw Contest
Information about the local or subsequent events culminating in the National Finals in Chicago, IL on April 21, 2018 can be found at: https://www.elks.org/hoopshoot/
This is a great, free opportunity for anyone age 8-13 to test their skills in a fun competition if they are interested in the sport of basketball. Students will also get the opportunity to participate in the Knights of Columbus Free Throw Competition in January 2018.