Welcome New Staff!
We are excited to welcome several new staff members to East Hill this year! First of all, music will be taught by a combination of fine arts staff, including Don Schuessler, Mike Stachnik, and Christy Knowlton. All of these teachers have taught in the district for several years. Siani Amidon is our new psychologist, replacing Tara Powless. Cynthia Whiting is our part-time speech therapist, replacing Sarah Moore. We are welcoming several teaching assistants, including Elizabeth Rapple, Jennifer Francey, Patti Gabello, Patti Yeager, and Megan Garropy. Kathleen Clark will be teaching PE on Tuesdays as well as teaching APE. Please give them a warm, East Hill welcome!
Last Minute Reminders
School starts this Thursday, September 10th. Please remember to have your child bring their completed screening form each day. We will be sending more forms home with students the first day of school. Please make sure you have secured your child's tags (bus and parent-pickup tag, if appropriate) to their backpack. If you are dropping off your child in the morning, please do so between 8:40 and 8:55. If you are picking up your child in the afternoon, make sure you bring your parent pick-up tag, and plan on arriving at 2:25. Buses will be dismissed at 2:15 and cars will not be allowed in the driveway until the buses have loaded. Please remember that at this time we are not allowing adults in the building or on the sidewalks during arrival and dismissal. We appreciate your understanding in this matter as safety is our top priority. If your child is walking home or riding a bike, we must have a note in advance.
Entrances
We will be using three entrances this year (see below) to cut down on possibly congestion. Your child's entrance was noted in their placement letter and is also indicated on their bus/pick-up tags. Students in Mrs. Thome's class should use entrance 2. (The entrance was listed incorrectly on the placement letters.) We will have plenty of staff members on the sidewalks to assist students. 
Yearbook Update
Unfortunately, the yearbooks have not yet shipped. Lifetouch/Shutterfly seem to be trying their best but have been hit hard as a non-essential business located in multiple states. The multiple printing locations at Lifetouch (subsity of Shutterfly) had to shut down multiple times for COVID. They are finishing the books in the order in which they were received. They are hoping they will be shipped in the next three weeks. The books will be distributed at East Hill and WGMS. We think you'll be very pleased with last year's book as the unique learning environment was captured nicely.
Updates and Changes for Physical Education (from Miss O'Keefe)
Physical Education will look and feel a little different this year, but it is still going to be tons of FUN! There are a few changes that are important for our East Hill friends to know:
1. Please bring your water bottle to PE. If we go outside we will have a safe place to put them. If we are in the gym, there will be a table to place them on, and if we are in the classroom, they can stay on your desk.
2. Students will need to wear masks, and wash their hands before and after PE class.
3. As always, we will be outside when the weather allows, even on days when the grass is wet in the morning, which means socks and sneakers could get very wet. On PE days, please bring an extra pair of sneakers and socks. Bringing an old pair of sneakers to wear outside is a good idea!
4. There will be some days when someone other than Miss O'Keefe and Miss Clark will be teaching PE. On these days there will be activities provided via the Elementary PE website. If you have any questions, please email Miss O'Keefe (mokeefe@westgenesee.org). She can't wait to see you!!
Notes from West Genesee Nurses
If you haven't yet read the notes from the nurses, please take a minute and do so! You will find information about what to do if you have a child with chronic health conditions. You'll also find information about masks, physical exam and immunization requirements, and medications at school. Please remember that medication can be dropped off at East Hill on Wednesday from 12:00 - 3:00.
Enjoy the week! We can't wait to see the students!
- Lisa
