The GMA Gazette

A BIG THANK YOU to Stephanie Gardner and Andrea Smith for spearheading the effort to organize our parent group into an official chapter of the PTA. And, thank you to the 25 GMA community members - parents and teachers - that came out this afternoon to officially cast their vote to form the first PTA at Geist Montessori Academy.

Julie, the PTA rep from the state, shared with us that this was the largest turnout she has seen for an organizational meeting in Indiana. That's incredible and truly speaks to the dedication and commitment of all of our GMA community members to support our students, teachers, and families.

After voting to organize as a chapter of the PTA, those present also voted to accept the bylaws that were drafted for our organization. Then, the group nominated and voted in officers for our PTA Board for the 2024-2025 school year. Those officers are:

Stephanie Gardner - President

Andrea Smith - Vice President

Lindsay Neumann - Secretary

Claire Stuckey - Treasurer

If you would like to join the PTA as a member to support our school community, you may do so at the Market at Geist Montessori on Saturday, May 18. Annual dues are $15 to join this parent - teacher - student organization. GMA students in grades 6 and up may join the PTA as a dues-paying member to have a voice in how our PTA can best support our school community.

Thank you all for your continued dedication to our students, families, and teachers at Geist Montessori Academy. The future is so very bright for our school!

We will have a GMA booth set up at the market to sell popcorn and bottled water, pass out information about our school, welcome guests, and provide an opportunity for families to sign up for the PTA. If you are interested in helping us with this booth, either as a volunteer or by donating water/popcorn, please sign up here!

If you are interested in a summer tutor, please see this list of GMA teachers and staff that are willing to offer their services this summer!

Students will be tie-dying shirts in Art class. Please be sure to send in a white, cotton t-shirt for your child to tie-dye. It doesn't have to be a new shirt, but it does have to be a cotton shirt. Thanks!

This week, the Indiana Department of Education shared information with schools regarding a new EBT program that is launching for Hoosier families this summer. This program, Indiana SUN Bucks, provides eligible families $120 per school-aged child to help buy healthy groceries over the summer months. You can learn more about this program's eligibility requirements and complete the application process here.

Can you believe that we only have 13 school days left this year? Those days will fly by in a flash as we wrap up another great school year together at GMA.

Did you know that this year is the first school year in which GMA conducted a lottery for admission of new students at every grade level? Based on responses from the Returning Student Verification Process, which concluded in February, over 93% of our currently enrolled students are returning to GMA for the 2024-2025 school year. This leaves a very limited number of openings for new students to join us next year.

If you know that your plans for next school year have changed, and your child(ren) will not be attending GMA in the Fall, please let our front office know as soon as possible. We have over 165 new students seeking enrollment at our school with very limited spots open for new students. There is currently a waitlist for admission at every age level except Kindergarten and first grade for the Fall.

It is an honor and a privilege to partner with families in their child(ren)'s education. If your plans are taking you away from GMA for the upcoming year, we want to wish you all the best for an easy transition into a new school environment. Thank you for sharing your child(ren) with us and for allowing us to be a part of your village as you raise kind, respectful, responsible world-changers and problem-solvers. 💚

5/10 - Dine to Donate at Leo's, 3-7 pm (see flier below)

5/13 - Spring NWEA Testing begins for grades K-8

5/18 - The Market at Geist Montessori

5/23 - IREAD-3 "Summer" Retest

5/24 - Kindergarten's Kindy 500 event, 1:30 pm

5/27 - Memorial Day, No School

5/28 - 8th Grade Celebration, 6:00 pm

5/29 - Field Day at GMA

5/29 - GMA Board of Directors Meeting, 5:30 pm

5/30 - Last Day of School

5/30 - Kindergarten Picnic at Brooks School Park

7/16 - Chipotle Dine to Donate Event at the 116th Street store, 4:00 -8:00 pm

Congratulations to these students for being selected as winners from our Mystery Attendance Days:
Week 1 - Harlem C., Sthavvya S., and Myra B.

Week 2 - Aiden B., Finn F., Beatrice H., and Kaydence P.

Week 3 - Charlee B., Porter C., Aiden L., and Ayden W.

Week 4 - Betty A., Oliver A., Jana C., Keagan C., Hannah D., Ben T., Edward L., Katherine G., Ellis B., Muhammed T.

Week 5 - Lily R., Lauren R., Yashi P., Teddy S., Vedika S., Beau M., Kyla L., Alec K., Alanna J., Luis G.

We continue to work on improving our school attendance rate. You can help us reach our goal of 97% attendance rate by 2027 by working with your child(ren) to make sure that they are on time and present at school every possible day they can be. We want to encourage all students to be on time and present for the full school day as much as possible, which is why we are working on fun ways to celebrate high student attendance rates.

This Spring, GMA presents Mystery Attendance Days! Each week, we will randomly select one day to be the Mystery Attendance Day for the week. All students (PK-8th grade) who are on time and present for the full school day on Mystery Attendance Day will be entered into a drawing for fun prizes! Winners will be announced before car line starts. Then, on Tuesday, May 28, all of the names that were entered into the weekly drawings will be entered into the grand prize drawing. Fifteen students will be selected from the grand prize drawing and will win a chance to dunk Ms. Jen in the dunk tank on Field Day on May 29! Students could have multiple chances to win if they are on time and present for the full school day each Mystery Attendance Day!

Everyone has a chance to win. Good luck! 🍀

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.

Mark your calendars for these fun weeks at The Grove's Summer Camp at GMA. Please reach out to Ms. Kayla directly with any questions. Her email address is kcommons@gma.k12.in.us.

Sign up here!

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 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.