Same Song, Next Verse!

This Week at GCMS:

It has been another great week at Grayson County Middle School.  We have gotten the “first week jitters” out of the way, and most everyone seems to be getting used to the routine of the school year.  Our students are doing a great job following our procedures and expectations.  Please continue to stress the importance of following proper procedures.  Training the students at the beginning saves a great deal of time and effort later in the year!

Thank You GC Central Office Staff!

Thanks again to our Grayson County Schools Central Office Staff for preparing and providing our staff with a very nice cookout lunch on Wednesday.  The rainy weather cleared up just in time, and it turned out to be a very nice day.  We appreciate Mr. Robinson and all of the CO staff for taking time out to do this for our GCMS staff!

Professional Growth Plans:

I have been talking to PLC teams this week about professional growth plans.  Please complete the paper copy of the self-assessment and then follow the template for creating your goals.  You will need to meet with Mr. Whitmore, Mrs. Miller, or me to finalize your PGP, and then it will need to be in CIITS by Sept. 18.  For those who do not have a regular morning PLC meeting, I will place these forms in your mailboxes. 

Clubs/Extracurricular:

If any club sponsor, coach, or director would like to provide information about your group to be sent home to students and/or placed on the school website, please send this information to me this coming week.  A parent at the site based council meeting mentioned that this would be helpful, and I agree.  If you could get that to me by next Friday, August 28, that would be great.

GCMS Virtual Marathon:

As Becki Pearl and Cassie Jarboe shared with you on opening day, we are going to have a virtual marathon for GCMS staff members during the month of September.  The goal will be to walk and/or run a total of 26.2 miles during the month of September.  The cost of entry is $10, which will include a super nice GCMS Marathon tee shirt.  This should be a great way for us to start getting healthier, and I encourage you to participate!  See Mrs. Pearl or Mrs. Cassie for more details.

Suicide Prevention Certificates:

All teachers and other certified staff members should complete the suicide prevention training and turn your certificate in to Mr. Blain or Mrs. House by the end of August.  Just go to www.sptsuniversity.org.  On the left hand side under the Log-In section, click “create new account”.  You choose your own username and password and complete a quick registration.  After you are registered and logged in, choose the module “Making Educators Partners in Youth Suicide Prevention: Act on Facts” (National).  No need to do the South Dakota version.  The program takes about 2 hours to complete (depending on your reading speed, transition time, and if you repeat any video segments), and then you should print off your certificate of completion.  This training is only required of certified employees, but if classified employees are interested; feel free to complete this FREE training.  It would also be good information for parents or grandparents.

Quote of the Day:

“The key is not to prioritize what’s on the schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” ~Steven Covey

Coming Attractions:

Aug. 20…GCMS Home Football, 5:30 pm

Aug. 21…School Picture Day at GCMS

Aug. 26…Team Leader Meeting, 7:15 am

Aug. 31…Suicide Prevention Certificates due (certified)

Sept..4…PLC Day (no school for students)

Sept. 7…Labor Day (no school)

Sept. 18...PGP due in CIITS

Sept. 18...SGG due in CIITS