Upcoming Dates
October 23 - 27: Bully Prevention Spirit Week
October 25: Fairlington Pizza Dine Out Fundraiser, 11am to 9pm
October 26: High School Project Meeting, online, 6:30pm
October 27: Harvest Festival
October 27: Picture Retake Day (sign-up in ParentSquare in advance)
October 27: End of Quarter
October 30: Teacher Work Day (No school)
November 1: Open House for Families of Students with Disabilities, 8:30am
November 7: Professional Development Day (No school)
November 7: Election Day Bake Sale and Spirit Wear, GW Main Entrance
October: Bullying Prevention Month
October: Learning Disabilities Awareness Month
A Message from the President:
Thank you to all who joined in for our October PTA meeting on Tuesday evening! It was great to see familiar and new faces. If you missed the meeting, you can catch it on Facebook Live. Our November meeting (Tuesday November 14th,) will be held on Zoom. Thank you to GW Robotics for joining us for a presentation and sharing an overview of the various programs our GW students. The GW PTA approved the 2023-24 budget, which includes a line item for Robotics initiatives. You can review the approved budget here. The PTA Reflections Contest has come to a close. A huge thank you to our Reflections Chair Lee Lynch, and GW’s Ms. Rollins for leading the program this year. GW had the most Reflections entries of any ACPS school - 48 students participated! Congratulations! Greta Gordon GWMS PTA President 2023-2024 http://gwmspta.org/
Bullying Prevention Spirit Week starts Monday!
October is National Bullying Prevention Month
To learn what activities and discussions are planned, see the Bullying Prevention Month Calendar of events from our Director of Counseling and our Student Support Team.
Pizza for Prexies! Fairlington Pizza Dine Out, October 25
Alexandria Titan-owned Fairlington Pizza (1715 Centre Plaza) will donate 20% of the net proceeds from our sales on October 25 all day (11am - 9pm) to GWMS PTA! Thanks to Fairlington Pizza for hosting us and supporting your future fellow Titans.
Must mention GW middle school when ordering
Dine-in or pick up orders (Delivery NOT included)
Order in person or online through Fairlington Pizza’s website (Grub Hub, Uber Eats, etc. NOT included)
The High School Project
The next online community meeting for the High School Project will be on Thursday, October 26 at 6:30pm. In addition to the new Minnie Howard building opening in 2024, the High School Project includes a proposal for a new program of studies. Learn more by reviewing the Slide Presentation and Recording of last week’s community meeting which included both construction and program of studies information. Plan to attend the next community meeting focusing on the program of studies and understanding the proposal for new academies and pathways. Join the October 26th meeting at 6:30pm on Zoom.
Harvest Festival, October 27
Come help with the school's outdoor Harvest Festival! Each grade visits the outdoor space during their electives, starting at 9am with the 8th grade, followed by 7th grade and then 6th grade. We can still use 1-2 volunteers for 7th and 8th grade. Students will self-select a variety of activities from dodgeball, football, an obstacle course, and more! Volunteers and faculty will "chaperone" the field activities - extra eyes are helpful so everyone has a safe and fun time! Please arrive 15 minutes prior to your time slot to get checked in at security and report to the field.
Parent Engagement Survey
The GW Parent Engagement Survey closes October 27th! This anonymous survey helps the GW Administration Team learn more about what parent needs are so that they can plan events to support their interests. Thank you to parents who have already completed the survey online or during parent-teacher conferences.
VOLUNTEER!
Thank you to everyone who has volunteered to serve as a chair this year! We are grateful for all of you.
6th grade Social/Events - Fran Boller
8th Grade Social/Events - Ashley Lombardi
8th Grade Picnic/Promotion - Ashley Lombadi, Missy Estabrook
Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee Chair - Arthur Smith
Election Day Bake Sale - Tamara Jovovic
Field Trip Coordinator - Marisa Branch
Lost and Found Coordinator - Alix Coughlin
Parent/Family Social Coordinator - Emilly Litten
PBIS Chair - Jamie Pfister
PTAC Representative - Teri Gennarelli
Reflections - Lee Lynch
Restaurant Dine Out Fundraisers - Stephanie Paulson
Special Education Committee Representative - Bridget Mancke
Spring2ACTion! - Tamara Jovovic
Teacher Grants - Lauren Marquez Heslep
Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week - Co-Chairs Emily Garrahan and Kathryn Howell Dalton
Teacher/Staff Appreciation Yearlong Hospitality Chair - Stephanie Paulson
We are still looking for a few more volunteers to lead or assist with these PTA activities. If you are interested in learning more about either of these open roles, have questions or suggestions, please email Greta Gordon: gwmspta@gmail.com.
7th Grade Social/Events - Volunteers from each grade plan an end-of-year event for each class. Chair will lead the volunteers in planning!
Business Partners / Sponsorships - Do you have great connections with local businesses? Sign up to help us partner with our business partners to help them find ways to make a big impact at GWMS. Great for co-chairs!
Where is my….?
Is your student missing a jacket, sweatshirt, lunchbox, water bottle, binder, etc.? It might be in the GW lost and found. Encourage students to look for lost items and write full names on everything. There is a bin in the gym, cafeteria, and in grade-level offices. The PTA wants to help reunite students with their items. Photos will be taken once per month and posted on the GW facebook page. There will also be a lost and found table outside of the school on Election Day. Unclaimed items are donated over winter break. BIG thank you to Alix Coughlin for volunteering to take on a big, brand new PTA role as Lost and Found Chair!
Election Day Bake Sale, Spirit Wear and More on November 7
Unfurl those aprons, grease those muffin tins, or make that run for coffee! Our Election Day Bake Sale needs your carbs and caffeine, as well as volunteers to manage operations the day of! Sign Up to help on Tuesday, November 7th from 7am to 5pm. Please plan to come to GW that day for a treat or two, too! Election Day is also the time to pick up your Spirit Wear order! Don’t fret if you forgot to order (or if you want more spirit wear!), we ordered extra t-shirts and hoodies to sell at PTA events throughout the year, starting on November 7th! As an extra special treat, our GW Orchestra will be playing for us and busking on Election Day. Bring a few extra dollars to put in the violin case! And last but not least, we will have a lost and found table set up outside GW from 9am to 5pm to make it easy for you to check for missing items. SWEET thank you to our bake sale chair Tamara Jovovic and SPIRITED thank you to our spirit wear chair Fran Boller and another SINCERE thank you to our lost and found chair Alix Coughlin!
Harris Teeter’s Together in Education Program
Link your Harris Teeter VIC card to earn FREE MONEY for George Washington Middle School (#6713 at Harris Teeter) every time you shop! You can link up to 5 schools so you can still support your elementary and/or high schools and GWMS too. You must re-link your card every year.
Open House for Families of Students with Disabilities, November 1
Join ACPS Specialized Instruction staff for a time of conversation, connection, and community. Meet in the GW Middle School Library/Media Center from 8:30 to 9:30a.m. on Nov. 1. Refreshments will be served. The Office of Specialized Instruction is hosting a series of open houses in honor of Learning Disabilities Awareness Month. This open house is especially for families of students at Charles Barrett, Cora Kelly, Mount Vernon and George Washington, though anyone can attend any open house.
PBIS
The PBIS store continues! This is GWMS’ positive behavior incentive program, in which students cash in their “Prexie” bucks for a special snack or drink! PTA funds run and support this program. Sign up to help manage the store during grade-level lunches every other Friday. Volunteers and 8th grade store managers help students cash in their bucks and make their selections. Volunteers needed for upcoming store hours, as soon as November 3rd.
Virginia Tech STEM & College Fair, October 28
