Giving of Ourselves

While sitting in an English class earlier in the week the following quote was posted on the Promethean Board as part of the warm-up activity to activate student thinking: 

 "Someday you will find out that there is far more happiness in another's happiness than in your own"

This was a terrific way to start the lesson and connect to the theme of the story, 'The Gift of the Magi', which students read and analyzed during class. But beyond the nuts and bolts of the lesson were the incredible connections that students made between the story and the real world. People giving of themselves and taking joy in the happiness of others is a principle that we should all strive to live by. I want to take an opportunity to share some of the ways that our West Genesee Middle School community has given their time and energy in an effort to support and bring happiness to others.

 

Make A Wish: On Friday December 21, 18 students from the cast of "Yes Virginia" presented Macy's and Make-A-Wish with over 400 letters to Santa on National Believe Day. Because it was National Believe Day, the value of the letters double and the West Genesee community donated over $800 to Make-A-Wish! The students were able to perform a few numbers from the show for the shoppers at Macy's, helping to spread the message of "Yes Virginia" and Macy's - BELIEVE - and to show the power of a Wish!

Student Council Candy Cane Sales
Our student council sold candy canes during our lunch periods over the last few weeks and raised $600. (that's a lot of candy canes!) With the money we were able to purchase gift cards to help out eight WGMS families in need and hopefully help make their holiday season a little bit brighter. The entire student population was involved in this effort and all had bright red tongues to prove it!

Yahtzee!! Having fun at Game Club.

Teacher Time

Our teachers continue to give their time and energy to our students in a variety of ways outside of the school day. The many sports, clubs, and activities that occur at West Genesee Middle School are too many to even begin to mention. It is our students who benefit from these opportunities and we greatly appreciate the efforts of our staff to make them possible.

As we head into the new year I want to wish all of you and your families a wonderful holiday season and a happy and healthy 2013. Thank you for your continued involvement and support. Together we continue to improve and make West Genesee Middle School a very special place. It's going to be a great year to be a Wildcat!

Continued Success,
Steve Dunham

All of the little things that seemed so important last week in preparation for the holiday season suddenly seem a lot less significant given the tragic events of this past Friday at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims, the survivors, their families, the first responders and the entire Newtown, Connecticut community. It doesn't matter where you are from, what your background is, or what your faith is, seeing those images and hearing the stories from Sandy Hook is heartbreaking. As parents, the thought never crosses your mind when you send your kids off to school that they may not come home. As a father of four, two of whom are in school and attend Stonehedge, the events from this past Friday were very difficult to digest.

It is very natural for all of us to now question the safety of our own children. I can assure you that we do everything possible at West Genesee Middle School to keep your children safe. WGMS has a buzzer system to gain access to the building during the school day, along with a sign-in system, and cameras. As a building, we practice a variety of drills throughout the year, including fire drills, lock down drills, stay-in-place drills, and various evacuation drills. In addition, our Building Safety Team, District Safety Team and administrators coordinate routinely with law enforcement, create scenarios and conduct tabletop exercises all in an effort to be as prepared as possible. Our number one priority has been and continues to be maintaining the safety of our students and staff. 

We will have school counselors, school psychologists, and other trained staff members available for any students who need to talk with someone. If anyone has any specific questions or concerns please contact me directly at sdunham@westgenesee.org or at 487-4615.

Steve Dunham