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Garfield Gazette
March 2024 Newsletter
Dear Garfield Families,
With the end of the third quarter and Spring Break fast approaching it is essential to check in on your student's progress and help them set goals for finishing this school year strong. Please support your child and our goal of achieving academic excellence by making sure that we take care of the little things each and every day.
- Encourage regular school attendance. Tardies have become an increased concern. Students should arrive to school between 7:45 a.m. and 8:05 a.m. to allow for enough time to get breakfast and to be in first period class on time and without interruption of learning.
- Monitor your child's Chromebook use for academic purposes and completion of all homework prior to it being used for any entertainment reasons. The Chromebooks are academic tools first and foremost. All Chromebooks need chargers and should be charged before the start of the school day.
- Seek out help from your child's teachers. The Garfield staff is committed to helping students in need and want to provide extra support in class and after school.
- Support a growth mindset. Making mistakes, and persevering through challenges is what learning is all about.
As we move into the last part of the school year, it is crucial that our students are on-time and attending school regularly. Students need to be present to engage with learning as student attendance directly impacts student achievement and graduation.
Did you know:
- Chronic absence is defined in Ohio as a student missing 10% or more of the school year for any reason – excused, medically excused, unexcused and suspensions.
- Students who miss as little as two days each month, for any reason, are on-track to become chronically absent by the end of the year.
- 30% of Ohio students miss almost 20 days of school a year, and research shows that missing just two days a month can leave kids trailing on foundational learning and social skills. (Source: Stay in the Game Keep Learning Every Day)
If you need support or resources to help with your child's attendance, please contact me.
Thank you for your continued support,
April Patton
Principal
Words from Mr. Smith
Greetings,
By the time you receive this publication two-thirds of the school year will be completed. The year has moved fast as they all do. Nevertheless, there is still much to do. Please take time and enjoy the spring break recess, ensuring you and your GMS student recharge for the journey to the end of the school year. It is short, but it feels long. It is challenging, yet some attempt to take it easy. It can be rewarding for those who put forth the effort, and it is daunting for those who take shortcuts. Please discuss and focus on what the spring will bring for your GMS student if good choices are made. It is nice to watch students who have matured over the school year make good decisions and receive rewards for their efforts. Hopefully, all the students will focus and lock in making the end of the school year journey easy.
Win The Day!
Mr. Ouimet Smith
Important Dates
Winter Sports
🏀7th/8th Grade Boys Basketball
Our 7th and 8th grade boys basketball teams will be playing in the GLC conference tournament starting next week. 7th Grade games will be played at Buckeye MS and 8th Grade games will be played at Valley Forge High School.
7th Grade: The first game is 3/4 @ 4:45
8th Grade: The first game is 3/5 @ 6:45
Other Important Dates
3/1 Ohio City Burrito Dine to Donate Night
3/1 Spring Dance 6:30-8:30
3/4 Hungry Howie's Dine to Donate Night
3/4-3/8 Spirit Week (organized by Civics Club)
3/6 8th Grade Band Festival @ 7:00 pm in Civic
3/8 Final payment for DC due
3/8 End of 3rd Quarter
3/11-3/15 No School- Spring Break
3/18 School Resumes
3/20 PTSA meeting @ 7:00 pm in LRC
3/21 and 3/22 Spring Musical: Mean Girls @ 7:00 pm in the Cafetorium
3/27 3rd Quarter Report Cards mailed home
3/29- 4/1- No School
4/1 Hungry Howie's Dine to Donate Night
4/4 Aladdin's Dine to Donate Night
4/8- No School- Eclipse Day
Game Club Dates
3/7 - 8th grade
3/21 - 7th grade
3/28 - 6th grade
OST Testing Dates
4/15 - ELA 8 Part 1
4/16 - ELA 8 Part 2
4/18 - ELA 7 Part 1
4/19 - ELA 7 Part 2
4/22 - ELA 6 Part 1
4/23 - ELA 6 Part 2
4/25 - Science 8 Part 1
4/26 - Science 8 Part 2
4/30 - Math 6, 7, 8 Part 1
5/2 - Math 6, 7, 8 Part 2
Greater Cleveland Solo & Ensemble
Greater Cleveland Solo & Ensemble Contest was held on Wednesday, February 24 at Olmsted Falls Middle School. Several of our talented musicians performed at this event including solos and small ensembles. Students worked hard to prepare for the event and received superior ratings. Participating choir students were Bella Perkins, Enzo Flasher, Oliver Salamon, Tim Zagrebin, and Genevieve Wroblewski. Participating band students were Avery Spahr, Charlie Wisniewski, Zenovia Parkanzsky, Elizabeth Spear, Christopher Pongracz, Ona Bukys, Dylan Emerson, and Santiago Gutierrez.
Congratulations to all on your success!
8th Grade Field Trip
Thanks to the Lakewood Rangers Educational Foundation (LREF), Garfield 8th graders had the opportunity to travel to Playhouse Square this week to see a live performance of the musical project, “The Unauthorized Biography Series." The show is Half TED Talk, half live concert. In his performance Shaun Boothe uses music, multimedia and motivation to deliver powerful and transformative messaging in a way that truly sticks. He believes that everyone has the power within themselves to be better, to do better, to live their best lives.
Author Visit
On Monday, March 4th, author Doan Phuong Nguyen will be visiting Garfield to speak to Mrs. Fields 6th grade Advanced ELA classes. Doan Phuong Nguyen is a Vietnamese immigrant and author of Mèo and Bé. She will visit Garfield, Harding, and St. Ed's as a part of The Lakewood Public Library exhibit honoring Vietnamese refugees.
8th Grade Washington DC Trip
Sponsorship Fundraiser
We are very excited to announce that our Sponsorship Fundraiser was a great success. Thanks to all of our generous donors, we are able to provide our students with an enriching and educational experience that will create lasting memories and broaden their horizons in ways we cannot fully express. Your kindness makes a significant difference in the lives of our students, and for that, we are incredibly grateful.
Presidential Level
- Aladdin's Eatery
- Garfield PTSA
- The GAP
- The Hart Family
- Lion and Blue
Supreme Court Level
- Primerica Financial Services
- Pepper's Italian Restaurant
- LJ Manufacturing Inc.
Congressional Level
- The 7th Grade GMS Team
- Tom Bullock
- West Side Skates
- The Pongracz Family
- Jason Schachner
Important Information & Final Payment
Students attending this year's Washington DC Field Trip received their final payment information, required medical forms and the following information at school today. Please check with your student.
Final payment is due by March 8, 2024.
Washington D.C. Student Information Form is due by March 28, 2024
Roommate Selection Form is due by March 28, 2024. Students who are paid in full can choose their roommates. Please fill out the roommate selection form with your name and your three roommates’ names. Parents- please sign off on your child’s choice of roommates. Only students whose final bill is paid will be allowed to register for a room.
Medication Forms and Information. If your child is taking any medication, please make sure these forms are returned by May 2.
A mandatory student/parent meeting will be Tuesday, April 25, at 7 p.m. in the cafetorium. All rules and regulations will be discussed. Everyone is expected to attend. Please mark your calendars.
All of this information and more can be found on the GMS 8th Grade DC Trip Website.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Ben Branco at ben.branco@lakewoodcityschools.org.
Garfield Middle School Drama Club Presents:
MEAN GIRLS, Jr
March 20 at 3:20 PM
March 21, & 22 at 7:00 PM
Join us in the Garfield Middle School Cafetorium for this outstanding musical production. Pre-sale tickets for the front/center reserved section will be available through Payschools. https://www.payschoolsevents.com/events/details/32597
Donations are taken at the door for general seating.
Please contact Mrs. Blasko with any questions: lisa.blasko@lakewoodcityschools.org
Cultural Showcase
You are cordially invited to join us for Garfield Middle School’s Culture Showcase celebration! We are thrilled to extend this invitation to you to participate in an enriching and vibrant event showcasing the diverse cultural backgrounds of our school community.
Date: May 6, 2024
Time: 12:30 - 3:00
Location: Garfield Middle School
Our Culture Showcase is a wonderful opportunity for us to come together as a community and celebrate the rich tapestry of cultures. Throughout the day, we hope to have a variety of activities and presentations highlighting different aspects of various cultures, including:
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Traditional dances and music performances
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Cultural exhibitions and displays
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Arts and crafts demonstrations
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Cultural cuisine tasting
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Educational background experience
We encourage parents to actively participate by sharing their own cultural traditions, attire, or even preparing a dish. This event is not only a celebration of diversity but also an opportunity for us to learn from one another and foster greater understanding and appreciation for different cultures.
Please mark your calendars and join us for what promises to be an inspiring and memorable day. Your presence and participation are invaluable as we come together to celebrate our diverse community.
If you have any questions or would like to contribute in any way, please feel free to contact any member of our cultural committee:
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Alina Sandoval alina.sandoval@lakewoodcityschools.org
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Hadeel Nimeh hadeel.nimeh@lakewoodcityschools.org
Jaclyn Fields jaclyn.fields@lakewoodcityschools.org
Please scan the QR code above to complete the interest form.
We look forward to celebrating with you!
Yearbook Sale
Yearbooks are on sale now! If you did not purchase a yearbook with your picture package, this is your last chance to order a yearbook for the 2023-24 school year.
The cost of the yearbook is $20. The deadline to order is 3/8/24.
Go to: https://www.ripchostudio.com/yearbooks
Online Password: ybgarmid24
West Shore Camp Opportunity
This summer West Shore Career-Technical District would like to offer "Explore West Shore" a free, week-long summer camp. The camp will provide hands-on learning and career exploration for middle school students who will be in the 7th and 8th grades during the 2024-2025 school year. The camp will be held in the learning labs at the West Shore Career-Technical District located at Lakewood High School from Monday June 10th - Friday June 14th from 8:30am to 11:30am.
This camp offers a unique opportunity for students to explore various career pathways through hands-on activities and workshops. Before finalizing our plans, we want to ensure sufficient interest from our community. Please complete this interest survey by March 8th. Your feedback is crucial in helping us determine whether there is enough interest to organize the camp.
OPEN ENROLLMENT OPENS MARCH 1
If you have any questions regarding open enrollment, call 216-529-4244.
News from the LRC
March in the Library will focus on Women's History, Online Safety, and March Madness! Each grade level will receive information geared toward their needs:
- 6th grade will get a refresher course on caring for their Chromebooks
- 7th grade will hear about password protection
- 8th grade will discuss the importance of their online presence
During the second meeting of the month, students will have an opportunity to work their way through the best of the books the school elected in November. Books were randomly paired up on a March Madness bracket with Garfield on one side and Harding on the other. Which books will make it to the finals and which book will be the best of the best? All info will be in Google Classroom!
PTSA News
As I type this, it is 60 and sunny and spring like. By the time you read this however, I think it will be back to winter in Cleveland with temps in the 30s! Read on to learn more about what is happening with the PTSA. As always, we welcome your feedback and participation at monthly meetings, but if you can’t make the meeting don’t hesitate to reach out to me at garfieldmsptsa@gmail.com if you want to:
Become a member
Donate to the PTSA
Become a member of the 2024-25 PTSA Board
Kristen Moran
PTSA President
PTSA Fundraiser
Thank you to the families who made a donation to our PTSA “Alternative Fundraiser”. While we only hit 15% of our goal, these funds will go to help fulfill our objectives for the rest of this school year. Thank you again!
You can donate any time to the PTSA and know that 100% of your donation goes to giving back to the students, teachers and staff at Garfield! If you wish to make a donation online, click here. Or scan the QR code.
If you choose to send a payment into Garfield, make checks payable to GMS PTSA, mark the envelope ‘PTSA Fundraiser’ and deliver it to the main office.
PTSA Board Positions for the 2024-25 School Year
We are still looking for a few good men & women for the Board next year. Is that you? Or do you know someone who has a rising 6th grader who would be interested? We are in the process of forming a nominating committee to fill several spots for next year including:
- I am serving as interim President now and am happy to pass on the reigns next year as I will have an 8th grader. Happy to share my knowledge with the incoming President. It is not as daunting as it may sound. My first time as President at Garfield I was a new 6th grade parent coming from Grant and I only knew 6 other parents at the school. Don’t be afraid, just jump right in!
- The current 1st VP would like to stay on and be a mentor to the incoming officer and will assist in the planning of the dances next year!
- We are very interested in filling this role for next year! We scrambled to put together a fundraiser this year and would really like to have someone take the reigns here. Without fundraising, we, as an organization, can’t do all the good things!
- I started at this position this year before becoming interim President so I can share everything with the new officer. With the new MemberHub, this is a fairly streamlined position.
Reflections
This program is in flux at the moment but if you’re interested in working with Council and other PTAs to figure out how to revamp it for the District, let me know!
LHS PTA
Are you a parent with an 8th grader who will be attending LHS in the fall? The LHS PTA is looking for a few new board members for the 2024-25 school year. There are only 4 meetings a year at the high school level and the PTA is still the best way to stay informed and involved in your child’s school. Reach out to me to learn more about the LHS PTA and what positions are open next year.
Spring Dance
Thank you to EVERYONE for their time and effort to make the dance a success! Students, parents, staff – everyone pitched in for this dance! A special thank you to the Garfield Civics Club for selling tickets during the school day!
Dine to Donate
Thank you to EVERYONE who decided to pick up from Aladdin’s in February to support our Dine to Donate event. With your help, we raised over $600! Thank you to the kind folks at Aladdin’s too for allowing us to take part in this fundraiser and giving back to the community. Next time you’re unsure where to grab lunch or dinner, think Aladdin’s!
Don't forget tonight is '¡Burritos for a Cause!' Stop by Ohio City Burrito anytime today and mention the fundraiser. The PTSA will receive 20% from all dine-in, carry out and online orders.
Upcoming Dates
March 1 Ohio City Burrito – Dine to Donate
March 4 Hungry Howie’s – Dine to Donate
March 20 Monthly meeting at 7pm in the LRC