Grizzly eNews 5-21-26
Principal’s Message:
Cleaning and packing up the school after the last day always reminds me of the feeling of when I’m putting away the decorations after the holidays. The colorful liveliness and energy in the building fades and is replaced with an unfamiliar quiet and calm. It takes only a few hours to start missing the students and the classrooms filled with eager students, grand conversations and joyful laughter. It is good to take a break, but I am already longing for the new school year and a building packed with children.
Of course, summer fun is a good distraction. I wish you all a very happy summer filled with visits to the pool, popsicles, sidewalk chalk and fireworks.
Summer office hours are 8am-3pm Monday – Friday until June 16th.
Have a great summer!
~Principal Jeff Modaff
Finishing the Year with Gratitude
As we close out another incredible school year, we want to take a moment to thank our entire school community for your support, involvement, and partnership throughout the year. To our students, families, teachers, staff, and volunteers, thank you for helping create a school community filled with connection, learning, kindness, and growth. From events and fundraisers to classroom celebrations and everyday moments, this year was made special because of all of you!
As summer begins, we hope your days are filled with rest, fun, laughter, and meaningful time with those you love. We look forward to welcoming everyone back for another wonderful school year ahead.
Wishing you a safe, relaxing, and joyful summer! Stay curious, stay kind, and keep that Grizzly spirit going strong!
💙💛💙💛💙💛
With gratitude,
Your PTO
PTO News:
Next Year – Get Involved!!
The PTO is already planning and getting ready for the 2026-2027 school year and NOW is the time to get involved! Make a difference. Build Community. Support our Grizzlies! We have 2 open VP roles on the Board and a number of committees looking for a person to take the lead. Please consider how you may volunteer your time and talents to benefit our wonderful school! Email president@gmspto.org for more information!
Open Roles:
Board Positions
- VP of School Community – Oversee and support the following committees: Pancake Breakfast, Spirit Weeks, Connections Coordinator, Movie Night, and Trivia Night.
- VP of School Events and Programs – Oversee and support the following committees: Welcome Celebration, Book Fair, Fun Fair, Ice Cream Social, and Outdoor Ed Day.
Committee Chairs
- Corporate Sponsorship Coordinator – work with the Corporate Sponsorship Chair to be sure our sponsors get their publicity
- Grizzly Gear Chair – coordinate and publicize the sale of Grizzly spirit wear
- Spirit Week Chair – coordinate and publicize the spirit weeks throughout the year
- Teacher Appreciation Chair – coordinate expressing our gratitude to teachers and staff at GMS
- Social Media Chair – oversee and share posts on our PTO Instagram and Facebook pages
- Winter Wonderland Chair and Co-Chair– coordinate the Winter Wonderland fundraiser, shop for items, and oversee the volunteers for the event
- Fun Fair Chair and Co-Chair – coordinate the Fun Fair, oversee a team of volunteers
Reimbursements
If you have purchased items for PTO events and programs and have not turned in receipts for a check request yet, please note all check requests for this school year must be submitted by June 5th. The check request form can be found on the financial page of the PTO website – www.gmspto.org.
*** 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, June 2nd.
School/District News:
She said “Yes!”
Our GMS Kindergartners were part of a very special moment on Wednesday. Ms. True’s boyfriend snuck into the LRC, handed her flowers and then got down on one knee. Ms. True said “yes” and then the two posed with the entire class for a picture. Congratulations Ms. True!
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
Wednesday, May 20 – Last Day of School!
Tuesday, June 2 – PTO Meeting (Last for 2025/2026 school year)
Wednesday, June 5 – Reimbursement Requests Due!
Upcoming Club Dates
Until next year!!!
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