November Paws Print 2011

Greenacres Middle School

Central Valley School Dist. 356

November 2011

Main Phone Number: 228-4860 Greenacres Middle School 24 Hr Attendance Line—228-4870 17409 E Sprague Ave.

Fax Number: 228-4869 Spokane Valley, WA 99016

Vern DiGiovanni Laura Hull Principal Vice-Principal

We are quickly moving into the third month of the school year with the completion of the 1st

trimester just a few weeks away on December 4th. Part of our school improvement plan focus

has been to motivate students in their own learning. The staff is assisting students to get

and stay organized. Student planners are a way that we are incorporating students into

their learning. The planners allow students to record what they are learning daily and their

assignments that are due. The planners will allow you, parents, to help monitor the day to day

expectations of your students. Conferences were a good example of student learning and

organization. The students created conferencing folders that gave the students the oppor-

tunity to share a snapshot of work samples and assessment information of their learning so

far this year. Ask your student to share with you what they have learned today.

The staff as part of the School Improvement Plan has been assisting students in getting or-

ganized. We also have been using our collaboration time to focus on improving student learn-

ing. The core subjects of Language Arts and Math have used some extended collaboration

time to discuss the implementation of the Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum, incorporation

of the state standards, common assessments and what the common assessment data is tell-

ing us about student learning. The staff is currently reading an article from Mathematics

Teaching in the Middle Schools on collaborative practices. It was encouraging to see that we

are using about 75% of what they recommend for collaborative discussions. We are in the

process of finding ways to incorporate a few additional pieces. We will be focused on in-

structional strategies throughout the school year. Currently, we are discussing and learning

about the use of learning targets. The staff at GMS already uses this concept as part of

their daily instruction. We are working towards consistency for students with low variability

in the way we post the targets and use them to enhance learning in all classrooms.

GMS Capacity: Greenacres Middle School has continued to expand our student population.

We welcomed 780 students to school this year about 29 students more than last year. The

overall plan is to slowly allow Greenacres to reduce down to 250 students in each grade level.

That would be an overall student population of 750 students. We will begin inviting overflow

students back to GMS once a grade level has hit the mark of 250 students. This plan will al-

low some much needed wiggle room in the classrooms, lunchroom, hallways and fitness and

health department. This past year, we also added an additional computer lab.

Veteran’s Day Assembly: There will be no school on Friday, Nov. 10th to honor our Veterans. Greenacres Mid-

dle School will hold our traditional Veteran’s Day Assembly on Thursday, Nov. 10th at 9:20 AM. We ask that all

students dress nicely for that day to honor our Veterans. We are inviting Veterans that are part of the Greenacres

family (Moms, Dads, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and grandparents) to join us in celebrating your involvement

in our military. Please contact the school at 228-4860 if you will be able to join us.

Progress Reporting: Greenacres provides progress reports approximately every four weeks. They are done twice a

trimester. They are a snap shot of how your student is doing in school. All students should bring them home. The

next progress report will be sent home with students on November 10th. Our plan is to have you review it with your

student, sign it, and return it to school. This is our notification that you received it. We will mail an additional copy

home, if we have not received the signed copy for those students within three school days.

PTA: Our PTA has been busy indeed. They have over 200 members; the most for any school year at GMS. They

have assisted with our School Improvement Plan by helping our staff find time to build relationships with col-

leagues. They have provided a staff breakfast the first Thursday of each month that has allowed the staff to relax and

just hang out together. The PTA has focused on improving student learning. Their Flamingo FUNdraiser has just

completed the fall flocking. The goal is to raise enough money to replace the computers in our two computer labs. I

believe they may have raised enough money to do one already. They also brought in a guest speaker to share infor-

mation on internet safety for students. The presentation was attended by over 30 parents that provided information

on how to make the internet safer for students. The Reflections Contest was done as well. We have almost 30 entries

into this year’s contest. I think another record for GMS. A special thank you to PTA leadership as well as all of you

that have been involved in fundraising, staff celebrations, the Reflections Contest, and so much more. You are mak-

ing GMS the place to be!

Muffins with Moms and Donuts with Dads: Thank you to Molly Merz for organizing and providing this wonder-

ful event. It begins at 7:30 in our library. It provides time for Moms or Dads to spend just a little morning time with

their students. The Muffins for Moms was well attended. We are hoping many Dads will attend on November 18 th

for Donuts with Dads.

PACE: Partners Advancing Character Education is a community wide program. It recognizes a character trait each

month that the entire community will use as a focus. This month’s character trait is Citizenship. At GMS, we dis-

cuss the new character trait in the classroom the first Thursday of the month. We also recognize students monthly

through our Student of the Month Program (students are selected by classroom teachers for exemplifying the month-

ly characteristic). Watch our reader board for the character trait each month.

Conferences: They were once again well attended. Middle School conferences are meant to provide students with

the opportunity to take ownership of their learning. We believe that through goal setting, working with families, and

sharing of student assessment information that students, parents, and the school will be able to help students be

successful in the middle school as well as prepare students for a rigors of high school.

CV Middle School’s Fill the Bus Food Drive: The Central Valley Middle Schools work together to provide food

for the Valley Food Bank. Greenacres Middle School will be asking students to bring non-perishable food items to

school for the week of November 14th – 18th. The students do their best to move me out of my office by filling it

with food. On Saturday, November 19th, student from our ASB, Spirit Service Club and SCUBA Leaders are asked

to volunteer their time at Safeway in Liberty Lake. They partner with GMS to fill up a school bus with food. We

are usually on site from 9:00 to 3:30. Thank you in advance for your support as well as Safeway for helping us bring

much needed food to many of our school district families.

Vern DiGiovanni

Principal, GMS

6th Grade Math is Cool Meetings are on Tuesdays from 2:45 to 4:30

In Room 302 Competition takes place

In February

At Mount Spokane High School Parents are asked to contribute snack foods

If you have questions contact Mrs. Dempsey – 228-4899 – [email protected]

Media Corner November 2011

Thank you for supporting our fall book fair. As a result, we earned over $1100.00 of new books and still

have available money from Scholastic for more books. Thank you to everyone who volunteered time,

especially, book fair chair, Jenny Gallafent and other GMS parents:

Jessica Romney, Heather Daines, Elizabeth Floden, Molly Merz, Julie Craig, Sarah Martin, Kristi Sche-

rich, Kelli Gardner, Laurie Shanks, Charlotte Trip, Jan Templeton, Claudine Baldwin, Dawnell Ha-

rames, Dana O'Dea, Sue Moore, Susie Amini, Jessica Albrecht, Tiffany Cable, Lori Entringer and Heidi

Youseph.

Book Club…

We are reading The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selnick. To learn more about the book and the

movie that is coming out in November, go to the link www.theinventionofhugocabret.com/. This

website explores the book, movie and Georges Méliès (pronounced mel-YEZ), a famous French

filmmaker who made the first science-fiction movie and plays a big part in the book.

In the library…

Sixth grade is learning what makes a website useful, learning about Egypt through the database, Cul-

turegrams, and how to properly information from this database.

Seventh grade just completed lessons on accessing databases through the Spokane County Library Dis-

trict’s website. All you need is a library card. They are free. GET YOURS TODAY! J

Living Voices Presentation

Thanks to a Supporting Student Success grant from OSPI the middle school librarians received, GMS

will be hosting two performances of Native Voices, 1st and 2nd periods, November 16th in the commons.

Parents are invited to learn about what it was like to be a young Navajo girl who was placed in a gov-

ernment-run boarding school in the 1930’s. When WWII breaks out, the main character, Alice, joins the

Navy as a nurse and her brother Carl, enlists in the Marines and joins the special program that recruit-

ed Navajo men to become “code talkers”. Please plan to join us for this unforgettable presentation.

Keep reading!!!! Cherie Holm, Teacher/Librarian

http://www.theinventionofhugocabret.com/

High 5 News! VOLLEYBALL Our co-ed VOLLEYBALL tournament is planned for November 18th! Teams need to be co-ed, with a girl and a boy on the court at all times. The cost to participate is a can of food or $1 per person on the team. The tournament will be after school and last until about 5 pm. Information on how to sign up will be com-ing soon! STARTLING SMOKING FACTS

Each day, nearly 6,000 children under 18 years of age start smoking; of these,

nearly 2,000 will be come regular smokers. That is almost 800,000 annually.

If current tobacco use patterns persist, an estimated 6.4 million children will die prematurely from a

smoking-related disease.

According to a 2001 national survey of high school students, the overall prevalence of current ciga-

rette use was 28 percent.

Adolescents who smoke regularly can have just as hard a time quitting as long-time smokers.

Of adolescents who have smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime, most of them report that

they would like to quit, but are not able to do so. Tobacco use in adolescence is associated with a range of health-compromising behaviors, including being involved in fights, carrying weapons, engaging in high-risk sexual behavior and using alcohol and other drugs. http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=39868 Talk to your kids about the negative effects of smoking! By talking with our children about smoking we can help decrease the likelihood that they will try it for themselves! Advisor, Mrs. Downie

Congratulations to Greenacres Middle School students:

Andrew Sommerville and Kelsey Hormel

They have both been cast in the Christian Youth Theater productions

of “Annie”. Performances are at the Bing Crosby Theater.

Performance dates are November 4th, 5th, 11th and 12th at 7:00 PM

and November 5th, 12th and 13th at 3:00 PM.

STUDENT OF THE MONTH

Our Students of the Month program enable the staff to recognize the stu-

dents that follow certain criteria. Each month we will have a different crite-

ria that needs to be met. The criteria for October was “Respect and Re-

sponsibility” .

All of the students that are selected are treated to a pizza/sundae party at

lunch time. There will also be a Student of the Month breakfast for stu-

dents, parents and staff in December.

These students were selected for the month of October are:

Maya Albrecht Shannon Andrew Emily Barnett

Antonio Dehamer Billy Ames Asia Beale

Jack Clary Brooke Hagerty Thomas Larson

Elise Brockbank Emma Holdaway Mallory Daines

Sydney Lasher Tabitha Liljenberg Sean Hagerty

Pete Louthian Peighton Quaintance Norah Harman

Jared Parker Matt Reynolds Natalia Karptsov

Taylor Santoro Tessa Selfridge Bekk Martin

David Schappals Breona Whitman Ryu Sharma

Amy Ulrich Melissa Sweeney Brittney Wheeler

Chance Woudenberg Braunson Young Kaitlin Gallagher

Mollee Gray Jake Johnson

Sue Gairson,

Student of the Month Coordinator

COUNSELOR’S CORNER

Resilience is the ability to “bounce” back from adversity, change or misfortune. Here is what you can do to help your child rebound

from the stresses of life…

Teach your child who is in their support system (who can they go to for help?).

Teach them healthy lifestyle choices (food and exercise).

Maintain healthy relationships. If children see violence, inappropriate anger and poor adult choices, they are less resilient.

Focus on the positive things in life. If you always focus on the negative, you begin to become negative and attract negative peo-

ple into your life.

Foster your child’s self-esteem: listen to them, give them your time, encourage them, praise them for their accomplishments,

don’t use derogatory terms when you refer to them (sissy, baby, brat, etc.), comment on the behavior NOT the child.

Review coping techniques with your child. What can he/she do when he/she is upset? Children learn by watching the adults…

how are YOU teaching them to handle strong emotions?

Most importantly, ENJOY your child, celebrate successes and know when and who to go to for help!

For information on parenting tips, strategies, problem solving techniques, community resources, etc., please contact me at 228-4878.

Lisa Marsh, Counselor

Greenacres Middle School

would like to thank the

following businesses for

their support of our

Honor Roll program.

Fuzziwigs Candy Factory

McDonalds

(Liberty Lake and

Broadway/Sullivan)

Build a Bear Workshop

Just Chillin’

Zips (valley)

Emerald City Smoothie

(Spokane Valley &

North YMCA)

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 4 Math is Cool

Tourney

5

6 7 8 9 10 Progress

Reports Home Veteran’s Day Assembly 9:20

11 Veteran’s Day - No School

12

13 14 15 16 17

8th Grade Field Trip to

EWU

18 19

20 21 22 23 Early

Release 11:45 AM

24

25 26

27 28 29 30

November

THANKSGIVING

NO SCHOOL

Central Valley Replacement Levy on February 2012 Ballot Central Valley School District voters will be asked to approve a three-year School Programs and Operations Replacement

Levy on the February 14 ballot. The proposed levy renews and replaces the district’s current levy, which expires in December

2012. It is not a new tax.

Essential educational programs and activities not funded by state and federal dollars are maintained through the local levy.

Voter approval of the current three-year levy provides almost one quarter (22%) of the district’s day-to-day operating budget.

Most educational programs in Central Valley schools are supported by levy funding such as technology for classroom in-

struction, maintaining class sizes, programs for struggling and advanced students, textbooks and teaching materials and spe-

cial education programs. The levy also pays for extra- and co-curricular activities such as athletics, music, drama and debate.

More information is available by visiting www.cvsd.org or calling 228-5405.

http://www.cvsd.org/

Help Greenacres Middle School and Central Valley School District

“Fill the Bus”

With all proceeds going to the Food Bank at Spokane Valley Partners

Who: Students & Parents of GMS Community What: GMS Annual “Fill the Bus” Food Drive When: Monday, November 14th through Saturday, November 19th Where: Greenacres Middle School AND Liberty Lake Safeway Why: To benefit the Spokane Valley Partners Food Bank November is Food Drive month and our annual food drive is right around the corner. We will be collecting non-perishable items from November 14th through the 18th in your child’s first period class. We will again attempt fill Mr. DiGiovanni’s office so full of food that he is unable to work. Last year we collected over 4,000 pounds of food and 74 turkeys. We have set our standards even higher this year and hope to collect at least 5,000 pounds of much needed food. The Greenacres food drive is a beneficial experience for everyone involved. Any donation you are willing and able to make is appreciated. Start collecting food now and help your son or daughter remember to bring food to the school during the week of November 14th. On Saturday, November 19th you can look for us at Safeway in Liberty Lake when we take our food drive to the community. GMS students and staff will be at the store from 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. continuing our efforts to fill a school bus with donated food. All proceeds will benefit those in need right here in our community.

THANKSGIVING AND CHRISTMAS FOOD BANK NEEDS TURKEYS, TURKEYS, TURKEYS Potatoes Stuffing Cake mixes Gravy – both canned and dry packaged Frostings Canned cranberries Chicken broth Canned fruit Jello Olives Brown Sugar Canned pumpkin Canned corn and beans Evaporated milk

November 2011 Greenacres MS

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

1 Chicken Fried Steak

Mashed Potatoes/ Gravy

Corn Roll & Butter

Cheeseburger / Chips Chicken Burger / Chips

Corn Dog / Chili Corn Dog

Pizza Pipeline / Chips

Chef Salad / Roll Sub Sandwich / Chips

2 Soft Taco w/ Meat

Mexican Rice

Sour Cream & Salsa

Cheeseburger / Fries

Chicken Burger / Fries Pizza Bites / Fries

Pizza / Fries

Taco Salad

Sub Sandwich / Chips

Dessert

3 French Toast Sticks / Syrup

Hash Brown

Sausage Patty


Chicken Burger / Fries Chicken Club Sand / Fries

Pizza Pipeline / Fries

Chef Salad / Roll


4 Meatball Sub

Jo Jo’s

Tossed Salad / Ranch


Chicken Burger / Fries Pizza Pocket/ Fries

Pizza / Fries

Chef / Crispy Chicken Salad


Dessert

7 Chicken Parmesan Sand

JoJo’s

Tossed Salad w/Ranch


Chicken Burger / Fries Chicken Nuggets / Fries

Pizza / Fries

Chef Salad / Roll


Dessert

8 Tomato Soup

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Tossed Salad w/ Ranch

Cheeseburger / Chips

Chicken Burger / Chips Pizza Sticks w/ Marinara


Chef Salad / Roll


9 Nachos w/Meat & Cheese

Refried Beans

Sour Cream / Salsa


Chicken Burger / Fries Popcorn Chicken / Fries

Pizza / Fries

Taco Salad


Dessert

10 Teriyaki Dippers

Egg Roll

White Rice

Bacon Burger / Fries

Chicken Burger / Fries Burrito / Fries


Chef Salad / Roll


11

Veterans Day

No School

14 Mini Corn Dogs

Mac & Cheese

Carrot Sticks



Pizza / Fries

Chef Salad / Roll


Dessert



Corn Roll & Butter





16 Soft Taco w/ Meat

Mexican Rice

Sour Cream & Salsa



Pizza / Fries

Taco Salad


Dessert

17 French Toast Sticks

Hash Brown

Sausage Patty


Chicken Burger / Fries Chicken Club Sand. / Fries


Chef Salad / Roll


18 French Dip Sandwich

JoJo’s

Tossed Salad / Ranch


Chicken Burger / Fries Pizza Pocket / Fries

Pizza / Fries

Chef / Crispy Chicken Salad


Dessert

21 Sweet & Sour Chicken

White Rice

Carrot sticks



Pizza / Fries

Chef Salad / Roll


Dessert

22 Tomato Soup

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Tossed Salad w/ Ranch

Cheeseburger / Chips

Chicken Burger / Chips Pizza Sticks w/ Marinara


Chef Salad / Roll


23


Chicken Burger / Fries

Popcorn Chicken / Fries

Pizza / Fries

Taco Salad


Dessert

Early Release Day

24

Thanksgiving Day

No School

25

No School

28 Pasta w/ Meat Sauce

Green Beans

Roll & butter



Pizza / Fries

Chef Salad / Roll


Dessert



Corn Roll & Butter





30

Soft Taco w/ Meat

Mexican Rice

Sour Cream & Salsa



Pizza / Fries

Taco Salad


Dessert

November Paws Print 2011

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