The GMA Gazette

As you know, the PTO at GMA has been on a hiatus this semester. However, there is a small group of dedicated parents and families that have been working behind the scenes to reorganize and restructure a formal parent/family organization to support our school community.

GMA needs a committed group of parents/families that are willing to be a part of a new PTO/PTA group. If you are interested in joining this group of families to build a strong family-community support network to serve our school, please complete this short interest form.

All families who are interested in getting involved with our brand new PTO/PTA are invited to attend the first meeting to establish this group on Friday, May 10 immediately following afternoon carline at 3:50 pm. Julie French, Executive Director for the Indiana chapter of the national PTA organization will be here to help GMA establish our own group and nominate officers to serve for the 2024-2025 school year. In order to organize as an official chapter of PTA, we must have at least 20 members - parents, family members, teachers, and community members. We need a minimum of 5 members to attend the meeting on May 1 to formally establish our first ever official PTA at GMA. Please let us know that you will be there by RSVP-ing here.

As an official chapter of PTA, we will be collecting annual dues in the amount of $15 per member. This covers the costs of annual financial audits, filing fees for non-profit status, tax filings, and supports the work of the national and state PTA organizations as they work to support schools like ours all over Indiana and the USA. Dues-paying members are given the right to vote in quarterly meetings.

Thank you for your willingness to give your time and talents to support the mission and vision of our school!

Mitchell P., one of our Upper Elementary students created a survey for families during our International Fair this Spring. He's finished tabulating the responses, and would like to share his findings with you here!

Thank you, Mitchell, for taking the time to help us learn more about our GMA community!

If you are interested in a summer tutor, please see this list of GMA teachers and staff that are willing to offer their services this summer!

Students will be tie-dying shirts in Art class. Please be sure to send in a white, cotton t-shirt for your child to tie-dye. It doesn't have to be a new shirt, but it does have to be a cotton shirt. Thanks!

This week, the Indiana Department of Education shared information with schools regarding a new EBT program that is launching for Hoosier families this summer. This program, Indiana SUN Bucks, provides eligible families $120 per school-aged child to help buy healthy groceries over the summer months. You can learn more about this program's eligibility requirements and complete the application process here.

We know you love our teachers as much as we do! Help us celebrate them during Teacher Appreciation Week, May 5-10, 2024. This year's theme is Here Comes the Sun and features sunshine-y songs that are sure to put a pep in your step as we inch closer and closer to summer fun in the sun.

Some have asked for a list of teachers' favorite things. If you would like to know what your teachers enjoy most, you can check out this sheet with the responses that were received from a staff survey. If you don't see your teacher listed, you can feel free to surprise them with something you think they'd enjoy. Thank you for helping us show our teachers some love this year! 😊

Can you believe that we only have 23 school days left this year? Those days will fly by in a flash as we wrap up another great school year together at GMA.

Did you know that this year is the first school year in which GMA conducted a lottery for admission of new students at every grade level? Based on responses from the Returning Student Verification Process, which concluded in February, over 93% of our currently enrolled students are returning to GMA for the 2024-2025 school year. This leaves a very limited number of openings for new students to join us next year.

If you know that your plans for next school year have changed, and your child(ren) will not be attending GMA in the Fall, please let our front office know as soon as possible. We have over 165 new students seeking enrollment at our school with very limited spots open for new students. There is currently a waitlist for admission at every age level for the Fall.

It is an honor and a privilege to partner with families in their child(ren)'s education. If your plans are taking you away from GMA for the upcoming year, we want to wish you all the best for an easy transition into a new school environment. Thank you for sharing your child(ren) with us and for allowing us to be a part of your village as you raise kind, respectful, responsible world-changers and problem-solvers. 💚

4/26 - Fundraising Event at Ultimate Ninjas, 6:00-9:00 pm (see flier below)

5/10 - Dine to Donate at Leo's, 3-7 pm (see flier below)

5/13 - Spring NWEA Testing begins for grades K-8

5/18 - The Market at Geist Montessori

5/23 - IREAD-3 "Summer" Retest

5/24 - Kindergarten's Kindy 500 event, 1:30 pm

5/27 - Memorial Day, No School

5/28 - 8th Grade Celebration, 6:00 pm

5/29 - Field Day at GMA

5/29 - GMA Board of Directors Meeting, 5:30 pm

5/30 - Last Day of School

5/30 - Kindergarten Picnic at Brooks School Park

7/16 - Chipotle Dine to Donate Event at the 116th Street store, 4:00 -8:00 pm

Congratulations to these students for being selected as winners from our Mystery Attendance Days: Week 1 - Harlem C., Sthavvya S., and Myra B.

Week 2 - Aiden B., Finn F., Beatrice H., and Kaydence P.

Week 3 - Charlee B., Porter C., Aiden L., and Ayden W.

We continue to work on improving our school attendance rate. You can help us reach our goal of 97% attendance rate by 2027 by working with your child(ren) to make sure that they are on time and present at school every possible day they can be. We want to encourage all students to be on time and present for the full school day as much as possible, which is why we are working on fun ways to celebrate high student attendance rates.

This Spring, GMA presents Mystery Attendance Days! Each week, we will randomly select one day to be the Mystery Attendance Day for the week. All students (PK-8th grade) who are on time and present for the full school day on Mystery Attendance Day will be entered into a drawing for fun prizes! Winners will be announced before car line starts. Then, on Tuesday, May 28, all of the names that were entered into the weekly drawings will be entered into the grand prize drawing. Fifteen students will be selected from the grand prize drawing and will win a chance to dunk Ms. Jen in the dunk tank on Field Day on May 29! Students could have multiple chances to win if they are on time and present for the full school day each Mystery Attendance Day!

Everyone has a chance to win. Good luck! 🍀

There is a lot of information coming at all of us regarding Mental Health. For years, it was a taboo topic and most people diagnosed with a mental illness were treated differently or shunned. We continue to struggle with the “hidden illness.” If we can’t see it, it doesn’t exist. As we all know, that is simply not true. As we watch our children navigate the world around them, we need to be cognizant of the stressors they encounter. This list from the Mayo Clinic may help each of us learn and look for the signs of distress in our children.

• Sadness that lasts two or more weeks.

• Changes in being social or staying away from others.

• Hurting oneself or talking about hurting oneself.

• Talking about death or suicide.

• Having outbursts or being very moody or testy.

• Out-of-control behavior that can be harmful.

• Big changes in mood, behavior or personality.

• Changes in eating habits.

• Loss of weight.

• Trouble sleeping.

• Getting headaches or stomachaches often.

• Trouble concentrating.

• Doing poorly in school.

• Not going to school.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/childrens-health/in-depth/mental-illness-in-children/art-20046577

Please feel free to reach out to me if your child is struggling or if you have any questions about available resources.

Ms. Cindy Rhinehart, School Counselor

crhinehart@gma.k12.in.us

317.813.4626 ext. 117

Our Board of Directors approved the academic calendar for the 2024-2025 school year at the January board meeting. Families can access the new calendar on our website, or download a copy below.

Mark your calendars for these fun weeks at The Grove's Summer Camp at GMA. Please reach out to Ms. Kayla directly with any questions. Her email address is kcommons@gma.k12.in.us.

Sign up here!

We use OneCall Now as our mass communication system to send out alerts, updates, and school-wide communication such as The GMA Gazette. Most communications are sent through email, with a text alert to notify you that something has been sent from GMA.

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.

Thank you for continuing to help us keep our students and staff safe during arrival and dismissal each day. Please refer back to this document that was shared in August regarding traffic patterns and safety reminders.

As we work to build partnerships with organizations and businesses in our community, we need your help in being good neighbors. Please remember that Traditions at Brookside is not a turn around point for GMA traffic. Also, we are begging that drivers refrain from U-turns in the middle of 900 N and at the entrances to neighborhoods. The safest route to ultimately head in an eastbound direction is to take 900 N west to Carroll Road and head north or south to an eastbound roadway of your choice.

It has been said that “behavior influences behavior.” Please be mindful of this fact as you model behavior for your children each morning and afternoon in and out of our carline. All GMA Families are expected to heed these instructions and model safe, courteous carline behavior. Thank you for your cooperation in this important matter.

We have asked McCordsville police for their assistance several times throughout the year. As traffic increases in this area with the influx of new housing, I anticipate a stronger police presence to monitor the flow of traffic and assist drivers.

Also, please note that we use the blacktop area on the north and west sides of the building during recess time. It is for this reason that we put up the chain and cones to block off this area for our students immediately after carline ends promptly at 8:35 am. If you arrive in the parking lot at 8:35 or after, you will have to park and walk your child(ren) into the office to sign them in as tardy.

Thank you for helping us keep our community safe on the roads!

Please be sure to notify the school if your child will be absent. Families should call the front office at (317) 813-4626 and select option 1 from the menu to reach the attendance line.

Our office staff makes daily attendance calls to families at 10:00 am after classroom teachers have submitted their attendance for the day. We want to make sure our students are safe and healthy when they are not here at school with us. Thank you for your help in reporting attendance in a timely manner.