The Blur

It was nice for my wife and I to spend a few days with our boys. We haven't had them in the same room since August so it was great to catch up with them, enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with them, and actually listen to how they have grown. My oldest even got his first new car, totally on his own, and we are very proud for him. This week will be spent eating a lot less and running a lot more to lose the pounds I gained more from the "fixings" and less from the turkey itself!

A New Secretary of Education: Just before we went on break, the Trump administration announced their pick for the new Secretary of Education. Her name is Betsy DeVos, and her history is deep into charter schools and voucher programs. Her background does not include work in public education. As I mentioned in my post-election blog, all signs point to voucher programs and competition for survival for public schools under a Trump presidency, and once she is appointed it will certainly be "game on". I will be keeping a close eye as this progresses to make sure that our students do not lose any opportunities.

A Time of Giving: This is the season of giving, and at school we have several large student groups as well as all of our employees working together to help local families in need. As we get closer to the holidays, you will see information coming out from our building principals as to what is available for struggling families and how you can help.

Looking for Volunteers: At my most recent District parent-teacher/student meeting, it was mentioned to me that each of our PTA/PTO/PTSA/PTSO's are a little light in the membership department right now. If you are not a member of the group for the building(s) that your child(ren) is/are in, I would ask that you please consider becoming one.

The leadership of these groups do NOT need you to attend each meeting if you cannot; they do need parent volunteers for the functions that they hold. If you are interested in joining, or want more information about the benefits about being a member of a PTA/PTO/PTSA/PTSO, please contact the West Genesee PTA/PTO District Council President, Gloria Francisco at wgcouncil@westgenesee.org. Many thanks!

The Blur: Today begins what I call the blur. We have a ton of winter sports coming up, concerts, and you will be busy at home yourselves. Blink and we will be at Holiday Recess. As an old mentor once told me about this time of the year, "stop and smell the roses".  He wasn't the originator of that quote, but he helped me to realize the meaning of it!

Thanks and enjoy the week-

Chris