Snow Day Updates …

Two updates from Onondaga Road:

 The 4^th-5^th Grades Chorus & Orchestra Concert has been rescheduled for Wednesday, 12/17/14,  7:00 PM at West Genesee High School.

 Please plan to pick up your purchases from the PTA Cherrydale fundraiser sale at 3:00 - 6:00 on Thursday, 12/11.  In the event of a snow day or school closing on Thursday, the pick-up will be rescheduled for Monday, 12/15 at 3:00-6:00.

Onondaga Road December Blog

Onondaga Road Jump Rope Team

Our fifth grade Jump Rope Team put on quite a show at our November R2D2 assembly.  Students showed off their talents and various jump rope skills while onlookers watched in amazement!

Congratulations to the team and their coach, Mr. Lane, for a job well jumped!

 

Dunk Your Kicks!

Thanks to all who donated gently used sneakers to our Dunk Your Kicks donation drive.  Students are encouraged to bring sneakers that they may have outgrown from now through December 19.  For every pair of sneakers donated to the Max Cure Foundation, a recycler of affordable used clothing then donates funding to pediatric cancer research.  For more information, you are welcome to visit their website www.maxcure.org.  

Food Drive Continues 

 In an effort to make someone else’s holidays happy, we are accepting canned food donations for our Salvation Army Food Drive.  The bins are located in the Onondaga Road School lobby from November 17 through December 15.   Our community is always very giving and supportive, so thank you very much for your generosity.

‘Tis the Season…

The December calendar is busy.  Here are some OR updates:

Wed, 12/3 – 7:00 Board of Education Meeting
Mon, 12/8 – Grade 5 Multicultural Day
Wed, 12/10 – 7:00 at West Genesee High School – 4^th-5^th Grade Concert
Fri, 12/12 – Kindergarten gingerbread houses, 4^th grade Native American presentation
Mon, 12/15 – Last day to donate canned food for Salvation Army
Tues, 12/16 – CODE Lessons
Wed, 12/17 – 7:00 Board of Education Meeting
Fri, 12/19 – Holiday classroom parties, last day of school
12/22 through 1/2/15 – Winter Holiday Recess (no school)
Mon, 1/5 – Welcome back to school – Happy New Year! 

November happenings

November brings us to the beginning of the second marking quarter for the 2014-15 school year.   Report cards will be distributed to our students on Friday, November 14.  Please take some time to celebrate successes and to set goals as you move into the second quarter.  Students should be well into their study and reading routines, and as always, we encourage you to check your child’s backpack every day to partake in their daily school activities.

Congratulations to our fourth and fifth grade students who represented Onondaga Road at this year’s annual Spelling Bee.  These students work hard each and every day, and we are proud that they were able to represent our school:

• Sean Cipro
• Jon McDonald
• Colin O’Donnell
• Derek  Sweeney
• Caleb Williams

Each year as the holiday season approaches, our school community participates in a variety of Caring and Compassion Projects.  These are community service types of projects that allow our students to take part in giving back to various organizations in our local community.  Last year we participated in the Wounded Warrior Project as well as making ongoing donations to the local chapter of the Salvation Army.  Once again, we will join together to show caring and compassion to others in our community.  Watch for flyers to come home with your children about ways you can help!

WG  If you ordered any apparel from our PTA’s School Spirit Wear, you can pick them up in the main lobby of Onondaga Road School on Thursday, November 20, from 5:00-7:00 p.m. 

Important Dates to Remember:

• Tuesday, November 11 –Veterans’ Day (School is closed)
• Wednesday, November 12 – 6:30 p.m. PTA Meeting
• Friday, November 14 – Report Cards
• Wednesday, November 19 – 3:45 in the library - Fifth grade parents can preview the Growing Healthy videos which will be presented to students.  Watch for detailed information to come home in a fifth grade letter.
• Thursday, November 20 – 5:00-7:00 p.m. School Spirit Wear Pick-up
• Monday and Tuesday, November 24 and 25 – Parent –Teacher Conferences (both days are 11:30 half-day dismissals for all students)
• Wednesday – Friday, November 26-28 – School is closed for Thanksgiving Recess

Halloween Parade

   

Onondaga Road School Halloween Parade!
Friday, October 31, 2:00 p.m.

 We will run our normal, daily school schedule until 1:30.  Our parade will begin at 2:00 on Halloween Day. Please follow these important guidelines to make the day a safe and happy one for all of our children. 

• Please send your child’s costume to school in a bag.  Do not send your child to school in costume or wearing make-up. All scary, violent, bloody masks, weapons, spears or other dangerous accessories are not appropriate for school and must remain at home. Our youngest students can be frightened easily, and we want them to have a positive experience.
  
  
• Spectators for the parade will stand in the bus loop in front of the school. We will block that area from traffic.   Please do not stand on the sidewalk in front of the building, because the students will be parading the entire length of the sidewalk.  

• Halloween parties will be held in the classrooms after the parade. Only adults who are already designated helpers will be permitted into the classrooms during the parties, and those helpers must sign in at the main office and wear a visible visitor’s badge. Helpers are asked not to bring younger children. All treats should have a label so that they can be checked, as we have many students with allergies. 

• If you are a helper or plan dress up to attend the parade, please avoid wearing masks. Naturally, we must be able to recognize everyone who is interacting with our children. 

• Please encourage your child to ride the bus home. Minimizing the car traffic at the end of the day will help us get the children to their buses safely. Children will not wear their costumes on the buses but will have plenty of time and assistance to remove their costumes before dismissal. We will follow normal dismissal procedures. 

• As always, if you must pick up your child due to other appointments at any time, please be sure to sign him or her out in the main office.

Thank you, 

Jeannette Clark

       

A Few Onondaga Road Updates....

Spirit Wear
West Genesee Spirit Wear Online Store Special: FREE SHIPPING to Onondaga Road for orders placed between October 9 – 27, 2014. T-shirts, sweatshirts, sweatpants, shorts, jackets, bags, umbrellas, window paws, hats, water bottles, & more! Go to http://shop.company-store.net/ore/ and use a credit card for easy ordering!

Math Info Night
Thank you for coming to our Math & RTI Information Night!   If you have any questions regarding either topic, please feel free to contact your child’s teacher, our IS staff, or Mrs. Clark for more information. Click on the link below for our Math Instructional Videos for Parents:

http://www.westgenesee.org/District/District/District_ParentRes_CCLS_Math_Videos.cfm

Fire Safety

Our kindergarten friends participated in fire safety and awareness lessons.  The firefighters were here when we had a fire drill, so they watched us in action and commented on our best behavior and rule-following during the drill.

Book Fair & Reading Night

Our annual book fair will be held in school next week, October 20-23.  The book fair is open to all families the evening of Thursday, October 23 as part of our Reading Night.  Reading Night is Thursday,  5:30-7:00.  We’ll begin with a performance in the gym by Moreland the Magician (5:30-6:15), then tour the building with a reading passport to great adventures (6:15-7:00).

Half-day Dismissal Next Friday
Students will be dismissed at 11:30 on Friday, October 24.  Please plan accordingly for dismissal and childcare!  Teachers will take part in a variety of professional development opportunities for the afternoon.

Halloween

Detailed information about the parade and parties will be coming soon.  Remember when creating costumes that our Halloween celebrations include all ages, so no scary, bloody costumes or weapons, please!

A Look Ahead:  Fairmount Community Library
Syracuse Silver Knights Professional Indoor Soccer Team  MEET AND GREET at the Fairmount Community Library is Monday, November 10 at 5:00 p.m. Some of the players will visit, read and sign autographs. The Library is hosting a special library night at the Home Opener game November 21 at 7:30 p.m. …Stop in the library to pick up a special discounted ticket order form.

Dismissal Reminder: For the Safety of All!

Hello, OR Families –

Please take a few minutes to review our dismissal safety procedures.  Thank you for your support and or following these procedures to keep our children safe in school. 

Parents picking up students must enter through the main front doors.  Please do not follow classes in the back entrance from the playground. Parents are asked to arrive at school no earlier than 3:00 to begin signing students out at the Main Office.  Come in the main doors, come to the Main Office counter, and sign your child out using the “Sign Out” list provided.  Once you have signed your child out, please wait only in the main lobby near the front doors, and do not wander down the hallways or to the classrooms.

All classes are in full session until 3:10 p.m.  At 3:10, students and teachers are getting back to their own classrooms and are busily preparing for dismissal.

Children being picked up will be dismissed from their classrooms at 3:17.  At that time, students come to the main lobby to meet up with the person who has signed them out.  Please depart promptly at that time to alleviate congestion by the main door.  Help us to keep your children safe by clearing the main entrance so that students being dismissed to the buses are not walking through and among the adults in the main doorway.

At 3:20 our bus dismissal bell rings. All bus riders are then escorted by their teachers to the main door and out to the buses.  All of our buses leave school no later than 3:30.

Finally, all visitors at any other time during the school day must stop at the Main Office and sign in for a Visitor’s Badge.

Once again, thank you for your help while we take all precautions to keep your children safe at school.  Please call me if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Jeannette Clark
OR Principal

October Events

Hello, OR Families - 

Thank you for helping to make the opening of the school year go so well for our children.  It's hard to believe we have a month behind us already and we're well into the new year's routines. 

Please check out the following October events, and feel free to contact us with any questions.

Sincerely,
Jeannette Clark, OR Principal

Wednesday, 10/8/14, 10:00 a.m.  
Parent Volunteer Orientation - If you have volunteered to work in your child's classroom at any time throughout the school year, please join us for a brief orientation meeting in our library. Thanks to Michelle McMahon for helping to organize our volunteers.

Wednesday, 10/8/14, 5:30-6:30 p.m.
OR PTA Meeting in the library -  Thanks to our very active and involved PTA for helping to facilitate many wonderful school activities for the school year.  Please join us at any of our monthly meetings.  Also, see the PTA link on our school website for up-to-date information and an event calendar.

Wednesday, 10/8/14, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Math and RtI Information Night for Parents, grades K-5 - Watch for our flyer to come home with more information, and be sure to RSVP so we can be well prepared for you!  This night is for parents only. Children stay home, please.

Monday, 10/13/14
Columbus Day - Schools are closed.

Tuesday, 10/14/14, 8:20 a.m. 
OR Shared Decision Making Team meets to set goals for the 2014-15 school year.

Friday, 10/17/14
PTA sponsored Cherrydale fund-raiser begins.

Monday, 10/20 through Thursday, 10/23/14
PTA sponsored Scholastic Book Fair.  Students will visit the book fair during library classes, and we'll culminate the week with a fun-filled Reading Night for all.

Thursday, 10/23/14, 5:30-7:00 p.m.
PTA sponsored OR Reading Night - Come one, come all for an evening of fun-with-reading activities!

Friday, 10/24/14
Half-day dismissal for Staff Development - Students will be dismissed at 11:30 a.m.

Tuesday, 10/28/14
CODE lessons begin at all grade levels.  Students participate in age-appropriate CODE lessons and assemblies throughout the day. These lessons will take place four different times throughout the school year.

Friday, 10/31/14, 2:00 p.m.
Annual OR Halloween Parade and Classroom Parties - Watch for detailed information as the big day gets closer.

Welcome Back!

Welcome back, Onondaga Road School family and friends!  This looks to be an exciting and adventurous new year full of learning and community building.  

Our school district has moved from the SNN (School News Notification) system to a new PARENTLINK system as a means of communication.  Hopefully you have returned your “pink” emergency contact information sheet for each student.  This is our most current and up-to-date resource for getting ahold of you at any time.  We will make sure that the information you supply on those contact sheets is used as part of our PARENTLINK.  Texts, emails, and emergency notifications will be sent to the phones and emails that you provide us.  A PARENTLINK info sheet has already been sent home explaining how you can connect and stay connected!

Back to School Events Calendar for September

• Thursday, 9/4, 5:30-7:00 – Ice Cream Social – All are welcome!
• Thursday, 9/11, 6:00-6:30 – PTA in the library – Please join us!
• Thursday, 9/11, 6:30-7:30 – Open House, Meet the Teacher Night – Parents only.  No students, please!
• Tuesday, 9/16 – School Picture Day

Here are some important numbers you may want to keep handy:

• Transportation – 487-4576
• YMCA before and after school program –  474-6851 ext. 315 (Liz Horn, Supervisor)
• Onondaga Road School Nurse’s office – 487-4655 (Kathy Nason, Nurse)
• Onondaga Road School Main Office – 487-4653

We’re looking forward to a great school year.  Please let us know if we can help you in any way!

Sincerely, 

Jeannette Clark

OR Principal