West Genesee District e-Newsletter
August 31, 2023
Message from the Superintendent
Dear West Genesee Families,
As the start of the new school year approaches, Mrs. Skardinski, District Lead Nurse, and I would like to take this opportunity to provide health reminders and resources. While health concerns have not dominated our lives to the extent of recent years, it remains important for procedures and expectations to be clear and consistent for our students and families.
You will likely receive packets from your school’s Health Office as is distributed annually. Special thanks to our school nurses, and by way of introduction and a welcome to our District for some, remind you of the buildings they will serve. They are:
- WGHS: Katie Hancock, Carrie Prior
- CMS: Colleen Condon
- WGIS: Daron Comes
- EH: Sarah Condon
- OR: Carrie Heaphy
- SR: Natalie Delaney
- ST: Stephany Skardinski (District Lead Nurse), Annie Zeleznock
- District-wide: Marrianna Stenta
Our health professionals will be the best “frontline” resource for you and your child. It remains important that if a student is not feeling well, they should not report to school. Children having symptoms or expressing discomfort will be seen and assessed by the school nurse per the protocols of our health offices throughout the District. As a reminder, students should not be in school if they have:
- Fever at or above 100 degrees
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Cough that is persistent or an unusual level of severity
- Flu
- COVID-19+
In general, your child should be without fever, vomiting, or diarrhea for 24 hours with no use of medication, before they return to school. For isolation information for COVID-19 and sub variants please see the most recent NYS Department of Health guidelines found here.
We encourage families to consider flu and COVID-19 shots, per the advice and discussion with your primary care physician.
We wish you a safe, healthy, and enjoyable school year and remain appreciative of our mutual communication.
David C. Bills
Superintendent of Schools
Stephanie Skardinski
District Lead Nurse
Summer Music Camps
Our musicians had the opportunity to participate in Camp Programs at the high school that included: Choral, Junior Musical Theater, Senior Musical Theater, Concert Band, Jazz Band, String Jump Start, String, and Marching Band Camps.
Please check out some of the pictures below from those programs, including some of their culminating concerts at the end of the camps.
Welcome to New Teachers
On August 22-23, 2023 new teaching staff participated in orientation and mentoring meetings. Pictured are those teachers that participated in the program and who will be starting this year in the District. (Below reflects the assignments as of August 22. Any adjustments after that day will be reflected in the upcoming hardcopy Fall Communicator.)
New teachers pictured above in the front row, from left to right, from CMS are Brian (Dallas) Barrigar (Instructional Support), Marnie Moss (Counselor), Tanja Cosentino (ENL), Robyn Love (Science), Jacob Sparks (Physical Education), and from WGIS, Daniel Strumlok (Social Studies/Science). In the back row, from left to right, from WGIS are Diane Aberi (Instructional Support), Stephanie Mata Mercado (Band), Nicole Stott (ELA), Paige Smith (Math), Taylor Sourwine (Math), Jessica Dussing (Occupational Therapist), Sarah Elmer (Art), Madelyn Muckey (Counselor), and Hope Lawton (General Music).
Message from Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction
I started in the District on July 1, and what an amazing two months it has been. Every staff and community member I have met thus far has been supportive, responsive, and focused on kids, who are by far the best part of our jobs as educators. Thank you for making me feel so welcomed here.
While we are technically finishing up the summer, the start of the school year always brings with it the sense of autumn - the color of leaves changing and those last few vestiges of warm weather. With this is the reawakening of routines and habits that the school year brings. One of our routines at West Genesee with which I have had the pleasure of starting my position here has been New Teacher Orientation. This year, we welcomed 38 new teachers and counselors, all of whom come to West Genesee with a love of learning and of students.
The routine of introducing new staff to West Genesee is new for me this year. What is not new to me is the routine of sharing with staff a student-centered approach, a philosophy that is entirely encompassing of the work we do at West Genesee. We are excited to start the 2023-2024 school year with the routine in mind of ensuring all of our students feel welcome, engaged, and supported as they tackle the challenges of a new school year, whether they find themselves working through academic tasks, fine arts programming, or athletic practices and competitions.
As you find yourselves immersed as families in establishing new or old routines to start the school year, we encourage you to think about a couple of things that are on our minds with the idea of supporting students in feeling a sense of belonging and safety each day they come to school.
Ask how your child’s day went at school each evening. Reflection is such an important part of the learning process, and our students are often moving from one subject to another. While we try to find ways to embed pausing and reflecting in our days with students, we also encourage you to ask them to think about what worked or went well during their school day and what they might need to focus on for their learning the next day. This also gives your child an opportunity to show what they know, and we want to celebrate learning every chance we can as well as check in on how students are feeling.
New social media applications continue to find popularity among school-aged students, and some have questionable safety checks and balances. Check in on what social media your child is using. If you are seeking additional information on applications and their approaches to sharing information, check out commonsensemedia.org, a site that will offer reviews on the content of an app.
During this first month, especially, encourage your child to rest. As so many of us know and experience ourselves, sleep has a great impact on memory and creativity!
Throughout the school year, I will bring you updates on some of the initiatives we are working on and how this will impact the learning opportunities your child has. I am so glad to be a part of the West Genesee District and community, and I look forward to sharing the joy of learning with you and your child(ren).
Stacey Eger-Converse
Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction
New Website and Mobile App Launching September 1
We have redesigned the West Genesee website and took into consideration the information shared in the results of the survey we distributed in June. It is now easier to find items directly related to your school from that school's homepage. It is also very mobile responsive and easy to find items from your phone. (The transition will start tonight, so be aware if it is temporarily unavailable...)
In addition to the new website, we are also launching a new mobile phone app to communicate to students, parents, and community members about West Genesee news, upcoming events, and other important information. The West Genny app is available to download free from the Apple App store or the Google Play store. For more information about the mobile app, click here to view a video about the app.
This app is different from your ParentVUE app which you will continue to use to communicate with teachers, check on schedules, and other items that relate directly to your specific child(ren).
Calendars for 2023-2024 are Now Available Online
The online District 2023-2024 Events Online Calendar is now available from the website homepages. You can also access the one-page District calendar by going to the Calendars webpage.
Note: A hardcopy of the WGCSD 2023-2024 Events Calendar/Information Guide will come home (one per family) the first few weeks of school!
School Supply Lists for 2023-2024 are Available from the Website!
Did You Know? School Supply Lists for 2023-2024 are available on the website by clicking here.
They are also available from each School's homepage .
Are you Receiving All of our Communications? Helpful Tips about the SchoolMessenger Communication System:
- To be sure that you are receiving all emails sent from the District/schools/teachers please periodically check your spam/junk/promotions folder for emails with @westgenesee.org, then mark that they are not spam/junk/promotions.
- To be sure that you are receiving text messages this year from WGCSD or your school(s) Text a "Y" or "Yes" to 67587.
If you still have questions about receiving emails and/or text from WGCSD please email them to publications@westgenesee.org.
WGCSD Seeks a Maintenance Worker with HVAC Experience
We are looking for a Maintenance Worker I to undertake the responsibility to preserve the good condition and functionality of our premises. Inquiries can be made to Buildings and Grounds at (315) 487-4630.
WGCSD is Looking to Hire Transportation Staff
West Genesee CSD is looking to hire regular bus drivers, substitute bus drivers, and substitute bus attendants.
Inquiries about these positions can be sent to Debbie Price at dprice@westgenesee.org.
WGCSD is Looking to Hire Full-time and Substitute Custodians
West Genesee CSD is hiring full-time custodians on all shifts and substitute custodians for the 2nd shift. Inquiries can be made to Buildings and Grounds at (315) 487-4630.
Upcoming Events
- September 5, 2023 No School for Students-Superintendent's Conference Day
- September 6, 2023 School Begins
- September 20, 2023 Board of Education Meeting-High School Library-6:00 p.m.