Gananda Blue Panther Gazette

Weekly Newsletter of Gananda Central School District

September 18, 2019

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I heard....is it true?

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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REMINDER: Rules About Dogs on School Grounds

We love four legged friends but have rules in place to keep everyone safe. As a reminder, dogs are not allowed on school grounds during school events. We will allow dogs to be walked on school grounds during non-school and non-event hours, but they must be on a physical leash and you must clean up after your dog. Our goal is to keep both human and four legged friends safe!

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Did you know?
The parent/guardian is responsible to have medication delivered directly to the school in a properly labeled original container by an adult. Medications should not be transported daily to and from school, with limited exceptions. Parents/guardians should be advised to ask the pharmacist for two labeled containers if possible when filling the prescription -one for doses taken at home, and one for doses taken at school. This may require a provider order specifying for more than one metered dose inhaler or other forms of medication that cannot be divided into separate containers.

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Helpful Documents

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Grades 3-5 Parent Information Night

Grades 3-5 parent information night will be held on Thursday, September 19 at Richard Mann Elementary. We will have staggered start times for each grade level at this event. Please be conscious of your start time as we have limited space due to construction. The following are the start times for the open house:



Thursday, September 19 (Grades 3-5)

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

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Mark Your Calendar: New Elementary School Picture Day

Due to scheduling conflicts, the elementary school picture day is being moved to Monday, October 7. Order forms and additional information will be coming soon!
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Elementary Activity Night is Friday, September 20

Join the GRATS for a night of fun at Richard Mann Elementary from 7-9pm.
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A Reminder to Elementary School Parents


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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Gananda Middle School has an Instagram Account!

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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Middle School Activity Night

The Eighth Grade Class is sponsoring an activity this Friday, September 20 from 7:00-9:00pm. Admission is $5 and refreshments will be available to purchase.
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Middle School Picture Day

Reminder: Middle School Picture Day is tomorrow, Thursday, September 19! Order forms were recently sent home, however, 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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Out of the Darkness Walk

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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Save The Date - Financial Aid Night at Ruben A. Cirillo High School

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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Gananda's Homecoming Dance is September 28

Students in grades 9-12 are invited to attend the homecoming dance on Saturday, September 28 from 7-10pm at Ruben A. Cirillo High School. Tickets are on sale for $5. Pizza and soda will also be available. The dance is made possible by Ruben A. Cirillo High School Student Congress.
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Upcoming Can/Bottle Drive

Save the date and save your cans! The Gananda Girls Soccer program will be holding a can drive on October 12.

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.


Thank you for helping us keep the soccer program strong!

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Gananda Dollars for Scholars News and Events

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!

Amazon Smiles

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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2nd Annual Gananda Youth Lacrosse Golf Tournament

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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