Falling Back at GCMS

This Week at GCMS:

After the long weekend, our students seemed happy to get back to GCMS on Wednesday and have been busy in this abbreviated week.  The timing of Halloween was certainly “student friendly”.  I have said for many years that our local governments should “celebrate Halloween” by designating a certain weekend night for trick-or-treat, perhaps the last Friday night in October.  It works so much better for school when that is not on a school night.  With the time change this past weekend, everyone is adjusting to getting that “extra hour” at the beginning of the day.  Of course, on the other end of the day, the early darkness is our winter time trade off. With all that important information covered, I have just a few notes to share with you this week.

Welcome Mrs. Logsdon:

With the retirement of Mrs. Mary Jane Crawford, we have hired a new special education teacher in the 7^th grade.  I know that you join me in welcoming April Dossey Logsdon to our faculty.  April is a Grayson County native, and she has been our number one substitute teacher for several years.  I know that she will do a great job in her new role.

Veterans Day Program:

We are planning our annual Veterans Day program for Tuesday, November 11 at 7:45 am.  We would like to invite any parent, grandparent, or staff member who is a Veteran of any branch of the United States military to attend.  We want to thank our veterans for their service to our country, protecting our freedoms and helping to keep our nation safe. 

Back to the Future Day:

Our 7^th and 8^th grade Back to the Future Day is scheduled for Wednesday, November 19.  We invite the parents of our 7^th and 8^th grade students to come to GCMS that day to spend all or part of the day going to class with your 7^th or 8^th grader.  Come for one or two periods or stay all day!  We have found that Back to the Future Day is a great way to get more involved and engaged in your child’s education.  We hope to have a lot of GCMS parents here that day!

PGES Progress:

I am pleased to report that all GCMS teachers have had their student growth goals entered and approved in CIITS.  There were many great ideas for focusing student growth.  It will be important to follow through intently with the monitoring of student progress as the year goes along.  Please let me or Mrs. Pearl or the assistant principals know when we can be of help in this process.  November 7 ends Window 1 of our peer observation cycle.  If you were assigned to Window 2, your peer observation should be completed between November 10 and January 30.  Also, non-tenured teachers will need to schedule your second mini-observation between those same dates, Nov. 10-Jan. 30.  All observations (full and mini) should be completed by April 3.

Cougar Zone:

Please encourage students to attend our 21^st Century Learning after school program, Cougar Zone.  The program is offered after school until 5:00 each Monday through Thursday.  Basically, Cougar Zone offers a free healthy snack, then an hour of tutoring and homework help, then an hour of fun activities.  There are many fun and educational activities offered during Cougar Zone.  We also have shuttle buses that run from GCMS right after Cougar Zone, one to the western part of Grayson County and one to the eastern part of the county. Contact Director Melanie Manion for more information.

Quote of the Day:

“To carry a grudge is like being stung to death by one bee.” ~William H. Walton

Coming Attractions:

Nov. 7…Window 1 Peer Observations should be completed by today

Nov. 10…GCMS Boys Basketball hosts Hart Co., 5:00

Nov. 11…Veterans Day Program in the gym, 7:45 am

Nov. 11…Progress Reports go home

Nov. 11…GCMS Girls Basketball hosts Muhlenberg North, 5:30

Nov. 12…Staff Humana Vitality Check for those who have signed up

Nov. 17…Faculty Meeting after school

Nov. 17…Girls Basketball hosts Hancock Co., 5:30

Nov. 18…Girls Basketball hosts Muhlenberg South, 5:30

Nov. 19…7^th and 8^th Grade Back to the Future Day

Nov. 19…GCMS SBDMC Meeting, 3:15 in the conference room

Nov. 24…Hooked on Science Program (6th grade science)

Nov. 26-28…No School, Thanksgiving Break

Dec. 17…Drama Club Christmas Play