A message from Ms. Iljkoski, GMS Principal:

Spring is in the air, and we are heading into the final stretch of the school year! Quarter 4 is packed with important events, and we need your support to ensure a strong finish for all our students.

State Assessments – Attendance is Essential!
This quarter, students will be taking the PSAT and M-STEP assessments. It is crucial that all students are present on their assigned testing dates. These assessments help measure academic growth and guide our instructional planning. Please check the school calendar and ensure your child is well-rested and ready for success! Please read the attached testing letters below with details for our PSAT-8 testing date--April 9, 2025!

Title 1 Community Events – Mark Your Calendars!
We have a fantastic Title 1 events this quarter, and we hope to see all our families participate:
📅 Passport to World Famous Grissom Culture Night – May 15th

These events are great opportunities to engage with our school community and celebrate the diverse cultures that make Grissom special!

Track Season is Here!
Our 7th and 8th grade students are encouraged to try out for Track & Field! This is a great way to enjoy the outdoors, stay active, and create lasting memories with friends. Make sure your child has a current physical on file to participate.

Stay on Top of Grades – Avoid Spring Fever!
As the weather warms up, students start thinking about summer, but we still have 10 weeks of school left! Please check PowerSchool regularly to stay updated on your child’s grades. Finishing the year strong is essential for success!

PBIS Earned Privilege List (EPL) Events
Students who demonstrate positive behavior, good grades, and strong attendance will have the opportunity to participate in exciting EPL events, including:
🌭 Backyard BBQ – End of May

8th Grade End-of-Year Celebration!
Our 8th graders will celebrate the end of their middle school journey with a Booster-sponsored trip to Urban Air on June 10th. This trip is only for students on the Earned Privilege List (EPL)—meaning grades, attendance, classroom citizenship, and behavior matter! Parents, please help us ensure your student stays eligible for this exciting event.

Thank you for your ongoing support in making Grissom a great place for students to learn and grow. Let’s finish the year strong, Grizzlies!

Grizzly PRIDE,
Ms. Iljkoski
Principal, Grissom Middle School

And, remember, Grizzly PRIDE is what we do!!

Parents and Guardians- Please review this letter.

As we enter the final quarter of the school year, consistent attendance is more important than ever. Missing a day here or there might not seem like a big deal, but absences add up quickly and can impact academic progress, classroom engagement, and even eligibility for end-of-year activities.

The good news? Showing up matters! Regular attendance helps students stay on track, build strong learning habits, and be part of the Grissom community. We ask for your partnership in ensuring that students are in school, on time, every day unless they are truly ill. Let’s finish the year strong—together!

Our counselors are working on meeting with students for their 2025-26 schedule choices. That's right...we are working on next school year already!!

Our counselors recommend that all parents are actively using our PowerSchool Parent Portal to review their child's academic progress throughout the school year. (Link can be found below.)

If you have any additional information that would help us better support your child, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your child's counselor. Whether it's about their learning style, any challenges they might face, or other important details, we’re here to listen and help.

Let’s work together to make this a successful year for your child!

Reminder--their Counseling Corner website has important information--CLICK HERE TO ACCESS.

Parents, please consider signing up to help our Booster organization and to

chaperone at our Booster sponsored events.

Without you, these events can't take place!

Week of May 12th

• May 12, 2025: 📌M-STEP ELA 6th & 7th Testing Continues
• May 13, 2025: 📌M-STEP ELA 6th & 7th Testing Wraps-Up, Positive You Assembly for 7th and 8th graders 8-9:30am, ➕U Mentor Groups @ 12:45pm & 1:15pm, Early Release Tuesday-Dismissal at 1:45pm, 🏃🏻‍♀️🏃🏻‍♂️🏃🏃🏻‍♂️ Track VS Carleton & Roseville MS at Roseville MS4-6pm, 👉PARENT MEETING-Introduction of Washington DC Trip Parent WebEx at 7pm (Ms. I's WebEx room)
• May 14, 2025: Visit to SHHS for our 8th graders 9-11am
• May 15, 2025: Title 1 Community Event- 🌏🛂 Passport to World Famous Grissom 6-7:30pm

• May 19, 2025:
• May 20, 2025: 5th Graders from Harwood & Jefferson Visit GMS 9-11am, Peer-to-Peer during lunches, ➕U Mentor Groups @ 1 & 1:30pm, 🎶🎷 Jazz Band 3-4pm, 🏃🏻‍♀️🏃🏻‍♂️🏃🏃🏻‍♂️🏃🏻‍♀️ All District Track Meet at WMHS 4-6pm
• May 21, 2025: 5th Graders from Holden & Susick Visit GMS 9-11am
• May 22, 2025:
• May 23: 2025: PBIS Backyard BBQ, 1/2 Day--dismissal at 10:59am

• May 26, 2025: Memorial Day--NO SCHOOL
• May 27, 2025: ➕U Mentor Groups @ 1 & 1:30pm, 🎶🎷 Jazz Band 3-4pm
• May 28, 2025:
• May 29, 2025: 🎶🎷🥁🎺🪘🎤🎵 Spring Band & Choir Concert 7-8:30pm
• May 30, 2025: All A's Lunch Celebration 10:30-12:30pm 💪🙌

• June 2, 2025: Begin Reviewing for Final Exams 📝📚📖📑
• June 3, 2025: Final Exams--Social Studies & Spanish 1 (part 1), 🎶🎷 🎶🎺 Jazz Band 3-4pm
• June 4, 2025: Final Exams-Science & Spanish 1 (part 2) and Allied Arts
• June 5, 2025: Final Exams-ELA & Algebra 1 (part 1)
• June 6, 2025: Final Exams Math & Algebra 1 (part 2)

• June 9, 2025:
• June 10, 2025: 🎉🥳🎉🥳🎉 8th Grade Farewell Trip--Urban Air (Booster Sponsored) 9-1:15pm, 🎶🎷 🎶🎺Jazz Band 3-4pm
• June 11, 2025: 🏅8th Grade Honor Award Ceremony (by invite only) 9-11am
• June 12, 2025: 1/2 Day-Dismissal at 10:59am (LAST DAY OF SCHOOL) 🔅😎
• June 13, 2025: Band Choir-Cedar Point Trip 🎢

Track & Field Season is Here!

Get ready to run, jump, and throw—Grissom’s Track & Field season is about to begin! Track is a fantastic way for students to build endurance, strength, and teamwork while competing in a variety of events, from sprints and distance races to relays and field events like long jump and shot put.

Our dedicated coaching staff—Mr. Rayshouny, Mrs. Coffin, Mrs. Messing, and Mr. Kolpak—are excited to help student-athletes develop their skills and push their limits this season.

Reminder: All students must have a current physical on file to participate. Stay tuned for more details on practice schedules and meet dates. Let’s go, Grizzlies! 🐻🏃‍♂️🏃‍♀️

Our Social Studies Department is organizing an 8th grade class trip to Gettysburg and Washington DC next year from April 29, 2026 thru May 2nd, 2026.

Current 7th grade students will learn about this trip on May 13th in their Social Studies classes.

Ms. Iljkoski is inviting all 7th grade parents to an informational meeting on May 13th at 7pm in her WebEx room for a presentation from our 8th grade teachers (Mrs. Bullis and Mr. Roosa).

Link to Ms. I's WebEx room: CLICK HERE

WEB consists of 60+ 8th grade students that were chosen for their leadership and being positive role models. Their focus is to help our incoming 6th graders transition to middle school. They also work with new students to Grissom by giving tours or mentoring until they learn the Grizzly way.

You can identify these students by their red WEB lanyards and red WEB shirts (that they wear for special occasions).

Advisors: Mrs. McCauley, Mrs. Raschke and Mr. Dudek

Our Peer-2-Peer program was created to support our students with Autism. Students are selected for their leadership, willingness to learn about ASD and be a positive role model. The goal of our Peer-2-Peer program is to improve outcomes for autistic students and a most positive and accepting school culture. More information will be coming soon.

Advisors: Mrs. DevLaminck & Mrs. Marcial

SPACE is a select group of students that meet with our principal every month to share their voice on all things Grissom. This program is selective as there is an application and review of student discipline and grades. Students must show the ability to stay on top of their academic work and their behavior is to highlight our Grizzly PRIDE expectations.

Advisor: Ms. Iljkoski (aka...Ms. I)

Chess club runs on Tuesday afternoons from 3-4pm in the media center. Interested students can sign up in Mr. Biber's room. Open to all grades.

Advisor: Mr. Biber

We are bringing the RDJ experience back to Grissom. RDJ is an unique experience where a select group of 25 7th graders (nominated by their teachers and with an application process) take their learning from their Social Studies 7 class on the road!

RDJ introduces 7th grade students across South East Michigan to local faith communities as a way to teach respect of others and remove the barrier of “other” from people and places students interact every day. RDJ students hear, first-hand, about a faith’s important holidays, customs, pillars of belief and life-cycle celebrations. Additionally, students meet local clergy and volunteer community leaders, learning about a faith’s historical roots and stories of community building in South East Michigan.

These students will create presentations to take back to the classroom for all 7th graders to learn from the experience.

Advisor: Mr. Marzolf

Our Ecology Club students do special projects on school recycling and beautification. They play an important role in keeping our community clean and environmentally friendly. Interested students can sign up in Mrs. Foxes room. Open to all grades.

Advisor: Mr. Gruca

Score-4-Succes is in it's 7th year at GMS. It is a partnership with Oakland University Medical School where OUMD students come to Grissom about every 2-3 weeks to tutor, teach mini health units and mentor students. This program is limited to 30-35 students (invitational letter will be sent home to students that qualify (based on district test scores). The first 30-35 that submit their signed parent letter will reserve a spot.

Program runs on Fridays from 3-6pm. Must have transportation home, promptly at 6pm

Advisor: Mr. Marzolf

Positive You

• We have partnered with Positive You on a 30-week social emotional program for our 7th and 8th graders. This program consists of weekly video messages, journaling, assemblies, prizes, weekly mentor program and much more. We will kick off this program in October...so stay tuned for more information. Positive you will also be presenting to parents on October 15th about the complicated relationship between teens and their phones. We encourage all parents to attend their presentation.

Macomb Care

• Educators from Macomb Care will be visiting our 7th and 8th grade social studies classrooms to present on "Too Good for Drugs" program. They will also be visiting our 6th grade science classrooms to present on "Life Skills" for middle schoolers. These programs will wrap up in December.

Our Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is our main teaching tool to promote school safety and good behavior. We use the acronym P.R.I.D.E.

• P for Prepared
• R for Respectful
• I for Involved
• D for Dedicated
• E for Empathetic

We kick off the week of September 3rd with our PRIDE week--filled with lessons, videos and class visits to discuss our expectations.

Also, last year we began our Earned Privilege List for students to earn opportunities to attend and participate in after school sports and activities, fun and games that come up throughout the school year. Flyer is below for additional information.

Parents we know mornings are hectic and many of our parents drop and pick up their students. We have the following rules for our parking lot:

• Arrive early to avoid the madness of the late drop off (peak drop off time is around 7:25-7:45am). Students enter at door 22.
• Drop offs and pick-ups have to happen at the back of the building. Drive along the side of the building (right lane) to the back of the building. Please do not stop mid driveway on the side of the building to drop off or pick up....causes major backups in the lot and on Ryan Road.
• Bus lane in front of the building is for WCS BUSSES ONLY.
• Pay attention to the directions are staff working the lot are giving. We all have the same rule--safety for students and staff.
• Please do not be on your phone or playing music so loud you cannot hear staff directions or get distracted.
• Watch for children walking or biking to school.
• If you choose to drop your child off next door at St. Renes (and students take the short sidewalk to walk to Grissom), we ask that you respect the rules of the church lot: (a) Do not park in the designated spots labeled for the priest, (b) do not park or wait in their fire lanes, (c) Park in the back of their lot (not on the side sections at the front of the building), and (d)follow the layout of their lot.
• Patience and extra time will go a long way in school parking lots. :)

Grissom Middle School is committed to educating and making a difference to the lives of students.

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The Grissom Community will model respectful and responsible behaviors in a save environment where all can achieve educational growth.

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Grizzly Pride Is What We Do!!!

Ms. I's office line 586-698-4310

Find us on Instagram @grissom_ms

Find us on Facebook @GrissomMS

#GMS_GrizzlyPride

Email: eiljkoski@wcskids.net
Website: http://school.wcskids.net/grissom/
Location: 35701 Ryan Road, Sterling Heights, MI, USA
Phone: 586-825-2560
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GrissomMS/
Twitter: @MsEIljo