Knowledge is Power

“The more I know the less I understand.” It may have been Socrates who first coined that phrase, although it sounds an awful lot like Yogi Berra, but it is how I often feel living in the always changing landscape of education.  Just when I think I have it figured out, I realize that I don’t. In a strange way that is what I like about my job; it’s constantly changing and requires you to continually learn and grow to achieve success.

A key to being successful is staying on top of the latest trends, but it is also about being aware of areas that you need to improve in. In order to know you have to ask. I would like to get feedback from members of our school community on a number of different areas to help me to grow and improve how we do things at West Genesee Middle School. If you read my blog you know that I routinely talk about continuous improvement. Your feedback and voice is an important part of that process.

I would appreciate your input and honesty. Please click on the link below to take the brief survey.  I do not shy away from negative feedback, but rather, I see it as an opportunity for growth. So please, be honest.

Click here to take survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HVLCCRT



Backstage at the Talent Show

 March has been a blast at WGMS! Students have been involved in two Olweus Classroom meetings, several amazing band, orchestra and chorus concerts, the Optimist Speech Contest, our WGMS Talent Show, guest speakers in different classes, and tremendous opportunities in classrooms that challenge and stretch our students. Spring Break is just what everyone needs as we gear up for the home stretch.


Pre-concert jam



Collaboration in Math







Mr. Sweeney facilitating learning in Health.



Thank you for your continued involvement in our school community and for your support of our students and staff.

Continued Success,

Steve Dunham

Tourney Time

March Madness has us all immersed in college basketball and the possibilities that a new season in the form of the NCAA tournament offers. That energy and excitement is hard to define, it just is. It’s a special time of the year when the months of hard work, long hours, careful planning, and commitment come together for teams across the country. Anything is possible. I equate it to the school year in many ways. Not that our year is just about over or that we’re playing for a championship, but it is the time of year when all of the planning from the previous summer, the hard work, long hours, and commitment of everyone connected to our students begins to shine and payoff.

The best part of my job is being in classrooms seeing both our teachers and students in action. It’s here that one sees our collective efforts coming together. Regardless of the classroom or grade level, one begins to see and experience the work occurring in an effort to maximize student achievement and learning; to connect concepts across disciplines and engage our students in learning opportunities that challenge and stretch them, not in isolation, but as a part of an entire educational experience. Like many of the teams in the tournament, we have hit our groove and are at our best. 





Pre-concert jam session.





The energy and excitement associated with that high level of performance from our students and staff is inspiring. I get that feeling walking into our classrooms seeing our students collaborating with one another, or seeing them struggle to solve a challenging problem in mathematics.

I get that feeling watching our students engaged and contributing to our Olweus Classroom Meetings or seeing our teachers connect and collaborating to make their instructional practices stronger. I got that feeling listening to our Optimist Speech Contest participants earlier in the month (amazing!) and I also got that feeling watching our students perform at different concerts over the last two weeks (they could charge money!). That energy and excitement is hard to define, it just is. And it is that time of year where you start to see all of our efforts at supporting our students come together here at school. Truly, anything is possible.

Please email me or call with any questions, comments or concerns. Your feedback is always appreciated. Thank you for your continued support of our students and staff.

Continued Success,

Steve Dunham

February Update

Happy Valentine’s Day! It is wonderful to see such a considerable amount of red and pink being worn today by staff and students in the spirit of the day.  In addition to Valentine’s Day, there is a lot of energy in the building this week with Twin Day on Friday and our Winter Recess next week. It’s a great week to be a Wildcat!

Parent Resources

I always try to share any information that I think will be beneficial to parents and community members. Throughout the year I have written about the new Common Core Learning Standards, assessments and some of the other initiatives that we are in the midst of. Remember, I like to use the word improvement rather than change as change sometimes brings with it a negative connotation. A resource that I think will be helpful for parents as we work through this improvement process is the Common Core Toolkit for Parents and Families. It is a collection of materials and resources that will help parents and families understand the New York State education reform initiatives and how the changes will help your child graduate from high school ready for college and careers. Check it out and please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns. It truly is a terrific resource!

http://engageny.org/parent-and-family-resources



 Student Success

Congratulations to our very own eighth grader Brennan Costello who finished as runner-up in the Post Standard Central New York Spelling Bee. She lasted 19 rounds and went head-to-head with the eventual winner who moves on to Washington D.C. for the National Spelling Bee.  Brennan is now proofreading all correspondence that leaves my office.

Library Traffic

Since the beginning of the school year our library has loaned out over 4,800 book and magazines! In addition, the library has a continual flow of students and classes coming in for a variety of research projects throughout the day, every day. With the new CCLS and a focus on the six Shifts in ELA/Literacy, our library is at the heart of supporting our students and staff with those efforts.

PE students getting some outdoor exercise

I am hoping that all of our students and staff have a wonderful and relaxing break from school next week. Whether we have a winter warm-up or a blast of arctic air this week, get outside and stay active. Grab a good book or some magazines that interest you and keep your mind engaged as well. As always, thank you for your ongoing involvement and support of our students and staff.

Continued Success,

Steve Dunham