Welcome back to the GMSD neighborhood and Happy New Year!

We started off 2023 with a bang at our community open house and ribbon cutting ceremony at Houston Middle School. The ribbon cutting ceremony marked the completion of three years of planning and construction on a $17 million project that will serve nearly 900 students each year from across the City of Germantown. The new 48,000 square foot addition offers students classrooms dedicated for STEM, art, and band, office space and conference room for staff, a full gymnasium with concession stand, additional restroom and locker room facilities, and a secured entrance. The existing building was also renovated to include a new ceiling tile/grid, LED lighting, theatrical stage upgrades, and ADA compliant restrooms. Thanks to those that joined us for the celebration. You can read more about the celebration on our website.

Jason Manuel,

Superintendent

One of the most effective partnerships between our schools is with Methodist Healthcare and the Germantown Fire Department,” said Coordinated School Health Supervisor Andrew Martin.

Each and every year the district along with GFD and Methodist certify and recertify all ninth grader and 11th grade students. Since beginning the program in 2014 with the start of the district, it is estimated that this ‘Heartsaver Team’ has certified over 10,000 students in the CPR.

“These trainings have shown real results as two students (one current and one alumnus) have saved lives in the past year–Lindsey Manguso and Cole Bowden in two separate incidents,” explained Superintendent Jason Manuel in a school safety update made to community members at the December Germantown Board of Education meeting.

Related story: Houston High School student saves a neighbor's life with skills learned in her health science classroom

Last year (2022), the district also began a new partnership with Methodist to train our 7th grade students in CPR.

CPR certification and recertification trainings are performed for GMSD staff members year-round. While GMSD mandates that certain staff members must maintain CPR certifications: school nurses, physical education teachers, preschool teachers, preschool assistants, etc. they also offer free trainings to all staff members. These two-year certifications are offered non-gratis via Methodist Healthcare. Additionally, our Coordinated School Health Team hosts trainings at each school location every year that is open to any staff who would like to become certified. This year, over 60 additional staff members voluntarily became certified.

Paramedic response times are under five minutes in Germantown, but for a person under cardiac arrest, seconds matter. The use of an AED increases survival rates by 40%. An AED, or defibrillator, is a small, lightweight device that allows our staff to treat cardiac arrest by delivering a shock to the victim's chest, restarting the heart. GMSD requires that all staff complete an AED course as well as view a live demonstration annually. We currently have 23 AED devices in the district which have been purchased by the district. Many have been donated by Methodist Hospital, the Germantown Kiwanis Club, or purchased with healthy initiative grants from the state.

AED LOCATIONS BY SCHOOL

• DISTRICT OFFICE: Main Lobby

• DOGWOOD ELEMENTARY: Gym, Nurse Clinic

• FARMINGTON ELEMENTARY: Gym, Main Office

• FOREST HILL ELEMENTARY: Gym, Lead Nurse Office (2nd floor), Nurse Clinic

• HOUSTON MIDDLE SCHOOL: Original Gym, Offices (Original Building), HMS Soccer Concession Stands, New Gym

• RIVERDALE K-8: Gym B, Gym A, Nurse Clinic, Teacher Workroom (2nd Floor)

• HOUSTON HIGH SCHOOL: Main Lobby, S. Blackburn’s Office (2nd Floor), Varsity Gym, A Building, Baseball Complex, Field House (NEW), Band/Fine Arts Area

Which Board member has a dog named Jedi, is the tallest pediatrician in the Memphis-area, and has published his own young adult novel? Give up? Watch this week’s spotlight feature on Dr. Daniel Chatham, your newest board member! And join us in January as we continue to shine a spotlight on your board of education members.

In late December, over the break, and in early January, your Board has been very busy meeting with legislators before the 2023 TN Legislative Session begin in Nashville.

We encourage all parents to explore the Germantown Legislative Agenda on our website. The annual Legislative Agenda is a formal statement of the Germantown Board of Education's legislative priorities created by the school board members for our state and federal legislatures. Because it it the District's official position, the Board must take action to approve the Agenda.

One item of great importance is the board’s response to the recent 3rd grade retention law, including a recommendation to include good cause exemptions allowing school districts to make appropriate decisions for 3rd grade students who do not perform well on the TCAP.

Taking safety initiatives even further, Houston High School student Eden Johnson founded a new club last year (2021) called Houston Hearts. Her mission was to partner with our Coordinated School Health Department along with fellow students to earn the Project Adam’s Heart Safe School distinction. Six months later, Houston High was one of the first schools in West TN to earn Project Adam’s certification.

See Related Story: Houston High School earns heart healthy distinction from Project Adam due to the dedication a student and a new club

From there, Houston Hearts has worked with students and staff at all GMSD schools. By February of 2023, Germantown Municipal School District will be the first district in Tennessee to have ALL of its schools earn the Project Adam certification. Earlier this week, Eden caught the attention of the media while she and her classmates were training the faculty and staff of Christian Brothers High School.

See Related Story: Houston High School students teaching students, staff how to save lives through CPR/AED training

Learn even more about school and student safety in GMSD by watching our annual safety report highlights or by reading through our Annual School Safety Report.

At the Greensboro Aquatic Center of North Carolina, Twin Sisters Eva and Roos Rottink represented the Memphis area at the Speedo East Junior National Championships Swim Meet over the weekend.

The girls competed as members of the Memphis Thunder Aquatic Club, but they are freshmen on the Houston Mustang Swim Team.

Eva and Roos swam in the 50 Free, 100 Butterfly, and both 100 and 200 Backstroke events where Roos made the finals. Roos also swam in the 100 Free. The twins were amongst the youngest to qualify at fourteen years old.

We are so impressed by how hard the girls worked, and we can not wait to see what they do in the future!

The Mustang Swim Team will be competing in the County Championships at the end of January and at State Championships on the UT campus in February. Keep swimming fast Mustangs.

Houston High saw two victories Friday night with both the girls and boys varsity basketball teams defeating MHEA in close games.

Junior Anna Lee Avery scored the first two points of the night, and Senior Teniya Morant led the girls to victory with sixteen points, five rebounds, and three assists. The final score for the Mustangs victory was 40-31, and the girls overall record now stands at 12-6.

In the boys game, Senior Brock Vice scored the first two points, and in a hard fought battle, the Mustangs got their victory 71-70 over MHEA. The boys varsity record is now 10-7.

These non-conference victories will help prepare as both teams next take on Collierville in an away district game on Friday, January 13. The girls will face off against the Dragons at 6:00pm, and the boys at 7:30pm.

Our 8th graders from Riverdale and Houston Middle School need your help! For the first time, both schools are combining forces to host a larger-scale career fair. Do you or someone you know have a unique or amazing career?

The fair will take place on Wednesday, February 8th:

Setup from 8:15-9:00 am

Career Fair Expo: 9:00-11:45 am

Please email our CTE Supervisor, Ethan Constant, to reserve a space or make additional inquiries.

Speaking of 8th graders, please mark your calendars for 8th grade preview night at Houston High School. On January 19th, we’ll be opening the school to rising 9th graders and their families.

Another prospective family night will be hosted by the Germantown Online Academy for Learning. Find out what Germantown’s premiere online academy could offer for your child on Thursday, January 12 at 6pm in our district office. The meeting will also be live broadcast on our GMSD Youtube Channel.

It's time for the GMSD PTO Art and Writing Contest! The subject of this year's contest is "Germantown is..." Please let your child know about this contest. For more details, follow this link https://gmcptowritingartcontest.my.canva.site/ All entries must be submitted by January 19, 2023. See website for submission guidelines and drop off locations. All submissions must have a completed Contest Entry Form attached to it. Please email Valerie Shimko if you have any further questions: vfshimko@gmail.com