East Weekly

Oct. 20, 2025: Staff Work Day - No School for students

We had a fantastic end to the day today celebrating our amazing athletes, students involved in clubs and our Houses! Today's assembly assembly was full of school spirit as we cheered on Rêveur for winning the House Cup for Quarter 1 and also earning the Spirit Stick for their enthusiasm and energy this afternoon.

As a reward, Rêveur students will enjoy free Kona Ice on October 24, 2025! Don’t worry—all students will have the opportunity to purchase Kona Ice that day. Families can send in $5 or pre-order using the link below.

We also took time to recognize our House Point winners of the quarter—see their names listed below!

In the coming weeks, I’ll meet with students for a Quarter Reset Meeting to celebrate our successes and review the expectations that help keep our school positive and focused.

Looking forward to an even stronger Quarter 2—thank you for your ongoing partnership and support!

Take care,
Megan Kirsten

Dear Families,

We cordially invite you to participate in our annual Veterans Day Program at Middle School East on November 11th from 9:35 AM to 10:35 AM. This special event honors the brave men and women who have served our country.

Our students will share their heartfelt reflections through inspiring speeches, and our color guard will present a moving tribute.

Please RSVP using the following link for your veteran to be honored: https://forms.gle/Zp6p5isonvESaDwS8

If you are unable to attend with your veteran, we kindly ask that you share information about a veteran you would like to honor through the same link.

If you RSVP yes to attending the event in person with your veteran, you will receive an email with information to share with your veteran attending.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Amy Hilbert

Assistant Principal

Gahanna Middle School East

We are excited to announce that GMSE will host a Clothing Swap for middle school students on November 5th at 6:30 p.m. This is a free swap event where students can bring gently used items they no longer need and swap them for “new-to-you” clothes. Please see the FAQ

The swap is just for middle schoolers and is a fun way to refresh wardrobes while promoting reuse and sustainability. There is no cost to participate, but advance registration is required.

👉 CLICK for more information and to REGISTER

We hope you’ll encourage your student to join us!

Current Gahanna 7th graders are invited to attend Western Field Studies annual field trip to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. The trip will depart on June 3, 2026 and return on June 10, 2026. The link below has information about the trip and the evening parent meetings you can attend to get more specific information. This is not a school sponsored trip, however it is chaperoned by current and retired Gahanna teachers.

Western Adventure Information

Meetings

Tuesday, October 28th @ GMSSouth in Library from 7:00 – 7:50 p.m.

Wednesday, October 29th @ GMSEast in Library from 7:00 – 7:50 p.m.

The spiritwear store is live and will be open until October 31st. If store pickup is selected, you are given the option to have it delivered to East. Items will be delivered to the school approximately three weeks after the store closes.

Oct 20 - Nov 10: Panorama survey was pushed back in order to allow families optimal time to see the district communication that was shared on Oct 9. Your student will be taking the Panorama survey during Social Studies, within the time frame above. Teachers have been notified if you have opted your child out of Panorama.

October 20: Staff Work Day-- NO SCHOOL

October 20: Five Guys PTA Fundraiser Night 4-10pm (flyer coming soon!) Five Guys also has a Raise Right eGift card option to pay with to earn individually too!

October 21 & October 22: Ski Club Parent Meeting * please attend one meeting!

October 24: KONA ICE @ school during lunch/recess blocks

October 28: District 9th Grade Band - 7:30 p.m. @GLHS

November 5: Clothing Swap (see flyer) 6:30pm

November 5: Winter sports meeting (see info in athletics section)

To participate, students must be registered in FinalForms with an up-to-date physical on file. All forms must be completed and signed by both the parent/guardian and the student-athlete!

Remember: To participate, students must be registered in FinalForms (https://gahanna-oh.finalforms.com/) with an up-to-date physical on file. All forms must be completed and signed by both the parent/guardian and the student-athlete! Please reach out to Karen Smith (MS Athletic Dept Secretary) or Phil Dorn (Athletic Director) with any questions

ELA: Students are gearing up to start a unit in ELA called Recipe for Success. Please take a look at this document to learn more about the unit’s focus and texts to be used.

Science: Congrats! We are so glad to share that your student has completed Q1 of 8th grade science! We have been learning a lot and we as a team are so proud of them. We are currently wrapping up our genetics unit. We have been working on our Super Hero Project for over a month so we are very excited to be sharing our final exhibits on Tuesday Oct 21st. Ask your student about their genetics project, they are very creative!

Please be aware that this large project will be the first grade in Q2 for science and the science team will not accept any projects (even for partial credit) after Friday October 24th. This decision is due to the fact that we have worked on it for over a month and students were given deadlines to complete specific components of the project.

The PTA Hospitality Committee is seeking new members! We are a fun group that focuses on sprinkling extra TLC to the staff at GMSE. Some of the things we do are: conference meals, donut surprises, cookies and cocoa, a big school supply refresh, and teacher appreciation week- just to name a few!

If this sounds like fun to you, we would love to have you!

Please contact Michelle Zugaro 614.327.9676.

11/10/25 @ 7pm-- virtual

12/8/25 @ 7pm

1/12/26 @ 7pm

2/9/26 @ 7pm

3/9/26 @ 7pm

4/13/26 @ 7pm

5/11/26 @ 7pm

We want our staff to be happy and enjoy coming to work every day. Below are just some of the ways that you can celebrate and recognize our amazing staff at East!

• PTA/Families spoil us!- Click here to join PTA!
• Student and/or family shout outs- Click here if you want to send a shoutout to a staff member!
• Heart and Pride Award- The Heart and Pride Award recognizes two outstanding staff members each month who make a profound impact on our students and Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools. The Heart & Pride Nomination Form will remain available year-round and is open to any member of our staff, regardless of position.

We’re always looking for ways to connect classroom learning to the real world or allow students to explore the future—and we’d love your help! If you're open to sharing your job title and a brief description of what you do, we’d love to learn more. We’re gathering a list of parents and guardians who might be interested in speaking to students about their careers, allowing students to shadow for a day, or participating in a future career fair.

If this sounds like something you'd consider, please take a moment to fill out this quick google form. Thank you for helping our students dream big!

Oct. 20, 2025: Staff Work Day - No School

Nov. 10, 2025: PD Day - No School
Nov. 26-28, 2025: Thanksgiving Break - No School
Dec. 22, 2025-Jan. 1, 2026: Winter Break - No School
Jan. 2, 2026: Staff Work Day - No School
*Jan. 5-8, 2026: High School Schedule Altered for New Building Opening
Jan. 19, 2026: Martin Luther King Day - No School
Feb. 13, 2026: PD Day - No School
Feb. 16, 2026: Presidents Day - No School
Mar. 9, 2026: Staff Work Day - No School
Mar. 20, 2026: Conference Comp Day - No School
Mar. 30-April 3, 2026: Spring Break- No School
May 1, 2026: PD Day - No School
May 22, 2026: Last Day of School for Students
May 23, 2026: Class of 2026 Commencement