Superintendent Update

Hello families:

As we move through the school year, I’ve been reflecting on the intentional work underway to build greater coherence across our district. Over the past several years, this has been a central focus for aligning practices, strengthening shared expectations, and ensuring a consistent, high-quality experience for students in every classroom. This year, it’s been especially rewarding to see that work continue to grow deeper roots.

Across our schools, I see teachers consistently applying our common instructional model, along with strategies like Total Participation Techniques that engage every student in learning and ensure they are the ones doing so. Classrooms are increasingly places where students lead discussions, ask questions, and take ownership of their learning, while teachers and staff provide the structure and support to pursue mastery. That shift reflects real growth and confidence across the board, which is proven to pay dividends in student achievement.

As we approach end-of-year assessments, these experiences matter. Tests provide important feedback for students and families and help guide our planning, while also giving us critical insight into our curriculum and instruction so we can continue to refine and improve our professional practice over summer. These assessments are equally important in building the stamina and readiness students need for future academic challenges at the secondary level and beyond to develop executive functions like resilience, perseverance, and logic that are essential as adults.

At the same time, we continue to hear important questions from families about technology and social media. Many of these conversations have been influenced by The Anxious Generation, which has helped raise awareness about how digital environments are designed to capture children's attention. While we approach literature like this thoughtfully, recognizing both its value and its limitations, there are important ideas worth considering. One that has stayed with me is the “hooked model,” a four-step process used in many forms of persuasive technology. It begins with a trigger, a notification or even a moment of boredom that prompts engagement. That leads to an action, such as opening an app. Users then receive a variable reward such as "Likes," messages, or new content that arrives unpredictably, reinforcing the behavior. Finally, there is an investment, where the user contributes something, increasing the likelihood they’ll return. Over time, this creates a powerful, self-reinforcing cycle. Sound familiar? It should as it mirrors the same dynamics used in other habit-forming systems we recognize as adults.

As both a superintendent and a parent, this has given me pause. It’s influenced decisions at home and continues to shape how I think about our work as a district. We’re hearing more from families, particularly at the elementary level, who are asking important questions about screen time at school. Those perspectives matter and are helping guide our thinking as we look ahead to the next phase of our district’s Strategic Plan.

On a high note, I want to highlight just a few recent accomplishments happening across our district. These are small snapshots, but together they reflect the overall strength and Peak Performance of our students and staff:

• The Best Buddies Walk team raised $4,000
• IHS was named a Top 100 Business School nationally (14th consecutive year)
• District: Best Communities for Music Education (19th consecutive year)
• Four Odyssey of the Mind teams qualified for its national event in late May
• DECA sent 7 students to its World International Conference
• Iroquois student Adriana Cassano won the Monroe County Young Citizen Award

Looking forward to closing out the year with many more memories and milestones. Please read below for more district-wide updates, including a brief survey on Transportation and the May 19 District Vote and Board of Education election.

In partnership,

Aaron R. Johnson, Ed.D
Superintendent of Schools

We are nearly two weeks away from the District Vote on May 19! “The Quote” budget newsletter will be in your mailboxes this week, but you can also read about the District Budget and comprehensive details on the two propositions on the ballot (neither impacts taxpayers) via this link: bit.ly/VotePage_WICSD. For The Quote, specifically, use the links below.

• PDF (printable) version: bit.ly/Vote_Quote2026-27
• Mobile-friendly: app.smore.com/n/3d1eh

You also can read up on the two Board of Education election candidates (one incumbent) running for two seats on our board, Proposition #1 (annual Maintenance Capital Project) and Proposition #2 (additional aid for an Energy Performance Contract).

Our district is asking parents/guardians to provide feedback on student transportation via this survey. Your input will help us evaluate current transportation services and explore potential changes that could improve efficiency, safety, and cost-effectiveness while maintaining quality service for students and families. CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE SURVEY

For the 19th straight year and 25th time in the past 27 years, West Irondequoit has earned the distinction as one of the Best Communities for Music Education in America! The designation is from the National Association of Music Merchants Foundation.

“Twenty-five times is no accident. This type of sustained excellence says a lot about who we are,” Superintendent Aaron Johnson said. “Our students and staff show up every day with passion and pride, and you can feel it in every performance. This recognition reflects steady and meaningful work that I couldn’t be prouder of as a superintendent and colleague."

The BCME honor is bestowed on districts that demonstrate outstanding achievement in efforts to provide music access and education to all students. To qualify for the award, West Irondequoit answered detailed questions about funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, support for the music program and community music-making programs.

By the way, the IHS spring comedy, “The Bookstore” runs May 29-31, and the Dake Drama Club has a performance June 4-6 at the Irwin Center for the Performing Arts.

At the West Irondequoit, we are committed to providing all students with equitable learning experiences that appropriately challenge, support, and prepare them for the future. One way we do this is by offering advanced learning opportunities for students ready for increased academic rigor. Click on the letter attached below, which shares general information about when acceleration begins, what it involves, and how families can learn more about specific course options.

With warmer weather we wanted to share a reminder about the law and our district policies about motorized vehicles on campus.

• ATVs, E-bikes and E-Scooters should not be operated on school grounds; they must be "walked" on campus and parked in a designated area.
• By law, golf carts or low-speed vehicles must be registered, operated by licensed drivers and follow all traffic laws just like any other vehicle on the road. They also must have brake and signal lights.
• Golf carts are not to be driven on any pedestrian pathways, such as sidewalks.

If you'd like to nominate a WICSD Staff Member for our quarterly Golden Feather award, please use this link: https://forms.office.com/r/57yFY8fr7k. The award honors employees whose contributions shine with excellence and care and make a meaningful impact on students, families and colleagues. These staffers embody the cornerstones of our district’s mission to “Welcome, Nurture and Inspire.”

Read about Q2 winners here.

West Irondequoit Community Education offers a variety of options for you and your family, and Spring/Summer registration is now open! Sign up for your favorite programs. Please note: Swim lessons have a separate registration date. See more via this link.

Check out its summer camp offerings, too! New this year: cheerleading, Sandlot Sports Camp, SmashBall (Intro to Volleyball), Tennis and Wrestling. Don’t miss out on the fun. See the links below for camps and more:

View the catalog
Register here

FOR SWIMMING
Summer Registration Opens: May 13

Did you see on WROC-TV (Channel 8) that a second West Irondequoit teacher earned a Golden Apple Award this school year? Congratulations to Rogers Middle School fourth-grade teacher, Alyssa Arcarisi, who is our 13th winner in the past seven years (see our Apple archive).

WATCH THE VIDEO STORY

“I want every kid to know that they are important and they are valued,” Ms. Arcarisi says. “When you look around, these are our future changemakers, and I want them to believe in themselves … it’s important to me that when they come in here, they feel loved and cared about.”

Email: public_info@westiron.monroe.edu
Website: westirondequoit.org
Location: 321 List Avenue, Irondequoit, NY, USA
Phone: 585-342-5500

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