Summerour Blue Devil Blast

Volume 6, Issue 13 - October 30, 2026
Dr. Looney's Message
Important Dates
Upcoming Dates
- October 31 - JLC Raider Competition @Dacula MS
- October 31 - Basketball vs. Lilburn MS
- October 31 - Halloween
- November 2 - PTA Food Drive (All Week)
- November 2 - ESL for Parents
- November 3 - Digital Learning Day #2
- November 4 - ESL for Parents; English & Civics for Parents
- November 4 - Basketball @ Hull MS
- November 4 - Norcross Cluster Concert (@ Norcross High)
- November 5 - Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner at lunch
- November 5 - Concert Band Fall Concert
- November 7 - Basketball @ Radloff
- November 8 - PTA Krispy Kreme Fundraiser Ends
- November 9 - ESL for Parents
- November 10 - Norcross Choral Cluster Concert (Norcross First Global Methodist Church)
- November 11 - ESL for Parents; English & Civics for Parents
- November 11 - Basketball @ Northbrook MS
- November 12 - Gear Up to Maxwell HS
- November 12 - Local School Council Meeting
- November 13 - Café con Leche w/ Dr. Looney
- November 14 - Basketball vs. Richards MS (Home)
- November 16 - School Photo Day
This Week
Fall Festival
We had a fantastic fall festival last Friday!
Community Resource Fair
Tuesday, November 3
1 pm in the gym
Peachtree Elementary/North Metro Academy
5995 Crooked Creek Road
Peachtree Corners, GA 30092
Free and open to all families: clothing, food, community support
Robotics Club At It Again
OUR Robotics Club is up and running and preparing to do great things this year. Enjoy these pictures of them prepping their boards, programs, and competition skills.
Red Ribbon Week
This week was our annual Red Ribbon Week. Students had fun dressing alike, wearing crazy socks, wearing favorite jerseys, and wearing pajamas.
Thank you to all the students and teachers who participated and made it a fantastic week.
Rising 9th Grade Nights
Paul Duke STEM High School
Rising 9th Grade Night
Monday, November 2
6:30 pm
Website: PaulDukeSTEM.org
Overview Video: https://bit.ly/PDSVideo26
Norcross High School
Rising 9th Grade Night
Thursday, November 5
6:30 pm
Website: NorcrossHigh.org.
Overview Video: https://bit.ly/PDSVideo26
Summerour Specific
November IB Learner Profile: Thinkers
IB Learners are thinkers. They exercise initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively to recognize and approach complex problems, and make reasoned, ethical decisions.
IB students contribute to discussions in a meaningful way. They do not shy away from challenging questions and, once they know the answer, follow up by asking “why?”
Canned Food Drive Going on Now
Summerour Middle School’s Homeroom Canned Food Drive Competition runs through Thursday, November 12!
Each grade level will have its own winning homeroom, and the homeroom that collects the most canned goods in each grade will earn a pizza celebration.
How it works:
Students may bring canned goods daily.
Drop-off stations: Ms. Hall, Room 2.134 and Mr. Yelinek, 1st floor.
Thank you for helping us make this a fun, schoolwide competition while supporting our community. Please encourage your students to participate and remind them that every can count! 🙂
PTA Fundraiser Ends This Week
PTA Fundraiser until November 8
Basketball Schedule Remaining
10/31 - vs. Lilburn
11/04 - at Hull
11/07 - at Radloff
11/14 - vs. Richard
11/18 - at Pinckneyville
12/05 - vs. Sweetwater
12/09 - vs. Coleman
12/12 - vs. Trickum
01/06 - vs. Berkmar
01/09 - vs. Crews
Grade Level Information
Welcome to 6th Grade!
Ms. Belinda Terry
6th Grade Assistant Principal
Ms. Tannia Sims
6th Grade Counselor
770.417.2491
Week in Review
Language Arts
ELA is starting Unit Three - Surviving the Unthinkable. Next week we will focus on the impact the setting of a narrative has on character and plot development as we read an excerpt from "Long Walk to Water", a novel by Linda Sue Park. Students will end the week with a writing task of creating their narratives about a “disastrous trip”.
Social Studies
Our Unit 4 test is next Wednesday, November 4th! Tutoring is available on Monday and Wednesday of next week. The test will cover parliamentary/presidential democracies, autocracy/democracy, and the governments of UK, Germany, and Russia. DLD work will be on Google Classroom.
Math
Thursday 11/5 students will be taking the unit 2 Ratios Test. Students will receive a study guide on Wednesday 11/4 in class to work on.
Tutoring is available Thursday morning at 8:15 am.
Tuesday 11/3 is digital learning day. Worksheets will be given out Monday 11/2 to bring home and work on. All information will be available in the student Google Classroom.
6th graders in Ms. Mitchell's class doing some amazing writing prep work
Welcome to 7th Grade!
Mr. Al Sadler
7th Grade Assistant Principal
Ms. Yasmi Velasquez Rocha
7th Grade Counselor
Yasmi.VelasquezRocha@gcpsk12.org
770.417.2480
This Week in 7th Grade
Science
Students began Unit 2: Genetics. Students learned about the differences between asexual and sexual reproduction and how traits are passed on.
Individuals & Societies
Students continued learning about the systems of government in Southwest Asia and took the Unit 4: SWA Government test on Friday.
Welcome to 8th Grade!
Ms. Christy Gray
8th Grade Assistant Principal
Ms. Robin Blackwell
8th Grade Counselor
770.417.2487
8th Grade Week in Review
Science: This week, we explored electromagnets and built our own in class to test ways to strengthen them. We also compared electromagnets and permanent magnets. We wrapped up the week on Friday by working on our science fair projects.
Individuals & Societies: This week we wrapped up Unit 4: European Exploration and Colonization. Students learned about the Founding of Savannah and the diverse settlers that first came to Georgia. Students also learned about the changes in the colony as it transitioned from Trustee Period to a Royal Colony. Next week, students will show what they know on the Unit 4 Test.
Math: This week, 8th Enhanced began their Quadratics unit. They are learning the different characteristics of quadratic equations and graphs.
8th grade is learning the point-slope equation for linear equations.
ELA: 8th grade watched the film adaptation of The Monkey's Paw and analyzed how flashbacks, foreshadowing, and multimodal film features create suspense. They also compared and contrasted the text and film version of the story and analyzed how each modality impacts the audience.
GearUp: Students made predictions and inferences in order to analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of a text’s organizational structure (cause-and-effect, chronological, comparison/contrast) and expository techniques (definition, details, rhetorical questions).
Welcome to Gear Up!
Dr. Toni Weir
Gear Up Assistant Principal
Ms. Allegra Morgan
Gear Up Counselor
770.797.2960
6 - Coding Door Alarms
6 - Coding Door Alarms
7 - Building Marshmallow Networks
7 - Building Marshmallow Networks
7 - Building Marshmallow Networks
6th grade Dual-Language Immersion students practicing speaking and learning skills in our amazing Language Lab
Coming Soon
Café con Leche
Join Us For Café con Leche with Dr. Looney
Friday, November 13 9:30 - 10:15 AM
Blue Bucks Cafe
An opportunity for families to share concerns, ask questions, and engage with the principal in a welcoming and supportive setting. We look forward to seeing you there!
For information, call the Parent Center at 770-582-7545.
English
Spanish
ACCESS for Success
Summerour Middle School Invites You To...
ACCESS for Success
Understanding the ACCESS Test: A Guide for Families of Multilingual Learners
Thursday, November 19, 2026 6:00-7:00 PM
Cafeteria
This workshop will help families understand the test, English language proficiency levels, and ways to support their child's academic progress. Participation is strongly encouraged, as this information is essential for helping students succeed on the ACCESS assessment and achieve their English language proficiency goals.
Call Ms. Carlson at 770-582-7545 for more information.
Free Eye Exams & Prescription Glasses
September 26 - December 29
Gwinnett County Government is partnering with Vision To Learn to deliver free eye exams and prescription glasses to children in underserved communities, ensuring they receive essential eye care.
- For children ages 5 to 18
- Available at multiple locations in Gwinnett
- Appointments required
Book your appointment today!
Norcross High School Football Remaining Games
If you will be attending a GCPS sporting event, please remember: middle school students will not be permitted to attend athletic events at Norcross High School (or anywhere within GCPS) without the direct supervision of a parent or guardian.
2026-2027 School Year
A 6th grade food truck design in CAD (Computer Aided Design)