Notes from the WGIS Principal

Dear WGIS Families,

Well, the snow has arrived! PUlling in this morning to WGIS, I had to take a quick picture of our first snow covering of the season (see below). Reminders to make sure we have our snow brushes, boots, hats and mittens out will become more routine. We know this picture will become the "norm" over the coming weeks and months - whether we like it or not!

With the holiday season upon us, we have been engaged in a cereal drive the last few weeks and after Thanksgiving, we will be having a food drive to benefit local food pantries and support organizations. As I mentioned last week, I hope we are all able to share what we can to those in need and acknowledge that we have need within our own community to support. If your family is in need of support, please do not hesitate to reach out. We have an amazing school community and we will do all we can to support our families in need.

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.

Change Maker's Club next meeting will be Monday November, 25

STEAM Club: Each meeting is for different groups, so please make sure to check the STEAM Club Google Classroom for details! Monday (11/25) is GOLD Group

Click here for Club Descriptions

Student Council is having a Cereal Drive. Please send in unopened boxes of cereal to donate to local food pantries for those in need. Did you know that cereal is one of the most sought after items but also one of the least donated? Our drive will run up until Thanksgiving Break (11/26/24)

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!

"IT" (Interaction Time) buses are available for students staying after for clubs and activities on Mondays and Wednesdays. IT buses pick students up from WGIS at 3:15. These buses are not utilized for musical practices since those rehearsals go past 3:15.

Congratulations to Margaret for placing in the top 4 at the district spelling bee!

Our WGIS Spelling Bee finalists did a fantastic job at CMS this week competing in the district spelling bee! A special congratulations to Margaret Gross who finished in the top 4 of all students in grades 5-8 and will continue on to the next round in February to compete against students from across Central New York - Good luck Margaret! Great job and congratulations to all of our district spelling bee finalists!

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 showed gratitude throughout the school day. After Thanksgiving break, we will focus on sharing our talents. We will be on the lookout for students showing support for others as they go throughout their school day.

This week, we recognized students who showed support for others throughout the week. Congratulations to Lillian, Ryan, Gabe and Keegan, our Positivity Paw winners !

Bravo to all of our WGIS students who are in and helping with Finding Nemo, Jr! They have worked so incredibly hard to put this show together and have had fantastic performances! They have their final 2 shows Friday 11/22 at 7pm and Saturday 11/23 at 2pm. Congratulations again to all of our students and our thanks to Mrs. Knowlton and Mrs. Lawton for your leadership of this fantastic production!

Our student council will be putting on a "Themed Friday" each Friday. This week we had a "Mis-Match Day".

Next Friday (12/6) student council asks that everyone wear their favorite hat all day!

Just a reminder that when dropping off students at the school in the morning, please have your student exit your vehicle as soon as you are able to pull up in line next to the curb. Please do not wait until you are closer to the front of the line. It is important that we are able to clear cars quickly and efficiently so we can get as many parents out before the busses release.

Cherrydale Fundraiser Pick-up Information

The fundraiser pick-up has been scheduled for Thursday, 12/12/24 from 4 pm - 6:30 pm in the main entrance of WGIS. All orders must be picked up by an adult during that time frame. We do not have a storage option for the products, especially for perishable products. If your student earned incentives during the fundraiser, those will also be ready for pick-up that day. Please reach out to Carla at cboverton@gmail.com if there are any questions. We are in need of 5-7 volunteers starting around 3 pm that day to help get the pick-up staged to start at 4 pm. Please email Carla if you are able to help.

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__

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 $10 membership helps us ensure that we have the funds to continue the events that support our school community. You can join here: https://2cde.edulnk.com/e/3z0w8/faYJmN?__$u__

• November 4-26 - Cereal Drive (WGIS Student Council)

• November 27-29 - Thanksgiving Recess

• December 9 - 5th Grade Band/Orchestra/Chorus Concert

• December 11 - 6th Grade Band/Orchestra/Chorus Concert

• December 22 - January 3 - Holiday Recess