GMS Weekly Newsletter
GMS WEEKLY NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER 8, 2024
Good Afternoon Wolf Pack Families,
We have so much to be proud of at Geisler. On Monday evening, I attended our 7th/8th grade Band Concert. I was so impressed with how much our students have progressed since I heard them perform last. I thank Ms. Podnar for having the students so well prepared. Our Winter 1 sports are off and running. On Thursday evening our 6th/7th grade and 8th grade boys basketball teams both started their season with a win against Clifford Smart MS. Student behavior has been excellent this week and I am proud of all of the students who choose to follow the "Geisler Way" on a daily basis.
Marking Period 1 grades will be posted to Skyward Family Access no later than 5pm today. Please review the report card with your student. This is an excellent time for you to discuss their strengths and set goals in areas needing improvement. Parent/Teacher Conferences are next Thursday, November 14. There is still time to sign up for a conference either virtually or in person. I encourage all of our families to meet with their student's teachers so they have a better picture of how they are progressing socially, emotionally and academically. Thank you to all of the families who have donated to the PTSA "Feed Our Staff" on conference night. I look forward to seeing many of our families next week.
Wising you all a fantastic weekend,
Stuart Riley
Principal, Geisler Middle School
Upcoming Events
11/8-1st Marking Period Grades available at 5pm
11/11-Boys Basketball vs. Mason MS-AWAY
11/13-Boys Basketball vs. Muir MS-AWAY
11/14-1/2 Day-Parent Teacher Conferences
11/18-Boys Basketball vs. Pierce MS-AWAY
11/19-1/2 Day for students-Teacher Professional Development
11/19-6th Grade Orchestra Concert @ GMS-6:30pm
11/20-6th Grade Band Concert @ GMS-6:30pm
11/20-Boys Basketball vs. Oak Valley MS-AWAY
11/21-Boys Basketball vs. Millennium MS-HOME
11/25-Boys Basketball vs. Walnut Creek MS-AWAY
11/27-1/2 Day-Thanksgiving Break
11/28-No School-Happy Thanksgiving
11/29-No School-Thanksgiving Break
NEW COMMUNICATIONS
Leaders of the Pack!
Congratulations to our Leaders of the Pack (formerly known as Students of the Month)! These students have been nominated by one of their teachers for being an outstanding student in their classroom. We are very proud of your accomplishment!
September Leaders of the Pack
Favour Ogbonnaya- 6th
Daniela Zaleta-Romero- 6th
Blake Dado-7th
Jace Drewery-7th
Maddy Sullivan- 7th
Clara Murray-8th
October Leaders of the Pack
Caleb Worden- 6th
Gabriel Menking- 6th
Milan Jackson- 7Th
Karineh Manoogian- 7th
Lilith Sulla-7th
Payton Bressler- 7th
Setya Asadian- 8th
Henry Breen- 8th
Radhika Manga- 8th
Free Before and After School Tutoring/Homework Help
We are so excited that we will begin FREE before and after school tutoring for Math and ELA starting on Monday, November 11. If your student struggles in either/both of these subjects or iReady, this is a great opportunity for them to get additional support. Consider asking your student's math/ELA teacher if tutoring might be good for them when you meet at conferences on November 14. You may register for tutoring at anytime from now through the end of the November. Our tutoring sessions are led by GMS teachers!
Students MUST be registered in order to attend. They must also be dropped off and picked up on time in order to continue. See the QR code below to register or use this link: https://forms.gle/NL4iZKeouXhfht9F7
NJHS FOOD DRIVE
Geisler’s National Junior Honor Society is having a canned food drive benefiting the Hospitality House. We are asking students and staff to bring in non-perishable foods to their first hour class. The class with the most cans will win a donut party. The food drive will take place from November 11th – November 22nd. Thank you for your support.
SPIRIT WEEK @ GMS!
Spirt Week is November 11-15. Our students/staff will participate in a great Recognition Ceremony and Students vs. Staff Volleyball Game at the end of the week. Dress up each day to show your Wolf Pack Pride! It's going to be a great week!!!!
PTSA UPDATE
WHAT’S COMING UP IN NOVEMBER
11/11: PTSA Meeting at 7pm
11/14: ½ Day - Conferences
11/16: Dining to Donate Fundraiser at BIGGBY Coffee on Welch
11/19: ½ Day of School - Staff PD Day
11/27: ½ Day of School - Thanksgiving Break
11/28-29: NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving Break
PTSA MEETING - 11/11
Join us for our next PTSA meeting on November 11th at 7pm in the Media Center! View the agenda here: https://www.geislerptsa.com/meetings/meeting-agenda-minutes
CONFERENCES - Help Feed Our Staff!
The LONGEST day of the year is upon us – Conferences! Let’s make it easier on our staff by keeping them well-fed and hydrated. Use the SignUp Genius to provide food, donate your time, or help off-set the cost with a monetary donation.
Sign Up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080C45AEAE23A6F94-52032587-food#/
Monetary donations can be made by cash, Venmo ( @Hillary-Glaser ) or by PayPal
(https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/hlglaser )
FUNDRAISER AT BIGGBY COFFEE - 11/16
Stop by BIGGBY Coffee all day on November 16th and order your favorite snack and drink to support Geisler Middle School PTA.
Walk Into Walled Lake
November 13, 2024
4:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Marc A. Siegler Board Room
Walled Lake Consolidated School District (WLCSD) is excited to host a Walk into Walled Lake interview day on Wednesday, November 13, 2024 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Marc A. Siegler Board Room at the Educational Services Center (850 Ladd Road, Building D, Walled Lake, MI 48390).
Walk into Walled Lake is an opportunity for members of the community to learn more about WLCSD and how they can support its students by filling important roles within the district’s 20 schools. Attendees will be able to apply and participate in walk-in job interviews for multiple positions at WLCSD.
“Walk into Walled Lake is a great way for the community to see all of the possibilities that exist within our District,” said Abbie Kidder, Executive Manager of Human Resources. “We pride ourselves in offering jobs that allow our employees to maintain a strong work and home life balance, while having a lasting impact on the children we commit ourselves to each and every day."
Available positions include:
- Instructional Paraeducators – Starting at $16.33 per hour
- Lunchroom and Playground Paraeducators – Starting at $15.74 per hour
- Locker Room and Parking Lot Paraeducators – Starting at $15.74 per hour
- Multiple Secretary Positions – Starting at $17.68-$19.54 per hour (Depending on role)
- Prime Time Care – Starting at $15.91 per hour
- Food Service – Starting at $14.53 per hour
Questions about Walk into Walled Lake can be directed to Mrs. Kidder by email at AbbieKidder@wlcsd.org.
Shop WIth A Hero
Families, please see the attached document regarding information on "Shop With A Hero" hosted by the Lakes Area Youth Assistance. The deadline has been extended until November 22. Please complete an application if you are interested.
PREVIOUS COMMUNICATIONS
Parent/Teacher Conferences
Parent/Teacher Conferences are scheduled for Thursday, November 14th from 12:15-8:15 p.m in a hybrid format. Half of the day is formatted for virtual conferences and the other half is allocated for in-person conferences. The times listed below are the format for both types of conferences, and are consistent at all four district middle schools. When you sign up in Skyward for your conferences, the virtual or in-person formats will be listed. At the middle school level, once spots are taken in each format (in-person or virtual), there will not be additional times available to sign up through Skyward.
All individual Parent/Teacher Conferences need to be scheduled online, in advance, through your parent Family Access account. You may sign up for time slots beginning on November 4th @ 7:00 a.m. All conferences, regardless of core or encore teacher, must be scheduled online.
- Virtual Conferences: 12:15 - 3:45 PM
- In-Person Conferences: 4:00 - 8:15 PM
Important Details for Scheduled Conferences
- Online sign up in Family Access will only work using your parent login. If you still need a username and password, please email FamilyAccess@wlcsd.org or contact the Family Access hotline at 248.956.2190.
- Online sign up will be available November 4th @ 7:00 a.m. and stay open until November 13th @ 7:00 AM
- Parent/Teacher Conferences will take place virtually via TEAMS and each individual conference will be 5 minutes in length for general education classes. Special Education Resource Room Caseload workers will offer 15 minute conferences. Teachers will monitor the TEAMS waiting room and will remove parents and admit parents at the scheduled time.
- Prior to conferences, parents will be provided with a master list of teachers and the teacher’s corresponding TEAMS Link.
- When scheduling consecutive conferences, you must leave one five-minute conference gap between appointments. Ensuring you have a five-minute gap will allow you time to move from one teacher’s conference to the next..
- Scheduling a conference with your counselor is not required, however, if there is a pressing issue that needs to be addressed at conferences you may schedule a conference with your child’s counselor. Due to the number of students they serve, if you do not have a pressing issue then you do not need to schedule a conference.
- If you feel you need a longer conference with any teacher, we are happy to schedule a separate conference. All staff contact information can be found at our school website.
Tutorials: Conference Scheduling on Skyward
- A video tutorial showing the process for scheduling conferences can be found at this How To Schedule Conferences Online link.
- Written directions can be found at the Secondary Parents Conference Sign Up link.
Tutorials: Attending Conferences via TEAMS on November 14th, 2024
- Video directions for how to attend your conferences on November 1 can be found at this Video Directions Link
- Written directions can be found at this Written Directions Link
Geisler Chronicles Newspaper
Be sure to pick up your copy of the latest issue of our school newspaper, The Geisler Chronicles! Just in time for Halloween, there are some festive recipes, history of the holiday, tips to stay safe, and a lot more in this issue. Check it out online at http://bit.ly/GeislerChronicles or pick up your copy in front of the attendance office.
GMS Yearbook Update
Order your GMS yearbook today! Click here to order your yearbook and any additional upgrades. Yearbooks cost $40 and will be delivered to school in June.
We invite our 8th grade GMS families to write a well wish to their 8th grade student that will be printed in our yearbook. The cost is $12. Click here to submit your message today!
Board Game Club
Mrs. Hernandez is starting an after school Game Club beginning on November 6. This is a great opportunity for students to have some fun, meet new friends and learn some new board/card games! Please see the information below including the permission slip that will need to be signed in order to attend.
8th Grade Washington, D.C. Trip & Fundraiser
Registration for the 8th grade trip to Washington, D.C. is now moving to our third bus, which means Corporate Travel moved us to a “waitlist” status. We have about 20 seats remaining on the third bus and guaranteed registration will be open until these seats are filled. Click here to join the waitlist and pay the $50 deposit to hold your spot on the trip. Families will be asked to pay the remainder of their deposit once the third bus officially opens.
More trip information and required forms can be found in this newsletter. Email Mr. Yu with any questions you may have at TorryYu@wlcsd.org.