Happenings @ the Hill
Volume 2, Issue 4
First Day of School is August 19!
Important Reminders for First Day of School
- Student drop off begins at 7:40am. The building does not open until that time. Please do not drop off your student prior to 7:40am as s/he will be unsupervised.
- Dismissal begins at 3:10pm. The car rider line is usually completed within 20-25 minutes after dismissal. Students are expected to be picked up by that time.
- Lunch - We know you may want to join your student for lunch. We ask that unless you are celebrating something special, like a birthday, that you do not come to lunch during the first two weeks of school as we are acclimating all students to middle school lunch procedures and expectations. Plus, this is a very significant part of your student's day where s/he gets to be social and even find new friends.
- Please make sure that your student knows how s/he is getting home on the first day. S/he should be a bus or car rider. For bus riders, students should know their bus routes (bus numbers). We use the numbers in middle school, not animal names. Please verify all transportation needs with your student. Should something change during the day, please call our front office @ 803-548-8300 and let our receptionist know of the change in plans.
Volleyball Tryouts start Monday, August 19 right after school!
My Vision for Gold Hill Middle School
Gold Hill Middle School will be a school where all students learn as a result of our teaching talent and the positive human connection that leaves us feeling safe, loved, valued, heard, and respected.
#BulldogsLEAD
· Love to learn
· Engage our minds and hearts
· Achieve our goals together
· Do what we say we are
Let’s all be #differencemakers this year!
Bulldogs are #differencemakers
You can't hide that Bulldog Pride!
Go GHMS!
PTA News
Your GHMS PTA is going paperless!
Our new website is now live! Visit http://www.ghmspta.org to register for a free account and gain access to our online order forms, event, volunteer information and much more. Please click below for a flyer with detailed information about how to register!
What you'll be able to do online this year:
- Join the PTA (online only)
- Rent the Spirit Rock (online only)
- Purchase Spirit Wear (deadline 8/30 - online only, except for school events & in the Dawg Pound in-school store)
- Order Bulldog Ice (deadline 9/13 - online only)
- Make a One-Time Donation Armchair Fundraiser (information on this will be coming home as well)
The PTA would like to thank Shannon Purser for her creative design and painting of our spirit rock! You are amazing and we are thankful for you.
Middle School Ends at 3:10pm. Our Academic Day Begins at 8:10am.
The first bell will ring at 8:02. Tardy bell will ring at 8:10. All students are expected to be in their homerooms (CHromerooms) seated and ready to begin the day by 8:10. The main hall door will lock each day at 8:10. Students not in CHromerooms and seated by 8:10 will be counted tardy. Parents do not need to sign in their tardy students. These students may sign themselves in when they arrive after 8:10 or arrive too late to be in CHromeroom seated and ready to learn by 8:10.
Our Daily Schedule
GHMS Map
#bulldogsbuildabetterworld
Do you want an opportunity to be involved in your middle schooler's experience at GHMS? You can sign up to be a guest reader in one of our homerooms that doesn't already have a guest/partner reader!
We are reading and discussing I Will Always Write Back with all of our students this fall. This non-fiction book tells the story of how one letter changed the lives of two teenagers worlds apart. It is told in alternating chapters, so you would be responsible for reading approximately 1-2 chapters for the date you sign up for.
If you'd like to preview the chapter(s) you will read aloud, have your student bring home the book prior to your date. You should plan on arriving to sign in at the front office with identification by 8:10 A.M. on your selected date(s). You are welcome to sign up for more than one date. We are excited for the opportunity to share this story with our students and discuss how everyone can be a #difference maker.
6th Grade Sign Up Genius Link https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050945AFAF2FA5FF2-ghms
7th Grade Sign Up Genius Link https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050945AFAF2FA5FF2-ghms1
BBEL Academy
https://www.facebook.com/BBEL-Academy-367384486737986/
If you know of a business, or if your family, would like to be a sponsor for our annual BBEL Walk on September 6, 2019, please contact Angie Harms @ harmsa@fortmillscbooks.org. For $500 we would be proud to put your business logo/FAMILY NAME on our shirts, or for $300 we will list your business name/family name on the t-shirts that we will wear during the walk, sell to GHMS students and families to raise funds, and give to the students at BBEL Academy in Uganda. You might see your sponsored shirt on their facebook page this year!
Check out our new Counselor's Corner Website
Who is my student's Guidance Counselor? Designated Administrator?
- Ms. Ross serves as the 6th grade guidance counselor.
- Mrs. Dimaggio serves as the 7th grade counselor.
- Mr. Wesseling serves as the 8th grade counselor.
- Mr. Eppes and Mrs. Scroggs will work together as assistant principals for 6th grade. Mrs. Scroggs will serve team 6B. Mr. Eppes will serve teams 6A and 6C.
- Mrs. Scroggs will serve as the 7th grade AP.
- Mr. Eppes will serve as the 8th grade AP.
We also have a Mental Health Counselor (Mrs. Rachel Norris), School Psychologist (Mrs. Elizabeth Jackson) and a Behavioral Interventionist (Mrs. Brandi Ruth) on our staff.
Bus Riders
'routes"), not the animal. The student should know his/her bus number (black and white # signs on front and rear of the bus).
http://www.fortmillschools.org/departments/transportation
On this webpage: To find your student's route/bus number, please click Bus Transportation Routes from left hand column. Then, scroll the page to find Gold Hill Middle School. Select our school. This will download a pdf file of the routes. This document will have dates posted on them regarding how current they are to the route.
Need access to your student's grades, attendance, meal balance, and other info?
Use Parent Portal - access the link below to learn how to use this tool.
http://fortmill.ss11.sharpschool.com/parents_summary_from_fmsd/parent_portal
Please note that we do not send home written progress reports. An email alert and this newsletter will include progress report dates encouraging you to check Parent Portal.
If you are having any issues with Parent Portal, please notify Dawn Fite @ fited@fortmillschools.org.
Nurse's News
Our School Nurse: Mrs. Staci Hyde hydes@fortmillschools.org 803-548-8313
Any student who is not feeling well or has been hurt will be sent to the health room. The health room does not give any medication unless it is brought to the health room by a parent. Written instructions on how the medication is to be administered must accompany the medication. Aspirin can only be given with a doctor’s note. Parents are notified if the student is running a fever, vomiting, or is involved in an accident. It is absolutely necessary that we have current home and work information on file at all times. The nurse must be able to reach a parent or a contact person at all times during the school day.
Did you know?
Parents, are you happy that summer is over? Show some love for our teachers as we celebrate the end of this first week by dropping off some yummy items. We will deliver your donations in style using our Woot, Woot, Wagon!
We know you are secretly happy school has started...
Drop off some store bought items in our front office. Let them know the items are for the Woot! Woot! Wagon! A team will assemble to deliver these items to our staff as a staff appreciation surprise (includes all of the people we appreciate from our custodial staff to our cafeteria staff to our support staff to our teaching staff and paraprofessionals - all the folks that help GHMS to be the best!!!).
Items to donate include: bottled waters, juices, soft drinks, chocolate, candy, snack cakes, granola bars, fresh fruit, muffins, breakfast bars, k-cups, hot chocolate, beef jerky, cookies, etc. (anything that they can grab and go and consume on their short breaks). You may donate anytime of the year or as many times as you would like.
We will include your child's name on the cart as a sponsor so be sure to include his/her name on the item(s) you donate.
GHMS Picture Day is August 30th! Set Your Reminders Now. Fall sports picture day as well.
Thank you to these GHMS PTA sponsorships!
Dr. Jackson is our Athletic Boosters Leader of the Pack. Thank you for your donation to ABC and to our PTA.
It's going to be a great year!
Christine V. McNeil, Principal
Website: http://ghms.fortmillschools.org/
Location: 1025 Dave Gibson Boulevard, Tega Cay 29708
Phone: 803-548-8300
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GHMS1998/
Twitter: @GHMSBulldogs