Grizzly eNews 1-31-25
Principal’s Message:
The kindergartners celebrated 100 days of school in style this week. They wore some cool gear, paraded through the school wearing some awesome hats and finished the day showing off different ways they can count to 100. Thanks goes out to our first graders who helped out!
It’s hard to believe that we are 100 days into the school year. That means that we are well past halfway and ready to finish off the year strong. A great way for students and families to gauge how they are doing so far this year is to review the NWEA MAP scores that are now available in Powerschool. Students can celebrate and set goals as they prepare for the end of 2nd trimester.
For me, it is time to start planning for next year. Please help me by reaching out to families you know that have a current 4 or 5 year old and tell them to register for kindergarten. In order to best prepare for our incoming kindergartners, we hope for as many of them as possible to register before the end of March. We will then invite all of our future Grizzlies into the school for a tour during the month of April. I can’t wait!
~Principal Jeff Modaff
jeff.modaff@bps101.net
PTO News:
2024/2025 GMS YEARBOOK
Please send any photos you have from the following school activities to yearbook@gmspto.org.
- First Day of School
- Fall Spirit Week
- Fall Parties/Costume Parade
- Winter Spirit Week
- Winter Parties
GMS TRIVIA NIGHT!
We have very few tickets remaining for Trivia Night! If you want to join as an individual or a couple, we have space at a small number of tables. Full tables and groups larger than two cannot be accepted at this time. We are working with the Moose to see if we can possibly squeeze in any more, but at this point, registration for groups over two is CLOSED. Looking forward to a great night!
We need volunteers to make this event a success! If you are attending, all volunteer slots will not conflict with game play time. These are small chunks of time between rounds, as well as help with set up and clean up. Please review the volunteer sign up HERE. You can volunteer even if you are not attending the event.
GMS FUN FAIR
Mark your calendars for Friday, February 28th from 4:30-8 pm! This year we have added a special event to cap off the night – Pie-a-Teacher-in-the-Face!! Grab the whole family and come on out for a night of fun! Raffle basket and treat trot information will be coming soon. Purchase your wrist bands, raffle tickets and pizza orders HERE!
Do you have a business that would donate items to make a raffle basket? Reach out to Karie Friedman at kariefriedman@gmail.com to connect!
School / District News:
A MESSAGE FROM NURSE ERIN!
The Nurses office is in need of size Large 10/12 Boys underwear and size Large Boys (comfy) pants.
We would greatly appreciate any used or new donations!
KIDS HEART CHALLENGE
Dear Grace McWayne Elementary Students,
Quack, Quack! The Heart Heroes are coming back! Our school is participating in Kids Heart Challenge, and it’s time for you to sign up your student to become an official Heart Hero.
Sign up TODAY
- Download the FREE AHA Schools App for Apple or Android and click on “Register Now” then scroll down to join your school’s team.
- OR click HERE. and choose “Sign Up” to get started.
Thank you for your support, together we are building a Nation of Lifesavers!
ROLLER SKATING
It’s that time of year again, Roller Skating in PE will be beginning on March 6th for K-5 students. Please note that your own skates are not allowed. The company that we use will provide wrist guards for all students to use but you may send in your own if you would like. Please mark any helmets or protective gear you do send in just in case. Parents please take a moment to please fill out this form so I can have a pair of skates for your child to use for our 5 classes. Skates only come in whole sizes. I would greatly appreciate it if you could fill out the form by February 7th. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at rhonda.gamlin@bps101.net.
RMS INCOMING 6TH GRADE PARENT’S/GUARDIAN’S NIGHT
On February 5th, Rotolo will be holding a Parent’s/Guardian’s Night for incoming 6th grade parents. The night will be set up as an open house where parents can go to booths to get information about the start of the year. See the flyer for more details.
DISC GOLF EQUIPMENT NOW AVAILABLE AT GMS
The weather may be cold, but the course is open for all to enjoy! If your family would like to borrow a backpack w/8 discs, please fill out this form!!!
BPS101 ATTENDANCE AWARENESS
Many classrooms in BPS101 use the 7Bs—”Bandage, Breathing Bad, Bump, Bruise, Burning Up, Barf, or Bleeding”—as a guide for determining when students should visit the health office. This common language helps ensure students visit the health office only when necessary, minimizing disruptions to learning while keeping them safe and cared for. Additionally, our school teams monitor health office visit data to identify patterns and proactively support a healthy school climate and culture.
We also want to ensure students stay engaged in learning and in the school building as long as they are healthy and able to do so.
By working together, we can help your child make the most of every school day. Here’s to a healthy, happy, and successful 2025!
GLENBARD PARENT SERIES: NAVIGATING HEALTHY FAMILIES
Free online presentations for families! Are you a parent of a student in early childhood? Check out The Way of Play: Little Moments–Big Connections from best-selling author and psychotherapist Dr. Tina Payne Bryson and Georgie Wisen-Vincent. Are you a parent of a teen? Check out The Breakthrough Years: A New Scientific Framework for Raising Thriving Teens hosted by award-winning author Ellen Galinsky. Please see the 24.25 brochure for additional offerings, information, and links to join. All events are free and open to the public, and participation is possible in person or online.
VARSITY TUTORS: FREE 24/7 CHAT TUTORING SERVICE!!!
BPS101 is now partnering with Varsity Tutors to provide a free tutoring service. Varsity Tutors is an online tutoring service students can access for free through Classlink. They have various options, from live chat to test prep and classes. How do you access it? From your student’s Chromebook: Open Classlink, then Click on Varsity Tutors. In the Learning Lab, type in your student’s question or upload the whole assignment and get connected to personalized tutoring within 5 minutes. Sessions are recorded so students can reference them again if needed.
BSPN
BSPN is excited to host the 12th annual BSPN Resource Fair again this year. I have attached the flier with the information to share with our families across the district and surrounding areas so they can save the date and we will have a larger attendance at the fair.
Also, each year we have more families from neighboring districts attend so please share with any of your network groups to invite those interested.
Additionally- if you have any vendors who may like to be invited, please let me know. I will send them the invite and registration.
EARLY CHILDHOOD SCREENINGS
The Early Childhood Center at Alice Gustafson Elementary School will host Early Childhood Screenings monthly through February 2025! (Priority 1, 3: Personalized Learning Pathways). For more information, please visit our Early Childhood website.
STAY CONNECTED
Please check the Directory to be sure YOUR FAMILY information is correct! Parents use this for play dates and birthday invites!
Visit the PTO website to search the student directory, view the school activity calendar, sign up to volunteer, or purchase tickets to the next PTO event. Download the Membership Toolkit app for easy access!
Trouble with the website: website@gmspto.org
Suggestions/Feedback: info@gmspto.org
ONGOING FUNDRAISING
Box Tops
Collecting extra support for GMS is now super easy. Download the Box Top App and scan your receipt!
Casey’s Rewards Points
Our school is participating in Cash for Classrooms, part of Casey’s Rewards. The best part? Donations don’t come out of your own pocket. When you buy from Casey’s and use their rewards program you can simply turn your points into a donation to our school. Help Grace McWayne School make the most of this program and learn more HERE!
IMPORTANT DATES
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3 – PTO MEETING 7PM
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8 – GMS TRIVIA NIGHT
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17 – NO SCHOOL – PRESIDENTS’ DAY
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18 – DISTRICT BOARD MEETING
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28 – NO SCHOOL
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28 – FUN FAIR – 4:30PM
UPCOMING CLUB DATES – WEEK OF DECEMBER 16
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3 – CHORUS 4TH AND 5TH GRADE
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4 – BAND 5TH GRADE
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5 – ORCHESTRA REHEARSAL
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6 – GRIZZLY KIDS CLUB MEETING
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7 – 2ND GRADE ART CLUB
IMPORTANT LINKS