2010
Previous News Pages
School Board Meeting Agenda - March 2010
See Mon., March 22, 2010 MeetingSchool Board Candidates Sought to Fill 2 Seats - March 2010
Candidates interested in a seat on the Grand Island Board of Education must file nominating petitions with District Clerk Janet Schuster by 5pm April 19,2010.Twenty (20) valid signatures of district residents are required on a petition. Forms are available at the district offices located at 1100 Ransom Road from 8:30am to 3:30pm weekdays. There are two (2) three-year terms to be filled.
The qualifications to run for the Board of Education are: (1) you must be a citizen of the US, (2) you must be at least 18 years of age, (3) you must be a resident of the district for one year prior to the election, and (4) you must be able to read and write.
The School Board election and budget vote will be held from 10am to 9pm May 18, 2010 in the High School Gym.
Charlotte Sidway Elementary School Hosts Getting Ready for Kindergarten Night - March 2010
Charlotte Sidway Elementary School invites all parents/guardians of September 2010 incoming Kindergarten students to attend “Getting Ready for Kindergarten Night” at 6:30 p.m. on April 8, 2010. This is an evening designed specifically with parents in mind. Teachers from Charlotte Sidway Elementary School will share an hour long presentation packed with helpful information about sending your child to school. This is especially helpful for families that may have questions about what can be done at home to prepare their child before the start of school.If you have any questions regarding your child coming to Kindergarten, please do not hesitate to call Charlotte Sidway Elementary School at 773-8870. We look forward to welcoming you and your child to Sidway!
Charlotte Sidway Elementary School is located at 2451 Baseline Road, Grand Island, New York 14072.
School Board Meeting Agenda - March 2010
See Mon., March 8, 2010 MeetingSchool Board Meeting Agenda - February 2010
See Mon., February 22, 2010 MeetingGetting Ready for Kindergarten - Winter 2010
If you have a child turning five years of age on or before December 1 you have probably received a call to register your child. If you have not received this call and have a child eligible for Kindergarten, please call the District Office at 773-8800 so that your child can be registered. Sending your child to Kindergarten is a big step, but a very exciting time in your lives. Once your child is registered for Kindergarten the clock begins to tick and there are several dates which become very important for you.April 8, 2010 - Getting Ready for Kindergarten Night
This is an evening designed with parents in mind. Teachers from Charlotte Sidway Elementary School will share helpful information about coming to school. The hour long presentation will begin at 6:30 p.m. This is especially helpful if you have questions about what you can do at home to help your child feel prepared before coming to school.
May 18, 2010 - Kindergarten Orientation
This event is for both you and your child. The afternoon begins at 12:30 p.m. with a presentation for parents in the large gym and activities for children in the classrooms. The afternoon concludes with a short bus ride for you and your child. You will have an opportunity to meet several faculty and staff members and have any questions you may have answered.
June 1 – June 10, 2010 - Kindergarten Screening
Screening is by appointment and may be scheduled when you register your child. If you have already registered, please call 773-8800 to schedule a screening appointment. Screening takes approximately an hour to complete. Your child will spend about 20 minutes with three different professionals. He/she will see one of our reading specialists for an assessment of his/her readiness skills. Your child will also meet with a speech therapist and a school nurse. It is important that you have record of your child’s physical exam and immunizations by that time.
If you have any questions regarding your child coming to kindergarten, please do not hesitate to call Charlotte Sidway Elementary School at 773-8870. We look forward to welcoming you and your child to Sidway!
Charlotte Sidway Elementary School is located at 2451 Baseline Road, Grand Island, New York 14072.
School Board Requests Input From Residents - Winter 2010
The Grand Island Board of Education is seeking ideas from residents on where to go with the local school budget. A school budget forum will be held on Tuesday, February 23, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. in the Grand Island High School Auditorium. Please attend this public meeting to hear about next year’s budget and give your input. This community-wide discussion will be helpful in constructing what is expected to be a very difficult budget to create for the 2010-2011 school year. We hope you can attend and we look forward to your input.Why A Forum For Input:
The Board of Education wants input about the direction the residents wish to go: whether to make cuts (and what to cut) and/or raise taxes to preserve programs and staff.
Why Grand Island Residents Should Attend:
A severe budget crisis is looming for all schools in New York. Predictions for state funding are bleak. The Governor’s proposed budget includes a state aid reduction of $1.385 million for Grand Island. There are reports that the Governor will withhold money from schools this year. The Grand Island Central School District’s priority has been to try to avoid layoffs of teaching staff or cuts affecting our kids. However, a decrease in state aid means either cuts in school programs or tax increases, or both. The Board of Education has started the budget building process for next year - now is the time for your input.
What Is At Stake:
The educational program and the tax rates are at stake. As with some of the cost of living both at home and our businesses, the costs of school operations increase each year (such as gas, electric, health insurance, wages, pensions, etc.). When state aid does not cover such increases, the costs must be passed directly to local taxpayers as tax increases, unless program cuts are made. To reduce costs, the school could see cuts such as eliminating some classes, increasing class sizes, eliminating electives, reducing sports, cutting busing, or other cost reductions. All expenditures would be prioritized. Schools are “labor intensive” meaning that a large portion of their costs are wages and benefits. Most of these cuts reduce costs by laying off staff. In Grand Island, many of our employees live here. That makes the choice even more difficult, although laws make all personnel cuts based on seniority.
School Board Meeting Agenda - February 2010
See Mon., February 8, 2010 MeetingUniversal Pre-Kindergarten Applications Now Being Accepted - Winter 2010
The Grand Island Central School District is now accepting Universal Pre-kindergarten applications for 2010-2011.Here are the requirements:
· Your child must be 4 years old no later than December 1, 2010 in order to be eligible.
· You must be a Grand Island resident.
· Half-day sessions, five-days per week, are offered at Charlotte Sidway Elementary School (morning and afternoon) and at least one island child care center (morning only).
· Applications and registration materials are available on line at www.k12.ginet.org,
The application deadline is May 28, 2010. Lottery will be held June 10, 2010.
School Board Meeting Agenda - January 2010
See Mon., January 25, 2010 MeetingSchool Board Meeting - January 2010
See Fri., January 8, 2010 MeetingSchool Board Meeting Agenda - January 2010
See Mon., January 4, 2010 MeetingCommunity Education Winter 2010 Session - December 2009
Grand Island Community Education classes for Winter 2010 will begin on January 25th. Walk-in registrations will be held on the same day from 6:00-7:00 p.m. in the foyer of the Grand Island high school on Ransom Road. The Bridge /Community Education brochures were mailed to Grand Island residents the week of December 28th.The Grand Island Community Education Winter brochure may also be viewed and registration forms downloaded online at www.k12.ginet.org
School Board Invites Alumni To Speak Out At Meeting - Jan. 5, 2010
The Grand Island Central School District Board of Education would like to invite all alumni from the graduating classes of 2007, 2008 and 2009 to attend an upcoming linkage meeting for constructive conversation. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 5, 2010 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the Grand Island High School Senior Cafeteria and will allow alumni the opportunity to share their thoughts on what the district is doing right and what they feel can be done better.See School Board Sets Alumni Meeting for complete information.
