In Focus

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Email: info@gwa.com
Website: www.gwa.com
Phone: (678) 635-3800

• LS Curriculum Night: Sept. 3
• Aftercare Closing at 5 p.m.: Sept. 3 (see below)
• School Holiday: Sept. 7 (Labor Day)
• Beyond the Bell Classes Begin: Sept. 8 (details below)
• Portrait Makeups/Retakes: Sept. 8
• Lower School Group Photos: Sept. 8
• Homecoming Week: Sept. 14-19
• Honor Societies Induction: Sept. 16
• Homecoming Parade/Pep Rally: Sept. 18
• Early Dismissal (all grades): Sept. 18 @ 11 a.m.
• Homecoming Dance: Sept. 19
• MS/HS Professional Dress Day: Sept. 23
• MS/HS Honor Code Signing: Sept. 23

• 9th/10th Family College Night: Sept. 23 (revised date)

CLICK HERE for 26-27 Important Dates

Dear GWA Families,

As the school year gets under way on One Bulldog Drive, our Lower School faculty and I look forward to seeing many of you at Lower School Curriculum Night this evening!

Reflecting on my nearly 40 years in independent education, I have seen learning environments evolve significantly. While technology and societal demands shift, our mission at George Walton Academy has remained steady and constant: challenging students to excel while building character, leadership, and curiosity.

There are three important topics at GWA that I’d like to address in this back-to-school column:

Expanded Post-Graduation Pathways

While GWA remains the premier college preparatory program in the region, we recognize that students pursue varied paths after graduation, including vocational training, military service, and direct workforce entry. Building on the success of our Upper School Winter Term internships, we are partnering with local business and higher education leaders to expand career exploration and real-world opportunities for our students.

Balanced Technology and Leadership

Modern education requires teachers to be caring mentors, not just subject-matter experts. At GWA, we maintain strict cell phone limits and approach technology as a tool to enhance learning, not replace human connection. To foster deeper relationships, we are launching LeadWell, a leadership and wellness program led by our faculty who serve as mentors for each Middle/Upper school group. CLICK HERE to learn how our faculty is embracing this expanded mentoring role.

Campus Safety and Community Vigilance

School safety remains our highest priority. GWA maintains a secure, closed campus featuring full-time SRO Officer Charlie, manned guard stations, visitor identity checks, and the Centegix emergency badge system. Overseen by Chief Operating Officer and IT Director Gideon Teklu, in close coordination with the Monroe Police Department, our procedures ensure the campus remains safe. Ultimately, our strongest protection is our tight-knit and caring community where every single child is known and loved. As a reminder, please ensure you wear a visitor badge whenever you are on campus during the school day.

As we adapt to a changing world, GWA remains committed to raising young people of integrity and purpose. Knowledge is invaluable, but wisdom comes from learning from mistakes, overcoming adversity, and recognizing there is always more to learn.

Thank you for your partnership as we begin a meaningful and joyful school year.

In Mrs. Harrison's seventh-grade Life Science classes, students put their measurement skills to the test with a fun, hands-on, bubble blowing lab! Students first created their own rulers and practiced reading measurements accurately. Next, they put their skills to work by blowing soap bubbles and measuring their size. Here are the winners for each class period:

• Grant Weaver
• Emmie Tamasi
• Grant Weaver
• Sophia Cown
• Isaac Browning

This engaging activity helped students see that accurate measurement is an important part of doing science - and that learning can be a lot of fun!

In addition to checking out books in the Lower School Library, fifth-grade students are sharpening their writing skills with Mrs. Steele. Using the writing book "Wonders," they are analyzing essays, developing their vocabulary, and preparing to write their own essays using a multimodal approach. Using a video, infographic, and an article, they will provide evidence to support their claims.

Middle school students put their lab safety knowledge to the test with a creative Play-Doh challenge! Working in teams, students built Play-Doh “sculptures” representing different laboratory safety rules. Once their creations were complete, the classroom became a Lab Safety Scavenger Hunt as teams searched for each sculpture and identified the safety rule it represented.

The goal? Be the first team to correctly identify all of the lab safety rules. Through this hands-on activity, students reinforced important safety practices while also practicing teamwork, observation and critical thinking. It was a fun and memorable way to begin the year - and a creative reminder that safety always comes first in the science lab!

Eighth-grade robotics students in Mr. Gasaway’s class are putting their programming skills to the test as they prepare their robots for action. Students have designed and programmed a sonic sensor that measures the distance to an object and displays the results.

Before mounting the sensors on their robots, students are testing their programs to determine the minimum and maximum distances the sensors can accurately detect. This hands-on process gives students an opportunity to analyze data, troubleshoot their programming and fine-tune their designs - key skills for successful robotics engineering.

Lower School Curriculum Night will begin at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 3 in the cafeteria with a brief presentation. Following the presentation, parents will visit their child’s homeroom for a curriculum night presentation from the teacher. Families with multiple children are encouraged to stop by the other student’s classroom afterward to pick up any information.

We kindly ask that children not attend Curriculum Night so that the teachers can provide parents with their full attention and important information about the school year.

If you are unable to attend, please let your child’s teacher know and they will provide you with the information.

A quick update for Curriculum Night: Aftercare on Sept. 3 will be closing early at 5 p.m. We are ending care a bit early so families can get students settled at home and our teaching team can prepare for a great evening. We appreciate your cooperation and look forward to seeing you there!

Artists in first grade dove deep into exploring France's Cave of Lascaux, and how visual art was the first form of communication. They took what they saw from inside the caves and used that to create their own cave drawings inside our art room cave! Using chalk stuck to the end of a stick, artists experimented with drawing animals and human figures on the dark "cave" walls. They quickly realized it's not as easy as it looks! Next, they will use a little more modern approach to draw their own cave inspired animals on paper. This is the first unit in our year-long exploration of Art Through the Ages!

The GWA Varsity Shotgun Team opened its season on Saturday at Old Hudson Plantation. The team finished third against tough competition, with top finishes by Emily Cowan, Damian Villanueva, and Trevor Edwards. Way to go, Bulldogs!

Follow the Dawgs to Macon this Friday Night!

*First Presbyterian Day School - 5671 Calvin Drive; Macon, GA 31210

GWA Football Fans Parking Information & Parking:

-Enter campus near the soccer/baseball fields and you should follow that entrance road straight ahead to the back parking lot past the high school buildings.

-Fans may park anywhere in the back parking lot except the Reserved Parking area. All other spaces first come, first served.

-Tennis Court Lot: Located to the left as fans enter campus, this lot offers the quickest route off campus after the game.

-Fine Arts Lot: Additional parking is available in the Fine Arts parking lot.

-Please do not park along street curbs or on the grass. There are plenty of designated parking spaces available.

Tickets:

-Admission is $10.00 (1st Grade & Up) - tickets can be purchased at the gate by cash or credit card. -ADMISSION GATES OPEN at 6:00 pm!

-Paying spectators will receive a ticket stub at the entrance. Please keep the ticket stub! It will be required for re-entry if a spectator leaves the game before it ends.

Go Bulldogs!

We’re thrilled to announce The Champions Club’s Second Annual Golf Tournament on Monday, September 21st at The Georgia Club!

This is your chance to enjoy a fun day of golf, fellowship, and competition—all while supporting our student-athletes. Team spots are limited, so don’t wait—reserve your spot today!

Event Details
When: Monday, September 21st
Where: The Georgia Club
Format: 4-Man Teams
Entry Fee: $800 per team

⏩ Register here: https://gofan.co/event/6832484?schoolId=GA5020

Hole Sponsorships and Title Sponsorships are available!

Thank you for your incredible support of The Champions Club and our student-athletes. We can’t wait to see you on the course!

Be sure to check out the upcoming games for middle school, JV and varsity sports by accessing the Bulldog Athletics calendar on gwa.com for the most up to date event information. Our fall athletes would greatly appreciate your support as they compete at home and on the road. Remaining games for this week:

THURSDAY

V/MS XC @ ACAD — 4 p.m.

MS Tennis vs. BCA — 4 p.m.

MS Football @ Lakeview — 5:30 p.m.

V Softball vs. LCA — 4:45 p.m.

V/JV Volleyball vs. Tallulah Falls — 5 p.m.

MS Volleyball @ Westminster — 5 p.m.

FRIDAY

V Football @ FPD — 7:30 p.m.

The Middle and Upper School Club Expo was a great chance for students to explore all the ways they can get involved in student life at GWA! With a wide variety of student-led clubs (Gavel Club, Pickleball, Latin Club, Recycling Club, Book Club, Fishing Club, Aviation Club, Student Ambassadors and more!) to choose from, there’s something for everyone. Whether they’re looking to meet new friends, try something new or dive deeper into an interest they love, students can find their niche and make the most of their GWA experience!

Watermark Photography sent out yearbook picture galleries today! Check your email! We have makeups/retakes and lower school group photos next Tuesday, Sept. 8

CLICK HERE if you didn't get your link. For additional assistance, email support@photographybywatermark.com. Support local smiles.

Back by popular demand - we are doing a second run on the 2026 Ice Cream Social t-shirt. They are on sale now! CLICK HERE to order yours today!

Homecoming Week is just around the corner, and GWA is getting ready for a week of school spirit, creativity and fun! Join us for our school-wide dress-up days and show off your Bulldog pride. We can’t wait to see everyone’s creative looks throughout the week!