In Focus @ GWA
A news bulletin for the families of George Walton Academy
December 13, 2018
Email: info@gwa.com
Website: www.gwa.com
Phone: (678) 635-3800
Facebook: facebook.com/GeorgeWaltonAcademy/
Twitter: @georgewalton
Key Deadlines & Dates
- Third/Fourth Grade Christmas Performance: Dec. 13
- Band Christmas Concert: Dec. 13
- Lower School PJ's Dress Up: Dec 14
- Middle School Tacky Sweater Dress Up: Dec. 14
- Early Dismissal: Dec. 21
- Yearbook Order Deadline EXTENDED: Jan. 10
Instructional Differentiators
By Femke Côté, Associate Head of Curriculum and Global Studies
Think back to your childhood experience in the classroom. Were most lessons presented in the same way – day after day after day? You read the material in the textbook, listened to a lecture, studied and then took a test. But what if reading the book and listening to a lecture didn’t meet your learning style? You were out of luck, right?
Today, we recognize that students are unique learners and process information in different ways. That’s why differentiated instruction is vital. But as educators, we face some tricky challenges as we look out at a classroom of eager learners who are all going to internalize our content differently...Read more.
Exam Week Reminders
Eighth-12th Grades
- Reading Day is an optional day for any student that has all A’s. It is required for all other students.
- All eighth -12th grade students will be dismissed each day at 12:30 p.m., but teachers will be available for extra help until 3:45 p.m.
- Students will only be required to attend exam period for classes in which an exam is being given.
Sixth-Seventh Grades
- Students in these grades will be on a 7-period day schedule.
- Students will have regular school hours (8 a.m.-3:15 p.m.) Monday - Thursday, with an early dismissal time of 10:30 a.m. on Friday.
K4-Fifth Grades
- Students will be on regular daily schedules (8 a.m. - 2:45 p.m.) Monday – Thursday.
- On Friday, students will have their class parties and will be dismissed at the conclusion of their class parties.
Lunch and Bus Riders
- Lunch will be available Monday – Thursday. There will not be lunch on Friday.
- Buses will leave at the regular time Monday-Thursday, and at 12:35 p.m. on Friday.
Lower School's Lovely Creations
Fourth grade art students created some colorful pieces that were modeled after the glass artist, Dale Chihuly. They used coffee filters, a little water, markers, and starch (sprayed on by the teacher). Each piece has its own unique and beautiful character.
A Word (or Two) on Tests
By Michael Clancy, Director of College Counseling
This past Tuesday, the results of the PSAT were released. George Walton students in grades eight through 11, and their parents, may now log in to their College Board account https://studentscores.collegeboard.org/home to see scores and obtain test performance feedback. But don’t just peek at your scores and log out!
In addition to their PSAT scores, students can see the correct response to every question on the exam alongside their response. On Thursday, question booklets will be sent home with students so they can revisit the questions they missed. Sometimes, when looking at a question without being under actual testing pressure, the correct answer is evident. Students can also find a more detailed explanation within their online report...Read more.
Come out and support your Bulldog Basketball team! If we have 100 students (or more!) sign in prior to the 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 21 game, all varsity coaches and Coach Whitley will take a pie in the face at the next pep rally!
And the Winners Are...
Thanks so much for helping to collect food for the Walton County Empty Stocking fund! Many needy families will benefit tremendously from GWA's efforts. The results are in and the winners are:
Lower School: Mrs. Rawlins
Middle School: Mrs. Behnke
High School Student: Dominic Williams
Congratulations to our winners, and great job all the way around!
Just in Time for Christmas
All spirit wear in the Dawg Shop is currently on sale at 40% off the original price! The discounted price for Dawgs 360 members is 50% off the original price. The sale runs through December 21 and quantities are limited. Stop by and check out the new arrivals, too!
GWA Choirs presented their Christmas Concert on Tuesday evening, Dec. 11 at First Baptist Church of Monroe! With a mix of traditional Christmas carols and other choral arrangements, the GWA choirs showed their talents with individual choir numbers, full choir numbers, and even showcased solo and small group numbers. It was a wonderful night of Christmas joy!
Click here for photos with Santa from Gingerbread Christmas!
Password - GWAChristmas18*
And GWA is pleased to share the wonderful photos taken by yearbook advisor Liz Jones. Here is a link . Password: gwadawgs2019. You may have to enter the password to get into the main folder and then again for each gallery. Feel free to download and share her pictures!
Also, don’t forget to buy a yearbook! You can order one here or send a check made out to GWA ($75 per book - deadline extended to Jan. 10) to Liz Jones in the front office. Don’t forget to include your child’s name, grade and homeroom.
And if you have any questions regarding school photography, please contact our school photographer, Elena De La Rosa at elena@elenadelarosaphotography.com or give her a call at 770-861-5890.
Swim Dawgs Continue the Momentum!
GWA Swim Dawgs are working hard this season- practicing, competing and improving times! They placed fourth at last weekend’s Eastside December Splash in Madison. Varsity swimmers competed for points while our middle school team was able to swim for exhibition.
Highlights from the meet include- MK Dopp and Breena McGraw placed second and third in girl’s 100 yard freestyle, Jake Moore finished third in boy’s 100 yard freestyle and Ella Rowan, Ellie Zupko, Breena McGraw and MK Dopp get third place in girl’s 200 yard freestyle relay. Sixth grader Emma Dopp placed second in the girl’s 100 yard butterfly, missing the top varsity time by only 1/100 of a second! Way to go, Bulldogs!
The next swim meet will be Friday, Dec. 21 at West Gwinnett Aquatic Center @ 7:00. Hope to see you there!
Hard Work Pays Off!
By Tommy Yancey, Head Varsity Basketball Coach
Brelan has worked extremely hard for this. He has spent countless hours in the gym, weight room and watching film to get to this point. A player does not get to 1000 points in their career by luck, it comes from long hours of hard work.
Brelan is everything we want from our student athletes here at GWA. He is well-mannered, considerate, humble, and takes care of business on the court and in the classroom.
Brelan is currently being recruited by a handful of NCAA Division 1 colleges and universities and a host of Division 2 schools as well. Whomever Brelan ends up signing with will have a true asset to their institution, student body and their basketball program. He has worked really hard for an opportunity to play at the next level and it will be exciting to see where he ends up choosing to go to further his education.
We are extremely proud of Brelan and the things he has been able to accomplish in his career.