We welcomed a special visitor down at Attica Elementary School earlier this week!
(Don’t worry, Mrs. Bennett checked to make sure his heart was still a size too big before we let him in the door).
And make sure you check out the video from his visit we posted over on our YouTube channel at the link below!
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbFqZGLhJVM
Our third graders have been working extremely hard over the past couple weeks learning about Christmas traditions from around the world.
Yesterday, they shared what they’d learned with their classmates, presenting in small groups on the holiday traditions of their assigned countries.
Great job, third graders!
(Photos courtesy of Molly Kirsch)
At our Fresh Connections Club meeting earlier this month, students combined creativity, teamwork, and delicious snacks to create a memorable and productive evening.
To start, students made loaded baked potatoes in the microwave—a quick and easy snack they can replicate at home. They enjoyed personalizing their potatoes with a variety of toppings like butter, cheese, sour cream, and green onions while learning how to make a simple, nutritious meal independently.
Once energized, the students turned their attention to decorating the FACS and Ag hallway. Using colorful streamers, banners, and hand-drawn designs, they worked together to create a vibrant display that highlights the Fresh Connections Club, Farm to School initiative, and Agriculture Program. The hallway now celebrates our mission to connect local farming with healthy eating and raise awareness about agriculture's importance in our school and community!
After completing the decorations, the group shifted to the kitchen for a sweet treat. Students baked chocolate chip cookies and prepared personalized hot cocoa, adding marshmallows, whipped cream, cinnamon sprinkles, or caramel drizzle to make it their own. This activity brought joy and warmth to the evening, as students enjoyed their creations together.
To wrap up the meeting, each family received a produce box packed with fresh fruits and vegetables from the farm stand. This thoughtful gesture allowed students to bring a piece of the club's mission home, sharing fresh, local produce with their families.
(Photos courtesy of Becky Sphar and Jenelle Bauer)
We know you’ll join us in congratulating our Attica Middle School November Students of the Month!
McKayla Spencer is our 5th grade Student of the Month and was nominated by Mrs. Dawn Woodhouse and Mrs. Krystal Dominick.
“McKayla is always kind and goes above and beyond,” said Woodhouse. “She’s a wonderful student and friend to her classmates.”
Added Dominick: “McKayla is an absolute pleasure to have in class. She is responsible, hard-working, bright, and most importantly kind and respectful. We can always count on McKayla to do the right thing and be a good classmate and friend, but more importantly to be true to herself!”
Mrs. Melissa Mitchell and Mrs. Allison Cali nominated our 6th grade Student of the Month, Emma Lathigee, for consistently doing things to make the middle school a better place.
“Emma spends much of her time encouraging others by writing kind notes for her peers and teachers and is a good friend to everyone,” said Cali. “She's kind, positive, and has a great attitude each day. She lightens our class with her upbeat attitude and smile!”
Our 7th grade Student of the Month is Arianny Rudolph, who’s a new student this year having previously attended school in Texas.
Arianny was nominated by Mrs. Jody Hruby, who described her student as a ”polite, well-mannered and extremely diligent” student.
“This past week she forgot her book and was not able to complete an in-class assignment to the best of her ability,” said Hruby. “The next day she brought me a sheet of lined paper with the questions she remembered and extremely detailed answers to be sure I knew she'd read the book and cared about the work. I'm impressed by her!”
Hruby also nominated our 8th grader Student of the Month, Makayla Foster.
“Makayla is a beacon of kindness,” Hruby said. “She welcomes everyone to her table at lunch, is always eager to share a smile and is a source of daily encouragement for a classmate who likes to write songs and sing. Makayla demonstrates good character and is a great friend.”
Our Food Service Team and Cafeteria Committee are always striving to enhance the Blue Devils meal experience.
Earlier this week, Food Service Director Kris Wicks, Cook Shawn Drysdale, Farm-to-School Coordinator Alicia Spoth and Attica Board of Education members Thane Wright and Susan Herman attended the New York School Nutrition Association’s Regional Industry Seminar in Rochester.
They explored new menu items, revisited some fan favorites and brainstormed creative ideas to continue growing our school meal menus.
We're so grateful for this dedicated team and their commitment to providing delicious and nutritious meals for our students - thank you for everything you do!
Few shots from Elf Day earlier this week.
Full album over on our Facebook page at the link below.
Oh, and don’t forget to check out our video from the day - we’ve uploaded it to our YouTube channel, likewise at the link below!
Photo album link: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=100057106403663&set=a.1097687108811492
YouTube video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87sNndbRe2g
Our 7th/8th grade math team had their first competition of the year earlier this week!
With one meet down and two left to go, our team is currently in first place with 110 points among nine participating schools. Batavia is second at the moment with 101 points.
Leading the 8th grade scorers was JJ Pearl while Faye Cannon and Ally Landphair tied as our top 7th grade scorers.
Our team has a lot of depth this year and all members contributed to the win.
Other team members include 8th graders Will Gouinlock and Logan Armstrong and 7th graders Eden Domes, Lucia Eddy and Audryana Tober.
Well done, mathletes!
(Photo courtesy of Adam Landphair)
Shout out to our High School Students of the Month for November!
Our 9th grade Student of the Month is Austin Sponaugle, who was nominated by Ms. Laura Steves.
“Austin has the innate ability to 'read the room' and take action,” said Steves. “In a class of 28 art students, Austin has assisted others time and time again with helping them gather supplies for their projects or by simply helping by cleaning up the shared workspace. Not only can his classmates count on him, but I can count on Austin to bring a positive vibe to the class each and every day.”
Mara Hernandez, our Spanish foreign exchange student, is our 10th grade Student of the Month.
“Mara is so polite, always has a smile on her face, respects and is respected by her peers and teachers,” said Ms. Jocelyn Pierce, who nominated Mara. “Her work is amazing too - it’s so neat, done to perfection, and she is excelling in her classes. If she has any trouble, she seeks out help and wants to make sure she understands the material for future assessments. Mara is friendly and happy, and a perfect student of the month!”
James Nash nominated Alyssa Armstrong as our Student of the Month for the 11th grade.
“Alyssa has been working hard on getting better at Spanish and it's been impressive to see her progressively improve,” said Nash.
Our 12th grade Student of the Month is Nolan Rzepka, who was nominated by Mrs. Stacy Crowley. Crowley nominated Nolan because of his decision to challenge himself this year by taking AP calculus.
“I am proud of Nolan for using his 8th period study hall to get extra help and have his work checked over,” Crowley said. “He’s very capable and this extra effort is making a big difference for him. I am excited to see how well he continues to do as he puts in the time!”
Our third and fourth graders were THRILLED to be part of Attica’s annual WinterFest celebration this past weekend!
About 25 of our elementary school students, under the direction of Mrs. Jill Farrell, performed Christmas carols on the front porch of Stevens Memorial Community Library Saturday morning.
Community members and parents gathered on the front lawn and sidewalk to watch our talented students before continuing their way down Main Street to enjoy other WinterFest activities.
(Photos courtesy of Katie Kennedy)
Due to the expected inclement weather conditions, Attica Central School District will be closed tomorrow - Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. This includes all after-school and evening activities.
Enjoy the day off, Blue Devils!
Remember last month when we told you about how senior Kara Hassenfratz had been selected as a member of the New York State School Music Association’s Area All-State Treble Choir for the second straight year?
Well this past weekend, the Attica alto one-upped herself as she performed at Eastman Theater’s Kodak Hall in Rochester as a member of NYSSMA’s Conference All-State Treble Choir!
While Area-All State ensembles draw members from across the eight-county Rochester region, Conference All-State ensembles are made up of the best student musicians in the entire state of New York!
In a typical year, some 6,500 high school sophomores and juniors audition for a spot in one of NYSSMA’s Conference All-State ensembles the following year while only about 600 are ultimately selected.
Kara auditioned for this group last spring, performing a solo and sight reading in front of a judge.
Her selection for this prestigious ensemble is not only a reflection of her passion for music and commitment to excellence, but a testament to her dedication, hard work and exceptional musical ability.
We’re so proud to have Kara representing Attica Central School District, the Attica community and showcasing her talents on such a significant stage.
Congratulations!
Did you know that New York is one of the largest cabbage producers in the United States? It’s true!
We rank second in both fresh cabbage production and processing cabbage and last week, our students had the opportunity to try one of our state’s favorite vegetables in a fun coleslaw taste test.
Using fresh red and green cabbage from Fenton’s Produce in Batavia, our food service staff sliced and diced to create a delicious coleslaw for students to enjoy.
Overall, students loved the cabbage salad and were excited to pair it with their chicken patties or enjoy it straight from the salad bar. We encourage our district families to try cabbage, too!
According to the Farm to School Institute, cabbage is available 11 months out of the year. It’s harvested in summer to fall, sold fresh-cut until December, and then available from cold storage until May or June.
State Sen. George Borrello and Attica Village Mayor Nathan Montford stopped by our high school this morning to learn more about some of our district’s recent Farm-to-School initiatives.
Borrello and Montford joined Superintendent Dr. Kiel Illg and Attica Board of Education members Brian Fugle and Sue Herman in a tour of our middle/high school cafeteria, where Farm-to-School Coordinator Alicia Spoth and Food Service Manager Kris Wicks spoke about their efforts to feature locally produced food on our school meal menus and some of the recent lunchtime additions such as our daily salad bar and smoothie station.
After having lunch together, members of our Future Farmers of America chapter sent Borrello and Montford off with a box of local produce as well as some homemade jam and bread.
Sen. Borrello and Mayor Montford have been big supporters of our district generally and our farm-to-school programs specifically over the years and we appreciate them stopping by!
GENESEE REGION REPRESENTED: It was a good weekend for the future of the Genesee Region Athletic Association as the children of five GRAA boys basketball coaches teamed up to capture the Buff Rice Youth Basketball League’s grades 2/3/4 title at Notre Dame Batavia!
Jason Rapone, son of Notre Dame Batavia Head Coach Mikey Rapone, and Cooper Stehlar, son of Oakfield-Alabama Head Coach Ryan Stehlar, scored key baskets in the final two minutes of the championship game, keeping the game tied going into the final minute.
With 60 seconds to go, leading scorer Denny Crowley, son of Attica’s own Rob Crowley, hit a huge 3 pointer, then came up with a steal followed by a layup to seal the 44-39 victory.
Charlie Rapone, son of Notre Dame Batavia Assistant Coach Joey Rapone, Lucy Stehlar, daughter of Oakfield-Alabama’s Ryan Stehlar, and Charles Zambito, son of Elba Head Coach Ciaci Zambito, also contributed to the win.
Congratulations to the successful sixsome!
Today is your LAST CHANCE to pick up produce at our Mobile Farm Stand before we break it down for the season this afternoon.
Our Farm-to-School Coordinator, Alicia Spoth, just stocked the stand to the gills so make sure you stop by for one last batch of fresh, locally-grown produce!
Please join us in congratulating Krystal Dominick and Melissa Mitchell, our newest Attica All-Stars!
Dominick, a 5th grade integrated co-teacher, and Mitchell, a 5th/6th grade AIS math teacher, were nominated by Middle School Special Education Teacher Erin Holt, who praised not only the pair’s teaching ability but active participation as members of the middle school’s Building Leadership Team.
“Melissa and Krystal both bring a positive, solution focused-perspective to the team,” said Holt, a fellow BLT member. “Rather than complaining about the negatives, both women find a way to enhance the positive and find a way to promote that positivity.”
“They’re go-getters,” added Diane Gebel, a middle school social studies teacher who’s also on the team. “They look for the best in situations, always focusing on the positive.”
The Building Leadership Team’s purpose is, essentially, to keep its finger on the pulse of Attica Middle School, said Principal Paul Clark.
“Members discuss what is going well as well as areas to focus on to grow and also organize activities for both students and staff to promote a positive environment,” Clark said. “Krystal and Melissa both are integral members of this team, consistently offering creative fun ideas as well as going above and beyond behind the scenes to plan and organize the team’s initiatives.”
Clark specifically cited the pair’s work organizing the middle school’s Halloween Activity Day this fall as an example of the impact they have on the middle school community.
“They single handedly organized it and it was a huge hit,” said Clark. “All our students were able to choose activities and create their own schedule for the day full of teacher-led activities. It ended up being a really special, memorable day for the kids.”
Congratulations, Krystal and Melissa, and thank you for going ABOVE AND BEYOND for our students and school!
Our Middle School PageTurners team headed to the first competition of the school year today in Warsaw where they went up against teams from Warsaw, Letchworth and Alexander.
For all but two members of our team, this was their first time competing and this is only Attica’s second year being involved in the PageTurners program!
For the fall competition, team members had a list of ten books they had to read and, at today’s competition, were challenged with trivia questions about the titles.
Our students did a great job and had so much fun!
Team members include Edith Wallace, Lucy Kennedy, Wyatt Bennett, Michael Schroth, Lucas Zybczynski, Madalynn Perl, Eva Cook, Ellie Keem, April Edwards, Lincoln Fleenor and Kanon Myers.
(Photo courtesy of Melanie Loranty and Stacey Donahue)
Our Elementary Food Service staff has got it going on!
This week, the staff has been featuring their Elf on a Shelf, Waffle, who’s been causing all kinds of fun mischief in the cafeteria this season!
Students have been enjoying delicious yogurt parfaits made with Upstate Farms Yogurt and New York-grown Strawberries.
On Tuesday, our food service staff offered a “build your own” day where students got to create their own custom salads.
School breakfast and lunch are not only delicious and nutritious, but also filled with holiday spirit.
We hope you’ll consider encouraging your kiddo(s) to try something fun from our December menu – there’s something for everyone to enjoy!
(Photos courtesy of Kayla George)
Good Morning,
The Attica Central School District will be closed today, December 5, 2024 due to inclement weather. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Dr. Kiel Illg
Give it up for our November physical education students of the month, junior Alyssa Armsrong and sophomore Blaine Datzler.
Congratulations, you two!
