As we come to the end of this most unusual school year, GMS wants to wish our students and families a restful, safe summer vacation. Thank you for all of your hard work during eLearning, and we look forward to seeing you again! If you haven't already seen the video greeting from GMS teachers and staff, be sure to click on the link below.

Starting on May 26th, GMS students will need to come to school to pick up any belongings they left in lockers. Students should also plan to turn school laptops and chargers, library books, and school owned instruments.

Students will not be allowed in the building. Tables will be set up outside for curbside drop off and pick up. We will have the contents of their assigned locker ready for pick up. Students can also request personally owned instruments and items from PE lockers to be brought out to them.

Please arrange for your student to come on the assigned day for his/her grade level. Goshen International (IB) Students come to the main entrance. New Tech Students come to the South entrance, Door E

8thGrade:Tuesday, May 26th, 10:00am – 5:00pm

7thGrade:Wednesday, May 27th, 10:00am – 5:00pm

6thGrade:Thursday, May 28th, 10:00am – 5:00pm

If your 6th or 7th grade Goshen Middle School student was identified as a summer school candidate, you were sent an invitation to participate in our eLearning summer school program either in an automated message through Skyward or through regular mail. GMS summer school dates are June 1-18, Monday through Thursday for two hours each day. If you would like your student to participate in summer school this year to progress in math and English Language Arts skill development and did not receive an invitation, or you would like more information regarding GMS summer school, please send an email to gmssummerschool@goshenschools.org.

If you need a refund for the music department's Cedar Point trip, the forms are on the GCS website (https://www.goshenschools.org). These forms need to be complete with receipt, check copy, or affidavit form.

All forms must be submitted by June 1, 2020.

Did you know you can check to make sure your student is completing their eLearning work on a weekly basis? Teachers are entering a weekly Learner Behavior grade in Skyward to communicate how well students are completing work for their classes.

6th grade—there will be a comment attached to the Trimester 3 Learner Behavior grade to explain how much work the student is completing in the class.

7th and 8th grade—teachers are entering a grade to represent how much work the student is completing in the class (see the key below for what each letter grade represents).

A - Student is keeping up with most work assigned.

B - Student is keeping up with some work assigned.

C - Student has a number of missing assignments.

D - Student has little work turned in.

F - Student is deliberately choosing not to do the assignments.

GMS 7th Graders have the opportunity to sign up to go on the Washington, D.C. trip next year as 8th graders. Click on the link below for more information. Save $75 if you register before May 28th! If you have questions about the trip, contact Ms. Shepherd at kshepherd@goshenschools.org or Mrs. Wiese at swiese@goshenschools.org.

The GCS Administration Office will be temporarily housed at Goshen High School due to roof repair at central office. Central Office Hours are:

May 18 through June 5, Monday-Friday, 7:30-4:30, at GHS (closed 5/25 for Memorial Day)

June 8-July 23, Monday-Thursday, 7-5, at GHS (except week of July 4th, 7:30-4:30) Closed on Fridays during this time.

The plan is for the administration office to be back in their own building starting on July 27th. Watch for announcements on social media in case of delay.

It's never too early to start thinking about postsecondary options for your child. Current 7th and 8th grade students can apply for an income-eligible scholarship available to students graduating from an Indiana high school and who attend an accredited institution of higher learning in the state of Indiana. You can learn more about the Twenty-First Century Scholars program and eligibility requirements here. Don't miss the June 30th deadline! If you need assistance completing the application, please email Mrs. Padilla at vpadilla@goshenschools.org.

One of the best things you can encourage your child to do to maintain skills during this time out of school is to read every day.

All GCS students have access to a digital library through OverDrive via Sora for schools. If students access it through the website (https://soraapp.com) or via the Sora App, they can add the Goshen Public Library OverDrive collection to their school Sora account and search both at the same time. Students log in with their standard username (first part of their student e-mail address) and student password. OverDrive has added 244 titles to our collection with unlimited access for FREE during this period of unexpected school closure.

In addition, many other companies, like Audible, are offering additional free reading resources! The Audible site can be accessed at https://stories.audible.com/start-listen.

Email Mrs. Miller, GMS Media Specialist, if you have questions about these resources or need help getting started. Mrs. Miller's email address is msmiller@goshenschools.org.

GMS staff have been staying connected and having some online fun by sharing our own high school senior pictures with one another (some more recent than others!). Here are the names to go with the photos that were included in last month's newsletter!

Email: lherschberger@goshenschools.org
Website: https://gms.goshenschools.org
Location: 1216 S. Indiana Avenue, Goshen, IN 46526
Phone: (574)533-0391
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goshen.middle.school/
Twitter: @GoshenMiddleSch