GMS Family Newsletter

There are exciting things happening throughout GMS! Our classrooms are full of meaningful learning, engaging activities, and students taking an active role in their education. It has been great to see our students and teachers building momentum and making each day count.

That same pride is being displayed outside the classroom. We are proud of the sportsmanship, effort, and character our student-athletes continue to showcase while representing GMS. The way our students compete, support their teammates, and represent our school matters just as much as the final score.

We look forward to another great week of learning, leading, and lifting as we continue building something special at GMS!

#BuiltInTheMiddle!,

Dr. Rachel Adams, Principal
Mr. Bryan Everhart, Assistant Principal
Mrs. Nancy Philbeck, Assistant Principal

Monday, August 24

• First day of Devil Time rotations

Tuesday, August 25

Wednesday, August 26

• GMS Back-To-School Dance: 5:30-7pm GMS Gym

Thursday, August 27

Friday, August 28

• Friday Night Lights - GHS at Upperman - 7:30pm

Need a quieter place to enjoy lunch? Students may choose Lunch in the Library as a calm alternative to the activity and noise of the café. Students can eat quietly, relax, or read while they enjoy their lunch. Sign up daily in RTI Scheduler up to one week in advance.

We are hiring! Click the link for more information!

https://gcschools.schoolspring.com/?jobid=5894179

Devil Time is a dedicated learning and support period in which every GMS student participates daily from 7:48–8:23 a.m. Beginning tomorrow, students will report to sessions that may provide intervention, reteaching, enrichment and extensions, leadership opportunities, social-emotional learning, structured learning labs, and other learning experiences across all content areas.

Students will check RTI Scheduler each morning to find their assigned session. Being scheduled through RTI Scheduler does not mean a student is receiving RTI. All students use this platform for their daily Devil Time schedule.

Teachers may assign students to sessions based on their learning needs and focus for the intentionally planned session. Students who have not been scheduled by a teacher may self-enroll in an available session the day before between 7:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. If a student is not assigned by a teacher and does not self-enroll, Dr. Adams will place the student in a session.

Please review the attached RTI Scheduler Student Guide for directions. If you have questions about Devil Time or RTI Scheduler, please contact Dr. Adams.

Sherry, Chris, Kelly, Roy and Todd play an essential role in everything we do at Greeneville Middle School. They work tirelessly behind the scenes and right alongside us to keep our school clean, safe, welcoming, and ready for learning each day.

Their hard work, pride, and care provide a strong foundation for our students and staff. We are grateful for this incredible team and all they do to help make greatness #BuiltInTheMiddle! 💚

We hope all students will join us for the Greeneville Middle School Dance on Wednesday, August 26, from 5:30–7:00 PM in the GMS gymnasium!

Doors will open at 5:30 PM. Admission is $5.00, with tickets sold at the door only. Concessions, including candy and drinks, will also be available for purchase. Please note that admission and concessions are cash only.

Casual attire is encouraged, and the school dress code will be enforced. No heels are permitted. Only current GMS students may attend.

Students may be dropped off at the gymnasium entrance beginning at 5:30 PM. There will be no re-entry once a student leaves the dance. Students may have cell phones; however, video recording is not permitted.

The dance will end promptly at 7:00 PM. At dismissal, 8th grade students will exit through the front entrance, while 6th and 7th grade students will exit through the back entrance. Parents/guardians must be present to pick up students.

We are looking forward to a fun evening with our students and hope to see everyone there!

Want to see more of what’s happening day to day inside GMS?

Follow Greeneville Middle School on Facebook! We share photos, classroom activities, student highlights, special events, and a closer look at learning and life at GMS. See what makes GMS #BuiltInTheMiddle!

Learning at GMS comes to life each day as students engage, explore, collaborate, and build the skills they need for success.

Leading at GMS means stepping up, setting a positive example, and making a difference in our school and community.

Lifting at GMS is about supporting one another, celebrating successes, and helping those around us.

For the safety of all students and to ensure a smooth dismissal, student checkouts are not permitted between 2:00–3:00 p.m. During this time, students are engaged in their final classes of the day, and our office staff is focused on preparing for afternoon dismissal. Please plan all afterschool appointments at a time that allows for checkout before 2:00 or after 3:00. This helps us maintain a safe and efficient process so that all students get home safely.

No outside food is allowed any time at GMS. Your student is welcome to pack their lunch but we do not allow outside food to be dropped-off for lunch at GMS. We also understand stopping for breakfast, but please have your child finish any food or drinks before they come into the building. Our cafeteria is open at 6:55am every morning and ready to serve a hot, nutritious and tasty meal while helping us ensure a safe environment by avoiding any food allergies at the tables.

Students are only permitted to have plain water in their water bottles at school. We ask that water bottles not disrupt instruction. Thank you for your cooperation!

Tardy & Early Check-Out Reminder:

Being at school for the full day and arriving on time helps students stay engaged in learning. In alignment with our Student Handbook (viewable on the GMS website & link at the bottom of this newsletter), the accumulation of three or more unexcused tardies and/or unexcused early check-outs during a semester will result in consequences through our progressive discipline policy, beginning with lunch detention.

Thank you for helping your student arrive on time and remain at school through the end of the day.

Please remember to notify the school anytime your student is absent. Parents may submit a parent note to excuse up to three days per semester. The easiest way to submit notes, whether parent or doctor, is through the online absentee reporting form found on our school website or the email/text link you receive when an absence is recorded as unexcused. Students may also turn in physical notes to the office; however, they often forget and fail to do so within the required two-day window (resulting in unexcused absence toward truancy).

All notes, parent or physician, must be submitted within two days of returning to school.

Good school attendance is essential for student success, as missing more than eight days in a semester, including illness or doctor-excused absences, is considered chronic absenteeism. Regular attendance helps students stay on track with their learning and is directly linked to higher achievement and an increased likelihood of graduation. Please reach out to GMS admin if you have any questions or need support.

Fall sports are in full force at GMS! Our student-athletes are competing with energy, determination, and great sportsmanship while proudly representing the Greene Devils.

Visit the GMS Athletics page on our school website for the most up-to-date athletic information. You'll find team contacts, required athletic forms, schedules, physical information, and other important announcements. We encourage families to check the page regularly throughout the school year for updates.

GMS Athletics: https://gms.gcschools.net/o/gms/page/athletics

1 ADULT – GENERAL ADMISSION TO ALL HOME GMS SPORTING EVENTS. THE PASS DOES NOT INCLUDE OFF-SITE SPORTING EVENTS OR TOURNAMENTS.

All purchased passes may be picked up from the GMS Main Office.

The Greeneville Police Department has notified us that keeping East Vann Road clear and traffic moving is essential for safety. Please keep the following in mind when arriving for afternoon pick-up:

• Vehicles may not stop or wait in the roadway along East Vann Road while attempting to turn right onto campus. The Greeneville Police Department has advised that vehicles stopping in the traffic lane and impeding the flow of traffic may be ticketed.

• If the car line is backed up to East Vann Road, please do not stop in the roadway. Instead, drive past the school and enter the turn lane from the Hal Henard direction, or drive around and return a few moments later once the line has moved.

• When entering campus, please consider alternating turns with vehicles coming from the opposite direction. Allowing one car at a time from each direction to enter keeps the pace even and helps traffic continue to flow. Allowing three or four vehicles to turn across at once can quickly back up traffic on East Vann Road and can also block vehicles trying to exit our car line.

• The CarRiderPro tag reader turns on at 2:00 p.m. Vehicles may not line up or wait at the sensor before 2:00 p.m. This allows us to maintain access to the back parking lot for as long as possible.

Pro Tip: If your schedule allows, consider arriving around 2:55 p.m. The car line is typically much shorter and moves quickly by that time.

Thank you for helping us keep East Vann Road clear, maintain safe traffic flow, and keep our campus entrances accessible.

Morning car drop-off begins at 7:00 a.m., when staff members come outside to begin welcoming students. A few reminders will help us keep morning arrival safe and efficient:

• Please use both lanes of the car line.
• We use the entire drop-off lane, from the green sign below the awning to the trees at the back of the lot. Pull all the way forward and stay close to the car in front of you. Please do not wait to stop/drop off at the end of the awning.
• Once you have passed the trees and traffic comes to a stop, please have your student exit the vehicle. Using the full drop-off area allows more students to exit at the same time, helping us keep traffic moving while maintaining a safe and orderly arrival.
• Students exiting from vehicles in the outside lane should wait for an adult to signal that it is safe before crossing the inside lane.
• Pro-Tip: Plan to drop-off between 7:06-7:16.

Thank you for a fantastic start! When everyone pulls forward, uses both lanes, and is ready to load or unload, it makes a tremendous difference in keeping traffic moving while getting our students in and out of school safely.

We've had another GREAT week on afternoon car line! Friday we broke another record, dismissing 249 cars in under 25 minutes! Thank you for helping us get students safely and efficiently on their way home!

A few things make a big difference in keeping our afternoon line moving:

• Have your car tag with you. If you do not have a car tag, you will need to park in the front lot, come inside, show your ID, and sign-out your student.
• The CarRiderPro tag reader turns on at 2:00 p.m. Vehicles may not line up or wait at the sensor before 2:00.
• Use both lanes of the car line. This helps us move more vehicles through the loading area at one time.
• Pull up close to the car in front of you. Maximizing the number of cars in the loading zone allows us to dismiss more students with each group.
• Keep driving until traffic stops or you reach the beginning of the loading zone. Please do not stop when you see your child. We use the entire loading area, from the green sign below the walkway all the way to the trees at the back of the lot.
• Remind your student to watch for your car and be ready to load quickly when dismissed from the sidewalk.
• If your student is not outside and ready to load, you will be directed to pull into the parking row at the bottom of the lot. We will check to make sure your tag scanned correctly, replace a tag if it is no longer working, and call your student outside.
• Pro tip: Car rider traffic is significantly reduced by approximately 2:55 p.m. We highly recommend waiting until that time to arrive when possible. Your overall wait will be much shorter as you cruise straight through our line!

Student safety is always our first priority. When the outside lane stops, students should exit their vehicles right away and move to the center zone. From there, they should stop, watch, and wait for an adult to signal that it is safe to cross.

We ask cars in the inside lane to continue moving forward and stack up rather than stopping individually to let students cross. Middle school students can be quick to move and may assume a car will see them and stop. We want to teach the opposite habit: stop, watch, and wait until all cars are stopped and an adult tells you it is safe to cross.

Once the cars have pulled forward and stopped together, our staff can clearly see the students waiting in the center zone and cross the entire group at one time. This keeps students from crossing between moving vehicles and creates a safer, more predictable process for everyone.

Thank you for helping us reinforce this important safety routine each morning.

Greeneville City Schools only offers free breakfast and lunch for elementary school students. Greeneville Middle School and Greeneville High School students are charged for breakfast and lunch daily. Many families are eligible for Free & Reduced meals by competing the Free & Reduced Lunch Application. Apply now!

The Free & Reduced-Price Lunch Application for the 2026–2027 school year is now open!

We encourage all families to apply — even if you believe you may not qualify. Completing the application helps ensure access to important funding and opportunities for:

✅ Student Education
✅ Technology & Internet Access
✅ College Application Fee Discounts
✅ Scholarships

Please note: If your student qualified for free or reduced-price meals last school year, you must complete a new application for the 2026–2027 school year. Eligibility does not roll over from year to year — a current application must be submitted and processed for benefits to continue.

You can apply quickly and easily by scanning the QR code below or clicking this link:
🔗 https://frapps.horizonsolana.com/GREC01

If you have questions, please email Brianna Holt at holtb@gcschools.net.

Thank you for taking a moment to complete this important application and helping us better support all students!

Bus Transportation- If your student will be riding the bus, please verify transportation questions with our transportation department (423-525-4793). Additional information on the My Ride k-12 app can be found here: https://www4.gcschools.net/page/transportation

The online transportation change form should be the primary method used to submit any transportation changes for your student. All online requests must be submitted by noon on the day of the requested change to ensure we have time to make the necessary arrangements.

Sarah Shipley, Synergizing, She has been so helpful to me and the students in my classroom. For the past week, we worked together to make sure students in my ELA classes could access online tools and create accounts to complete their assignments. She also re-explained directions to students and helped them when they were stuck on questions. She is awesome!

Starla Angel, All of the Above, Starla Angel does not show up for accolades. She doesn’t show up for praise. She doesn’t show up for a paycheck or a pat on the back. But boy does she SHOW UP! She’s the face and heart of the school that parents, students, staff, administrators, and our GMS community see first when they enter the building. She’s the one to see if you need school/office supplies. The one to buzz you through when you need to see the principal. She’s the voice on the phone early in the morning until late in the afternoon. Starla, I look for your smile every day and you never disappoint. Let’s keep SHOWING UP together!

Matthew Olson, Thinking Win-Win, He is very good at making everyone feel welcome and supported in the classroom. He connects with students very well and his classroom is always chill.

Roy, Todd, Kelly, & Aundrea, Being Kind, They helped me change a flat tire after school on Friday. They really saved the day and helped me get home safely!