I hope that you have found ways to enjoy all of this warm weather that we have had. I probably should have broken down and bought some short sleeve dress shirts! Maybe next year.
We continue to have a busy summer at school. You should have received my letter that gives an update on the many different initiatives that we are working on and things are still moving forward at what feels like a lightening pace.
Redistricting Maps and Street Lists - Our website (click on the
redistricting link from the home page) does have all of the updated attendance boundaries for our 2013 redistricting project in two separate files; one with
streets listed in alphabetical order, and one with
the actual maps. Anyone who will actually be impacted by the redistricting can expect to receive a personalized letter in the next two weeks. If there are any questions, please be sure to contact me. A list of frequently asked questions will also be created in a couple of weeks and placed on the website.
School Begins on September 5 (as a half day-Students Attend in AM) - Also, please remember that school begins on Wednesday, September 5 and that September 5 and September 6 are half days for students in grades 1-12 with students attending in the morning. Our Kindergartners (our last group of half-day Kindergartners in fact) will begin their journey on Friday, September 7. (Please note: all calendars for the 2012-2013 school year are now available from the website by clicking
here.)
Marching Band Highlighted in New York State School Boards Periodical, On Board - In case you missed it, there was a wonderful article about our Marching Band recently in a publication called
On Board that you can find by clicking
here. (For the version that includes pictures, click
here.) I liked that the article was more about how many students are involved in our band, how they accomplish their goals, and the value of working together; instead of articles that has just referenced wins. I continue to appreciate all of the hard work with our Director of Fine Arts, Bill Davern, our Marching Band Director, Mike Stachnik, the Marching Band staff, and all of our "bandies" put in. Congratulations, and I am looking forward to another inspirational effort this year.
New Nutritional Regulations - Food and I go way back, and I have been eating school lunches since I was in first grade (a long time). I can even remember a time about fifteen years ago when our lunch lady made another math teacher and me our own pan of lasagna. Those were the old days when our food service staff could cook and prepare just about anything they wanted. Those times have changed due to increased regulations surrounding childhood (and adulthood, I suppose) obesity. The ingredient list has shortened, the flexibility has been compromised, yet our staff have continued to invent meals that our students like to eat and enjoy.
There are some additional nutritional regulations coming into play for the 2012-2013 school year that will provide even more guidance in terms of portion size, meal content, and recipe choices. Our food service staff have been working within these new guidelines this summer to prepare menus that our children will eat. All of our meals will be healthier, imaginative, and tasty but they will probably not look the same as what children have eaten in the past. I would ask you to help me reinforce that even though the food might be a little different and healthier, it still tastes good. In my next blog I will include a sampling of these new meals so you can get a taste (pun intended) of what is to come.
Continue to enjoy this weather, and I will post again in a week!
Chris
