Hello Hornet Nation,

I've noticed we have a large number of students who arrive at school after our 8:00 late bell. These are student drivers, students that walk, and students being dropped off. Punctuality is something that is valued by all employers, not to mention it's difficult for students to do warm-ups and other things at the beginning of class if they are not there. Showing up late because of traffic, missing the bus, or other reasons outside of an appointment is an unexcused tardy. We will be issuing warnings to student drivers who arrive late this week. If it continues, we will begin to suspend parking passes. Please, let's all get to school on time.

Over the last few weeks, our One-Lunch has been amazing! Thank you students for finding locations during Green and Gold lunch. Keep in mind if you failed a class for 1st quarter, you can recover that class by speaking to your teacher or going to The Learning Center (TLC) in room F14 during both Green and Gold lunch every day. Keep in mind your GPA is an average of all 4 marking period grades, so don't let the 1st marking period bring your GPA down.

This week all our winter sports begin on Tuesday! I look forward to seeing what our amazing coaches and student-athletes do this winter! As usual, all scheduled home events will be located at the bottom of the Buzz every week, so hopefully, everyone can find an event or 2 to support.

Let's have a GREAT week Hornet Nation!

Mr. Dothard

Principal

We Are... GREAT MILLS!!!

For Our Spanish Speaking Families

¡Saludos! Para leer en español, hay un botón para traducir en la esquina superior derecha de los anuncios de Smore cuando se abre por primera vez. Pueden hacer clic en el botón y después selecciona de la lista de lenguas disponibles

I am encouraging every 9th and 10th grader to learn more about the programs offered to you at the James A. Forrest Career and Technology Center.

This week during Green lunch 12:15 - 12:30 you can hear about the programs and ask questions. Click the link below to learn the room numbers of presentations and to find links to attend virtually. There are no excuses because you can attend from anywhere with the internet! Parents you are also free to join virtually and ask questions.

This Friday where your favorite sports jersey. It could be your favorite player, favorite team, or just the jersey that you look the cutest in!

Don't wait until the last minute to order your graduation materials rings, caps, gowns, and other graduation materials. If you would like more information or would like to order online, click here to order.

The first day for winter sports is Tuesday, November 15th, so click here to registration is now! All athletes need on sports physical per year. If you haven't had yours this year click here for the form your doctor will need to fill out.

What are our Winter Sports?

• Boys and Girls Basketball
• Girls and Boys Wrestling
• Boys and Girls Indoor Track
• Girls and Boys Swimming
• Cheerleading
• PALS Bowling

Winter sports tickets will be available for purchase online at Go Fan. All school sports schedules have been uploaded and are ready for purchase. Get online and create your free account now to purchase tickets. Once you have purchased the ticket you just need to show your online ticket at the ticket table using your mobile device.

Thank you to all the families that completed the Impact Aid form!
Our schools are heavily impacted by federally-connected students – those parents/guardians who work on federal property in Maryland, live on federal property in Maryland, and/or are active duty military personnel. Because of this impact, we receive federal grant funds to operate and maintain our schools and enrich school programs. To receive these funds, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) requires us to survey each student to determine eligibility. SMCPS is encouraging all parents/guardians to please take the time to access and complete the Impact Aid Survey Form online, located in the Home Access Center (HAC). Once logged in, directions to access the online form can be found HERE. A video with instructions is available HERE. The form can now be accessed in Spanish by clicking on the Globe in the top right-hand corner once the form has been started. The deadline for the online submission of Impact Aid Program Survey forms is November 14, 2022.

The National Honor Society will again be offering tutoring during One Lunch.

Students can sign up for individual tutoring sessions by going to room F36 to request tutoring, and Mrs. Johns will then match you with a tutor and schedule a session.

Makeup picture day is set for November 18th for underclassmen. All staff and students who did not get their picture taken will be able to on that day. As long as the machine is not broken again they will receive their ID when they take their picture.

The GMHS Writing Center is an in-school resource available every day during both Green and Gold lunches in Room C-15. Students can get support on new assignments, revisions, personal writing, college application essays, and more!

If you have questions contact:

Mr. Stevens (wbstevens@smcps.org); Mrs. Walsh (mfwalsh@smcps.org)

We will be looking to grow different options for clubs and groups during 1-Lunch! Are you interested in giving back to your community?

The School Volunteer Portal is now open for applications. Beginning this year all school volunteers must apply annually for approval. If you were approved last year, you will need to reapply through this portal. The application process will end on May 1 of each school year. There is no application fee for school volunteers. The volunteer portal is now fully integrated with the Raptor visitor management system. Once approved you will receive an email. That’s it!

Please consider wearing PURPLE on Wednesdays in November! For the month of November, purple represents awareness for Alzheimer's Disease and Epilepsy.

This month also represents awareness for Adoption, Lung Cancer, Homelessness, Native American Heritage, Movember (men's health awareness), Crohn's Disease, Gastric cancers, and Diabetes.

Join Gals Lead on Thursdays in D-11 during Green and Gold lunch. It is Dream Queen Association’s signature program for teen girls to help develop confidence, connection, and career clarity to help young women live their most awesome dream life.

Did you miss your chance to purchase a yearbook in high school? We can't bring you back to high school, but we can sell you a book of high school memories!

Here is a direct link to purchase an Alumni Yearbook from the years 1980-2021. There is a limited quantity of each and once they are gone, we do not have the ability to order more.

Click here to purchase yours today!

prices are :

1980-2000 $25.00

2001-2018 $30.00

2019-2021 $45.00

Shipping is $6.50 per book.

Schoology New Parent/Guardian Provisioning: New Schoology parent/guardian accounts will be created in the coming weeks. We hope to have accounts created and parents/guardians connected to their students in Schoology by Friday, September 2nd. Continue to use Schoology for your updates along with your SMOREs/School Messenger. Please share this specific message with your school community through School Messenger. Parents that have difficulty accessing their pre-existing accounts should contact schoology@smcps.org and include the student name and ID number for troubleshooting.

For more help with Schoology, visit the SMCPS Schoology Parent Dashboard.

Are you aware that your child could qualify for a free Associate Degree or free professional certifications from CSM and/or Blades School of Hair and Design? What exactly is the Maryland Promise Scholarship?

Yearbooks are on sale for 95.00. The price will increase again on November 26. Get your yearbook before the price goes up! Yearbooks can be ordered online through the following link: Buy your YEARBOOK here

Did you know that even just a few minutes on a cell phone texting, checking social media, etc adds up over the course of a school day? Students, who use their devices for just 5 minutes each period, lose nearly 1 period of instructional time per day (35 minutes of class). Over the course of 1 week, those 5 minutes per class adds up to nearly 4 missed periods! Personal devices can be a HUGE distraction for students. Please start this year off right, by keeping personal devices away in your bookbag or at a charging station if your teacher has one available. There is a direct connection to phone usage during the school day to grades. Encourage your student/s to only use their phone during lunch, between classes, or when approved by a teacher.

Harris Teeter’s Together In Education program gives schools a chance to earn funds when you link your VIC card and shop Harris Teeter brands. Please link your VIC card to GMHS #4324.

Harris Teeter has donated over $32.4 million to Together In Education schools since 1998! When you shop Harris Teeter brands, a percentage of your purchase is donated to the school that your VIC card is linked to.

There are NO LIMITS to how much a school can earn!

Any customer with a VIC card can link their card to a school. Customers can link up to five (5) schools to their account.

MySchoolBucks is an online payment service that provides a convenient way for parents/guardians to pay for school-related purchases by using their credit/debit card or electronic check. Please use this link for more information on how to sign up for a MySchoolBucks account if you do not already have one.

SMCPS is looking to get nominations to recognize our cafeteria workers from school-based staff, students, and parents. Please consider clicking here to nominate one of our wonderful GMHS Cafeteria workers. All staff members are listed on our GMHS website.

Nominations will be selected each month to pass along The Golden Spatula Award to our cafeteria staff.

SMCPS is committed to the mental health and wellness of students and parents. Check out each of the available sites for valuable resources.

We are pleased to announce that phase 1 of the community project is finished with the completion of the brick foundation. We are going to begin phase 2 with the selling of additional bricks to raise money for the Hornet statue. Click to purchase your own brick!

Follow us on Twitter or check the school website for updates.

Email: bjdothard@smcps.org
Website: https://schools.smcps.org/gmhs/
Location: 21130 Great Mills Road, Great Mills, MD, USA
Phone: (301) 863-4001
Twitter: @GMHS_SMCPS