Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
The happenings of GMS and Team Odysseus for the month of October. Find teacher information and classroom updates in this issue
Citation preview
The Principal’s Page “Falling” into an amazing school year!
The Media Center is Overflowing with New Books!
The Media Center kicked off the year with a bang as 2,000 new books totaling over $36,000 were delivered! Students are enjoying all the new fiction and non-fiction titles. Upcoming events for the Media Center are Fright To Read Week October 24-28 and a Scholastic Book Fair October 31- November 4th.
All Reading teachers will be awarding free book gift cer-tificates to 2 of their students and other book fair gift certifi-cates and prizes will be awarded throughout Fright To Read Week. Students, put on your thinking caps and try to guess how many books are in the Library Media center’s
Wh
ere
ev
ery
bo
dy
can
be
so
me
bo
dy!
GA
RF
IE
LD
MI
DD
LE
SC
HO
OL
TEAM ODYSSEUS Newsletter
2011
Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s),
At Garfield, we are instituting a number of different changes in how we provide support for students. Your child’s advisor will be regularly monitoring progress throughout the year as well as focusing 8th period advisory instruction on organization, character educa-tion, civic responsibility and academic goals. With the first quarter halfway through, I would encourage you to have a check in with your child to review their academic pro-gress to date. While you can access our online grade book, Progress Book, the best way to communicate with teachers is to call, email or contact us personally. If you would like to know more about Progress Book or find out how to access this amazing tool please contact our office.
A few housekeeping items we could use your help with:
All students should have turned in a pink Emergency Medical Form to our office. To help us communicate with you, especially in the need of an emergency, it is crucial that we have these forms turned into the office.
We have done extremely well in getting in applications this year for qualified free and reduced lunch. We still have a number of students who qualified for free or reduced lunch last year and have yet to turn in an application for this year. All students must turn in an application each year and be accepted prior to the application being effective. After the 30 day carryover grace period (which expires September 29) students will be expected to pay for their lunches.
Please make sure your child is in school every day on time. To foster communication, if your child is sick please send a note, phone call or email when your child returns. If you must pick up a student from school, you MUST present an ID to Mrs. Bowman in our office to verify the information on the Emergency Medical Form. We do this to ensure safety, not to create an annoyance. We appreciate your cooperation in maintaining secu-rity.
Middle School is a time of personal growth and development for both the students and their parents/guardians. The increased workload and social adjustments can present an opportunity for positive growth or self-defeating choices. In middle school, the course-work is generally more difficult and there is more homework than students have had in the past. Students are expected to be more independent, focused and accountable. Stu-dents are faced with new relationships and changing dimensions of old relationships, and they start to use their new degree of independence to set patterns for how they will live their lives. Each student's level of success will be determined by the partnership of all of us working together as a team (student, staff and parents) to help our students make the right choices that will enable them to succeed in the years to come. We look forward to a wonderful school year together! If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to our staff or stop by the office. We welcome any comment or sugges-tions you might have to help improve the quality of education at Garfield Middle School.
Douglas J. Leist
Principal
collection. The winner will re-ceive a $25 book fair gift certifi-cate! Students will submit their guesses during their bi-weekly visit with their reading classes beginning October 17th. Remem-ber: “Read everyday…Lead a bet-ter life!”
–Ms. Neel, Media Specialist
Attendance
“Please call directly at 887-5041 for any absences. Let’s work on getting to school on time!”
Mr. Estridge ~
Head Custodian
“Work with me to keep our school looking good.”
Mrs. Lehman ~ Secretary
“Great start to the school year!”
Mrs. Bowman ~ Front Desk “Get those forms
turned in!”
Mr. Bowling ~
Paraprofessional
“Get to class on time! Way too many tardy students.”
Mrs. Burkhardt ~ Records
“Keep your contact info updated.”
Page 2
From the Office...
W HER E EV ERY B ODY CA N B E SOM EB ODY!
Students can earn GRRROWL cards for demonstrating
Discipline Policy
Students will receive a violation for lack of:
1 ~ Respect
2 ~ Responsibility
3 ~ Being Prepared
4 ~ Courtesy
5 ~ Pride
And for the following behavior:
6 ~ Horseplay
7 ~ Inappropriate Language
8 ~ Tardy to Class
9 ~ Other
3 violations = Detention + a call home
Team Odysseus detentions are served after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays @ 3:05 ~ 3:35p.m.
Skipped detentions will result in an extended detention served on Tuesday or Thursday from 3:00 ~ 5:00 p.m. with the grade level ad-ministrator.
BUILDING SELF-ESTEEM
Children need to hear these messages:
You are loved. You are secure. You are you. You matter. You are growing up.
Choose words that encourage children
Mrs. Morris
8th grade counselor
Words That Encourage
• Knowing you, I'm sure you will do fine.
• You can do it if you try.
• I have faith in you.
• You're doing great.
• I can see you put a lot of effort into that.
• You'll figure it out because you can.
• That was a good try. Don't worry about the mis-take.
• That's a challenge, but I'm sure you'll do fine.
Words That Discourage
• Knowing you, I think you should do more.
• You usually make mistakes, so be careful.
• I doubt that you can do it.
• Can’t you do better than that?
• That wasn’t good enough. Do it again.
• If you can't do it right, don't do it at all.
• That looks too difficult for you to try.
Odysseus is the hero of The Odyssey, the epic poem by the ancient Greek poet, Homer. The Odyssey tells of Odysseus's 10-year struggle to return from the Trojan War to his home in Ithaca. Odysseus is a warrior at Troy and he came up with the idea of the trojan Horse to defeat the Trojans. Odysseus is cunning and resourceful, but also filled with his share of pride and human failings.On his travels he survives encounters with many creatures and is both helped and punished by the Greek gods and godesses including Zeus, Athena, and Poseidon. After 20 years away (10 for the war and 10 for the trip back) he returns to his wife Penelope and son Telemachus and kills the greedy men who have tried to take Odysseus's kingdom. Odysseus was a hero, but one with both strengths and weaknesses: he was intelli-gent, brave, resourceful, and a good leader. At the same time he was also deceitful, cun-ning, arrogant, and ungrateful. He was a human being like us.
Hey Mr. Maraschiello! Who IS Odysseus?
T E AM ODYSS EUS NEWS LE TT ER
Name Subject Rm. # Room phone ext. Email address
Tim Reed Gym Gym 3162 [email protected]
Alyssa Miller Science 207 3145 [email protected]
Kristin Anderson Music 139 3154 [email protected]
Amy Kelley English/Reading 224 3108 [email protected]
Rich Haver Math 226 3115 [email protected]
Chris Maraschiello History 227 3106 [email protected]
Susan McIntosh English./Reading 228 3139 [email protected]
Paul Dixon Band 132 3159 [email protected]
London Saraceno ESL 222A 3103 [email protected]
Shannon Frey Art 154 3148 [email protected]
Bob Borden Orchestra 149 3135 [email protected]
Page 3
We are here for you...
First Quarter Incentive
Magic Show!!
JOIN TRI-GARFIELD TODAY!
Tri-Garfield is our PTO (Parent Teacher Organization) that works to make Garfield Middle School the best it can be! Meetings are held the last Tuesday of each month from 4 –5 pm in the Media Center. Everyone is welcome!
To become a member of Tri-Garfield, complete a registration form (these can be obtained from the office) and turn it, along with $5, in to the office.
Officers for Tri Garfield are: Susan McIntosh-President, Faye Stewart-Treasurer, Doug Leist-Principal, Lindsay Cash-Athletic Director. These make up the execu-tive board.
This year Tri-Garfield will be working on a variety of projects. They will be helping to fund the incentives for student success. They are in charge of working the conces-sion stand at sporting events and dances. They are collecting box tops to help purchase items for Garfield. They are also selling spirit wear for a fund raiser.
Tri-Garfield hopes you will be able to help out in some way. See you at the meetings!
Requirements:
NO D’s or F’s in any class
NO Tuesday or Thursday afterschool detentions
NO OSS or ISS
NO more than 3 unexcused absences
Tri-Garfield Meeting Dates
10/25
11/29
1/30
3/27
4/24
5/29 *No meeting in December or
February
Meeting are held in the Media Center
from
4-5pm
6th ~ School Pictures
11th ~ Conferences 3:30 to 6:30
20th ~ Conferences 3:30 to 6:30
25th ~ Tri-Garfield Meeting 4—5 p.m.
28th ~ Halloween Dance
Magic with a Mission
Starring Michael Principato
