Dear Parents and Guardians, The fall months have been busy for our students. October flew by and students enjoyed Halloween and fall themed celebrations in class and wore their Orange and Black in lieu of our traditional parade. Our school was a sea of orange and black and the kids really got into the spirit, even donning some pretty fancy orange and black hairstyles!
Throughout November our character trait of the month has been courage and our students have learned the importance of remembering the sacrifices our Veterans have made and what it means to serve our country.
Each fall, for over thirty years, students have run the Apple Race at Red Mill School. It is one of our most cherished traditions that parents enjoy coming out and watching. While we were unable to hold our race this year, Mr. Sankey and Mr. Welge kept the spirit of our Apple Race alive by running their own funny version that all the students enjoyed watching on our morning news! Huge thanks to our amazing PE teachers for their writing, acting and running efforts, and to Mrs. Lorette and Ms. Griffin who spent many hours on the filming and editing. Watch Video.
Character Corner
Each month Red Mill highlights a character trait. In the month of October, students learned more about RESPONSIBILITY and November’s trait was COURAGE. Our monthly focus on positive character helps our young learners become informed and productive good citizens. Each morning, our WRMS student news anchors tell the school community one more way they can show courage or responsibility. Our staff acknowledges students demonstrating the trait throughout the month, or in some exceptional way, and these students are announced on the morning news show. A list of the students receiving this recognition is proudly displayed on our Kids of Character bulletin board in the main hallway, and at our Character Education assembly all are entered on a spinning wheel for a chance to win a prize. Our first virtual Assembly was held on October 30 and was led by our 2nd grade teachers and students and the November Assembly was led today by our 1st grade team. Great Job by Grade 1 and 2!!!
VIP CLASS OF THE MONTH
The following classrooms were recognized by Red Mill’s Special Area teachers as Classrooms of the Month for exemplary behavior and efforts in Art, Music, P.E., Library and the Cafeteria. All receive the Class of the Month Banner to hang proudly on their classroom door, and one lucky class receives the $25 cash prize from our generous PTO.
| October | November | |
| Music | Mr. Huneck’s 5th Grade | Mrs. Deer’s 2nd Grade |
| Art | Mr. Wicks 4th Grade | Mr. Bailey’s 5th Grade |
| Library | Mrs. Hayes 4th Grade | Mrs. Harrison’s 5th Grade |
| Cafeteria | Mrs. Harrison’s 5th Grade | Ms. Helmrath’s Kindergarten |
| PE | Mrs. Pratt’s Kindergarten | Mrs. Hayes’ 4th Grade |
Best of the Bus
Congratulations to the following students who were recognized by their bus drivers for being outstanding riders, respectful and helpful in the months of October and November:
- Grade 5: Adrionna Nolan, Trinity Pallone-Sutton, Hailey Pallone-Sutton, Jacob Law.
- Grade 4: Kullen Kreiger, Paige Wagner.
- Grade 3: Chance Scott, Emily Tracy, Carter Kirms, Ian Petro, Sarah Ngay.
- Grade 2: Camden Cartwright, Duffy Cartwright, Raelyn Perkins.
- Grade 1: Khali Timmons
- Kindergarten: Carmela Martone, Garrett Perkins, Ana Maxwell, Landon Lacey, Ryan Petro, Marli Scott, Chloe Oghreikanone.
Thank you to these students for the example set on our buses!
Safety
We continue to practice safety drills required by NYS Education regulations. This year we have amended some aspects of our drills to be in compliance with NYSED’s COVID-19 safety guidelines. During fire drills students maintain a line six feet apart while exiting the building and gathered outside. We have taken advantage of the warm weather this fall and have completed the four fire drills required before December 31. There will be two lockdown drills scheduled on November 30 and December 1, one on A day and another on B. The Lockdown drills will take place with adjustments as well. Rather than clustering as a group in the corner of the room and out of sight, students will remain seated at their desks while teachers explain and show the students where to gather in the event of a lockdown. Our local police agencies always assist during our lockdown drills which helps familiarize police with our building.
Student Council
Congratulations to the following students in grades 3, 4 and 5 who will represent their class on Red Mill’s Student Council this year:
- Grade 5: Grace Carey, Ciara Cramer, Abby Connell, Adrianna Maddalla, Colin Donahue, Soham Shah, and Michael Marchiony.
- Grade 4: James Boyer, Paige Wagner, Adam Miaski, Reese Pinherio, Caden LaPorta, Teagan LaPlante.
- Grade 3: Ian Petro, Taylor Eich, Madeline Taylor, Emily Tracy, Evin Donahue, Gabriel Patton.
Our students will pick-up our Mascot project, plan some school spirit days, and coordinate school related community service events.
DAILY COVID-19 SCREENING TOOL
I would like to thank all parents for your diligence in filling out the daily COVID Screening tool. This must be filled out online everyday for each of your children. Our staff members also complete the screening each day before entering the building. Please complete the form prior to 8:30 a.m. each morning. Our office staff will be calling or emailing parents if the screening form has not been received each morning. The COVID-19 Screening Tool link is: https://entry.neric.org/egcsd. Save the link on your phone for quick access each morning.
HEALTH
We are looking forward to continued health and wellness at school. As the winter months are upon us and students inevitably get colds, etc., we are hopeful that our mask wearing and frequent hand washing and sanitizing will minimize our cold and flu season. There have been many questions regarding what to do when your child is sick. I have attached the link to the district’s guidance, that was previously sent to all parents. https://egcsd.org/2020/10/02/new-york-state-updates-return-to-school-requirements/
If you have any questions regarding student illness or return to school procedures, please refer to this document or contact Mrs. Kate Ryan, R.N., Red Mill School Nurse at (518) 207-2660.
Happy Thanksgiving to all our Red Mill Families!
Sincerely,
Helen Squillace
Principal
