George Washington Middle School PTA

In partnership with the GWMS Orchestra and Choir, the Spanish Language Department is organizing Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration Night for October 20th from 4:45 PM to 7:00 PM in the GW auditorium. The GWMS community is very excited to celebrate the history, beauty, and diversity of Hispanic Culture with our parents, students, and staff. Please mark this date on your calendar. It promises to be a special night! See you there!

The GWMS Counseling Team provided an excellent presentation about services and support to students and families at our PTA meeting on October 11th.  The slides from that presentation are here.

We will host our next PTA Membership meeting this Tuesday at 7 pm via Zoom and Facebook Live.  Please join us as we approve our annual budget, hear a principal’s report from Dr. Mazur, and host Mr. Greg Forbes, GWMS Director of Counseling, who will discuss the services available at GW.  Also, learn more about the Reflections contest from our chair, Lee Lynch. Minutes and agenda are attached.

Joy Pochatila
GWMS PTA President 2022-2023

The PTAC Safety Forum, co-sponsored by ACPS and Parents for Safe Alexandria Schools, will be on October 26th from 6:30pm-8:00pm in the Auditorium at GW Middle School and via Zoom or ACPS Facebook Live for those who want to watch from home.

Speakers will include ACPS Interim Superintendent Dr. Melanie Kay-Wyatt, ACPS Director of Safety & Security John Contreras, ACPS Director of School Social Work Faiza Jackson, Alexandria City Gang Prevention Community Task Force Member Mike Mackey, APD Officer and SRO Richard Sandavol, Andrew Corso from the BeSMART Program for safe gun storage, and Alex Carroll from Alexandria’s Complete Streets Program to discuss pedestrian safety. See attached flyer. Pizza will be provided!

RSVP at www.acps.cc/SafetyForum

The ACPS Talented and Gifted Advisory Committee (TAGAC) is looking for new community, parent, and student volunteers to help guide ACPS TAG programs for the 2022-2023 school year. This school board-sponsored committee meets 7-8 times during the school year and members choose one sub-committee focus area to collaborate on. If you are interested in helping to shape ACPS policy for this program, please reach out to D. Ohlandt, PTAC VP of Outreach, at [email protected].

The Alexandria School Board Budget Advisory Committee (BAC) is seeking new members to serve. BAC members have the opportunity to engage regularly with its School Board liaison, ACPS budget and finance staff, and other ACPS leaders. BAC also meets annually with the City Council’s Budget and Fiscal Affairs Advisory Committee (BFAAC). Interested individuals are encouraged to review past BAC meeting materials, available at https://www.acps.k12.va.us/school-board/school-board-committees/budget-advisory-committee-bac. Applications may be submitted at https://www.acps.k12.va.us/school-board/school-board-committees.

GWMS PTA activities are off to a great start. Thank you to everyone who participated in our first fundraiser. Los Tios Grill donated $450 to the PTA for our first restaurant night on September 14th.  Easy and delicious money! The PTA also provided lunch from Tropical Smoothie for our staff members last week during parent-teacher conferences. Thank you to Greta Gordon, our Staff Hospitality Chair, for coordinating the event!

Our next PTA meeting is Tuesday, October 11th at 7 pm.  We’ll approve our 2022-2023 budget and the school counseling team will talk about services they provide to students and families. Please join us on Zoom or Facebook Live!

Joy Pochatila
GWMS PTA President 2022-2023

Please save the date for the PTAC Safety Forum co-sponsored by ACPS and Parents for Safe Alexandria Schools on October 26th from 6:30pm-8:00pm in the Auditorium at GW Middle School and via Zoom or ACPS Facebook Live for those who want to watch from home. Speakers will include ACPS Interim Superintendent Dr. Melanie Kay-Wyatt, ACPS Director of Safety & Security John Contreras, ACPS Director of School Social Work Faiza Jackson, Alexandria City Gang Prevention Community Task Force Member Mike Mackey, APD Officer and SRO Richard Sandavol, Andrew Corso from the BeSMART Program for safe gun storage, and Alex Carroll from Alexandria’s Complete Streets Program to discuss pedestrian safety. A flyer with more details and a Zoom link will be coming soon!

DATE CHANGE! VOLUNTEERS NEEDED OCTOBER 7TH! GWMS students have been earning Prexie Dollars for good behavior over the past several weeks and will be able to spend those dollars at the PBIS Store this Friday, October 7th during the lunch period.  Dean Malone needs parent volunteers to help man the store.  Please sign up here!

A note from Dr. Mazur:
PBIS is an acronym for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports. As we know, some students may struggle with behavior in school and it is the role of GWMS to teach and model the appropriate behaviors we seek to see in our students. When a school responds only with punishment, students don’t learn the skills they need to improve their behavior. That’s where positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) comes in.

PBIS is a proactive approach GWMS uses to improve school safety and promote positive behavior. The focus of PBIS is prevention, not punishment. With PBIS, we teach students positive behaviors just as we would teach about any other subject. All students learn about positive behavior and we reward this!

PBIS exists in individual classrooms, within core content teams, and at the whole school level when recognizing and celebrating students. To this point, we have a PBIS Game Room! The game room serves as an incentive or reward and when classrooms meet goals students get to enjoy our game room. At this time we need to restock the PBIS room and this may serve as an opportunity for you to de-clutter your house of usable card or board games, old video game systems and games. We are also looking for a ping pong table and any other fun game that students enjoy such as air hockey. As a side, Mr. Malone and I will come by to pick up larger items. Thank you for your consideration and please feel free to reach out to Mr. Malone with any questions or items that you wish to donate. [email protected].

The GW Friends of the Orchestra (FOTO) is the parent/caregiver group to help support the GWMS orchestra. Under the leadership of Mr. Jones, GW Orchestra students are really lucky to get some great experiences both in school and out, such as a trip to an amusement park to play in a music festival, holiday performances at Pentagon City Mall, and opportunities to see professional performances at the Kennedy Center. In order for some of these events to happen, Mr. Jones and our kids need some support.  That is where we come in.

Please like the GW FOTO on Facebook and follow them on Instagram so you are up to date on the latest activities. And if you’re worried you’re not on our email list, let them know! Email [email protected].

If you have not completed the form to submit your contact information and your child’s t-shirt size for Band Boosters, please take a moment to do so so that we have everyone.

Happy New Year to those celebrating Rosh Hashanah.  A reminder that there is no school on Monday (Sept 26), Thursday (Sept 29), and Friday (Sept 30) this week. Parent Teacher Conferences for the first quarter are scheduled for Thursday and Friday.  If you were unable to secure a spot this week, we advise you to reach out to your child(ren)’s teachers if you have any questions or concerns. Our PTA Hospitality Committee will be providing dinner by Tropical Smoothie to staff and teachers on Thursday evening.

Thank you for joining us for the first GWMS PTA meeting on September 13th.  Dr. Mazur introduced the GWMS leadership team and answered lots of questions from parents.  Mr. Finnegan (ACPS Facilities) provided a presentation about the recent and forthcoming updates to the school. (Note: the bathrooms have been improved!).  And, Mr. Willie Bailey, our School Board representative, joined us to discuss topics presented to the Board and how he will advocate for GWMS. It was a longer than usual meeting, but jampacked with information.  If you missed it, head over to our Facebook page to watch the recorded livestream.

The PTA awarded its first teacher grant to Mr. Clemmons.  He received a Lego robotics kit and has asked his two GWMS robotics teams to share their innovation presentation with us at an upcoming PTA meeting. We are excited to hear from the students!

The Reflections Contest has begun!  Big thank you to Lee Lynch for heading up the GWMS contest. Please see the information below on how your students can enter. Deadline is October 15th! Lee needs parent volunteers, so please contact her to help facilitate this contest for our students.

Our next PTA meeting is Tuesday, October 11th at 7 pm. Don’t forget to renew your membership (insert membership link)!

Joy Pochatila
GWMS PTA President 2022-2023

Calling all parents of Prexies – PTA Reflections Art Competition 2022-2023 needs you and your student!

Each year, students from across the country in pre-K through grade 12 create theme-based artwork in dance choreography, film production, literature, musical composition, photography, or visual arts. The 2022-2023 theme for this national contest is Show Your Voice!

PTA Reflections Art Contest entries due by Oct 15.

To enter, go the form online here, or turn into GW art teacher, Ms. Rollins (Room C205), or enter using this QR code:

We’re also looking for parents to help with photographing entries, collecting entries from teachers, and in other ways. Interested in helping, or have questions? Email Lee Lynch: [email protected].

The AHD provided an update to the PTA Council last week. Did you know that ACHS has a Teen Wellness Center with free services for Alexandrians ages 12-19?  See the attached presentation for more information.

PTAC has an advocacy action request related to pedestrian safety.  The Alexandria City Council and Traffic and Parking Board will seek public input on September 26 and October 15 on passing a recommendation that the City Manager reduce speed limits during school hours on North Beauregard Street, Braddock Road, and Seminary Road in support of pedestrian safety at and near schools.  PTAC encourages ACPS families to contact the ACPS School Board here and express support for the City Council recommendation.

GWMS alum, Katie Wiederman, is on the Bishop Ireton Cheerleading team and hosting the BI Cheer Clinic.

Thank you to the GWMS staff and teachers for hosting the first in-person Back to School Night in three years this past week!  It was great to see parents navigating the halls of GWMS, hustling to our student’s classes within 5 minutes. It was a terrific event!

It’s a busy week for GWMS and the PTA!  Picture day is this week, so make sure to order your photos before Monday, if interested.  Please ask your child to check their Canvas webpage to confirm which day they will be taking photos. We’ll also host our first PTA meeting of the school year on Tuesday night, September 13th at 7 p.m. via Zoom and FB Live.  Spanish translation is available via Zoom.  And, finally, dinner is already planned for Wednesday! Order or dine-in at Los Tios on Mt Vernon Ave on September 14th and mention the GWMS PTA for our first fundraiser of the year.

Joy Pochatila
GWMS PTA President 2022-2023

Join us this Tuesday, September 13, via Zoom, at 7:00 p.m. for our first PTA Membership meeting.  We are kicking off the first meeting with an update from our principal, Dr. Mazur, on all the improvements to the facilities this summer. Don’t miss it! Agenda is here and the Zoom link is here. The minutes from our June membership meeting are also attached. Spanish translation available and we will also broadcast on Facebook Live.

Meeting ID: 814 4641 4828
Passcode: 294593

The City has established initiatives that support youth engagement opportunities, several of which are included in the 2022 City Council Priorities to Support Youth and Families during Out-of-School Time Hours. One upcoming opportunity includes:

• A free Teen Block Party for youth ages 12-17 on September 10 at Patrick Henry Recreation Center. There will be free DASH bus transportation to and from the event. This event follows a series of “Teen Pool Parties” hosted by RPCA this summer.
• A Fall 2022 “Youth Speak Up” event series hosted by ACAP, SAPCA, and the Children, Youth and Families Collaborative Commission.
• A Civics Academy for Youth this Fall, in partnership with U.S. Government and Civics teachers of ACPS. The Academy is seven weeks long and introduces a range of City departments to students. This program , which has the potential to reach hundreds of students throughout the year, will also be an opportunity to hear feedback from youth on what support they need.
• Pilot of a “Resource Corner” at George Washington Middle School, exploring the use of dedicated space at the school where middle school students can meet with service providers on a rotational basis to learn about the resources available to them. If successful, this model could be expanded into other schools and recreation centers after school.