South Davis Shines

Hello South Davis Families.

We had a great start to the year. From my perspective it was a smooth and stress-free transition from summer to school these last four days. There were lots of smiles, laughter, and good feelings, as well as a few timid moments as all 338 students came back together. Routines are being established, expectations are being communicated and modeled, and everyone seems to be settling into the flow.

Speaking of expectations, on Friday I will be leading our annual code of conduct assemblies. We will review appropriate behavior, talk about consequence - negative and positive - of our choices, and connect everything back to SHINE (see below). We all want to make sure our school is a place where everyone feel safe, included, and ready to learn. I'll share some of the highlights with you next week so you can reinforce these ideas at home, too.

We're all in this together! Have a great week!

Mr. Dolce

#WeAreSouthDavis

Tuesday, September 9 - Board of Education Meeting, 7:00 at OPMS

Thursday, September 11 - PTO Meeting, 6:30 in the South Davis Library

Friday, September 12 - Code of Conduct/SHINE Assemblies

Thursday, September 18 - Relocation Drill (more details to follow); Early Dismissal - 11:30

September 22-27 - Homecoming Spirit Week (details next week)

Throughout the school year, South Davis Elementary will practice various safety drills. New York State requires that we let parents, guardians, staff, and students know prior to any drills, including fire/evacuation and lockdown drills. We will also communicate in the event of an actual emergency, via email, phone, and/or text.

We are planning at least two evacuation/fire drills in the coming week. We will also be conducting a relocation drill (where we move to the Middle School) next Thursday, September 18. I will send a separate message about that later this week.

The Orchard Park Central School District is committed to partnering with parents and guardians to support strong student attendance, helping every child reach their full potential each day. We understand that absences can add up, often due to illness or other unexpected circumstances, and our goal is to work together with families to support students’ academic success.

To make the process easier, parents and guardians can now submit attendance notes and pick up information online. Simply log in to the Parent Portal, click on Attendance Notes, and complete and submit the form. If they will be participating in an after school club, going to the Boys and Girls Club, the YMCA, or the Rec. Department, or being picked up, notes can be added now to the Parent Portal. Notes do not carry over year to year, so get a head start now.

Please view the video below for detailed instructions.

youtube.com/watch?v=Ec7QQ7vVXnQ&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fout.smore.com%2F&source_ve_path=Mjg2NjY

At South Davis Elementary, we work diligently to ensure that all students receive the most appropriate instruction. There is a period for each grade level - sometimes called W.I.N. (What I Need) time - when students receive personalized instruction addressing their unique learning strengths and needs in literacy and numeracy. It is a time when teachers support individual students' academic growth in identified skills, like understanding place value, improving fluency and accuracy in reading, or building vocabulary.

Students work in small groups or even one-on-one with one of the grade level teachers, teacher aides, or with some other educators at South Davis, including Mrs. Kirsch, Mrs. Connors, Ms. Verbeck. This time will be devoted to supplemental instruction to reinforce skills or to provide opportunities to enhance upon skills already mastered.

This will occur each day, and the groups of students and teachers may change from day to day, based on the identified needs and strengths of the children.

We are excited to provide this individualized learning opportunity, and we are hopeful that you will see its impact grow as the school year progresses.

Thank you for your support. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

The OT & PT newsletter for September is ready! Click the image to open the newsletter, then click on the pictures of the resources you are interested in. We hope you find this month's resources helpful!

1. Genius of Play (Play ideas for busy days)

2. Animals Walk Video

3. Recess

4. Back to School Themes (with clickable links)

5. Classroom Yoga (Back to school tips)

6. Wordle (Try to solve it / Make your own!)

Mrs. Rupp, our Health and Wellness teacher, is starting the year teaching all students about our 6 character phrases

S - Show Citizenship

H - Have Gratitude

I - Instill Kindness

N - Nurture Mindfulness

E - Exercise Resilience

Look for a letter home in the coming days, and look for additional resources throughout the year to help families continue the learning and practice at home.

A simple way to support the PTO and the entire South Davis program 👇

Another organization that connects families with the school is the Orchard Park Special Education Parent Teacher Student Association, or OPSETSA. Their meetings take place the following dates:

9/17/2025

10/22/2025

11/19/2025

12/17/2025

1/21/2026

2/25/2026

3/18/2026

4/22/2026

5/20/2026

6/17/2026

More information can be found at http://opseptsa.org/

Fliers will be coming, but just letting everyone know about some learning and networking opportunities for parents this year.

Active Parenting Classes for K-5:

• Fall Dates: Thursdays - Oct 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
• Winter/Spring Dates: Thursdays - Feb 26, March 5, 12, 19, 26
• Both sessions classes will run 5:30-7:00

Other groups/topics at the Family Solution Center:

• Plans to run parenting groups for 0-4/pre-k and teens (as offered last year)
• Co-parent group will run 1x/month
• Topic specific/1 x --TBD
• Parent Information Series topics- gambling, body image, vaping

The Orchard Park Highway Department is having a truck naming and coloring contest for their new picker truck, and the name you come up with could be on its side!

Join the fun - submit your idea now. Entries due Wednesday, September 10. See the flyer for more details.

Here's the latest Learning and Engagement newsletter from Buffalo | Toronto Public Media. Lots of great resources for the whole family, as well as free events. Check it out.