Hawk Highlights
GVMS Weekly Newsletter
Dear GVMS Parents, Students, and Staff:
October continues to be an exciting and busy month at Gainesville Middle School, with so much to celebrate and even more to look forward to!
I hope you enjoyed our first Core Class Chronicles of the school year! This is a wonderful opportunity to get a glimpse into the learning taking place in our classrooms and spark meaningful conversations with your child at home.
We also have exciting news to celebrate! GVMS has earned the Virginia Purple Star Distinguished School Award for the third time! We are one of only two PWCS middle schools to receive this recognition this year. Be sure to read more about this accomplishment and the incredible work of Mrs. Abbott and Mrs. Dacales in this week's Hawk Highlights.
As we continue through the first quarter, please remember to check ParentVUE regularly and have conversations with your child about their academic progress, missing assignments, and opportunities for growth. Our upcoming Touchbase Conferences will provide another valuable opportunity to connect with teachers and strengthen our partnership in supporting student success.
There is also a LOT happening throughout October! From schoolwide events and activities to opportunities for families to get involved, please take time to review this week's Hawk Highlights so you don't miss out on everything happening across our school community.
Thank you for your continued partnership and support. There is so much to be proud of at GVMS, and I am excited about all that we will continue to accomplish together!
Monday, October 19, 2026 is an A DAY.
Here's to another successful and impactful year at GVMS! With a Champion Mindset, Together We RISE!
In Partnership,
Ed Schultz
Principal
Hawk Highlights
Hawk Highlights is my weekly newsletter to families and will typically be sent each Sunday evening. Families will receive both a text message with a link and an email each week providing access to the newsletter.
Hawk Highlights is the best source for the most current information, updates, reminders, and upcoming events at GVMS, so please be sure to review it each week.
As more parents drive their children to and from school, we are seeing increased vehicle traffic and congestion around our school crossings. We ask everyone in our community to help us keep students, Crossing Guards, and motorists safe.
β
Please slow down, stay alert, and follow the directions of our Crossing Guards.β
The number one responsibility of a Crossing Guard is the safe passage of students. When students need to cross, our Crossing Guards must stop traffic as necessary to allow them to safely cross the roadway. Once the students are safely across, our guards make every reasonable effort to move traffic in all directions and help reduce the backup before exiting the roadway.β
However, Crossing Guards are not traffic-control officers. Their primary responsibility is pedestrian safety.β
We understand that waiting in school traffic can be frustrating, especially during busy arrival and dismissal times. We ask motorists to remain patient and never enter an intersection, proceed through a crossing, or make a turn until directed to do so by the Crossing Guard. Ignoring a Crossing Guard's direction because you are in a hurry can create a dangerous situation and could result in a collision or, worse, someone being seriously injured.β
Please remember:β
π Obey posted speed limits, especially in school zones.β
π Stop when directed by a Crossing Guard and remain stopped until instructed to proceed.β
Do not park in NO PARKING Zones.β
π Stay alert and watch for children entering the roadway.β
β³ Be patient. A few extra moments can make all the difference.β
πΈ Never drive around or disregard a Crossing Guard who is actively controlling a school crossing.β
Our Crossing Guards are out there every school day, in all types of weather, doing their very best to protect our children while helping traffic move as safely and efficiently as possible.β
We all share the same goal: getting every child across the street safely. Thank you for your patience, cooperation, and commitment to keeping our school communities safe.β
We are incredibly proud to share that Gainesville Middle School has once again earned the Virginia Purple Star Distinguished School Award! GVMS is one of 19 PWCS schools recognized this year for our continued commitment to supporting military-connected students and their families, and one of only TWO middle schools across PWCS to receive this distinction! Even more exciting, this marks our third time earning this prestigious recognition!
The Purple Star designation recognizes schools that go above and beyond to ensure military-connected students and families feel welcomed, supported, and connected to their school community.
A very special thank you to Mrs. Abbott and Mrs. Dacales for the tremendous time, energy, and dedication they pour into supporting our military-connected families. Their commitment to building relationships, providing resources, and ensuring our students feel a sense of belonging makes a meaningful difference in our school community.
We are excited to share that Gainesville Middle School will be participating in a therapy dog intervention program for the 2026-2027 school year. This is a wonderful opportunity for our school community. Research has shown that therapy dogs support psychological growth and increase social skills and self-esteem in children and adolescents. Therapy dogs have been trained to provide emotional support, positively impacting learning, social emotional functioning and communication skills. This letter is intended to provide initial notice of the plan to include therapy dogs in our school.
We know that there may be questions as to how this may work and would like to share some information:
What are the benefits of having a therapy dog program in the school setting?
Β· Provides a calming effect on students and reduces stress
Β· Improves concentration, self-esteem, confidence, relieves anxiety and lifts mood
Β· Fosters a sense of responsibility and improves attendance
Β· Promotes a sense of belonging for students
Β· Encourages expression, participation and shared attention
Β· Provides positive interactions surrounding a mutual topic for discussion
Β· Teaches compassion and respect for other living things
Other helpful information:
Β· All contact will be planned, and students will not be left unsupervised with the dog.
Β· Therapy dogs will be visiting through invite only to meet with our school social worker and school psychologist. A completed permission form will be required to meet with a therapy dog in a small group setting.
Β· No student will ever be made to interact directly with the dog.
Β· The dog will always be on a leash with their trained handler. Distance will be maintained between the therapy dog and students/staff who are allergic to or fearful of dogs.
Β· The introduction of a therapy dog will not be a distraction to student learning, but rather an enhancement to our ideas for social emotional growth for our students.
We are looking forward to welcoming therapy dogs to Gainesville Middle School and believe that their influence will be a positive one for staff and students.
