The Bark
GHMS Newsletter - 1/20/23
Gold Hill Middle School
Tega Cay, SC 29708
(803) 548 - 8300
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter - @GHMSBulldogs
Important Points for Parents
Message from the Principal
- First Annual Polar Cup Championship - Gold Hill is hosting the first ever district-wide Faculty/Staff Dodgeball Tournament! Please come out and cheer on your teachers and administrators!!! See details below!
- Polar Plunge - Flex Games - We had our second day of FLEX Games for Polar Plunge. It was extremely exciting. I was so impressed watching our Bulldog Buddies help run the games and cheer on all the students. This week the three winners won donuts for their homeroom!
- Polar Plunge - Homeroom Competitions - Our homeroom competition is off and running on the website. Please consider clicking on this link donating to your child's homeroom class. They are competing for a catered cookout for their class full of food and games! Ms. Morrell and Ms. Guilbault are in a tight battle for 1st place right now! (See more details below).
- Special Thanks - I wanted to say thank you to the Booster Club, Student Council, and Bulldog Buddies Club for helping coordinate all of these great activities for Polar Plunge. This has truly been a team effort. So far, we have raised over $8,000 dollars for Polar Plunge and Special Olympics.
- IGP Information (8th Grade Only) - Individual Graduation Plan (IGP) information is below. Parents of 8th grade students need to read. Eighth grade students should have their letter with their IGP appointment time.
- Kona Ice Day - Kona Ice will be sold to our students during lunch. See details below!
- Black Out Game - The Booster Club is sponsoring a Black Out game against Banks Trail Middle School on Thursday, January 26th. The 8th grade girls and the 8th grade boys teams will have a home game that evening. The Booster Club will be selling Black Out tickets for $10. The Black Out tickets get you admittance into the game, pizza, drink, snack, and a pom pom to cheer on the Bulldogs! You can purchase this ticket at the door. You can NOT go through the Go Fan App for the Black Out Ticket. Please see the flyer below for more details!
- GHMS Play - Matilda Jr. - Premieres this week! See details below!
- Yearbooks on Sale Now - Be sure to purchase your yearbooks now to try to save some money. $40 if you order before 1/27/23!!! See details below!
- Cell Phones/Smart Watches - If your student chooses to bring a cell phone or smartwatch to school, it should be turned off and put away.
- Sick Students - Parents please take a look at this link with some helpful advice if and when your child needs to miss school due to illness.
- Here is the link to Parent Portal.
Dodge, Duck, Dip, Dive and Dodge
DODGEBALL!
Gold Hill Middle School is throwing the first ever District-Wide Faculty/Staff Dodgeball Tournament! We want to invite ALL of you to come out and cheer for our teams!
Admission is FREE!!
Where: GHMS Gym
When: Friday, January 27th
Time: The doors open at 4:00
Why: Polar Plunge is something that is near and dear to our hearts here at Gold Hill Middle School! We hope you will come, have some fun with us, and raise some money for a great cause!
Yum: Snacks and drinks will be sold in the concession stand, and the King of Fire food truck will be here for dinner! They are selling amazing wood-fired pizzas.
GHMS 2023 POLAR PLUNGE!
The homeroom that raises the most money will receive a catered lunch on Feb 10. Let me know if you have any questions! Click on the link below, go to MEMBERS, and find your homeroom to donate!
kona ice will be available for purchase on wednesday, january 25!
8th grade parents!
Gold Hill Middle School is planning to conduct the IGP (Individual Graduation Plan)/high school registration meetings on Tuesday, January 31.
These are brief meetings with a school counselor/parent/and student to discuss academic & career goals and help align those goals to the course offerings at the high school level. The last part of the meeting will be with a representative from FMHS to complete the course registration process. Meetings will be in person this year at GHMS and should take approximately 30 minutes. This week students should have received their letter with their IGP appointment time, their course request form, and the Program of Studies book. The course request sheet should be filled out, signed, and returned to their social studies teacher by next Friday, January 20th. Please reach out to our 8th grade school counselor, Mr. Wesseling, if you have any questions.
Dance team
They represented the Bulldogs in their jazz, pom and hip hop routines. Although they didn’t come home with any trophies, they performed their hard work, dedication and time shined throughout each of their performances.
Special thanks to Coach Ashare for guiding this team.
The FMHS Dance Team was competing later in the day and they stopped by to show their support!
Clink the link below for information on Clemson's Youth Learning Institute Summer Camp
attention: 6th grade students/parents
Please make an appointment for your child to update their Tdap vaccination before next school year. All seventh graders will be required to get the Tdap vaccine to protect them against whooping cough (pertussis). One (1) dose of Tdap vaccine (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis) administered on or after the 10th birthday will be required for all seventh graders. It is strongly recommended that adolescents who have not yet received a dose of Tdap vaccine be immunized in advance of this requirement. Students who are not up to date with their Tdap vaccination may not be allowed to attend school. For more information, please visit www.scdhec.gov/health/vaccinations
Please send a copy of the SC immunization record to the school nurse once they receive the updated vaccination.
Social Media Help!
School Counseling Information!
For more information from your school counselors, please take a look at the Guidance Gazette attached below.
Ms. Lisa Ross - 6th grade
Mrs. Ashley DiMaggio - 7th grade
Mr. Marc Wesseling - 8th grade
Voluntary SC student accident insurance and dental insurance
GHMS Parents,
Please take a minute and complete the two forms below. The first form provides the school with early dismissal, transportation and student pick-up information. The second form provides the school with information if your child would like to walk/bike to and from school. The data from these forms is captured confidentially for the front office at GHMS only. Click on the link to complete.
Early Dismissal, Transportation & Pick-Up Information
Free Tutoring through Discus
Please see below for free tutoring offered by the State through tutor.com
As we move into the last few months of the school year, some students may find themselves in need of additional academic support. The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) and the South Carolina State Library (SCSL) are partnering to offer free online tutoring services, provided by Tutor.com, to any student in South Carolina. In addition to tutoring in content areas, students may also drop off papers for review, seek help in test preparation, or ask specific questions about their work. The around-the-clock service is available seven days per week.
Students can access Tutor.com through Discus (students must access it this way – if they just go to tutor.com if may not work). Every student has a link for Discus on their ClassLink LaunchPad. Elementary students have SC Discus Kids, and middle/ high have SC Discus. See pictures of the icons below.
Elementary
Middle/High
Class Link
Go through Class Link to access discus.