Greenbriar Middle School
November 2023 Newsletter
Principal's Letter
Happy Thanksgiving Briar Families!
As we reflect on the many things for which we are thankful, I want to take this opportunity to share just a few of them with you: We are thankful for our students who come to school every day ready to learn - they give us all a daily reminder of what is important and why we are here. We are thankful for the support of our parents in creating an outstanding partnership with our teachers, for our students. We are thankful for the teachers, our aides, bus drivers, secretaries, nurses, lunchroom staff, custodians, therapists, and administrators who really care about student achievement and have the best interests of our students at heart.
Most importantly, we are thankful for the families who have kept their faith in us. They continue to share their most valuable possession with us and advocate to be a partner in their child’s education, safety, and well-being. For this, we are ever so thankful.
I would like to wish all of you and your families a happy, healthy, and relaxing Thanksgiving holiday!
--
Jill E. Schissler
Principal
Greenbriar Middle School
Counselor Information for Parents
Attention Parents:
Here is the link to the School Counselor Google Classroom which provides links and answers about important information at Greenbriar and the success of your child socially, emotionally and academically.
Join Link: School Counselor Google Classroom Link to Join
Or go to Google Classroom and add the class code: ccvirgx
Career Tech Information
Athletics Information
Art News
House GC
Jonathan has made a lot of progress academically. He meets Greenbriar’s 3 R’s, being Respectful, Responsible and Ready to Learn. He is respectful to both peers and teachers. Jonathan has a great sense of humor and is always making someone laugh, brightening their day. He is Ready to Learn every day with all of his supplies, his work, and a great attitude. He is an absolute joy to have in class and very much deserves the award this month as STUDENT OF THE MONTH.
Jonathan with his teachers, (left to right), Mrs. Simmerer, Miss Smith and Mrs. Gajewski.
House 5Z
STEM 5 Gives Double Honors to the Veith Twins!
What do you do when your house has a set of twins who are both deserving of the Student of the Month honor? We couldn't decide, so we honored both! Yes, both Evelyn and Jonathan Veith are wonderful exemplars of what it is to be a leader within the STEM 5 program. They both welcome any challenge with enthusiasm. They both know when to take a deep breath when things get challenging. They both know how to stay motivated and learn from their mistakes. And they both show consideration for others and their ideas. This is precisely what STEM learners value. Thank you, Veith twins for showing us what it looks like to be kind and diligent leaders!
Evelyn and Jonathan pictured below with their teachers, (left to right), Coach Baczkowski, Coach Wagner, Coach Kucera and Coach Good.
Evelyn and Jonathan with their proud Mom!
STEM 5 Mathematicians use Invisible Heroes to Help our Ecosystem!
Did you know that almost half of all landfills are made of food waste, food that could otherwise feed the hungry or even create compost for gardens? Did you know that when food waste rots in landfills instead of naturally, it emits methane gas? And did you know that methane is a greenhouse gas that is 12 times more potent than carbon dioxide in warming the planet? This is a real problem, and STEM 5 loves to solve important problems just like this.
STEM learners built vermicomposters, or worm bins, to use at Greenbriar and at home. We learned that worms can naturally decompose food waste so that it never reaches the landfill. We also learned that worms are one of many decomposers that keep our ecosystem in balance. Can you imagine if we didn’t have decomposers to transform waste into healthy compost?
This is an exciting, year-long measurement project that involves lots of data! We will be measuring temperature, food waste capacity and weight, rounding decimals, and observing moisture levels to ensure a healthy environment for these invisible heroes.
Maddie with her worm bin!
Working on worm bins!
Worm bin project!
...and more worm bins!
House 6X
This month’s Student of the Month in House 6X is Elizabeth Ceculski. Elizabeth is a diligent worker who works hard and comes to school every day ready to learn. She is always ready to answer questions as well as involved in class discussions. She is helpful, kind, and a stellar student. Elizabeth is a pleasure to have in class and is a positive role model for House 6X. Way to go Elizabeth!
--
Elizabeth with her very proud Mom!
Elizabeth with her Mom and teachers, (left to right), Mrs. Steimle, Mrs. Porco and Mrs. Bohuslawsky.
House 6Z
Congratulations to Simra Syed!
Simra has been chosen as the October Student of the Month for House 6Z.
She is an outstanding role model for her peers. As a member of Student Council,
Simra attends all meetings and diligently reports the information back to her
classmates. She joins in on House Activities and consistently shows a positive
growth mindset. Her effort in all her classes is wonderful, and she works hard to
succeed every day. Simra in unfailingly kind to others and polite to all adults. She
has a very bright future ahead of her!
Congratulations also go to 3 other 6Z students. These students were chosen for
their excellent work and effort in an academic area. Keep up the great work!
Language Arts – Tyshawn Baker
Math – Kaelynn Sayre
Social Studies/Science – Jaxson Miller
House 7X
House 7X October Students of the Month
Math - Theo Ayers
L/A - Amaya Morgan
Social Studies - Andrea Brockwell
Science - Dilynn Turner
Overall/Effort -Vlad Yanchyshyn
Vlad pictured with his teachers, (left to right), Mr. Majkrzak, Mr. Pihlblad, Mr. Beuther and Mr. McKee.
House 7Y October News
The following is what is happening in House 7Y:
In Math 7, the students just finished Module 2, which is all about Percent’s. They are
starting Module 3 which covers the Integer rules.
In ELA, the students are finishing up their short story unit and will be reading their 1st
novel, Cross-over.
In Science, the students are working on a Unit about Global Climate Patterns
In Social Studies, the students are learning about Greek Civilization and will be learning
about Rome next.
The 7th Grade teachers chose “Students of the Month” per house every month. These
include one winner from each core subject and a winner as a Growth Mindset/Max-
Effort winner. Someone from that group of 7 is then chosen to receive a Yard Sign
delivered to their residence, stating that a Greenbriar Student of the Month lives here.
All of the seventh grade Students of the Month then receive an “All-You-Can-Eat” pizza
party on the 1st Friday of the next month during lunch period.
This month’s winners for House 7Y are:
- Mr. Blaha: Grace Pavka
- Mrs. Bruno-Wickes: Ryan Yates
- Mrs. Radd: Kaelyn Smith
- Mr. Viening: Aria Wood
- Mr. Jaegers: Courtney Rucker
- Mr. Beuther: Nelya Kusmiy
- Mr. McKee: Gracie Rhome
Our Sign winner from those Students of the Month is Grace Pavka! Grace is an
extremely hard worker who comes to school every day Ready-to-Learn. She has
improved tremendously since last school year. She is a very responsible and Respectful
young lady who comes to school every day with a smile on her face. She participates in
all of her classes. She stays focused and always gets her work completed. She cares
about her grades and helping others. Congratulations Grace!!!
Grace pictured with her teachers, (left to right), Mr. McKee, Mr. Beuther and Mr. Blaha.
House 7Z
House 8X
Our students of the month are:
Math-Sydney Gatoo
English-Gabby Lopez
Science- La Belle Umutesi
Social Studies-Ryan Hunter
Superstar Student of the Month-Yalena Essex
In English class, our students have been busy writing a narrative essay. We learned how to write and punctuate dialogue as part of our stories, along with characterization strategies, and figurative language. Editing and writing in our journals keep us busy as well.
Mr. Phillips has been teaching about earthquakes including the Richter scale, fault lines, and layers of the Earth.
In math, students are learning about solving equations.
Life in the American colonies is being discussed in social studies.
House 8Y
House 8Z
The House 8Z teachers would like to congratulate Lorenzo Quimson, our October Student of the Month. The entire team has been impressed by Lorenzo's knowledge of curriculum topics and his participation in class. Not only does Lorenzo demonstrate great achievement, he is also always asking questions and focused on the "why" of what we are studying. Lorenzo is organized, responsible, and works well with his teams. He is among the most polite students we have had. Keep up the amazing work ethic, Lorenzo!
Thank you Thomas Krupa (left), our past Student of the Month, for passing the "torch".