Grizzly eNews 2-6-26
Principal’s Message:
We had a SOUPER awesome week here at Grace McWayne. Thanks goes out to all of our families for bringing in soup to help the Batavia United Way. Our school brought in 677 cans of soup. If all of the schools in the district did just as well with their collection, that translates to thousands of meals for local families in need. The grade level that brought in the most soup is 1st Grade with a total of 228 cans. Congratulations to 1st Grade. They have earned a DJ Dance Party next week.
Wishing everyone a safe and fun Super Bowl Weekend!
~Principal Jeff Modaff
PTO News:
Get your tickets for Fun Fair!
Join us Friday, February 27th from 5-8 pm for a night your family won’t want to miss! Carnival style games will be spread around the building, including bozo buckets, ring toss, Plinko, tic-tac-toe, face painting, a good old fashioned treat trot, raffle baskets, and more! Snacks, cotton candy, popcorn, pizza, and drinks will be available for purchase.
Get your wristbands and raffle tickets today!
Each child participating will need a wristband, however parents do not need to purchase wristbands for themselves. You can also preorder pizza or a family meal deal!
We will need day-of volunteers to help things run smoothly. Keep an eye out for more information on how to sign up closer to the event. Thank you for helping make Fun Fair a success!
Fun Fair Raffle Basket Donations
Our annual GMS Fun Fair is coming up — one of our biggest fundraisers of the year — and we need community support.
We’re seeking donations such as:
- Gift cards
• Items or services
• Family experiences
Past donations have included:
- Bears / Sox / Cubs / Blackhawks tickets
• Local theater experiences
• Weekend getaways
• Disney / Universal
• WWE experiences
All donations will be included in our Fun Fair raffle and may be combined into themed baskets. No donation is too big or too small. Contact Afnan.jabali@gmail.com for more information or to donate.
Thank you for supporting GMS and our kids!
February Restaurant Night @ Panera
Support GMS at our next restaurant night on February 24th running all day at Panera.
Save the Date – GMS Movie Night!!!
Save the date for our upcoming movie night on March 13th. More details coming soon.
Yearbook Photos and Orders
Submit your yearbook photos on the PTO Website! Locate it under Resources or Quick Links on the left side.
Order your yearbook HERE! Place order by April 6th.
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:
Roller Skating in PE
It’s that time of year again, Roller Skating in PE will be beginning on March 5th 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 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 6th. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at rhonda.gamlin@bps101.net.
Kids Heart Challenge is Wrapping up Soon!
Grace McWayne Elementary School families,
It’s almost here! It’s our final week of Kids Heart Challenge! We are having a blast learning how to keep our hearts and minds healthy and happy. I’m so proud of our students and families. Together, our efforts will help to save lives!
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.
Here’s how you can help:
- 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! We need 16 more students to reach our goal.
Donations are due on 2/13/26. THANK YOU for supporting the Kids Heart Challenge – your family is helping save lives and spread heart health!
Help Us Reach Our Goals
| Current Totals (2/5) | KHC Goals |
| ⭐⭐$9,365.42⭐⭐ | $9,000 – School Goal |
| 20
(We need 16 more to reach our goal) |
36 – Finn’s Mission Goal |
| ⭐⭐106⭐⭐ | 90 – Participation Goal |
Tackle Hunger with the Souper Bowl of Caring -January 30th – February 6th
GMS Student Council and Grizzly Kids Club are partnering with the Batavia United Way to collect ready to eat cans of soup as part of the Souper Bowl Of Caring food drive. Donations will be collected Friday, January 30th through Friday, February 6th. Let’s work together to be the BPS school that brings in the most donations!
Kiwanis Key Club Fundraiser
There will be games, prizes, pizza, face painting, and a small craft/service project for the kids to participate in. There will also be a trivia game for the adults. In order to raise money for our Kiwanis partner The Thirst Project, some activities will cost money, but not all. The service project, trivia, and some of the games will not require money. If you have questions, please contact Abraham Valdez (Key Club Member): abraham.valdez@bps101.net
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!
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
Monday, February 16 – No School – Presidents Day
Friday, February 20 – End of 2nd Trimester
Tuesday, February 24 – Restaurant Night – Panera
Friday, February 27 – No School – Institute Day
Upcoming Club Dates
Monday, February 9, 23 – 4th and 5th Grade Chorus
Tuesday, February 10, 17, 24 – Band/Orchestra Lessons
Wednesday, February 18 – 5th Grade Orchestra @ AGS
Thursday, February 19 – Grizzly Kids Club
Friday, February 13 – 2nd Art Club
Monday, February 9, 23 – Student Council
Wednesday, February 11, 25 – 5th Grade Band Rehearsal @ AGS
Thursday, February 12 – Cultural Celebration Club (Group 1)
Friday, February 20 – 1st Art Club
Thursday, February 26 – Cultural Celebration Club (Group 2)
Thursday, February 26 – 5th Grade Parent Night @ Rotolo Middle School
Important Links
- Important Upcoming Dates
- Upcoming Club Dates
- Grace McWayne PTO website
- Grace McWayne Elementary PTO News & Events
- Grace McWayne Elementary School website
- Trouble with the website: website@gmspto.org
- Suggestions/Feedback: info@gmspto.org