GMA 6th grader, Asher Frieje, was selected as a Scholastic Kids Press Kid Reporter for the 2024-2025 school year! He will have the opportunity to cover a wide range of stories for Scholastic News, many of which will be published in print form for the Scholastic News Magazines that classrooms around the world use to teach current events, reading and writing skills, and provide students with access to age-appropriate news stories. Check out Asher and all of the other students from around the globe serving as Kid Reporters this year here. Also, be on the lookout for several local news outlets covering the exciting news of Asher's new role representing GMA and Central Indiana through this awesome opportunity. You can check out Asher's interview with WISHTV about this exciting opportunity here. Congrats, Asher! We can't wait to see your first story!
The GMA Student Council is happy to support the Disabled American Veterans' Field of Flags for a second year in a row.
DAV’s Field of Flags empowers our community to set up fields of American flags, all to honor local veterans and raise critical funds to support our ill and injured heroes. Each flag represents one veteran – and our unwavering commitment to serving all veterans after they’ve sacrificed so much for our country. All donations raise critical funds to support DAV’s life-changing services for veterans in need and their families.
If you would like to donate to this cause, you may do so through this link. We will be accepting donations from now until October 29th. Flags will be mailed to the school the first week of November. GMA will put our Field of Flags out on County Road 900 N. the week of November 11th in honor of Veteran's Day.
If you would also like to send a picture of the Veteran in your family and a brief description of who they are and which branch of service they were in, we would like to create a display to recognize service members and their students/families.
Please have students bring these pictures to Ms. Jennie in the Sassafras Classroom or you can email them to jblackburn@gma.k12.in.us with the subject line "Veteran photo." Please note that photos will not be returned, so please be sure to send in a copy that the school can keep, not one that is a prized family heirloom.
We have been in touch with the Town of McCordsville regarding the signs on 900 North regarding the road closure set for 9/28. They've told us that the road will only be closed over the weekend and it should not impede our traffic during arrival/dismissal times during the week. If there are delays in the project, the construction crew will have people there to direct traffic around the work zone.
Please use extra caution and exercise patience with this work zone that is out of our control.
The Scholastic Book Fair will be set up at GMA October 8-11th. Please click here for more information.
Students will be able to shop at school using eWallets during school hours. Parents can shop with during Parent Teacher Conferences October 9 and 10.
Please note: We will not accept cash for purchases at the Book Fair. Students must use eWallets to shop during school hours. Only payment by card or check will be accepted during conferences.
If you would like to volunteer for a shift at the book fair please reach out to Ms. Beth via email at blarock@gma.k12.in.us.
All students in grades K-8 are assessed a $30 Communications Fee annually. This fee should be paid by November 1. The Communications Fee is included in the Materials Fee amount of $110 for our Pre-K families. Pre-K families do not need to pay the Communications Fee separately.
You can choose to pay this fee by cash or check (made payable to Geist Montessori Academy) in the office. Or, you can make the payment online (with a convenience fee) here.
KROGER COMMUNITY REWARDS
PLEASE NOTE: If you had already had the previous PTO as your community rewards organization, you MUST change to the new organization; we had to get a new Tax ID and 501c3 and the old account is lost to us. Log in to your Kroger Account. Then Search for Geist Montessori Academy PTA or RW689 and make the PTA your charity of choice! Then all you have to do is shop at Kroger and the PTA will get some donations! https://www.kroger.com/account/communityrewards/
JOIN THE PTA
This PTA is working hard to build a strong foundation to support our students and teachers and to create an even better GMA for our kids! We want to be an inclusive, diverse, and open community and to do so, we need our families to JOIN US!!!
PTA Website
Click here to check out the website and learn more about our PTA.
The Indiana Fierce 16U, a softball team of talented young ladies aged 16 and under from across Indiana, many of whom are local, will be holding a fundraising rummage sale in the parking lot at GMA from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm on Saturday, September 28. The team is based in Pendleton, Indiana. All proceeds will go towards covering tournament fees, allowing these athletes to compete in softball tournaments throughout the state. Stop by and support this community group on the 28th!
It is important that everyone in our school community remains committed to keeping our car line running safely and effectively all year long. After a month of school, it seems some have gotten very comfortable and are not following all of the car line expectations.
Please be mindful of these reminders:
- Your car line tag must be displayed before you pull into our driveway. This helps staff make sure you get in the right line.
- A YELLOW car line tag is required to be in line between 8:00-8:15 am. If you do not have a YELLOW car line tag, please do not arrive on campus before 8:15 am. The GREEN tag car line opens at 8:15 am.
- Families who have children in PK/K and also grades 1-8 will have both a YELLOW and a GREEN tag for car line. Please clip these tags together and write "AM" on the YELLOW tag and "PM" on the GREEN one. Then, flip to the YELLOW side for drop-off in the morning and then to the GREEN side for pick-up in the afternoon. This helps our car line staff tremendously! Remember, if you have both color tags, you drop off with the youngest car line and pick up with the oldest car line.
- Families with a YELLOW car line tag must park in the front parking spaces and walk their child into the office to sign in as tardy if they arrive on campus after 8:15 am. Families with a GREEN car line tag are tardy if they arrive on campus after 8:35 am.
- Families with GREEN car line tags arriving on campus after 3:35 pm must park and come to the office to sign their child out. Car line ends promptly at 3:35 pm as staff have other duties to end the day. Vehicles will not be permitted through car line if they arrive on campus after 3:35 pm.
- DO NOT cut through the parking lot aisles during car line. YOU MUST follow the arrows painted on the blacktop to serpentine through the lot and enter the line at the northeast corner of the property.
- Please slow down when driving through car line. There is no need to speed!
- DO NOT change lanes during car line.
- Please be sure to form three lanes when you exit the serpentine pattern through the aisles. This helps us get as many vehicles into the line as possible to avoid backing traffic out onto the roadways.
- DO NOT use your cell phone during car line. Staff will ask you to put it away and remind you to help us keep everyone safe. Indiana is a hands-free state and cell phone use is not permitted while driving.
- No one will be permitted to line up early for any car line. Due to the volume of traffic and the need to run two separate car lines through the serpentine pattern, we will require all families to abide by the updated expectations. Please plan accordingly and do not arrive on campus before your scheduled drop off or pick up time because you will be asked to leave in order to keep traffic flowing for everyone.
- DO NOT use Traditions at Brookside as a turn-around point. You must go through a neighborhood to safely turn around or use the safest route by heading north or south on Carroll Road to an eastbound roadway of your choice.
- DO NOT use resident driveways as a turn-around point.
- DO NOT make a u-turn on 900N.
- ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT PEDESTRIANS HAVE THE RIGHT OF WAY. We have a handful of families who walk their student to school. Please make sure that you are allowing them to cross the street safely by stopping completely at the crosswalks.
- If you have concerns about traffic safety around our campus, please call the non-emergency number for the McCordsville Police Department at 317.335.2812.
9/28 - Indiana Fierce 16U Softball team fundraising rummage sale, 9 am-4 pm
10/1 - Dine to Donate at Puccini's Geist, 4 pm-close - see flyer below
10/9-10 - Parent Teacher Conferences
10/10-11 - Early Release Days (All PK/Kdg dismiss at 11:30 am, everyone else dismisses at noon)
10/14-18 - Fall Break, no school
10/23 - Board of Directors Meeting, 5:30 pm in the Maple Room
10/23 - School Skating Party, 6:00 pm at The Roller Cave
10/25 - PTA Fall Festival
10/27 - Town of McCordsville Trunk or Treat, 4-6 pm at Outlook Church
10/31 - Idiom Day at GMA
11/11 - Veterans Day
11/14 - Community Open House for prospective families, 5:30-7:30 pm, see flyer below
11/27-29 - Thanksgiving Break, no school
12/2-6 - Winter NWEA Testing, K-8th grade
12/23-1/7 - Winter Break for students
1/8 - School reconvenes for second semester
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.