Pony Express
Connecting GMS in one place!
April 27th
GMS Families,
it's hard to believe that May is almost upon is and starting next week, there will be 5 weeks of school. Wow! It feels like we just got started.
If you didn't have a chance to see the GMS musical on Thursday night, come and see the talented cast of Once Upon a Mattress, also being performed on Monday, April 30th at 7:00pm in the GMS Cafeteria. Admission is $10 and you'll have a wonderful time! A huge shout out to the cast, crew, and Mrs. Kathleen Tate and Mr. Joe Nidever for a job well done.
This reminds me that next Friday, May 4th, we will be hosting a Celebration rally at the end of the day to celebrate the accomplishments of our Fine Arts programs. Please feel free to join us as we will be on pep rally schedule and will begin the celebration at 2:50.
Our Athletic Boosters have an incredible T-shirt and sweatshirt sale happening during all lunches this week (check out the athletic group info. below) and the PTA will be selling 8th grade dance tickets this week too during lunches. Speaking of the PTA...
Don't think I have forgotten that I reached out last week because the PTA does so much for the teachers and students of GMS: We are looking for a new PTA PRESIDENT!! Mrs. Candy Worthan, our current president, has served two terms and is looking for a replacement. If you are interested, check out the PTA information below. WE NEED A PRESIDENT!!
As you know, there's always something great happening at GMS and it is THE middle school to attend! Please read through this newsletter so you don't miss out on anything. Here’s what you need to know for this week:
On Slide 8, you will find the actual bell schedule. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. If you'd like to visit and talk through the bell schedule, I have set aside Thursday, May 3rd from 8:30-9:30am in the GMS Lecture Hall.
available in English and Spanish at http://www.esc16.net/page/title1swi.3_newsletter
This issue includes great tips for emergency care, helping your older children secure summer jobs, nutrition tips, and more. It's a great resource for families!
8. Results for April Grades 5 and 8 Reading and Math STAAR will be posted at www.texasassessment.com in the FOR FAMILIES section in the STUDENT PORTAL on May 1, 2018. Parents will need their student's unique access code to retrieve the scores. This code is located in SKYWARD or on any previous STAAR Report Card at the bottom of the page. Parents can also go to www.texasassessment.com and retrieve the unique access code with their student's first name, social security number, and date of birth.
We are FAMILY! This is OUR HOUSE! Great students come from GREAT FAMILIES!
#OurHouseGMS
Monday, April 30th - Wear a college shirt day! Musical, Once Upon a Mattress, 7:00pm in GMS Cafeteria
Tuesday, May 1st - Playbill student performances for parents, 6:00 in the Theater room.
Wednesday, May 2nd - GMS Athletic Parent Meeting (upcoming 7th graders), 5:30-7:30pm in the Lecture Hall
Thursday, May 3rd - GMS Soccer vs. Colleyville Middle (Girls @ GMS and Boys @ CMS), 5-7,
Friday, May 4th - 8th grade formal dance, 7-9 in the GMS Cafeteria
Save the dates for End of Year Awards:
May 22nd at 8:30am - 6th grade awards
May 24th at 8:30am - 7th grade awards
May 29th at 8:45am - 8th grade awards - Time TBA due to final exams
Pony Wrestling
Learning the Moves
Getting Physical
Strike a Pose
Awarded
Mrs. Matlock
In order to make the process of schedule pick-up SUPER easy, all upcoming 7th graders (current 6th graders) will need to provide proof of immunization. Please make sure you take care of this before schedule pick up in August - you will have to show proof of immunizations. If you do it before the school year ends, please send a copy of your child's immunization record to Nurse Jansen.
Current 6th & 7th Graders received a Course Confirmation document during 5th period on Monday, April 16th. Please see the below information regarding this process:
Please carefully review your student’s course requests. After looking through this information, if
there are course request adjustments you need to make, please make them on the back of this form
and return it with a parent’s signature. Students need to return this form with required signatures
to the GMS Front Office or scan & email to a GMS Counselor no later than April 24th.
WE DO NOT NEED ANY SHEETS RETURNED UNLESS YOU WISH TO REQUEST A CHANGE.
There will be additional adjustment request windows for core (Math, Science, Social Studies, and
Language Arts) classes May 28-30 and August 6-8. No elective adjustments will be considered
During the May or August windows.
1. During the first ten days of school, any core adjustments will be considered along with
adjustments due to scheduling errors. The adjustments may or may not be granted.
The determination will be made depending on class size, reasons for adjustment, and results
of the adjustment on the overall schedule.
2. After the first ten (10) days, any adjustments can only be made at the end of the
first nine weeks and will be limited to core classes (from PAP to On-Level or Accelerated to PAP),
and will require parent/guardian signature and principal approval. The adjustment may result
in extensive or multiple period and/or teacher changes.
3. After the first nine weeks, any other schedule adjustments will require principal approval.
Note for current 7th Graders – Please note that PAP Algebra I (M0203A/B) is Accelerated Math 8 and
PAP Biology (M0303A/B) is Accelerated Science 8. The following classes will be taught at Grapevine High School: Latin I, German I, and French I while Chinese I is taught at Colleyville Heritage High School. Parents are responsible for getting students to the high school, but a bus is provided to bring students back to campus. The above mentioned classes along with any other high school credit class successfully completed prior to the 1st day of 9th grade in August will receive high school grades BUT those grades will not be factored into the student’s high school GPA.
Since personnel, facilities, and material resources are assigned to the campuses based on student course requests, it is imperative that students choose courses carefully (including alternates). Adjustments to student schedules create an impact on many other courses; and therefore, will be made on a limited basis.
The 2018 Summer School Registration is now open for students to sign up.
The link below will take you or your students to the Summer Programs page. Simply scroll down to locate the link to register.
http://www.gcisd.net/cms/one.aspx?portalId=96313&pageId=195746
The window to sign up for Credit by Exam is now open. The deadline to sign up for the May 19th test administration @ GHS is April 19th. Classes commonly taken by middle school students are Spanish I A & Spanish I B (1st year of Spanish for high school credit.)
Here’s a link to the GCISD website containing more information:
8th Graders interested in being an Athletic Trainer Aide at Colleyville-Heritage High School for the 2018-19 school year can learn more and apply. Application deadline is April 30th. For more information, see the Counseling Google Classroom.
GMS is happy to partner with Summer Santa again this year to provide up to 6 scholarships for summer camps for students who meet specific criteria. Please contact Mrs. Lemke, or follow go to www.summersanta.org for more information. The deadline to apply is April 30, 2018.
8th Grade Parents,
- 8th Grade Dance: The 8th grade dance is next Friday, May 4 from 7-9pm! Tickets are $20 and will be on sale this week during student lunch on May 1-3 from 11:30am-1pm. Tickets will also be available at the door on May 4th. Checks can be made payable to GMS PTA. Please remember this event is only for current 8th grade GMS students. If you have any questions about the 8th grade dance, please contact Mindy Matlock at GMS8thdance@gmail.com.
- Volunteers are also needed to help at the dance. Please sign up here to volunteer: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0c4da9ac22a20-volunteers
- 2018-19 GMS PTA Officer Nominations: Are you interested in serving on the 2018-19 GMS PTA Executive Board? Plans are underway for an outstanding 2018-19 school year at GMS PTA! Our PTA is only as strong as our volunteers and together, we can make big things happen for our school. The Nominating Committee is currently accepting nominations to fill the Executive Board for next year. Our 1st need is for volunteers to fill officer positions. Nominations for other positions will also be accepted. We are using a Google form to make it super easy to respond and find the position that best fits you! https://goo.gl/forms/4VXkSuR3OCPqNQZ62
- For questions, please contact Jo Kruzel at jobclayton@yahoo.com. Thank you for your interest!
- Nominating Committee Update: Time is running out to accept PTA officer nominations. The committee is looking for a President and a President-Elect. The new position of President-Elect serves as an aide to the president and would automatically become president the following year. This makes it so nice to learn the role before becoming president. Training & resources are provided. To learn more about the role of president, click here: https://www.txpta.org/president
- World Wear Project: Time for Spring Cleaning to begin! Please donate your gently used shoes, clothing, purses, belts, wallets, hats, caps, backpacks, hard toys, stuffed animals, & pots/pans into the World Wear Project bin, located in the circle drive near the gym entrance. For every pound collected, we receive $0.12. Help do your part to Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle! Special incentive for April, we can earn an extra $100 if we collect 2,500 pounds or more!
- Colleyville Receipt Race: Please save your receipts from ANY store in Colleyville. The City of Colleyville is awarding prizes to three schools with the most receipts (not overall value, just number of receipts). I know most of our families are in Grapevine...but it doesn't hurt to try and win. Ask family and friends that might be shopping in Colleyville too. Copies are fine in case you need to keep your original. You can drop off your receipts in the front office for the PTA.
Keep bringing those Box Tops!
To stay connected with all the latest PTA news be sure to like our Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/grapevinemiddleschoolpta/
End of Year
The year is winding down! With big tests and tired brains we’re starting to see more and more missing work. Cornell Notes and Tutorials will continue through May 11th! Any support you can give in reminding students of their AVID assignments would be greatly appreciated!
Rachel’s Challenge
AVID had a great time at Rachel’s Challenge! We cheered, we gave water during the race, and we hosted a booth and encouraged strangers to make a new friend. I was very proud of our kiddos!
What’s happening in AVID?
Check out our Facebook page for class updates, pictures and more!
Community Service
Dr. Koehler and Texas State
Cornhusker, anyone?
BYU in the House
Oregon State
UT Longhorns
First College Recruitment Fair
***For all campus!!!
Please join us on May 5th for Spring Clean-up of the Outdoor Learning Classroom. This will be our 2nd big work day on the space for the year. We will focus on trash pick-up, invasive species removal and planting native plants. The event will start at 9:00am and last until 12:00. We can’t wait to see how they do. Sign up HERE.
8th Grade-
US History STAAR Review for 8th graders will be held on:
Friday May 4th 4:00-6:30 **Canceled because of dance**
Friday May 11th 4:00-6:30
Saturday May 12th 8:00-12:00
*More SS dates will be added before and after school as we get closer to the date.
Biology and Algebra EOC Review sessions will be held on April 21st and May 5th from 8:00-12:00. To sign up, please use the following link:
**Supplies for the end of the year: We are short on Tissues and pencils. If you are able to donate, we would appreciate it. THANK YOU!!
Schedule:
April 30-May 4 ABABC
May 7th- May 31st- All C
Band:
Theatre News!
We have an opening for a princess; a lot of little princesses that is to come watch our musical. Knights and Ladies are also welcome, of course! Please join us for a fun, comic retelling of the classic fairy tale, The Princess and the Pea as we present our school-wide musical, Once Upon a Mattress! Join us Monday, April 30 here in the GMS cafeteria at 7:00 PM. Admission is $10.
Standing Ovation
The After Show
Cast and Crew
Nice Hardware
Just Chillin'
Hard at Work
The National Junior Honor Society is the nation's premier organization established to recognize outstanding middle level students. More than just an honor roll, NJHS serves to honor those students who have demonstrated excellence in the ares of scholarship, leadership, service, citizenship and character. These characteristics have been associated with membership in the organization since its beginning in 1929.
The induction ceremony into this prestigious group occurred the evening of April 18, 2018 here at GMS at 6:30 in the cafeteria.
Holocaust Museum
NJHS
Big D
NJHS Induction
Outstanding Students
Celebration
Cheer coaches will be offering information on our new 6th grade Pep Squad, The Wranglers! We are SO excited to offer this opportunity!
Monday, May 7th at 6 pm – Commitment Night – A Night of Pony Pride –
o Independent Fundraiser with Century Resources – Turn in orders and funds.
o Resale of Pony Pride Costumes
o Booster Club Dues
o Team Commitment Forms Due with a cookie cake, and new team picture with team banner.
Wednesday, May 16th at 6 pm in the Lecture Hall – New Costume Fitting with Leapin' Leotard- Half of your entire order is due up front. Funds from the Century Fundraiser will be available to help cover costume costs that were independently raised.
Rachel’s Challenge
Rachel’s Challenge was a huge success! Thank you for all to help and came by! StuCo helped cheer racers, set up for the rally, and hosted a photo booth where kindness was the focus! I was a proud sponsor!
We Like the Way you Roll!
GMS celebrated kindness by shouting out acts of kindness they were seeing around campus. We had over 60 students and staff recognized!
Girls Soccer
Coaching Advice
On the Move
CLEARANCE SALE!!!!!!!
Athletic T-Shirts and Hoodies on sale!!
Buy a GMS Athletic spirit wear t-shirt normally $20 for only $5!
Buy a GMS Hoodie normally $25 for only $10!
All items will be sold during the lunch hours next Tuesday-Thursday, May 1-3rd.
Cash or checks made out to GMS Athletic Booster Club
We are so proud of all our student athletes and coaches! This has been an amazing year, with school and district records being achieved, and the year is not over yet!
We know how busy everyone’s schedule is this time of year and we want to make our spring fundraiser as simple as possible. No selling products, no sending out emails, no physical activity required! You can simply donate online to our Go Fund Me page www.gofundme.com/gms-athletic-booster-club , share this link with your friends and family, or you can send in cash or check to your coaches (make checks out to GMS Athletic Booster Club).
The fundraiser will run from April 18-May 2nd. Our goal is to raise $4K.
Thank you in advance for your help. If you have any questions, please contact Coach Hill eric.hill@gcisd.net , Coach Hudnall leah.hudnall@gcisd.net or Melissa Pavlicin, Booster Club President, mrpavlicin@verizon.net214-335-2767.
Our Dual Language 8th grade Capstone San Antonio trip was last week and we had the most incredible time! The highlight of our trip was completing a scavenger hunt and getting to practice our Spanish with local artists, workers, and visitors. Our Alamo tour was even in Spanish and the workers were so impressed with our group. These pics are our favorite from our trip. Thank you to everyone that made this trip possible!
Alamo
A little fun
Great Memories
6th grade - Tuesday, May 22nd at 8:30am
7th grade - Thursday, May 24th at 8:30am
8th grade - Tuesday, May 29th (Time TBA due to final exams)
*Any time at VISTA
*2 or more times in ISS
*UIL academically eligible
*No more than 2 "N"s or "U"s on their citizenship grade for the 3rd 9 weeks
Remember, it they're not taking care of business in their classes, they are NOT attending this field trip privilege.
Grapevine Middle School
Email: laura.koehler@gcisd.net
Website: http://www.gcisd-k12.org/gms
Location: 301 Pony Parkway, Grapevine, TX, United States
Phone: 817-251-5660
Facebook: facebook.com/GrapevineMiddleSchool
Twitter: @GrapevineMiddle