Notes from the WGIS Principal

Dear WGIS Families,

We had another great week of learning together at WGIS! Our first full week of October together brought new concepts and time to practice ones previously taught. We also had some great presentations by the REV Theatre Company. I hope all of our families find some time to spend together during this 3 day weekend so we can all come back on Tuesday ready to learn and grow.

As always, thank you for your continued partnership with our school to make sure all of our students find success at WGIS.

Be Kind-Work Hard-Think BIG!

It's a great day to be a wildcat!

Mr. MacCollum

This page provides thoughts and commentary from Dan MacCollum, the Principal of West Genesee Intermediate School in the West Genesee Central School District.

Our clubs are up and running! Below please find the schedule for when each club will be meeting during the month of October. As a reminder, we offer late buses on Mondays and Wednesdays at 3:15pm.

Interact Club will be meeting Wednesday, October 16th.This will be the first meeting for this club. For more information, have your child reach out to Mrs. Ciarla or Mrs. Cotter!

Genny Journal will have its first meeting on Wednesday October 23rd.

Student Council will be meeting Monday, October 21st and Monday October 28th.

STEAM Club will be meeting on the following dates, October 16th, October 21st, October 23rd, October 28th and October 30th. Each meeting is for different groups, so please make sure to check the STEAM Club Google Classroom for details!

Chess Club will hold its first meeting on Wednesday, October 23rd. Make sure your child grabs informational sheet from Mrs. Barbuto or Mr. Strumlok regarding chess club!

Click here for Club Descriptions

Our "IT" (Interaction Time) busses have returned beginning this week (10/7). These busses allow us to run clubs and activities after school on Mondays and Wednesdays from 2:30-3:15. IT busses are only available on Mondays and Wednesdays and can only support clubs that end at 3:15. These busses are not utilized for musical practices since those rehearsals go past 3:15.

What was formerly referred to as "Team Time" is now called "WIN" at WGIS and all buildings across the district. This is a time specifically set aside for every student to receive some additional support. These supports are sometimes to give a student a little more time to develop a better understanding of a topic and other times, it is to provide an "extension" of the learning because a student has mastered a concept that requires more time for their peers to achieve.

This week, all students and families should have received feedback from the universal screener they took at the beginning of the school year. This is just one of the measures we use at WGIS to ensure all students are receiving the support they need to be successful.

This year, we will be using Second Step to promote positive character traits in our students here at WGIS. Each week, we will focus on a new character trait. Students who exemplify the character trait of the week will have an opportunity to be recognized on the Friday announcements and be featured in our weekly e-news.

This week, we recognized students that exemplified bravery throughout the school day. Next week, we will focus on kind words. We will be on the lookout for students using kind words as they interact with each other, their teachers and our school.

This week, we recognized students who went out of their way to show bravery . Congratulations to our Positivity Paw winners Piper, Cameron, Bennett and Otis (not pictured)!

For all parents dropping off and picking up students, please only let students out of your vehicle when you are pulled up to the curb. Students should not be let out in the driveway, having to cross traffic. This creates a significant traffic issue. Thank you for your continued attention towards safety for all students.

Amazon Wishlists

Each year, we invite the teachers to submit an Amazon Wishlist that will be shared with the school community. These items are used to support and enhance instruction for our children throughout the year. The teachers and staff are so appreciative of the support. This is a way to show our gratitude for their efforts each day with our children. The links to the wishlists can be found here: https://docs.google.com/.../1y9cOM3uS-0wRxLcgJx6.../edit...

Book Swap

We are preparing for our annual book swap. This event occurs in the spring and is quite popular with our students. If you have any books (appropriate for students 9-12 years old) that you are done with, you can send them in with your student or drop them off at the main office. We also collect adult books and keep those separate for the teachers and staff. We need about 2000 books to ensure this event is a success!

Join the PTA

Lastly, the PTA would love your support! There is no commitment to participate in any meetings or events, but your $10 membership helps us ensure that we have the funds to continue the events that support our school community. You can join here: https://wgms.givebacks.com/store?limit=21&live=true

Our student council will be putting on a "Themed Friday" each Friday. This past Friday, students wore Hawaiian shirts. This upcoming Friday (10/18) the student council encourages everyone to wear a jersey to represent their favorite sports team!

• October 14 - No School Columbus/Indigenous Peoples Day

• October 31 - Halloween