East Weekly

What a fantastic short week it's been! Both students and staff are settling into their routines, making each day smoother and more enjoyable. A special shout-out to our 6th graders, who had an absolute blast celebrating Adventure Day today! Be sure to check out the pictures below.

Wishing everyone a wonderful and relaxing weekend!

Take care,

Megan Kirsten

Principal

Gahanna Middle School East

• To ensure we have the most up-to-date information on file, please complete the Emergency Medical Form and review/update any student information changes (address, phone number, etc.) through Infinite Campus, our online student information system.

• This can be found by logging into your Infinite Campus Parent portal at [Link to Infinite Campus Login]. These updates are crucial in case of emergencies and to ensure effective communication with you throughout the year.

September

September 9: PTA Meeting @ 7:00-8:00

September 13: Wear yellow for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

September 23: -- No School -- Staff Professional Development

September 24: Parent/Teacher Conferences (6th grade only!)

October

October 2: Picture Day/Retakes

October 3: Parent/Teacher Conferences (all grade levels) 4-8

October 10: Parent/Teacher Conferences (all grade levels) 4-8

October 13: Dash & Stash - GJEF Fundraiser

Please be on the lookout for a 6th grade conference form that your child will bring home on Tuesday of this week. The form includes information regarding upcoming conferences and how you can schedule.

Friendly reminder, please encourage your child to use the Launchpad that lists 6th grade assignments for each day. Referring to this nightly will help your son/daughter stay on track with their daily work.

Weininger Math- Students will have their Chapter 1 Team Challenge on Friday, 9/13. The first assessment will be on Tuesday, 9/17.

No updates

Middle School East will host another Heart and Sole team this fall! This group is for you if you enjoy being active, like working towards goals, and want to meet new friends! Practices will be after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:00 to 5:15. Registration is online at www.girlsontheruncentralohio.org/ or you can see Ms. Hash or Ms. Maynard for more info.

Last day to sign up is Wednesday, September 11th.

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. In honor of many children experiencing this disease, we encourage all students and staff to wear yellow next Friday, September 13.

To report an absence, please call the front office at (614)478-5550 or email fischerj@gjps.org by 9:10am if possible.You also have the ability to login into Infinite Campus and mark your child's absence there. Please ONLY do this if your child will be absent for the entire day.

Good morning, families! We hope your student has been enjoying their time so far in the Chinese Enrichment classes at Middle School East. Gahanna-Jefferson Schools is pleased to be able to offer this enrichment programming.

In recent years, maintaining staff for the program has been a challenge. For many reasons, the pool of potential instructors has been shrinking. This year has been particularly challenging, and despite extensive efforts to recruit teachers through multiple channels, we find ourselves short on staff for the Chinese enrichment program.

In order to keep offering these classes, we must adjust the schedule of the program. Beginning September 16, the new schedule for Chinese at Middle School East will be as follows:

• 8:10-8:55 Tuesday and Thursday only - 6th grade
• 8:10-8:55 Monday/Wednesday/Friday only - 7th grade

The classes will be starting 10 minutes earlier and ending 5 minutes later. This is a decrease in total instructional time for 6th grade, but we can make up any time needed next year when the students are in 7th grade to ensure they learn the entire curriculum for the Chinese I course.

We realize this may mean some adjustments to transportation plans, and we truly apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. There just is no way to avoid these shifts given the current available staff. To give families time to adjust, this new schedule will begin on Monday, September 16. The current daily schedule from 8:20-8:50 will continue now through September 13.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Sincerely,

Dr. Colleen S. Boyle

Curriculum Coordinator of Special Programs

Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools

To report an absence, please call the front office at (614)478-5550 or email fischerj@gjps.org by 9:10am if possible. You also have the ability to login into Infinite Campus and mark your child's absence there.

Pursuant to House Bill 410, student attendance is now calculated in hours. This includes absences that have been identified as both excused and unexcused by the school, as well as planned absences. Being late or tardy to school does calculate into the total hours absent.

In an effort to encourage regular, on-time attendance and avoid habitual truancy, families are encouraged to:

• Make getting to school on time every day a high priority.

• Discuss the importance of regular school attendance and the negative impacts of excessive absences.

• Create a safe space for students to discuss what is keeping them from school.

• Develop a backup plan for getting your student to school when transportation challenges, illness, or other challenges arise.

• Schedule vacations during a time when school is not in session.

• Monitor your student’s attendance records to identify any disruptions or patterns of change.

• Contact your student’s school to discuss preventative services and supports available to promote regular attendance.

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PLANNED ABSENCES (Such as vacation): The time missed will be counted as an authorized, unexcused absence but shall not be a factor in determining grades unless the make-up work is not completed. Students who are absent 38 hours in a month or 65 hours in a school year with or without legitimate excuse are now considered Excessively Absent. These students will receive a letter from the District and will be required to follow the District Truancy Plan.These hours include approved planned absences. Planned absences will not be approved if your child has already met or will meet (based on this request) the absence threshold for Excessive Absence and/or Habitual Truancy.

If you have a planned absence, please fill out this form and send it in to the office. For more information or questions, please visit the GJPS website.

As a district, we use the Talking Points platform to communicate via text. You can download the app on your phone to receive quick messages as needed.

The Heart and Pride Award recognizes two outstanding staff members each month who make a profound impact on our students and Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools.

The Heart & Pride Nomination Form will remain available year-round and is open to any member of our staff, regardless of position.

PTA meetings take place on the 2nd Monday of each month in the GMSE library at 7:00pm. All are welcome!

Meeting dates:

• September 9

• October 14

• November 11

• December 9

• January 13

• February 10

• March 10

• April 14

• May 12

Help support and fund numerous initiatives for students and staff throughout the year. Stay tuned to our Facebook page, “GMSE Parents” (new members be sure to answer the questions to be admitted), and upcoming newsletters for more information about what we do and how you can help.

Please consider joining the Middle School East PTA.

Sept. 23, 2024: PD Day - No School
Oct. 21, 2024: Comp Day - No School
Oct. 22, 2024: Staff Work Day - No School
Nov. 8, 2024: PD Day - No School
Nov. 27-29, 2024: Thanksgiving Break - No School
Dec. 23, 2024-Jan. 2, 2025: Winter Break - No School
Jan. 3, 2025: Staff Work Day - No School
Jan. 20, 2025: Martin Luther King Day - No School
Feb. 14, 2025: PD Day - No School
Feb. 17, 2025: Presidents Day - No School
Mar. 10, 2025: Staff Work Day - No School
Mar. 31-April 4, 2025: Spring Break- No School
April 18, 2025: Comp Day - No School
May 2, 2025: PD Day - No School
May 23, 2025: Last Day of School for Students
May 24, 2025: Class of 2025 Commencement