Finish The Race

This school year has absolutely flown by! It’s really unbelievable that it is already May. With May on the calendar thoughts of warmer weather (hopefully!), pool parties, flip flops and summer vacation begin to creep into our thoughts. The end is near, but we are not there yet!

One of the things we talk to our students about is seeing things through until the end and finishing strong. The school year is very much a marathon. For anyone who has run the 26.2 mile race or any distance for that matter that takes you beyond what you are typically comfortable with, the goal isn’t to be in the lead after mile 1. The goal is to finish; and to finish strong! Nobody wants to limp, crawl or have to be carried over the finish line if at all possible. For our middle school students, they are going to need the same support and encouragement to stay the course as they have received all year.

All of those good habits that we have tried to develop and strengthen throughout the year are what will help students get there. Getting enough sleep, eating a good breakfast to start the day, using their planners, asking questions, taking pride in what they put their name on, not settling for mediocrity, planning and prioritizing school work and extracurricular activities, and seeing things through to the end are essential. As adults, we need to reinforce how important all of those little things are and we need to help our children make those habits a part of who they are. Those habits are not just about school, but are needed to be successful in every facet of their lives.

There is no better feeling than crossing the finish line. When you can look back with pride on the journey and reflect on the hard work and all of the little things that got you to that point, your capacity to handle the next race or next challenge thrown your way grows exponentially. The finish line is just about in sight, but we still have some work to do.

As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you for your ongoing support of our students and staff.

Continued Success,

Steve Dunham

sdunham@westgenesee.org

@Sdunhamwgms

Team Wildcat

School years are marked by events in time; moments that standout among the typical and become bigger than anticipated. These events help to shape a school’s culture and define the norms and expectations of the adults and students that call a building home.

On March 28^th West Genesee Middle School had one of those moments when our students, staff and members of our school community came together as one and hosted our first St. Baldrick’s event. The event originated as an idea from some of our students back in December who were looking for a way to get involved and make a difference in the lives of other people. Our conversation was the springboard for what became our St. Baldrick’s event that all of our students, staff and school community could rally around, have some fun, raise money and raise awareness for childhood cancer.

Team Wildcat pre-shave photo

Nine staff members committed to growing their hair and then shaving it off. Hair length, hair style and the use of various hair products was the topic of conversation for three months leading up to the event. During each of our three lunch periods on the 28^th different shavees had their heads shaved up on our stage in the cafeteria so that each of our three grade levels could be a part of the event. 

Mr. Sparks & Mr. Chapman
awaiting the clippers

Shavees
Mr. Sweeney & Mr. Voll
ready to go bald!

Sporting the curly mohawk for the cause

Pictures don’t fully capture the excitement, joy, unity and pride that filled our building on that afternoon. All of us, shavees, students, volunteers, and supporters were part of something very special. In all we raised $4,660 to help fight childhood cancer!! But even more impressive, we saw how an idea and a desire to make a difference by our students could bring a school together and help fight something that far too many of us have been affected by in some way. Thank you to everyone who supported our efforts and we look forward to making our event bigger and better for 2015! #Wildcatpride #GoBaldOrGoHome

Team Wildcat post-shave: bald and looking good!

March Madness is Underway

From the harsh and relentless winter weather to the flurry of activities in the building, March is living up to the term typically used for describing the excitement of the NCAA basketball tournament.  Whether a casual observer of March Madness or a fanatic, the tournament and this time of year, are extremely exciting.

National Foreign Language Week

March 3^rd through the 9^th was National Foreign Language Week. One of our greatest strengths as a nation and state is the diversity of our people and multicultural population. This was a terrific opportunity for us at WGMS to foster an appreciation and awareness of the different languages and cultures represented in our building. Each day we had students make announcements in a variety of languages, we played music from all over the world, and our Foreign Language Clubs had a poster contest for students to reflect this year’s theme of “Don’t Let Learning a Language Slip Through Your Fingers”. All in all it was a great week celebrating and sharing our cultural differences by bringing all of us together.

Talent Show

This past Friday we held our annual Talent Show at WGMS. Our Student Council ran the entire event and we saw performances from students in all three grade levels singing, dancing, playing instruments, and performing skits. I think the thing that amazes me the most about our student performers isn't just their diverse talents, it’s the courage and confidence that they have to perform in front of their peers and a packed house. Beyond impressive!!

St. Baldrick’s

On March 28^th WGMS is hosting our first St. Baldrick’s event in an effort to raise awareness and money to fight childhood cancer. Our students got this off the ground in January and it has evolved over the last few months into a terrific community building event. Nine of our staff members (yes, I’m in!) will be going bald in front of our students at different times throughout the day. We have had a lot of fun growing our hair for three months and are looking forward to having it all shaved off. Here is the link to our event: http://www.stbaldricks.org/teams/mypage/90369/2014

Olweus Meeting

Tomorrow we will be holding an Olweus meeting for our morning half-day with students. Each grade level will be watching a movie tied to the themes of tolerance and standing up. Prior to watching the movies each group will discuss the following quotes and make connections with the movie, different events in history and in our everyday lives:

“In the end we remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”

 – Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Silence in the face of evil is evil itself. Not to speak is to speak, not to act is to act. 

 – Unknowm

Of all the things that we do in school with our students, having meaningful discussions about tolerance, standing up, acceptance, and compassion are the most important. Our students make a difference when they act with bravery, compassion and empathy on a daily basis. We are surrounded by heroes and many of them our are kids!!

Thank you for your continued support of our students and staff. Best of luck to all of you with your brackets. It's a Great Day to Be a Wildcat! Let's go Orange!!

Continued Success,

Steve Dunham

sdunham@westgenesee.org

@Sdunhamwgms