Pony Express
Connecting GMS in one place!
April 6th
GMS Families,
It's April and before we know it, the end of the school year will be upon us. There's still so much going on. Our 7th and 8th grade ponies will be STAAR testing next week.
We ended the week with a celebration of our athletes and academic teams but guess what? We still have to celebrate our Fine Arts accomplishments too but at a later date because they're getting into the thick of it soon. We'll keep you posted.
As you know, there's always something great happening at GMS and it is THE middle school to attend! Please read through this newsletter so you don't miss out on anything. Here’s what you need to know for this week:
Did you know that our entire GMS staff has now been trained on how to support students with autism? Throughout April, GMS will share facts about autism and strategies that support students with autism.
Please make sure students get some rest the night before and have a good breakfast the day of testing.
Tutorials will not occur before STAAR testing. Please make sure that students arrive to school on time. Remember, GMS is a closed campus the day of testing so please reschedule appointments if you have to. Thank you for your support!
available in English and Spanish at http://www.esc16.net/page/title1swi.3_newsletter
This issue includes great tips for emergency care, helping your older children secure summer jobs, nutrition tips, and more. It's a great resource for families!
We are FAMILY! This is OUR HOUSE! Great students come from GREAT FAMILIES!
#OurHouseGMS
Monday, April 9th - Wear Blue in support of Autism Awareness Month (April)
Tuesday, April 10th - STAAR Testing 7th and 8th
Wednesday, April 11th - 7th (Accelerated math only), 8th
Thursday, April 12th - Track meet at Coppell HS, 4-7/Dual Language Capstone Trip to SA
Friday, April 13th - Pony Pride Team Tryouts/Dual Language Capstone Trip to SA
Special Olympics
1st place!
What a Runner!
8th grade Panoramic
Special Olympic Buddies
Rockin' a Ribbon
1. ALL of our Boys and Girls Athletics coaches for their hard work this year under the great leadership of Leah Hudnell and Eric Hill!
2. Congratulations to Luonna Adkins for our Math and Science team accomplishments.
3. Mickie Dozier and the team of STEM teachers that supported our SMU Visioneering participants and winners
4. Emily Matlock and her team as they prepared our Special Olympic athletes.
5. Matt Canafax and Ben Waits and other STEM teachers that supported our First Lego League students
6. Steve Chippeaux with the support of our Geography Bee finalist!
7. Chad Hannon, Amanda Guthrie, Renee Sloan, Janis Davis and other teachers that prepared students to advance in the National History Day contest.
8. Whitney Kirby for supporting our students with the Spelling Bee.
WOW!! If I missed anyone, Iet me know and I'll catch you next time! Check out our student accomplishments!!
Math/Science State Regional Tournament
Nandini Senthilkumar
Varsha Valiveti
Ale Stout
Aneesh Mazumder
Surya Emandi
Miles Masker
Walker St. John
Ariyan Abed
Tanushri Bhatt
First Lego League Core Values
Nandini Senthilkumar
Varsha Valiveti
Kayli Hutsell
Chloe Bean
Navya Maheshwari
Cecilia Rozario
State Geography Bee
Jacob Jiminez
National History Day State Competition
Mateo Valencia
Tanner Howe
Jacob Bartlett
Kara Cramer
McKayla Ashley
Jenna Haefli
Ruth Thode
Dylann Hudson
Mercer Schulte
Claire Newton
Elizabeth Matlock
Claire Rodriguez
Gabriel Ponce
SMU Visioneering Competition
Skylar Mengerink
Aayan Adnan
Sophia Rabinovich
Will Denny
Caymin Rivera
Varsha Valveti
Rafi Chowdery
Navya Maheshwari
Spelling Bee Winner
Ariyan Abed
Girls Athletics
Lila Nicodemus Cross Country Invitational
Savannah Burgin7th Grade Girls Shot Put
Alexa Crome 7th Grade Girls Discus
Lila Nicodemus 8th Grade Girls 1600m
Lila Nicodemus 8th Grade Girls 2400m Run
Madeline Clague 8th Grade Girls Long Jump
Madeline Clague 8th Grade Girls 100m Dash
Madeline Clague 8th Grade Triple Jump
Samantha Jackson 7th Girls 400m Dash
Samantha Jackson 7th Grade Girls Discus
Samantha Jackson 7th Grade Girls Shot Put (Broke School Record)
Daniella Navarro 8th Grade Girls 1600m Run
Daniella Navarro 8th Grade Girls 2400m Run
Caelyn Gunn 8th Grade Girls Discus
Caelyn Gunn 8th Grade Girls High Jump
Marina Barrera 7th Girls 400m Dash
Marina Barrera 7th Girls 800m Dash
Claire Newton 8th Girls High Jump
Claire Newton 8th Girls Long Jump
Grapevine Middle School 7th Grade GIrls TrackDistrict Champions (194 points)
VIctor Dela Cruz 7th Grade Boys 100m Dash
VIctor Dela Cruz 7th Grade 400m Dash
VIctor Dela Cruz 7th grade Boys Long Jump
Chris Price 7th Grade boys 110m Hurdles
Chris Price 7th Grade boys 300m Hurdles
Adriene White 8th Grade boys 110m Hurdles
Gabe Aldaco 7th Grade boys 1600m Run
Josue Granados 8th Grade boys 1600m Run
Alberto Rayon 7th Grade boys 2400m Run
Walker St. John 8th Grade boys 800m Run
Leo Covington 8th Grade Boys Long Jump
Leon Covington 8th Grade Boys Long Jump
Leon Covington 8th Grade Boys Triple Jump
Tyler Meers7th Grade Boys 400m Run
Tyler Meers7th Grade Boys Pole Vault
Blake Burgess8th Grade Boys Pole Vault
Anthony Padron-Smith 8th Grade Boys Pole Vault
Tate Scarborough 7th Grade Boys Triple Jump
Team Track Champions
7th Grade boys 4x100m Relay
8th Grade boys 4x100m Relay
7th Grade boys 4x200m Relay
8th Grade boys 4x200m Relay
7th Grade boys 4x400m Relay
8th Grade boys 4x400m Relay
7th Grade Boys Track Team District Champions
8th Grade Boys Track Team District Champions
8th Grade Girls Track Team District Champions
Special Olympics:
Gabriel Morris 8th Grade Relay - Special Olympics
Alex Freeman 9th Grade 50m - Special Olympics
Cross Country Boys Champions:
7th Grade Boys A and B
8th Grade Boys A and B
Walker St. John 8th Grade
Alberto Rayon 7th Grade
We have a NEW POLICY across campuses for students utilizing the Clinic:
1. If a student feels bad and needs to come to the clinic, they can get a pass from the teacher for the school nurse, Mrs. Jansen, to assess them.
2. If a student contacts a parent to pick them up, they can remain in the classroom until called down by attendance. This allows the nurse to assess other students that may need further services.
3. If the nurse assesses a student and does not feel they need to go home, the student will be sent back to class. If the student contacts the parent for pick up anyway, they will need to go back to class and wait until attendance calls them back down.
The district goal is to keep students in class as much as possible. Absences affect learning but illness is a reality of everyday life and we recognize that. If you have any other questions, please contact Nurse Connie Jansen.
In order to make the process of schedule pick-up SUPER easy, all upcoming 7th graders (current 6th graders) will need to provide proof of immunization.
On Thursday, April 19th, the Tarrant County Health Department will be at Grapevine Middle School to administer required immunizations to 6th grade students who return a signed parent permission form and $15. They will also be offering the HPV vaccine and while that is not a required immunization, it is highly recommended by the TCHD.
Parents do not need to be present and completed forms must be returned to Nurse Connie Jansen by Monday, April 16th. The permission forms will be sent home with students after Spring Break during 8th period class. Dr. Koehler will send an email when that form is sent home.
The 2018 Summer School Registration is now open for students to sign up.
The link below will take you or your students to the Summer Programs page. Simply scroll down to locate the link to register.
http://www.gcisd.net/cms/one.aspx?portalId=96313&pageId=195746
The window to sign up for Credit by Exam is now open. The deadline to sign up for the May 19th test administration @ GHS is April 19th. Classes commonly taken by middle school students are Spanish I A & Spanish I B (1st year of Spanish for high school credit.)
Here’s a link to the GCISD website containing more information:
This year’s Rachel’s Challenge 5k and race will be held at CHHS on Saturday, April 21. Race registration is free for all GCISD employees and students. For more information, click here.
In the spirit of Rachel’s Challenge, between now and April 21, GMS will be collecting tissue and ear buds for the district’s annual Back to School Fair. If you are able to donate toward this cause, the collection box can be found in the GMS Front Office.
GMS is happy to partner with Summer Santa again this year to provide up to 6 scholarships for summer camps for students who meet specific criteria. Please contact Mrs. Lemke, or follow go to www.summersanta.org for more information. The deadline to apply is April 30, 2018.
- 2018-19 GMS PTA Officer Nominations: Are you interested in serving on the 2018-19 GMS PTA Executive Board? Plans are underway for an outstanding 2018-19 school year at GMS PTA! Our PTA is only as strong as our volunteers and together, we can make big things happen for our school. The Nominating Committee is currently accepting nominations to fill the Executive Board for next year. Our 1st need is for volunteers to fill officer positions. Nominations for other positions will also be accepted. We are using a Google form to make it super easy to respond and find the position that best fits you! https://goo.gl/forms/4VXkSuR3OCPqNQZ62
- For questions, please contact Jo Kruzel at jobclayton@yahoo.com. Thank you for your interest!
- 8th Grade Dance: Save the Date for Friday, May 4, 2018. More details coming soon!
- World Wear Project: Time for Spring Cleaning to begin! Please donate your gently used shoes, clothing, purses, belts, wallets, hats, caps, backpacks, hard toys, stuffed animals, & pots/pans into the World Wear Project bin, located in the circle drive near the gym entrance. For every pound collected, we receive $0.12. Help do your part to Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle! Special incentive for April, we can earn an extra $100 if we collect 2,500 pounds or more!
- PTA Scholarships: Thank you to all the applicants! Scholarship applications are being reviewed and winners will be announced in April.
Congratulations to the following students for turning in Box Tops and winning a $10 Sonic Gift Card! These students are: Jacob Wirick, Tucker Worthan, and a special shout out to Canaan Dupre who turned in 250 Box Tops! Wow!
To stay connected with all the latest PTA news be sure to like our Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/grapevinemiddleschoolpta/
State Geography Bee!
A State Finalist
College Recruitment Day
GMS Student Art
Talented Students
Beautiful Colors
College Recruitment Fair--Hosted by AVID 7 and 8
The College Recruitment Fair was a huge success! Thank you for all who attended.
7th Grade Field Trip
AVID 7th graders will be visiting TCU on April 16th! Field trip forms have been sent home, but can be printed here. Please return the permissions slips as soon as possible!
8th Grade Field Trip
AVID 8th graders will be visiting Tarleton State University on April 18th! Field trip forms have been sent home, but can be printed here. Please return the permissions slips as soon as possible! We are also in the need for Chaperones! Please see the form for more information.
Save the date!
AVID will be helping with Rachel’s Challenge, both with race activities and then hosting a booth at the rally after. The event will be April 21st from 7am-11am. Save the date! We will have a signup launching Monday, April 9th.
What’s happening in AVID?
Check out our Facebook page for class updates, pictures and more!
Community Service
Dr. Koehler and Texas State
Cornhusker, anyone?
BYU in the House
Oregon State
UT Longhorns
First College Recruitment Fair
UCLA
USC
OU Sooners
Students will be taking STAAR testing next week. Students will be allowed to have a water bottle (with a lid) and a small bag of pretzels. This is the ONLY approved snack. Anything else will be confiscated. A small bag is an individual serving. If you would like to donate for other students, please do so by Monday, April 9th. Also, please only send individual bags so that distribution is easier. We appreciate you!! *Label donations for a STEM teacher for your grade.
Website Update- here is the link to the new GMS Website. It is great!
8th Grade-
Don’t forget the SMU field trip in on Friday, April 13th. Bring a sack lunch.
US History STAAR Review for 8th graders will be held on:
Friday May 4th 4:00-6:30
Friday May 11th 4:00-6:30
Saturday May 12th 8:00-12:00
*More SS dates will be added before and after school as we get closer to the date.
Biology and Algebra EOC Review sessions will be held on April 21st and May 5th from 8:00-12:00. To sign up, please use the following link:
Schedule:
April 9-13 CCCAB (STAAR testing this week)
April 16-20 ABABC
April 23-27 ABAB (C if we have make up day)
April 30-May 4 ABABC
May 7th- May 31st- All C
Save the date:
May 24th at 8:30am 7th grade awards
BAND:
ART:
Our District art show is March 19 - April 2nd. Please come out and see our talented student work.
The National Junior Honor Society is the nation's premier organization established to recognize outstanding middle level students. More than just an honor roll, NJHS serves to honor those students who have demonstrated excellence in the ares of scholarship, leadership, service, citizenship and character. These characteristics have been associated with membership in the organization since its beginning in 1929.
Today, it is estimated that more than one million students participate in the official Honor Society activities. NHS and NJHS chapters are found in all 50 states. Chapter membership not only recognizes students for their accomplishments, but challenges them to develop further through active involvement in school activities and community service.
The induction ceremony into this prestigious group is scheduled for the evening of April 18, 2018 here at GMS
Cheer coaches will be offering information on our new 6th grade Pep Squad, The Wranglers! We are SO excited to offer this opportunity!
Pony Pride is getting ready for tryouts!
We Like the Way you Roll!
Celebrate the kindness you’re seeing at GMS! Students and staff will have the opportunity to recognize each other for the great things they are seeing on campus April 9th-20th! Submit their name and their act of kindness and StuCo will deliver a tootsie roll to them to let them know that “We like the way they roll!”
Save the date!
StuCo will be helping with Rachel’s Challenge, both with race activities and then hosting a booth at the rally after. The event will be April 21st from 7am-11am. Save the date! We will have a signup closer to the event.
Girls Track and Field Results
March 29th
The Lady Ponies had an outstanding performance at the district track meet last Thursday evening. Both 7th and 8th grade girls ran, jumped and threw their absolute best, some even getting their personal best records. Our 7th grade girls finished overall 4th in district with a total of 120 points. 8th grade, however, finished with a total of 194 points and finished 1st overall in district. Our district champs will be recognized this Friday for our Walk of Champions in the hallways at GMS. We are extremely proud of these girls.
7th Grade Results:
1st place finishers
Marina Barrera – 800M Run 2:42
Samantha Jackson – Shot put 31’0”
2nd Place finishers-
Jaycee Martin – 1600M Run 6:18
Samantha Jackson – Discus 66’4”
April Augustus – Triple jump 28’9.5”
3rd Place Finishers
Serenia Granados – 1600M Run 6:21
Jaycee Martin – 2400M Run 9:57
Scarlett Reed – 400M dash 1:10
Jaycee Martin – Triple jump 28’9”
4x400M Relay – Scarlett Reed, Lexi Crome, Amy Escobedo, Madison Redwine
8th Grade Results:
1st Place Finishers-
Maddie Clague – 100M Dash :13
Lila Nicodemus – 1600M Run 5:59
Lila Nicodemus – 2400M Run 9:26
Claire Newton – High jump 4’10”
Maddie Clague – Triple jump 31’9”
2nd Place Finishers
Kiyahra McDonald – 200M Dash :30.02
Danny Navarro – 2400M Run 9:35
4x100M Relay – Kiyahra McDonald, Aniya Rhonden, Riley Cossette, Maddie Clague
4x200M Relay – Claire Newton, Riley Cossette, Mya Teegardin, Megan Thielen
Maddie Clague – Long jump 14’3.5”
Jackie Molina – Pole vault 7’6”
Nadia Morris – Shot put 29’8”
3rd Place Finishers
Aniya Rhonden – 100M Dash :14.110
Hannah Peterson – Discus 67’7.5”
Danny Navarro – Pole vault 7’0”
Our Dual Language 8th grade Capstone San Antonio trip is just weeks away. We would like to thank everyone again for the amazing participating in the fundraiser and allowing up to have the money needed for our trip. Here are some of the things our students will be doing while in San Antonio!
Staying at the Crockett Hotel
Visiting the Alamo
Visiting the Institute of Texan Cultures
A tour of the Missions
Dinner at Mi Tierra
Experiencing market square
Dinner on the River Walk
We are so excited!
*Any time at VISTA
*2 or more times in ISS
*UIL academically eligible
*No more than 2 "N"s or "U"s on their citizenship grade for the 3rd 9 weeks
Remember, it they're not taking care of business in their classes, they are NOT attending this field trip privilege.
Grapevine Middle School
Email: laura.koehler@gcisd.net
Website: http://www.gcisd-k12.org/gms
Location: 301 Pony Parkway, Grapevine, TX, United States
Phone: 817-251-5660
Facebook: facebook.com/GrapevineMiddleSchool
Twitter: @GrapevineMiddle