large view Ms. Badger "West Elementary....Where the love of learning begins and never ends"

West Elementary School
1397 Orchard Park Rd.
West Seneca, NY  14224
Main Office:  677-3250
Main Office Fax:  677-3123

Happy Holidays!

“I see books in children’s hands,  I watch them read, I hear their laughter, their excitement, their joy,  And I think to myself, what a wonderful school!”    Ms. Badger

Dear Wild Cat Families;

As I was shopping on iTunes, I listened to Ledisi, an R&B singer, soulfully sing, What a Wonderful World.   The words and melody immediately stirred a wonderful connection to West Elementary.  Taking my lead from this wonderful song, I created the lyrics above.  To be honest, it took all of one minute to write these words.  You need to know that I am not a creative person; the words came easily, because they are wonderfully true. 

Seeing books in children’s hands and watching and hearing them read and comprehend is a wonderful sight.  To this day, I have not met a child who was not excited about learning to read; there is no greater gift.   On a similar note, having a variety of books that all children can read is another wonderful gift, and key to their reading success.

This year, West is on a mission: We want to ensure that EVERY classroom has a variety of books which ALL children can read EASILY.  The key words are EVERY, ALL and EASILY.  For the past 10 years, many of our classrooms have been outfitted   with a wonderful collection of books.  In recent years, we have opened new classrooms, and not surprisingly, their classroom libraries are in the fledgling stage.

Wild Cat Families….this is where we need your help.   Beginning the week of December 15^th and continuing for the remainder of the school year, we will have a book receptacle outside our main office.  Might there be a gently used picture book or chapter book sitting on a shelf at home that could be gifted to West Elementary?  Simply write your child’s name on a Post-It Note and place it inside the front cover.  Your child should bring the book to school and place it in the receptacle…what a wonderful gift (inexpensive too)!  All books that are forwarded to classrooms will have a personalized name   plate   with your child’s name on it. 

I don’t believe we need the month of December to remind us that “Tis the Season”. However, I do believe that   December of 2008 will be remembered as the month that made a wonderful difference in the literacy lives of our teachers and our students; our Wild Cat Families gave the gifts that keep on giving……BOOKS!

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!  

With gratitude and appreciation -

Ms. Badger

Kenn Nesbitt visits with a kindergarten class

large view

large view 2nd graders celebrate Red Ribbon Week

5th Graders with Kenn Nesbitt