PK-6 Principal's News to Know

Hello ACS Elementary Students! 🍁🎃

Welcome to October! This month is full of fun, learning, and new adventures. As we move through the season, let’s continue to show kindness, curiosity, and teamwork—remember, “Together We Lead: Our Road to Success.”

We can’t wait to see all the creativity, laughter, and growth that October brings. Let’s make it a month to remember! 💙

— Mrs. Smith, PK–6 Principal

• 10/1/25-Blue Jay Reading Challenge Kick-Off!

• 10/2/25- Half Day of School

• 10/4/25-Cohocton Fall Foliage Parade

• 10/6/25- Fire Dept. Visit

• 10/10/25- Emergency Go Home Early Drill/Dismissal 2:25-2:30

• 10/13/25-Columbus Day/No School

• 10/20/25-International Club Dinner/See details below!

• 10/30/25-Picture Retake Day!

  • If your child missed the first picture day or you would like their pictures retaken, please reach out to your child’s classroom teacher.

• 10/31/25- Fall Fling!/Details below

Grade Level Newsletters

September Newsletters

Counselor News-with Mrs. Harris!

Meet Our New Friend in the Building! 👮‍♂️

We are excited to welcome School Security Officer, Steve Groves to our school family! Officer Groves will be helping keep our building safe and secure while getting to know students, staff, and families. Be sure to say hello if you see him around—he’s looking forward to becoming a familiar and friendly face in our school community!

Health Office

💉✨ Health Office Update ✨💉

Thank you to all the families who have kept their students’ vaccinations up to date, and to those working with us to get them completed—we truly appreciate your support in keeping our school community healthy.

Nurse Smith has completed head checks for grades PK–6. The kiddos just love getting a scalp massage!

She also wanted me to share that we’ve seen some cases of hand, foot, and mouth illness going around. Please help remind your child to wash their hands often with soap and water. Good handwashing is one of the best ways to prevent the spread of germs.

Lost & Found-Nurse's Office
These items have been found at school and are waiting to be claimed. We know our parents, guardians, and families work hard, and we’d love to reconnect you with the items you purchased for your children.

All items have been freshly laundered by Nurse Smith and are ready to head home. If you see something that belongs to your child, please have them stop by the nurse’s office, or send Nurse Smith a Remind message or email.

Any unclaimed items will be donated at the end of the month. Thank you!

🍎 ACS Food Service!

Check out what’s cooking in the cafeteria this October!

We’re excited to share that our Backpack Program will begin the week of October 14th! This program provides weekend food support for students and families who could use a little extra help. We currently have a few spots available and would love to make sure all are filled.

If you’re interested in applying or would like more information, please contact Mrs. Coddington at 295-7471, ext. 1140. All inquiries are kept confidential.

Snack Information for Grades 3–5

All of our snacks meet the Smart Snacks guidelines (low fat, low sodium, low sugar). To help encourage healthy eating habits and responsible money management, students in grades 3–5 are limited to one snack per week on their assigned day:

• 3rd Grade – Mondays

• 4th Grade – Tuesdays

• 5th Grade – Wednesdays

If school is closed for a holiday, Ms. Shutt will combine grade levels later in the week so no group misses out. Students may purchase one snack only on their snack day to help ensure they still eat their lunch and don’t have too many treats.

Payment Options

• Money must be on your child’s account in order to purchase a snack.

• Funds can be added through My School Bucks (using your child’s student ID#; note there is a small convenience fee).

• Money may also be sent to school in an envelope labeled with your child’s name, grade, and “Attn: Cafeteria.”

If you have questions, please contact Cathy Shutt at 607-295-7471 ext. 1143 (after 1:00 p.m.).

We appreciate your support in reviewing and reinforcing these expectations at home with your child.

Transportation Dept.

Bus Drills & Safety 🚌
At the beginning of September, all students PK-12 participated in bus safety drills to learn important rules and procedures. With field trips beginning soon, this is the perfect opportunity for our students to put those safety lessons into practice. A big thank you to our Transportation Department for teaching our kids how to stay safe while traveling and our PE Dept. for making time !

Student Drop-Off Reminder 🚍
For the safety of our students, all children 12 years and younger must be met by a parent or designated adult at the bus stop, home, or bus before they will be released. If no adult is present, the student will be returned to school and a parent will need to pick them up.

Please also remember: when dropping off students, our drivers must have a visual confirmation of the adult receiving children ages 12 and under. Thank you for helping us keep all of our students safe!

Blue Jay Reading!

Reading Challeng!

Mrs. Kowalcyk, our Blue Jay Reading Coordinator, has come up with another fantastic reading event to encourage our students, and who doesn’t love a good mystery?!

Blue Jays, you can help your class by earning puzzle pieces! Just turn in your completed reading "pumpkin" sheets to your classroom teacher, and your class will receive pieces of the puzzle.

I can’t wait to see the mystery picture come together!

Tuesday October 14th we will kick off a SchoolStore program to help our Blue Jay Reading program raise money to be able to host author visits, reading challenges and more. A lanyard with information explaining how the program works will be sent home with your student on Tuesday. Your student will earn a book buddy when they return the filled-out lanyard to school, and they can earn more great prizes when your family and friends help our school raise money. So don't forget to send the filled-out lanyard back to school, and thanks for your support! 

Thankful to Have Our Playground Back!

Great news — our playground is officially reopened! The broken pipe has been replaced, and everything is ready for students to enjoy again.

A big thank you goes out to Mr. Thompson and Mr. McDaniel for all of their hard work in getting things back up and running for us. We appreciate their time and effort in making sure our students have a safe and fun place to play!

Thank you everyone, for your patience during the closure, and we’re excited to see the playground full of joy and activity again.

Hispanic Heritage Month

September 15–October 15 is Hispanic Heritage Month, a time set aside each year to recognize and celebrate the many contributions and lasting influence of Hispanic culture on America’s history, achievements, and traditions.

In honor of this celebration, our International Club will be hosting an International Dinner on October 20th. We hope you’ll join us for this special event!

After School Clubs!

After-School Enrichment Clubs: October–December 🌟

We’re excited to offer a variety of after-school enrichment clubs for students this fall! From October through December, students in grades 4–8 can explore new interests, learn new skills, and have fun with friends in a safe, supportive environment.

Mrs. Reynolds visited 4th–6th grade classrooms to teach students about participating in after-school clubs, how to sign up, and how to see which clubs are being offered. We can’t wait to see our students dive into these exciting opportunities!

The next round of clubs will begin in January—stay tuned!

For questions or more information, please contact Mrs. Reynolds at jreynolds@arkportcsd.org.

📚 Did You Know?
We offer after-school academic support for students!

Students can sign up in P4G and stay after school to enjoy a snack and homework help in a supportive environment. It’s a great way to get extra assistance, stay on track, and build confidence! If you have questions or want more information, please reach out to Mrs. Jenny Reynolds, at jreynolds@arkportcsd.org

Fall Fling!

🌈 Chalk the Walk Fun!

A huge thank-you to all the families who came out to participate in our Chalk the Walk event at the start of the school year! Your creativity, smiles, and positive messages helped make our sidewalks bright and welcoming for students’ first days back.

I know how precious your time is, and I truly appreciate you sharing yours with us. What a wonderful way to kick off the year together!

What you see in these pictures is our students being a family with each other—learning, playing, and growing together.

From finding alternate places to play while the playground was under construction, to taking wiggle breaks and following along with a story on the computer, our students are constantly showing creativity and teamwork. They work hard—solving problems both academically and socially—alongside our amazing teachers.

You’ll see students proudly finding new spots for the stickers they’ve earned, selling treats at our Wolves concession stand during Homecoming Week, and enjoying a visit from our Arkport Fire Company. On the playground, they even recreated the cheers they heard from our teams during the pep rally that morning!

One of our favorite moments came from Mrs. Dunning’s 3rd graders, who were curious about the Homecoming bonfire and decided to have one of their own. Mrs. Dunning had them bring in blankets and flashlights, and they learned by the glow of a “bonfire” on their computer screen—a creative twist on classroom learning!

How lucky we are to be here together.
We are Arkport!

It's a great day to be a Blue Jay!