Welcome Back!

Cougar Staff:

I want to welcome everyone back after our extended Christmas break!  I hope that everyone had an enjoyable and restful time these past two weeks.  The frigid weather has come, but hopefully we have seen the last of sub-zero temperatures for this year!  As we start the New Year, I know that many of you have set personal resolutions to make improvements in certain areas of your lives.  Some, like me, have decided to lose weight and improve health.  Some may have chosen to kick some bad habit.  Some may have resolved to make financial improvements this year.  I wish you the very best in the coming year, no matter what areas of improvement you are focusing on.  Regardless of personal resolutions, let’s all make the professional resolution to make a positive difference in the lives of our students each and every day.

Personnel:

Please continue to remember those GCMS staff members who are having health concerns, who have family members with health issues, and who have lost loved ones recently.  Cassie Jarboe has a surgery coming up on Tuesday.  Pam Armstrong and Wendy Butler are both recovering from surgeries right now.  Stacy Pierce had her first chemo treatment this past week.  Continue to remember Ellen Thomas, whose husband passed away during the break.  Also, please continue to remember Lisa York’s father, Howard, who is in serious condition in Norton’s Hospital in Louisville.

Congratulations to Brittany Watson on becoming engaged to be married!

GCMS Scheduling Survey:

I would like for all GCMS teachers, counselors, and other certified employees to respond to the following survey about next year’s schedule.  We have tried doing a “different” schedule on Fridays for the past two years, and I want your input on whether to continue or move a different direction with our schedule.  As always, we want to think about the schedule that would most benefit our students.  Click on the survey link to take this one question survey:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2N29Z3R.

PLC Day on January 17:

Our next PLC Day is scheduled for Friday, January 17.  We will be examining PGES 3 B that morning focusing on effective questioning strategies.  That afternoon, Ron Hurley from GRREC will be here to share with us about the Framework for Teaching and how the framework guides PGES.  We will plan to do a potluck lunch at school that day.

School Board Appreciation Month:

If you see one of our school board members, please take time to thank them for the hard work that they put in on behalf of our schools, our students, and our staff.  We sincerely appreciate Carolyn Thomason, Valeria Hayes-Hicks, Mona Fulkerson, Anna Majors, and Charlotte Gower for their service on the Grayson County School Board!

Emergency Drills:

As you know, state law requires schools to have at least one of each emergency drill during the first month of school and again during January, plus monthly fire drills and other drills at various times during the school year.  We did not do our tornado drill that was scheduled for Wednesday because of our delayed school day, so we will plan to conduct our tornado drill near the end of 2^nd period on Monday, January 13 instead.

Quote of the Day:

“Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Coming Attractions:

Jan. 10...Critical Vocabulary Assessments in all core classes

Jan. 16…Club/Team/Group Pictures

Jan. 17…PLC Day (no students)

Jan. 20…MLK Day (no school)

Jan. 27…After school faculty meeting

Jan. 29..Team Leader Meeting, 7:15 am

Feb. 10..Parent/Teacher Conference, 4:00-6:00

Feb. 11..7^th/8^th Grade Back to the Future Day