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Dates to remember Friday, April 29 – The Grimm World Drama Club Performance, 7:00 pm, Big Gym

Saturday, April 30 – Solo & Ensemble, The Woodland School Saturday, April 30 – Junior-Senior Prom, 7:00-10:30 pm, Black Star Farms (tickets $35 per person in the office) Wednesday, May 4 – NHS Blood Drive, 2:00-5:00 pm, Small Parking Lot East of Big Gym Friday, May 6 – Key Club Benefit for Children with Hair Loss, 12:30-5:00 pm, Multi-Purpose Room Friday, May 6 – Rec Night, 1:00-5:00 pm (7th, 8th & 9th graders; registration forms due Wednesday, May 4)) Tuesday, May 10 – K-12 Science Culminating Event, 5:00-7:00 pm (watch for details!) Friday, May 13 – Art in the Park, 8:45 am- 12:15 pm Thursday, May 19 – Secondary Bands Spring Concert, 6:00 JH & 7:30 HS, Big Gym

GTA student excels at swim meet Congratulations to GTA junior Corbin Larrance, who

brought home four ribbons last week after his very first swim meet. One week after the YMCA season ended, Corbin started swimming with the Area 2 Special Olympics team, which included nearly 500

athletes from Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska and Leelanau Counties competing in 14 different sports. Corbin participated in four swimming events: the 100-yard freestyle, the 50-yard backstroke, the 25-yard butterfly and the relay. He finished first in all but the relay, in which his team took second. Corbin’s performance qualified him for the State Special Olympics Meet, scheduled for June 2-4 at Central Michigan University, where he is expected to do very well. Great job, Corbin, and good luck at CMU!

Science classes host guest speaker Last Thursday, students in Mr. Gorman’s and Mr.

Alderman’s design and modeling classes were treated to a special presentation by Elizabeth Egan, an educational consultant with the PlastiVan program, hosted by the Society of Plastics

Engineers. Ms. Egan discussed careers and continuing education in plastics-related fields and the responsible use of plastics and plastic recycling. The students especially enjoyed hands-on demonstrations on the creation of long-chain polymers, special-effects “slime” for movie use and super-absorbent polymers.

A Weekly Newsletter

for Grand Traverse Academy

Families

April 29, 2016

Volume 16

Issue 31

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Rec Night planned GTA 7th, 8th and 9th graders are invited to gather a group

of friends to participate in the annual Rec Night team competition, planned for next Friday, May 6 from 1:00-5:00 pm. Teams of six will compete in volleyball, basketball, dodge ball and capture the chicken. Teams should choose a captain, who is asked register the team as a whole in the Secondary office by the end of the school day on Wednesday, May 4. The admission fee of $3 per person ($18 for the team)

includes a small lunch from the grill. Concessions will also be available for purchase. If students have questions, they are encouraged to contact any freshman class officer.

Change announced for driver education Segment 1 driver education will be offered by All Star here at school in May. Classes will take place on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 3:40-5:40 pm during the weeks of May 9, 16 and 23. (This is a one-week delay and a substitution of Thursdays for Fridays from the originally scheduled dates). Students must have a parent’s permission and be at least 14 years, 8 months old by May 9 to be eligible. The cost for the 12-session course is $299.99 per person; register by phone at (800) 967-7719 or online at www.allstardrivereducation.com.

Students honored by Career-Tech Center Two Grand Traverse Academy students were selected

by the TBA Career-Tech Center as Students of the Quarter for the third quarter marking period. Richard Tarkowski (left)

participates in Web & Game Design Programming, and Noah Lints (right) is studying Electrical Occupations. Selection for this honor may be based on academic success, leadership, community service related to the program, work ethic, and/or improvement in either academic or work ethic. Congratulations!

Space available on battlefield trip There is still room for current 8th grade and high school students who did not attend last year’s trip to join the group this October as they revisit Stones River National Battlefield. This trip can qualify students to be rangers at the park in the spring! Interested students or their parents are encouraged to contact Mr. Coneset at conesetj@mygta.us. We will be collecting deposits in May and space is limited.

Band awards banquet held Secondary band students and their families enjoyed a

delicious potluck dinner and the sounds of the Bay Area Big Band

at their annual Awards Banquet last week. Highlights of the evening included the announcement of our two $250 band scholarship winners: seniors Grace Olson, who will play the bassoon in college next year, and Shelby Wasson, who will continue with private lessons on the clarinet. In addition, 94 band members earned varsity letters, including 36 first-year letters, 31 second-year pins, 15 third-year pins, and 12 fourth-year pins! As an added treat, the quartet of Grace Olson (bassoon), Zach Biehl (baritone saxophone) Christian Turner, (tenor saxophone) and Chad Farrell (alto saxophone) played “Mississippi Rag,” a selection they will perform at this weekend’s Solo & Ensemble competition. A big “thank you” goes to Shelby Wasson, who once again created a beautiful multi-media tribute to our graduating seniors. Lastly, Mrs. Floering announced that, thanks to all those who contributed their time, talents or monetary donations, last month’s Jazz ‘n’ Joes fundraiser concert/dinner grossed $7,006. Profits from this annual event go toward our annual scholarship awards and help purchase school-owned instruments.

M ay the 4 th Be with You! Secondary students may wear Stars Wars garb (full costume or a t-shirt with uniform pants) on

Wednesday, May 4 with a Student Council wrist band.

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Kindergarteners to present Old MacDonald GTA kindergarteners will present Old MacDonald Had a

Farm at their May concert. The 3:00 pm performances are scheduled as follows:

Frusti – Monday, May 23 Conrad – Tuesday, May 24

Rockwood – Wednesday, May 25 Nowak – Thursday, May 26

Children with Hair Loss Benefit next week If you have at least eight inches of hair you’d like to part with for a good cause, here’s a great opportunity: Grand Traverse Academy’s Key Club is hosting a haircutting event on Friday, May 6 from 12:30-5:00 pm in the Multi-Purpose Room. Several professional stylists will be on hand to do the trimming and hair donations will benefit Children with Hair Loss (CWHL), a Michigan-based organization that makes wigs and donates them to children with medically related hair loss. If you can’t donate hair, cash donations are also accepted and very helpful to the organization. Hair donations must be at least eight inches in length and must not be damaged by color treatment (although color treated and gray hair are both accepted, it must simply be in good condition).

Art in the Park coming soon! Mark your calendars for Art in the Park, our annual celebration of the arts, planned for Friday, May 13. Featured will be Upper Elementary band and music performances and Elementary and Secondary student artwork on display. Performances are scheduled as follows:

Upper Elementary Spring Concerts

8:45 am 9:30 am 10:15 am 11:15 am

Dix Smith

Zuiderveen

Bonner Schopieray

Vogtsberger Walton

Breimayer DeYoung

Lazar Mroczkowski

After-School Accelerated

Band & Elementary

Choir

Elementary band instrument fittings/rental information This year, band instrument fittings and rentals will take place before school is out for the summer instead of when school resumes in the fall. Students who will be in the 5th or 6th grade in 2016-17 will attend an instrument fitting with representatives from Marshall Music on Friday, June 3, from 9:00-11:00 am. Then on Monday, June 6, from 5:00-6:00 pm, parents of students who wish to join the band will attend an instrument rental meeting in the Big Gym that outlines payment options. Please note that instruments that are purchased or rented will be available for pick-up in Mrs. Lashbrook’s’ classroom on September 1 during back-to-school open house hours.

Don’t miss “The Grimm World” tonight The GTA Drama Club is gearing up for its production of

The Grimm World, by Adam Neubauer & Samantha Levenshus tonight, Friday, April 29 at 7:00 pm in the Big Gym. Tickets are available at the door for $5 per person,

with no charge for students age 12 and under.

Summer Quality Care offered Quality Care will be available to GTA families this summer, with a mix of guided activities and free play for children ages three through the 6th grade. Hours are 7:00 am-6:00 pm Monday-Friday, and full- and half-day options and a flexible weekly schedule are available. If you are interested in Summer Quality Care, please return the registration materials (attached), along with the required fee, to the Elementary office no later than Monday, May 16 so that we may plan for staffing. Questions may be directed to Cathy Marrow at marrowc@mygta.us or 932-6901.

Connections is published on Fridays throughout the school year. If you have information for the

newsletter, please send it to Kathy Farrell at farrellk@mygta.us by Wednesday

for that week’s edition.

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TBACU Box Tops Challenge update Grand Traverse Academy is one of 12 area schools

which entered the TBA Credit Union Box Tops Challenge. Credit Union customers are dropping off their Box Tops for Education coupons, which will be awarded to the school that receives

the most “likes” on the TBACU Facebook page by September 30. We are still in first place, but not by a lot! If you haven’t already done so, visit the TBACU Facebook page and “like” Grand Traverse Academy. Feel free to encourage your Facebook friends to do the same – with your help, we can win the challenge and all the Box Tops that TBACU collects!

Secondary spring testing continues

Parents and students will want to be aware of the following testing dates and reminders for Secondary students: Week of May 2 NWEA, grades 7-10:

Monday, May 2 – English Language Arts Makeup Tuesday, May 3 – Math Makeup

May 5 NMC Spanish Placement Testing, 5th Hour, Onyx 1

(Students who qualify, and their parents, should have received an email with more information. If you did not, but your child would like to be considered, contact Sra. Nelson or Mrs. Patrzik.)

May 10 & 11

M-Step, 7th grade

Register now for TBA Cool Tech Camp The TBAISD Career-Tech Center has announced the course lineup for its annual summer Cool Tech Camp, open to students currently in the 5th, 6th and 7th grades. The $40 registration fee includes a t-shirt, supplies, snacks and lunch on the last day. Classes include French Pastry School, Amazing Cartoons, Electric Jungle and more! Registration forms with details are available in both offices, and the deadline is Friday, May 20.

Mustang roundup

The following spring sports are offered to Secondary students at Grand Traverse Academy. Our Mustang athletes love to have fans to cheer them on at events – click on the name of the sport for the event calendar if you’re interested in attending a game or meet. JH Track & Field HS Track & Field MS Softball* HS Softball MS Tennis* JV/V Tennis* MS Baseball* JV/V Baseball* *Sponsored by Traverse City Christian School

Ongoing events Secondary Pizza Sales – Tuesdays ($1.50 per slice from BC Pizza) High School Taco Sales – Thursdays ($1.50 each from the Taco House) Bagel Sales – Wednesdays, 7:45-8:15 am Junction of Elementary & Secondary Wings ($1.00-1.50 each) National Honor Society – Every Other Wednesday, 7:40-8:05 am, Gold 4 Key Club Meetings – Every Other Thursday, 7:40-8:05 am, Silver 3 National Junior Honor Society – Second & Fourth Wednesdays of the Month, 7:40-8:05 am, Silver 2 Student-Run Credit Union – May 13, 8:00-8:30 am, Staff Gathering Room School Tools – Every Tuesday & Thursday, 8:00-8:25 am, Purple 3

Grand Traverse Academy Quality Care Summer 2016 Registration

(please complete a separate form for each child)

Child’s Name _____________________________________________________ Grade (Age 3 – Gr. 6 only) ______ Parent’s Name _______________________________________________________________________________ Street Address________________________________________________________________________________ City ______________________________________________ State __________ ZIP Code ___________________ Home/Cell Phone ______________________________ Work Phone ____________________________________ GTA summer Quality Care will be offered to currently enrolled GTA students - ages 3 through 6th grade. Summer Quality Care will run weekly beginning 6/13/16 through 8/20/16 and will be closed the week of 7/4/16. Quality Care will operate Monday - Friday, 7:00am - 6:00pm. A non-refundable deposit (which will be applied to the first week fees) is due by 5/16/16.

Rates are as follows:

Weekly: Part time:

$190 / 1 child Daily rate - $40/per day/per child

$300 / 2 children ½ Day rate - $25/per ½ day/per child

$400 / 3 children

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Hours of Care Ex: 7am – 4:30pm

Registration Fees and Billing There is a registration fee of $100 per child which is due by 5/16/16. This non-refundable deposit will be applied to the first week’s fees. Checks should be made payable to Grand Traverse Academy. Advance payments must be received by the Wednesday of each preceding week. If children are not picked up by 6:00 pm, parents will be assessed a fee of $5 for every additional 5 minutes. Please keep your account up to date. We reserve the right to request the withdrawal of any child from Quality Care due to outstanding fees owed to Grand Traverse Academy Quality Care.

Thank you for choosing Grand Traverse Academy's Quality Care program. We look forward to serving you and your family!

Quality Care/Preschool Information Forms

Grand Traverse Academy Quality Care agrees to provide child care services for the following named children:

Child’s Name: ______________________________ Date of Birth: ______________ Grade: __________ Food Agreement: I understand GTAQC does not provide any lunches or snacks for my child (occasionally a special snack may be offered to my child). I have listed below any food allergies my child has. I agree to provide my child with nutritious snacks and lunches, sufficient for the amount of time he/she is in care, on a daily basis (refrigeration and microwaves are not available in Quality Care). Any Food Allergies? If so please list: ___________________________________________ Physical Health/Immunizations: Parental Acknowledgement of School Age Programs. This acknowledges that my child who attends GTAQC, a school age program licensed by the Division of Child Day Care Licensing, is in good health and his/her immunizations are current. Further, any health restrictions, allergies, medications taken by the child, or any other needs are noted below. Any Health Concerns? If so please list: _____________________________________________ Child Placement Contract: This contract is required of all licensed child care centers. The Michigan Department of Consumer and Industry Services is required to inspect the child care center and enforce the contract based on the terms provided in this contract. A center shall implement a program plan which includes daily learning experiences appropriate to the developmental level of the children. Experiences shall be designed to develop all of the following: (a) Physical development. (b) Social development. (c) Emotional development. (d) Cognitive development. The program shall be planned to provide a flexible balance of all of the following experiences: (a) Quiet and active. (b) Individual and groups. (c) Large and small muscle. (d) Child-initiated and staff-initiated. Developmentally appropriate experiences shall be designed so that, throughout the day, each child has opportunities to do all of the following:

(a) Feel successful and feel good about him or herself and develop independence. (b) Practice social interaction skills. (c) Use materials and take part in activities which encourage creativity. (d) Learn new ideas and skills. (e) Participate in imaginative play. (f) Participate in developmentally appropriate language and literacy experiences. (g) Participate in early math and science experiences. (h) Be physically active. A school-age program shall supplement the areas of development not regularly provided for during the school day. A typical daily routine shall be posted in a place visible to parents. Parents may pick up their children at any time and visit the center. A center with children more than 5 hours, and weather permitting, will have outdoor play. At a center with children more than 5 hours, children will have the opportunity to rest. Grand Traverse Academy requires a criminal history check on its employees and requires a criminal history check on its volunteers. The licensing notebook is on the premises, which includes all licensing inspection and special investigation reports and related corrective action plans since May 28, 2010, and a summary sheet outlining the documents contained in the notebook. The notebook shall be made available to parents and prospective parents at all times during the center’s normal hours of operation. More information is available www.michigan.gov/michildcare. Discipline Policy: Our philosophy of discipline is to resolve each conflict by talking it out. GTA QC follows all GTA Discipline Policies. All students at GTA learn to make appropriate choices, and to “do the right thing because it is the right thing to do”. When needed, our staff will redirect children to a different choice. At our school we do not exclude children from outdoor activities or learning circle. Outside at recess, children may be asked to stand by the teacher for redirection and/or connections. At learning circle/centers if children are asked to “take a break” they are at the table still participating in the activities. Children need to be able to adjust to a group day care setting to be in Quality Care and/or Preschool. Children must be independent in the bathroom, able to transition from their teacher’s classroom to the QC classroom, and proper indoor and outdoor behavior. Dismissal from the program will be used if needed. Upon signing this agreement, the parent, legal guardian, or responsible adult agrees to keep accounts current by keeping up to date on their child care charges. Students will not be able to attend if payments are not kept current. The parents and the child care facility agree to abide by all of the provisions contained in this contract. Parent Signature: _________________________________ Printed Name: ____________________________________ Relationship to Child: ______________________________ Name of Facility: Grand Traverse Academy Quality Care

CHILD INFORMATION RECORDState of Michigan Department of Human Services - Bureau of Children and Adult Licensing

Instructions: Unless otherwise indicated, all requested information must be provided. If the information is not known or does not apply, “unknown” or “none” is the required response. A blank fi eld, a line through a fi eld or “N/A” are not acceptable responses.

For Provider Use Only:

Date of Admission Date of Discharge

Name of Child (Last, First, Middle Initial) Child’s Date of Birth

Address (Number and Street, Building/Apartment Number) City State Zip Code

Father/Legal Guardian’s Name Home Phone( )

Mother/Legal Guardian’s Name Home Phone( )

Home Address (if not child’s address) Cell Phone( )

Home Address (if not child’s address) Cell Phone( )

City State Zip Code City State Zip Code

Email Address (optional) Email Address (optional)

Employer Name Work Phone( )

Employer Name Work Phone( )

Name of Child’s Physician or Health Clinic Physician’s or Health Clinic’s Phone Number( )

Hospital Preferred for Emergency Treatment (optional)

Allergies, Special Needs and Special Instructions (Attach additional sheets, if necessary.)

BCAL-3731 (Rev. 7-12) Previous editions 9-09, 3-08, 10-07, & 1-06 may be used until 12/31/13. See Reverse Side

Emergency Contact & Release of Child: List all individuals,including parents/legal guardians, in order of preference, to be contacted in an emergency. If possible, include at least one person other than the parents/legal guardians to be contacted in an emergency and to whom the child can be released. The second phone number column can be left blank. (If more individuals, attach additional sheets.)

1. ( ) ( )

2. ( ) ( )

3. ( ) ( )

Release of Child Only: List all individuals, other than the parents/legal guardians, to whom the child may be released. (If more individuals, attach additional sheets.)

1. ( ) 2. ( )

3. ( ) 4. ( )

I give permission to , licensed by the Department of Human Services (Provider’s Name)

to secure emergency medical and/or emergency surgical treatment for the above named minor child while in care.Signature of Parent or Guardian Date Signed

Date Card Reviewed

Parent or Legal Guardian Initials

Date Card Reviewed

Parent or Legal Guardian Initials

Date Card Reviewed

Parent or Legal Guardian Initials

Date Card Reviewed

Parent or Legal Guardian Initials

Department of Human Services (DHS) will not discriminate against any individual or group because of race, religion, age, national origin, color, height, weight, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, political beliefs or disability. If you need help with reading, writing, hearing, etc., under the Americans with Disabilities Act, you are invited to make your needs known to a DHS offi ce in your area.

AUTHORITY: 1973 PA 116COMPLETION: RequiredPENALTY: Rule Violation Citation.

BCAL-3731 (Rev. 7-12) Previous editions 9-09,3-08, 10-07, & 1-06 may be used until 12/31/13.