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| Packed hallways and limited parking = good problems |
One of my favorite nights of the year is our Open House.This is an opportunity for parents to "check us out". As a parent myself, we (parents) are less interested in
hearing about every "thing" that is taught and every "policy" that we have, and
more interested in the belief that our kids are in good hands and being cared
for. Parents want to know about us as people, our willingness and ability to
connect with kids, our efforts at preparing students for their future, how we communicate, our focus on higher level thinking, and important literacy skills
of reading, writing and speaking that are embedded in all that we do. Open House, and anytime we connect with our parents, is our opportunity to show people that we
are caring, supportive, flexible, committed professionals.
Unfortunately some of our parents were unable to attend and several had asked me for an overview of the evening. Below are some highlights of the welcome that I gave everyone in homeroom at the start of our Open House.
"First of all, thank you for being here this evening.
For those of you that are new to our building welcome to the WGMS family. We
are excited to have you here! For those of you that are returning, welcome
back. We have an incredible community here at West Genesee Middle School made
up of a dedicated and talented faculty and staff as well as involved and
supportive parents. Your presence this evening and your ongoing involvement
with your child’s education is a testament to the commitment you have made to
make education a priority. We thank you for that. The journey from a young child
in elementary school to a young adult in high school is not an easy one and we
certainly need your support in helping us to maximize the potential in all of
our students as they make that challenging journey through the middle years."
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| PTA table was busy all night |
"We are
passionate about what we do here at WGMS, we care about your children, and we
all want this to be the best year that they have ever had in school. A focus of
ours is continuous improvement; trying to get better at everything that we do,
constantly reflecting on our practices, listening to feedback and having a
willingness to evolve and grow. We ask
the same of our students. We continually talk with students about the role that
they play in doing the things necessary to be as successful as possible and we
try to build a capacity in them to have a willingness to try new things and
strive to get better. Together we need to continue to encourage them to get
involved with sports, music, clubs, and other activities and to stay connected
with other events like our dances, Family Fun Night, 3 on 3 Basketball
tournaments, and everything else that we have to offer. We talk to them about
the importance of connecting with other people, about putting down their phones
once in awhile and looking up from their screens to connect with others. Speaking
and listening are still essential skills." (link to clubs and activities: WGMS Clubs & Activities)
"You can expect us to support them, but also to push
them to be their best; to not accept the minimum, to challenge them and encourage
them to be extraordinary. Your role as parents and grandparents, aunts, uncles
and older brothers and sisters is vitally important . Your involvement and commitment
to making your child’s education a priority is crucial. We can’t do this alone,
we have to do it together. We look forward to working and getting to know all
of you throughout this school year. It’s going to be a great year, a wonderful
evening, and it’s always a great day to be a Wildcat!! Thank you and enjoy your
night."
Thank you again for the incredible turnout and a big thank you to our teachers and staff for being Champions for our kids!!
Continued Success,
Steve Dunham
sdunham@westgenesee.org
@Sdunhamwgms
