Even though the building is extremely quiet without the energy and enthusiasm of our students, it is an exciting time to be back at work preparing for the opening of the 2013-2014 school year. We are poised to build upon all of the many wonderful things we accomplished last year as a building and as a district, in an effort to make this an even better school year than last.
For teachers and administrators, the summer is our offseason. Like an athlete, it is a time to reflect, learn, and grow in an effort to come back stronger and better! Many of our teachers have been involved in Professional Development throughout July and August on continued implementation of the Common Core Learning Standards, vocabulary instruction, writing in the content area, Literature Circles, and a variety of technology workshops. This isn’t mandatory PD, but rather, it is a choice that our teachers make to better themselves and the experiences that we provide our students. The amount of time and effort that they put in to grow professionally both during the school year and over the summer is incredible. As a parent and an educator I am very appreciative of their efforts.
As we move through August and into the new school year I encourage you to stay connected to know what is going on at West Genesee Middle School. Twitter is a tremendous tool for getting a behind the scenes look at what is happening at WGMS, but it is also a great resource to connect with other people and other interests that you may have. Before last year I did not have a Twitter account and it is now the cornerstone of my professional learning and a terrific vehicle to connect with parents and the West Genesee community. For those of you without a twitter account go to http://twitter.com. From the main twitter page you will create a profile which includes your name, e-mail address and a password. Once your account is created go to @connect and enter the account @Sdunhamwgms to follow me. For those of you with a twitter account, from your existing account click on @connect and enter the account @Sdunhamwgms to follow me.
Part of being connected is knowing the important dates of different events and activities that we hope you will be a part of throughout the year. Please note these important dates as we get ready to kick-off the year:
Wednesday, August 28th is Locker Night from 3-6 PM
Wednesday, September 4th is the first day of school and it is a half-day for our students with the middle school dismissing at 10:10 AM
Friday, September 20th is Picture Day at WGMS for all students
Thursday, September 26th is Open House from 7 to 9 PM
Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact any of us here at WGMS. Thank you for your continued support of our students and staff.
Continued Success,
Steve Dunham
@Sdunhamwgms
