Updates for Week of November 16-20

We have entered another period for remote learning that is scheduled to go longer than our last one. Please remember to take those simple precautions that help keep everyone safe such as mask wearing, handwashing and avoiding large groups. Below are some of the updates for the week of November 16-20. 

Reminders About Remote Learning

We will be in remote learning through November 20. Below are some general reminders. 

• We will continue to follow our current schedule to meet synchronously with students on Zoom or Google Meet. The days set aside for 9th & 10th grade and 11th & 12th grade will stay the same. Class periods and those times when a teacher will meet with their classes will stay the same. 
• Wednesdays would remain set aside for office hours as well as other times to meet with students and for planning time.
• Content would continue to be pushed out electronically to students via Google Classroom or other digital means asynchronously on the remote days as it is now
• If there is a digital connection issue please email the teacher first so that they are aware and may be able to solve the problem.

Grades for Marking Period One Available on Schooltool November 13, 2020

Grades for Marking Period One will be available online on Schooltool November 13. Below is a link that will help you access your child's report card via Schooltool. The two links below will help you access your child's Schooltool account.

• https://youtu.be/8QiAC-nf5GQ
• How to view/print report cards on Schooltool 
• If You Need to Create a Schooltool Acount

Next and Future Remote Pick-Up Days

Our next remote material pick-up day will be November 18. There will be two time frames. The first will be from 9:00-11:00 a.m. and the second will be from 12:30-3:00 p.m. Items can be picked up on the atrium side of the school. Please use the Applebees entrance from West Genesee Street. Future pick-up days will be as follows:

• December 16
• January 13 
• February 10 

Future pick-up days will be scheduled beyond February as needed.

Schedule Prior to the Thanksgiving Break

As we approach the holidays with different breaks in the school calendar, we want to maximize the face-to-face opportunities for our students whether they are in-person or fully remote. If we follow the existing calendar as it is there would be long periods of time around Thanksgiving and December holiday breaks where one group of students would not have direct face-to-face contact with their teachers for twelve or more days. With that said, we are going to adjust our schedule for the following dates: 

Monday, November 23

WGMS/CMS Group A (MON-TUE) will attend in-person on Monday only and remotely on Tuesday WGHS Grades 9 &10 (MON-TUE) will attend in-person on Monday only and remotely on Tuesday 

Tuesday, November 24 

WGMS/CMS Group B (THU-FRI) will attend in-person on Tuesday and remotely on Monday 

WGHS Grades 11 &12 (THU-FRI) will attend in-person Tuesday and remotely on Monday 

Monday, December 21

WGMS/CMS Group A (MON-TUE) will attend in-person Monday only and remotely on Tuesday WGHS Grades 9 &10 will attend in-person Monday only and remotely on Tuesday 

Tuesday, December 22 

WGMS/CMS Group B (THU-FRI) will attend in-person on Tuesday and remotely on Monday 

WGHS Grades 11 &12 (THU-FRI) will attend in-person on Tuesday and remotely on Monday 

Wednesday December 23

Fully remote day

                                                                                                      

Rescheduled Picture Retakes

The rescheduled date for the grades 11 and 12 picture retakes is December 11, 2020.

Fully remote students should plan on having their retakes done from 2:35-3:20 p.m. in the lobby by the lower gymnasium.

Stay safe and be well,

Wayne Ackles
Executive Principal
West Genesee High School

November 6 2020-Updates for the Week of November 9-13

As we enter the second full week of November with an election behind us and Veterans Day on the horizon it is a good time to reflect on what continues to make our community strong. One aspect of the community that never ceases to impress me is the giving spirit of the community. Along with updates about grades and pictures, are two chances to donate to the community at large for good causes. Enjoy the surprise burst of warm weather this weekend! 

Checking In With Your Remote Learner 

As we finish the first ten weeks, I have heard from both parents and teachers that there sometimes is confusion, or a disconnect with, due dates and when assignments should be completed. If there is ever doubt as to when an assignment is due, or if your daughter or son is up to date, please reach out to their teacher(s). Teachers will be happy to share with you upcoming schedules so that you can help your student manage and plan their time. 

Picture Retakes

• 
  Picture retakes for grades 9 and 10 will happen on November 10.
• Picture retakes for grades 11 and 12 will happen on November 12.
• Fully remote students should go on their corresponding day from 2:35-3:20 p.m. in the lobby by the lower gymnasium. 

Grades for Marking Period One Available on Schooltool November 13 2020 

Grades for Marking Period One will be available online on Schooltool November 13. Below is a link that will help you access your child's report card via Schooltool. The two links below will help you access your child's SchoolTool account. 

• https://youtu.be/8QiAC-nf5GQ 
• How to view/print report cards on Schooltool 
• If You Need to Create a SchoolTool Acount

Pajamas for a Good Cause 

Our students will have a chance to participate in a friendly competition with some of our neighboring districts to raise money for Pediatric Cancer Research. Please see the flyer at right and click here to view this video for more information. 

Last Chance for Make a Wish Donations 

If you have not already donated and would like to contribute to the Class of 2021's fundraiser for the Make a Wish Foundation, please click here. 

Student Pick-Up Information 

We appreciate all of our parents who have been picking up and driving students this year. Please do not line up to pick up your child on the Atrium (West) side of the building until at least 2:10 p.m. The parents that are picking up grade 9 and 10 students are lining up and staying so that it is becoming an issue for our transportation department. Please help us by arriving no earlier than 2:10 p.m. to pick up your child for dismissal. We Need Your Help With Pick-Up Traffic on Mondays & Tuesdays. 

Schedule Prior to the Thanksgiving and Holiday Breaks 

As we approach the holidays with different breaks in the school calendar, we want to maximize the face-to-face opportunities for our students whether they are in-person or fully remote. If we follow the existing calendar as it is there would be long periods of time around Thanksgiving and December holiday breaks where one group of students would not have direct face-to-face contact with their teachers for twelve or more days. With that said, we are going to adjust our schedule for the following dates: 

Monday, November 23

WGMS/CMS Group A (MON-TUE) will attend in-person on Monday only and remotely on Tuesday WGHS Grades 9 &10 (MON-TUE) will attend in-person on Monday only and remotely on Tuesday 

Tuesday, November 24 

WGMS/CMS Group B (THU-FRI) will attend in-person on Tuesday and remotely on Monday 

WGHS Grades 11 &12 (THU-FRI) will attend in-person Tuesday and remotely on Monday 

Monday, December 21

WGMS/CMS Group A (MON-TUE) will attend in-person Monday only and remotely on Tuesday WGHS Grades 9 &10 will attend in-person Monday only and remotely on Tuesday 

Tuesday, December 22 

WGMS/CMS Group B (THU-FRI) will attend in-person on Tuesday and remotely on Monday 

WGHS Grades 11 &12 (THU-FRI) will attend in-person on Tuesday and remotely on Monday 

Wednesday December 23

Fully remote day

Please click here to read the above information from the website. Again, enjoy the unexpected warmth this weekend! 

Take care, be well and stay stronger together, 

Wayne Ackles 

Executive Principal 

West Genesee High School

October 30, 2020

Tomorrow is Halloween, and Sunday is November 1 (Daylight Savings Time ends, so remember to set your clock back an hour). 

During the summer, November 1 seemed particularly distant as we planned and started to map out the year. We are here now and there are the rhythms and milestones of the passing of school time, such as marking periods and spirit weeks. Halloween ushers us closer to the close of the first marking period. More information will be coming in the days and weeks about the close of the marking period. Below are some updates going into the week of November 2-6.

BOCES Not in Session November 3 

All BOCES student programs will be closed on November 3 for a staff training day at BOCES. Students with morning BOCES CTE programs may come start their day with their afternoon classes. Students with afternoon BOCES CTE programs may finish their day at the conclusion of the morning classes. 

Make a Wish Donations & Senior Information

This time of the year we would normally be advertising our Harvest Dinner with which our Senior Class gains donations for our partners at the Make a Wish Foundation. In lieu of the Harvest Dinner this year we are doing a virtual fundraiser with Make a Wish.  The information for the fundraiser can be accessed by the following link: https://secure2.wish.org/site/TR?pg=personal&fr_id=3710&px=5578847#.X5dS_4hKjIU

Seniors that have not ordered a cap and gown can still order one through Jostens. Click here to connect to Jostens. 

Class Rings

All students, including seniors, can still order class rings as well as other keepsakes. Orders should be placed through the link provided by Jostens:  nygrad.com

Picture Retakes

• Picture retakes for grades 9 and 10 will happen on November 10. 
• Picture retakes for grades 11 and 12 will happen on November 12. 
• Fully remote students should go on their corresponding day from 2:35-3:20 p.m. in the lobby by the lower gymnasium.

PTSA Memberships

Please consider joining the PTSA. The PTSA makes a great deal possible for our students including scholarships and funding for events for our students such as last year's senior events. Below is a link to the membership page for PTSA.  

https://wghsptsa.memberhub.store/shopping/categories/1724

Have a great weekend! Be safe and be well,

Wayne Ackles 

Executive Principal 

West Genesee High School

October 16, 2020

Here we are at the five week point of school. Although it is a fairly short milestone in the year, it is our first since our return. I cannot express my gratitude for the fact we are open, even under these limited conditions, and the work that continues to go into seemingly simple things like getting hot meals out to our students during the day. Enjoy the weekend!  Below are some updates for the week.

Five Week Progress Reports

Five week reports are available now on Schooltool. To aid in accessing those reports there is a video to help you access the reports. Please click this link: https://youtu.be/8QiAC-nf5GQ to access the video.

Please remind your child or children that we are grading using a typical grading system and not the Pass/Fail system of the fourth quarter in the spring.

Reminder About Remote Learning in the Event of a Shutdown

Many of you have probably seen in the news when different buildings within different districts around the region have had to switch, at least temporarily, to remote learning. I wanted to share a reminder below what a switch to remote learning, either for a short or long term, would look like. If we were to switch to fully remote learning:

• We would continue to follow our current schedule to meet synchronously with students on Zoom or Google Meet. The days set aside for 9th & 10th grade and 11th & 12th grade would stay the same. Class periods and those times when a teacher would meet with their classes would stay the same. 

• Wednesdays would remain set aside for office hours as well as other times to meet with students and for planning time.

• Content would continue to be pushed out electronically to students via Google Classroom or other digital means asynchronously on the remote days as it is now.

We hope to stay optimistic about how long we remain open, but we want to make sure we are prepared for the transition if we should have to go remote learning.

Operoo/Attendance Update  

Just a reminder that students that are either fully remote, or on remote days  students on the hybrid model, need to submit attendance via Operoo. The attendance is part of our required reporting for the state. If you are having issues with the Operoo account you can reach out to our registrar's office at: centralregistrar@westegenesee.org.

Here are a couple of instructional videos to help as well:

Operoo Account Creation and Submission Video

Forgot Password Video

Have a great weekend and be well,

Wayne Ackles

Executive Principal

October 9 2020

As we head into a three-day weekend, here are some updates going into the week of October 13-16. I hope our families will have a chance to enjoy the long weekend!

Half-Day Friday October 16 - Update for PM BOCES Students

We will be having a half-day Superintendent's Workshop Day on Friday, October 16, across the District. Our arrival time will still be the same, but our dismissal time will be 10:31 a.m. Update: There will be no afternoon BOCES on the October 16. BOCES students will have their day end at 9:30 a.m.                                                                     

Operoo/Attendance Update  

Just a reminder that students that are either fully remote, or on remote days  students on the hybrid model, need to submit attendance via Operoo. The attendance is part of our required reporting for the state. If you are having issues with the Operoo account you can reach out to our registrar's office at: centralregistrar@westegenesee.org.

Hot Lunches Are Back at WGHS

Hot lunches are now being served on a daily basis at the high school. Students still need to pre-order through the Nutrislice system. Students will still be eating in classrooms. The link for Nutrislice is: https://westgenesee.nutrislice.com/menu/.

Next Remote Materials Pick-Up Day: October 14

Our next remote material pick-up day will be October 14. There will be two time frames. The first will be from 9:00-11:00 a.m. and the second will be from 12:30-3:00 p.m. Items can be picked up on the atrium side of the school. Please use the Applebees entrance from West Genesee Street. 

Note from Our Nurses

Please read the Notes from the West Genesee Nurses in regards to COVID-19 symptoms and testing by clicking here.

Financial Aid 

Financial Aid information is now available from the West Genesee High School homepage. Please click on Counseling Services. then click on the Financial Aid link for 2020-2021 or go directly to the video by clicking here. Mark Hill, Director of Financial Aid at ESF, gives you a video presentation to listen to for support on this process.   

Payment for AP Exams Due November 1

Students who are taking AP Exams need to turn in their payments by November 1. Please reach out to Mr. Vaughan in the Gold House Office if you have any further questions. 

Athletics Department Letter about Fans at Contests

The Athletics Director sent out a letter to announce that WGCSD has decided to now allow us to accommodate fans at contests for ALL LEVELS (V, JV, 8/9, and 7/8) as long as the guidelines listed in the letter are met. Click here to read the letter.

Have a great weekend! Be safe and be well.

Wayne Ackles 

Executive Principal 

West Genesee High School