September 2026

Thursday, 10/1 - Blue / Gold / Sabres Day

Friday, 10/2 - Orange / Black / Wilson Day

Tuesday, 10/6 - Board of Education Meeting @ 7:00pm

Friday, 10/9 - Red/White/Blue Bills Gear Day

Friday, 10/9 - Parent Requested Progress Reports (5th Grade)

Monday, 10/12 - NO SCHOOL

Friday, 10/16 - Red/White/Blue Bills Gear Day

Friday, 10/16 - Parent Requested 1/2 Trimester Progress Reports (UPK-4th)

Friday, 10/23 - PTA Trunk or Treat

Wednesday, 10/28 - Picture Retakes

Friday, 10/30 - Halloween Parade

Friday, 10/30 - Early Dismissal (1/2 Day)

Dear Wilson Elementary School Community,

As we embark on another academic year, I am thrilled to share with you some of the exciting initiatives and expectations we have set to ensure a successful and enriching experience for all.

At the heart of our school’s values lie our ANCHOR Expectations. I had the pleasure of going to each classroom so everyone could pledge to follow the Anchor Expectations. I am encouraging students to look over their ANCHOR card daily and challenge themselves to internalize these expectations and integrate them into their daily interactions.

Wilson Elementary continues to promote mental well-being and focus by introducing Mindful Mondays and Thoughtful Thursdays. These weekly events are dedicated to fostering empathy, understanding, aim to reduce stress, enhance concentration, and overall improve well-being. Talk with your students and collaborate on on how they can:

• Pause.Think.Choose
• Notice the Positive
• Control Your Controllables

Thank you for your commitment to making our school a place where everyone feels valued and supported. Let's work together to create a memorable and successful year by embedding the principals of our Anchor expectations whether it’s through a mindful moment, a thoughtful gesture, or simply embodying our core values.

Warm regards,

Mrs. Tonya Pawlukovich

Dean Of Students

Wilson Elementary School

(716) 751-9341 x 281

tpawlukoich@wilsoncsd.org

This year, we are making a few changes to our ANCHOR Awards! After three years with a similar format, we wanted to refresh our celebrations and, most importantly, bring our entire school together to recognize our students.

We will continue focusing on one ANCHOR trait each half-trimester, with one student from each homeroom selected to receive an ANCHOR Award. The big change? It’s a surprise! Award recipients will be announced during a whole-school assembly, allowing all of our students and staff to celebrate their accomplishments together.

But don’t worry, families—we absolutely still want you to be part of the celebration! Following each assembly, award recipients and their families will be invited to a special ANCHOR Award Breakfast at school. This gives our winners another opportunity to be recognized and allows families to celebrate this accomplishment right alongside them.

We’re excited to bring back the energy of having our whole school together for the big reveal, while also creating a special time for our award recipients and their families to celebrate together afterward.

We can’t wait for our first one! ⚓

Earlier this month, Wilson Elementary entered a brief Hold-in-Place while staff attended to a medical emergency. Following that event, I received a few questions from families about what a Hold-in-Place means and, more generally, the different emergency terms we use at school. I thought this was a great opportunity to provide a little more information!

New York State schools use five standard emergency response terms: Shelter-in-Place, Hold-in-Place, Evacuate, Secure Lockout, and Lockdown. The graphic below provides an overview of each term and what it means.

One thing that is especially important to understand is that not every emergency response means there is a threat or danger to students. Different procedures are used for very different situations.

For example, a Hold-in-Place simply limits movement throughout the building for a short period of time. This allows us to keep hallways clear and give privacy and space to address a situation, such as a medical emergency, without disrupting the entire school. Students remain safely in their classrooms and instruction can generally continue.

Other procedures may be used because of a concern outside the building, a need to move students to another location, a weather-related event, or a potential threat to school safety.

Our staff regularly review and practice these procedures so that everyone knows what to do if we ever need to use them. While drills can sometimes sound intimidating, the goal is actually the opposite: we want our students and staff to feel prepared, calm, and confident because they know what to expect.

As always, our first priority during any situation is the safety of our students and staff. We will communicate with families as quickly as we reasonably can while also making sure our immediate attention remains focused on the situation at hand.

I encourage families to take a look at the NY State Emergency Response Terms graphic below for a simple explanation of each procedure. As always, please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.