WSCSD Back To School Info

Dear West Seneca Central School District Families,

WE are so excited to present to you the 2025-2026 Back To School newsletter of all newsletters!😎 A "one-stop-shop" if you will. It may be longer than Union Rd., but our ultimate goal with this is to ensure you have everything you need prior to the first day of school. (And, of course, there are "First Day of School" signs we made just for you to download and print at the bottom of this newsletter!)

Please save this somewhere important so you can access it whenever you need it. However, if you lose it - we have you covered! You will be able to find it on the front page of our website for the next month or two. #WEhaveyourback

WE are looking forward to another amazing school year together!

Sincerely,

The West Seneca Central School District Admin Teams, Faculty & Staff

💚💛💙#WEarePROUD💙💛💚

💻Parent Portal Opens for Grades K-8

Date: August 21st

Time: 8am

Location: On the Parent Portal WEB Browser Site (Linked Here)

💻Parent Portal Opens for Grades 9-12

Date: August 29th

Time: 8am

Location: On the Parent Portal WEB Browser Site (Linked Here)

🎒First Day of School for ALL Students

Date: September 2nd

Time: Please see your building's "About Us" information page on their website for hours!

Location: Your AWESOME school!

🏫Board of Education - Regular Board Meeting

Date: September 9th

Time: 6pm

Location: West Elementary School Boardroom

Livestreamed?: Yes

🗓️For full event calendar & more information click the district website button below:

• Allendale Elementary School
• Clinton Street Elementary School
• Northwood Elementary School
• West Elementary School
• Winchester-Potters Elementary School

• East Middle School
• West Middle School

• East Senior High School
• West Senior High School

At 8am on August 21st, you will be able to log onto your PowerSchool Parent Portal Account - which is best viewed from a web browser(such as Safari or Chrome), not the stand alone PowerSchool App, to view your K-8 Student's schedule/teacher assignments.

🚨IMPORTANT🚨

• If you do not have a PowerSchool Parent Portal Account you will need to create one, travel to the button that says "Create a PowerSchool Parent Portal Account" when you are redirected, please scroll down to the embedded S'more directions.
• If you are having trouble with your PowerSchool Parent Portal Account on a web browser, please contact your student's main office for assistance.
• Parent Portal Resources are below in the form of buttons.

At 8am on August 29th, you will be able to log onto your PowerSchool Parent Portal Account - which is best viewed from a web browser(such as Safari or Chrome), not the stand alone PowerSchool App, to view your Grade 9-12 Student's schedule/teacher assignments.

🚨IMPORTANT🚨

• If you do not have a PowerSchool Parent Portal Account you will need to create one, travel to the button that says "Create a PowerSchool Parent Portal Account" when you are redirected, please scroll down to the embedded S'more directions.
• If you are having trouble with your PowerSchool Parent Portal Account on a web browser, please contact your student's main office for assistance.
• Parent Portal Resources are below in the form of buttons.

We will utilize centralized bus stops when we have students in close proximity to one another. This is within our board policy, which indicates that elementary students will walk no more than 1/10 of a mile; secondary students will walk no more than 3/10 of a mile. This process will only be utilized in neighborhood settings, and the centralized bus stop will be on the same side of the street. We will continue to offer door to door service on all busy roadways (i.e. Harlem, Union, Seneca, Clinton, etc.).

For years in West Seneca our schools with buses at later start/end times have regularly run late, which meant students arrived at school late in the morning and were late going home in the afternoon. We have been employing multiple solutions to fix this. Earlier this month, we offered families the option to “opt-out” of our transportation. To date, we have a few hundred students who do not intend on riding on our buses. This will allow us to create more efficient bus routes. And, by actively using neighborhood bus stops (where students may have to walk to a centralized location near their home) will ensure that more students are arriving on time for school each day.

1. First Student Buses
2. West Seneca Central School District Buses

Each bus group has its own bus tracking platforms for parents/guardians to track the location of their student's bus. As such, each tracking app is configured differently. For more information, please see below.

🚨IMPORTANT NOTE FOR THE 2025-2026 SCHOOL YEAR REGARDING THE FIRSTVIEW APP:

This is a NEW app for the 25-26 school year. You will need to DELETE your previously used FirstView App and locate this NEW app(see below) in your phone's app store.

Please note: You will be asked for your student's Student ID Number.

To find your student's ID number:

1. Please log in to the PowerSchool Parent Portal after it has been activated on a WEB BROWSER(linked here)
2. Click MY SCHEDULE
3. Student ID is displayed at the top of the schedule near your student's name.
4. OR - You can find this Student ID at the top of any report card.

Our School District Code is: P4N7K

Please click the following link to be guided through setup:

Parent/Guardian FirstView Setup Guide

You must re-register on the app every new school year.

To find your student's ID number:

1. Please log in to the PowerSchool Parent Portal after it has been activated on a WEB BROWSER(linked here)
2. Click MY SCHEDULE
3. Student ID is displayed at the top of the schedule near your student's name.
4. OR - You can find this Student ID at the top of any report card.

Our School District Code is: 86979

To get information on how to download the app and more, please click the following link:

Here Comes the Bus Parent Resources

Please click the photo above to be redirected to our Transportation Opt-Out Form.

If you DO NOT plan to use WSCSD Transportation for the 25-26 School Year...

To improve transportation services and manage resources effectively, we're asking all families with students in grades K-12 to opt-out of West Seneca Central School District transportation for the 2025-2026 school year, if they do NOT plan to use it, by filling out the opt-out form above by clicking on the photo or by clicking this link.

This opt-out form is also for you to use if you do not plan to use district transportation only one way (either AM or PM transportation) for your student(s).

⚠️IMPORTANT NOTE: If you have multiple students opting out, please submit a separate form for EACH child.⚠️

Our Food Service Department is second to none and works extremely hard to provide delicious and nutritious meals for our students every day.

Studies consistently show that students who have access to nutritious meals perform better in school. Now that ALL students attending the WSCSD K-12 school buildings are eligible for free breakfast and lunch each school day, we strongly encourage all families to take advantage of this opportunity!

Below we linked the food service site for you to access monthly food menus, MySchoolBucks(because you know they want an ice cream every once in a while and you just don't have any cash on you...) and more!

**Don't forget to fill out the income eligibility form called "CEP" below as it ensures we get proper funding for our schools! Thank you for your kindness & time!**

In July, at our Board of Education Re-Organizational Meeting, Zach Armstrong & Ed Bedient were sworn in and took a seat at the table for a three-year term.

Most notably, we now have two students (one from East Senior, one from West Senior), along with two alternates, who will serve as our Ex-Officio Student Board Members. This will be a great way to include student voice and perspectives during Board discussions.

The Student Board members are non-voting members and will not have access to confidential information nor will they attend Executive Sessions.

All of these meetings, as they have been in the past, are recorded and linked on our website to view at any time by visiting the BOE Livestream page on our district website or clicking the button below.

I told you we have you covered - now you don't need to make one or buy one!

I don't know about you, but my printer at home eats ink like crazy... with that being said, I gave us two options - one is full of our school colors/logo, while the other, has only a few colors with our district logo because #WEarePROUD!

Now head down to the one you like the most below, download the correct sign, and then print it on either white cardstock or plain white printer paper.

If you post any first day photos on social media, please tag West Seneca Central School District and use one of the following hashtags:

• #WEarePROUD
• #WElovethefirstday
• #WEarebacktoschool

And who knows, maybe your photo will be highlighted on our socials or website!

🚨Important Note:🚨

Friendly reminder when it comes to any homemade "First Day of School" signs & photos - please make sure there is NOTHING identifying such as... First Name/Last Name, Address, Bus #, Teacher Name/Room#, etc. Safety first - always, kids!

We are an educational community that encourages kindness, inspires confidence, and instills the belief that together we can achieve anything.