Happy New Year from GCMS!

Back to Business:

January has come in with an Arctic blast!  It is so important to make sure that everyone is bundled up and properly prepared for the cold temperatures.  I appreciate everyone making sure that the children are safe and warm, especially during this part of the year.  It was great to get back to school this week after the holiday break.  This is a very busy time of year, and I have several notes to share as the week winds down.

Concerns:

Please remember 8^th grader Cheyenne Phillips and her family.  Cheyenne  has been missing for several days, and local police are investigating.  If you have any information, please contact Deputy Bryan Hammons or the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office.

We have several staff members with health concerns or family members with health concerns.  Please remember Karen Likins (surgery), Gail Smallwood (husband in hospital), Lea Ann Frank (death in the family), Viola Williams (flu), Cassie Jarboe, Stacy Pierce, Laura Goff, and several others who have concerns right now. 

Congratulations:

We would like to congratulate Mrs. Mary Ann McKinney on her upcoming retirement.  Mary Ann will be retiring at the end of January.  We will all miss her smiling face and positive attitude at GCMS, but we wish her the very best in retirement.

Good Luck!

We want to wish good luck to our GCMS Cheerleaders as they compete at state competition on Saturday.  The team will travel to Richmond on Saturday morning to compete against squads from across the state.  Good luck ladies!

PLC Day:

Our next PLC Day is scheduled for Friday, January 16.  There will be no school for students that day and no school the following Monday, January 19 to recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  On our PLC Day, we will plan a general session for all teachers that morning and focus on PLC procedures, strategies, and review/revise our PLC norms.  The afternoon will allow time for individual PLC team work.  Rico Tyler from WKU will be here that afternoon to work with our science department.

State Compliance Visit:

I have not said much about it, but Grayson County Schools will be having a state compliance visit on January 20-22.  Folks from KDE will be looking at how various programs in Grayson County Schools work, and they will likely make suggestions for improvements.  Some of the areas that they will be looking at include Title I, program reviews, special education, PGES, alternative ed., pre-school, etc.  There will likely be folks visiting our building at least one of those three days.  If you are interviewed, just think of it as a great way to share some of the great things that are going on at GCMS!

Student Voice Surveys:

As you know, Grayson County Schools will be participating in the state student voice surveys through Infinite Campus in March.  By January 30, students in grades 3-12 should test their IC user IDs and passwords by logging into IC.  Mr. Butler will be sending out some more specific information as this time gets closer.

Quote of the Day:

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Coming Attractions:

Jan. 9…Meet the Lady Cougars Volleyball Night, 5:30

Jan. 10…GCMS Cheerleaders compete at state

Jan. 16…PLC Day (no school for students)

Jan. 17…GCMS Academic Team competes at district Governors Cup

Jan. 19…MLK Day, no school

Jan. 21…GCMS site based council meeting, 3:15

Jan. 30…Students grades 3-12 should have tested their IC user IDs and passwords by logging into IC.

Jan. 30…Teachers will review their PGP and record reflections in CIITS.

Jan. 30…Deadline to have all Peer Observations completed

Jan. 30…Deadline to have all 2nd Mini-Observations completed (non-tenured teachers)

Jan. 31…GCMS Archery competes at NASP Pre-Regional Competition in Meade Co.

Feb. 16…PLC Day (no school for students)