The Husky Howl
Claire Licata-Michael
Principal
A huge thank you to our parents, staff, and students for a wonderful first two weeks of school! We are so grateful for our families' partnership, our staff's dedication, and the energy and joy our students bring every day. We couldn't ask for a better start to the year!
Important Morning Drop-Off Reminder
Our front doors will close at 8:15 AM.
If you are dropping your child off to school in the morning using the drop off loop, please ensure students are ready to exit independently from the right (passenger) side. If assistance is needed, park in the front lot and walk your child in to ensure efficiency and safety.
Communication:
For the 2025–2026 school year, teachers at our school utilized ClassDojo, Seesaw and other apps for classroom updates and messaging. Moving forward, we will no longer be using communication apps, as the platform was unable to sign off on a New York State Education Law 2-D compliance agreement to meet our state's required student data privacy and security standards.
Our Shift to WITS Mail
Starting this school year, we are transitioning to WITS Mail (our district’s internal email communication system) as our primary communication tool:
Messaging Teachers: Please use WITS Mail to message your child’s teacher directly with any questions, updates, or concerns.
Class Updates: Teachers will use WITS Mail to send out regular classroom news, announcements, and reminders.
Looking Ahead
Our district is actively exploring long-term alternative communication systems that both support strong home-school connections and fully comply with NY Ed Law 2-D privacy requirements. We will keep you updated as this process continues.
Thank you for your understanding, cooperation, and commitment to keeping our students' data safe and secure. Please feel free to log in to WITS Mail to ensure your account details and notification preferences are up to date.
Calendar Updates:
- September 21: No School, Yom Kippur
Natalie Davis
Assistant Principal
What a fantastic first two weeks of school! It was wonderful welcoming our students back to the building. Our students and staff hit the ground running, setting a positive, productive tone for the rest of the school year.
CHAMPS
Last week we introduced our proactive classroom management framework, CHAMPS. Designed to help every student succeed, CHAMPS clearly defines expectations for every activity throughout the day. The acronym stands for:
C – Conversation: Can students talk to each other during this activity? (Voice level)
H – Help: How do students get the teacher’s attention and ask questions?
A – Activity: What is the task or objective?
M – Movement: Can students get up out of their seats?
P – Participation: What does active engagement look like and sound like?
S – Success: When students follow these guidelines, they achieve success!
High-Traffic Areas
Our staff walked students through behavior expectations in common areas. We reviewed the following common areas with our students the past two weeks:
Behavior expectations
during arrival and dismissal
Behavior expectations
in the hallway
Behavior expectations
in the bathroom
Behavior expectations
on the playground
Behavior expectations
in the cafeteria line
Lynn Kevekordes, RN, School Nurse
Friendly reminder to notify your child {children’s} teacher or Mrs. Kevekordes, the school nurse, if your child has been diagnosed with a communicable illness including, but not limited to, Strep Throat, Pneumonia, Flu, or Hand, Foot and Mouth. That helps us keep Heim families informed about monitoring for potential symptoms.
If your child needs Tylenol or Ibuprofen in the morning before school, they are not well enough to come to school. We are doing all we can to prevent the spread of illness here at school, including discussing good hygiene, frequent hand washing, drinking lots of water and surface cleaning. Please reinforce these practices at home.
Medication Drop Off Information:
All medication, including non prescription medication, must have a written order from the student’s physician or licensed prescriber.
Prescription Medication must be in the container prepared by the pharmacist with the original label specifying the name and strength of the medication. (Note: the pharmacy label does not constitute a written order and cannot be used in lieu of a written order from a licensed prescriber.)
Non Prescription Medication must be in the original and sealed manufacturer’s container with the student’s name affixed to the container. All medication must be delivered directly to the school nurse by the parent or guardian. Medication orders must be renewed annually and whenever there is a change.
WCSD-UB School Spirit Day
The District is once again partnering with UB to host a Williamsville Central School District Spirit Day!
Date - October 3rd - UB vs. Western Michigan (Time TBD)
Students and staff are eligible for 1 complimentary ticket
Parents/guardian must purchase a ticket for students to attend
Students in grades K-8 will have the opportunity to be on the field as part of the tunnel walk when the team takes the field
Additional details will be shared through WITS and the District/school newsletters closer to the event
Main Office
Main Office:
Claire Licata-Michael Principal
Natalie Davis, Assistant Principal
Jill Fetes, Senior Clerk Typist
Sharon Dry, Part Time Clerk Typist
Phone: 716-626-8686
Fax: 716-626-8679
Attendance:
Connie Zimmer, Attendance/ Health Office Aide
Phone: 716-626-8682
Health Office:
Lynn Kevekordes, RN, School Nurse
Phone: 716-626-8639
Fax: 716-626-8688
Address:
155 Heim Road
Williamsville, NY 14221