In Focus @ GWA
A news bulletin for the families of George Walton Academy
May 27, 2021
Email: info@gwa.com
Website: www.gwa.com
Phone: (678) 635-3800
Facebook: facebook.com/GeorgeWaltonAcademy/
Twitter: @georgewalton
Key Deadlines & Dates
- K5 Graduation: May 27 @ 7 p.m.
- 5th Grade Graduation; May 28 @ 9 a.m.
- Last Day of School: May 28 - early dismissal (grades 1-4 @ 11:30, MS/US @ 12:20, buses run @ 12:30)
- Summer Camps: June 7 - Aug. 5
- Fall Sports/Band Picture Days: Aug. 2, 3, 9 (see coaches for details)
Summer Hours
Get Set for Next Year
Learning doesn’t stop when the final bell of the school year rings. Summer is a great time to explore interests, sharpen skills, and shore up gaps. Please see below for information regarding summer work, summer reading and school supply lists.
Upper School
This summer, all upper school students have a book (or two or three) to read depending on their grade level and the courses they will be taking. Each student will complete annotations, AP classes require additional assignments, and all seniors will complete a writing assignment. Those instructions were emailed out to each grade level yesterday and can also be found on ParentsWeb under Resource Documents. Many AP classes (as well as some others) have required summer work, and teachers will reach out directly to those students to pass along the information. Supply lists are also ready and can be found on ParentsWeb. If your child is enrolled in a class not included on the supply list sheet, don’t worry – there may not be any supplies needed, or we may not have the list yet from our incoming faculty.
Middle School
Teachers at each grade level have put together some summer work. All students have required reading which will help prepare them to start the school year off on the right foot. In addition, we have prepared a math assignment for students at each grade level. While the math will not be graded, it will give students the practice and support they need to be successful. More details about summer work, as well as supply lists for each grade level, can be found under Resource Documents on ParentsWeb.
Lower School
What’s the best way to prevent the “summer slide”? Spend time reading every single day, find a balanced way to work on basic math facts, do some writing, and spend time interacting face-to-face away from a screen. We recommend completing a summer activity workbook and doing lots of reading. We will provide links to a workbook that the teachers feel is a good balance of skills within a reasonable time commitment for rising K5-5th grade students. We are asking students to read (or have read to them) at least four books and complete four Seesaw activities that will provide a response to reading for all students K3 through fifth grade. The Seesaw activities will be listed under a class called “___ Grade Summer” that will correspond to the grade the student is entering in the fall. All the information you need regarding summer work and school supplies can be found on ParentsWeb under Resource Documents.
Have a great summer, Bulldogs! We look forward to an exciting 2021-2022 school year!
They Did It!
Getting Their Kicks
Yesterday, several students in our Beyond the Bell Taekwondo class taught by Benji Lalaian successfully completed a test for their next belt by showing how well they have mastered the kicks, hand techniques, blocks, and forms that they have been studying. They even successfully broke a board! Congratulations to all the students who received their new belt!
Taekwondo is a martial art that teaches techniques for improvement of self-defense, endurance, flexibility, speed, and strength. It includes a variety of kicks, blocks, and hand strikes, as well as demonstrations called forms, designed to help improve sense of direction and focus.
All Region Players Named
Hayden Blanz Heads to Millsaps College
Award-Winning Artists
Two GWA lower school students placed in the statewide 2021 GISA Virtual Art Show. Fifth grader Amy Puello-Casallas won a first place ribbon for her work, titled "Meow" in the Upper Elementary Open Media 2D category and second grader Ellington Noll won a second place ribbon for her piece titled "Radial Balance" in Lower Elementary Drawing. Congratulations to Amy and Ellington!
"Sew" Creative
Middle school art students recently created hand embroidered art pieces. They practiced different stitching techniques before they decided on the design for their projects. Students drew the image on the back of the page, then they stitched the design on the front. It took some thoughtful planning to create these beautiful works of art.
Best Wishes to Mrs. Morris
Congratulations to Pam Morris on 40+ years in education! She began her career in 1979 – teaching first and second grades in public school. Pam joined our GWA faculty in 1999 and went on to teach first grade for the next 20 years and most recently started our K3 program in 2019. We wish Pam all the best in retirement!
Congrats, Coach Mitchell and Mrs. Maddox
Sign Up for Summer Camps!
We are thrilled to offer summer camps for kids of all ages and all interests! Our summer camps are open to the community, so bring a friend and spread the word about summer fun at GWA.
Please see camp listings below and click HERE for complete camp descriptions and the registration links. Happy camping!