Middle School Weekly Update
9.10.2021
A Note From Mrs. Gray
We made it through our first three-day weekend and I am sure that our students really needed it! We are closing in on the half-way mark for the first 9 weeks and I know many of our students have been working hard to start their year off right. This is a great time to check-in with your child and discuss how the first part of the 9 weeks has progressed. Although we like to give our middle school students some freedom to take charge of their own academics, it is always a great idea to have them explain to you their progress, challenges and plan for staying on track. This check at the half-way point for the first 9 weeks allows for plenty of time to improve any low grades with diligent effort, focus, and organization.
Speaking of organization...
With more teachers, more classes, more homework, more friends, and more activities, middle school students need to develop good time management and organizational skills. When students are organized, they get better grades, they are less frustrated and nicer to be around. They have more time to be with family and friends. Organization is an area in which parents can help.
Make sure that your child has all the supplies and materials needed for each class. This includes a student planner that is used consistently on a daily basis. The school purchased these planners because we feel very strongly that the use of the planner can be one of the best steps toward organization in school. Periodically, take a look at your child's planner to ensure he/she is using it in an effective way. Also important is to check Canvas regularly and discuss with your child. This way grades should not be a surprise. Please see the link section at the bottom of this newsletter for information on how to connect to your child's Canvas account to monitor assignments and grades. Remind your child to put all papers where they belong rather than loose papers stuck in random places in the bookbag, binders, or lockers.
Have your child clean out his/her backpack at least once a week and encourage to keep lockers neat and organized. Help your child learn how to organize and prioritize homework, chores, and other activities. Break large assignments and projects down into smaller, more manageable tasks. Large assignments often seem overwhelming and too frustrating to start. Sometimes students need help figuring out where to begin.
Have your child get things ready for the following day before bedtime. Put the things that go to school in the same place where your child will see them before leaving in the morning and make sure they are charging their laptop every evening so it's ready for the next day. Good routines will help your child stay organized, this year and in the future.
Below are a couple links for further reading on this topic.
Lunch Menu for Sept. 13-17
- Pasta (Meat or Alfredo Sauce), Salad Bar
Tuesday
- Chicken Fried Rice, Veggies with Ranch, Mandarin Oranges
Wednesday
- Beef Taco Bar, Side Salad
Thursday
- Sloppy Joes, Macaroni & Cheese, Fruit, Side Salad
Friday
- Domino's pizza by the slice (pepperoni or cheese)
- $1.50/slice $12/whole cash only
- Friday only, drinks can be purchased from the Lance for $1.00
HAT DAY!
We had fun with our first Spirit Day!
Students from the High School Leadership Class sponsored a hat day spirit day in order to raise money for fun student activities throughout the year. We saw a variety of hats and hope to see even more next time!
Pyramid Challenge in Explore Elective
Reading EOG Scores from 2020-2021 Have Been Released
Students who were at Gray Stone last year (current 7th and 8th grade students) should receive a Reading EOG Individual Score Report today. Please make sure to ask your child to see these results.
Spirit Wall
We are excited to announce that our Spirit Wall is now available for reservations! Renting the wall will allow you to display school spirit, celebrate your child’s birthday, or post staff/student appreciation. Please read the guidelines attached in the below PDF before contacting the front office to reserve.
Reservations will be available on a first come, first serve basis.
Athletic Update
Here is a list of upcoming athletic events. This list includes both Middle and High School events
Athletic Passes are a great way for our middle school students (and families) to attend ALL athletic events at Gray Stone. These are purchased online at tickets.graystoneday.org. Single game tickets are also available if that fits your needs better. Students must have an athletic pass or a pre-purchased ticket in order to stay after school for home games. Reach out if you have questions.
Go Knights!
Continued Reminders from Last Week...
6th & 7th Grade School Portraits
6th/7th grade school portraits will be rescheduled. Please be on the lookout for more information to come.
In Need of Substitutes
We are always in need of substitutes here at school. If you are interested or know someone who may want to substitute for teachers when they are absent, please let Mrs. Lisk or Mrs. Holt know. They will be happy to provide further information.
Middle School: tholt@graystoneday.org
High School: slisk@graystoneday.org
Dress Code
All students are expected to dress appropriately for an educational environment. Any clothing that interferes with or disrupts the educational environment is unacceptable. Clothing should fit, be neat and clean, and conform to standards of safety, good taste, and decency.
- Clothing with language or images that are vulgar, discriminatory, or obscene or clothing that promotes illegal or violent conduct such as the unlawful use of weapons, drugs, alcohol, tobacco, or drug paraphernalia, or clothing that contains threats is prohibited.
- Clothing that exposes cleavage, private parts, the midriff, or undergarments is prohibited. Examples of prohibited clothing include but are not limited to sagging or low-cut pants, low cut necklines that show cleavage, tube tops, halter tops, backless blouses or blouses with only ties in the back, or clothing constructed of see-through materials.
- Pajamas, sleepwear, or loungewear cannot be worn at school.
- Sleeveless tops should not have spaghetti straps or will need to be covered with a sweater or another type of covering.
- Pants or shorts with holes that expose the skin above mid-thigh cannot be worn at school.
Please note:
Tops that show the midriff are in style, but are not appropriate for school at Gray Stone. Even when paired with high waisted jeans, short tops which do not extend below the waistline of the bottoms are not permitted. A top may touch the waistline when standing, but it's a different picture when sitting down or bending over/reaching up to get into lockers.
Students who are not in compliance with the Dress Code as determined by the school administration will be asked to change or will be sent home for the day if a change isn't possible.
Mobile Phone Policy
If students have a phone out at any time during the instructional day without permission they will be given a warning and asked to turn off and put away the phone. If it becomes a repeated offense, the device will be taken and held in the office for the day. In some situations, a parent/guardian will be notified and asked to come to the office to retrieve the phone.