GMS Weekly News and Notes

Big thanks go out to our performing arts department for setting up a celebration of all of our performing artists in the main lobby. We're proud of our young musicians, singers, and actors and we can't wait to see what comes next!

First term report cards will be emailed to families during the day tomorrow, Monday, November 18th. We encourage parents and guardians to review the term grades and comments with your students, and to reach out with any questions.

We look forward to inviting parents and guardians to virtual or in-person conferences this Wednesday, November 20th. Students will be dismissed from school at 11:05AM that day, with virtual conferences starting at noon. Our staff will then host in-person conferences between 3 and 8PM. Please remember that the sign-up portal for family conferences will close at 8PM Tuesday night.

Picture re-takes will take place on Monday, November 25th starting at 8AM. Any student who wishes to sit for a re-take will be invited to do so at that time.

The Marathon continues, now with a new and improved tracking banner! The English department had a vinyl banner printed based on Ms. Carr’s original design (Thanks, Ms. Carr!). Our students can now chart their team's progress in the cafeteria.

October was a competitive month with Meteorites (grade 6) taking first place! Grizzlies (grade 7) are currently in second place and Green (grade 8) is holding onto its spot in third. To date, our students have read 3,403 books this school year.

Grade 7 students in Señora Moore’s classes are learning to describe themselves in Spanish. Who am I? Am I a soccer player, an artist, an athlete, a dancer? What do I like to do? Play sports? Read? Watch movies? Cook? Students had fun creating a project about themselves, all written in Spanish (español) of course!

These drawings of "Bizarre Buildings" have been created by Miss. Johansen's eighth graders. Finding inspiration from artist F. Hundertwasser, the students designed their own unique buildings and drew them in oil pastel on black paper.

The GMS Drama Club's Fall Play will take place on Friday, December 6th and Saturday, December 7th in the CHS auditorium. Both shows start at 7PM. Click on the link below to get your tickets. We hope to see you there!

https://gmsdramaclub.ludus.com/200452352

Museum of Black and Brilliant Inventors and their STEM Contributions

Any student or parent who is interested in participating or having their child participate in the Black History Month Project in February, please see or contact Mr. Gibson for details.

GMS Building Project -- Special Town Meeting Nov. 18

www. galvinmsproject.com

Just a reminder that our Canton community will conduct a key vote regarding the Galvin Middle School Project on Monday, November 18 at the Special Town Meeting at 7 p.m. at Canton High School.

The doors open at 5:30 p.m.

If there is an affirmative vote at STM, there will be a December 10 ballot vote for the final approval of the project.

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

“The reason that we have so many myths associated with Thanksgiving is that it is an invented tradition. It doesn’t originate in any one event. It is based on the New England puritan Thanksgiving, which is a religious Thanksgiving, and the traditional harvest celebrations of England and New England and maybe other ideas like commemorating the pilgrims. All of these have been gathered together and transformed into something different from the original parts.”–James W. Baker, Senior Historian at Plimoth Plantation.

Welcome to full blown cold, flu, and everything else season.

You may have noticed in the news more information about “walking pneumonia”. Walking pneumonia is a kind of respiratory infection that causes milder symptoms than the typical pneumonia we would see in people who are immunocompromised or the elderly. Symptoms can be different based on the kind of pathogen that causes the illness. The predominant bacteria that is causing this season’s wave is called Mycoplasma pneumoniae.

With the predominant strain of bacteria, we may even see more strep-like symptoms like voice hoarseness and sore throat. So when you get the dreaded call in the middle of the day from the school nurse for a sore throat and headache, we also consider pneumonia as a possible infection.

Common ways to treat pneumonia

Your doctor may order a chest xray or diagnose your child based on symptoms alone. (side note, even if you don’t have a stethoscope or are trained in listening to lung sounds, put your ear up to your child’s lungs - if you hear something that doesn’t sound like your own breathing when you plug your ears, then there is probably something going on!).

People with pneumonia are usually given antibiotics and supportive therapies that help relieve discomfort like humidified air, medications that reduce swelling and pain, or cough drops.

What to do if your child has any of these symptoms!

Anytime your child has a fever, they should stay home from school. Sometimes their symptoms can start with mild presentation (vague headache, fatigue, stuffy nose), and turn into something else. Be in touch with your pediatrician to determine if your child needs more than rest to recover. We want to protect our vulnerable families and appreciate when kids can keep most of their germs at home!

May the odds be ever in your favor!

Lindsey Coppola, RN
(508) 584-1070 x3110

Tara Medeiros, RN

(508) 584-1070 x316

During the month of November, the GMS community recognizs and celebrates National Native American Heritage Month. National Native American Heritage Month is intended to recognize the history, culture, and achievements of Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and affiliated Island communities.

The next GMS CAPT meeting will take place on Monday, December 2nd at 6:10PM in the GMS Library. We invite all interested parents and guardians to attend!

Monday, November 18th: Special Town Meeting, 7PM at Canton High School

Wednesday, November 20th: Parent-teacher conferences at GMS (sign-ups start this week)

Monday, November 25th: Picture re-takes, 8AM, GMS Cafetorium

Wednesday, November 27th: Early dismissal day

November 28th and 29th: All CPS schools closed for Thanksgiving

Check out the latest events from around town!

At a Glance - New Event(s)

• Girl Scouts Food Drive

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