Supt Message

Message from Superintendent Bills from the March 15, 2024 E-News Edition

West Genesee CSD

March 15, 2024

Dear West Genesee Families,

I look forward to the E-Newsletter publication each time it is released. It is filled with great evidence of the work of our students across so many different circumstances and their level of success within each. It is a reminder of the importance of comprehensive and extensive experiences and the high level of success from our students. Below is no exception. As you read each section, notice the variety and think of the effort that came well before the article was written and the picture taken.

Recently, I reflected on two separate moments in time and the significance of the connection. We have many on-boarding experiences for employees and orientation sessions to begin their time at West Genesee. For our teachers, a three-day New Teacher Orientation in late August is part of the process and transition to their work at the start of the school year. It is also an opportunity for mentor teachers, administrators, and me to brag about West Genesee history and what brings us to the conclusion that we are in a special place.

In mid-year check-in meetings, it has been a pleasure to engage with our teachers in their first year; some starting their career and others who are experienced professionals that have made the decision to come to West Genesee. I’m struck by their expressions of excitement and agreement with what was shared with them in August; the priority to (wonderful) students, engagement from community, support from colleagues, and their own examples that affirm this is a special place.

It is with that spirit that I am reminded to express my thanks to all of the adults in our organization that are committed to their roles, work together to be more than the sum of our parts, and are fierce advocates for the children of our community. To our Wildcat staff – Bravo!

Thank you,

David C. Bills, Superintendent of Schools

Please notice the Social Media Tips below that I shared in the last e-Newsletter. Let's keep the conversation going with our youth in order to keep everyone safe!

Social Media Tips

Ways to support our youth with social media:

1) Speak to your children about reporting any concerning posts or suspicious activities on social media to a trusted adult. It is important that children understand they will not be punished for reporting a post and that we will protect their anonymity as we investigate the concern. It is also important for students to refrain from sharing or otherwise passing along inappropriate posts, as it contributes to a violation of the WGCSD Code of Conduct.

2) Explain how TIP411 works to your children. Tip411 is an anonymous communication tool that allows students to report serious concerns to schools. Tip411 will provide an option for those students who may not have a trusted adult to relay their concerns. (Note: At times, there may be follow-up questions. Because of the anonymity, it is important to check back to the original TIP411 report.)

3) Encourage your children to seek the truth regarding information online and reporting questionable posts to trusted adults rather than sharing misinformation that causes more confusion than clarity.

4) Speak with your children about school shootings and other tragic events and the fear we all feel as we navigate this unfortunate reality of online threats. Having an open dialogue about school safety is important, especially when threats occur. Here is a link from Child Mind Institute that can help guide that sometimes difficult conversation: How to Talk to Kids About School Shootings | Child Mind Institute.

5) Please relay any social media threats to school administrators so we can begin our investigation and involve the police, if necessary. We take each threat seriously and have a protocol to address each incident. As information becomes available, the District will provide updates to parents.