Notes from the WGIS Principal

Dear WGIS Families,

February Break has arrived! I hope everyone is able to have an enjoyable February Break with some additional time with family and friends. We will be back on Monday February 24, ready to resume learning!

Coming up after break, we have some exciting events coming to WGIS! We have our WGIS Science Fair (2/27), our St. Baldricks "Brave the Shave" event (during school 3/14), and Genny Palooza (3/20, 3/21)! These are all great events here at school that give our students opportunities to explore interests and have new experiences! Stay tuned for all WGIS has in store for its students the rest of the year!

Thank you for your continued support for all students at WGIS. As always, please reach out if you need anything.

Be Kind-Work Hard-Think BIG!

It's a great day to be a wildcat!

Mr. MacCollum

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

Monday February 24th:

Battle of the Books, Drama Club, Student Council, WIldcat STEAM Group

Wednesday February 26th: CANCELLED - No "IT" Wednesday 2/26

Blue Steam Group, Drama Club, Games Club, Genny Journal

Click here for Club Descriptions

St. Baldrick's at West Genesee Intermediate is back! We will be hosting our event on Friday, March 14th. Our St. Baldrick's event at WGIS took off in 2014 as a result of our students looking for a way to support and stand with fellow students and members of our community who have been impacted by childhood cancer. A conversation became an idea and that idea has now become an event. Through our efforts as a school community we have raised over $140,000 and are determined to continue to raise awareness, raise some money and have some fun all in an effort to help fight childhood cancer. Please support our “Brave the Shave” event in any way that you can and help us make a difference in the lives of children across the country. It's all about "The Power of WE!" Here is a LINK to volunteer, donate, or "brave the shave"

Student Council is excited to announce that we will be participating in Griffin's Guardians Annual "Change for Hope" campaign in the month of February.

The change raised will help families in New York with children who have been diagnosed with pediatric cancer. Griffin's Guardians is a local non-profit 501(c)(3) charity whose mission is to support families with children battling pediatric cancer throughout their entire journey. For more information, visit Griffin's Guardians.

Due to not being able to attend our School Day game vs. SMU on Thursday, January 9th, we would like to extend a new offer to you! We are giving out (1) Free Student ticket for our women's basketball game vs. Wake Forest on Sunday, February 9th at 2:00PM. with the purchase of an accompanying adult ticket at a discounted price.

https://fevo-enterprise.com/event/Womensbasketball367 Free Ticket Discount Code is: WBBFREE

We are excited to welcome teachers, students, parents, family, & friends to our Men's Basketball School Day on Saturday, February 8th vs. Boston College at 3:15PM. We are excited to offer a free ticket to students and/or teachers.

https://fevo-enterprise.com/event/Schoolday64 Free Ticket Discount Code is: SCHOOLDAY25

Please consider donating a new book to the WGIS Book Swap by clicking this link: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2A66UYPKZMAGZ?ref_=wl_share

The 2025 WGIS Book Swap will take place in the spring, and so far, we have collected over 1,200 used books. Thank you to those who have donated! To ensure it's a successful event, we need 800 more so we can offer a variety of titles for all 700+ children to look through. If you don't have any used books to donate, please consider purchasing one using the link above, and it will be shipped directly to the school.

The names of everyone who donates a new book will be featured at the Book Swap and will be shared on social media during the week of the swap as a way to express our gratitude for supporting the event. If you don't see any titles you would like to purchase, you are welcome to purchase books you think the children will enjoy and ship them to school, or you can have your child drop them off in the front lobby.

Thank you for supporting the WGIS Book Swap. Each year, we have only a few bins of books left over, and the inclusion this event offers is meaningful. Some children have said it's the first time they have been able to bring home a book from a book sale, just like all the other kids. We also have students return to the swap after it is over to select another title, and they are so excited about the opportunity. Your support makes this possible. Thank you!

This week, we recognized students who were being a good friend throughout the week. Congratulations to Levi, Annabelle, Gabrielle, and Yaqub, our Positivity Paw winners !

This week, WGIS Student Council's themed Friday was Wear Pink, Red and Hearts for Valentines Day!

When we return from break we will have: Hat Day (February 28th)

Please send in gently used, age-appropriate books for us to include in the swap. Your child can drop off the books at the cart located under the main stairwell in the front entrance of the school. Thank you for your support!

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://2cde.edulnk.com/e/3z0w8/k8Kfdj?__$u__

Join the PTA

Lastly, the PTA would love your support! There is no commitment to participate in any meetings or events, but your $10 membership helps us ensure that we have the funds to continue the events that support our school community. You can join here: https://2cde.edulnk.com/e/3z0w8/faYJmN?__$u__

• February 17-21 - February Break - No School

• February 27, 2025: WGIS Science Fair 6:30-8:00

• March 1, 2025: WGCSD Culture Celebration (WGHS 12-3pm)

• March 14, 2025: St. Baldricks "Brave the Shave"