Blue Devils Dispatch

Dear Attica Families,

As the leaves begin to change and the air turns crisp, October has been an exciting and memorable month here at Attica High School! I want to take a moment to celebrate all the wonderful events that have brought our school community together.

Homecoming Week was a tremendous success! Our students showed incredible school spirit throughout the week- from themed dress-up days and the ever-popular Flickerball tournament, to the Homecoming Parade that filled our streets with music, color, and pride. The week conclude with our Homecoming Dance, where students enjoyed a fun and festive evening with friends. Thank you to our staff, student council, and volunteers who helped make it all possible.

We also welcomed many of you to our Open House earlier this month. It was wonderful to see so many families in our building, meeting teachers, and learning about the engaging work that is happening every day. We appreciate your partnership and commitment to your student's success.

In the spirit of giving, our school hosted a Connect Life Blood Drive that brought together students and staff to help save lives. We are proud of our students for their leadership and compassion in organizing this event.

We closed out the month with one of our favorite traditions-the Senior Class Halloween Parade! Our seniors showcased their creativity and school spirit with costumes that brought smiles to everyone's faces. It was a wonderful way to celebrate the season and highlight our students' energy and imagination.

As we head into November, I want to thank you for your continued support of our students and school community. Together, we make Attica a place where every student can learn, grow, and thrive.

Wishing you all a safe and happy fall season!

Warmly,

Mr. Jansma

The Attica Central School District is pleased to invite you to participate in the Digital Dangers Watch Group event that we are hosting on Thursday, November 6, 2025, from 6:00–8:00 p.m. in the Attica Central School District Performing Arts Center.

This important session will address the challenges and safety concerns that come with children’s use of digital technology and social media. The presentation includes frank discussions about sensitive topics and is geared toward parents and adults only.

To register, please complete the Google form linked in the flyer attached to this email or use the link below:
👉 https://forms.gle/K2KWp6UmpbubRidM6

Please note that this is a one-time presentation and will not be recorded.

If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Laurie Schmidbauer at 585-591-0400 ext. 1000.

Thank you, and we hope you can join us for this important and informative event.

Cold and Flu season is among us!

Tips to Stay Healthy

• Avoid touching your face (especially eyes, nose, and mouth).

• Stay hydrated — drink plenty of water.

• Keep shared surfaces clean: desks, doorknobs, and phones.

• Eat immune-boosting foods: fruits, veggies, and yogurt.

• Get plenty of rest to help your body fight off illness.

Winter sports registrations are open! Students must be registered through Family ID/Arbiter Sports and a current physical must be on file in the nurse’s office. Students are not eligible to participate until approved. Don’t wait until the last minute, get registered early!

ALL medications require a doctor’s order to be on file (including Tylenol/ibuprofen).

Students are not allowed to carry medication unless approved by their

physician and school nurse.

When to Keep Your Child Home: continued reminders

• A fever of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher

• Vomiting or diarrhea in the past 24 hours

• A persistent cough or difficulty breathing

• An unexplained rash

• Eye drainage or redness that may suggest conjunctivitis (pink eye)

• Children should be symptom-free for 24 hours without medication before returning.

Students in Mrs. Zybczynski's and Mrs. Pappalardo's Earth and Space Science classes worked hard during the month of October to learn about materials found in Earth's crust, how they form, and how they can be used. Several hands-on activities were included to have students test mineral properties to identify minerals, as well as identify igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks and how they are classified. Students also learned about renewable and non-renewable sources of energy, and the costs and benefits of each type as part of the new Human Sustainability standards included in Earth and Space Science.

Learning about rocks and minerals is part of the foundation of the course, as they are an important part of the lithosphere (outermost layer of the Earth), which interacts with the hydrosphere, biosphere, and atmosphere. Moving forward, students will apply what they have learned in this topic to plate tectonics, oceanography, landscapes, Earth's history, and climatology. We will even discuss rocks and minerals when learning about the solar system, as some of the rocks in New York State's Adirondack mountains are nearly identical to rocks found on the moon!

In Global 9 in Unit 1 “Historical Skills and Enduring Issues,” students learned about the meaning of history through the following acronym H=Humanity, I=Interpretation, S=Stories, T=Time, O=Origins, R=Records, and Y=You. After learning about these components and examining the importance of the study of history, students completed the above diagram applying the components to the experiences and details of their own lives. The above “history of you” diagram was completed by freshman Christopher Lawyer who added many details and personal touches to his diagram. Great Job Chris!

The Foods On Your Own (FOYO) class has had a busy (and tasty) start to the school year! Our students have been spending plenty of time cooking with produce straight from the school gardens. From the first week of class, the kitchen has been filled with the sights, smells, and flavors of fall.

We kicked things off by sharpening our measuring and shredding skills during a zucchini muffin lab, using fresh zucchini picked right from our own garden beds. Next, we turned ripe tomatoes and peppers into colorful batches of homemade salsa, a definite crowd favorite! Students also roasted tray after tray of garden tomatoes to make rich tomato sauce, which will be featured in a special cafeteria taste-testing event next month.

But the harvest fun didn’t stop there! When the corn came in, students rolled up their sleeves to shuck, cook, and create a variety of corn-based dishes. More recently, they’ve been practicing peeling and cutting techniques with freshly picked apples-preparing them for the freeze dryer and baking delicious crumb cakes filled with sweet apple goodness.

The enthusiasm in the FOYO kitchen has been incredible. Students are gaining valuable cooking and food prep skills while seeing firsthand how rewarding it is to use local ingredients-especially ones our Attica students helped grow themselves. The first half of the semester has been full of fun, flavor, and discovery and it’s safe to say this group has truly embraced the farm-to-school spirit that makes our program so special!

A huge thank you to Alyssa Wright and her Ag students, Jenelle Bauer and the Fresh Connections Club, Jill Pierce and her students for their help with harvesting, and Alicia Spoth for keeping everyone connected and everything running smoothly throughout the season!

Students in Ms. Pierce's Algebra class were busy learning how to factor, before their big flickerball game later that evening. As you can see, the freshmen class is very involved in school and extracurricular activities!

Mrs. Peter's 9th grade class has spent 8 days in the library working on a short story project in place of a unit test. The students had to pick four options out of nine. These all have to do with aligning text evidence and literary elements found in the story selections.

For the next few weeks, students in grades 9-12 are participating in the Nitroball unit. Nitro ball is a game similar to volleyball but with the rule that the ball must bounce on the floor after each hit before being struck again by a player on either team. Played with a lower net, often at tennis net height, it uses a lighter, larger ball and is played with a maximum of three hits per side. The objective is to score points by hitting the ball over the net so the opposing team cannot return it, typically by hitting it into the floor of their court.

Throughout the unit, Mr. Sabatino and Miss Koepsell are focusing not only on improving skills of the game, but encouraging teamwork, good sportsmanship, positive communication, safety, and having a positive attitude.

In Mrs. Ricketson's science class, her students were working hard learning about different types of fossils while looking at real life samples. During their lab, students used their Earth Science Reference Tables to identify what each fossil is and where these organisms once lived in New York State. This activity helped students improve their skills in reading charts, using maps, and learning about life in prehistoric New York State.

Freshmen: Mr. Gardner came into all 9th grade English classes where students looked at a transcript, talked about the credits and classes needed to graduate, and dived into reasons why a student would visit the counseling office. Freshmen meetings will be coming up soon, once the first quarter ends. These are mandatory meetings for all freshmen. Sign-ups will be in the counseling office.

Sophomore News: Sophomores will tour BOCES on Wednesday, November 5th. Here is a link to the programs currently offered at the Batavia Campus. Any students interested in a career in business will have the opportunity to visit The Golisano Institute on Thursday, November 13.

Juniors: The next SAT exam available to take is on December 6th. If your student is interested in taking the SAT, head to The College Board website and sign up. Is your student interested in pursuing a career in Business and/or Entrepreneurship? There will be a field trip on November 13th, where we will be attending the Golisano Business Institute. Sign-ups are in the counseling office. Healthy Academy and Justice Academy Tours at BOCES will be January and February.

Seniors: College and career planning for all seniors is going on now through Thanksgiving with Ms Frongetta. We are reviewing transcripts, diploma status, and getting college applications ready to go. If you would like to be a part of this conversation, please call or email to set up a time to meet. The financial aid application is here-all NYS students must have access to the FAFSA or sign a waiver if it is not needed. Here is a link to both. FAFSA Waiver Form

Interested in a career in Pharmacy? This month's lunch and learn (11/7) will host a representative from St John Fisher's School of Pharmacy. Sign up in the counseling office today!

Pharmacy PDF

The "Mighty Marching Blue Devils" had a busy fall performance schedule. We had a beautiful fall day representing the community in the Annual Marilla Ag Day Parade on September 14th and had many fall field show performances supporting our athletes throughout the fall season.