Welcome to the GMSD Neighborhood

Welcome back to the GMSD neighborhood! We were excited to welcome back our Mustangs, Raiders, Falcons, Goalies, Foxes, and Dolphins this week.

Last week, over 600 staff members gathered to set the tone for the school year. We decided to draw some inspiration from Fred Rogers of Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood fame. We discussed Mr. Roger’s unwavering commitment to loving children just as they are and why it’s important as educators appreciate each child’s inherent value. But, we also discussed the importance of providing appropriate productive struggle by meeting students with challenges that will cause them to grow.

Our district will be focused on moving students forward on their individual academic pathways this year–while working together. This is a large part of Mr. Roger’s neighborhood care of expression. A place where students are cared for and feel safe to overcome challenges and to become the best students that they can be.

I hope that each of you will join our staff as we create a neighborhood for our students both inside and outside of the classroom.

Jason Manuel, Superintendent

Join the Germantown Board of Education for their next work session on August 24, 2022. The meeting is both open to the public and will be live streamed on our GMSD Youtube Channel. Meeting agendas are published five business days before each meeting.

In response to COVID-19, the U.S. Congress passed several pieces of legislation that sent billions of dollars in relief funds to states. Tennessee received, in total, $4.2 billion to be spent on schools across the state in three phases. This is known as the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER). The third phase, known as ESSER 3.0, was included in the American Rescue Plan (ARP) granted GMSD a total of $11,307,497.65.

With input from district staff, parents, and key stakeholders during the Spring and Summer of 2021, GMSD identified priority areas for these funds that were aligned to the ESSER 3.0 requirements.

During the first year, GMSD expenditures totaled $8,322,943.00 in four targeted areas; Academics, Student Readiness, Educators, and Foundations.

GMSD staff has created a draft budget for the remaining ESSER 3.0 funds to be expended in FY23 and FY24. The draft budget is aligned to the FY22 budget, (carrying funds over in the same identified categories from FY21) and includes the 20% requirement to address students’ learning loss due to the pandemic. No new/different items are included in the FY23 draft budget.

Germantown Municipal Schools is seeking feedback from all district and community stakeholders to help determine how the district should best continue to utilize these resources to address learning loss, health/mental health issues, ongoing COVID-19 recovery, and Federal Program grant funds. Please take time to let us know your opinion by completing the brief survey below by September 9, 2022.

Please read through our DRAFT budget and provide us with your feedback.

GMSD was excited to rollout new school-based magnets last week. *If you didn't get one, contact your child's school. The magnets are a visual reminder to submit attendance notes this year. They also include handy QR codes that connect a phone right to the email inbox of your specific school attendance secretary.

There are several ways to submit attendance notes:

• Use the QR Code on the magnet to send any attendance notes to the school
• OR, email the attendance secretary directly
• Or, handwrite the note and send it with your child to school

It's also a great reminder to take time reviewing the attendance policy at the beginning of each year.

Policy 6.200 Attendance and Truancy

Houston High School student Elaine Ulmer has been chosen to serve on the Shelby County Gun Safety Council. Ulmer is a senior, a member of the Houston Band, and is excited to be one of two high school students serving alongside 25 other citizens. Other members include educators, gun owners, parents, and law enforcement. Read more about Ulmer's new appointment here.

Kindergarteners at Dogwood Elementary were rocking in their school shoes this week as they participated in a Pete The Cat scavenger hunt around the school. Entering a new school can be intimidating, but a familiar book character made the new experience fun.

Pete the Cat left clues at all of the important places around Dogwood. Students found the library, the cafeteria, the gym, the office, and the playground with his help. This experience helped them become more comfortable with Dogwood so that they felt at home.

“They already know who he [Pete The Cat] is, and it got them excited to connect him to school,” said kindergarten teacher Tricia Tubbs.

The students had a great time learning about the school, but the best part of any scavenger hunt is the prize. “We got stickers!” said Garner Danielson, who will be rocking in her school shoes with all of her kindergarten friends every day next week.

For the second year, seniors begin their ending year with a meet and greet at sunrise on the Landers Field. Also a long-standing tradition, they sport their homemade "senior shirts". On Friday, they gathered at 6:30 a.m. to greet the sun, their fellow seniors, and enjoy breakfast on the 50 yard line. "I can't wait to enjoy this year with my friends. Before we know it, we'll be at the Senior Sunset!" said Sarah D'Souza.

Alumni Alert! Keep an eye out for Kip Frankland, who graduated in 2019. Read all about it in the Daily Memphian. Houston High Principal Rob Taylor told us, "Houston High is honored to see that Kip is doing such wonderful things".

Do you know of an alumnus that we need to highlight?

Each Summer, GMSD welcomes new staff members into leadership roles. In case you missed their individual announcements over the summer; April Miller was named an Assistant Principal at Houston High School, Marvin Townsend was named an Assistant Principal at Houston High School, Ellie Talley was named as the Assistant Principal at Forest Hill Elementary School Kendra Pickens was named the GMSD Human Resources Supervisor, and John Truong was named the Operations Supervisor.

To read more about each person, click their name in the paragraph above. Welcome to GMSD!