WINTER RECESS COUNTDOWN: Four days left, Blue Devils.
Today, we travel back in time to last week when members of our Future Farmers of America chapter headed down to Attica Elementary as part of their Ag Buddies program, which seeks to introduce younger students to the district’s ag programs and get them excited to take an ag course when they get to middle school.
This year, the Ag Buddies visit had an international flair. First, members started out by reading “A World of Cookies for Santa” aloud. As the title suggests, the book brings readers around the globe to explore the different kinds of cookies children leave out for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve.
After the read aloud, students rotated through different stations to make reindeer food, a marshmallow snowman, a 3-D paper tree and play a matching game, which tested students’ ability to recall some of the different countries’ flags they’d just seen during the read aloud.
Make sure you check out our two videos linked below. In the first, FFA President Larissa Hyman reads “A World of Cookies for Santa” aloud to a class of second graders. The second features highlights from the day.
Read aloud video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xa3VkKMOdps
Highlights video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7wSWS5fKUM
Our PageTurners team traveled to Letchworth Central Schools for their fall meet last week and came away with a third place finish out of six competing schools.
PageTurners is a literature-based competition that challenges teams to answer trivia questions about a collection of works.
Our team, comprised of students in grades three through six, read one poem and nine books and prepared themselves to answer questions about the author, genre, characters, setting, plot and theme, among other things.
Although there were 20 students on the team in total, only 6 students competed in round one and 6 in round two. The remaining students came prepared to be an alternate.
Our PageTurners team is coached by library media specialists Stacey Donahue and Wendy Jerge.
WINTER RECESS COUNTDOWN: You’re in the home stretch, Blue Devils. 5 days to go.
Today, we welcome Stasia Struzik to the countdown.
Stasia, a seventh grader at Attica Middle School, reads “How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney,” by Mac Barnett.
With illustrations by Jon Klassen, this book tries to shed some light on a question that’s befuddled true believers for time out of mind.
We hope you give it a watch at the link below. If you’ve got a copy at home, follow along!
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwEUFus8rSE
AG IN THE FAMILY: While her father, Thane, was speaking to students about his job as an apiarist Friday in our middle-high school cafeteria, Alyssa Wright was down in Mrs. Michelle Barber’s class, teaching her agriculture students about a pair of goats from her family’s Falling Leaves Farm.
You probably know Thane Wright best as vice president of our board of education, but did you know he’s also a professional apiarist?
That’s right! Mr. Wright has operated his own beekeeping business, Wright Apiaries, for many years and today, he stopped by our cafeteria to speak with middle and high school students about what the job entails.
Wright brought along a selection of his beekeeping equipment to show to students and honey sticks for them to try.
Mr. Wright has been a strong supporter of our agricultural programming over the years and, through his work on our cafeteria committee has helped lead the way toward improving and expanding the food offerings our students have access to here at Attica Central Schools.
Thank you, Mr. Wright, for stopping by (and for the free honey sticks… yum)!
Many thanks to Diane Deleo, a licensed veterinary technician (LVT) with Attica Veterinary Associates, for coming to speak with our students today during a Lunch and Learn in the High School Library.
Deleo walked students considering pursuing a career in the field through what kind of education you need to become a vet tech and what a typical day on the job looks like.
WINTER RECESS COUNTDOWN: 6 school days to go until Winter Recess.
Today, we turn things over to Tressa Smith, a middle school art teacher who also leads our after-school Art Club.
During yesterday’s club meeting, Smith led Art Club members in making their very own Hopes and Dreams Treasure Chests!
First, Smith asked students to think about their hopes and dreams for the future. Then, students went right to work ripping out images and phrases of things that inspire them from a collection of magazines, glued them down and created a special place to store their favorite things.
We think our students’ chests turned out great and encourage you to reflect on what you want your future to look like and create a treasure box of your own!
Need an inspiration jump start? Check out Smith’s “How-To” video at the link below!
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOfJqUe6j5o
(Photos courtesy of Tressa Smith)
Start the New Year out right with a Barre Above fitness class at Attica High School!
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.
Allison Platten, a local, certified Barre Above instructor, will lead classes on Tuesday evenings from 6 to 7 p.m. in the Attica High School Cafeteria, 3338 East Main Street Rd., Attica, beginning Jan. 2, 2024.
There is no cost to attend though it’s suggested attendees bring a yoga mat.
Use the link below to sign up.
We hope to see you at one of our upcoming classes!
Link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSclMlwHCVK9CZ6FscylYDMS9eI-ls7mWZ0RHoD7afguO4M-3w/viewform
Heads up, Blue Devils: Our Fall Newsletter will be delivered in this weekend’s edition of the Attica Penny Saver.
We’ve also posted the newsletter to our website - give it a read at the link below!
Link: https://www.atticacsd.org/page/newsletter
WINTER RECESS COUNTDOWN: Exactly 7 days left, Blue Devils. C’mon now. You’re gonna make it.
Today, we head to Attica Elementary School for Santa’s Workshop, a staple of the holiday season.
Armed with cash and a list of family members, elementary schoolers perused the aisles of gifts with the help of volunteers - many of them high school students - until they’d purchased something for each person on their list.
We always love seeing what our kiddos kick out for their loved ones!
Shout out to senior Juliana Keicher and freshman Ethan Tober, our Physical Education Students of the Month for November!
WINTER RECESS COUNTDOWN: Don’t look now, Blue Devils, but there’s only 8 days to go until Winter Recess.
Today, we bring you to Attica Tops, where National Honor Society chapter members Olivia Bernacki, Ellie Gominiak, Mia Mondano and Alanna Pellicane took a turn ringing the bell for the Salvation Army’s annual Red Kettle Campaign last week.
Inspired, no doubt, by the words of Buddy the Elf - “The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear,” - Alanna and Mia decided to turn their bell-ringing session up a notch by bringing along a karaoke machine.
Judging by the special guest who stopped by, we’d say Buddy’s advice is spot on! Check out some footage from their bell-ringing session at the link below.
(Photos and footage courtesy of Becki Peters and Alanna Pellicane)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXdIX-UJH08
Our Future Farmers of America chapter has a new website!
Here, you’ll be able to find the chapter’s monthly newsletter, information on upcoming events, bios of our chapter officers and learn more about the history of our FFA chapter.
Check it out at the link below.
Link: https://sites.google.com/atticacsd.org/atticaffa?usp=sharing
WINTER RECESS COUNTDOWN: OK. It’s getting serious now, Blue Devils. Only 9 days to go.
Today, we bring you news of an act of service by middle school members of our Future Farmers of America chapter, who traveled to Warsaw Saturday to help out at the annual Shop with a Cop event at Walmart!
About 90 kids from across Wyoming County participated in this year’s event, which is organized by Chief Peter Hoffmeister and the Warsaw Police Department. Each kid was given a $70 Walmart gift card and assigned a police officer, who helped them shop.
Our FFA members joined others from Warsaw Central School District’s FFA chapter in running a crafts and snacks station for kids as they awaited their turn to shop with a member of the State Police, Warsaw Police Department or Wyoming County Sheriff’s Office.
We love to see our students out doing good work in the community - well done, FFA!
(Photos courtesy of Becky Sphar)
How cool is this?
Earlier this week, Jill Pierce’s life skills class attended a Christmas Tree Virtual Field Trip with Rocking Horse Farm.
During this trip, Pierce’s students toured the family-owned tree farm, learned about the lifecycle of Christmas trees, experienced how these trees are harvested and prepared for sale, and experienced how tree farmers can diversify and upcycle products to support their farm.
The farm even sent an inquiry box of items found on the farm that the students were able to explore before the trip.
“We enjoyed the trip and learned a lot without having to be out in the chilly temperatures!” said Pierce.
Yesterday, Attica Elementary’s third grade classes and Mrs. Gephart’s/Mrs.Williams’ class traced and painted pictures to decorate our third floor hallways for the holidays!
Well done, Blue Devils - you’ve got that hallway looking sharp!
WINTER RECESS COUNTDOWN: 10 days to go, Blue Devils.
Today, we welcome freshman Trinnity Wheatle to the countdown to read “The Mitten,” by Jan Brett.
This beloved children’s book is an adaptation of a Ukrainian folktale and teaches a valuable lesson about how there’s always more to give.
You can watch the video over on our YouTube channel at the link below.
Thank you, Trinnity!
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6y44dHz45YM
We stopped by Mrs. Diane Gebel’s fourth period social studies class this morning to check out her middle school students’ Ellis Island simulation.
As part of the simulation, Gebel previously assigned each student a character of a would-be immigrant. Students then researched why their assigned immigrant would decide to leave their home country in the first place, then prepared travel documents before being processed.
Before they could successfully immigrate to the U.S., students’ assigned characters were subject to medical screenings and legal background checks at the hands of sometimes hostile and sometimes corrupt immigration officers.
If a student’s assigned character was displaying symptoms of illness, was too old or weak to work, had a history of criminal activity in their home country or had an occupation that wasn’t highly valued, that student’s character faced deportation and the possibility of having to begin the immigration process again from the beginning.
Are you a Burger King fan? Of course you are, stop lying. In fact, you’ve probably got that jingle going through your head right now. You know the one - “At Beeeeeeee-Kayyyyyyy, have it your way…”
Anyways, we’ve gotten off point.
If you like BK (just admit it, already), make sure you stop by our freshman class fundraiser at Attica Burger King, 130 Prospect St., on Thursday, Dec. 21
20 percent of ALL sales made between 4 and 9 p.m. that day will go to our freshman class fund!
If ever there was time to order that second Whopper, it’s Dec. 21 from 4 to 9 p.m. - after all, it’s for a good cause!
Our high school counseling office took 43 juniors and seniors on a college tour last month.
They started off at Daemen University, then went to Erie Community College’s North Campus before finishing up at the University of Buffalo.
“The students got to see first hand the differences between a community college, a private university and a SUNY school,” said Counselor Elise Meyer, who accompanied students on the trip. “They were able to visit classrooms, libraries, computer labs, athletic complexes, dorm rooms and much more.
(Photo courtesy of Elise Meyer)
