Attica Central School District

Let us introduce you to our newest Attica All-Star - Julie Daley! Daley is a passionate music educator who’s helped instill a love of music in our students for the past 25 years. "Her ability to connect with them on a personal level creates an environment where learning music becomes a fun and enriching experience,” said Amanda Hofheins, Daley’s colleague and chair of Attica’s music department. “With her positive energy and enthusiasm, she sparks creativity and a genuine love for music in every student she works with.” Beyond her role as a teacher, Daley is also dedicated to impressing upon her students the importance of giving back to the community, said Stephanie Gietler, a fellow music teacher. “Through activities like making music and engaging in community outreach and volunteering possibilities, Julie encourages students to not only share their talents but build meaningful connections with others,” said Gietler. “Her dedication to both her students and her community is truly admirable, making her a valued member of our team." Dawn Woodhouse, a teacher assistant who works with Daley in one of her classes, said students respond naturally to the energy and excitement Daley always brings to class. “She combines learning with fun activities, like Soundtrap, where students can create their own music,” said Woodhouse. “The students agree - Mrs. Daley is definitely an ‘All-Star’!” Congratulations, Mrs. Daley, and thank you for all you do!

PLEASE SHARE: Attica Central School District has begun the hiring process for a new High School Principal! Application materials are due March 7 and we expect to appoint a candidate in April or May. Take a look at the flier below for more information about the position and instructions on how to apply.

Bit of hands-on learning for Mr. James Nash’s Spanish 5 students this afternoon as they headed down to one of our home and careers classrooms to make arepas! A staple of Colombian and Venezuelan cuisine, arepas are a type of flatbread made with ground maize, pan-fried and often filled with a variety of fillings. Nash, who worked as a chef in Utah before becoming a Spanish teacher, led students in preparing - and cooking - the arepas, which students then topped with queso, guacamole or ate plain.

When your QB1 is voted MVP, you mark the occasion. Sorry - we don’t make the rules! (Photos courtesy of Alyssa Allein)

Many thanks to Warsaw Central Schools for hosting our eighth graders today for Career Day! Our students mixed and mingled with representatives from Corporate Communications, Wyoming County Community Health System, the Golisano Institute, the FBI, New York Chips and Genesee Community College. (Photos courtesy of Melissa Biegasiewicz)

🌟 The Power of Community: A Heartfelt Thank You 🌟 It takes a village to support our children, and the Attica community continues to prove just how strong and compassionate that village is. Today, we want to extend our deepest gratitude to Jessica and Derrick Kirsch for their incredible generosity. Jessica and Derrick recently donated essential clothing items—warm jackets, footwear, and winter gear—to ensure that students in need have the comfort and confidence they deserve. Their kindness is a beautiful reminder of the power of community and the impact we can make when we come together. Their donation didn’t just provide warmth—it provided hope. One student, upon receiving these items, was overwhelmed with emotion, in disbelief that someone who had never met him would care so much. The impact of this gift was life-changing, reminding us all that kindness can make a world of difference. Jessica and Derrick, your generosity is more than just clothing—it’s a message to our students that they are seen, valued, and supported. Thank you for being a shining example of the Attica community’s unwavering care. 💙 #AtticaStrong #CommunityCares #KindnessMatters

The Finger Lakes Youth Apprenticeship Program marked another year of connecting Genesee Valley BOCES students with hands-on career opportunities in advanced manufacturing! Last week, at the program’s annual signing day at Genesee Community College, more than 40 students signed on for paid co-ops and job shadowing opportunities with local advanced manufacturing companies from across the region. Congratulations to our 7 Attica students, all in the electro-mechanical trades program, who “signed” with local manufacturers at last week’s ceremony: • Emma Spink: Paid co-op with Nortera • Keagan Clark: Job shadowing with Tambe Electric Corporation • Isaac Herman: Job shadowing with Koike Aronson Ransome • Evan Miller: Paid co-op with Tambe Electric Incorporated • Benjamin Wild: Job shadowing with Tambe Electric • Boden Spink: Job shadowing with OXBO • Preston Bannister: Job shadowing with Koike Aronson Ransome The Finger Lakes Youth Apprenticeship Program, established by the Rochester Technology and Manufacturing Association in partnership with Monroe Community College, continues to bridge the gap between education and industry, providing students with real-world experience in high-demand fields. (Photos courtesy of Alecia Kaus)

Shout out to sophomores Peyton Miller and Blake Donohue, our Physical Education Students of the Month for January!

Head’s up, Attica - we’ve rescheduled our TIES (Together Including Every Student) chapter’s Bingo Night Meet and Greet after we were forced to cancel it last month due to the weather. The Meet and Greet is now set for Wednesday, Feb. 12, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. in our High School Library, 3338 East Main Street Rd., Attica. This will be a great opportunity to meet new friends and connect with others, learn more about the TIES program and how it fosters inclusion, get answers to your questions in a friendly, relaxed setting - oh, and play some bingo, of course! From TIES participants, volunteers, families and those interested in the TIES program, everyone is invited to attend this exciting opportunity to hang out, have fun, and be part of something amazing. We can’t wait to see you there! Questions? Contact our TIES Coordinator, Jennifer Rautenstrauch, at jrautenstrauch@atticacsd.org.

Join us in congratulating our Middle School Lego Robotics team for its strong performance at the Lego League Qualifier Tournament in Le Roy last month! The team has been preparing for months, creating and tweaking code that programmed a robot to complete a variety of “missions.” On the day of the tournament, they competed in three robot matches with the purpose of trying to complete the most missions in a 2-1/2-minute period. The best score from the three matches was used to determine who progressed in the tournament. The missions are different actions on the Lego mat. This year there was a “submerged” theme, so the missions all revolved around water. Some of the missions included picking up water and kelp samples, collecting krill and feeding it to a whale, stacking crab traps, releasing a shark and raising the ship's mast. Great job team! (Photos courtesy of Alecia Kaus and Stacey Donahue)

On Friday, Paul Fenton from Fenton's Produce in Batavia visited Alyssa Wright’s Horticulture class to share his expertise and best practices for growing in a high tunnel! For several seasons, the class has been planting and harvesting tomatoes for our Food Service Program. Now, students are now exploring new options for growing and contributing even more fresh produce back to our district. We’re excited to see what they choose to plant! A huge thank you to Paul for his ongoing support of our district and community. We are incredibly grateful for our local farmers and all they do to help keep us healthy!

Last week’s Fresh Connections Club meeting was full of energy, creativity, and delicious flavors! The kids had an exciting time experimenting with fresh fruits and vegetables while learning about the benefits of healthy eating through juices. In addition to juicing, club members also had a fun craft activity - making citrus-inspired magnets with positive messages. The session started with a short discussion on the health benefits of citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and grapefruits. Students were then divided into small groups and given instructions on how to cut and prep the ingredients for the juicers. Students then selected ingredients and tried different combinations, including: • Green Detox Juice (green apples, cucumber, spinach, lemons, fresh ginger) • Tropical Sunrise Juice (oranges, pineapple, mangoes, and turmeric) • Carrot-Apple-Ginger Juice (Carrots, apples, fresh ginger) • Berry Blast Juice (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and oranges) Each group took turns using the juicers, carefully adding ingredients, and watching their vibrant juices come to life. They were fascinated by the juicing process and enjoyed the hands-on experience. Once all the juices were made, we had a taste-testing session where students could try different blends. Some kids were adventurous and loved trying new flavors, while others preferred the sweeter fruit-based juices. Everyone shared their thoughts, and then we made our own creation that was the favorite juice of the day! After enjoying their fresh juices, club members participated in a fun craft activity. Each child received a round wooden magnet, which they painted to resemble citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes. They then wrote positive and encouraging messages on them like "Squeeze the Day,” "You’re Simply the Zest" and "Stay Fresh & Positive!" The magnets turned out beautifully and students were excited to take them home as a reminder of the fun and healthy habits they learned at the club!

Addie Day, Adda Luck, Evelyn King, Beau Hyman and Liesel Hyman, all members of our FFA chapter, traveled with advisor Alyssa Wright to Warsaw last week to compete in the FFA District 9 competitions. All five of our members did an excellent job competing in the creed speaking competition. In creed speaking, students have to memorize the FFA creed and answer three questions related to it. The creed teaches students to speak in a powerful, confident and professional manner in front of judges. Addie placed first in the junior creed speaking division while Liesel took 6th. In the senior division, Beau took second. All three will be moving on to sub-states at Lyons High School in March. Congratulations! (Photo courtesy of Alyssa Wright)

The shoutiest of shout outs to our Middle School Students of the Month for December! Holding down the fort for the 5th grade is Kallee Kirsch, nominated by Mrs. Heather Smith. “Kallee is a cheerful and fun-loving kid who is always considerate and respectful of others. She encompasses the core values of our Middle School wholeheartedly, has integrity in all she does and takes on her responsibilities as a student very seriously,” said Smith. “Yes, her academics are high, but it is more than just that. Kallee is compassionate, trustworthy, and shows kindness to others. She is an all-around example of what the Blue Devil Pride stands for.” Cheyenne Kazmierczak is our Student of the Month from the 6th grade. “Cheyenne is so sweet, kind and includes all students in activities,” said Mrs. Ryanne Glowney, Cheyenne’s nominator. “One of her peers was upset recently and she quickly jumped in to help out.” Mrs. Liz Kowalski nominated our 7th grade Student of the Month Lucia Eddy, who Kowalski described as a very hard-working student. “Lucia keeps up with the pace of two AP classes and is a great leader in and out of the classroom,” said Kowalski. “She’s very organized, works hard as the vice president of Student Council and loves running meetings and giving input and ideas.” Our 8th grade Student of the Month is Jasmine Santos Rios. “She’s a hard-working student, works well with others and puts forth a lot of effort in class and outside of class,” said nominator Liz Kowalski. “She helps others during AIS class, as well.” Congratulations to our Middle School Students of the Month!

A heartfelt thank you to our local farmers who, earlier this month, supplied us with a bounty of locally-produced food which we then distributed to families in need via our Attica Elementary School Backpack Program! This food giveaway was made possible by the $50,000 New York Food for New York Families grant the state’s Department of Agriculture and Markets awarded to our district in 2023. Fenton’s Produce in Batavia supplied us with seasonal vegetables such as potatoes, squash, carrots, garlic, cabbage, Preston’s Farms in Albion sent us a variety of apples and Attica’s own LFH Cattle Company supplied packages of stew beef. We also included some recipes in each box of food so families can use the ingredients to make a meal together. What a wonderful gift to enjoy these nutritious, local ingredients during the chilly winter months - a big thank you to all the farmers and community members who made this possible! (Photos courtesy of Alicia Spoth)

REMINDER: There is no school tomorrow - Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025 - due to New York’s new Lunar New Year holiday. Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation establishing Lunar New Year as a public school holiday in September of 2023 and this is the first time districts across the state will have the day off. “By designating Lunar New Year as an official school holiday, we are taking an important step in recognizing the importance of New York’s AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) community and the rich diversity that makes New York so great,” Hochul said at the time. “It is not just a day off from school – it is an opportunity for our children to learn about and celebrate their own or different cultures and traditions.” Tomorrow, in addition to enjoying the day off, we encourage our students and community members to take a moment and reflect on the vital role Asian Americans have and continue to play in the shaping of our nation.

Due to inclement weather and hazardous road conditions this morning, Attica Central School District will be closed today - Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025.

We are thrilled to recognize Todd Ford as our February Food Service All-Star! Todd is a dedicated and hardworking member of our team who consistently goes above and beyond to ensure that everything runs smoothly in our Middle and High School cafeterias. Todd’s professionalism and commitment to excellence are truly remarkable. During the 2023-2024 school year, he played a vital role in the success of the smoothie line, ensuring the creation station was well-stocked and maintained, while guiding students through the process with patience and enthusiasm. Even when faced with the occasional mishap - whether it was a blender malfunction or a dropped cup - Todd always handled things with a positive attitude and a smile. Students look forward to seeing Todd’s friendly face when they come through the line, and he has become a steady and comforting presence in our food service program. His excitement for new equipment and innovation has been instrumental in helping us take our food service program to the next level. Additionally, Todd’s dependable contributions to our Summer Food Service Program showcase his dedication to providing excellent service year-round. We are grateful for his hard work, professionalism, and unwavering dedication to making our food service experience a success. Congratulations, Todd - we’re lucky to have you as part of our team and appreciate all that you do. Keep up the great work!

By the end of the session, everyone had practiced important kitchen skills like chopping, seasoning, and safely using tools like the mandoline slicer. The students tasted each other’s creations, shared tips, and felt proud of their new cooking skills. They left excited to keep experimenting with root vegetables at home! (Photos courtesy of Jenelle Bauer, Becky Sphar and Alicia Spoth)

Remember how our food service team is celebrating potatoes throughout the month of January? Well, our first graders got in on the action last week with a fantastic Ag in the Classroom lesson from Attica Partners for Agriculture. Kristen Hess led our students in a lesson about how potatoes grow. Then, students prepared potatoes for some homemade chips and sent them off to the cafeteria to be baked. The lesson really came to life with the help of some amazing local partners - a special shoutout to Fenton’s Produce for growing the potatoes, and to our own Food Service Team for using their ovens to make some delicious homemade potato chips. Our incredible FFA Members also lent a hand to make this activity a huge success! Want to try making these chips at home? Check out the recipe at the link below and a big thanks to everyone involved in making this fun and educational experience possible! Link: https://feelgoodfoodie.net/recipe/oven-baked-potato-chips/ (Photos courtesy of Alicia Spoth)