Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Energized for the Second Half


Just like that January is in the rearview mirror, the Kansas City Chiefs (from Missouri) won the Super Bowl and Puxatony Phil did not see his shadow so we are optimistically looking forward to an early spring. There is a lot going on as we jump into February and head into the second half of the school year.

Scheduling
Earlier in January we had our 8th Grade Parent Night to start the scheduling process for our 8th graders moving to the High School next year. If anyone is interested in what the presentation entails you can check it out by going to the West Genesee Middle homepage, scroll down to ‘School Links’, click on the ‘Counseling/Students Services’ link and select “8th Grade Parent Night: High School Planning & Scheduling Process” presentation. 8th Grade students have started meeting individually with their School Counselor to make course selections for next year. Those course selections should be available to view on Schooltool by the end of the month.

6th and 7th grade students also have some decisions to make about their schedule for the 2020-2021 school year. All of them should have received a scheduling letter and course selection sheet in the mail in January. Those course selection sheets should be returned to student’s homeroom teacher by Friday, February 7th. If you have any questions regarding scheduling please give our Guidance Office a call at 315-487-4622.

Information for Parents
This is a pretty good article that outlines How Childhood Has Changed for Tweens: “In some ways, kids are growing up faster today. Parents can no longer shield their children from bad news, particularly if they’re carrying a computer in their pocket. In other ways, they’re growing up slower. As they spend more time communicating online, they’re spending less time together experimenting, taking risks, playing, and dating.” What our kids are experiencing growing up today is so significantly different than what any of us experienced. The more informed we are as parents the better we can help to guide and support our kids.  

Students of the Month
As a building we celebrate those that carry themselves in a way that we can all be proud of. Last week we recognized our ‘Students of the Month’ for January. We continue 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 Eliana Freeman, Lena Kent, David Bosak and Will Madden; 7th graders McKenzie Pomplas, Bella Vallely, Evan Powers and William Schneid ; and 8th graders Camille Bohli, Hannah Kenna, Luke Calkins and Dillon Collier.

6th Grade Students of the Month

7th Grade Students of the Month
7th Grade Student of Month

8th Grade Students of the Month

Important Upcoming Dates
Wednesday, February 12th - WGMS Science Fair (Public Viewing 6:00 PM)
Friday, February 14th - Valentine’s Day: No Interaction Time
Monday, February 17th- Friday, February, 21st - Winter Recess

Thank you for your continued support of our students and staff. As always, if you have any questions or concerns please give me a call or send me an email. 

Continued Success,

Steve Dunham 
sdunham@westgenesee.org
Twitter: @Sdunhamwgms