Greetings Parents and Caregivers,

I wanted to take a moment to thank each of you for all you are doing for your children, everyday. Your care, guidance and support are often overlooked in the equation of school and student success. I know that your part and support is the key.

I can truly say that I notice what you are doing. We at GVMS could not help to educate and guide your children without the support that you give them and us on a regular basis. Through this first semester, I have consistently watched as our students grow and thrive. In many interactions with students, they will often start off with, "my mom told me..." or, "I think my grandma would be proud of me for..." These interactions are a testament to your commitment to your children. Neither of us have an easy role in raising the future of America, but together we can do hard things.

Here is wishing you each a wonderful holiday season.

Ms. Davis

As we move through December and the holiday season, our temperatures will continue to drop. Please encourage your teen to wear appropriate clothing to school. Many still choose to wear shorts and hoodies during inclement weather. We do offer respite from the cold mornings when students come in for breakfast, but we do spend time outside during the lunch recess time.

If you need any assistance with cold weather clothing, feel free to stop by the Family Resource.

All students will be taking the NWEA Winter assessments during the next two weeks. This is an assessment that teachers use to track student progress in Reading and Math. It is very important that your child give their best effort during the assessments.

We will run on our testing schedule December 4th, 5th and 6th. Please help your child with success by ensuring that they are at school on time, with a charged chromebook on these days.

I want to thank so many of you for supporting our efforts to support focused learning at school. Part of this includes the efforts to reduce cell phone use by our students.

Please remember that there are to be NO CELL Phones between 8:05 am and 4:05 pm.

Most of our learners are following the expectation well, but we have seen an increase in the number of students who are carrying their phones.

We often remind students about putting their phones away during the morning announcements. If a student has their phone, they will be asked to turn it into our locked receptacle in the main office. Parents are called upon the second infraction to come pick up the device.

As you consider holiday gifts, please know that we are enforcing the phone ban.

During the last few months, Ms. Truter has been getting our library organized, cleaned and ready for student use. This has been a giant undertaking and we cannot express how exciting it is to see students with books in their hands and reading for pleasure.

By the beginning of next week, all students should begin carrying and reading books of their choice.. Students are welcome to bring books from home, or read those that they check out from the library at school or downtown.

The number one predictor of school success is reading and the best way to improve a child's reading, is to practice by reading. Teachers spend time on many of the skills needed for students to become strong readers, but there is never enough time in the day to just sit and read.

You can help! Encourage your child to read at least 30 minutes each evening before they go to sleep. This will not only improve their reading, but will also help them sleep better by turning off the screens to allow their brains to relax from all the "blue light" from the screens.

Books also make great holiday gifts!

Dress Code

GVMS encourages students to take pride in their attire as it relates to the school setting. Board policy states that attire be safe and does not distract from or disrupt the educational process. Students in our school must follow these procedures:

1. Hats (including head coverings, bandanas, and doo rags) and sunglasses may not be worn during the educational day.

2. Mesh clothing, tank tops (smaller than 2” in strap width or the width of your school ID card), halter or spandex tops, spaghetti strap tops, muscle shirts (shirts with large open arm holes), and bare midriffs may not be worn.

3. Shorts, dresses, mini skirts, or similar clothing shall be of an appropriate length and no shorter than mid thigh.

4. Students who wear pants with holes in them must be appropriate. Holes must be lower than 3” above the knee.

5. Clothing, jewelry or any other types of accessories must be free of messages or symbols that advertise alcohol, drugs, tobacco, sex, death, suicide, gangs, or negative and derogatory messages.

6. Students who are not properly dressed will be sent to the office in order to make arrangements for more appropriate clothing. Students who continually disregard the dress code will be placed in our school suspension/detention room.

Dress code is subject to school administration approval and anything not in the handbook is the administration’s discretion if deemed not appropriate.