Attica Elem. Newsletter - Jan. 26

December’s character trait of the month was COMPASSION.

Teaching young children compassion helps them learn to understand the feelings of others, build positive relationships, and become caring members of their community. When children are encouraged to show kindness, empathy, and respect, they develop important social and emotional skills that support both their learning and behavior. By modeling compassion at home and at school—through helping others, using kind words, and recognizing emotions—we help children grow into thoughtful individuals who value inclusion, cooperation, and helping those in need.

Our Students of the Month for the month of December were:

• Pre-K - Tiggy McClure, Skye Matteo

• Kindergarten - Scarlett Gallese
• 1st Grade - Haylee Carpenter
• 2nd Grade - Jackson George
• 3rd Grade - Emma Carpenter, Clayton Higgins
• 4th Grade - Ethyn Gephart

Our holiday concerts were a wonderful celebration of the holidays and the hard work that our students have done with Mr. Rogers in the music room. Thank you to Mr. Rogers for filling in while Mrs. Farrell was out on maternity leave - come back to visit us!!

Congratulations to our Chapter One PageTurners team who won their first competition of the school year! PageTurners is a literature-based competition that challenges teams from across the region to answer trivia questions about works they’ve read over the past few months. Their hard work paid off as they answered the most questions correctly in a contest that included teams from Warsaw and Alexander and two from Pavilion.

A special thank you to the Attica Partners for Agriculture, Carolyn Almeter, and Kristin Hess. Our 4th grade classes were able to make beautiful swags to take home and our 3rd grade students learned all about cabbage and other hearty winter vegetables. They got to try homemade coleslaw and even some hot chocolate!

The kindergarten teachers and I would like to send a special thank you to the Senior Class and the Senior Advisors for organizing another amazing Elf Day for our kindergarten students. This tradition dates back many years, and is one that students often remember for many years to come. Thank you for your part in keeping this tradition alive!

With the help of our amazing volunteers and members of the Elementary PTG, we were once again able to host Santa’s Secret Shop. This is a great opportunity for our students to experience the excitement of giving gifts to their loved ones. Our PTG works hard to keep items affordable for our students. The volunteers say the smiles, thoughtfulness, and excitement in the room make the hard work worthwhile!

Our theme for the month of January will be SELF CONTROL:

• We can stay calm when we feel upset or frustrated.

• We think before we act or speak.

• We follow directions, even when we don't feel like it.

• We can make good choices, even when it's hard.

Teaching self-control in elementary school helps children learn how to manage their emotions, make thoughtful choices, and respond appropriately to challenges. When children practice self-control, they are better able to focus on learning, follow expectations, and build positive relationships with peers and adults. By modeling calm behavior, setting clear expectations, and reinforcing positive choices at home and at school, we support children in developing this important life skill that will benefit them both academically and socially.

Kindergarten was busy participating in many Christmas Activities this month . Senior Elf Day, their Holiday Concert, Holiday Happenings and Grinch Day.

This month, second graders are working on personal narrative stories through an exciting, experience-based writing unit. Students are participating in fun, hands-on activities that give everyone a shared experience to write about. Some of these experiences include making a crazy train, playing Red Light, Green Light, building and launching a straw rocket, and even some fun with cookies—with more to come! After each experience, students learn how to plan and write a detailed story about what happened. Teachers model each step of the writing process, and students practice organizing their ideas, adding details, and writing stories with a clear beginning, middle, and end. This approach helps all students feel confident and successful as writers because everyone has a meaningful story to tell.

We are loving the enthusiasm and creativity our second graders are showing as they turn these memorable moments into writing!

Third grade is finishing up researching holiday traditions around the world. Students are learning to research, write, present. and collaborate together with their peers. They are also beginning their third novel study and will be reading the book, Stone Fox.

In the upcoming weeks fourth graders will be learning about the water cycle, states of matter, and choosing a National Park to research. During this unit students will also complete a grade level science investigation. Students will create a cloud in the bottle and answer the essential question: What is a Cloud?

Before our February break, fourth graders will receive a pass for FREE entry into any state park for them and their family. This pass is good until August 31, 2026.

Happy New Year, Attica Elementary School Community!

We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday break and is ready for an exciting year ahead. The Attica Elementary PTG has so many great things planned, and we can’t wait to kick off 2026 together.

Our first PTG meeting of the new year will be on Tuesday, January 13th at 6:15 PM in the Attica Elementary Library. We would love to see new and familiar faces. Please join us as we plan some amazing upcoming events.

First Event of the Year: Family Yoga Night Wednesday, January 14th at 6:00 PM

We’re excited to welcome Bliss Yoga, who will be leading a fun and relaxing Family Yoga Night for grades K–4.

Please plan to arrive by 5:45 PM to secure your spot and set up your mat or towel. Cost is $7 per person. The pre-sale only flyer will be sent home soon, with no tickets being sold at the door. This event will be limited to 50 participants.

We have many new and exciting things coming this year, and we are so grateful for the continued incredible support from our Attica school community.

Please be sure to follow our Facebook page for the most up-to-date information on events, reminders, and ways to get involved.

Here’s to a fantastic year ahead. We can’t wait to make more memories together.

Dear Parents and guardians,

Flu season is upon us and has already affected several students and staff. New York State is seeing an increase in the number of diagnosed cases. Please be aware of the signs and symptoms of influenza and if your child exhibits any of them, please keep them home. Symptoms are fever, chills, muscle aches and pains, sore throat, stuffy or runny nose, headache, extreme fatigue, weakness, cough, nausea. Symptoms usually begin 1-3 days after exposure to the virus and can last a week or longer.

What can you do?
• Check with your family doctor if you think you or your child has influenza
• Get a flu vaccine – it may not entirely prevent the flu but can lessen severity and length of symptoms
• Wash your hands often with soap and water
• Use a tissue to cover your sneeze or cough or direct it into your sleeve
• Clean shared items
• Avoid crowds
• Stay home if you are ill If symptoms are severe, such as high fever, seizures, not waking up, irritability, fast breathing, chest pain or pressure, severe vomiting, seek urgent medical care.

Children must be FEVER FREE (temperature less than 100 degrees) without any Tylenol or Ibuprofen (Motrin) for 24 hours before returning to school. If your child is sent home sick with a fever, they are NOT to come to school the following day.

Please help us try to lessen the number of influenza cases throughout our student body by keeping your child home from school if they are displaying any symptoms of the flu (or any other communicable disease).

Thank you for helping us address this issue. If we all work together, we can keep our children healthy.

If you have any concerns regarding your child’s health, please call Nurse Dispenza at 585-591-0400 extension 2238 or email at MDispenza@AtticaCSD.org

Welcome Back!

January has arrived and as we wind down from a busy holiday season, we are excited to have students back in the building with us after winter recess. The cafeteria staff are hard at work preparing classic comfort foods to get us through chilly days. Students will enjoy many of their favorite menu items this month, along with a few new recipes such as Chicken Alfredo and Sloppy Joes.

This month we will be featuring some delicious homemade pizzas on Fridays as an additional main menu choice. Students will enjoy a new “build station” on January 6th with “Build a Pasta Plate.” Students will also celebrate National Bagel Day on January 15th with pizza bagels for lunch. Thursdays will also feature various homemade soups!

Money can be added to student accounts for the use for purchasing 2nd lunch or ala carte items by sending cash or check (made out to ACS lunch fund) to the cafeteria. There is no fee associated for adding funds to an account using this method. As always, funds can also be added using myschoobucks.com, but a service fee is applicable. Students must have a note on file specifying how funds can be spent.

“Feeding Kids is a Work of Heart!”

Mrs. Kayla George

Interim Food Service Manager

585-591-0400 ext. 1195

• January 5 - Return to school!
• January 14 - PTG Family Yoga event, 6pm
• January 19 - No School, Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• January 23 - No School for Students, Superintendent’s Conference Day
• February 16-20 - No School, February Break