GMS Family Newsletter

Welcome back from Fall Break! We hope everyone enjoyed a relaxing and refreshing break and had the opportunity to spend time with family and friends. As we begin the second quarter, we are excited to welcome our students and staff back and continue building on the progress made during the first nine weeks.

The second quarter brings new opportunities for our students to grow academically, strengthen relationships, and continue developing positive habits that contribute to their success. We encourage our students to return with a renewed focus, ready to work hard, stay engaged, and make the most of each day.

We are looking forward to a great second quarter and all that lies ahead at GMS!

#BuiltInTheMiddle!,

Dr. Rachel Adams, Principal
Mr. Bryan Everhart, Assistant Principal
Mrs. Nancy Philbeck, Assistant Principal

Monday, October 19

• GCS Professional Learning Day (Safety Blitz) - No Students

Tuesday, October 20

Wednesday, October 21

Thursday, October 22

• GMS NJHS Induction Ceremony - 6pm - NPAC
• 6th Grade Field Trip - Myers Pumpkin Patch

Friday, October 23

• STEM Alliance @ Hal Henard Elementary
• Friday Night Lights - GHS @ Grainger - 7:30pm

We hope our Greene Devils had a wonderful Fall Break! As we prepare to return this week, please take note of our schedule!

Monday, October 19: Professional Learning Day for staff. There will be no school for students. Our school office will also be closed on Monday, as all GMS staff members will be participating in an important district-wide safety training.

Tuesday, October 20: Students return to school, and our school office will reopen!

We look forward to welcoming our Greene Devils back for a great week!

At GMS, our Core Academic classes rotate each quarter to give every student an equal opportunity to learn at their best time of day. This rotation ensures fairness, variety, and a fresh start every nine weeks while keeping the same teachers and schedule order.

For example, if your Core Academic schedule was ELA, Math, Science, and Social Studies in Quarter 1, it will be Social Studies, ELA, Math, and Science in Quarter 3. This helps balance learning time for all students and keeps the day feeling new and engaging!

Students will also begin two new Related Arts classes for Quarter 2. They can check their updated schedules in PowerSchool and will have time to review them during homeroom on Tuesday morning.

As we return from Fall Break, we’re excited to reflect on some of the great things happening at GMS! Before the break, our students showed their school spirit through dress-up days, stepped into leadership roles by delivering our daily announcements, and demonstrated their strength, endurance, and determination while participating in the National Physical Fitness Test. These opportunities highlight the many ways our students are learning, leading, and growing beyond the classroom. We look forward to carrying this momentum into the weeks ahead as we continue to build something special in the middle!

We are excited to announce that Anna Burge has been selected as our 2026–2027 Greeneville Middle School Teacher of the Year!

Anna is an outstanding educator who demonstrates a commitment to student success each and every day. Her passion for teaching, dedication to meeting the needs of all learners, and willingness to support her colleagues make her such a valuable part of our GMS family. She leads by example and continually works to make a positive difference for both students and staff. We are so proud to have her represent GMS! Please join us in celebrating Anna and congratulating her on this well-deserved recognition!

Visit the GMS Athletics page on our school website for the most up-to-date athletic information. You'll find team contacts, required athletic forms, schedules, physical information, and other important announcements. We encourage families to check the page regularly throughout the school year for updates.

GMS Athletics: https://gms.gcschools.net/o/gms/page/athletics

1 ADULT – GENERAL ADMISSION TO ALL HOME GMS SPORTING EVENTS. THE PASS DOES NOT INCLUDE OFF-SITE SPORTING EVENTS OR TOURNAMENTS.

All purchased passes may be picked up from the GMS Main Office.

The Greeneville Police Department has notified us that keeping East Vann Road clear and traffic moving is essential for safety. Please keep the following in mind when arriving for afternoon pick-up:

• Vehicles may not stop or wait in the roadway along East Vann Road while attempting to turn right onto campus. The Greeneville Police Department has advised that vehicles stopping in the traffic lane and impeding the flow of traffic may be ticketed.

• If the car line is backed up to East Vann Road, please do not stop in the roadway. Instead, drive past the school and enter the turn lane from the Hal Henard direction, or drive around and return a few moments later once the line has moved.

• When entering campus, please consider alternating turns with vehicles coming from the opposite direction. Allowing one car at a time from each direction to enter keeps the pace even and helps traffic continue to flow. Allowing three or four vehicles to turn across at once can quickly back up traffic on East Vann Road and can also block vehicles trying to exit our car line.

• The CarRiderPro tag reader turns on at 2:00 p.m. Vehicles may not line up or wait at the sensor before 2:00 p.m. This allows us to maintain access to the back parking lot for as long as possible.

Pro Tip: If your schedule allows, consider arriving around 2:55 p.m. The car line is typically much shorter and moves quickly by that time.

Thank you for helping us keep East Vann Road clear, maintain safe traffic flow, and keep our campus entrances accessible.

Morning car drop-off begins at 7:00 a.m., when staff members come outside to begin welcoming students. A few reminders will help us keep morning arrival safe and efficient:

• Please use both lanes of the car line.
• We use the entire drop-off lane, from the green sign below the awning to the trees at the back of the lot. Pull all the way forward and stay close to the car in front of you. Please do not wait to stop/drop off at the end of the awning.
• Once you have passed the trees and traffic comes to a stop, please have your student exit the vehicle. Using the full drop-off area allows more students to exit at the same time, helping us keep traffic moving while maintaining a safe and orderly arrival.
• Students exiting from vehicles in the outside lane should wait for an adult to signal that it is safe before crossing the inside lane.
• Pro-Tip: Plan to drop-off between 7:06-7:16.

A few things make a big difference in keeping our afternoon line moving:

• Have your car tag with you. If you do not have a car tag, you will need to park in the front lot, come inside, show your ID, and sign-out your student.
• The CarRiderPro tag reader turns on at 2:00 p.m. Vehicles may not line up or wait at the sensor before 2:00.
• Use both lanes of the car line. This helps us move more vehicles through the loading area at one time.
• Pull up close to the car in front of you. Maximizing the number of cars in the loading zone allows us to dismiss more students with each group.
• Keep driving until traffic stops or you reach the beginning of the loading zone. Please do not stop when you see your child. We use the entire loading area, from the green sign below the walkway all the way to the trees at the back of the lot.
• Remind your student to watch for your car and be ready to load quickly when dismissed from the sidewalk.
• If your student is not outside and ready to load, you will be directed to pull into the parking row at the bottom of the lot. We will check to make sure your tag scanned correctly, replace a tag if it is no longer working, and call your student outside.
• Pro tip: Car rider traffic is significantly reduced by approximately 2:55 p.m. We highly recommend waiting until that time to arrive when possible. Your overall wait will be much shorter as you cruise straight through our line!

Tardy & Early Check-Out Reminder:

Being at school for the full day and arriving on time helps students stay engaged in learning. In alignment with our Student Handbook (viewable on the GMS website & link at the bottom of this newsletter), the accumulation of three or more unexcused tardies and/or unexcused early check-outs during a semester will result in consequences through our progressive discipline policy, beginning with lunch detention.

Thank you for helping your student arrive on time and remain at school through the end of the day.

Greeneville City Schools only offers free breakfast and lunch for elementary school students. Greeneville Middle School and Greeneville High School students are charged for breakfast and lunch daily. Many families are eligible for Free & Reduced meals by competing the Free & Reduced Lunch Application. Apply now!

The Free & Reduced-Price Lunch Application for the 2026–2027 school year is now open!

We encourage all families to apply — even if you believe you may not qualify. Completing the application helps ensure access to important funding and opportunities for:

✅ Student Education
✅ Technology & Internet Access
✅ College Application Fee Discounts
✅ Scholarships

Please note: If your student qualified for free or reduced-price meals last school year, you must complete a new application for the 2026–2027 school year. Eligibility does not roll over from year to year — a current application must be submitted and processed for benefits to continue.

You can apply quickly and easily by scanning the QR code below or clicking this link:
🔗 https://frapps.horizonsolana.com/GREC01

If you have questions, please email Brianna Holt at holtb@gcschools.net.

Thank you for taking a moment to complete this important application and helping us better support all students!

Bus Transportation- If your student will be riding the bus, please verify transportation questions with our transportation department (423-525-4793). Additional information on the My Ride k-12 app can be found here: https://www4.gcschools.net/page/transportation

The online transportation change form should be the primary method used to submit any transportation changes for your student. All online requests must be submitted by noon on the day of the requested change to ensure we have time to make the necessary arrangements.

Please remember to notify the school anytime your student is absent. Parents may submit a parent note to excuse up to three days per semester. The easiest way to submit notes, whether parent or doctor, is through the online absentee reporting form found on our school website or the email/text link you receive when an absence is recorded as unexcused. Students may also turn in physical notes to the office; however, they often forget and fail to do so within the required two-day window (resulting in unexcused absence toward truancy).

All notes, parent or physician, must be submitted within two days of returning to school.

Good school attendance is essential for student success, as missing more than eight days in a semester, including illness or doctor-excused absences, is considered chronic absenteeism. Regular attendance helps students stay on track with their learning and is directly linked to higher achievement and an increased likelihood of graduation. Please reach out to GMS admin if you have any questions or need support.

Congratulations to Nicolle Moore for being recognized as our October Horace Mann Staff Member of the Month! She received a shout-out from a fellow colleague to be nominated!

Mrs. Anderson, Sharpening the Saw, Mrs. Anderson has had a great impact on my daughter, Hadlee Westmorland. Hadlee speaks about Mrs. Anderson often and always has positive things to say. Thank you for seeing Hadlee. She is often shy, and 6th grade has been a big change. She loves your class!

Dr. Click & Mrs. Woolsey, Uplifting, Shoutout to Dr. Click and Mrs. Woolsey for taking the time to recognize and share positive moments about our students! Their intentional efforts to highlight student successes, celebrate the good, and share encouraging words are a wonderful reminder of the impact that positive recognition can have!