Wheatland-Chili Central Schools

 Wheatland-Chili Central
Schools
Electronic Newsletter
November 1, 2013
Third Graders Get Ready to Race
What is a group of objects that interact or work together called? A system. The third graders have been
learning about and building their own systems. Using some background knowledge and investigative
skills, they were able to put together a wooden spool, a rubber band, a stir
stick, a straw, and a washer to create a system called a Spoolmobile. When
their Spoolmobile was complete and tested, they discovered it didn’t always go
in the intended direction. So, it was back to the drawing board to change a
variable and try again. Finally, their Spoolmobiles were
ready to race. All students in Mrs. Morrison’s and Mrs.
Ayers’ classes competed in the big race held in the
cafeteria. It was a close race among the top three winning
Spoolmobiles. They each traveled a distance of about 30
feet. Congratulations to all of the creative racers.
T. J. Connor Students Buddy Up for Reading
Students at T. J. Connor are sharing their love of reading with each other.
Students in first and fourth grades just started a monthly "Reading Buddies"
program where each fourth-grade class is buddied up with a first-grade class to
read and/or listen to reading. Additionally, Mrs. Merritt’s and Mrs. Hotaling’s
classes buddied up to share some stories and do a project
related to the book. There’s nothing like a good buddy
and a book.
T. J. Connor Storytellers Entertain in
Front of the Fireplace
The T. J. Connor Storytellers held their 6th Annual Firelight
Performance at Johnson Park on Friday, October 25. Standing in
front of the fire, fourth and fifth graders told stories both scary and
hilarious, and entertained the many friends and family members who
attended. The storytellers were happy to see some of their teachers,
as well as, Mrs. Wright, Ms. Kannel, and even Mrs. Broman at the
event. The community support means a lot to the club.
1 Wheatland-Chili National Honor Society Helps Out at Sigl
Walk
On October 27, the National Honor Society participated in the Al Sigl
Community Walk About at Eastview Mall. People from all over the Rochester
community came out to fundraise and trick-or-treat in the comfort of the
mall. There were over 1,500 walkers and more than
$100,000 was raised. Our National Honor Society
students dressed in costume and handed out
candy treats to the participants. You can see
more pictures from the event at the Al Sigl Walk
About FaceBook page. A special thanks goes out
to Mrs. Montrois for advising the group and
spending time with our students on a Sunday.
Students See Legal System in Action
This past Tuesday, the Criminal Law class toured the County Office Building in downtown
Rochester. Students observed both misdemeanor and criminal
arraignments, drug court, and a criminal trial. Various
connections were made between what students are learning in
their class and real world application during the trip. Several of
the judges paused their cases to discuss the legal system with
students and describe the roles and job descriptions of everyone in
the courtroom. It was a great experience for all those who
attended. We appreciate both Mr. Glass and Mr. Melville attending
the field trip with our students.
High School Student Receives Recognition from Merit
Program
We wanted to take a moment to congratulate Matt Lawton for being named a Commended
Student in the 2014 National Merit Scholarship Program. A Letter of Commendation from the
school and the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), which
conducts the program, was presented to Matt that recognized him as
a scholastically talented student. Commended Students placed among
the top five percent of more than 1.5 million students who entered
the 2014 competition by taking the 2012 Preliminary SAT/National
Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). We appreciate
Matt’s hard work and dedication to his academics and look forward to
working with him over the course of his time here at Wheatland-Chili
CSD.
Students Lend a Hand on “Make a Difference” Day
This past Saturday, October 26, was National Make a Difference Day. For more than 20
years, USA WEEKEND Magazine and Points of Light have joined together to
sponsor Make A Difference Day, the largest national day of community service.
Millions of volunteers around the world unite in a common mission to improve
the lives of others. The Wheatland Chili Middle/High
School Service Clubs (Interact and Youth To Youth)
sponsored a leaf raking day. Students and parents met in
the MS/HS cafeteria for instructions and were sent to
various homes for raking. A total of 35 individuals raked
18 yards in the community. Homeowners were very
gracious, as some helped out when able and others
offered a hearty thanks. The service clubs plan on
continuing with projects throughout the year and working to impact
the community. Ms. Goodfellow and Ms. Kittle organized the event while parents and
students volunteered to help out. This is another example of our school community pulling
together for the greater good. Thanks to all who gave their time and effort to the cause.
2 School Property Tax Relief
All New York homeowners receiving a Basic STAR property tax
exemption must register with the New York State Tax
Department in order to receive the STAR exemption in 2014
and subsequent years.
All Basic STAR recipients will receive registration instructions by
mail.
Visit the website at www.tax.ny.gov to register now.
The registration deadline is December 31, 2013.
This is part of an initiative to protect New Yorkers
against the costs of inappropriate or fraudulent STAR
exemptions.
Questions?

Call (518) 457-2036

Visit the website.
Senior Citizens and STAR
Seniors receiving Enhance STAR benefits are
not affected by the new registration
requirement.
In order to continue to receive Enhanced STAR,
seniors must continue to apply annually, or
participate in the Income Verification Program.
What Parents Can Do to Help their Children
Learn
The Common Core State Standards ask teachers to make 12 major “shifts” or (changes) in their classrooms
– six shifts in English language arts and six shifts in Mathematics. These changes may be challenging at first
as students and teachers adjust to higher expectations.
As a parent, you can help and learn more by talking with your child about what they are learning. Ask openended questions about what they learned in school each day, read their homework, and attend school
events to learn about what their teachers expect.
The following is a link to a document that explains some of the ways that your child’s classroom is changing
and how you can help: http://ow.ly/qn8Pi. For more information, check out www.engageny.org.
“Talk about Teaching” Professional Development
Candi McKay was in the District to work with our teachers and administrators on how to have
conversations about teaching and learning through learning walks. The first day of training
involved deeper conversations about the framework for teaching and
the big ideas that form the topics for conversations; i.e., clarity of
purpose, rigorous learning tasks and assignments, high levels of
energy and student engagement, safe and challenging learning
environment, smooth organization and management, and
implementation of school or district initiatives. The full-day training
was followed by an opportunity to engage in a learning walk that
was facilitated by Candi.
This is a powerful form of job-embedded professional development,
where we utilize the strengths of our teachers to learn from one
another and encourage improvement. This professional development is part of our
Strengthening Teacher and Leader Effectiveness grant, and is intended to build capacity
within our District among our teachers and leaders for continuous improvement of our
professional practice.
3 Where Are Our Graduates?
If you are a Wheatland-Chili graduate and would like to share the story of your accomplishments and
how WCCSD helped you achieve your success, please email
Deborah_leh@wheatland.k12.ny.us with details. You may consider sharing the
story of your military service, the college you attended and how it led to a
successful career, how WEMOCO provided the foundation for your career choice,
etc. Help us inspire our current Wheatland-Chili students by sharing your
stories.
View Past Editions of our Electronic Newsletter
You may notice copies of our Electronic Newsletter at various businesses and locations within the
School District. In an effort to reach more of our community members and parents, we are distributing
copies of the newsletter at the Village and Town Halls, Libraries, and at local businesses. Past editions of
our newsletter can be found by accessing the District website at www.wheatland.k12.ny.us and
selecting the QUICK LINKS tab on the left-hand side of the page for the Electronic Newsletter.
Students Take Responsibility for American Flag at T. J.
Connor
Safety Patrol students Jarret DeLorme (left) and Connor Wehle are responsible for lowering
the American Flag at the end of each school day. The students follow American Flag
etiquette also known as the Flag Code. They are careful the flag
does not touch the ground, and they fold it ceremoniously for safe
keeping until the morning when another safety patrol student will
raise the flag in front of T. J. Connor. PE teacher Tim Day oversees
the students who are responsible for raising and lowering the flag
each day. He teaches the students the rules of American Flag
etiquette.
Students Recite Pledge at Board Meeting
Four students from the High School led the community in reciting the
Pledge of Allegiance at the beginning of the Board of Education meeting
held on October 28, 2013.
WHEATLAND-CHILI CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
13 Beckwith Avenue, Scottsville, NY 14546
Phone: (585) 889.4500
Fax: (585) 889.6284
Board of Education
Kim Snyder, President
Elizabeth VenVertloh, Vice President
Carol Davis
Tiffany Passmore
James Musshafen
Michelle Rocha
Carole Smith
Deborah Leh, Ed.D., Superintendent
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