Eagle Express
September 9th, 2018
From Your Plank South Leadership Team
Plank South Families,
Thanks so much for a fabulous first week of school! Other than the normal process of working out the kinks in the timing of busing it was really an incredible week. For those of you who were able to attend one of our Curriculum Nights, you'll know that this year we are continuing to work toward Webster's Vision of being Compassionately Connected, Joyfully Engaged, and Always Learning with an even greater focus on practices to help ensure our students are all developing resilience.
One thing we noticed this week was even more time and effort spent in classrooms developing classroom culture and connections amongst our kids and teachers. This is important because it makes kids like school, but also important because when things get tough at some point (as they should!) those connections are one factor that helps our kids work through challenges, succeed, and develop the resilience we all need throughout life! One way we are doing this is through the consistent practice of Morning Meetings to start the day in all classrooms, though really the developing of connections is something that can happen all day every day!
For those of you who are new we put out this weekly newsletter to make sure you are up-to-speed on what is happening around Plank South and Webster. Below are some highlights in this week's newsletter:
- Upcoming PTSA events, including the very important "Save Around Town" fund-raiser that is our one fund-raiser this year. Even selling one book makes a big difference!
- Pick-up and drop-off procedures (nothing new, but important to review!).
- An overview of our new breakfast program (open to anyone who wants to participate any day and $ comes from MySchoolBucks accounts).
- The monthly letter from the WCSD Board of Education.
- Lots and lots of flyers!
We hope you all had a great first week and we look forward to our first full week of school with your children!
Warm regards,
Your Plank South Leadership Team,
Scott Wilcox & Jen Sullivan
From the PTSA
From your Plank South PTSA, welcome back to our returning families. And to our new families, welcome to Plank South Elementary! We hope you all enjoyed the fun filled summer days, and that you are looking forward for another exciting and successful school year.
The beginning of the school year is a busy time for all of us. In the coming weeks, you will be receiving a lot of information and it can be difficult to keep up! There are many ways, however, to stay informed about school and PTSA happenings and events. You can…
• Like us on Facebook
• Sign up for text reminders by texting @psptsa to 81010
• Join our email list here
• Visit the Plank South PTSA website
We are looking forward to meeting everyone that would like to get involved with our PTSA this school year!
First PTSA Meeting – Thursday, 9/13 at 7:00 PM
Please join us for our first PTSA meeting of the year! This meeting will be held in the Cafeteria (instead of the Think Tank Room, as previously advertised). Attending PTSA meetings is a great way to keep up with what’s happening at our school from the PTSA perspective, hear from the Board of Education and our school administration. It’s also where your voice can be heard! We hope you can join us.
“Save Around Town – Rochester” Coupon Book Sales Are Coming!
Your child (or youngest child, if you have more than one student at Plank South) will come home next week with an order envelope and a coupon book for our fall fundraiser coupon book sale. Time to get those sales going!
This fundraiser is the PTSA’s ONLY fundraiser and the proceeds allow us to fund most of our activities throughout the year.
Many organizations offer this coupon book so please get the word out to your family and friends as early as possible. You might not know that we can also sell coupon books for other cities!
There are some great prizes being offered for our top sellers!
If you have any questions regarding the Coupon Books, please email Nicole Mau (nmau@rochester.rr.com) or Lisa Hilfiker (dhilfiker@frontiernet.net).
Field Trip T-Shirts – Forms Due Wednesday, 9/19
This year the PTSA has started a new program based on the recommendation of your children’s teachers. We are providing Plank South t-shirts to be worn on field trip days. The field trip t-shirts will help teachers keep our kids together and safe by giving our kids a uniform look, allowing them to be easily identified.
Kindergarten – 4th grade students only, please complete the order form that was sent home in your child(ren)’s back pack. 5th grade students did not receive this form and will receive the traditional 5th grade shirt which should be worn on field trip days.
If you need an order form or additional information, please click here.
Plank South Spirit Wear Sale 9/24/18 – 10/5/18
Show your school spirit by purchasing a Plank South T-Shirt, Sweatshirt, Sweats, Water Bottle and more featuring our logo. This sale is NOT a fundraiser, but is a great way to show our Plank South School Spirit. Look for more information and an order form to come home on Monday, 9/24.
Current Volunteer Opportunities
- Kindergarten Lunchroom Helpers – can you help our newest students navigate the our lunch room? If you are not a Kindergarten Parent, click here. (We will open this up to Kindergarten parents in October.)
- Look for volunteer invitations soon for the 4th Grade Fun Run and 5th Grade Orienteering.
- We have open positions on the steering committee and for coordinator positions. Click here for more information.
Upcoming Events
- Monday, 9/10 – Fall Fundraiser begins
- Thursday, 9/13 – PTSA Meeting 7:00pm
- Monday, 9/24 – Spirit Wear sale begins
- Thursday, 9/27 - BOX TOPS & Tyson A+ Collection Day
- Friday, 9/28 - 4th Grade Fun Run at North Ponds Park (Rain Date 10/4)
Pick-up and Drop-off Procedures!
- Start of school day (also when students exit the buses): 8:50am
- End of school day (when the buses leave): 3:20pm
Parent Pick-up & Drop-off
- Student Pick-up: To pick up your child you will need photo ID. Please send in a note to school with your child so we can plan accordingly. If a note did not get sent with your student we ask that you inform us of any changes that need to be made in the morning. Parent pick-up is at 3:09. This allows us to safely get students connected with families before the rest of the school goes out to the buses.
- Student Drop-off (along median): Students may be dropped off between 8:45 and 8:50am. It is best if parents pull up as far as possible along with sidewalk and “drop and go” so we can keep the traffic flow moving. We will have someone at the cross-walk to assist children in getting from cars into school safely. If dropping off after 9:00, please park in the parking lot and walk your student into the main office to sign him/her in for the day.
- Bus Loop Parkers Beware! Do NOT enter the bus loop from 7:40-8:10 AM, 8:35-9:10 AM & 2:50-3:25 PM. If you park in the loop during these times it is likely that you will get blocked in by buses!
We have Breakfast!
We are very happy to begin offering a school breakfast program to students at Plank South Elementary School. The program will begin on the first day of school, Tuesday, September 4, 2018, and is available to all students every day. If your student qualifies for the free or reduced price lunch program, they automatically qualify for the same level of benefits for the breakfast program. For all other students breakfast is paid for out of your child’s MySchoolBucks account that is also used for lunch.
The cost of breakfast will be $1.75 or free for students that qualify for free or reduced priced meals. A variety of meal choices will be offered including, cereal, hot breakfast sandwiches, yogurt, fruit, juices and milk.
Breakfast will be served starting 8:45am Monday through Friday, starting the first day of school. Students that want to participate in the program will ride their regular bus in the morning. We will let students who are buying breakfast off the bus early so they can get breakfast and then proceed to their classroom and eat there.
If you have any questions specific to the breakfast program, please contact Mark Balfour at Mark_Balfour@webstercsd.org or 670-5105.
From the WCSD Board of Education, September 2018
Tammy Gurowski, President tgurowski@webstercsd.org
DeWitt Road ES Liaison/Spry MS/Willink MS/Webster Schroeder HS/Webster Thomas HS Liaison
Linda Dioguardi, Vice President ldioguardi@webstercsd.org
Plank Road South ES Liaison
Sue Casey scasey@webstercsd.org
Schlegel Road ES Liaison
Dave Metzger dmetzger@webstercsd.org
Plank Road North ES Liaison/Spry MS/Willink MS/Webster Schroeder HS/Webster Thomas HS Liaison
Jan Strege jstrege@webstercsd.org
Klem Road North ES Liaison
Mike Suffoletto msuffoletto@webstercsd.org
Klem Road South ES/Spry MS/Willink MS/Webster Schroeder HS/Webster Thomas HS Liaison
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
Welcome Back, One Webster!
On behalf of the entire Webster Central School District Board of Education, welcome back to school! Tuesday, September 4 began what is sure to be an exciting school year for our One Webster community! We also welcome back Tammy Gurowski as our new president and Linda Dioguardi as our new vice president. Many thanks to Mike Gustin, board member since June 2013, who recently resigned due to personal and professional commitments. Your board will explore options to fill the remainder of Mr. Gustin’s term which runs through June 2019.
During his annual opening Superintendent’s Conference, Superintendent Gumina identified a new way of looking at the foundational “3 Rs” associated with education. Traditionally, we have thought of the 3 Rs as Reading, ‘Riting, and ‘Rithmetic. Mr. Gumina shared a message with the entire One Webster faculty and staff about our district’s perspective on building on those foundational 3 Rs for this school year through our Relationships, Resilience, and Reflection. Those three Rs are the fulfilling byproducts of what our district accomplishes together, guided by our vision, “Compassionately Connected, Joyfully Engaged, Always Learning”. (Of course, we will still be engaged in plenty of reading, writing, and arithmetic, too!)
We can’t wait to visit with so many of you at each of your school families throughout the year. If you ever have any questions, comments, or suggestions for your board of education, be sure to reach out to your school’s 2018-19 liaison (Liaisons are noted above in the BOE directory. State Road ES will be covered by current members on a rotating basis).
Webster CSD Announces School Start Time Change for FALL 2019
During our August 14 meeting, your board of education approved the district’s proposal to change start times for our elementary and secondary students (to approximately 8:45 a.m.-3:15 p.m. for secondary schools and 7:45 a.m.-2:10 p.m. for elementary schools with all times plus or minus five minutes), effective ONE YEAR FROM NOW, in fall 2019. This timeline allows us to spend the next 12 months communicating the details of this positive change for our One Webster community. For more information, please CLICK HERE. In addition, we will have a new website to share in the coming weeks with even more information and frequently asked questions about this important change for WCSD.
Capital Improvement Project Announced
Also during our August 14 meeting, a newly proposed capital improvement project was discussed that will be up for a vote by our Webster CSD community later this year. The proposed $69.5 million capital project will focus on improvements that will make a difference to our entire One Webster community, and further strengthen our continued partnership with the Town of Webster. Included in this proposal are state-of-the-art media centers at all elementary schools, Willink Middle School, and Webster Schroeder High School. There are also proposed renovations to the technology education wing at Webster Thomas High School, improvements to playing fields at both high schools, and the purchase of the Town of Webster’s field at Basket Road. WCSD’s transportation center will also see improvements and expansion as part of this proposed project. We will continue to update you on this project throughout fall 2018.
2018-19 Tax Rates Approved
WCSD’s Board of Education approved the 2018-19 tax rates as presented by Assistant Superintendent for Business Brian Freeman during the August 14 regular board meeting. The approved, final tax rates for WCSD are below:
Additionally, the equalization ratio, as determined by New York State, changed for the Towns of Webster (86.5% to 81.5%), Penfield (100% to 95%), and Walworth (100% to 98%). These changes impacted the rates for all four towns located in the district.
Be sure to read this monthly column from your board of education shared in school newsletters throughout the year. We look forward to serving our students, families, faculty, and staff once again this year!