December 6, 2021 Update

Happy December and Happy Hanukkah to all those who celebrated the holiday recently! It’s hard to believe that we are nearing the end of the year already. 

Welcome to our new Assistant Principal, Karen Quill!

Karen Quill, our new Assistant Principal at WGHS started today! Karen comes to us from the OCM BOCES STARS program where she served as Principal. As part of her almost 20 years in education, Karen was a special education teacher at Hillside Children’s Center, Port Byron CSD, and Marcellus CSD in a range of grade levels including high school. Her training includes Culturally Responsive Classroom Practices, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Trauma Informed Schools, Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI), and Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS).

The pre-service history for Karen includes a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary and Special Education from State University on New York at Geneseo, as well as a Master of Science in Education Students with Disabilities, and Certifications in School District Leader (SDL) and School Building Leader (SBL), from SUNY Cortland.

We are so excited for Karen to join our team here at the high school. Please join me in welcoming Karen to our wildcat family! 

New WGHS Bell Schedule started TODAY!

West Genesee High School has had a minor shift in our start and end times that began today. Doors will open at the high school at 7:25 AM. The first warning bell will ring at 7:30 AM and class begins promptly at 7:35 AM. Students will dismiss at 2:02 PM with Interaction Time scheduled Tuesday - Friday from 2:06 PM- 2:41 PM. Starting on Tuesday, December 7, 2021 we will be getting our Interaction Time busses back!! We are very excited to be able to get back to making Interaction Time accessible to ALL of our students. Please encourage your students to take advantage of this extra time with their teachers as we near the end of the first semester. 

Please use this LINK to access the building bell schedules.

Safety/Security Reminders:

In light of recent national events we think it is important to make you aware that we will be conducting two lockdown drills during the month of December– December 9 and December 21. The drills will begin with an announcement that explains the drill, how it is initiated, and expectations for student behavior. Camillus Police Department will be supporting high school administration throughout the drill, so you may see a larger presence on campus those days. Please reiterate with your students the importance of practicing these drills in school. During both the drill and a real emergency we ask that students follow the directions of the adult(s) in the room. 

We would also like to take this time to remind both students and community members that we have a single point of entry at West Genesee High School. Once we have brought all of our students into the building in the morning, all doors are locked and anyone entering or exiting the building must do so through the main entrance, Door 15. All visitors must check in at the raptor desk and present valid identification. If you approach another door, please understand that both students and staff have been instructed not to open the door, and to alert our School Resource Officer immediately. Student and staff safety is our top priority. 

Principal’s Interaction Time

We are always looking for ways to support our students academically. Principal’s Interaction Time (PIT) is a proactive approach to getting at-risk students back on track before the end of the semester. It is offered AFTER our normal interaction time as an additional hour of student support. Students identified as at-risk for failing a course needed for graduation will receive a letter home and in their homeroom offering this support. PIT begins on Tuesday, December 14, 2021 for juniors and seniors, and Wednesday, December 15, 2021 for freshmen and sophomores. PIT takes place twice a week for each group. Juniors and seniors on Tuesday/Thursday and freshmen and sophomores on Wednesday/Friday.  We hope that this additional teacher support will get students back in good academic standing and ready to start the second semester! 

National Honor Society

Calling all students interested in pursuing admission to the National Honor Society!  This nationwide organization is set up to recognize high school students who excel in the four areas of scholarship, leadership, character, and service.  Students are invited to apply in spring of their junior year if they meet the academic criteria of an 88.0% overall weighted average over their high school career.  Applicants are then selected by a faculty committee who look to make sure eligible candidates have fulfilled the requirements of a school related extracurricular activity as well as community service involvement. Please make sure if you are interested that you are participating in both school extracurricular activities as well as community service activities! Please reach out to Mrs. Ostrander or the counseling office if you are looking for opportunities to be involved!

Have a fantastic week. Don’t forget to stop by the high school auditorium lobby today up until 9:00 PM for the Capital Project vote!

Sincerely,

WGHS Administration