It’s the Most Wonderful Time of The Year

It may be cliché, but with the Holiday season upon us, this truly is the most wonderful time of the year. And by ‘wonderful’ I am really referring to the many amazing things happening at West Genesee Middle School that bring us together as a community. I’m also talking about our staff and students; how they walk through the doors each day with enthusiasm, how they support and encourage one another, and how they strive to continually improve. Last but not least I am referring to our parents and the West Genesee community at-large. The support and involvement that we receive is tremendous and it truly is something that we are all very thankful for.

Here are a few of my favorite things from the last two weeks at WGMS:              

Packing them in at the HS

Middle School Concerts

All of our different performing groups held Holiday Concerts over the last two weeks at the high school. Performances were amazing and all of them were held in front of a packed house. In fact, for one of the concerts every seat in the auditorium was filled and we had many people standing and some with obstructed views. That’s a good problem to have when so many people want to come out for a concert to support our students.

Raising Money for Those in Need

Over the last few weeks our Student Council has been selling candy canes during lunch to raise money for local families in need. To date, we have raised enough money to support four of our own West Genesee families in need  to help make their holiday season a little brighter this year.  In addition, we have made a donation to Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Galisano Children’s Hospital on behalf of WGMS. Each lunch period erupted with clapping and cheers when they were told just how much money was raised and the impact that their contributions would have in the local community. Our students rise to the occasion when given the chance to help others.

Movie Night at WGMS

Movie Night

Put on a great movie, throw in some warm popcorn on a cold night and I’m there! So were about 80 of my good friends who turned out to watch Despicable Me 2 on a Friday night last week. Admission was an unwrapped toy or clothing item for children in need. We collected just about 100 items to be distributed to local children this holiday season. This is another example of our students stepping up for others.

WGMS Students Have talent

Dance Performances

We have fun at the middle school! That is a statement I will never apologize for. Our students and staff work incredibly hard, but we mix in smiles, laughter and fun as often as possible as well. During our lunch periods this week some of our students have been performing their student-created dance routines for their classmates. Amazing stuff from our kids! The cafeteria has never been so quiet!!

WGMS Holiday Concert 

Holiday Concert 

Today was the first Holiday Concert during the school day at WGMS that I have experienced in my 15 years here as a teacher and administrator. It was awesome! Our 7^th grade band, 7^th grade chorus, 7^th and 8^th grade orchestra, 8^th grade chorus and 8^th grade band all performed to a full house of all 695 students and our staff. The gym was rockin’ with some classic holiday tunes as well as an epic performance of ‘Thriller’ by our 8^th grade band that featured a staff-wide flash mob of dancing and zombie-like behavior; memorable to say the least! 

The finale from the chorus risers

The holidays are all about getting together with friends and family, and what better way for us to go into our holiday break than having our entire West Genesee Middle School family come together to celebrate.

Wishing all of you a wonderful holiday season and a happy & healthy 2014!

Continued Success,

Steve Dunham

@Sdunhamwgms

sdunham@westgenesee.org 

What Should Middle School Look Like?

We are the middle child caught between the elementary schools and high school. Like the television show, we truly are in the midst of “The Wonder Years.” From district to district, building to building our middle schools can look incredibly different, some more effectively meeting the needs of our students than others, but all trying to support the unique group of students that walk through our doors every day. At no time during a human’s life, other than infancy, do we develop more physically, psychologically, socially, and cognitively, than during the age of ten to fourteen. As an organization it is our philosophy that these students need a different set of supports than what we provide our elementary and high school students. A structure that allows us to pool our resources, experiences, and expertise to better meet the needs of our students during this challenging period of development is essential. Some of the factors within Middle School that research has repeatedly identified as having a strong correlation to student success are interdisciplinary teams, flexible scheduling, flexible grouping, integrated and interdisciplinary curriculum, and comprehensive guidance services. It should be our goal to maximize our time and incorporate as many of these factors as we can.

But with much attention on new Standards, Standardized Assessments, and Teacher & Principal Evaluation the focus right now is more on what shouldn’t be going on in education, rather than what should be taking place. And while the debate continues I think some of us, both within education and out, are losing sight of what our Middle Schools should look like.

In July 2003 the New York State Board of Regents issues its policy statement on middle level education. The statement declared that the New York State Education Department’s seven Essential Elements must be in place in standards-focused middle schools in New York State, and it is those elements that provide us with the charge to deliver research-based, proven programs for our early adolescents that address both academics and personal development. Basically, we need to have a comprehensive approach that the addresses the needs of the whole child that goes well beyond classroom instruction alone. The Essential Elements are a framework for us to work from to ensure that we are focused on what our Middle schools should be.

So what are the seven Essential Elements?

1. A philosophy and a mission that reflect the intellectual and developmental needs and characteristics of young adolescents.

2. An educational program that is comprehensive, challenging, purposeful, integrated, relevant, and standards-based.

3. An organization and structure that support both academic excellence and personal development.

4. Classroom instruction appropriate to the needs and characteristics of young adolescents provided by skilled and knowledgeable teachers.

5. Strong educational leadership and a building administration that encourage, facilitate, and sustain involvement, participation, and leadership.

6. A network of academic and personal support available for all students.

7. Professional learning and staff development for all staff that are ongoing, planned, purposeful, and collaboratively developed.  

Middle schools that work effectively and intentionally to incorporate these elements into practice are truly encompassing the many needs of the middle school student. We know what works at the Middle School level and we know what types of programs and supports our students need to be successful. As part of our efforts to continuously improve, West Genesee Middle School will conduct a self-assessment of the seven Essential Elements over the next few months to identify areas of strength and areas in need of improvement. As a staff we will collectively develop some concrete ideas to help us improve in order to better support our students both in their academic and personal development.

New Standards, Standardized Assessments, and Teacher & Principal Evaluation are a part of what is happening in education today, but it isn’t the most important thing and certainly isn’t the focus of all of our energy. We cannot underestimate the power of building relationships and making connections with our students and with one another. It is on the shoulders of those relationships and connections that our students will grow and flourish.

Thank you for your continued support of our students and staff.

Continued Success,

Steve Dunham

@Sdunhamwgms

sdunham@westgenesee.org

Community Connections

The leaves are falling, squirrels are eating the pumpkins in the front yard, and critical final decisions are being made about Halloween costumes over the next few days. It is hard to believe that it is already late October. Our students and staff are working incredibly hard, Interaction Time has been going very well, and we have settled in to what continues to be a great start to the school year.

Last week we had a great turnout for ‘Community Connection Night’ at West Genesee Middle School. A number of our teacher-leaders presented information on a range of topics including Supporting Parents through Change, Rigor and Relevance in Mathematics, Maximizing the Power of our Library, CTE: Pathway to College & Career Readiness, LOTE: the Bridge from Middle School to High School, Building a Positive School Culture, and Health & Wellness. A great deal of information was shared; too much to post in a blog. Anyone who was unable to attend, but would like some of the information that was shared please email or call me and we will get that out to you.

The Power of Social Media

One critical piece of information that was shared and that I urge every parent to look at is an overview of ‘11 Sites and Apps that Students are going to after Facebook’. I have attached a link to the pdf here: Social Media Link.  I am stepping on my soap-box for a moment because the use of social media by our students is such an important topic that should be discussed not only here at school, but at home. I have seen a number of troubling things happen with our students and between our students via social media the last few years including cyberbullying. As parents we need to be monitoring the activities of our middle school kids on their phones, computers, iPads, and any other devices that they may have. When you are 11 or 12 years old there should be no expectation of privacy when it comes to using social media and different devices. As far as I am concerned that is non-negotiable. To quote a line from Spiderman; “with great power comes great responsibility”. Access to the world via a phone, netbook, iPod, or any other device is great power. For our students and children we need to monitor and model how those devices should be used and how we interact with others through social media. (Stepping off of my soap-box)

The focus of the Community Connection Night was not about State Assessments, Teacher & Principal Evaluation, or Common Core Learning Standards. It was centered on the idea that a middle school that embraces our students with research-based, proven programs that address both academics and personal development is what works. An environment and culture that celebrates and cultivates the whole student and strives to provide them with what is best for them, not just convenient for adults, is essential. That is the charge and the road we are traveling down at West Genesee Middle School.

Over the course of the next month I will begin to introduce and discuss ‘The Seven Essential Elements of a Standards-Focused Middle Level School’ and evaluate with our staff how we are doing with those elements at WGMS. By looking at our own practices and being reflective with how we are doing, we can continue to improve as a school to help better support all of our students.

Thank you for your continued support of our students and staff.

Continued Success,

Steve Dunham

@Sdunhamwgms

sdunham@westgenesee.org

It’s Time to Get Homework Right

Homework. That one word can elicit emotions of loathing, anxiety and frustration from parents and students alike. It can bring with it a negative connotation for some; seen as a bothersome chore one must check of the list of things to be done. But, if done right, homework is an incredibly important part of one’s academic program and an essential component of developing life-long learners.

As a staff we have had some terrific conversations over the course of the last school year about homework. The end result of that dialogue isn’t a school policy or a rigid set of one size fits all criteria related to homework, instead, we have focused our efforts on incorporating what we know are best practices tied to homework.

Purpose

We all like to know why we have to do things whether it is at work or at school. Just do it works for selling sneakers, but not for assigning tasks to complete. Homework should follow suit. Effective homework starts with a purpose. Homework should be practice, review, checking for understanding, making meaningful connections or extending learning. Homework should not be busy work and should not be assigned just for the sake of assigning it. Homework can be a terrific formative assessment tool and a means to help foster a student’s ability to work independently.

Responsibilities

As we have learned more about what constitutes effective practices tied to homework, we know that the model for success truly needs to be a triangle of responsibility with teachers, students and parents all having a role in making it work. 

For teachers, homework policies and expectations need to be clearly communicated to student and parents at the beginning of the school year. These can be written and provided to students and parents, reviewed at Open House, and posted on a teacher’s online site if applicable. Assignments should be at a student’s independent level, and teachers should use their discretion to differentiate assignments at individual student’s levels when appropriate. In addition, teachers need to provide feedback. Feedback is the engine that drives growth and improvement and has to be a part of the process. Lastly, teachers need to continue to be proactive communicators when they see or sense problems. Waiting until a five week report or a report card goes home is not sufficient as a first time connection with the parents of a struggling student.

For students, homework is a key part of becoming an independent, life-long learner. It is the student’s responsibility to record homework assignments in their planner through the use of assignment boards in the classrooms or using a teacher online site if applicable. They are expected to work thoughtfully on assignments, giving their best effort and maintaining a high level of quality work.  We all need to help students take ownership for their work and take pride in anything that they put their name on. We also need to communicate the importance of effort; whether we call it determination, grit, resolve, or perseverance, students need to learn how to work through adversity, struggle and even failure. It is out of that struggle and failure that the greatest learning takes place. Step back; let them struggle.

For parents, homework needs to be valued as an important part of their child’s academic program. Becoming familiar with homework expectations and talking about those expectations with their child is an essential and meaningful practice. In addition, parents should do everything possible to provide a quiet location for students to work, be an interested observer in their child’s homework patterns, and encourage quality work. The most critical responsibility of our parents is to communicate with teachers if any questions or concerns arise. Homework time should not be a WWE wrestling match or an intense struggle; if it is then there is a problem. Connect with school to see how we can help. It’s also alright for parents to say no to things. I have four kids of my own, one is in fourth grade, one is in second and the other two are not in school yet (but they are getting close!!). School takes priority over sports, piano lessons, playing with friends, using my iPad, and watching ESPN. Sometimes as parents we need to and do say no to our kids. Homework cannot be a last minute, rushed, anxiety attack at 8:30 PM each night. I am an advocate for kids to get outside and play and become involved with extracurricular and community activities, but at the same time we need to set boundaries for them as the adults, and help them prioritize their time.

When done the right way, homework is an essential part of an academic program. We strive to support our students using best practices and continue to focus on continuous improvement as a school. Our students and parents are, and must continue to be, engaged partners in that process.

Thank you for your continued support of our students and staff. As always, please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

Continued Success,

Steve Dunham

sdunham@westgenesee.org

@Sdunhamwgms