George Washington Middle School PTA

Upcoming Dates

• September 15 – October 15: National Hispanic Heritage Month
• September 18: PBIS Store
• September 18-20: Los Tios Dine Out Fundraisers
• September 25: Yom Kippur Holiday (No School)
• September 28-29: Parent Teacher Conferences (No School)
• October 5: PBIS Store
• October 9: Indigenous People Day (No School)
• October 15th: Reflections Entries Due
• October 20th: Spirit Wear Orders Due
• October 27th: Harvest Festival
• October 27th: Picture Retake Day
• September 19, 21, 26: Fall Growth State Testing-Reading (6th, 7th, 8th)
• October 2, 4: Fall Growth State Testing-Math (6th, 7th)

SPIRIT WEAR!

Spirit Wear is now on sale! Big shout to our amazing Spirit Wear Chair Fran Boller for getting us this great selection of attractive items at great prices!

Pre-order until Friday, Oct. 20. Items available for pick up starting Nov. 7 at our Election Day bake sale!

• Short Sleeve T-shirts $10
• Long Sleeve T-shirts $15
• Sweatshirts $25
• Hoodies $25

Order online with credit card at gwmspta.org/spiritwear

Email [email protected] to arrange to pay by check or cash. (Los Tios dine outs this week are the first chances to turn in your order form to me with check/cash.)

Los Tios Dine Out Fundraisers

Neighborhood favorite Los Tios Grill is hosting 3 nights of fundraising socials for George Washington Middle School PTA!  Each night will feature one grade so you can be sure to see new and old friends from your classes.  Los Tios will donate a portion of each evening’s sales to GWMS PTA so come hungry!

• 6th grade-Monday, Sept. 18
• 7th grade-Tuesday, Sept. 19
• 8th grade-Wednesday, Sept. 20

Los Tios is located at 2615 Mount Vernon Avenue.  Dine-in sales from 5 to 10p.m. count toward the fundraiser.  Be sure to tell them that you are with GW when you arrive to be seated in the GW room!

PBIS Store

Thank you to those who have been supporting PBIS! Friday’s store was rescheduled to TODAY (9/18) and we are in need of volunteers for the PBIS store during each of the grade-level lunches.

SIGN UP!

Join the PTA! 

Your PTA membership dues are tax-deductible and support our activities throughout the year including grade level student socials, field trips, teacher grants for classroom resources, and so much more!

It’s just $10 per person per year, plus a small amount to cover credit card fees. You can also join by cash or check.  Email [email protected] with any questions.

VOLUNTEER! 

• 7th Grade Social/Events – Volunteers from each grade plan an end-of-year event for each class. Chair will lead the volunteers in planning!
• Parent Social Coordinator – Organize events to build the GWMS parent community.  They could be big events at local businesses or small events at the school like meet and greet coffees with staff or PTA.
• Field Trip Coordinator – The GWMS teachers and staff would love to have help from parents with planning field trips throughout the school year. This is a new committee, so there will be some work to do to set expectations and roles.
• Business Partners / Sponsorships – Do you have great connections with local businesses?  Sign up to help us partner with our business partners to help them find ways to make a big impact at GWMS.  Great for co-chairs!
• Membership Chair – This is a new position! We want to grow our membership and ensure that we are representative of our whole GWMS community. Membership Chair would represent PTA at school events and develop new ways to reach a wider audience.
• Restaurant Dine Out Fundraisers – Contact local restaurants and set up dine out nights to raise funds for the PTA.  Coordinate dates with school calendar, plan details of event with restaurants, and help publicize the event.
• PTAC Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Representative – Serve as a representative of the GWMS PTA to the Alexandria PTA Council’s DEI Committee and share information with the GW community. The DEI Chair will lead the PTA commitment to foster an inclusive and equitable environment of family engagement in our school community.
• PTAC Special Education Committee – The Alexandria PTA Council (PTAC) formed a Special Education Committee to ensure that the perspective of families and students receiving Special Education and 504 services are addressed within PTAC. The purpose is to continue this robust conversation district-wide by encouraging all PTAs to appoint a parent whose children are receiving special education services to serve as a Special Education Representative. This representative would –
  • Help families who have children receiving special education services feel more connected to their school communities;
  • Amplify their concerns to your PTA, PTAC and ACPS leadership;
  • Educate the Executive Board on how best to support families who have children receiving special education services within your school;
  • Meet with special education representatives from other schools to share ideas;
  • Host a meet & greet for new parents of students receiving special education services; and,
  • Work with the PTA to ensure that students with IEPs and/or 504s are appropriately supported in all PTA-sponsored activities.
• Nominating Committee for 2024-25 – In the spring, the nominating committee will work to secure executive board slots for the coming school year, as well as committee chairs and members.

GWMS PTA September Meeting

Missed our Member Meeting last week?  Find a live recording on our Facebook Page, check out the presentation slides, or minutes.

Middle School Conferences, September 28-29

• Conferences will be held from 8:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 28.
• Conferences will be held from 8:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. on Friday, September 29

More information about the conferences, including how to sign up, will be coming from the school this week.

As a reminder, parents can meet with teachers outside of these conference days too. The teachers’ commitment to communicating with families regarding their students’ progress extends throughout the school year. Not every parent will be able have a conference on conference days due to the sheer number of students in middle school.  While it’s disappointing not to get a conference on the conference days, you can reach out to schedule a meeting with you child’s teachers at any time.

PTA Reflections Art Competition 

Calling all Prexies – PTA Reflections Art Competition 2023-2024 needs you!

It’s that time again, when pre-K through grade 12 students nationwide create theme-based artwork – will you be one of them? The 2023-2024 theme is I am Hopeful Because…share why you are hopeful through dance choreography, film production, literature, musical composition, photography, or visual arts.

Contest entries due by Oct 15. Entering takes 5 minutes online here or at the below QR code.

You can also turn your entry into GW Middle School Art Teacher Ms. Janice Rollins, Rm: C205, or into your grade-level office.

Entries are evaluated for interpretation of the theme, creativity, and technique.
Questions? Email [email protected]

SEAC

What is SEAC and its role?
Every school division in Virginia is required to have a Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC), as detailed in the Regulations Governing Special Education Programs for Children with Disabilities in Virginia (effective January 25, 2010). The Committee must be comprised primarily of parents of children with disabilities and of individuals with disabilities. It must include one teacher.  In Virginia, the role of local SEACs is to build positive relationships between parents and school leaders.

Read more about SEAC, including the 23-24 meeting schedule:
English
Spanish
Amharic
Arabic
Dari

Friday Night Lights: Information for ACHS Home Football Games

Tickets: $5.00 for students, $7.00 general admission. No cash sales – all tickets must be purchased in advance online. H.S. Student Code: student’s ID number.

Younger Students: All elementary and middle school students should purchase general admission/family (opposed to student) tickets.  elementary and middle school students must be accompanied & supervised by an adult while at the game. High school students who get dropped off must plan to have their rides waiting for them at the conclusion of the game.

Rules to Review with your Students:

• No backpacks or other bags will be allowed in the stadium.
• No outside food or drinks. The concession stand will be open.
• The purpose for students who attend our varsity football games is to watch the game, cheerleaders, and band.
• We cheer for our team and not against our opponent. All cheers should be positive.
• The gates to the stadium will open at 6:00pm.
• All students must leave immediately following the game.
• If you leave the game, you will not be able to re-enter the stadium.
• Whistles, air horns, cowbells and similar noisemakers are prohibited.