Notes from the WGIS Principal

Dear WGIS Families,

How have we already reached mid-August?! It has been a wonderful summer here at WGIS trying to make sure everything is ready to go for the new school year. I hope the summer has brought all of our students and families some time to relax and enjoy the sunshine (in between the raindrops!). The next few weeks will be consumed with finalizing and sharing out information, making sure we have everything we need to start the new year strong and make sure we still find some time to enjoy our family and friends as another summer begins to wind down.

Please take a look through the entire e-news for some new information regarding the 2024-25 school year. You will find information on ParentSquare and Schooltool which are two vital lines of communication between the school and our families. Also, you will find information on Barkley! Barkley is a service dog that will be in our school servicing one of our 5th grade students this year. Some other important dates, including our back to school Locker Day, are included as well so you can plan ahead!

Again, I hope everyone continues to have a safe and enjoyable summer. We cannot wait to see all of our students here at WGIS when we start our new school year on Wednesday, September 4!

Be Kind-Work Hard-Think BIG!

It's a great day to be a wildcat!

Mr. MacCollum

Last year, we brought our entire school community together by offering "We Are WGIS" shirts for staff and students. We are bringing this back again and invite anyone who would like to purchase a WGIS shirt to do so again this year! This is the link to our online store (https://stores.inksoft.com/wgis/shop/home) and it has the option to purchase the shirt in Blue or Gold! The shirt design is identical to last years.

There is also an option to purchase a shirt for a student who may not be fortunate enough to purchase one for themselves at this time. This can be done by selecting the "donate a shirt to another student" option in the store. If you would like your child to have a shirt but cannot purchase one at this time, please reach out to us so we can help!

The store will be open until mid September but if you order by Friday August 16, we will have your apparel ready for pickup at our locker day event on August 28 from 3-6pm.

As always, please reach out with any questions!

We are launching the ParentSquare Communications system over the month of August, please be on the lookout for more information to your email, text, and eventually to the ParentSquare mobile app!

Over the next few weeks, you will:

• Receive an electronic invitation to download the ParentSquare app to your phone and to activate your account. (You will also be able to access this information from your personal computer.)
• Review your contact information, and you may be asked to verify your information. Please feel free to make corrections as we will be notified and will update our Student Management System (Schooltool). After we update the the Student Management System (Schooltool) the correction will show in your account. If you have any questions, please contact centralregistrar@westgenesee.org
• Receive intermittent posts and information with tips on the use of ParentSquare.
• Receive a hard copy instructional page in the mid-August mailing that will come home from your home schools.

The ParentSquare application is used throughout the region in many school districts. We believe this will offer authentic communication capabilities within our school community with features that include: two-way translatable messaging; direct messaging with staff; sign-up forms for events (like field trips, parent conferences, etc.); and submittal of attendance notes directly via the app.

Note: Parents who work in other school districts that use the ParentSquare format will have the ability to combine accounts, if desired, for professional use and as a parent.

*Due to the timing of establishing accounts for students after the start of the fall athletic season, fall coaches may continue with other formats during the fall season.

Please accept our continued thanks for your partnership with strong communication and relationships.

We are excited to see everyone at our Locker Day from 3-6pm on Wednesday August 28! This is a great opportunity for our incoming 5th grade to come in and explore the building with their schedule and find their lockers! Sixth graders are also welcome and encouraged to attend to familiarize themselves with their new classroom locations as well! Here are some details about the WGIS Locker Day:

• August 28, 2024 from 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

• Families will enter through the main entrance (door #1) or the back entrance (door #6).

• Families can visit the PTA table to meet current PTA members as well as join the PTA. Membership is just $10.00.

• Students and families will have the opportunity to go to their lockers and find each of their classrooms to familiarize themselves with the building. Classrooms will not be unlocked and open unless that teacher is in the building, but you will still be able to navigate between the classrooms.

• Schedules will be available on School Tool after 4:00 PM on August 26. Counselors will be available in the gym to assist with locker and schedule information.

• Need Help with School Tool? If you need assistance, please contact central registration at centralregistrar@westgenesee.org. We will also have a SchoolTool table set up to help anyone having issues in the gym from 3-5pm.

Help us welcome a new special member of the WGIS family, Barkley! Barkley is an Australian Labradoodle that will be with one of our incoming 5th grade students! Students and staff will be receiving information and training regarding Barkley and her role in the school as a service dog for one of our students. Once the training is complete for the humans in our building, Barkley will slowly transition into daily life at WGIS.

Barkley is a highly trained service dog but we also realize that there could be students and parents that may have questions. Barkley's parents have offered to hold information events for any parents who might have questions. It is important to note that Barkley is a medically necessary support for one of our students so we will come together as a community to ensure that she not only is supporting her student but also that everyone in the building is comfortable with Barkley's presence.

Thank you to everyone who has come in to pick-up their yearbook. If you were unable to pick it up previously, feel free to call the main office at WGIS to schedule a time to pick up your yearbook! If you prefer to wait until the first days of school, we will have them available at that time. Former 6th, now 7th grade students will have theirs available at CMS for pickup once school is back in session.

Classrooms are being put together and final preparations are being made for our opening days of the 2024-25 school year! Our custodians do such a GREAT job making sure our building is ready to go for staff and students. I think everyone will be impressed and proud of our building when you join us for Locker Night (8/28 from 3-6!).

Please consider joining the WGIS Parent Teacher Association! They work hard to make it the best possible school experience for all students and seek to support WGIS teachers and staff.

With 700+ families in our school, our goal is to have at least 200 members this school year. We will have information available at Locker Day and Open House, please stop by, say hello and sign-up!

• Wednesday August 28th - Locker Day 3:00-6:00pm
• Wednesday, September 4th - First day of school

• Thursday, September 12th - Open House 6:00 p.m.

• Friday, September 13th - 5th Grade Celebration 2:30pm-4:00pm

• Wednesday, September 18th - PTA Meeting 6:00pm-7:00pm in the WGIS Library

• Monday, September 25 & 26 - WGIS Picture Day(s)