The Power of Attitude

Turning the calendar to March brings with it the optimism that spring may in fact be right around the corner. This is the time of year that feels like winter will never end and the sun shines for only an hour every fourth day (and we are usually inside at work during that hour on that day!). We often refer to this time of year as the "doldrums". The doldrums are defined as "a state or period of inactivity, stagnation, or depression." This is the time of year where we all need to give a little extra TLC to the people around us by checking in with them to see how they are doing and really taking the time to listen to them. Everyone has 'something' going on in their lives that we may know nothing about. It reinforces just how important having strong relationships and making connections with other people are, especially important this time of year. 

So while we may not be able to control the weather we do have the incredible power to choose our attitude each and every day. So when we have to deal with some adversity, when things may not go as planned or when you have to brush snow off of your car in April, the most important question is HOW are you going to respond. We have a choice each day to be a Tigger or an Eeyore. Will you focus on the positive in the day and maybe even find the silver lining in a negative situation, or will you allow negativity to swallow you up and have you focus on the worst in things? There is much in life that is out of our control, but we all have the incredible power to choose our attitude. Keep it simple: Be a Tigger! Even during the doldrums.

The Positivity Project kept us focused on the Tigger theme this week as we put the spotlight on the character trait of ENTHUSIASM. P2 continues to provide a steady and powerful framework to help us strengthen relationships within our school community and make meaningful connections with our students. At home we encourage you to have a conversation with your child about ENTHUSIASM and think about the different ways that we can all bring ENTHUSIASM into everything that we do. ENTHUSIASM is contagious! To help you make connections, here are the links to the Positivity Project Character Card for ENTHUSIASM. 

We are grateful for your continued support of our students and staff. As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. 

Continued Success,

Steve Dunham

Twitter: @Sdunhamwgms

Email: sdunham@westgenesee.org

Fast Forward Into February

We officially kicked off the month of February last week with our annual Science Fair. The Science Fair is always a terrific opportunity for our students to apply the Scientific Method in a unique way to answer a question for which they must seek out answers to satisfy their own curiosity about the world around them. This year we had eighteen more projects than last year and we saw outstanding work from our young scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs from all three grade levels. Congratulations to all of our students who had the courage, drive and commitment to participate in this year's Science Fair! 

Positivity Project

P2 continues to provide a steady and powerful framework to help us to strengthen relationships within our school community and make meaningful connections with our students. The last few weeks we focused on the character traits of PRUDENCE and SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE. At home we encourage you to have a conversation with your child about PRUDENCE and SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE and think about the different ways that can demonstrate these traits as we go about our lives. To help you make connections here are the links to the Positivity Project Character Trait Card for PRUDENCE and Character Trait Card for SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE. 

Students of the Month

Staying on the theme of positivity and celebrating those that carry themselves in a way that we can all be proud of, this week we recognized our new ‘Students of the Month’ for February. We continue to have students, who through their actions and character, help to create a positive school environment. Choosing ‘Students of the Month’ isn’t about grades and athletic or musical prowess, it’s about demonstrating all of the qualities that we value and celebrate - exemplary work ethic, citizenship, character, compassion, honesty, trustworthiness, responsibility, optimism and/or leadership in creating a positive school environment. As a school community we are extremely grateful for students who day in and day out show up, work hard, do their best, and make our school a better place.

This month we recognized 6th graders Aiden Ruge, Calina Olson, Evan Perkins and Penelope Ruge; 7th graders Cooper Corcoran, Dillon Collier, Lamees Hussein and Kelly McManus; and 8th graders Conor Cook, Maria Girazov, Andrew Mauro and Elizabeth Quinn. Well deserved and congratulations to all!

6th Grade Students of the Month

7th Grade Students of the Month

8th Grade Students of the Month

We are grateful for your continued support of our students and staff. As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. 

Continued Success,

Steve Dunham

Twitter: @Sdunhamwgms
Email: sdunham@westgenesee.org

Jumping into 2019

We jumped back into the school year this week after a sixteen day break ready to get back into the swing of things. Mother Nature has had other plans breaking up our full week back with a 2-hour delay and a snow day. It has been a good reminder that it is winter and we have most of it in front of us still. Dig out your boots and keep your hat & gloves handy! 

Positivity Project

P2 has become an ingrained part of our building culture this school year and continues to help us to strengthen relationships and make meaningful connections with our students. We started the New Year back at school this week focusing on the character trait PERSEVERANCE. At home we encourage you to have a conversation with your child about PERSEVERANCE and think about the different ways that can demonstrate this trait as we go about our lives and deal with challenges and difficult situations in all facets of life. To help you make connections here are the links to the Positivity Project Character Trait Card for PERSEVERANCE.

Enterprise America

Our 8th grade students currently enrolled in the half-year course 'Career and Financial Management' will be spending next Wednesday at WCNY's Enterprise America. As part of this culminating experience, students will apply the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), financial and civic literacy skills they have learned about to run a virtual city, becoming business entrepreneurs, employees, consumers and citizens. It’s a tremendous experience for our 8th graders to  communicate, collaborate and problem solve in a real-world, hands-on learning environment. 8th graders taking 'Career and Financial Management' the second half of the year will participate in Enterprise America in June. For more information on this experience check out the Enterprise America site.

8th Grade Parent Night: High School Planning

Our 8th Grade Parent Night has been rescheduled for Wednesday, January 16th at 6:00 PM in the WGMS Cafeteria. This is a great opportunity for parents to get an understanding of the scheduling process that we take our 8th graders through as we prepare them to transition to the High School. We will make our presentation available to anyone who is unable to attend.

We are grateful for your continued support of our students and staff. As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. 

Continued Success,

Steve Dunham

Twitter: @Sdunhamwgms

Email: sdunham@westgenesee.org