A Bit O’
Green in the Air!
This Friday, March 10, we’ll be
wearing traditional St. Patrick’s green and welcoming a performance by the
Irish step dancers from Francis Academy of Irish Dance. Thanks to our Onondaga Road PTA for
supporting the traditional assembly this week, as our students will not have
school on March 17.
Trip to Hospital Land
Our first graders will be visiting Hospital Land on March 13, 14, 15. This gives
our little ones the opportunity to see what it is like at the hospital, learn
about who works at the hospital and what they do, and gain an understanding of
the purpose for the hospital in the greater community.
Fourth Annual Science Fair
Hopefully students from grades 3, 4, 5 have their science projects and
experiments well under way! Our Science
Fair is just around the corner, Thursday,
March 16, 2017 at 6:00-8:00. Come
one, come all to experience the wonders of science!
March
17 Staff Development Day
Students will not have school on Friday,
March 17, since this is full day of professional development for
staff. All staff will be engaged in professional
learning. Please remember to make your
child care arrangements for that day if you have not already done so.
Music in Our Schools Month
This month our third graders, our youngest chorus members, will perform their
first ever concert! The third grade
concert will take place in our Onondaga Road School gym at 7:00 on Thursday, March 23. They will perform a preview of that concert
for their school friends that afternoon.
Looking Ahead…
Onondaga Road student art work, from grades K-5, will be displayed at Maxwell
Memorial Library from April 11 through
April 22. Please visit the library
to see our display!
A Note about Educating for Character
Many of you have been school guests as your children perform concerts or teach
lessons about universal, enduring character traits during our monthly
schoolwide assemblies. Our assemblies are
always well attended, but I wonder if we are truly engaged in understanding the
meaning behind these monthly gatherings.
Let me explain a little…
As part of the greater West Genesee Central School District community, Onondaga
Road students partake in learning, practicing and applying what it means to be
of strong character.
We focus upon a different theme each month, like this:
September – Responsibility
October – Respect
November – Thankfulness and Being Grateful
December – Caring and Compassion
January – Perseverance
February – Honesty and Trust
March – Patience and Acceptance
April – Citizenship
May – Kindness and Courtesy
June – Cooperation
I am confident that our children can explain the meaning of
these character traits and can give you many examples of each. As a parent, a teacher, and an administrator,
I am also confident that you would expect that your child demonstrate such
characteristics, and continue to grow and learn about what it means to be of
strong character.
At school, we take our roles in educating your children very
seriously; we try to model and mold positive character traits and to hold your
children to high expectations, as you do.
We learn from our mistakes, and most importantly, we take care of one
another, even when mistakes are made.
In sharing this with you, it is my hope that you will take
the time at home to discuss regularly with your child the importance of being
respectful and responsible, and being kind and compassionate toward one
another. Focus this month on patience
and acceptance, and what those words really mean and look like in action. Please continue to help us help your children
understand the true meaning behind our monthly character assemblies, and then
hold high expectations for great citizenship.
Together, we really can make a difference!
