Grizzly eNews 12-19-25
As we begin our long holiday break, I want to wish you and your family a joyful, restful, and safe holiday season. This time away from school is a wonderful opportunity to relax, spend time together, and make special memories.
Thank you for your continued support and partnership throughout the school year. We look forward to welcoming our students back refreshed and ready to learn in the new year.
Warmest holiday wishes,
Jeff Modaff
Principal
A Message from the PTO – Our Final Newsletter of the Year
As we share our final PTO newsletter before the winter break, we want to take a moment to thank our entire school community, students, families, teachers, and staff, for another wonderful Fall together. Your involvement, support, and partnership help make our school a welcoming and thriving place for all.
As we enter this season, we recognize that our community celebrates many different holidays, traditions, and beliefs, or may simply be looking forward to a well-deserved break. We honor and appreciate the diversity that strengthens our school.
We wish you a joyful, restful, and safe break, filled with moments of connection and rest. We look forward to continuing our work together in the new year.
With gratitude and warm wishes,
Your PTO Board
PTO News:
Fun Fair and VP of Special Fundraising – PLEASE READ!!
FUN FAIR cannot happen without people to organize the event. We have TWO roles filled, one person considering the two open spots, but we still need ONE portion of the committee to be filled. Please consider if you can help in this way.
Ideally, we would love a team of 4 to handle each of the main components of fun fair:
- food coordinator (FILLED!)
- games/classroom coordinator
- sales coordinator to handle wristbands/raffle tickets (FILLED!)
- class raffle basket coordinator
If you are willing to take one of these roles or have questions about the positions, please reach out to president@gmspto.org or kariefriedman@gmail.com and bpardini24@gmail.com.
We also are still looking to fill our VP of Special Fundraising role on the PTO Board. This is your opportunity to be involved, oversee, and have your hand in making decisions about major events at Grace McWayne. Email president@gmspto.org for more information or to volunteer.
Trivia Night!
PURCHASE TRIVIA NIGHT TICKETS HERE!
Yearbook Photos
The link to add yearbook photos is live on the PTO Website! Locate it under Resources or Quick Links on the left side.
JANUARY RESTAURANT NIGHT AT PANDA EXPRESS
Support GMS at our next restaurant night on January 22nd at Panda Express from 10:00 am – 9:30 pm.
WATCH D.O.G.S.
Dads of Great Students – join us for the best Friday of your year, whether you can help once or regularly, we need you!. Sign up HERE to volunteer.
** PTO Website **
We do our best to make the PTO Website THE place for GMS parents to go for all PTO related information. Whether you are looking to check when your club meets next, sign up to volunteer for an event, see when the next dining out fundraiser takes place, submit a receipt for reimbursement, or access the school directory, the PTO website is the place to look first! Please visit www.gmspto.org and check back often for new information!
School / District News:
Camp Invention is back this summer! 🌟
This engaging STEM camp invites K–6 students to explore creativity, engineering, and problem-solving through hands-on activities designed by the National Inventors Hall of Fame. It’s a fun, confidence-building week your child won’t forget.
🎁 Holiday Gift Idea: Consider giving your child a spot at Camp Invention—an experience that inspires imagination and curiosity all year long.
📄 Check the flyer for program details and registration information.
We hope to see our young inventors there! 🚀
2025 CEREAL DRIVE
We collected over 800 boxes of cereal this year! A new record for GMS! Thank you to all the families and staff who donated cereal to support Batavia United Way’s Adopt-A-Family program. Any cereal not used for that program will be donated to the Batavia Food Pantry. Your generosity will certainly make an impact on our community this winter season.
Kids Heart Challenge is Coming!
Grace McWayne Elementary School families,
I am excited to help create a community of lifesavers and am asking you to join me. Sign up tonight to receive a wristband! This year, we have an important goal to have 100% of our families learn the lifesaving skill of Hands-Only CPR! It only takes a few minutes to learn, and it can make all the difference in an emergency.
Kids Heart Challenge will begin on January 6th, but you can get an early start by completing Finn’s Mission over the break!!
- Sign Up for Kids Heart Challenge by downloading the free “AHA Schools” app for Apple or Android or by clicking HERE.
- Be a hero: Send 10 texts TODAY to help save lives.
- Complete Finn’s Mission: Complete all 7 steps, learn Hands-Only CPR, and be entered to win two Super Bowl tickets!
By signing up and raising funds, you can help us earn gift certificates for physical activity and recess equipment to support the health & wellness of our school community.
Let’s work together to create a community of lifesavers. Thank you for your support in helping us achieve this incredible goal!
Don’t Forget to Check the District Student Handbook!
The District Student Handbook is a helpful resource for all families. It includes important information about district policies, student expectations, attendance, safety, and more. Reviewing the handbook together helps everyone stay informed and ensures a positive, supportive learning experience for every student. Take a moment to explore the handbook by clicking this link.
STAY CONNECTED
Please check the Directory to be sure YOUR FAMILY information is correct! Parents use this for play dates and birthday invites! This does need to be updated every year to change your child(s) teacher.
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
More dates following winter break!
Upcoming Club Dates
More dates following winter break!
Important Links