GMS Parent Portal

To say that the last couple of weeks have been challenging for GMS students, families, and staff would be an understatement. Through each new challenge, our GMS community has responded with the "Heart of a Redhawk".

• Thank you to our students who have been flexible and principled in adjusting to online learning. We miss seeing you all every day!
• Thank you to our parents who have adapted to having kids at home, supporting them in their eLearning, and communicating with teachers and school staff to make sure we know how to best support your children.
• Thank you to our custodians, who are working hard to clean and sanitize our building so it is ready when we are able to return.
• Thank you to our food service and transportation staff who have worked to prepare and deliver meals to GMS students.
• Thank you to our technology staff who have spent hours upon hours making sure students and staff have access to what they need and eLearning is going as smoothly as possible.
• Thank you to our teachers who took a "crash course" in extended eLearning and have put tremendous amounts of time and effort into moving their classrooms and lessons to an online setting.

• Thank you to our counselors who continue to provide support to students through emails and video conferences.
  

Please do not hesitate to reach out to GMS teachers, counselors, or administrators with questions or concerns that you have during this time. We miss seeing our students in person every day, but we are still here to educate and serve you in any way that we can. We are eagerly looking forward to reuniting with you all as soon as we are able!

• Set up a work station in an area of your home where you will be able to focus. Be sure all materials are readily available in the work space.
• Create a routine that includes a time for waking up, eating breakfast and lunch, breaks, and dedicated daily time to work on assignments.
• Create a calendar showing when your teachers are holding live conferences.
• Set aside time to go outside for exercise and fun, while practicing safe social distancing.
• Email teachers and other GMS staff for help as needed.
• Keep in mind the importance of appropriate technology use. See the video below from Miss Martin for more details.

The GCS Administration Building is currently taking phone calls from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on Monday-Friday. If you have a need that cannot be met by emailing GMS staff, please call the administration office during those hours, and they will help you. The phone number for the GCS Administration Building is 574-533-8631.

It's never too early to start thinking about postsecondary options for your child. Current 7th and 8th grade students can apply for an income-eligible scholarship available to students graduating from an Indiana high school and who attend an accredited institution of higher learning in the state of Indiana. You can learn more about the Twenty-First Century Scholars program and eligibility requirements here. If you need assistance completing the application, please email Mrs. Padilla at vpadilla@goshenschools.org.

One of the best things you can encourage your child to do to maintain skills during this time out of school is to read every day.

All GCS students have access to a digital library through OverDrive via Sora for schools. If students access it through the website (https://soraapp.com) or via the Sora App, they can add the Goshen Public Library OverDrive collection to their school Sora account and search both at the same time. Students log in with their standard username (first part of their student e-mail address) and student password. OverDrive has added 244 titles to our collection with unlimited access for FREE during this period of unexpected school closure.

In addition, many other companies, like Audible, are offering additional free reading resources! The Audible site can be accessed at https://stories.audible.com/start-listen.

Email Mrs. Miller, GMS Media Specialist, if you have questions about these resources or need help getting started. Mrs. Miller's email address is msmiller@goshenschools.org.

Spring Break is from Wednesday, April 1st through Friday, April 10th. There will be no eLearning lessons during break. Make sure you take some time to rest and relax! We will resume eLearning beginning on Monday, April 13th.

The Love Shack is a shared food pantry on 6th Street, just south of Lincoln Avenue in Goshen. If you have food or supplies you can share, stop by and drop them off. If you are in need, stop by and see what is available. For more information, visit the Love Shack's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/The-Love-Shack-Goshen-101396518180477/. You can send a private message through Facebook for more information.

The next GCS meal delivery day will be Friday, April 3rd. Watch social media for more details. All Goshen children, ages 2-18, are eligible to receive free meals through this program.

Due to school not being in session, no unpaid curricular materials fees will be turned in to a collection agency. Further information will be shared once school is back in session.

AS OF NOW, the trip to Washington DC for current 8th graders that have signed up is still happening as planned. This is being monitored daily. If you have any questions, please contact Jan Baker at jbaker@goshenschools.org.

This information is for this year's current 7th graders, regarding the Washington, D.C. Trip at the end of their 8th grade year.

Hello Parents!

We will be having an official Washington, D.C. Trip meeting at a later time, but we want to send you information electronically so you can register your child ASAP. Please take a few minutes to watch the Washington, D.C. Parent Presentation and view the sample itinerary attached to learn about this amazing educational opportunity for your child.

A few benefits to registering early include:

• saving $75 with the Early Bird Discount
• receiving a reduced deposit of just $49
• having more time to spread out payments and fundraise!

We hope to have information about a parent meeting in the next newsletter.

If you have any questions, please let us know.

Ms. Kaylee Shepherd and Ms. Shanna Wiese

kshepherd@goshenschools.org

swiese@goshenschools.org

No school activities will be held during this shut down. If some are able to be rescheduled for later in the Spring or Summer, GMS will communicate new dates through social media.

If you have paid for an event such as the Music in the Parks trip to Cedar Point, refunds will be issued after we return to school.

GMS staff have been staying connected and having some online fun by sharing our own high school senior pictures with one another (some more recent than others!). We will share some of these photos in the next few newsletters. Just for fun, show them to your students and see which GMS staff members they can identify! Answers will be published in the next parent newsletter.

Email: lherschberger@goshenschools.org
Website: https://gms.goshenschools.org
Location: 1216 S. Indiana Avenue, Goshen, IN 46526
Phone: (574)533-0391
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goshen.middle.school/
Twitter: @GoshenMiddleSch