I hope that this message finds everyone well and enjoying this wonderful summer. I want to welcome all of our new students and families to West Genesee Middle School. This is a special school community that I have been very fortunate to be a part of as a student, a teacher and coach, a parent, and as an administrator. We are all counting the days until we can welcome our students back to class and bring the building back to life. I want you to know that I will be communicating important information as it becomes available and ready for publication. You will receive an email notification as I send out each message.
As you know, this is going to be an incredibly unique start to the school year for all of us. At WGMS, all of our 668 incoming 5th and 6th grade students are new to the building. In addition, many of our staff members are also new this year as some of them are moving to WGMS from the four elementary schools with our 5th graders, and some are moving to WGMS from Camillus Middle School with our 6th graders. Together we will navigate all of these changes and work to support one another as we move through the 2020-2021 school year.
Here are a few specifics that I can update you on:
Orientation
We typically do a thorough in-school orientation for both students and parents as they make the transition to middle school. We are planning to cover all of those typical topics on the first few days of school which will be dedicated to orienting all of our students to the building and new procedures. I will schedule a zoom meeting for parents and guardians later this month so that you have the opportunity to connect with me directly. If possible, we hope to have some type of in person orientation for students to help them to become as familiar with the building as possible.
Cohorts & Scheduling
Over the next week will be working on creating cohort groups in each grade level based on the parent survey and creating schedules for students in 5th and 6th grade for both the hybrid and fully remote learning. Each cohort will have approximately 14 students. Students will not be moving to different classes. Teachers will rotate into each individual cohort’s classroom. Student cohort room numbers and schedules should be available to view through Schooltool later this month and we will push out a notification when they are available.
Supply Lists
Updated supply lists for grades 5 and 6 will be posted on the website the week of August 17th. Students will not be using lockers to start the school year so students will be bringing their backpacks with them into their classroom. With that said, our supply lists will be minimal so that students are not carrying loaded backpacks back and forth to school each day.
Reopening Plan & Masks
A reminder that a copy of the District School Reopening Plan is available on the District site outlining a range of topics including some very specific information tied to health & safety. One area that I want to highlight and make sure that everyone understands is the expectation around masks. Students and staff will be expected to wear their masks throughout the day with the exception of brief teacher guided breaks. Even when socially distanced in classrooms, the expectation is that students will wear their masks.
District Q&A
Mark your calendars for the District Council PTA and PTO panel discussion with Mr. Bills and other administrators on August 19th and 20th at 6:00 pm. A link for signing up to attend this meeting will be going out shortly so please be on the lookout for that.
We know that September 2020 will look very different from September 2019. What we all may WANT school to look like and what it NEEDS to look like in order to keep students and staff as safe as possible are two very different things. But with that said, we are going to make this the best experience as we possibly can for our students to support their social, emotional and academic growth. Hopefully as the year evolves and Central New York continues to do well with our infection rate, we will be able to expand on what the school day will look like, and we can provide more opportunities for our students.
I am looking forward to meeting all of you and am looking forward to what is going to be an outstanding 2020-2021 school year. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns. Stay safe and be well.
Continued Success,
Steve Dunham
Twitter: @Sdunhamwgms
