Hawk Highlights

RISING 6th GRADE - SPECIAL EDITION

Rising 6th Grade Information 23-24

March 2023 - Issue #1

Dear Rising 6th-Grade Families,

Welcome to Gainesville Middle School, home of the High Flying Hawks! We are excited to welcome your student for the 2023-2024 school year! The end of the school year is just around the corner and your student will soon be entering sixth grade at GVMS. The transition from elementary school to middle school is an exciting time in the lives of your student. We recognize the wonders and questions that accompany such a transition and want to provide some activities and information prior to the start of the school year to help them feel safe and prepared for their new adventure.

The GVMS Counseling team has already traveled to Piney Branch and Glenkirk Elementary Schools to schedule the students. They will be traveling to Bristow Run and Chris Yung soon! Our counselors presented to students and shared important information about the courses they can take next year. The student and their counselor selected courses and completed a paper copy of the course recommendations (they should have brought them home for you to see). We want to be sure that we are communicating that information to parents and families as well. Join us on Thursday, March 30th, at 6:00 PM for a Zoom Webinar to learn about academics at GVMS. Webinar registration and specific information on what will be covered can be found below.

Later in the spring, we will invite parents and students into the building to check out the school, learn more about clubs and activities, and learn what middle school life is like. Once that date is set in stone, I'll share that information directly with you. In order to ensure that we are answering all of your questions and providing you with all the necessary information, I've provided a link below for you to complete. We will take the responses and include additional information in both our webinar, the in-person session, and via email, as appropriate.

Additionally, as you are making your plans for summer, we will be holding an Open House event the week of August 14, where students will receive their schedule, have a chance to open their lockers, and walk the school to find their classes. The date and time for this event will be communicated to parents before the end of the 22-23 school year. This is the only time that students will have the opportunity to come into the building and receive their schedule during the month of August, prior to the start of the school year.

Below, you'll find some basic information about life at GVMS. If you want to come to check out a GVMS event this spring, you'll find a list of dates for athletics, music concerts, and drama productions. We love to show off the incredible things our Hawks do!

If you have any questions about the transition to Gainesville Middle School, please don't hesitate to reach out to our team (contact information is included below). I look forward to meeting you and your student and am so excited to welcome you to the GVMS community!

Best,

Mary Kate Graham

Proud Principal

grahammk@pwcs.edu

Twitter: @HighFlyingHawks

GVMS Rising 6th Grade Questions

Want to know more about middle school or life at GVMS? Is your student especially anxious/nervous about something regarding next year? We would love to be able to prepare for your questions or ease some nerves at the webinar, at the in-person event, and through newsletter communication. Fill out the link below with any questions/wonderings or things that we can assist with.

GVMS Rising 6th Grade Questions Form

6th Grade Information Night - Virtual Session - March 30, 2023 @ 6:00 PM

Information Covered:

Basic overview of the GVMS Schedule
Core Course Offerings
Performing Arts
Gifted
ESOL
Activities and Athletics
Special Education/504/Intervention Plan Transition

Register in Advanced for the Webinar

Special Education Meetings, 504 Plans, and Intervention Plans

Special Education Meetings: If your student has an IEP, their elementary school will reach out to you to schedule a transition meeting. Transition meetings will take place from now until the end of the school year. GVMS will have a representative at those meetings to answer any of your questions.

504 Meetings: If your student has a 504 plan, GVMS will reach out to you to schedule that meeting. We traditionally schedule those meetings before school begins at the end of July and August.

Intervention Plans: If your student has a current Intervention Plan, please complete the form below. This will provide GVMS with important information for your student's transition to middle school.

My student has a current Intervention Plan (Please fill this out)

Want to see what's currently happening at GVMS?

Each week, I send out a new update with all of the information parents, students, and staff need to know. This weekly newsletter is called "Hawk Highlights". All past Hawk Highlights issues can be found on the Gainesville Middle School website. Check them out below to get a feel for how we communicate at GVMS!

GVMS Hawk Highlights Issues 22-23

GVMS House System - Work in Progress

GVMS has been hard at work implementing the new house system this school year (think Harry Potter). We created our three houses and students have been involved in selecting the house colors, motto, symbols, and crest (student created!) GVMS switched over to the house system so that we could grow our school community to increase opportunities for student leadership. We are excited for the 23-24 school year where we will be able to roll out the house system in full force!

GVMS HOUSE INFORMATION

Want to get involved at GVMS?

At GVMS, we have a fabulous PTO and an Advisory Council that meet monthly. The schedule for those meetings will be shared in August 2023.

GVMS SPIRIT WEAR

GVMS PTO SPIRIT WEAR

GVMS Spring Event Calendar

Interested in checking out a GVMS event?

The spring is a busy time at GVMS, full of athletic events, drama performances, concerts, etc. Come see our incredible Hawks in action to get a feel for the GVMS community.

Monday, March 20, 2023