We are a VERY Fortunate Community

This past week we had plenty to be thankful for. We came together as a community and helped a family devastated by a house fire, the cheerleaders volunteered at the Ronald McDonald House, and we had a great turnout for our annual high school holiday concert that included a special appearance by Santa!

For those of you who had a chance to make it to the recent Symphoria concert downtown, you heard our students as well. We take that for granted, but playing at that concert is a BIG deal! Congratulations to them.

If I tried to list out all of the awesome things happening in athletics right now, I am sure I would miss something. My short list would include the many West Genesee athletes that made all CNY teams for the fall; and for our winter teams and athletes, how well they are doing right now.

There was definitely a positive buzz in the air when I attended events and games last week and over the weekend, and that feeling isn't going anywhere anytime soon. We are a VERY fortunate community.

As we head into the next two weeks, I may be quiet on my blog and twitter, but I will be working and enjoying time with my family. Having my boys home from college will also make me very happy.

As my family celebrates Christmas, I want to personally wish you a Merry Christmas and happy holidays if you celebrate something else. I feel very fortunate to have your support and will write again right after the new year.

Thank you.

Chris

Proud of our School Community

A Student in Need: There are hundreds, if not thousands of reasons why I am proud of our school community. One of those reasons showed itself last week. One of our students (and the rest of the family) lost their home in a fire. Fortunately everyone escaped, but the house is a loss and they lost EVERYTHING. I mean everything. The Red Cross is doing what they can for them, but they have limits because of everyone else they have to help. 

I cannot say enough about our school counselors and transportation department. Our counselors have been working all week to help the family, and counselor Mrs. Clancy sent a list of basic needs that was shared with our staff in an "all staff" e-mail. Within minutes, our employees had mobilized and the family is well on their way to being helped to far beyond "square one", and they would repeat this generosity for any of our students or families. I can tell you from experience that every school community is not like our school community, and we should all be thankful!

A Good Week for Education: Last week was a good week for education in my opinion. The Federal government replaced what was called the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) with the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). This is important for several reasons (a great comparison of the two Acts can be found by clicking here. Probably the most important change, however, is that control over many facets of education (curriculum, testing, and accountability) will be in the hands of each state.

At the same time at the State level, the Governor released the findings and recommendations from his Common Core Task Force. The entire summary can be found by clicking here.

Essentially, there were twenty-one recommendations made and most of them involve breaking the tie between testing and teacher/principal evaluations, length of testing, quantity of testing, and development of curricular resources. Again, these are recommendations; but my guess is that the NYS Commissioner of Education and the Board of Regents will vote positively on nearly all of the recommendations.

It is tough for me to give an opinion on what one group or entity was responsible for bringing these changes about. I feel like is has been a battle fought in the trenches by Board of Educations, administrators, teachers, and parents as a collective.

What is really important to me as a superintendent is that this "win" for educators does not cloud the need for increased financial resources from New York State. I am afraid that people may not be as willing to push for adequate funding this year because they are so elated with the other recent developments. We need to keep our "eye on the prize"; and we will.

Community Forum on Substance Abuse: I have received some great questions about our upcoming substance abuse forum. For starters, we are very pleased to have Congressman John Katko as a confirmed guest and participant. Secondly, we have been asked about students attending the forum. Our National Honor Society is going to be providing free child care for school-aged students right at the high school during the forum. 

As a collective group of committee members, it was decided that we would advertise the event for students in grades 7 through 12. As a parent I think it is important for you to understand before you bring your young adult that some of the subject matter could be emotional and jarring to some audience members. We will be viewing a short video of someone being revived from a heroin overdose with NARCAN. There will also be stories shared by a recovering addict as well as a mom who recently lost her child to drug addiction. You will have to make the call as a parent if you would like your child to attend. We have an informational flyer that you can access and share by clicking here. Stay tuned.

Lots of events happening this week and I hope to see you at some of them!

Chris

Always Looking to Help

I hope this decent weather keeps coming! It has been nice not to have to worry about snow days or delays yet. I am sure that time will come, but the extra hour of sleep has been great.

Swimmers Polar Bear Plunge for Charity: I really feel like my heart would stop if I tried to do a "polar bear plunge". Each year, however, groups of our students do not even think twice and take the plunge for charity. Thanks to our swim team for helping to raise money once again for the Special Olympics!

The Winter Concert and Athletics Season has Arrived: Holiday concerts and winter sports are in full swing and both have been very enjoyable to watch and listen to. If you are interested in basketball, wrestling, or hockey then check out our schedules by clicking here or from the calendar section of the mobile phone app. The student athletes would love to have you at their matches and games; and the level of competition has been really high so far. Congratulations to all.

On the concert front, the student groups sound very strong and full. There is a lot of talent right in your backyard, so come out and listen to some great music!

Semi-Formal Dance is a Success: Speaking of talent, I want to thank our student council advisors Mrs. Hogan and Mrs. Deemer for helping our students transform our high school into a winter wonderland once again. 

Each year they and the students work to create a wonderful environment for students to enjoy the semi-formal. They sold over 850 tickets to the dance this year, which is close to sixty percent of our total high school population. Students were well behaved, respectful, and genuinely thankful for all of the work that was put into the event.

The Community Comes Together for a Good Reason: Our community coalition on substance abuse is meeting this afternoon to finalize our agenda for our community forum that will be held on January 21 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at our high school auditorium. If you are the parent of a student from middle school age through adult, I would suggest that you attend. 

Substance abuse has many faces and warning signs. We are going to have service providers, treatment organizations, and other resources available in an expo format. Our main forum will be moderated by a local media person (to be announced) and will feature short talks by professionals, former addicts, parents of addicts, doctors, and law enforcement.  

Due to the nature of some of the discussions, our National Honor Society is going to be providing free child care during the event. Many more details to follow, but our auditorium holds just over a thousand people, and we expect to fill it for this event. Please plan on attending.

This should be a GREAT week ahead, and I hope for you as well. Enjoy the season and thank you for your support.

Chris

Time Goes Quickly

Well, I only gained two pounds over the Thanksgiving break. Certainly could have been worse considering how much I ate and how much less I exercised! It was good to get a couple of days with family.

A Busy Time: The time from now until winter break goes by very quickly and is full of concerts, games, and meetings. All positive things; but imagine hosting groups of people at your house ranging from about a dozen to over a thousand people every night for twenty days straight! I get anxious that every night an event will be special, that our facilities will show well, and that everyone will want to come back next time. It will all work out thanks to talented students, caring advisors, teachers, coaches, and dedicated custodians. I am allowed to worry though; it's in my job description!

The Budget Process Starts: We are also in the beginning phases of budget development.  It is far too early to speculate, but it appears that our "tax cap" (the maximum amount that school taxes can be raised without needing a supermajority of voters) will be much lower than usual. This might sound like a positive, and it can be. If we do not get additional state funding to make up for the decrease in the tax cap, there may be some difficult decisions to make.

The state aid number we are looking for is called the "Gap Elimination Adjustment" or GEA for short. Most school superintendents, school boards, and elected officials are hoping and lobbying for a full restoration of the GEA. This amount would allow schools to keep tax levies down WITHOUT having to make major reductions in what is offered. I expect to have more information about the GEA and state aid by late January.

Changes are Coming in State Education: In state education news there appears to be some movement in the Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) process used to evaluate teachers and principals. At the beginning of the school year all schools were directed to have updated APPR plans on file or risk their state aid increases. West Genesee had their plan approved quickly while many schools filed for waivers, prolonging their approval processes. Governor Cuomo has recently hinted at removing, at some level, the tie between student test scores and the APPR process. I expect more information about this soon.

At the same time both the Governor and the Commissioner of Education have separate panels assembled to evaluate the Common Core Learning Standards (the Commissioner is a member of the Governor's panel also). What will come of each panel is somewhat unknown, but it is safe to say that there will be a reduction in the amount of testing related to the Common Core Learning Standards. That, coupled with the potential of assessment results not being tied to teacher APPR scores, may be a sign that people in positions of power are actually listening to people like us who are on the ground. Wishful thinking...but it is the holiday season!

Dedicated Board of Education and the National Honor Society: Lastly, I want to thank our Board of Education and especially Board member Vladimiro Hart-Zavoli. Mr. Hart-Zavoli is legally blind but has never let that stop him from supporting and helping students. The most recent example took place right before break. We were holding our mid-year National Honor Society ceremony. I was watching a basketball practice on one side of the building and as I headed back to the library I heard a custodian helping Vladimiro find the main hallway that would lead to the library.

I hooked up with him and led him to our destination. When the ceremony ended I asked him who was picking him up and where, so I could help him get to the correct door. He indicated that he did not need me to worry because he was going to catch the bus back to his house. It was cold and rainy and he did not have a ride, but he also did not want to miss a student event so he was willing to wait for the bus in the cold and rain. COMPLETE dedication to our students. Needless to say, he got a ride home!

Enjoy the week!

Chris

Being Thankful

Finding the Positive: Let's face it, finding the positive in things has been a struggle lately; but we must, we owe it to our children. We cannot let every negative thing that we read, hear, or see make its way to our kids, who are having a tough enough time just being kids.

I would ask that if you come across something that is negative, assess how much of it needs to make it to the dinner table. If it needs to (and that is certainly your judgment as parents), is there a positive that can be taken from the situation? If it is a problem that needs a solution, what are their suggestions?

At school we focus on helping those in need. Students regularly help classmates who are sick or struggling. They help with larger projects to help those in our greater community and around the world. They are familiar with finding the positive, and we need to remember this as we head into Thanksgiving week.

As you know, our community has changed over the past ten years. In 2006 six percent of our families lived below the poverty line. Today we are at twenty-four percent and rising. If you can lend a smile, a handshake, a kind word or more to people in need, please take the time to do so. It feels good!

The Elves at WGMS Receive a Special Message: Congratulations to West Genesee Middle School students who performed Harry Connick Jr's production of The Happy Elf. Under the direction of Christy Knowlton, the students put on a great show. Equally cool was that Mr. Connick Jr sent a personal message and balloons to the cast!

Elementary Parent Teacher Conferences: Please remember that we have half days today and tomorrow for elementary students with dismissal at 11:30 a.m. to accommodate Parent Teacher Conferences.

Thank you for your continued support and I sincerely wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving.

Chris

What is Terror?

What is Terror?: It depends. For me there are levels of terror. Last week I went to calling hours for a twenty-four year old, five month pregnant woman. Open casket; the whole nine yards. Great kid, supporting family. Bad choice. Heroin overdose.

Listening to stories from recovering addicts in the funeral home there were common themes. Former honor roll students, athletes, children of divorce, children overly pressured by parent(s) to perform, children with no other reason to use but to try the "next thing". That is terror to me as a parent and superintendent. That can happen to any one of us as parents. While we think "it can never happen to my family"; it happens. That is one level of terror. It is in our personal control and out of our control at the same time.

Recent Events in Paris: The second level is a little more complicated. It is terror that is largely out of our control as civilians but can take place where we find ourselves on a day to day basis. Schools, restaurants, sporting events, concerts, malls, churches, airplanes; places we go to and/or use every day. The recent events in Paris, France remind us that there are people for one reason or another who want us to live in constant fear.

Our older students talk about these types of terror because it bothers them as much as it bothers us. A high school student can understand that people were at a concert in France when someone detonated a bomb and began shooting people. A high school student will recollect the last time they were at a concert or a restaurant and it "could have been them". A stretch? Probably. Remember, that in the life of a teenager it is "all about them". That is by human design and development.

What should you do with your student? Talk to them; see if they have any questions. Reassure them that thousands of people are working around the clock to keep them safe and that they have every right to have emotions. Please let their counselor know if their feelings persist. My younger son has aspirations to be a teacher and maybe superintendent someday. I hope he will lead at a time where he will not have to write things like this.

Building Bridges: In more positive news, Twitter was very active on Saturday as a large group of West Genesee students took part in the "Build em' and Bust em'" bridge building/engineering competition at the MOST.

We are very appreciative that the MOST supports this friendly competition!

Cross Country Runners Contribute to State Sectional Win: You are also living in the "fastest" section in New York State thanks in part to the individual efforts of cross country runners Carly Benson (4th place AA girls) and David Leff (11th place AA boys). We are in Section III and the athletes competed for individual New York State Cross-Country Championships this past weekend. David, Carly, and other runners from our section combined their finishing scores to solidify the intersectional scoring win and bragging rights for Section III runners everywhere. Congratulations!

Busy and warm week ahead.  Enjoy!

Chris

A Week Full of Great Events!

Visiting Camillus Seniors: I had a chance to speak to senior citizens in our community at the Camillus Senior Center. I get an opportunity to speak there once or twice a year and it is always very interesting. Just because people are senior citizens does not mean that they do not care about what is happening in the schools and in our community. I was asked some great questions about the Common Core Learning Standards, issues that our current young people are facing, and how our Capital Project is progressing. At the end I asked for a show of hands as to who might be interested in taking a bus ride from the senior center to our high school musical in the late winter and everyone raised their hands!

Marching Proudly for Our Veterans: Our Marching Band proudly participated in the Veteran's Day Parade held at the New York State Fairgrounds over the weekend. This is something that our students look forward to each year and while a little chilly, the weather held out for the event.

The Hills Were Alive: Camillus Middle School students (with some cameo faculty appearances) performed The Sound of Music this past weekend. It was a terrific production and it is great to see so many students committed to something positive!

Thanking our Veterans: Speaking of positive, our West Genesee Middle School students invited local Veterans to their classrooms to talk about what it was like to serve our country, what it is like to be a Veteran, and to make lasting connections. The students wrote the veterans thank you cards, and I had a chance to read several of them. Our students DO understand what our veterans did for them, and I am very proud that they do!

Students are Top Spellers: Our annual Spelling Bee was held last week as well. It can be a stressful event for the students but I have to say the sportsmanship displayed by all of the contestants and their parents is remarkable. Forty-three students in grades 4-8 began the Spelling Bee, and twelve spellers finished to advance to the next level. They will join others from Central New York for a written test in January. The top 35 spellers from that round will compete in The Post-Standard WCNY Spelling Bee oral spell-down in February. Congratulations to all! (Click here to see the details.)

Listening Sessions About Common Core: Those looking to see how the Governor is handling the review of the Common Core Learning Standards can attend a listening forum this Tuesday, November 10 at Onondaga Community College at the Storer Auditorium from 7:00 -9:00 p.m. The event is first come first served, so if you are interested in attending contact them soon by clicking here.

Thanking a Local Columnist: Lastly, I would like to give a big thank you to local columnist Sean Kirst. He will be leaving our local paper after more than two decades of quality writing about local interest stories. I love Syracuse, and I felt like he always featured stories about amazing people and events right here at home that just solidified why we live in such a special place. Best of luck to him!

Thank you to all Veterans, your sacrifices do not go unnoticed.

Chris