Jumping into 2019

We jumped back into the school year this week after a sixteen day break ready to get back into the swing of things. Mother Nature has had other plans breaking up our full week back with a 2-hour delay and a snow day. It has been a good reminder that it is winter and we have most of it in front of us still. Dig out your boots and keep your hat & gloves handy! 

Positivity Project

P2 has become an ingrained part of our building culture this school year and continues to help us to strengthen relationships and make meaningful connections with our students. We started the New Year back at school this week focusing on the character trait PERSEVERANCE. At home we encourage you to have a conversation with your child about PERSEVERANCE and think about the different ways that can demonstrate this trait as we go about our lives and deal with challenges and difficult situations in all facets of life. To help you make connections here are the links to the Positivity Project Character Trait Card for PERSEVERANCE.

Enterprise America

Our 8th grade students currently enrolled in the half-year course 'Career and Financial Management' will be spending next Wednesday at WCNY's Enterprise America. As part of this culminating experience, students will apply the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), financial and civic literacy skills they have learned about to run a virtual city, becoming business entrepreneurs, employees, consumers and citizens. It’s a tremendous experience for our 8th graders to  communicate, collaborate and problem solve in a real-world, hands-on learning environment. 8th graders taking 'Career and Financial Management' the second half of the year will participate in Enterprise America in June. For more information on this experience check out the Enterprise America site.

8th Grade Parent Night: High School Planning

Our 8th Grade Parent Night has been rescheduled for Wednesday, January 16th at 6:00 PM in the WGMS Cafeteria. This is a great opportunity for parents to get an understanding of the scheduling process that we take our 8th graders through as we prepare them to transition to the High School. We will make our presentation available to anyone who is unable to attend.

We are grateful for your continued support of our students and staff. As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. 

Continued Success,

Steve Dunham

Twitter: @Sdunhamwgms

Email: sdunham@westgenesee.org

Slow It Down

This time of year it's easy to get lost in the laundry list of things that need to get done - the shopping, baking, decorating, wrapping, sending out cards, attending parties and the list goes on and on. Making the holidays a season of chaos is a choice, but it doesn't have to be that way.  It's important that we all - regardless of your faith, background, political affiliation, or traditions, slow it down and take the time to enjoy the moment. With that, we need to stop and enjoy the people that surround us - our friends, family, colleagues and the people that we cross paths with each and every day as we go about our lives. It is those people and relationships that matter most. We all need to make sure we continue to celebrate and fortify our relationships even in the hustle and bustle of the Holidays.

We continue to focus on building relationships and making connections with our students and one another. I don't recall where I read this quote, but I absolutely love it: "Relationships are the most valuable currency we have." They are the fabric and foundation for everything else that we do. We will all be wealthier if we take the time each day and make it a priority to build relationships.

Positivity Project
P2 has been an important part of building and strengthening relationships here at school. The past two weeks we have been focusing on two character traits that go hand in hand: being HUMBLE and KIND. At home we encourage you to have a conversation with your child about KINDNESS and HUMILITY and think about the different ways that we can live our lives demonstrating both traits. To help you make connections here are the links to the Positivity Project Character Trait Card for KINDNESS and Character Trait Card for HUMILITY.

Students of the Month

Staying on the theme of positivity and celebrating those that carry themselves in a way that we can all be proud of, we recognized our new ‘Students of the Month’ as we turned the calendar to December. We continue to 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 Samantha Casson, William Schneid, Randal Smith, and Gabby Stanton; 7th graders Karolina Lata, Anthony Mangano, Chalie Searle, and Hannah Sparks; and 8th graders Michelina Colapaolo, Margaret Dalgety, Jacob Dubar, and Romeo Donaire. Well deserved and congratulations to all!

6th Grade Students of the Month

7th Grade Students of the Month

8th Grade Students of the Month

We are grateful for your continued support of our students and staff. As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Encouraging all of you to slow it down this time of year and have a happy and healthy Holiday season! 

Continued Success,

Steve Dunham

Twitter: @Sdunhamwgms

Email: sdunham@westgenesee.org

Being Grateful

This past week and next leading up to the Thanksgiving Break it is fitting that our focus is on the character trait GRATITUDE. As a building we have been discussing what GRATITUDE is all about:

“GRATITUDE is the quality of feeling and expressing thankfulness and appreciation. It is an affirmation that there is goodness in other people and the world. GRATITUDE is not ignoring the negative aspects of life; it's simply being aware and thankful for what is good."

"The single greatest thing you can do to change your life today would be to start being grateful for what you have right now"

- Oprah

"When you have an ATTITUDE of GRATITUDE you wake up saying 'THANK YOU'."

- Maya Angelou

At home we encourage you to have a conversation with your child about GRATITUDE and think about the different ways that we can express our gratitude for the things and people that we are grateful for. To help you make connections here is the link to the Positivity Project Character Card For GRATITUDE.

Students of the Month

Staying on the theme of positivity and things we are grateful for, we recognized our new ‘Students of the Month’ as we turned the calendar to November. We continue to 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 Garrett Bleskoski, Gracie Burns, Tori Hulbert, and Chris Watkins, 7th graders Gary McLane, Claire Petty, Benjamin Pietrafesa, and Leah Todeschini, and 8th graders Jaden Mattimore, Nani Ross, Caleb Williams, and Yingyuan Zhang. Well deserved and congratulations to all!

7th Grade Students of the Month for November

8th Grade Students of the Month for November

6th Grade Students of the Month for November

6th Grade Student of the Month for November

We are grateful for your continued support of our students and staff. As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. 

Continued Success,

Steve Dunham

Twitter: @Sdunhamwgms

Email: sdunham@westgenesee.org