Gainesville Middle

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Gainesville Middle School for the Arts and Sciences

“Home of the High Flying Hawks” Virginia School to Watch

School of Excellence Blue Ribbon School

GVMS Families, As we wrap up the first quarter, we are so proud of our students and the successes that they have experienced thus far this school year. During the first quarter, several students were recognized for their positive attitude, excellent work habits, and for demonstrating courtesy and respect on a daily basis by receiving a Principal’s Pride award. Additionally, 353 students received positive referrals on Positive Referral Day on October 24th for their SCORE (Success through Courtesy, Organization, and Excellence) behaviors. Hundreds of students have also received SCORE cards, which are given out on a daily basis, and those students are eligible for weekly, monthly, and quarterly prizes. In a few weeks, we will also hold our High-Flying Hawk awards and recognize students who have excelled academically and those continuing to demonstrate SCORE behaviors. We love celebrating our students’ success! Many students have also experienced personal and team success on the courts and on the fields. Our girls’ track, boys’ soccer, volleyball, and football teams recently wrapped up their seasons and both our girls’ track and boys’ soccer team clinched the regional championship this year. Our Robotics teams hosted a fabulous Robotics Fun day and our drama students are headed to the Virginia Theater Association State Festival to perform After Hours. We have numerous clubs and activities meeting on Mondays and Thursdays and students have planned several events that impact our community including: a Winter Coat Drive, collecting canned goods for Operation Turkey, collecting candy for Treats for Troops, wearing red for Get “red” of drugs, and wearing orange for Unity Day to show our support for a bully-free school. As always, we encourage your child, if they have not already done so, to get involved with a club or activity. Getting involved can provide opportunities to learn teamwork, responsibility, physical endurance, competition, and a sense of school community.

In This Issue

Principal’s Message 1-2 Important Dates 3 Department News 4-9 Counseling Dept. 10-11 Student Recognition 12-13 From the PTO 14 Right to Special 15 Programs & Services

VOLUME 11, ISSUE 2 November/December

Courtesy & Respect for ALL

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Continued… In the classroom, students have been engaged in a variety of engaging learning activities and have been tracking their learning by reflecting on mastery of learning targets. Your child should access School Messenger on a regular basis to ensure that assignments are completed and he/she is prepared for upcoming assessments. Also, be sure to utilize Parent Portal to monitor your child’s progress. Don’t forget to ask students about their progress. Also, below are a few tips for when your child says they have “no homework”. Questions to ask:

• Do you have any upcoming quizzes or tests? Perhaps you should review your notes for those classes.

• Have you read your Independent Reading book for at least for 20 minutes?

• Have you checked School Messenger? Parent Portal?

• Are you using your agenda?

• Do you have any retakes that you need to take?

• Have you reviewed Spanish or French? (for 8th grade students taking a world language class.)

• Are you practicing your math computation skills? Have you logged into IXL recently?

• Do you have any large projects coming up? Finally, we are excited to offer Student-Led conferences on November 7th. This will give you an opportunity to discuss your child’s progress. We hope to see you there! I am looking forward to many more successes as we continue to fulfill our theme for this year: Every Child, Every Chance, Every Day! In partnership, Catherine Porter-Lucas Principal

You can always check out the GVMS

calendar on School Messenger!

http://gainesvillems.schools.pwcs.edu/

Follow us on Twitter @HighFlyingHawks

Please always follow the Kiss & Ride traffic pattern for the safety

of our students, buses, and staff.

Remember, safety first!

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November 6 – Teacher Workday (No School for Students) November 7 – Teacher Workday (No School for Students) November 7 – Student-Led Conferences from 8 to 11 a.m. November 8, 9, 13 – Sports Tryouts (Girls’ Basketball) from 3:15 to 5:15 p.m. November 10 – School Closed (Veteran’s Day Observance) November 14 – School Advisory Council Meeting at 6 p.m. November 14 – Pre-VMEA Chorus Concert at 7 p.m. November 16 – Picture Day Make-ups November 22-24 – School Closed (Thanksgiving Break) November 30-December 1 – Snow White Drama Performance at 7 p.m. (Also, a matinee at 3 p.m. on December 1.) December 6 – PTO Meeting at 6:30 p.m. December 6 – Gr 8 Band & Orchestra Concerts at 7 p.m. December 7-9 – Snow White Drama Performance at 7 p.m. (Also, a matinee at 3 p.m. on December 9.) SNOW DATES December 13 – Gr 6 Chorus Concert at 6:15 p.m. (Mrs. Glomb’s classes) December 13 – Gr 6 Chorus Concert at 7:30 p.m. (Ms. Derksen’s classes) December 15 – Principal’s Pride at 8:10 a.m. December 19 – Gr 8 Chorus Concert at 7 p.m. December 20 – Gr 7 Chorus Concert at 7 p.m. at Patriot High School December 22-January 1 – School Closed (Winter Break)

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Department News

Art On November 3rd, the first quarter comes to an end and we welcome new art students! Remember, all art students should have a sketchbook. Students have the option of purchasing a sketchbook through their Art teacher for $6. Important Dates:

• Mrs. Albright's and Mrs. MacDonald's A/B year-round 8th graders will be going on a field trip to the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC on November 28th and December 1st.

• Mrs. Albright's Advanced 8th grade class has been learning about and creating fused glass pieces. Some pieces will be sold at Art Department table at the Annual Mistletoe Show on November 18th.

• Mrs. Albright's Advanced 8th grade class will be participating in a wheel-thrown ceramics workshop at Big Dog Pottery on December 6th.

Follow our GVMS Art Social Media:

Mrs. Albright's Twitter: AlbrightsArt Facebook: GVMS Hawks Art

Ms. MacDonald's Instagram: gottagoghteach_art Family and Consumer Science Ms. Rubrecht’s classes have been finishing budget simulations in the 6th and 8th grades. Sixth graders use a computer program called Vault put out by a company called EverFi and they are learning about financial literacy. The eighth graders use more of a hands-on approach with a program called Reality Works where a “situation” is drawn from a hat and students must create a life for that person. In addition, students compete against each other for jobs, housing and transportation. The goal of this approach is to get their budget to balance. Seventh graders were also using the EverFi program with a program called Character Playbook, while learning about the basics of healthy relationships. While this was going on the students babysat the electronic babies, multi-tasking child-care with their in-class responsibilities. Next, we’re moving on to hand-sewing in the 6th grade, learning how to demonstrate clothing repairs and complete simple hand-made projects. Seventh grade makes the transition from hand-sewn projects to machine stitched ones while 8th grade is strictly involved in learning to sew on the machines.

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Department News Continued…

Family and Consumer Science Continued… Keep an eye out for the unveiling of our annual Un-trim-a-Tree project after Thanksgiving. Our 8th graders take on their community service learning by helping our local community. Look for the tree in our front lobby soon! Mrs. Kilgore’s classes are into their cooking skills. After information on kitchen safety, students begin doing labs. Some labs, such as fried rice, Orange Julius and waffles, are group work. Some labs are individual, such as individual chocolate chip cookies, pizza and pretzels. Students are so very excited to be in the kitchens and eating is just a lovely bonus. Individual apple pies will be soon for the 8th graders. Health & Physical Education Sixth and seventh grade classes will begin new units. Each unit will last about three weeks and classes will rotate through the three activities and a health class rotation. Sixth grade will be in team handball, floor hockey, volleyball, and health. Seventh grade classes will be in floor games, tchoukball, table tennis and health. Eighth graders are rotating into either health class or choosing an activity of their choice in PE class. The choices for November and December will vary between: floor hockey, team handball, floor games, tchoukball, volleyball and table tennis. You can view when each class will be in health on school messenger. The second unit in health will cover the body systems. We will be rotating classes in and out of health class through April. We will be continuing Team Day competitions in PE classes on November 20th and 21st (Jersey Tag) and again on December 20th and 21st (relay races). Students are continuing to build teamwork skills, friendships, character, school pride, and team pride. We are really excited about the Team Day competitions and feel the students will continue to learn a lot about the aspects of being part of a team. Family Life Education will begin in April. There will be more information to come on exact dates in the March/April newsletter. There is a binder in the front office with the Power Points and objectives for each gender and grade level. We divide our students by gender when we discuss FLE to the students. There is an opt-out form if you wish to opt your student out of the FLE curriculum. Please email Mrs. Harris at HarrisLL@pwcs.edu with any questions or concerns you may have about FLE.

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Department News Continued…

Language Arts Language Arts classes are in full swing, with an abundance of learning occurring every day. On October 20th, we celebrated the National Day of Writing. Students were writing friendly letters, poetry, short stories, and personal narratives, just to name a few. Subjects; such as, science and social studies, also encouraged their scholars to write. Eighth-grade students have been busy learning the craft of writing introduction, body, and conclusion paragraphs. They’ve been reviewing complete sentences, clauses, parts of speech, narrative writing, and non-fiction annotation. Next, they will delve into tone and mood, figurative language, and text structures. All 7th grade students have been revisiting the elements of fiction. They’ve spent time reading poems and short stories, then pulling out the elements of fiction from them. Self-reflection and analyzing their own success is also a skill they’ve been practicing. Ms. Raso and Mrs. Branchetti both worked on a poetry writing experience where students produced their own original piece of work. Sixth-grade scholars have also been revisiting the elements of fiction by reading their favorite children’s stories, short stories, and novels. They’ve been reviewing the parts of speech, and working on word choice and character development when writing. All 6th grade students had the experience of authentically writing to our veterans. Letters will be packaged and sent to Project Rudolph, and eventually placed in care packages for our troops who cannot make it home for the holidays. Library Volunteer in the Library - The GVMS library staff invites you to become part of our volunteer team. Whether you are interested in coming in on a regular basis to help maintain the library, or if you are interested in helping with book fairs, we would love to hear from you! Please contact one of the Librarians for the Volunteer Information Form. Check Out New Library Books! - New books arrive in the library every month in several different genres – mystery, sports, fantasy, nonfiction, and graphic novels, as well as a few general fiction books. Check out the “New Arrivals” cart to see what is new. History Bee - If you would like to participate in the upcoming History Bee sponsored by Mrs. Ware and Mr. Shipp, please swing by the library to see Mrs. Ware or room 1207 to see Mr. Shipp to get an informational letter and permission slip! Permission slips are due back no later than Friday December 8.

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Department News Continued…

Math Students in 7th and 8th grade math are working through solving equations and inequalities, as well as real world applications of problem solving. Students in 6th grade math are beginning the new integer operations unit, problem solving, and will be working with/learning about the coordinate grid. Algebra students are learning about a variety of linear equations, slope, and graphing. Students in all grade levels should be utilizing their MathIXL Logins to work through extra practice problems. (There is ALWAYS math homework to be completed!) MathIXL can be accessed through the new site – tinyurl.com/ixlgvms. Performing Arts Drama Department:

The cast for the Virginia Theatre Association competition play “After Hours” performed on Oct. 28 in Norfolk. They were awesome! Our Fall play “The Tale of Snow White” has been rehearsing for weeks now and it is funny! Make plans to come out and see Gainesville’s terrific talent. The show dates and times are: November 30-December 2 at 7 p.m. Matinee on Dec. 2nd at 3 p.m. Orchestra: **Fiddle Workshop with Guest Clinician on November 2 from 3-4:30 p.m. Open to all Orchestra students. Sign up in advance for $5 or $6 at the door **Chamber Orchestra Begins on November 9. **All-County Orchestra Auditions for 7th & 8th grade Orchestra students are November 14 at Woodbridge Middle School. **Junior Regional Orchestra for selected students, November 10 and 11 at Colgan High School. **Preparatory Orchestra of Youth Orchestras of Prince William County begins on November 27. Band & Orchestra Concert Information: Winter Concert for 8th Grade Band and 8th Grade Orchestra will take place on December 6 at 7 p.m. Chorus: **November 2 – Dress Rehearsal for all 8th Grade Women 3-4:30 p.m. in the Chorus room **November 9 – 8th Grade Women’s Fall Concert at 7 p.m.; Call 545 p.m. in the GVMS gym **November 14 – Pre-VMEA Conference Concert at 7 p.m.; Call 5:45 p.m. in the GVMS gym **November 17 – Advanced Women’s Performance at the VMEA Conference at the Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, VA **December 13 – 6th Grade Winter Chorus Concert in the GVMS Gym at 6:15 p.m.; Call 5:45 p.m. (Mrs. Glomb’s classes) **December 13 – 6th Grade Winter Chorus Concert in the GVMS Gym at 7:30 p.m.; Call 7 p.m. (Ms. Derksen’s classes) **December 20 – 7th Grade Winter Chorus Concert at Patriot High School at 7 p.m.; Call 5:45 p.m.

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Department News Continued…

Science Our annual 7th grade Science Fair will take place on Thursday February 15. (The Science Fair is optional for 8th grade students.) Students who participate will be asked to stay after school to talk with the judges. The Fair will be open to the public that evening from 6:30-7:30 p.m. SIGNET With our 6th and 7th grade students, SIGNET will be wrapping up our first quarter rotation at the end of October. We will begin seeing new students on the rotation who are scheduled for 2nd quarter on November 8th. We are looking forward to Student-Led Conferences on November 7th. For 8th grade, all students are now scheduled for either a year-round alternating day class or a weekly pullout class. The 8th grade Literary Magazine staff continues to solicit submissions, so please consider sharing your creative writing efforts. On December 12, a number of 8th gr SIGNET students who have expressed an interest in Shakespeare will be participating in Shakesperience with a teaching artist from the Washington, DC Shakespeare Theater visiting our school to work with that group. The following day, December 13, those same students will attend a live professional performance of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night during a field trip to the Shakespeare Theater. Looking to the future, we would like to invite all SIGNET parents to the November 14 School Advisory Council Meeting in the Library at 6 p.m. SIGNET is hosting Mr. Jason Calhoun, Director of the Governor’s School at Innovation Park. He will be presenting valuable information on the Governor’s School program and application process. He will also be available for questions after his presentation. Social Studies The Social Studies Department is keeping busy as we enter the Fall season. Teachers in all grades started the year by reviewing the PWCS Code of Behavior with their students. Teachers then began delving into their content. Sixth grade students started the year studying early Americans and exploration. Seventh grade just completed learning about the pioneers and conducted a land-rush simulation. Eighth graders studied citizenship and are now learning about political parties and elections. We are also gearing up for this year’s History Bee; information about how to participate will be going out soon. Finally, as we approach Thanksgiving next month, students in all social studies classes will participate in the first round of the school Geography Bee.

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Department News Continued…

Special Education Inclusive Schools Week is celebrated across the nation and here in Prince William County every December. This year from December 4-8, we celebrate with the theme Stand Up, Sit Tall for Inclusion. Here at Gainesville, we share in the county’s goals of celebrating the progress of schools in educating an increasingly diverse student population, acknowledging the hard work and commitment of schools, families, and communities in creating inclusive opportunities for all children, encouraging reflection on how culture, policies, and practices in schools can promote inclusive education, and promoting action to increase the capacity of schools and communities to meet the needs of all learners. Each year, the special education staff can offer tips to the whole staff on promoting inclusion, share activities to encourage mixing it up in the classroom, and participate in making a banner that showca ses our efforts. Banners are then displayed at the Kelly Leadership Center for all to see. Inclusive practices bring collaboration, energy, and knowledge to our school. This week is just another way to build upon our theme for the year: Building on Excellence: Every Child, Every Chance, Every Day.

Tech Ed The Automation and Robotics unit will start soon. Each class will be divided into class teams and each team will be tasked to document and construct a robot. Each team will be assigned to complete several different autonomous programming tasks for their robot. These challenges will transition into driver control programming challenges and then to driver control and autonomous programming challenges. These challenges will take their robots to the various locations throughout the school. These programming challenges are geared to simulate real world programming problem solving needs. World Language French students will be learning how to talk about what they like and don’t like to do, how to conjugate verbs, how to tell time, and talk about the weather, among other things. They have been successfully reading, writing, speaking and listening to French for several weeks now and are thoroughly enjoying listening and learning through singing songs and doing activities all in French. Spanish students can greet others, introduce themselves, state their birthdate, email, phone number, address, age, and origin. They studied important facts about Spain, Puerto Rico and Costa Rica and can name all 21 Spanish countries and their capitals. By the end of the second marking period, they will be able to talk about the weather, tell time, and state what they need, want, and have, among other learning tasks.

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8th grade: During the month of September, Mrs. Tracy and Mrs. Mosley presented 8th graders with a lesson about Healthy Relationships. Students learned to identify traits and characteristics that help identify if a relationship is healthy vs. unhealthy. Additionally, students were presented with resources they can use for assistance when they are in an unhealthy relationship or find themselves being bullied or harassed. Also, in September Mrs. Tracy visited each 8th grade Algebra class to discuss applying to Thomas Jefferson High School. Applications were due September 29th. GVMS had several applicants this year. These applicants will be taking their admissions test in November. Good Luck!

Mrs. Tracy and Mrs. Mosely will be visiting all 8th grade classrooms this month to begin High School Transition lessons. These lessons will introduce students to the various specialty programs offered by PWCS, explain graduation requirements, credits, transcripts and more! PWCS Specialty Programs: PWCS offers many specialty programs for students. This an exciting time to start thinking about the different opportunities. Online applications will be available soon. The deadline for most programs is February 1. However, applications for the Center for the Fine and Performing Arts at Charles J. Colgan, Sr. High School are due by Monday, December 11. 7th Grade: On October 17-19, our Counseling Department, along with Social Worker and School Psychologist, successfully implemented the Signs of Suicide Program (SOS). The program has proven to be successful at increasing help seeking by students concerned about themselves or a friend and is the only school-based suicide prevention program listed by SAMHSA for its National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices that addresses suicide risk and depression, while reducing suicide attempts. In a randomized control study, the SOS high school program showed a reduction in self-reported suicide attempts by 40% (BMC Public Health, July 2007). Our goals for participating in this program were straightforward:

-To help our students understand that depression is a treatable illness -To explain that suicide is a preventable tragedy that often occurs as a result of untreated depression. -To provide students training in how to identify serious depression and potential suicidality in themselves or a friend. -To impress upon youth that they can help themselves or a friend by taking the simple step of talking to a responsible adult about their concerns. -To help students know whom in the school they can turn to for help, if they need it.

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6th grade: During the month of September, Ms. Marrefi presented a Superhero themed PowerPoint with the message that every student can be a superhero by using their powers for good (rather than evil) by showing kindness and respect! Additionally, 6th graders were introduced to the services available in the GVMS Counseling Center and learned some tips on how to keep lockers, binders, and their study space organized.

If you are interested in having your child participate in a small counseling group, please contact Ms. Marrefi at marrefks@pwcs.edu. Ms. Marrefi will be leading a study skills/organization group and would love to hear any feedback about other small group topics that would benefit your 6th grader. Friends of Rachel Club: The Friends of Rachel Club is very proud to cosponsor with Gainesville Pediatric Dentistry for a One Warm Coat drive this year! One Warm Coat is a national non-profit organization that works with communities, schools, businesses, and individuals to provide a free, warm coat to anyone in need. The FOR Club will be collecting coats of any size through December 13. Please bring your donation to the main office. For more information, or if you would like to make a monetary donation, please go to www.onewarmcoat.org. School Supplies: If your student is in need of school supplies, please contact your counselor. Please visit our website to find out more updates as the school year progresses. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to us!

Ms. Marrefi- 6th Grade Counselor marrefks@pwcs.edu Ms. Kaczkowski- 7th Grade Counselor kaczkoal@pwcs.edu

Mrs. Tracy- 8th Grade Counselor for Teams Einstein, Newton & Tesla tracyem@pwcs.edu Mrs. Mosely- Director and 8th Grade Counselor for Team Galileo mosleykl@pwcs.edu

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Student Recognition

Congratulations to the following students who auditioned and were selected to perform at All-County Chorus at Forest Park High School on October 20. Soprano 1: Danielle Bailey, Olivia Kremer, Moira McLauglin Soprano 2: Anabella Pena, Madison Babecki, Peyton Benoit Alto: Greta Wisniewski, Kaila Hunter, Hiya Barai, Nevean McMillan Men: Alejandro Sorto, Pateep Phanthavong, Dorian Howard, Ryan Stevens, Sam Jones, Josh Clark, Hayden Goff, Malaki Childs. ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Congratulations to the 2017-2018 SCA officers:

President: Haley Allen Vice-President: Jasmine Agyepong

Secretary: Joshua Moore Historian: Hira Saleem

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Congratulations to the 8th grade band on their participation at Patriot High School’s Middle School Band Night. Way to represent!!

Principal’s Pride Recipients for October Principal’s Pride honors students who show respect and courtesy towards their peers and teachers. These students are recognized for going above and beyond to help others and are model GVMS students. Congratulations to all of the students who received this distinguished award. Team Spirit – Ezabela Lopez & Shaheer Kamran Team Pride – Abigail (Abby) Trapani & Austin Harris Team United – Charles (Charlie) Monfort & Emma Abbott Team Endeavor – Franco Alba & Madilyn Rolader Team Apollo - Sean McCloy & Madden Quander Team Enterprise – Riery Cespedes & Emily Buckley Team Mercury – Allison Hillis & Darin Vanier Team Orion – Tyra Gipson & Evan Song Team Einstein – Zachary Barnes & Michelle Nguyen Team Galileo – Sophia Passa & Tyren Hinton Team Newton – Jennifer Lopez & Trenton Smith Team Tesla – Murrium Mirza & Carsen Torfin

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Student Recognition Continued…

Congratulations to Team United Enriched Science Fair winners: 1st Place – Ella Nhek “The effect that the liquid has on the freezing rate.” 2nd Place – Sydney Blocker 3rd Place – Lilia Koval -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Congratulations to the boys’ soccer team who have claimed their second consecutive Western District Championship. Congratulations to coach McIntyre and the boys! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Congratulations to the girls’ track team on claiming Gainesville Middle School’s first ever Regional Championship for girls’ track. Excellent job girls, you made us proud on AND off the track. Go Hawks!!

Congratulations to the GVMS Art Department. We have four students whose artwork is featured in the Fall KLC Student Art Exhibit from October 3-December 8 in the atrium of the Edward L. Kelly Leadership Center.

Jessica Zhou – Zentangle-Countour Snail Laurel Phipps – Modigliani Self-Portrait

Samantha Sisemore – Zentangle City Scape Olivia Duong – Two Object Color Wheel

Ms. Macdonald’s 6th grade students who have their Picasso inspired clay sculptures on display at the KLC are: Danielle Serano Bremer, Briyana Hutchesoon, Maya Messick, Carlos Garcia, Aliana Ramos, Daniella Terrazas, Rowann Sirelkhatim, Bella Oviedo, Kirstyn Baker, Dasha Milligan. Ms. Macdonald’s 7th grade students who have their Graffiti Clay Cities on display at the KLC are: Layla French, Angie Daza, Diya Patel, Gracie O’Neal, Makiya Williams, Laura Omonte, Ahbi Thammineni, Samantha Sherwood.

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The Mistletoe Show is quickly approaching on November 18 so SAVE THE DATE! Please come out and support all our amazing crafters and tell your friends and family too! This will be a fun event for the kids because Santa is coming to town for a visit! More information to follow. We hope to see you there!

Our Believe Fundraiser kicked off in October and the PTO is proud to announce that we were only a few hundred dollars shy of our $20K sales goal! Student participation in this fundraiser was at an all-time high; it was a huge success for GVMS!! Way to go Hawks!

We wrapped up our first Box Tops contest for October! Be on the lookout for more monthly contests that will be announced and keep collecting your box tops! The PTO really appreciates your support!

Don’t forget to attend the PTO Spirit Nights if you are able to! This is a great way to support GVMS since a percentage of all sales from each Spirit Night comes back to GVMS. All funds raised will go towards putting new technology into the hands of your GVMS student! Thanks for your support!

Consider volunteering with

our wonderful PTO!!

Contact the PTO: GVMS.pto@gmail.com

Like the PTO on Facebook

www.facebook.com/GainesvilleMiddleSchoolPTO

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