Your Guardsmen Update
OCTOBER 2017
"Good, Better, Best. Never let it rest."
Note to Parents
Parents/Guardians,
This past month of September was full of opportunities to learn for all of us in the Grissom family. We began the month making some changes to our sixth grade student’s schedules to provide better opportunities for them to get quality instruction. As a staff, we have been able to use Exact Path and other assessments to improve the instruction we currently and will provide our students. All three middle schools have been working together to update our curriculum maps and looking for ways to share more resources.
It has been exciting to see how well our fall sports teams have represented themselves and Grissom no matter the conditions or locations. We look forward to seeing our teams work hard to prepare for the upcoming playoffs. A couple weeks ago we enjoyed having our annual Open House to provide families an informal format to see the building, meet staff, and ask questions. Following the Open House, was the Washington D.C. trip meeting that had an exceptional turnout. Our sixth grade recently had their social that was sponsored by Student Council. It was great to see how many students attended this event to share time with their friends and teachers.
We look forward to opening our doors to the Grissom community on October 23rd and 25th for Student Led Conferences. The conferences will be following a full day of school on the mentioned dates from 5:00-8:15 p.m. The parent letter providing more information about conferences will be coming home soon. Thank you for the continued support of our students and staff.
Mr. Milfort
Principal
ATTENDANCE REMINDERS
Absences: If your child is going to be absent or late, a parent must call in to the attendance line by 11:00am on the day of the absence. If no call is made, the school will contact you to verify.
Planned Absences (2+ days): Any absence exceeding two planned days will require a planned absence form. Please have your child see Mrs. VanPoppel in the main office for this.
Early Dismissal: If you need to excuse your child during normal school hours, please send a note stating what time you plan on picking them up. Remind them that this note must be handed into the office first thing in the morning so they can receive their pass excusing them from class at the appropriate time.
Bus Notes: Students will ride only assigned school buses and will board and depart from the bus at their designated bus stops. A change in a student's assigned bus route may be granted for a special need but is highly discouraged. A note from a parent must be submitted to the school stating the reason for the request and the duration of the change. If a student is going to a friend’s house the friend’s parent must also submit a note for verification. The school office and the Transportation Center must approve these changes.
Attendance Line: (574) 968-9628, Option 1
Important Dates
- Grissom PTO Chipotle Night on Thursday, October 5th.
- Cross Country Breakfast at 7:45am on Friday, October 6th.
- Cheer Banquet at 6pm on Thursday, October 12th.
- Football Banquet at 6pm on Tuesday, October 17th.
- Student Led Conferences from 5:00pm-8:15pm on October 23rd and 25th.
- Boys' Basketball Tryouts start at 4:00pm on Monday, October 9th.
- Scholastic Book Fair from October 20th through the 31st.
- Fall Recess Day-No School on October 27th and 30th.
Picture Day is on Wednesday, October 4, 2017
Want to receive picture day notifications and reminders?
Sign up using the link below!
Questions? We've got answers!
HOW CAN I ORDER ONLINE? Ordering online is easy! Visit inter-state.com/order and enter the order code for Grissom to continue. This code will be given out a couple weeks before picture day. Online ordering allows you to choose between more options and styles to further personalize your child's portrait.
CAN I ORDER ADDITIONAL PRINTS? Of course! Additional prints are available through our online ordering process. Included in your package will be a reorder slip that contains your child's order code.
HOW LONG DO THEY KEEP YOUR IMAGES ON FILE? Images stay on file for approximately 18 months. This allows parents the opportunity to order additional prints.
WHEN WILL MY ORDER SHIP? Orders placed prior to picture day will be shipped to the school approximately 3 weeks after picture day. Orders
Look for more information coming home soon!
We need parent help in the concession stand. It is a great way to raise money for student activities and get to know other Grissom Families!
Email our concession coordinator at GMSconcessions@gmail.com to find out how!
There are also other opportunities to assist the PTO such as donating soda and water to the concession stands, participating in restaurant "give back" nights, chaperoning school socials, and many more! If you are interested, reach out to grissompto@gmail.com.
Important Dates for 8th Graders and Their Parents
Preparation for high school scheduling begins in November. The following dates are on the calendar, and we encourage you to jot them down in preparation for creating a high school schedule which best suits your child:
Tuesday, December 5th – 8th grade students learn about scheduling for high school and tour Penn, during the school day
Wednesday, December 6th at 6:00pm - Penn High School counselors present freshman scheduling and graduation information to parents of 8th graders, in the Grissom M.S. cafeteria. The presentation is very similar to the one student's will hear on the 5th, and will last about an hour.
Monday and Tuesday, December 11th and 12th, 6:30-8:00 pm - Penn High School Show Case for 8th grade students and their parents. We strongly encourage attendance one of the nights, at PHS. There will be opportunities to speak with subject area teachers and discuss elective opportunities.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
You can also check out our website for more resources.
Mary Reynolds (last names A-K): mreynolds2@phm.k12.in.us
Sheri Miller (last names L-Z): smiller@phm.k12.in.us
Melissa Welsch (YSB Counselor): mwelsch@phm.k12.in.us
Indiana’s 21 Century Scholars Program
Helps Students
Prepare – Plan – Pay
For College
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Parents of students in 7th and 8th grade are encouraged to visit the website of Indiana’s 21st Century Scholars Program at Scholars.IN.gov for information, eligibility requirements, and instructions to complete the online application for the program.
For income-eligible Hoosier students, the 21st Century Scholars Program offers tuition assistance, college and career readiness through the Scholars Success Program, and other support services. Application deadline is June 30, of the student’s 8th grade year.
Visit Scholars.IN.gov or contact your child’s GMS school counselor for more information.
Families, don’t forget to purchase your yearbook!
You can pick up an order form in the main office or go to Jostens.com to order online. Let’s make these middle school memories last a lifetime!
Book Tastings
Book Tastings are in full swing! Students have been visiting and “tasting” a variety of books.
For this visit, our menu consisted of Romance Fiction, Story Collections, Science Fiction, and Sports Fiction. Ask your student which books they “tasted’!
Scholastic Book Fair
Please consider visiting our Scholastic Book Fair during Student Led Conferences Oct 23rd and 25th.
Box Tops for Education!
Please continue to clip and save Box Tops for Education! 100% of the proceeds go back to our students through the library programs.
Grissom Food Pantry
September and October Intramurals
Art
Dates: 9/18, 9/25, 10/2, 10/9, 10/16, 10/23
Times: 4:00 to 5:00 PM
Place: Art Room
Sponsor: Mrs. Roeda
Drama
Dates: 9/19, 9/26, 10/3, 10/10
Times: 4:00 to 5:00 PM
Place: Cafeteria
Sponsor: Mrs. Scott
Flag Football
Dates: 9/20, 9/27, 10/4, 10/11
Times: 4:00 to 5:00 PM
Place: Start in Mr. Kresca's room
Sponsor: Mr. Kresca
Walk With Confidence
Dates: 9/18, 9/20, 9/25. 9/27, 10/2, 10/4, 10/9, 10/11, 10/16, 10/18, 10/23, 10/25
Times: 4:00 to 5:00 PM
Place: Ms. Pryor's room
Sponsor: Ms. Pryor
We would like to thank everyone who attended the Washington, D.C. Informational meeting on September 20th. If you have additional questions over the information covered at the meeting, please email Mrs. Rice at jrice@phm.k12.in.us.
We would also like to remind you that the first payment of $250.00 is due on or before October 26, 2017. You may either register and pay online by following the directions in the packet you received at the meeting or you may register by mailing in your paperwork and a check to Hemisphere Educational Travel using the U.S. Postal Service. Remember, if you register online, please fill out the Permission for Medical Treatment Form and either fax, email, or mail it to Hemisphere.
We’ve collected several security forms for the White House and Pentagon. Please turn those forms in as soon as possible. In order to have a chance of getting a tour at either location, we must submit this information. There is no guarantee we will receive a tour, but we will try.
If you were not able to attend, please have your child stop by Mrs. Rice’s room (153) to get the information that was passed out at the meeting.
*** A person is not “registered” for the trip until the first payment is received by Hemisphere. ***
Mrs. Rice
Mrs. Kummeth
6th and 7th Grade Science with Mrs. Gouker in Room #168:
Progress Reports were passed out from 6th period classes and students should have brought them home on September 22. That same day, I sent out “Student Detail Reports” which explains the way the science grade was determined that showed up on the Progress Reports. Parents were supposed to sign the Student Detail Report and students were supposed to return them to me by Friday, September 29. If you did not sign the Student Detail Report, please check your child’s science grade on HAC and send me an email stating that you have reviewed your child’s science grade. All current science grades are kept in HAC. I never keep grades in Canvas.
Sixth graders have been studying the metric system, observations and inferences, and now we are moving into the steps of the Scientific Method. Please remember your child receives homework on Mondays every week, which is due by Fridays of that week.
Seventh graders have been studying the steps of the Scientific Method, the Periodic Table of Elements and Properties of Matter. Please be sure that your child is studying his vocabulary words through quizlet.com. Each unit we study should have its own study set in quizlet.com. The students create the study sets by typing their vocabulary words and vocabulary notes from their lab notebooks. Quizlet.com will then create games, flashcards and quizzes with the words they put into the study set. It is a great tool for science or any other class!
Guardsmen Cross Country
Below is how we did individually in the Big 11 races:
Top 20 Finishers Varsity at Big 11
1st Mariano Retzloff
6th Jason Juarez
Top 20 Finishers JV at Big 11
12th Eli Deitchley
13th Will Mickelson
Top 20 Finishers Varsity at Big 11
2nd Yazmine Juarez
5th Lily Christianson
11th Morgan Gannon
Top 20 Finishers JV at Big 11
12th Aimee Reinhardt
16th Sheela Soni
18th Heidi Selis
20th Addison Klatt
Thank you for your P.R.I.D.E. Store Donations! We Appreciate YOU!
City of Mishawaka Parks & Recreation
Papa John's Bittersweet Location
Ms. Luann Mayer
For Your Safety...
Upon entering the building, all parents and visitors must present a valid government issued ID, military ID, or passport which will be scanned in by our security system. This will generate a nametag. Parents and visitors must wear this office-issued nametag while in the building. These nametags must be collected at the time of departure.
Thank you for helping us to keep our school safe by following this simple procedure. Your children are our first priority!
FOLLOW US!
Email: jmilfort@phm.k12.in.us
Website: https://grissom.phmschools.org/
Location: 13881 Kern Road, Mishawaka, IN, United States
Phone: (574) 968-9628
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Virgil-I-Grissom-MiddleSchool/291749927681507?fref=ts&rf=472089909509579
Twitter: @1GoodBetterBest