GMS Weekly News and Notes
Weekly Updates
With the calendar flipping to June, our 8th graders can look forward to a series of celebratory events:
Friday, June 7th: GMS semi-formal (GMS students only), 7-9:30PM at Canton High School
Monday, June 10th: Harbor Cruise on the Spirit of Boston
Tuesday, June 11th: Class trip to Level 99
Wednesday, June 12th: Class trip to Canobie Lake Park
Thursday, June 13th: 8th Grade Promotional Ceremonies (see below for more details)
Thank you to GMS CAPT for the incredibly generous support of these events!
Finally, a friendly ask to please encourage your student to bring a re-fillable water bottle to school on warm-weather days. This cuts down on the need for trips to fountains, and helps everyone stay hydrated and healthy!
8th Grade Promotional Ceremonies
2024 GMS Grade 8 Promotional Celebration
Thursday, June 13, 2024
Grade 8 Promotional Celebration
Team Green - 9:00 am
Team Silver - 10:30 am
Team Maroon - 12:30 pm
Outdoor at GMS - students seated with team by X-Block
Parents/families are requested to arrive no more than 15 minutes prior to the start of the ceremony.
Chairs provided for families
Once the ceremony is concluded, parents are asked to please depart in a timely manner.
Students may be dismissed after the ceremony - we will have a sign out desk for dismissal.
*In the event of predicted inclement weather, the ceremonies will take place in the gymnasium. This decision will be made at least 24 hours in advance.
Academic Spotlight: Marathon Monday and Summer Reading
We have finally crossed the finish line of the GMS Marathon Reading Challenge. Together, our students read over 14,500 books and 25% of GMS students finished their marathon by reading over 26 books this school year! When surveyed, 71% of GMS students noted they read more this school year than in any previous school year. Research has shown that reading a higher volume of texts has a strong impact on students’ vocabulary and conceptual knowledge as well as their overall reading achievement (Allington & McGill-Franzen, 2021; Cunningham & Zibulsky, 2013).
Though there are no losers in the land of literacy, the Marathon Reading Challenge was a contest and the Mountain Lions won! Their team read 2,488 books this year and students on the Mountain Lions will enjoy a team ice cream party in June. Honorable mention must also be given to Team Galaxy who came in second place with 2,165 books, and the Sharks who were in third with 2,088 books.
As we excitedly anticipate summer vacation, it’s important to remember that the Canton Public Schools requires summer reading at all grade levels. This practice helps to keep students’ reading volume high while preventing the notorious summer slide. The summer reading letters and lists are attached for our rising sixth, seventh, and eighth graders. Any questions should be directed to Dr. Kristen Morgan at morgank@cantonma.org. Enjoy the summer and happy reading!
Field Trip Highlights: 6th Graders Visit Maplewood
6th graders on Team Galaxy (Wednesday) and Team Meteorites (Friday) visited Maplewood Camp in Easton for their annual field trip. Students got to learn about some of the exotic animals in residence at the camp, and there was plenty of time for activities as well!
Once again, gratitude goes out to GMS CAPT for partially sponsoring this annual trip!
Kindness Award Winners
Congratulations to last week's Kindness Award winners! Thanks for making GMS a brighter place!
Civic Action Projects
From Mr. Natale
Our 8th graders students will begin working on their Civic Action projects soon. The overall objective for these projects is to have students take part in a process-driven inquiry into a problem in our community. Students will be developing ideas and goals, engaging in lots of research and data gathering, and will present their information at an end of the year showcase. The showcase will take place on Thursday, June 6th from 8:00 am through 10:30 am on the 3rd floor. We will be opening the presentations up to 8th grade families and community members. Please look out for an email invitation. We hope to see you there.
Bulldog Nurses' Blip
Hello GMS Families,
This will be our last nursing bulldog blip for this year. We wish everyone a safe, happy and healthy summer!
Medication Pick Up
Medication pick up- Epipens and inhalers will go home on the last day of school. Please remind your child to stop by the Health Office and pick up their medications.
Controlled medications such as ADHD medications, Anxiety medications and seizure medications must be picked up by a Parent or Guardian. These medications cannot be sent home with students or on the bus. Medications that are not picked up on Friday June 14th will be discarded. No medication may stay here over the summer break. Thank you for your attention and cooperation.
Summer Safety Tips
Beach Safety
Learn how to reduce the risks so your family can enjoy swimming in open water, such as the ocean and large lakes:
Watch the weather and get out of the water at the first sign of lightning or the rumble of thunder. Stay indoors and away from water for 30 minutes after the last lightning flashes or thunder roars.
Swim only at a beach with a lifeguard, within the designated swimming area. Obey all instructions and orders from lifeguards and ask them about local condition
As when swimming or relaxing in a pool or hot tub, always designate a “water watcher” whose sole responsibility is to keep a close eye and constant attention on everyone in and around the water until the next water watcher takes over
Children, inexperienced swimmers, and all boaters should wear properly fitted U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets.
Protect your neck – don’t dive in headfirst. Walk carefully into open waters. Watch out for and avoid aquatic life.
If you are caught in a rip current, stay calm and don’t fight it. Swim parallel to the shore until you are out of the current. Then, turn and swim to shore. If you can't swim to shore, float or tread water until you are free of the rip current and then head toward shore. Draw attention to yourself by waving and calling for help.
Local Swim lessons
Free swim Lesson here!!- https://www.boston.gov/human-services/swim-safe-boston
Canton-https://cantonma.myrec.com/info/activities/program_details.aspx?ProgramID=29389
Stoughton- https://oldcolonyymca.my.site.com/s/registration?category=aquatics
Pride Month
June is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Pride Month. This month-long celebration demonstrates how LGBTQ Americans have strengthened our country, by using their talent and creativity to help create awareness and goodwill. The first Pride March in New York City was held on June 28, 1970, on the one year anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising.
GMS Math Intervention during X Block
My name is Phoenix Harris and I am the math interventionist here at the Galvin. Every week I am hosting a grade specific math extra help session during X-Block. The sessions will be held on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Tuesday's will be dedicated to 8th grade, Wednesday's to 7th grade, and Thursdays to 6th grade. Students or their parents are able to fill out the google form to sign-up weekly on an as-needed basis. For example, students may sign up every week or if a student was absent for a few days, although they typically would not need extra assistance, it may be beneficial for them to attend a session to help them get caught up. The Google Form for sign-ups will close the morning of the session and open back up the day after. Students will receive a reminder email to attend the morning of the session. Please be sure to sign up in advance as space is very limited.
6th Grade X-Block Math Intervention
Pay and Ride Applications
Please check your emails for the 2024-25 Pay and Ride Forms. An electronic form was emailed for each student, to one household member. Please check with other household members and your spam inbox if you do not see this email.
The Pay and Ride form must be completed every year whether your student will require transportation or not. The cut-off date for the 2024-25 Pay and Ride form is June 7th. Please complete the electronic form as soon as possible.
Incoming Kindergarten Pay and Ride forms were completed at the time of registration. You will not receive an email for your incoming 2024-25 Kindergarten student.
More information regarding the Pay and Ride Program, including fees and payments can be found HERE. Payment is not due at this time. Applicable invoices will be sent by MySchoolBucks by the end of June.
If you have questions or did not receive the 2024-25 Pay and Ride email, please email transportation@cantonma.org with your student’s name and school of attendance.
For 8th graders heading to CHS next year:
GMS CAPT Corner
Please join us for our next CAPT meeting on Monday, June 3rd at 6PM in the GMS library.
Please check out the GMS CAPT website for all updates!
Important dates to note
Monday, June 3rd: School Council meeting, 5PM in the GMS Library
Monday, June 3rd: GMS CAPT meeting, 6:10PM in the GMS Library
Thursday, June 6th: 8th Grade Civic Action Project Showcase, 8-10:30AM
Friday, June 7th: Early dismissal day for students. Students dismissed at 11:05AM
Thursday, June 13th: 8th Grade Promotional Ceremonies (by team, detailed information will be emailed separately)
Friday, June 14th: Last day of school for students, early dismissal day
Events Around Town
William H. Galvin Middle School
Courtney Gaboury, Administrative Assistant
Jim Spillane, Assistant Principal
Karim Gibson, Dean of Students
Ginny Martin, Student Services Team Chair
Email: mulhernj@cantonma.org
Website: https://www.cantonma.org/gms/index
Location: 55 Pecunit Street, Canton, MA, USA
Phone: 781-821-5070