Join us in giving a huge shout out to our first Attica All-Star of the 2024-25 school year, JennyBee Rappold!
Rappold was first hired on in 2019 as a cleaner and was promoted to head custodian in 2023. In her current position, she’s responsible for overseeing all housekeeping operations for the district.
“Stepping into that role has really allowed JennyBee to shine,” said Director of Facilities David Barber. “Not only is she a great supervisor with a great work ethic and skill, but in that role people can see JennyBee’s heart and passion. She loves her job, this school and, most importantly, the people in our community here at Attica Central.”
Superintendent Dr. Kiel Illg described Rappold as energetic, enthusiastic and fiercely positive.
“I truly believe our facilities are second to none and JennyBee is a huge reason why,” said Illg. “We’re lucky to have someone so dedicated to ensuring our students have a clean and orderly place to come learn each and every morning.”
Congratulations, JennyBee, and thank you for being an Attica All-Star!
FARM TO SCHOOL: Our 2024 Ag Camp Advisors Becky Sphar, Melissa Brooks and Janelle Bauer continued to celebrate an outstanding Ag Camp at yesterday’s Board of Education meeting as they presented the Ag Camp Leadership Award to Nathan Stevens!
An eighth grader in Attica Middle School, Nate has been an outstanding Ag Camper, Garden Club Member, Baking Club Member and Culinary Club Member who actively participated in both last year’s and this year’s camps.
Nate came to camp each morning displaying enthusiasm, interest and passion for each day’s activity. His commitment to growing made him this year’s Ag Camp Leadership Award recipient - congratulations, Nate!
FARM TO SCHOOL: Our food service staff is embracing the fresh flavors of the season!
Today, they prepared a homemade tomato cucumber salad for our students using tomatoes grown on campus in our high tunnel and cucumbers that were locally sourced.
Students were eager to try this Attica-grown and prepared salad and many gave the recipe two thumbs up! Students will be able to enjoy this salad again as part of their lunches on Wednesday, Sept. 18.
Student trays also contained salads with many locally sourced items and cantaloupe from Fenton's Produce in Batavia. We love our local farmers and appreciate their efforts to make our school lunches nutritious and delicious!
(Photos courtesy of Alicia Spoth)
TOUR DE ATTICA: We had our own little criterium up and running over on Prospect Street this morning as Mr. Ianna took his students out for a bit of bike-riding during physical education class.
Our kiddos donned helmets, then took to the course, trading off bikes with their riding partner after each lap.
We expected a bit of riding rust but you know what they say about riding a bike - it’s like riding a bike!
This year, the Wyoming County Suicide Prevention Coalition’s is holding its annual Suicide Prevention Month Walk right here in Attica.
As in years past, the walk is a chance for people to come together to help break the stigma around mental health and shed light on a preventable cause of death that has increased nearly 37 percent from 2000 to 2022, the last year for which there are available data.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is now the second leading cause of death for children age 10-14 and third leading cause of death for people 15-24.
The walk is Tuesday, Sept. 17 at Pavilion A at Attica Memorial Park, 216 Exchange St., Attica.
Registration is preferred, though not required.
Mark your calendars, Attica!
In partnership with the Wyoming County Sheriff’s Office and Health Department, we’re hosting two upcoming child car seat safety checks in the parking lot of Attica Elementary School, 31 Prospect St., Attica.
The first is Friday, Sept., 27 from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. The second is Friday, Oct. 4 from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Trained car seat techs will be on hand to ensure you’re using the safest car seat possible for your child and that it’s installed in your car properly.
Please see the following message from Meaghan Matuszak, our Assistant Superintendent of Business and Operations:
As many of you are aware, this past week the Attica Central School District unveiled our mobile farm stand, and it has been a huge success! We are deeply committed to growing our Farm-to-School program, and seeing this project come to life here in Attica has been a personal dream of mine. I never could have imagined it would become what it is today, and we owe so much of that to the unwavering support we've received from Hillcrest Companies, Attica Partners for Agriculture, and Homeland Woodworking LLC.
Their incredible donations, hard work, and ongoing support have been invaluable to our district. They have played a pivotal role in ensuring that our students and staff can experience the very best in farm-to-school education. These partnerships are not just about building a stand—they’re about building a healthier, more sustainable future for our students and our community. Projects like this offer students hands-on experiences with healthy eating, promote fresh, locally-grown food, and foster a deep understanding of where their food comes from.
Moreover, it strengthens our connection to the farmers who work tirelessly to provide for our markets and families. By supporting local agriculture, we are teaching our students the importance of community, sustainability, and the impact they can have on the world around them. The ripple effect of this project goes far beyond our campus; it touches the entire community, fostering healthier lifestyles and a stronger local food economy.
We could not have accomplished this without the amazing contributions and support from our partners. The impact on our students, staff, and community has been immeasurable. Projects like these allow us to not only teach our students about healthy eating and sustainability but also show our deep commitment to supporting local farmers and strengthening our community ties.
Thank you so much!
In the group photo below from left are Jim and Ellen Kirch of Homeland Woodworking LLC; Logan Good and Jessica Kirsch of Hillcrest Companies; Attica Partners for Agriculture Board Member Brad Almeter; Superintendent Dr. Kiel Illg, Attica Partners for Agriculture Board Member Katie Carpenter; Food Service Manager Kris Wicks and Board of Education Member Sue Herman.
As we head into the new school year, our TIES, or Together Including Every Student, Program is looking for Peer Volunteers!
TIES promotes the participation of students and young adults who have developmental disabilities in inclusive, organized extracurricular and community activities with the support of trained student volunteers.
This is a great opportunity to volunteer, gain new perspectives, and earn community service credits!
Peer Volunteers are Attica students in grades 8-12 while participants are Attica students ages 8-22.
If you have or know of any students who would like to volunteer, contact our district’s TIES Coordinator, Jennifer Rautenstrauch, via email at jrautenstrauch@atticacsd.org or phone at (585) 604-8467.
For more information about our TIES program, visit our website at the link below.
Link: https://www.atticacsd.org/o/acsd/page/ties-program
Never forget.
Attica's own Mighty Marching Blue Devils getting ready for their first gig of the school year, the Marilla Ag Day Parade this Sunday, Sept. 15!
Festivities begin at 11 a.m., parade at 1 p.m. at the Marilla Firemen’s Grounds, 1950 West Ave., Marilla.
FARM TO SCHOOL: Last month, our Summer Ag Campers visited Burley Berries & Blooms in Warsaw for a hands on field trip experience. Campers cut flowers, visited a productive high tunnel and even got to experience the Burley Berries & Blooms Micro Creamery offerings.
“We take farm-fresh milk from cows who graze on the freshest grass at East Hill Farms,” explained co-owner Meagan Burley. “Our milk is vat-pasteurized, which is a low-temperature method allowing the milk’s natural flavor and texture to be preserved.”
Our students had an amazing experience and called their trip to Burley Berries & Blooms one of their favorite days at camp!
Meagan Burley has been a champion for our district’s Farm to School programming and visited us last December to share her story and encourage cafeteria staff to be creative and source locally.
The Attica community thanks this family for their continued support of our students and our district's Farm to School mission!
There are still a good number of tickets available for our Future Farmers of America chapter’s 8th Annual Chicken BBQ Fundraiser next week!
Each BBQ dinner includes chicken, baked beans, coleslaw, salt potatoes, a roll and butter, milk and dessert. Tickets cost $13 and are pre-sale ONLY.
Pickup is Wednesday, Sept. 11 at Attica High School, 3338 East Main Street Rd., Attica.
In-school pickup for staff runs from 3:30 to 6 p.m. in the Ag hallway.
Drive-up pickup for everyone else runs from 3:45 to 6 p.m. at the bus loop entrance door #28.
To purchase a ticket, see our new agriculture teacher and FFA advisor Alyssa Wright or any of our FFA chapter members!
We stopped by the library at Attica Elementary this afternoon and happened to bump into Mrs. Hertel’s new kindergarteners, who were doing an orientation lesson with Mrs. Loranty-Dispenza, our new Elementary School Library Media Specialist!
Kindergarteners went over library expectations and procedures, took a tour of the space and then read a book, “Do Not Bring Your Dragon to the Library,” together as a class.
Next week, our kindergarteners will move on to checking out their very own books!
Back at it at Attica Elementary!
Students kicked off the new school year yesterday morning with a bit of a sweet treat, courtesy of Student Government!
Please take a moment to complete our Student Device User Agreement Form for all students. This needs to be completed before we can distribute Chromebooks or other devices to students. Thank you for your help. You can find the form at this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScT-nHJiAXWkHbh2NsbaCIY-TjFgrYf7VuvJC7pvvyNstf44w/viewform
A reminder to our families that if you haven’t already downloaded the SafeStop app and taken advantage of the ability to get real-time updates on your student’s bus location, now is the time!
Attica Central School District will be utilizing this app to send out notifications regarding bus routes in the event of unforeseen delays, unexpected detours, bad weather or an emergency.
To setup your account, follow the instructions in the accompanying image.
For more information about SafeStop, scan the QR code in the accompanying image.
This morning, during our Superintendent’s Conference Day, we recognized members of our faculty and staff who’ve accrued 25 years of service to our district!
They are, from left, Deputy Treasurer/Tax Collector Tammy Burry, Director of Facilities David Barber, Middle School Music Teacher Julie Daley, Elementary School Teacher Nici Parkhurst and Food Service Manager Kris Wicks.
Thank you all for your QUARTER CENTURY of service to our district, students and community!
Our Elementary School Cafeteria is looking a little different!
As we gear up to welcome back our students and staff for the start of the 2024-25 school year, we are eager for everyone to experience this newly refreshed space.
This transformation was made possible by generous grant funding, and we want to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who contributed to this project.
A special shout-out goes to our Buildings and Grounds team for painting the entire cafeteria and hallway, our Farm to School Coordinator Alicia Spoth, and Elementary School Principal Sherry Bennett, who collaborated with Meaghan Matuszak, our Assistant Superintendent of Business and Operations, on the design.
We’re excited to continue our commitment to spreading our farm-to-school initiative across all our school buildings and can’t wait to see our students and faculty making the most of this wonderful space.
Here’s to a fantastic school year ahead!
FARM TO SCHOOL: We’re proud to unveil our very own Mobile Farm-to-School Stand!
This stand is not just a place to purchase fresh, locally grown produce this coming school year - it's a moving testament to the hard work, passion, and collaboration between our students, staff, and community partners. With it, we hope to foster a deeper connection between our students and the land, teach them the value of sustainable agriculture, and continue to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to healthy eating.
The produce that will be sold and showcased at the stand has been cultivated right here on our campus, nurtured by the hands of our students and staff and community partners.
By bringing this stand into our community, we're not only offering a convenient, healthy food option, but we're also showcasing the incredible talent and dedication of our students. Every purchase made supports our ongoing efforts to strengthen the bond between education, agriculture, and community well-being.
We can't wait to share this incredible resource with all of you and the wider Attica community.
A special thank you goes out to our incredible sponsors: Hillcrest Companies, Homeland Woodworking, LLC, and Attica Partners for AG. Without their generous support, the dream of bringing this mobile farm stand to life wouldn't have been possible.
Stay tuned for more details on when and where you can visit our Mobile Farm-to-School Stand. Let's continue to grow, nourish, and support our community together!
