We know that the most significant factor related to student achievement is reading. Nothing else can take its place. Time with text (books, magazine, newspapers) does two important things which play essential roles in developing students who possess advanced literacy. The first is that reading builds vocabulary and word knowledge. Because students gain new vocabulary over time, it is important to read something every day. The goal is for students to have an extensive bank of words available for speaking, listening, and writing. This becomes especially important as they head to the high school.
Building background knowledge is the second important role reading plays. When students read across genres (fiction, non-fiction, autobiography, poetry, human interest stories, science articles, current events) they have a strong foundation on which to make connections to new learning. In fact, overall reading comprehension depends on a student’s background knowledge. The more you know, the more connections you can make.
Summer Reading Lists
The grade 9 reading list is available for our rising freshmen.
The grade 6 through grade 8 reading list is available for our middle school students.
If you would like to borrow a hard copy of one of the summer reading books at any point this summer, we have all of them available. Please email me at sdunham@westgenesee.org or our School Librarian, Mrs. Chemotti, at jchemotti@westgenesee.org and we will arrange to either drop it off to your house or for you to pick it up at school.
School Supply Drive
West Genesee Facilities Study
West Genesee's Strategic Planning Committee has begun working with the consulting firm of Castallo and Silky, LLC to conduct a facilities study. The purpose is to answer this question: "How can the District maintain and enhance the educational opportunities for West Genesee students in its tradition of excellence while continuing to ensure efficient and effective utilization of staff and facilities as well as fiscal responsibility for the District's taxpayers?"
Meetings are monthly and open to the public. For more information, click here!
Looking Ahead
Nothing would be better than to to have these halls filled with our students again in September. We will certainly know more about what the fall looks like in the coming months. In the meantime, continue to check your email and the West Genesee homepage for any updates throughout the summer. Be safe. Stay healthy. Have a wonderful summer!
Continued Success,
Steve Dunham
Twitter: @Sdunhamwgms
