Weekly Greetings from OR!

Did you know that April is poetry month?  Next Thursday is the last day of April, and it's also National Poem in Your Pocket Day.  Please check out the Online Learning Portal on the West Genesee homepage next week, under the library section, to find out how you can make and share a video of yourself sharing your favorite poem!

Calling all incoming Kindergarteners... Do you have a child at home, or know of a neighbor, who will begin Kindergarten in the fall of 2020?  Be sure to register!  Here's how you can access Virtual Registration.  

Thank you to all of our amazing children and families for your continued efforts from home with online learning.  Feel free to reach out to me or any of your child's teachers if you have any questions regarding Google Classroom or the Online Learning Portal. 

Hello from Onondaga Road!

Extending the Learning Opportunities and Activities...Please be aware that in addition to your child's teachers' Google Classrooms, you and your family can access various opportunities on the West Genesee Online Learning Portal!  Weekly lessons and engaging activities for special areas including library, physical education, Positivity Project, counselor pages, and enrichment activities for art and music can be found on the learning portal.  Follow these simple steps to find the portal:

1. Go to the West Genesee District Website Homepage:   https://www.westgenesee.org/
2. In the center of the homepage, there is a large picture/banner which continually rotates to three pictures: (1) Food Distribution, (2) WG Updates re: Coronavirus, (3) WG Online Learning Portal
3. Click the WG Online Learning Portal picture.
4. Find the Table of Contents, and click "Elementary."
5. Voila!  Click on any grade level to find lots of activities!

Survey Says...
Two seniors at West Genesee High School have a favor to ask of our parents. They are members of the Odyssey Program, and one of the components of the program is to produce a research-based project for a panel presentation. With the current COVID-19 situation, they've chosen a project to explore how increased technology use is impacting the students in our community. If you could take a few minutes to complete this brief, nine-question survey, they would really appreciate your feedback. Thank you!

School Closings Update...
During a daily briefing regarding the state of the state, Governor Cuomo announced on Thursday that all schools in NY State are to extend school closings through May 15th.  Stay tuned for updates regarding school closings, but most importantly, stay healthy.

Hello, OR Families!

As you are likely aware, earlier this week NYS Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the continuation of school closings through April 29, 2020.  Following  "social distancing" guidelines, school properties (including playgrounds) will also remain closed through April 29.  We look forward to opening all of our facilities at a later date, when the environment is safer for everyone.  Stay tuned!

I hope you have been able to access new learning opportunities this week through each teacher's Google Classroom and the West Genesee Online Learning Portal.  I would like to formally thank our Onondaga Road staff, in conjunction with elementary schools across the district, for their dedication to first learning how to teach remotely, and then enthusiastically getting such learning opportunities out to our community.  Additionally, thank you, OR families, for your dedication in pursuing the learning and trying to manage some tricky schedules. You can look forward to new lessons each week. Please continue to reach out to me or any of your child's teachers if you need assistance in any way.

We miss seeing our kids, and we wonder if they miss us as much (Ha ha! Of course they do!).  We thought you might like to see us from afar... Thanks to Mrs. Phelan and her family for gathering photos and putting together this little slide show so we could share some smiles with you.  Enjoy!

https://ensemble.cnyric.org/Watch/WeMissYou

Spring Break - Change of Plans!

You may know by now that the plans for next week have changed a bit.  Governor Cuomo issued a new Executive Order which states that school districts must continue plans for alternative instructional options (as well as distribution of food) and "continue to first use any vacation or snow days remaining.” What this means for all of us is that we no longer have Spring Break as it had been scheduled on the school calendar. We will continue to provide remote instruction for all of our students.

This surely brings mixed emotions for many of you.  Some families will likely be happy that an instructional plan will be provided to keep children productive and engaged, and others were likely looking forward to a break.  I guess we will all need to continue to be flexible during these uncertain times!

Beginning next week your child will be directed to visit their teacher's Google Classroom for literacy and math instruction.  All other activities will be linked to the document through the West Genesee home page, on the portal. If you have any questions please contact your teacher directly, email me at jclark@westgenesee.org, or call the office and leave a message that will automatically go to me (315-487-4653).

A Note from OR PTA   
If you had placed an order through our Gertrude Hawk fundraiser, the delivery is expected April 8^th, and we are here to deliver!  Please send an email to wgorpta@westgenesee.org and include your name, the name on the order (if different), and your address for delivery.  Our caring volunteers will get it to you soon!
Many thanks to our parents who are making this great effort.

Positives for Your To-Do List
Hopefully you have come to realize the importance of keeping some sort of consistent schedule for your family while managing these days at home.  Getting up at your regular weekday time, sitting down to your meals, getting lessons and tasks done at scheduled times, exercising, and going to bed at your routine bedtime are all daily activities that keep us productive and structured.  Maybe you can sprinkle some positive to-dos on your list...

• Write a letter to a friend and mail it.
• Put away the electronics and play a board game.
• Try a new, healthy recipe.  Then make cookies!
• Listen to a podcast.
• Drink more water.
• Make a card for a neighbor and put it in their mailbox.
• Say something positive to everyone you see today.
• Ask others what they have been doing… and listen! 

Be well!