Eagle Express
January 1st, 2019
From the Plank South Leadership Team
Happy New Year!!!!
We hope you had a wonderful break and enjoyed the extra time with family and friends over the past week! January is always our favorite week of learning of the year. There is always a strong sense of purpose and focus this month from our kids this month and it is always a joy to see the level of engagement at the start of the new year!
Below are a few things for your calendar over the next couple of months:
- Monday, January 21st: No School for Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- Family Literacy Night will be on Thursday, January 24th, 6:30-8pm. See flyer below!
- PTSA will be sponsoring a Night at the Knighthawks on Saturday, February 2nd. More info to come in the new year.
Happy New Year!
Your Plank South Leadership Team,
Scott Wilcox & Jen Sullivan
From the Board of Education, January 2019
F R O M T H E B O A R D O F E D U C A T I O N
J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 9
Tammy Gurowski, President tgurowski@webstercsd.org
Linda Dioguardi, Vice President ldioguardi@webstercsd.org
Sue Casey scasey@webstercsd.org
Dave Metzger dmetzger@webstercsd.org
Maria Rigillo mrigillo@webstercsd.org
Jan Strege jstrege@webstercsd.org
Mike Suffoletto msuffoletto@webstercsd.org
One Webster Community Approves Capital Improvement Project!
We want to thank the One Webster community for heading to the polls on Tuesday, December 11 and APPROVING the district’s capital improvement project by a more than 2:1 margin! The final vote tally was 1,595 (68%) YES and 763 (32%) NO.
The $69.5 million project is focused on community wellness, safety and security, and infrastructure integrity and touches all 11 school buildings and the transportation department’s headquarters -- truly transforming our district for generations of WCSD students to come! The project includes new state-of-the-art libraries/media centers at all elementary schools, Willink Middle School, and Webster Schroeder HS. There will also be substantial renovations to the Webster Thomas HS technology education wing, district-wide safety and security upgrades, and playing field improvements at both high schools, to name just a few highlights.
On behalf of the entire board of education, thank you for making your voice heard regarding this transformative project. We look forward to sharing details of the project’s progress in the months and years to come.
We also wish all WCSD families a Happy New Year! Check back often for important board updates throughout 2019.
WCSD Announces WonderCare Before and After School Childcare Program
WCSD is pleased to announce the opening of WonderCare, the district's new before and after school childcare program. WonderCare will open its doors in September 2019 at each of WCSD’s seven elementary schools and will be available to all WCSD-enrolled kindergarten through sixth grade students.
WonderCare has been established in an ongoing effort to ease the transition for families as the district prepares to shift to an earlier start time for elementary schools in fall 2019. New start times for elementary schools will be 7:45 a.m.-2:15 p.m., and 8:45 a.m. - 3:15 p.m. for secondary schools (middle and high schools), with all times plus or minus five minutes.
WonderCare will provide an outstanding part-time, full-time, or drop-in program for WCSD elementary and sixth grade families seeking childcare at a reasonable rate. The program includes caring, experienced directors and staff members with an onsite coordinator at every elementary building. All elements of WonderCare programming will support WCSD’s curriculum and provide even more worthwhile educational experiences for our students. As with all public education programs, WonderCare will be overseen by the New York State Education Department.
WonderCare will serve as an option for families seeking before and after school childcare programming for the 2019-20 school year. Enrollment packets will be available beginning in January 2019.
Please visit our new WonderCare webpage for more information about the program, including pricing structure and FAQs. Should you have any questions, please contact wondercare@webstercsd.org or call 216-0017.
Stay Informed With Your Board of Education Throughout the New Year!
Please stay updated and informed on your board’s activities by visiting our website. There you’ll find agendas, minutes, and even the latest meetings, which run live (and taped) on WETV, Spectrum Cable Channel 1301, and streamed live via the board’s web page.
The One Webster community is encouraged to attend upcoming board meetings:
Thursday, January 10 - BOE Workshop: Long Range Financial Outlook/Update on Capital Projects (time typically 6:30 p.m. – please refer to WCSD website, websterschools.org, Conference Room B, District Offices, 3rd floor of Spry Middle School)
Thursday, January 17 - BOE Regular Meeting: Humanities - Seal Bi-literacy or Diversity (6:30 p.m., Spry Middle School auditorium, 2nd floor)
Yoga Club Is Back And Better Than Ever!
Join us for a yoga session in the gymnasium. Yoga Club will meet from Wednesdays from 3:30PM-4:15 PM.
- Grades 3-5 will meet on January 9th, January 23, February 6th, and February 27th.
- Grades K-2 will meet on January 16th,January 30th, February 13, and March 6th.
The cost is $4.00 per session and an invoice will be sent home in your children’s folder once they are registered. All payments must be January 4th or your child will be removed from the roster.
Kids should wear comfortable clothes and bring a water bottle. Mats will be provided but feel free to bring your own if you have one. Spots are limited so sign up early. Sign up is now available at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/409094CAEAA28AAFE3-plank
Any questions please email Gretchen at gbushdds@yahoo.com.
Free Photography Workshop!
Click here to register 1st and 2nd graders
Click here to register 3rd, 4th and 5th graders
If you have any questions please contact Sue Ball (for 3rd, 4th and 5th graders) at sball002@yahoo.com or Jennifer Lega (for 1st and 2nd graders) atjennifer.lega@gmail.com.
Oak Tree Award Nominations!!
Co-Sponsored by the Webster Teachers' Association (WTA) and the Webster Central PTSA, the Oak Tree Award recognition program is an annual award that is designed to recognize teacher excellence in Webster Central Schools.
Any Webster resident or district employee, current or former student, parent, teacher, or administrative colleague may nominate a teacher for the Elementary or Secondary Teacher of the Year Oak Tree Award. Here is a link to the nomination form!
Award nominees must meet the following criteria:
* Currently teaching in a full-time position in Webster Central Schools
* Have a minimum of 5 years teaching experience in Webster Central Schools
* Plan to continue to teach the next school year in, or retire from Webster Central Schools
* Be a member of both the Webster Central PTSA and the Webster Teachers' Association
Teacher nominees who meet these criteria will receive an Oak Tree Award Application and directions for completing the application process.