The GMA Gazette

In honor of Black History Month, students are learning about Alma Thomas in art class. They've learned about her career as an art teacher and artist, and have been creating their own pieces inspired by the amazing work of this notable artist. Ask your child about the nature-inspired work of this amazing artist.

In Music Class, students are learning about famous Black musicians such as Ella Fitzgerald, Stevie Wonder, Billie Holiday, and more. Ask your child about these famous artists.

Kindergarteners presented their own research and created visual displays to share what they learned about an acclaimed person in Black History.

Our Middle Elementary students learned about influential Black Americans and created a collaborative mural to highlight things they learned.

Other grade levels are celebrating this important month in various ways as well. We'll highlight those in the next issue of The GMA Gazette.

Please be sure to complete the Returning Student Verification Process (RSVP) through PowerSchool to complete your child's registration for next school year. The deadline to claim your child's spot for the 2024-2025 school year is TODAY!

We have many new families who have completed the application to enroll their children in our school lottery for the 2024-2025 school year, which is wonderful! This will be the first year that GMA will run a lottery for admission at every age level for new students seeking to enroll with us for the Fall of 2024. However, we want to make sure that our current GMA families secure their enrollment with us so that we can plan appropriately for staffing and classroom needs.

It is important that current GMA families complete their RSVP TODAY. If you have any questions or problems while completing that process, please email Mr. Caleb at cday@gma.k12.in.us.

Follow the instructions below to complete this process in PowerSchool:

1. Log in to PowerSchool to complete the Return to School form. If you forgot your username or password, click the button to reset your information.
2. After logging in, click on the button labeled Forms.
3. Click on the Student Intent to Return tile.
4. From there, you can update your student's information, such as Medical Information, Change of Address, etc. These changes are made after clicking on the forms section on the left sidebar menu. Please be sure to update your emergency contacts and medical information.
5. Please Note: Form I and Form N must be completed and re-submitted each year.

Now is a great time to check to make sure your child(ren)'s immunizations are up to date before the next school year begins in August. The most recent list of required and recommended immunizations for school age children can be found here.

Please complete the Returning Student Verification Process by Friday, February 16. Failure to complete this process by the deadline may result in forfeiture of enrollment for the next school year.

Questions? Email Mr. Caleb at cday@gma.k12.in.us.

1/16-3/4 - WIDA Access assessment window for EL students

2/19 - Presidents Day, no school

2/22 - Skating Party at The Roller Cave

2/28 - GMA Board of Directors Meeting, 5:30 pm

3/4-15 - IREAD-3 assessment window

3/13 - Body Safety Parent Information Night, 5:30-6:30 pm for K-6th grade, 6:30-7:30 pm for 7th/8th

3/26 - International Fair, 6:00 pm

3/27 - GMA Board of Directors Meeting, 5:30 pm

4/1-8 - Spring Break - no school

4/15-5/10 - ILEARN assessment window for all students grades 3-8

4/24 - GMA Board of Directors Meeting, 5:30pm

5/18 - The Market at Geist Montessori

Our Board of Directors approved the academic calendar for the 2024-2025 school year at the January board meeting. Families can access the new calendar on our website, or download a copy below.

⭐REMINDER: There is no school on Monday, February 19 in observance of the Presidents Day holiday.⭐

Our new Spirit Wear Store is LIVE and ready for you to place your orders! Don't miss this opportunity to get new GMA gear for your family! All orders must be placed online. The store will close on Friday, March 15. Orders will be delivered to school and distributed to students on March 29.

PLACE YOUR SPIRIT WEAR ORDER HERE!

All students in K, 1st, 4th, 7th grades, students with an IEP, or students who are new to GMA will need to have their hearing screened. Hearing screenings are mandated for these students by the State of Indiana. Hearing screenings will be completed throughout March. Only parents/guardians of children who do not pass their hearing screenings will be notified by email/phone. If your child has a known hearing loss that has not been reported to the school, please let Ms. Taryn - our Speech-Language Pathologist - know via email at: tjohns@gma.k12.in.us

If you or someone you know is interested in being a vendor at our annual Market at Geist Montessori, please contact Ms. Beth at blarock@gma.k12.in.us. The Vendor Application is open and accepting new applications now!

If you would like to order a yearbook for your child, please be sure to place your order before March 29!

To order, visit inter-state.com/order and enter code 83125S.

We use OneCall Now as our mass communication system to send out alerts, updates, and school-wide communication such as The GMA Gazette. Most communications are sent through email, with a text alert to notify you that something has been sent from GMA.

When school is closed or delayed due to inclement weather, especially in the unpredictable Indiana winters, it is important that families receive the notification quickly and easily. The best way to ensure that you don't miss an announcement from GMA is to sign up for text alerts!

It's simple to sign up. Just text the word alert to 22300. That's it!

Please contact Ms. Beth at blarock@gma.k12.in.us if you have questions or need to add an additional phone number or email address to our OneCall Now system.

Thank you to those who submitted information to be included in our first GMA Community Directory! Form responses have been compiled into a Google Sheet for ease of use. You can access the directory here.

Once you have opened the directory, it is searchable using the "Ctrl-F" command. Then, you can search by classroom or teacher name to find your child's classmates. You can also sort the data to filter by classroom.

Thank you for helping us continue to connect members of our school community.

Thank you for continuing to help us keep our students and staff safe during arrival and dismissal each day. Please refer back to this document that was shared in August regarding traffic patterns and safety reminders.

As we work to build partnerships with organizations and businesses in our community, we need your help in being good neighbors. Please remember that Traditions at Brookside is not a turn around point for GMA traffic. Also, we are begging that drivers refrain from U-turns in the middle of 900 N and at the entrances to neighborhoods. The safest route to ultimately head in an eastbound direction is to take 900 N west to Carroll Road and head north or south to an eastbound roadway of your choice.

It has been said that “behavior influences behavior.” Please be mindful of this fact as you model behavior for your children each morning and afternoon in and out of our carline. All GMA Families are expected to heed these instructions and model safe, courteous carline behavior. Thank you for your cooperation in this important matter.

We have asked McCordsville police for their assistance several times throughout the year. As traffic increases in this area with the influx of new housing, I anticipate a stronger police presence to monitor the flow of traffic and assist drivers.

Also, please note that we use the blacktop area on the north and west sides of the building during recess time. It is for this reason that we put up the chain and cones to block off this area for our students immediately after carline ends promptly at 8:35 am. If you arrive in the parking lot at 8:35 or after, you will have to park and walk your child(ren) into the office to sign them in as tardy.

Thank you for helping us keep our community safe on the roads!

Please be sure to notify the school if your child will be absent. Families should call the front office at (317) 813-4626 and select option 1 from the menu to reach the attendance line.

Our office staff makes daily attendance calls to families at 10:00 am after classroom teachers have submitted their attendance for the day. We want to make sure our students are safe and healthy when they are not here at school with us. Thank you for your help in reporting attendance in a timely manner.