G-A Superintendent Newsletter

• Need Transportation for 25-26 School Year. Action needed NOW.
• RAMping Up End of Year District Event
• Primary, Middle and High School News Sections
• G-A Community Section

I will be hosting a beach day, library days and a few other fun filled events this summer.

Save the dates!

• Galesburg-Charleston Memorial District Library Reading & Craft June 20 @ 1pm
• G-A Community Day at Eagle Lake July 9th @ 10am-12pm

• Ice Cream Social at the Primary School July 22 @ 12pm
• Augusta McKay Library TBD

The district is looking to gain community support to take care of necessary improvements like roof replacements, boiler upgrades, updating transportation facilities. There is a need to get all buildings taken care of then begin to grow our capitol budget for future structural projects.

There is nothing ‘shiny’ in our proposed scope of work. All of the items are strictly needs.

The millage rate voters are paying will remain the same at 6.4 mills next year. That’s a 0 mill increase from the current millage rate of 6.4 mills. More to come as we potentially proceed.

We are deleting all transportation information in PowerSchool in order to merge new information into our transportation software this summer. So.... What we need from you is to enter your transportation information into PowerSchool -Form K- before the end of the school year. Just a heads up for the beginning of the school year, if addresses aren't added by Aug 8th transportation will not be availabe for the first week of school. It's important to get your information updated this Spring so we can be proactive and ahead of all conflicts.

Also, know anyone interested in G-A Schools, let them the window to enroll is now!

At Monday’s Board of Education meeting, we had the pleasure of recognizing two outstanding members of our Ram Fam whose dedication and actions truly went above and beyond in service to Galesburg-Augusta.

Mike Needham

When one of our buses broke down, Mr. Needham didn’t hesitate to pull over, lend a hand, and assist the driver with managing students on board. His willingness to step in and ensure the safety and care of our students is the kind of selfless action that makes our community stronger.

Mike Woodard

As Athletic Director, Mr. Woodard has shown an unwavering commitment to our student-athletes and community. Whether he is forwarding schedules to local media, staying late to support youth events, or coordinating with neighboring schools to create meaningful experiences for students, Mike’s heart for service shines in every detail. His leadership is deeply appreciated by many, including Bruce Rolfe of the Climax Crescent, who wrote a glowing letter highlighting Mike's dedication.

These individuals exemplify what it means to go the extra mile. Thank you, Mike and Mike, for being true leaders in the Ram Fam!

• Maintain a schedule
• While you may never be able to duplicate the structure school provides, it helps to maintain the school year’s daily schedule, right down to meal times and bedtime, as much as possible.
• Post a schedule
• Kids thrive on predictability
• Get outdoors
• Physical activity is good for everyone’s mind, body and spirit, especially those kids with energy to burn.
• Maintain a behavioral system
• Children and teens, especially, may act like they want to be in charge, but the truth is they feel safer knowing exactly what you expect of them and the rewards that result from good behavior. This is never truer than during the seemingly boundless—and boundary-free—summer break.

Our 4th graders participated in “DREAM Innovation” with our community partners, Eaton Cummins Joint Venture (ECJV), for three weeks this Spring. This program is a S.T.E.A.M learning experience that builds on our experiences of design thinking from our STEAM classroom and carries it into a real-world experience. This innovative program introduces our students to four “real-life” problems that ECJV is currently facing and guides our students through the “creative sequence” resulting in a prototype and proposed solution to the problem. This program also introduces our students to some of today’s most in-demand careers.

The program began formally on Friday, March 7th when all 4th grade students went for a visit to the ECJV Campus for a guided tour of the facilities. Each base group was also presented with their “driving question.” Then on May 22nd we returned to EATON for our final presentations.

Students also presented their projects to the Board of Education.

PreK end of year celebration was a blast! Rain can’t stop us from celebrating our preschoolers. Thanks to all who made it such a great day.

Pool noodle relay races. Also in Physical Education: K-4 students are practicing hand-eye skills this week using a paddle and hands.

Kindergarten Orientation was held on April 24th. Future students and families were able to meet the staff, get paperwork to register, get a new backpack, a cool book, and participated in a scavenger hunt to fill up their backpack with supplies.

If you you have not registered for Kindergarten, please give us a call at 269-484-2040 or check out our website: https://www.g-aschools.org/

A huge shout out to Angela Wells, our Speech and Language Pathologist! Angela does such a fantastic job of working with our GA students. The growth they show in their speech and language skills is truly impressive! Angela always has a smile on her face and is such a joy to work with! We are so glad she is a part of our MS Family! Thank you for everything you do for our G-AMS staff and students!!!

The 8th grade promotion ceremony is on June 4th from 5:30-6:30 in the Middle School Auditorium. We hope to see all 8th grade students and their families there!

Immediately following the promotion ceremony, the 8th graders will head to the High School for the Semi-formal dance. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased from Mrs. Godde in the library at the Middle School.

6/4: 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony 5:30-6:30 pm (at the Middle School)

6/4: 8th Grade Semi-formal 7:00-9:00 pm (at the High School)

6/5: 8th Grade Rising RAMS event and District RAMping Up Event

6/6: Eagle Lake Gold Club Celebration

6/9: Half Day for Students- MIDDLE SCHOOL FIELD DAY!!!

6/10: Half Day for Students-Last Day of School- MS AWARDS CEREMONIES AND RAMS TICKET GRAND PRIZE DRAWING!!!

Our last day for Seniors was May 21st, we were able to celebrate them and their next steps before their final walk the halls and shaving cream fight in the front lawn. We are so proud of the Class of 2025 and wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors!

• June 1: Varsity Softball Districts @ Parchment vs. Kalamazoo Christian
• June 2: Gold Club to South Haven
• June 6: 1st and 2nd hour Exams
• June 9: 3rd and 4th hour Exams (Half Day)
• June 10: 5th and 6th hour Exams (Half Day & Last Day of School)
• June 21: Greater Galesburg Days

Have anything that you want to share with our district's families? Send me the info at Lindsey.Newton@garams.org and I can post here in our G-A Community Section

We had a lunch with leadership event at our high school and from that, we brainstormed an opportunity to showcase our local business and events happening at those events here in our Superintendent Newsletter too.

Galesburg-Augusta's Scout Troop 265 and Cub Scout Pack 265 helped plant flags at Fort Custer's National Cemetery in Augusta on Saturday, May 24th in honor of Memorial Day.
This tradition has continued to grow over the years, with this year being the largest number of Troop, Scout, and family members helping to plant in a designated section of the cemetery.
This service project helps to fulfill a requirement for each Scout's citizenship adventure. Currently, 18 students at G-A are a part of the Troop or Pack. If you or your student is interested in joining G-A's Scouts, please contact Mrs. Fawcett at fawcettb@aol.com.

I'm looking for vendors to participate in the Augusta Art and Craft Show if interested please reach out. There are no on line payments accepted. $25 for a 10x10 space. Contact Kim Carlton or Julie Glenn at the Augusta Village Hall.

Next town meeting is Monday 6/2 at 7pm.

Mark your Calendars for Tuesday June 3rd. The Galesburg Tuesday Night Cruise In starts at 4:30pm and the Weather is looking Great for the evening! Due to scheduling conflicts we will not have a Live Band on Stage... But we will have the Delton Kellogg H.S. Band there playing the National Anthem for us and then setting up a table looking for funding help for a upcoming trip to Pearl Harbor. Catering by GMC the Great Food Co. will be there serving up Great…

It's thrillifying! Sign-ups are open for the summer reading program, and the flyer is available!! Please call 731-4000 to get your kiddo on the list!!