GMS Weekly News and Notes

This week's cover photo features our Kindness Award winners. Week in and week out, GMS students engage in many acts of kindness and generosity, and we are proud of them. This week's newsletter serves as a showcase of a number of the ways our students (with some help from our awesome staff) give back to the broader community.

We tried something new this week with a week of "secret" Staff Spirit days. Each day, faculty members were given a theme that was kept secret from the students. Students got to guess what the theme of each day was, with the winners receiving prizes (plus the admiration of their peers). More highlights below!

Along similar lines, and in keeping with GMS tradition, all students are invited to participate in Spirit Week next week. Detailed information on each day's theme is included below.

Last call to complete the Fall Caregiver Survey! If you haven't had a chance yet, please take a few minutes to provide your feedback on the year so far. The more families we hear from, the better our data is for planning purposes.

From Ms. Owens:

Each month, each academic specialist teacher will recognize one of their students who stands out amongst their classes. Specialist Star awards recognize students for their work ethic, excellence, performance, passion, support, ambition, positive attitude, and/or kindness. Congratulations to our December honorees! Congratulations to Antonio Gaytan, Abigail Logan, Daniel LaBollita, Cameron Crimi, Jacob Salette, Chris Doherty, Tadhg Howard, CJ Galvin, Sima Kulynych, Meghan Vogel, Nathan Nguyen, Enzo Hernandez-Castillo, Clyde Evert, Fiona Field, & Luca Ricci!

Congratulations to all of this month's honorees!

From Ms. Pabon:

I wish to congratulate our GMS students that auditioned for the SEMMEA Junior District Festival this past Saturday. I was very impressed with our student's poise and support of each other as they reached for their most excellent performance after a period of intense preparation. These are our students who participated:

Cassidy Boyle, Treble Choir

Isabel Camille, Orchestra

Rhiannon Kaplun, Treble Choir

Victoria Lin, Treble Choir

Rosalin Mahoney, Treble Choir

Murugi Nyaga, Orchestra

Jacob Salette, Orchestra

Avika Shukla, Treble Choir

Kavya Sivaraman, Treble Choir

Isabella Westcott, Treble Choir

Anabelle Yoyo, Orchestra

Mrs. Morrison's Life Skills class collected donations over the last few weeks to support the Animal Protection Center of Southeastern Mass. Between Dog treat sales, staff donations, and the help of Candy Cane sales from our student leadership team, they were able to collect and purchase essential items that the shelter needs. The class travelled to the shelter on December 12th to drop off donations. The shelter was overwhelmed and grateful for our generous contribution.

Thank you to everyone who helped out! Happy Pawlidays!

From Ms. Daly:

Positive moves by GMS cheerleaders! When asked to cheer for kids who are undergoing treatment at Children’s hospital, they meet the challenge! This week the GMS cheerleading squad made over 60 cards for Children’s Hospital Cancer patients who face treatment over this holiday season!

Our staff came through on all the theme days. Monday was Twins/Multiples Day. Tuesday was for dressing up in a favorite holiday theme. Wednesday was "decades day". On Thursday, folks came dressed for different occupations, and Friday was "dress like a tourist day". We had a lot of fun during a cold December week!

Attention, Students and Families!

Get your yearbook now for the lowest price of the season! Order your

copy for only $36! But hurry, because prices will increase after December!

Don't miss out on capturing your memories! All grade levels are featured in the book.

Order your yearbook today!

Yearbooks can be purchased by using our direct link of Galvin Middle School 2024-2025 Yearbook

We are incredibly grateful to the Canton community for moving the GMS Building project forward, officially. We are beyond excited to be able to start planning our transition to a new building! Thank you, Canton, for all of your support!

To learn more about the GMS Building Project, please visit www.galvinmsproject.com.

This week's fact comes to us from the Math department:

If you shuffle a deck of cards properly, it’s more than likely that the exact order of the cards you get has never been seen before in the whole history of the universe.

This week during professional development, the GMS Nurses took a more in depth look at sleep disorders with Northeastern School Health Academy. It’s pretty incredible how far kids are from getting adequate sleep. Children in middle and high school should get 8-10 hours of sleep every night. If they do not get adequate sleep, they can present symptoms differently than adults. This can include hyperactivity, agitation, and difficulty concentrating.

Winter break is a time to remember that routine is key for successful re-entry back into school in January. Try to keep the same sleep patterns and screen time limitations during the time at home.

Sleep Tidbits

• Children that get adequate sleep are less likely to develop depression

• Sleep is a critical time for physical growth and can be impaired if the child is chronically sleep deprived

• Earlier bedtimes promote longer durations of sleep (duh- but it helps people stay asleep longer!)

• Supportive environments help maintain better quality sleep. For example, quiet, dark bedrooms without electronics or distractions.

Nothing screams routine and healthy habits like the holiday times and vacation- we got this!

Lindsey Coppola, RN
(508) 584-1070 x3110

Tara Medeiros, RN

(508) 584-1070 x316

The next GMS CAPT meeting will take place on Monday, February 3rd at 6:10PM in the GMS Library. We invite all interested parents and guardians to attend!

Wednesday, December 11th: Early dismissal day for students

Friday, December 20th: Early dismissal day

December 23rd- January 1st, 2025: Winter Holiday Break

Monday, January 6th: GMS School Council meeting, 5PM in the GMS library

Check out the latest events from around town!

At a Glance - New Event(s)

• Mary E. Wentworth Recreation Facility Master Plan & Feasibility Study

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