Charlotte Sidway Elementary School News Web Page - 2019
2451 Baseline Road - 716.773.8870
Charlotte Sidway Elementary School District's Website
Principal
Denise Dunbar
Previous Sidway News
Sidway PTA Sponsored Monster Mash - October 2019
The Sidway PTA Sponsored Monster Mash will be held at Sidway School on Friday, October 25th from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. There will be a Halloween-themed maze, photo booth and dancing thanks to Premier Sound, snacks available for purchase and Pizza Amore's food truck. Costumes are encouraged. Tickets are $10 presale/$15 at the door for families with 3 children; $15 presale /$20 at the door for families with 4 or more children. Please park in the back for this event!
Sidway Playground Project News - October 2019
(October 10, 2019) New Sidway Playground chair Linda Samland has made the following announcement: Soil remediation at Sidway will be taking place this weekend. Playground order will be placed by October 30th and our community build has been scheduled for May 2nd & 3rd, 2020. Any business or community members interested in helping, please contact lindasamland@gicsd.org Thank you for all of your continued support. Our vision will become a reality in May 2020.
New Sidway Playground Receives $100,000 - July 2019
Senator Chris Jacobs delivers check to Sidway Principal Denise Dunbar and playground committee.
At the Grand Island Central School District Board of Education Meeting on Monday, July 8th, NYS Senator Chris Jacobs presented a check for $100,000 to Sidway Principal Denise Dunbar and the Sidway Playground Committee. Jacobs secured a major allocation of state funding to support the purchase and installation of a brand ne ADA compliant playground at Charlotte Sidway Elementary School.(Grand Island, NY) - New York State Senator Chris Jacobs announced that he has obtained $100,000 in state funding for the Grand Island Central School District. The monies will support the purchase and installation of a brand new ADA compliant playground at Charlotte Sidway Elementary School.
"The benefits from a healthy physical education program are well documented and range from increased classroom performance to developing better socialization skills and longer healthier life spans for our children," said Senator Chris Jacobs. "I am very pleased that with this funding, the Grand Island Central School District can perform a complete reconstruction of the older and potentially unsafe playground so these benefits can be extended our younger students, including those with physical disabilities."
The current playground at Sidway is twenty-five years old, and the wear and tear associated with its age has created additional expenses for the school district in recent years as various pieces of equipment needed replacing. A committee of faculty, staff and parents was formed to explore the possibility of building a new playground. The firm GameTime was selected to move forward under a community build model in which employees from the company work with local stakeholders to complete the new playground consisting of one section for students age 3-5 and one for age 5-12.
"The support and leadership demonstrated by Senator Jacobs with the Sidway playground project is outstanding," said Grand Island School Superintendent Brian Graham. "The Sidway community has been very generous, contributing over $50,000 over the past year to support the playground. Senator Jacobs’ funding will make this project a reality much sooner than we anticipated, enabling Sidway students and everyone in our community to utilize the new inclusive designed playground this year."
While the amount of community participation will determine whether the playground is completed over two consecutive weekends or perhaps one long weekend, school officials are hoping for completion in either September or October of this year. "Providing our prekindergarten and elementary school children with the time and space to be healthy and active at school is so important to their learning outcomes and quality of life while in our care," said Sidway Elementary Principal Denise Dunbar. "We are grateful for Senator Jacobs’ support of our efforts to assure our outdoor spaces are accessible, safe and fun for all children," she concluded.
GICSD Pre K and Kindergarten Registration Information - February 2019
Registration has opened for the Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) Program within the Grand Island School District which offers two UPK sites. The Charlotte Sidway Elementary School location runs a morning and afternoon session. The Kiddo’s Korner Preschool, 2728 Stony Point Road, will provide an afternoon session as our community-based provider. To be eligible for the UPK program a child must be four years of age on or before Dec. 1, 2019 and a Grand Island resident. PreK registration appointments must be made in advance, beginning March 1, 2019. Please call 773-8800 extension "O" to schedule a PreK registration appointment. The application deadline is Friday, May 17, 2019. The last appointment to register on this date will be 2 p.m. At your appointment, you will receive the UPK Provider Choice Lottery Form.
Kindergarten registration is ongoing for the 2019-2020 school year. If you have a child turning five years of age on or before Dec. 1, 2019 and you have not been contacted by the district, please call the District Office at 773-8800 so that your child can be registered. To register for PreK or kindergarten, you must complete the GICSD Enrollment packet. All information about the programs, the central registration process and the enrollment packet is online at grandislandschools.org/register.
Valentine's For Veterans - February 2019
Back row, from left: Verelynn Conschafter, Cole Hahn, Fiona Hickey, Isaiah Montalvo, Will Trenda, Josh Dulak.
Front row: Logan Brockway, Kelsey Hall, Ruth Dalbo, Breighenna Tippett, Joseph Marsala.
Recently, the Kindergarten and First Grade classes at Sidway Elementary were busy making Valentines for Veterans. These cards were delivered to th Buffalo VA Hospital. Brick Paver Sidway Playground Committee Fundraiser - February 2019
Reasons to buy a brick.
New Form - print third page.
The children of Gand Island need your help. Charlotte Sidway Elementary School, the Universal Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten and First Grade school for our community has a children's exercise and play area that has seen better days. The existing playground is over 25 years old and it is no longer feasible to be repaired or updated.
In Fall of 2017, a group of teachers, administrators and parents came together forming the Sidway Playground Committee and began the daunting task of fund raising and designing a state-of-the-art, inclusive playground. The committee engaged the three major playground companies and had each submit a thorough presentation and price quote. The group then reviewed the proposals, and determined that GameTime offered the most inclusive, while also most affordable, option. The cost of the new structure is $145,000.
While researching the cost and design needs, the committee also began raising money through dozens of fundraisers. They have raffled off a Jet Ski and Snow Blower, sold coffee and greeting cards, held large events for Halloween and a kick off to summer party, and most recently a Holiday Walk and craft fair. They were also fortunate to receive support from the local community receiving thousands of dollars in donation from individuals and organizations. Lastly, the committee was fortunate to receive a funding grant of $75,000 from New York State.
To date, the committee has raised $120,000, and the goal is to build in 2019. They are asking for your help in reaching their goal by raising the last $25,000. Any amount you can contribute will bring them closer to building an amazing and inclusive playground for all the current and future youth of Grand Island to enjoy. As a final fundraiser, a brick pathway will be constructed leading to the new playground. You can purchase a personalized brick as a legacy to someone special to you. See online rendering of new playground and brick order form here.
