Monday, March 22, 2021

Humor

Hi, Team Remote Families! This week's Positivity Project character strength is Humor. Humor is a sense of playfulness and lightness. It is a way of looking at and describing the world that brings laughter to people. A person with the strength of humor is skilled at seeing at the funny side of things, bringing smiles and laughter to others, and identifying and communicating the absurdities in life. People with this strength don’t specifically need to be joke tellers, although many are. Read more about humor here.

Check out the video clip below as the late, great Robin Williams portrays real-life Dr. "Patch" Adams using the character strength of humor to lift the spirits of hospitalized children.


Changes to Social Distancing Guidelines

With the recently announced changes to social distancing requirements from 6 feet to 3 feet, there may be some changes to our in-person learning modality, specifically at the secondary level (grades 5-12). However, our remote platform will remain as-is with the designated schedule that is in place. Our remote teachers have worked tirelessly to build relationships with students. Wednesdays are typically set aside for teachers to meet with students for remediation and enrichment,  provide feedback on assigned work, collaborate and plan with colleagues, and contact parents/families with student concerns. We will continue to innovate and provide opportunities for students to learn, socialize, and grow. 

Student Spotlight: Love of Learning




Caught in the Act of Learning: Brian Short

Shout out to remote CMS 8th grader Brian Short. Brian loves taking apart old computers to see how they work. He's also a whiz at fixing computers and has been a fabulous IT department for his mom while working from home!





Caught in the Act of Learning: Hadley Ollis

What better way to demonstrate a love of learning than to work at your own desk? Shout out to remote 4th grader Hadley Ollis and her family for taking advantage of the generous offer for a free desk from our partners at Operation Northern Comfort!



Leprechaun Traps!

Check out the ingenuity and creativity among Mrs. Forsyth's remote 1st grade students who built their own Leprechaun Traps! 


Resource for Remote Music: Family Sing Along 

Looking for some fun activities to do during Spring Break? Check out the link below from Carnegie Hall's at-home sing-along series for families and caretakers with children ages 2 - 5. Thanks to Mrs. Ta for sharing this resource!

Sing with Carnegie Hall

Instructional Technology: Is Your Chromebook Up to Date?

When colleagues and students contact me with a technology issue, I typically ask some basic questions to help troubleshoot:
  1. Have you tried turning it off and on again?
  2. Are you sure that it's plugged in?
  3. Is the browser up to date?
The first two questions are a running joke on the 2006 British sitcom, The IT Crowd (available on Netflix). The third question requires a little more technical expertise. Keeping a browser up to date helps ensure that your computer is safe and secure, protecting you from identity theft, phishing attacks, viruses, trojans, spyware, adware, and other sorts of malware. One of the nice things about Chromebooks is that Google handles all of the security updates in the cloud with no software for the end user to install and run. See below to learn how to manually update your school-issued Chromebook (for reference, I am currently running Version 89.0.4389.90).

Check for updates Yourself
  1. Turn on your Chromebook.
  2. Connect your Chromebook to Wi-Fi.
  3. At the bottom right, select the time.
  4. Select Settings .
  5. At the bottom of the left panel, select About Chrome OS.
  6. Under "Google Chrome OS," you'll find which version of the Chrome operating system your Chromebook uses.
  7. Select Check for updates.
  8. If your Chromebook finds a software update, it will start to download automatically.
Click the animated image below for an interactive tutorial.

Tap here to see an interactive tutorial


District Updates


Important Dates
  • March 22nd: WGMS Progress Reports available on SchoolTool
  • March 27th: Elementary Report Cards available on SchoolTool
  • March 29th - April 5th: Spring Break
Be sure to check out the various Principal blogs (links on the right of this page) for more building-specific information.

Monday, March 15, 2021

Love of Learning

Hi, Team Remote Families! This week's character strength is Love of Learning. Those who exemplify love of learning are intrinsically motivated and engaged in a topic regardless of achieving an external standard. They enjoy learning simply for the sake of learning. They don’t need a prize or a high grade as a reward. Their reward is the process of doing the work and improving. Read more about Love of Learning here.  As educators, we are always looking for those teachable moments that can inspire our students' passions and nurture their curiosity. Check out this article from Edutopia to read more about cultivating a child's love of learning. 


Love of Learning Challenge


colorful elastics
I remember a time when my daughter was in 5th grade and she wanted to get something at the mall. I told her that I didn't have enough money for whatever it was and she proceeded to take some cash out of a duct tape wallet she made. I was stunned! "Where did this money come from?" I asked her. "I sold some bracelets at school" was her reply. Back then, those colorful rubber band bracelets were en vogue among kids her age. She went on YouTube and taught herself how to make some intricate patterns. Clearly, she was motivated by the almighty dollar, but she also thoroughly enjoyed being creative. (Here's a short DIY video from YouTube if you'd like to learn the basics).

What drives your child's passion for learning? Email me a picture that catches your child in the act of learning--it doesn't necessarily have to be an academic subject--and I'll feature it on the blog (rleo@westgenesee.org). Please include the following with your submission:
  • Student name
  • Student grade level
  • A picture that captures your child demonstrating a love of learning
  • A short description of what they are learning
  • Put "LOL" in the subject line of your email


District Updates


Mark Your Calendar

  • March 17th: WGHS Remote Materials Pick-Up (see details below)
  • March 18th: Elementary Remote Materials Pick-Up (see details below)
  • March 23rd: OCC Early College Experience Information Night (see details below)
  • March 29th - April 5th: Spring Break


West Genesee Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council

As you may have read in the Superintendent’s Message from February 26th, there is an opportunity for all members of our community to come together as members of the West Genesee Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council. We recognize that we need to listen to the voices, experiences, and perspectives of people from diverse backgrounds in order to advance our mission and help all members of our community achieve success. This council is open to all members of our community. Please fill out this Google Form and a member of our team will contact you directly.

If you have any questions, please contact one of our co-chairs:


Elementary Updates


Remote Materials Pick Up
The next materials pickup date is March 18th from 3:00 - 4:00. Students in grades 1-4 also have several items that should be returned on that date. Here is the list of items to be returned and picked up (*new information included). Please let your "home" building principal know if you cannot come at this time and we will arrange for an alternate time.

Free National Park Service Passes for 4th Grade Students
Every fourth grade student is eligible to receive a FREE National Park Service's (NPS) Every- Kid- in-a Park pass. NYS will accept this pass for free vehicle entry admission (with the fourth grader present) for all of their State Parks in 2021. Therefore, the student and anyone in the vehicle will have free entry. This pass is also accepted at state historic sites for the fourth grade student and up to three adults. To read more about the program you may do so at this link: https://parks.ny.gov/environment/connect-kids.aspx.

Secondary Updates


WGHS Pick-Up Days for Class Materials
The next remote material pick-up day will be March 17. There will be two time frames. The first will be from 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. and the second will be from 12:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Items can be picked up on the atrium side of the school. Please use the Well Now entrance from West Genesee Street. Future pick-up days will be as follows:
  • March 17
  • April 14
  • May 19
Future pick-up days will be scheduled beyond May as needed.

WGHS Advanced Placement Exams
Please see the link below for a letter that was sent to the families of students who are taking AP exams. WGHS Principal Mr. TJ Vaughan is the point person for AP exams. Students are encouraged to take the exams at the High School (they are paper and pen/pencil exams rather than computer-based), in which case the district will be responsible for the exam submissions to the College Board. If a student needs to request a make up exam, they will need to let Mr. Vaughan know ASAP. All make up exams will be digital and the students will take them at home and submit them on their own. 
  • Letter to Families (includes exam dates/time/location)
  • Concat Mr. Vaughan: tvaughan@westgenesee.org

WGHS OCC Early College Experience
Students who will be seniors next year and on track for high school graduation may be eligible for the Early OCC Program. Students who are interested in this program should contact the Counseling Center for additional information. There will be a parent meeting for those families who are interested in pursuing this option. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 23, at 700 p.m. in the LGI at the high school. Seats will be limited due to COVID-19 restrictions. Please call our counseling office at 315-487-4672 to sign up for a seat at the meeting.

Be sure to check out the various Principal blogs (links on the right of this page) for more building-specific information.

Monday, March 8, 2021

Social Intelligence

Hi, Team Remote Families! This week's P2 character strength is Social Intelligence. Social intelligence helps individuals build relationships – and is important to numerous aspects of a person’s life. It allows an individual to form friendships and alliances. And, it assists a person against being taken advantage of. People with social intelligence can “read” other people’s faces and know what motivates them. Social intelligence builds over time and as a person ages. In this sense, it is similar to the character strength of perspective. You can read more about social intelligence here.

Check out the video below to see social intelligence in action among a group of middle school football players supporting their teammate and friend (Pro Tip: Have some tissues nearby before you click play ðŸ˜­).

More Social Intelligence Resources


Tutoring Opportunity from Syracuse University


Can you believe we are coming up on the one year anniversary of "remote" teaching and learning?! Last March, many of us were in "crisis" mode as all instruction was delivered asynchronously and students were only given feedback for the work they submitted. It was a heavy lift from families, students, teachers, and administrators to shift to our current model of remote instruction, but I am hopeful that you are finding it worthwhile now that we have established more synchronous contact between teachers and students as well as predictable routines. One of the things that distinguishes our current instructional model from last year's approach is that students' learning and effort "count" toward an actual grade. While some students are thriving, others may need more support to be successful. It was recently brought to my attention that Syracuse University is offering free tutoring for K-12 students in Central New York. From CNY Central:

Syracuse University is partnering with 15 local organizations to provide free tutoring to students in Central New York. The tutors are made up of retired teachers, students, current professors and experts to help ease the difficulties of remote learning.
If you are interested in pursuing this opportunity, read more here.

From Emily Winiecki, Community Engagement Coordinator at Syracuse University:
To keep up with the large increase in demand for tutoring as well as to accommodate the schedules of our volunteer tutors, we developed a weekly schedule of study sessions, broken up by grade level and subject area. While they are large Zoom meetings, we have volunteer tutor leads who create breakout rooms in Zoom so students can connect with tutors either one on one or in very small groups. In addition, we ask that a parent or guardian is home during the tutoring sessions.
Parents will need to complete these two forms to get their child(ren) signed up:

  1. Registration Form
  2. Permission Form
Here is the schedule of virtual tutoring study sessions:


Snowman Challenge Accepted!

Check out the enthusiasm on display from Team Remote 4th-grader Addison Davis (far left) with her sister Sawyer and cousin Jacqueline. Thanks for sharing your enthusiasm for CNY's winter!

Anna and Olaf Snowman
"Anna and Olaf"


District Updates


Elementary Updates


Remote Materials Pick Up
Thursday, March 18, 2021, is the next date for remote families to pick up materials for the last marking period. This should get us through June. Families should arrange to pick up children's materials at their home schools on 3/18/21 at 3:00-4:00 p.m. Please return all materials that you are finished with up until now (see chart below). We will have another date in June for everyone to return ALL materials.


Remote Fine Arts Lessons
Reminder: Music and Art lessons are available for all K-4 remote students. Student can consume lessons on Mrs. Ta (music) and Mrs. Moser-Vogler's (art) website and can join each teacher's Google Classroom to "show what they know." Although Mrs. Ta and Mrs. Moser-Vogler both teach in-person classes, they will offer feedback to students who turn in their work. You may also be interested in reading this recent article from USA Today: Come together: Why music class is an essential refuge for students amid COVID-19 pandemic.

Remote Fine Arts Website:
https://sites.google.com/westgenesee.org/remote-fine-arts/home?authuser=0

Kindergarten Registration
Kindergarten registration for the 2021-2022 school year is currently open until March 31, 2021. If you know of anyone who will begin Kindergarten, please let them know! Parents may utilize the Virtual Registration process to get started and schedule a tele-meeting! If parents have any questions, please call our Central Registration Office at (315) 487-4683.

Secondary Updates


Scheduling Info from CMS
Eighth grade students are in the process of filling out a Google Form to select their courses for next year at the high school. Over the next several weeks, Mrs. Canterino will follow-up with students to review their selections and answer any questions they may have about the high school. Parents will receive an email in the early spring indicating that the Schooltool course selection report is available for your review and feedback. Please feel free to call the Counseling Office at (315) 672-8381 or email Mrs. Canterino at mcanterino@westgenesee.org if you have questions. Grade 6 to Grade 7 and Grade 7 to Grade 8 scheduling will occur later in the spring.

WGHS Class of 2021
Attention all Remote Seniors: Let the celebrating begin! Stop by the Senior parking lot at WGHS after 2:30 PM on Friday, March 12th, and pick up a Shamrock Shake & Halfmoon Cookie provided by the Proud Parents of the Class of 2021! Thank you parents!




Be sure to check out the various Principal blogs (links on the right of this page) for more building-specific information.