Weekly Update - Middle School South
November 17, 2025
It feels unbelievable to be writing about this already, but in just a few weeks, a team of High School Counselors will be here at South to begin the process of getting our 8th Graders scheduled for the 26-27 school year -- their Freshman Year classes!
The scheduling timeline is planned as follows:
December 1st -- Initial Student Registration Kick-Off Week communication shared with families
December 8th -- Infinite Campus Student Registration Portal opens
December 11th -- 8th Grade Parent Night at Gahanna Lincoln High School
December 12th -- HS Counselors initial visit with 8th Grade students at MSS to discuss scheduling
January 11th -- Infinite Campus Student Registration Portal closes
January 26th - 30th -- HS Counselors meet with 8th Grade Students at MSS to review course requests
Please be advised that the above timeline is tentative, but you can/should mark your calendars for the 8th Grade Parent Night at Gahanna Lincoln High School on December 11th. More details will be shared closer to this event.
Linked below, I have included the 2025-2026 GLHS Program of Studies. These Programs of Studies are susceptible to changes from year to year, but I at least wanted to give you a glimpse at the very robust course landscape at the HS.
No need to stress! Our counselors will work in tandem with high-school counselors to guide your student and your family though this whole process!
Next Monday, 11/24, our ACE ELA 8th Grade Students will have a special opportunity to join their classmates from across the District (ACE ELA 8th Grade students from MSE and MSW) to partake in a symposium-style event with television producer & screenwriter Lauren Schmidt Hissrich.
Lauren Schmidt Hissrich is the daughter of MSS' very own "Building Sub" Mrs. Marky Adams.
Lauren, who has been a writer on the TV Shows The West Wing, Private Practice, Parenthood, Do No Harm, Daredevil, and The Defenders, and who is currently the producer and showrunner for the Netflix original series, The Witcher, will speak to our ACE ELA students about professional creative writing, collaboration, trust in teamwork, grit, being a compelling storyteller, giving & receiving meaningful critiques, seizing opportunities, and she will also give us a sneak peak about the ins-and-outs of working in Hollywood and for some of the industry's biggest production companies.
This Field Trip event will take place from 10:00AM until 12:00PM at Gahanna Middle School West, and we're so excited for the opportunity!
Please see the schedule below for official basketball team photos:
When: FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12
Where: Middle School South
7th Grade Girls' Basketball : 4:30PM
8th Grade Girls' Basketball: 4:45PM
7th Grade Boys' Basketball: 5:00PM
8th Grade Boys' Basketball: 5:15PM
I will communicate more information as I have it. Don't hesitate to reach out to child's coach for more information as well, if need be.
Next week is Thanksgiving already!
Consequently, there will be NO SCHOOL on Wednesday, 11/26, Thursday, 11/27, and Friday, 11/28.
I hope your family will enjoy every moment of this time off, and I'm wishing you all peace and warmth.
Each quarter, Mr. Bonath, MSS Assistant Principal, and I take the time to meet with all students during their Related Arts period in what we call a Grade-Level Community Meeting. In these meetings, we praise what our students have accomplished so far, and we share some items that we hope to clean up a bit moving forward. Each grade level presentation is nuanced, but for your information and hopeful partnership at home, here is a list of the topics Mr. Bonath and I covered on Friday, 10/31:
(-) Praising "Green Team" on their quarter 1 Survivor championship!
(-) Positive shares from each grade level's team of teachers [we highlighted work ethic, care for learning, focus in the classroom, and more]
(-) Strengthening positive behaviors in hallways and with substitute teachers
(-) Building our responsibility by charging chromebooks at home each night
(-) Reinforcing no food in classrooms
(-) Direct talk about tardies to class and the importance of walking with purpose from Point A to Point B.
A very specific behavior we addressed with all grade levels was the new trend of using post-it notes to create and throw paper darts. The primary goal of this trend is to get them to stick in the ceiling. Although this "prank" is relatively harmless, the issue for me is that cleaning up these darts becomes someone else's responsibility (pulling them from the ceiling, clearing them from toilets & plumbing, etc.); consequently, students caught engaging in this prank will receive a consequence (starting with after-school detention). Additionally, students will often use these darts as projectiles that they throw at other students or individuals. Typically, these sticky-note darts are fashioned around a piece of metal (a staple or an unwound paper clip). Any students caught throwing darts containing metal in the direction of someone else will face suspension from school. This is extremely dangerous behavior and can lead to serious injury.
We are certainly proud of the three grade levels and 700+ students we get to host daily and have seen such growth out of our 7th graders and 8th graders when compared to last year! Our 6th graders started very strong and have set their own bar high for behavior and respect. We challenged them to always strive to meet that bar!
It is our belief that with a strong partnership at home, Middle School South can remain an amazing environment for learning, growing, and enjoying the crazy middle school years.
Thank you all for the continued support! We plan to share our talking points each quarter for your awareness and potential partnership!
Visual & Performing Arts Gifted Education Identification
Each year, school districts in Ohio are required to offer an opportunity for students in grades K-12 to be identified as gifted in the area of Visual and Performing Arts. The identified areas of giftedness for Visual and Performing Arts include Visual Arts, Vocal Music, Instrumental Music, Drama/Theater, and Dance. If you know of a student that may be gifted in an area of the Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) learn more about the identification process.
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!
Is there a Staff Member out there you believe is deserving some praise?!
Let us know about it!
Click on the button below to send some positive vibes to a staff member so that we can celebrate that person, too!
Mark your calendar for the following dates...
Wednesday, November 26 - Friday, November 28: Thanksgiving Break -- NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS OR STAFF
Friday, December 19: Final day of Quarter 2/Semester 1
Monday, December 22 - Friday, January 2: Winter Break -- NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS OR STAFF
Monday, January 19: Martin Luther King Day -- NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS OR STAFF
