October RACHS News

As we begin October, Homecoming Week is in full swing! Students have been participating in dress up days, planning out their super hero wall decorating and strategizing for Friday’s Class Competition Pep Rally. You can check out the action by following the district’s Facebook page at http://facebook.com/GanandaSchools. It’s awesome to see each class work together and embrace our PROUD school spirit!

Be sure to check out more info for what’s coming up this month below.

We are excited to introduce Jennifer Narum our new school counselor that will be starting with us this week. Mrs. Narum comes to us with over 10 years as a HS Counselor at Pal-Mac and was also an admissions counselor at RIT prior to that. Her experience and expertise will be a great addition to our team and will help us as Mrs. Marang transitions into a part-time schedule and retirement later this school year. Mrs. Narum is excited to start meeting and working with our students!

Friday, October 3rd marks the first five weeks of school and the first grade status check for student extracurricular eligibility.

Eligibility Procedures are detailed in the Student Handbook.

Students who are failing one or more subjects will be considered ineligible to participate in athletics, drama and school clubs for a minimum of one week after report cards or progress reports are published. During this period in which a student is ineligible, students may practice but are ineligible for games, performances, planned activities or competitions. Once report cards or progress reports are published, students have a minimum one-week of ineligibility to make-up all work and get their average to a passing grade before the first opportunity to be reinstated. After the initial one-week ineligibility, students who are then passing may be signed off on Fridays.

Students are responsible for restoring their eligibility status.They must request an “Ineligibility Sign-Off Google Form” from the Counseling Office Secretary to share with the teacher(s) of any courses they are failing, and after making up any necessary work and assignments and maintaining passing grades, they may be reinstated as eligible.

The Counseling Office Secretary will issue an updated Ineligibility List each Friday. Completed Sign Off forms must be received by the Counseling Office NO LATER than NOON on Fridays. If a student has regained eligibility that week, they can try again each week until they are successfully removed from the Ineligible list.

Both students (via their school email address) and parents/guardians (via ParentSquare) are notified if they are ineligible at the time interim or marking period grades are published. Details of courses and grades are always viewable in Schoology.

Specific questions about course grades should be directed to the classroom teacher. Any questions about the eligibility process itself may be directed to the High School Counseling Office x3172.

Our September Students of the Month:

Khloe for 9th Grade:

Julie for 10th Grade:

Alycia for 11th Grade:

Alycia is always bright, cheerful and has a positive attitude. Her work is always done well and on time. She always puts forth her best effort in any situation she encounters.

Morghan for 12th Grade:

Morghan consistently engages with adults and peers in a respectful manner, she has a very strong work ethic, and she will accept any challenge placed in front of her. It is clear Morghan has taken on an active role in her learning throughout the years which is admirable. Great job, Morghan!

We have partnered with Inter-State Studio/SLR Photo for school pictures. They will be at our school for retakes and Club photos on Friday, October 24th to photograph our students and staff.

You may go online to view package options and pre-order your packages by going to the link below and using the code provided. You can pre-order or send cash or check with your student on picture day. Paper fliers will be shared and are available in the main office.

Website: www.inter-state.com/order

Order Code: 0214XBN

Please call the Inter-State Studio Office at 585-310-7781 with any questions.

A new student scanning system has been installed on buses which utilizes RFID cards to alleviate prior issues with barcode scanning. Student scanning on the buses is crucial to ensuring all students are on the correct bus and accounted for in the event of an emergency. New student ID cards were handed out 9/25/2025 and will be the only ID cards distributed during the school year. Due to the increased cost of obtaining them, replacement cards may incur a fee.

With the switch to RFID, cards will no longer be able to be scanned via cellular device. Parents/students will be able to continue tracking the bus through a new app which transportation shared details on 9/26/2025 (see ParentSquare).

You can also click on the buttons below that will take you directly to the Instructional Calendar and Daily Schedules.

Please note that school is NOT in session on October 10 (Superintendent's Conference Day) and October 13 (Columbus Day/Indigenous People's Day).

Students entering 12th grade need to have their meningococcal vaccine or a scheduled appointment with their physician by 9/22/25 to prevent exclusion from school.

9th and 11th graders need a NYS mandated physical.

Medications (over the counter or prescription) cannot be given out without a note from the doctor. Please use the OTC Medication Form or Permission to Administer Medication Form found on our website.

Any student registering for sports needs to have a physical dated within 1 year from the start of practices to participate. Outdated, unsigned or missing forms will prevent your student from trying out.

All medical forms can be found under the Health Services & Information part of the HS website, or you can click the button at the bottom of this section.

If you have any questions, please email the school nurse at lhall@gananda.org.

If you have not received an invitation to join ParentSquare from your students school, please contact the main office of their building.

Absences need to be reported to the school health office by the parent/guardian of the student. This may be done so online by completing this form.

Respectfully,

Dr. Christopher J. Whipple, Principal

cwhipple@gananda.org

Mrs. Nickie Mereness, Assistant Principal

nmereness@gananda.org

(315) 986-3521, 8, 3154