We hope you’ll join us in congratulating our Physical Education Students of the Month for March, senior Zakry Howad and sophomore Abigail Wilkinson!
Shout out to Lily VanSon, Stasia Struzik, and Harley Midkiff, proprietors of the Western Rodeo Shack food truck and winners of Mrs. Janet Koepsell’s Food Truck Rally!
The seventh graders’ food truck, which specialized in fruit bowls, salads, burgers and pizza, earned the most “sales” from Middle School teachers and staff last week.
The trio will be treated to lunch from a local restaurant later this week and also won a $15 gift card from Bey’s Bites, Attica’s own food truck owned and operated by Sharin and CJ Bey.
Congratulations Lily, Stasia and Harley!
(Photos courtesy of Janet Koepsell)
This week at Attica Elementary, Mrs. Baker's Kindergarten class and Mrs. Fagan's first grade class will be participating in the Cow For Now dairy education program, presented by Farm 2 Table and Milk for Health.
Throughout the Cow For Now program, students will learn about a chosen cow, where she lives and how the dairy farmer takes care of her. Each weekly topic will include multiple learning tools such as videos, activity sheets and hands-on activities to do in the classroom or at home.
Mrs. Fagan's 1st grade class was pretty excited to receive their Cow for Now kit this week and have officially named their cow - Cowmeow - we can’t wait to see how the week goes for our first graders!
REMINDER: Superintendent Dr. Kiel Illg and Assistant Superintendent of Business & Operations Meaghan Matuszak will give a presentation on our proposed capital project tomorrow - Tuesday, April 16 - at the Bennington Fire Department, 1353 Clinton St., Attica.
The presentation begins at 6 p.m. There will be an opportunity for questions after the presentation.
For more information about our proposed capital project, visit our website at the link below.
Link: https://www.atticacsd.org/page/capital
Students in the elementary, middle and high schools taste tested SideKicks before Spring Recess.
SideKicks is a smooth frozen cup of real fruit juices that is free of artificial flavors, dairy-free and non-GMO – just great flavors and fun for the whole family.
Annemarie Norton, director of K-12 sales for Affinity Group, brought in two SideKicks varieties for students to try - BlueRaspberry-Lemon and BLOOM!, a watermelon-lemonade flavor for our students to try. Both were a hit and our students can’t wait to see it on their trays again.
Kudos to Food Service Director Kris Wicks for identifying this new product!
(Photos courtesy of Attica food service staff)
Attica welcomed some of the best student musicians from across the region this weekend as our district played host to the Genesee Wyoming Music Educators Association’s All-County II Music Festival!
Students rehearsed in Attica the afternoon of Friday, April 12 and again the morning of Saturday, April 13 before putting on an incredible performance Saturday afternoon.
Attica was well-represented at the All-County Festival with 18 students selected to participate among the three ensembles. They were:
Elementary Band
Lucia Eddy: Clarinet
Kate George: Trumpet
Alexandria Landphair: Flute
Caleb MacLane: Saxophone
Elliana Vincton: Flute
Jr. High Chorus
Melinda Driesel: Soprano
Octavia Farney: Soprano
Amy Ennis: Soprano
Balyee Mills: Alto
Ilyssa George: Alto
Quinn Jerge: Alto
Lucian Countermine: Baritone
Trevor Gromek: Baritone
Jakob Easton: Baritone
Sr. High Band
Anna George: Flute
Kara Hassenfratz: Clarinet
Elizabeth Gouinlock: Clarinet
Konner Rippel: Euphonium
Congratulations to all our All-County musicians!
STATE CHAMPS: Our middle school Odyssey of the Mind team captured the New York State Division 1B Problem 5 title Saturday at the State Fairgrounds in Syracuse and will represent Attica and New York State at the World Championships next month at Iowa State University!
Team members Caden Morrison, Claira Deuel, Erin Murphy and Amara Brinkman competed against 19 other teams in the Rocking World Detour long-term problem, which challenged teams to create a performance about a touring rock band that is suddenly transported to an unexpected location in the middle of a song that must figure out how to use music to get them back to their tour.
Our team earned a perfect 200/200 in the long-term performance category, a 47.04/50 in the style category and a perfect 100/100 in the spontaneous category for a near-perfect overall score of 347.04 out of 350.
When they travel to Iowa for the Odyssey World Finals in May, our students will compete alongside 850 other teams from schools from all over the world including Canada, Mexico, Japan, China, United Kingdom, Australia, Argentina, Poland, Russia, Hungary and India, among others.
“I’m really excited for this team,” said Attica Odyssey Coach Stacey Donahue. “This opportunity is something they will always remember.”
(Photos courtesy of Stacey Donahue)
Students in Mrs. Kayla Eick’s 6th grade math class practiced calculating the surface area and volume of three-dimensional shapes with the help of some new, dry erase board-topped tables!
Mrs. Eick uses these tables and other tools in her room to spread her students out at the start of class to review past material and introduce students to the topic of that day’s lesson.
In the accompanying photos, Ally Landphair and Eden Dome are pictured at the rectangular table and Daxon Spink and Isabella Myers are pictured at the circular table
(Photos courtesy of Rob Crowley)
Not sure what we would have LEAST expected to run into walking through the Middle School this afternoon but a food truck rally definitely would have made the top 5.
Nevertheless, there it was, laid out along one side of the hallway between our 5th/6th and 7th/8th grade wings.
After a bit of investigating, we figured out these miniature food trucks and their accompanying menus were made by Mrs. Janet Koepsell’s 7th grade health students as part of their nutrition unit.
“The project required students to create a food truck based on nutritional knowledge about the MyPlate diagram and special dietary needs such as gluten free and vegetarian or vegan options,” explained Koepsell. “Students were also encouraged to develop unique themes and marketing strategies when developing their food trucks.”
Middle school staff stopped by the rally Thursday and Friday to submit “orders” for whichever menu items they wanted at whichever food truck caught their eye.
The food truck team with the most items sold will be declared the winner and earn themselves lunch, courtesy of Mrs. Koepsell, from a local restaurant.
Mrs. Koepsell plans on totaling up the orders this weekend so she can declare a winner bright and early Monday on the morning announcements.
Shout out to Stephanie Wilson, Amanda George, Jakk Chaplin and John Perl for their eclipse photo submissions!
Didn’t get a chance to snap a shot?
Not to worry, Attica’s next total solar eclipse is only 44,027 (ish) days away!
Just a reminder, Blue Devils - our ‘Capital Project 2024’ webpage is your one-stop shop for information about our capital project proposal!
This page is chock full of important information about our proposal including background on the planning process, how we’ve gathered input from stakeholder groups, description of proposed project elements, financial information, timelines and a schedule of upcoming informational meetings at which residents can learn more about the project.
These accompanying informational filers, which will also be running in this weekend’s edition of the Attica Penny Saver, provides a good overview of the work that would be done as part of the project, should district voters approve it on May 21.
Use the link below to access the page.
Link: https://www.atticacsd.org/page/capital
ATTENTION ATTICA: The location of our Thursday, April 11 Board of Education meeting has changed from the High School Library to the Performing Arts Center.
The meeting will still begin at 7 p.m.
LOCATION CHANGE: Due to the All-County Music Festival taking place in our District Auditorium this Friday, April 12, we will be moving our UPK lottery to our Elementary School Multipurpose Room at 31 Prospect St.
The lottery will still take place Friday, April 12 at 3:30 p.m.
Attendance is not required, but people are welcome to attend.
Thank you!
We’ve added a ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ document to our ‘Capital Project 2024’ webpage.
This FAQ section addresses a number of common questions about our proposed capital project that district residents will vote on May 21 including how the project will be financed, how state aid reimbursement works and what happens if residents vote the project down.
Click on the link below to view the ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ document on our website.
Link: https://core-docs.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/2319/ACSD/4167767/2024_Capital_Project_FAQ_s.pdf
Don’t miss April's Total Body Workouts classes!
These classes are FREE and open to ALL staff and community members. Please see the attached form for available sessions.
Use the link below to sign up or send an email to Laura O’Donnell at lodonnell@atticacsd.org.
Link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf0Vj7VksHfuI235NpiHPINZnpJ_jfUnTq4v_6Jnh30KBCNmw/viewform
Laura O’Donnell, a science teacher at Attica High School, is our newest Attica All-Star!
O’Donnell was nominated for this recognition by her building principal, Josh Audsley.
“Laura is an amazing teacher who works extremely well with her colleagues, students and administration,” said Audsley. “She cares deeply about her students, the school community and is passionate about science and teaching. Laura does a great job of demystifying complicated sciences for her students and is a constant force for good here at Attica Central Schools. We’re extremely lucky to have her!”
O’Donnell has been teaching at Attica for 19 years - mostly as a biology teacher - but is also certified in chemistry and Earth science.
She’s the Class of 2027 co-advisor, has served as a ski club advisor for three years and, in 2017, was named a New York State Master Teacher following a rigorous application and review process.
Now a Master Teacher Emeritus, examples of O’Donnell’s past work include leading a science cohort through Genesee Valley BOCES during which she worked with other teachers to help unpack and understand new science standards and develop lesson plans, partnering with the University of Buffalo as part of the Western New York Genetics in Research Partnership where she leads an interactive project in basic genome analysis and bioinformatics with students and sitting on a subcommittee along with fellow Master Teachers to explore ways to encourage college student to pursue careers in teaching and science.
Congratulations, Laura!
Nominees for future Attica All-Star recognitions can be submitted to your building administrator or direct supervisor. Nominees can be any district employee that goes beyond the usual scope of their duties and whose efforts have a positive impact on students and the district. Nominees will be considered by the district’s leadership team and recipients will be announced every few weeks.
A HUGE thank you to the members of the Buffalo Sabres organization who came out this week to work with our elementary school students during physical education class!
The Sabres group introduced new hockey skills and games to our 2nd, 3rd and 4th graders who were also given Sabres t-shirts and a FREE ticket to an upcoming game - so cool!
Attica Elementary 3rd Grade Teacher Alyssa Allein set up the special event while physical education teachers Shawn Fromwiller and Anthony Ianni assisted during classes.
(Photos courtesy of Shawn Fromwiller)
Mrs. Carrie Willey’s pre-kindergarten students are ready for the eclipse after making their own glasses to safely view the once-in-a-lifetime celestial event on April 8!
(Photo courtesy of Carrie Willey)
If you’ve been in the High School lobby recently, you’ve probably noticed that the once-in-a-lifetime solar eclipse came a little early, thanks to Ms. Steves' Studio In Art students!
Last week, students used the power of negative shape and the smudginess of chalk to create their one-of-a-kind artworks.
Together, these pieces are truly a total eclipse of the art!
(Photos courtesy of Laura Steves)
Allison Platten will lead three Barre Above classes in the High School Cafeteria, 3338 East Main Street Rd., Attica, in April.
Barre Above is a full body, low-impact workout, with emphasis on the lower body and core. It’s a fusion of ballet, pilates, yoga and strength training designed for a wide range of fitness levels, ages and bodies.
Classes are scheduled for April 9, 16 and 23 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
These classes are free for Attica staff and community members. You must be 18 years old to register. A yoga mat is suggested.
Sign up at the link below.
Link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSffsHODqeKU66O8krcJXY8vNORFp2L40pkOoJTjPyFAWbtmKw/viewform
