Grizzly eNews 5-1-26
Principal’s Message:
Two big culminating events occurred this week with much celebration. First, our GMS Running Club participated in the BPS101 Flash Mob 5K. This event expanded to include all of the district elementary schools this year. We are so proud of all of our finishers!
~Principal Jeff Modaff
PTO News:
Thank you to those families who contributed donations to our lunch lady Tammy’s medical expenses. Your support during this difficult season is most appreciated! We are blessed to be part of such a generous community.
Walk, Bike, Roll to school May 6!
We are looking for a few volunteers to assist in safe transit for increased sidewalk traffic. If you typically walk or drop your student and could please help from 8:30-9:00AM, we would greatly appreciate it! Thank you for assisting our GMS students! Volunteer HERE.
May Restaurant Night at Riverside!
Support GMS at our last restaurant night of the school year on May 6th from 5 to 8 pm at Riverside in downtown Batavia. Dine in or place an order to go!
Outdoor Education Day
Students will enjoy a full day of games, science, art, music, and more.
When
May 15, 2026 (9 a.m.–3:30 p.m.)
What to Wear
Students should wear weather-appropriate, comfortable clothes and athletic shoes. Expect to get messy!
Please send your student in their grade-assigned color. Any shirt in these colors are fine!
What to Bring
- Labeled, refillable water bottle.
- Sack lunch (cold lunch school option available if needed).
- Towel or blanket for outdoor lunch.
- Sunscreen.
Lunch
Parents are welcome to come and have lunch with their student during their normal lunch period. Lunch will be held outdoors, picnic style, so don’t forget your towel or blanket. Lunch will be provided for staff and full-day volunteers.
Volunteers
Check in at the table outside the main entrance, where maps, schedules, and field assignments will be provided. Volunteer HERE!
Contact Deanna Sukolowsky, dmrv23@gmail.com, (630) 417-0502 with questions.
We’re looking forward to a fun and active day outdoors!
*** 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! If something is missing, please let us know!
PTO Board Meetings
All parents/guardians are invited to attend the PTO meetings. They are typically held the first Tuesday of the month at 7 pm in the teacher’s lounge. Our next meeting is Tuesday, May 5th. Please note this is the 2nd Tuesday.
School/District News:
Congratulations to Miss Pappanduros!
Our very own Miss P was recognized with an Art Education Leadership Award from Artsonia! Check out the article HERE.
Message from Nurse Erin
The nurse’s office is in need of boys’ and girls’ size Large pants (10–12) and any used or gently used gym shoes for older kids (sizes 5–6)—think 4th and 5th grade. Thank you for supporting our students! 🙂
LRC News
Follow this link for our LRC Spring News and Events including One Book, One Batavia, Spring Book Fair, GMS Cougars Game Day, Disc Golf Bags, & more!
Disc Golf Family Outing – THIS SUNDAY, May 3rd
Would you like to learn more about how to play disc golf now that we have nine holes here at GMS? Mrs. Gamlin and Mr. Clarey in conjunction with the PTO will be holding an afternoon for families to come and try it out. They will have all discs ready for you to use. All you need to do is get a group of 4 together (minimum of one adult per group) and sign up for a tee time through this signup. Can’t wait to see you all there!
Bike Safety Quiz for ALL
Mrs. Gamlin applied for a BikeSafetyQuiz (BSQ) Mini-Grant. The grant has an informative quiz that students will take in class with her but can also be taken at home with parents. By carving out time for your child to complete BSQ, you’re empowering them to be safer when on their bikes and/or to drive safely near bicyclists and pedestrians. Those are valuable life skills!
It’s worth noting that all three quizzes (Child Bicyclist, Adult Bicyclist, and Motorist) were recently updated! They now include colorful photos, more relatable content and scenarios, and some new questions. Here are there links you can
Funding from IDOT allows Ride Illinois to reimburse Illinois schools $2 per student (up to $2,000 per school year) for completing one of our quizzes. Thank you for supporting Bike Safety in our community and for giving back to our school.
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
Tuesday, May 5 – PTO Meeting
Wednesday, May 6 – Walk, Bike & Roll
Wednesday, May 6 – Restaurant Night – Riverside Batavia
Friday, May 15 – Outdoor Education Day
Sunday, May 17 – GMS Kane County Cougars Game
Monday, May 18 – 5th Grade Celebration
Wednesday, May 20 – Last Day of School
Upcoming Club Dates
Monday, May 4 – Student Council (3:30pm)
Thursday, May 7 – Grizzly Kids Meeting
Tuesday, May 12 – 5th Grade Track Meet
Wednesday, May 13 – 5th Grade Band @ AGS
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