Mustang Musings

November is a short month and even though the weeks were short, we sure packed them full of learning and activities! The Thanksgiving break is a great reminder to pause to express gratitude. I am grateful to be a part of this district and community and especially grateful for the PEOPLE -- students, staff, and families!

Check out a few of the examples of student work, learning, and engagement throughout the district!

Past newsletters are posted on our district website.

Also, if there are specific items or questions you have, please reach out to Mrs. Bauer at bauere@wgsd.us or 970-724-3217.

We are Grand Today. Greater Tomorrow.

Go Mustangs!

The West Grand Board of Education recognized our Profile of a Learner trait of Empowered at the regular Board meeting on November 11, 2025. Staff and students are nominated and recognized by other staff and students when they see them demonstrate our profile skills.

Those recognized included:

1. Students: Darcy DeBell, Dustin Williams
2. Staff: Tori Pope, Jennifer Vance

We also recognized the outgoing Board of Education members. We are grateful for the years of service and commitment to our district from all of these individuals.

THANK YOU:

1. Shawn Lechman
2. Mitch Lockhart
3. Brad Probst

Each month, the Multi-Lingual (ML)Connection Newsletter is also shared. Check out the PDFs of this newsletter below

Post Secondary Exploration Updates From The WG College and Career Department:

1. College Commitments -
1. John Butler to Colorado Mesa University to study Electrical Science
2. Sky Paeglow to Laramie County Community College to study Nursing

2. Work Based Learning News -

1. Addy Pedersen - September Intern of the Month @ Flowers By Marcia. Thank you Community Business Partner Marcia Wyatt !
2. Kenna Wall - October Intern of the Month @ Mountain Wellness. Thank you Community Business Partner Halee See
3. College Recruiting -
1. Colorado State University Will Visit WG on December 4th
4. Alumni News -
1. 4th Annual Alumni Panel

   December 17th , 12 - 1 pm in the Jr./Sr. High Auditorium

Our group of seven kids had a blast on our week-long trip. Traveling through five different time zones was exhilarating and exhausting. Our tour at Church Hill Downs and the Louisville Slugger Museum in Kentucky were very educational. We learned an extreme amount of history of Kentucky horse racing and baseball bats. Our second day touring the Fair Oaks Farm was an exciting experience to see a dairy cow give birth, tour the pig barn, learn about soil erosion, see the two different dairy-operated barns, and eat amazing ice cream freshly made from their farm. The next three days, we experienced the National FFA Convention at the Lucas Oil Stadium and the convention center. The dancing before a session was the most exciting for most of us. We listened to many speeches from National Officers and motivational speakers. We explored colleges around the country offering many different career opportunities. We also learned about many different career opportunities in the expo hall. Our group enjoyed the trip so much and is thankful for the opportunity to make these new memories, become more knowledgeable, and explore the amazing places we were allowed to visit. We hope that West Grand FFA members will be given this opportunity again to see and explore the amazing states and people. As well as experience the chaos of National FFA!

On November 11, the WG Elementary honored our Veteran's with a program celebrating the Red, White, and Blue!

Our Girl Scouts led the color guard, students sang patriotic songs, and we recognized the Veterans who joined us. Thank you to our VFW Auxiliary for announcing the Voice of Democracy and Patriot’s Pen honors.

We’re grateful for all who have served—and for a community that comes together to honor them.

Before break, our staff, students, and families came together for our annual Turkey Trot! This beloved elementary tradition celebrates physical activity and healthy lifestyles. Thank you to everyone who joined in the fun!

During the Turkey Trot, we also announced the classroom winners of our Food Drive Competition. Thanks to the incredible generosity of our K–6 students and their families, we collected over 1,000 items to donate to Mountain Family Center. Wow!

The 6th grade spirit committee was the team who organized and planned the food drive!

The junior class continues the tradition of selling live Christmas trees as a class fundraiser. The trees are ready; they are just waiting for you!

CYC stands for Colorado Youth Connections. It is a grant that we have received over the past three years. The goal of this grant is to support healthy learning environments, which includes elevating student voice and choice.

The CYC student leadership group planned and organized a building level assembly the week before Thanksgiving. Students were having fun!

The WGHS Cheer team competed in regionals at Grand Junction this past month. They placed as Western Colorado Spirit Regional Competition Runner-up!

The team will compete at the state competition later this season. Great job, Mustangs!

The cheer team also hosted a week long mini-cheer camp and performance earlier this fall. The mini-cheer performance was a great way to highlight the Mustang spirit!

Fall sports for both middle school and high school are complete and the winter sports are in full swing! The Mustang teams had great seasons full of learning, development, fun, and competition. We are grateful for the coaches, volunteers, and athletes who put in the time and energy to dedicate to their seasons.

The High School Fall Sports Awards Night is on Wednesday, December 3 at 6:30pm in the HS Auditorium.

Pictured below is the middle school boys basketball at the Hayden tournament.

The WG staff continue to show the life-long learner mindset! Gathering each month for professional development together, teachers continue to hone their craft and support student learning. Each month there is an opportunity to learn from each other, look at student data, and focus on district goals.

Students are showing their learning and posting it on the walls. Check out the math and Townsend Act examples.

Our custodians are the best! They are also recognizing students and classrooms that are showing the RIDE characteristics in the elementary building. When they see those who are going above and beyond, they take a picture with them and post it outside of their office.

Our district website has a plethora of information for staff, students, and families alike! Most of the information you would need is linked somewhere on this website.

Potential items you might check out on the website include:

• Calendars (see next post for example) -- Google calendar of events and year long school calendar
• Handbooks
• Alma information and "How Tos"
• ParentSquare information & "How Tos"
• District Strategic Plan
• Student Centered Accountability Program (SCAP) -- improvement planning
• Board of Education Information -- including agendas and minutes
• WGSD Policies
• Employment Information -- come be a part of the West Grand team!

As mentioned above, if you go on the District Website, you can go to "Calendar: Events" and it will take you to the K6 and Jr/Sr High School Public Events Google Calendars. You can choose to see one or both buildings. This is the best way to stay up-to-date regarding events and schedules as they often change.

ParentSquare is an application that we have used for several years now communicating as the entire district, separate buildings, each classroom, and with individuals.

You can set up your account to go directly to an email, a phone number text, or the app (free download).

The "Week at a Glance" is sent out each Sunday afternoon via ParentSquare. It gives you an update of events happening during the week, note from building principals, and other pertinent information for the upcoming week as well as resources and general information.

We received positive feedback from this last year and are continuing to share it. Make sure you are signed up for ParentSquare so you don't miss out!

WGSD has a Facebook page where we post information, highlight classrooms and students, and share highlights via social media. Follow us: District Page

The West Grand Booster Club also does a great job sharing pictures and athletic updates every week on Facebook. If you are a Mustang fan, following their page is a great way to have athletic updates from all of Mustang sports: Booster Club Page

WGSD partners with Colorado AeroLab for after school and summer programming. There are a lot of great opportunities for students outside of the school hours with this collaboration. While the school shares out information regrading AeroLab, you can also visit their website at: https://www.coloradoaerolab.org/

Here are the numbers and administrator emails for each office:

1. District Office
1. 970-724-3217
2. Superintendent Bauer, bauere@wgsd.us
2. Elementary Office
1. 970-724-1000
2. Principal Winter, winterb@wgsd.us
3. Jr/Sr High Office
1. 970-724-3425
2. Principal Stuart, stuartj@wgsd.us

December is also a fast & furious month with many different activities over the three weeks. Make sure you don't miss any of the fun and festive events by following the school calendars on our website. Also make sure you are signed up for ParentSquare for the most up-to-date information from classroom teachers and building leaders!