Upcoming Dates
October 9: Indigenous People Day (No School)
October 15: Reflections Entries Due
October 16: Minnie Howard Redevelopment Update, 6:30pm
October 17: PTA Meeting - GW Media Room, 7pm
October 20: Spirit Wear Orders Due
October 20: PBIS Store
October 27: Harvest Festival
October 27: Picture Retake Day (sign-up in ParentSquare advance)
September 15 - October 13: National Hispanic Heritage Month
October: Bullying Prevention Month
A Message from the President:
October is a busy month! ACPS is hosting two meetings on Monday, October 16th at 6:30pm - an update on the High School Project and ACPS Community Budget Forum. Information and Zoom links for both are provided below. The next GWMS PTA meeting in the GW Media Room/Library on Tuesday October 17th, at 7pm. The meeting will also be streamed and recorded on Facebook live. Spanish interpretation will be provided at the meeting. End of the quarter Harvest Festival is scheduled for Friday, October 27th! Dean Malone needs just a few more volunteers to help with the event! Greta Gordon GWMS PTA President 2023-2024 Please allow 24 hours for a response to your email. Thank you! http://gwmspta.digitalpto.com/
National Hispanic Heritage Month
October is National Bullying Prevention Month
October 17th is the annual World Day of Bullying Prevention, and October 18th, 2023, is Unity Day. 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.
October PTA Meeting
Mark your calendars on Tuesday, October 17th for our next PTA Meeting. This time IN PERSON at GW in the library. (Enter as usual at Door 1.) And get ready for a demonstration by GW Robotics! We will also vote on our proposed 2023-24 budget and approve September Minutes. Spanish interpretation will be provided.
PTA Reflections Art Competition
Calling all Prexies – PTA Reflections Art Competition 2023-2024 needs you! It’s that time again, when pre-K through grade 12 students nationwide create theme-based artwork – will you be one of them? The 2023-2024 theme is I am Hopeful Because...share why you are hopeful through dance choreography, film production, literature, musical composition, photography, or visual arts. Contest entries due by Oct 15. Entering takes 5 minutes online here or at the below QR code. You can also turn your entry into GW Middle School Art Teacher Ms. Janice Rollins, Rm: C205, or into your grade-level office. Entries are evaluated for interpretation of the theme, creativity, and technique. Questions? Email leetomlynch@gmail.com
SPIRIT WEAR!
Show your school spirit with GW Spirit Wear! Pre-order through Friday, Oct. 20. Items will be available for pick up starting Nov. 7 at our Election Day bake sale!
Short Sleeve T-shirts $10
Long Sleeve T-shirts $15
Sweatshirts $25
Hoodies $25
Order online with credit card at gwmspta.org/spiritwear Email gwptafunds@gmail.com to arrange to pay by check or cash.
Harris Teeter’s Together in Education Program
FREE MONEY! Harris Teeter wants to give GWMS money! With Harris Teeter’s Together in Education (TIE) program, you will earn money for GWMS every time you shop. Link your Harris Teeter VIC card to start earning today. You must relink your card every year. Click on “link your card”; GWMS group HarrisTeeter number is 6713
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! Sign up to help manage the store during grade-level lunches every other Friday! Parents and 8th grade store managers help students cash in their bucks and make their selections. Volunteer here. Volunteers needed for upcoming store hours on 10/20 and 11/3
Harvest Festival, October 27th
Come help with the school's outdoor Harvest Festival! You are invited to volunteer your time to help with this student (only) in-school event. Each grade visits the outdoor space during their electives, starting at 9 AM with the 8th grade, followed by 7th grade and then 6th grade. We are still in need of 1-2 volunteers for 7th and 8th grade. Volunteers are needed to help oversee the activities; ZERO experience required. Students will self-select a variety of activities from dodgeball, football, an obstacle course, and more! Volunteers and faculty will "chaperone" the field activities, so extra eyes are helpful so everyone has a safe and fun time! We ask all volunteers to arrive 15 minutes early to get checked in with security, and report to the field for an assigned area.
Parent Engagement Survey
The GW Parent Engagement Survey is an anonymous survey to help the GW Administration Team learn more about what parent needs are so that we can plan events to support their interests. Thank you to parents who have already completed the survey during parent-teacher conferences.
Minnie Howard Redevelopment - The High School Project
Keep up to date on what’s happening with the construction at Minnie Howard. The new building at this Alexandria City High School campus is scheduled to open in 2024! All Prexies, but especially the 8th grade families, will want to tune in for the next update on October 16th at 6:30pm on Zoom. In addition to a new building, the High School Project includes a proposal for a new program of studies. The new program of studies was presented to the school board on Sept. 21st and will be up for a vote on Nov. 2nd. Check out the presentation and proposal.
ACPS Community Budget Forum
Also on October 16th, ACPS will host a community budget forum at 6:30pm at Alexandria City High School - King Street Campus Rotunda. You can also participate via Zoom. Interpretation services will be available on Zoom. This is an opportunity to learn about the School Board’s budget priorities, the budget process and timeline, and get answers to questions. This session will also include information about how community members can participate in the budget planning process. All ACPS stakeholders are invited to join the Community Budget Forum in person or through Zoom. For more information on the budget, visit the ACPS Budget webpage.
Join the PTA!
Thanks to all who have joined for the 2023-24 school year! If you have not yet joined, please take a minute to join today.
Your $10 tax-deductible membership dues will support our school wide activities throughout the year such as teacher appreciation events, field trips, student socials, and more!
VOLUNTEER!
Thank you to everyone who has contacted the PTA about volunteering! We are still looking for a few more volunteers to chair committees. If you are interested in learning more about any of these 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!
GW Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee - work with the DEI rep, other parents, caregivers, the PTA Executive Committee, teachers and staff to foster an inclusive and equitable environment, focusing on family engagement in our school community.
Field Trip Coordinator - The GWMS teachers and staff would love to have help from parents with planning field trips throughout the school year. This is a new committee, so there will be some work to do to set expectations and roles.
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!
PTAC Special Education Committee - W PTA is looking for a Special Education Committee representative to ensure that the perspective of families and students receiving Special Education and 504 services are addressed within PTA.