Weekly Update - Middle School South
September 29, 2025
Keeping Traditions Alive
Each year, Middle School South has the joy of sponsoring a Color Splash event. This event, which has become a true South tradition, serves not only as an incredibly fun opportunity for our students to let loose for an afternoon, but it also helps our Parent-Teacher Organization raise precious funds that are ultimately funneled back right into Middle School South by way of awards, celebrations, Fun Nights, field trips, and more!
This year's Color Splash will be on FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10. Students will enjoy a fun-filled "Field Day" in the afternoon (think inflatables, a DJ, obstacle courses, raffles, and challenges), which will end in the Color Splash itself (t-shirts provided by our PTO).
Families have the opportunity to purchase "color packets" for their students to be thrown around during the color splash. Each level of purchases comes with raffle tickets as well, and the Top 10 earners get a squeeze bottle of color in addition to their packets.
The WIN Class with the most donations gets a catered-in food party of their choice, each grade level will have a $150 and a $75 Amazon gift card winner, and there will be ONE GRAND PRIZE WINNER who gets to design their very own Nike Air Max sneakers. INCREDIBLE!
Please check out the flyer linked below, and in advance, THANK YOU for your donation to our PTO, and THANK YOU for helping create this memorable afternoon for all of our students!
If you're interested in donating your time to help pull off this incredible Color Splash event, please click on the link below to volunteer!
If you'd like to volunteer, please take a moment to complete THIS SHORT BACKGROUND CHECK through the GJPS District Website.
We'll be so excited to see you there!
On Thursday, the entire GJPS Staff will be engaged in Professional Learning opportunities, and on Friday, the staff will be enjoying their Conference Exchange day.
That translates into a 4-DAY WEEKEND for your student! I hope your family will enjoy some much needed rest!
Additionally, no school on Monday, October 20 due to a Teacher Workday at the end of the 1st Quarter.
YOUR HELP IS NEEDED FOR OUR LAST FAMILY CONFERENCE NIGHT!
Each year during Family Conference Nights, our PTO so graciously offers its time & resources by providing meals to our Staff for their dinner break during these long evenings. Our staff is always so appreciative of this show of support. In order to continue to pull this off, though, we need YOU!
From our PTO President, Mrs. Sarah Narloch: "The PTO provides much of the food, but we would love & appreciate your help in completing the meals. Each night has a separate Sign-Up Genius linked below."
Please click on the links below to see how you might be able to pitch in to make Family Conference a true coming-together for Staff and Community!
Check Out our Weekly Career Spotlight!
Each week, we will highlight a different career each week on your child's Google Classroom. Students will also have the chance to request a career for us to post via google form, so our hope is to share all different kinds of careers.
We should all have a Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C for our futures. We will be talking to you about some ideas. Don't forget... it is ok to grow and change your mind as new things interest you.
Big thanks to the students who suggested this week's career: Lawyer
Check out this video and this link to learn more about being a lawyer! Lawyers represent their clients in court, draw up legal documents, or manage and advise clients on legal decisions. There are many different areas of law such as prosecutor, defense attorney, or judge. In order to be a lawyer, you must first earn your bachelor's degree (4 years of college) and then go to law school (3 years) before taking the Bar Exam in order to get your license. The average yearly salary is $151,160 and it looks like there will likely be an average amount of job openings in the future.
If you don't want to be a lawyer but would rather assist lawyers by investigating facts and preparing legal documents, you could be a paralegal. Many paralegals go to college for either their bachelor's degree or their associates degree (2 years of college) and earn an average annual salary of $61,010.
Thank you to all of you who are suggested amazing career ideas!! We'll be sure to get your ideas featured here on Future Friday!
On Friday, October 10 (same day as Color Splash!), students will have the opportunity to have their school pictures retaken. These retakes will take place in the Library.
Check out this message from HR Imaging, our official photography servicer:
"On this day, we will photograph any student or staff member that was absent on the first day's photography event as well as anyone requesting a retake picture.
If a student would like a retake of their photo, they simply bring back their original package and hand it to the photographer when they get their photo taken. We will reprint the same package for them using that new image.
Sometimes a student may not have a physical package to return if they ordered a digital download or if the parents have viewed the first image online and were unhappy with the photo. We will photograph any of these students that present themselves for a picture."
Through our partnership with GRIN (Gahanna Residents in Need), we are happy to be able to offer supplemental food for families need over the weekends.
Click on the link below if your student and your family could benefit from some supplemental provisions, and we'll be in touch soon with what we're able to offer and how we can get these provisions to you!
Supporting one another is just what we do!
Only a legal parent/ guardian of a student can dismiss a student from school. Siblings, aunts, uncles, grandparents, or other non-guardians, including step-parents who aren't designated as a "guardian" in Infinite Campus, cannot request dismissal. If someone other than a parent/guardian is picking your student up, you must include this information in your note/message/phone call.
When you arrive to pick your student up from school, please report to the main office to sign your student out. You must present an ID for verification. Then, your student will be called down to the office for dismissal.
No student will be released from the building and to a vehicle without being accompanied by the adult who is picking up the student.
Thank you for your understanding and support in the need to ensure the safety of all of our students.
Sometimes, it's necessary for a student to ride home on a different bus with another student. This could be for any number of reasons.
Please remember the three necessary components for this to happen:
(1) A signed note from a legal guardian of the student who is changing buses. This note should include the name of the student as well as the name & bus number of the student whom your child will be going home with.
(2) A signed note from a legal guardian of the family "receiving" the student. If Person A is requesting to go home on the bus with Person B, Person's B's legal guardian also has to provide a note acknowledging the request.
(3) Administrative approval & signature.
Again, this is fundamentally a question of student safety, and we appreciate your partnership in this endeavor!
The Fall is a huge time for Lions Athletics! Here's what our athletes are up to this week... Come cheer them on with us!
GIRLS' VOLLEYBALL
10/1 - Away @ Groveport Madison MS - 5:30PM (7th); 6:45PM (8th)
GIRLS' TENNIS
9/30 -- Away @ Hilliard Memorial MS - 5:30PM
10/2 -- Away @ Hilliard Weaver MS - 5:30PM
CROSS COUNTRY
9/30 -- Away @ Blendon Tri-Meet at Highlands Park - 5:30PM
8th GRADE FOOTBALL
10/2 -- Away @ Reynoldsburg -- 5:30PM
7th GRADE FOOTBALL
10/1 -- Home v. Reynoldsburg (played at GMSE) -- 5:30PM
Mark your calendar for the following dates...
Wednesday, October 1: Family Conferences (4P - 8P)
Thursday, October 2: Teacher Professional Development Day -- NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS
Friday, October 3: Conference Compensation Day -- NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS OR STAFF
Friday, October 17: Last Day of 1st Quarter
Monday, October 20: Teacher Work Day -- NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS
Monday, November 10: Teacher Professional Development Day -- NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS
Wednesday, November 26 - Friday, November 28: Thanksgiving Break -- NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS OR STAFF
Monday, December 22 - Friday, January 2: Winter Break -- NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS OR STAFF
