News from the Mill

Flag Dedication Ceremony

Dear GM Families:

On Friday, November 5^th at 3:00 p.m. the Garrison Mill PTA and Foundation would like to invite you to join them as we honor the service of 1^st Lt. Scott Fleming by dedicating an American flag flown over the U.S. Capitol as our new school flag. Please meet us at 3:00 p.m. near the flagpole where the dedication service will be conducted with the help of the Lassiter High School ROTC. If your child is involved in scouting we would also respectfully request that they wear their scout uniform that afternoon.  In the event of inclement weather we will hold the dedication inside.  Mrs. Fleming also requested to send a letter to our community thanking our GM families for all of their support.  Please see below for a thank you from the Fleming family.

Paula Huffman, Principal

 

To Our Garrison Mill Family,

Thank you for the overwhelming support and caring you have shown our family.  Our tragic loss has been comforted by parents, students and staff more than we could have imagined.   We have always said that Garrison Mill is the best place to work in Cobb County and once again this is evident.

Throughout the past nine years, we have been so grateful for the many times that our family has been considered a part of the GM community. Each one of us has come to cherish the closeness that this community shares.  It has been so heartwarming to know that Scott had the opportunity to be a part of this community while spending time at the fun runs, habitat days, pre-planning and during his spring breaks from college.  Through these experiences he was welcomed by teachers, students and parents and this enhanced his knowledge of the importance of giving back to community for the many benefits we all enjoy. 

We are grateful for your part in helping Scott become the son, man and Marine we all knew him to be.

Thankfully,

Joe, Joanne and Andrea Fleming

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

October Update

We hope to see all of our GM families at the Fun Run and Fall Festival tonight (October 8th)! The Fun Run begins at 5:00 p.m. with our 5th grade girls racing first. The Fall Festival is from 6:00-8:00 p.m. This year we have added a  complimentary school bus shuttle leaving continuously from 5:30-8:30 from Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church on Sandy Plains Road for additional family parking.

Later on this month we look forward to seeing all of our parents during Conference Week (October 18-22) and celebrating healthy choices during Red Ribbon Week (October 25-29).

This year our Garrison Mill academic goals are in MATH and WRITING. Here is a recent PAWS article from Dr. Stasiak with information about our school math goal:

Remember what it was like to sit in math class and try to solve some mathematical word problem? Example: Judy has 32 books. Her sister has 3 times as many books as she. How many books do they have altogether? It’s a difficult progression of steps and skills yet through the support of our teachers, parents, and community Garrison Mill has performed very well on national and state testing in the area of Mathematics. During this past year our fifth grade students ranked 1^st place in Cobb County when compared to other schools on CRCT performance in math. We are thrilled with our success so far and want to continue to make sure our students have a strong foundation in math. It is for this reason that we continue to make mathematics (computation and problem solving) a student achievement goal in our School Strategic Plan.

Each grade level sets a yearly student achievement goal based on classroom baseline data and continues to monitor student problem solving/computation throughout the year. Each classroom devotes teaching the necessary skills and strives for mastery by having students implement a problem solving checklist designed specifically for each grade level. Word problems are read and dissected for what the question is asking, key words in the problem, and what processes are required in order to find the final solution. It sounds like a simple enough task yet think of all the components involved! The language of the question has to be understood, specific vocabulary identified to give it meaning, and decisions have to be made as to what type of mathematical functions are applied. If a child has difficulty in any one of these areas additional resources, strategies, and instruction are required.

Many parents ask how they can best support the instructional program at home. Two easy ways for you to help your child at home are to use flashcards to practice basic math facts and also by using the electronic program “First In Math.”  Game playing formats are utilized to develop and reinforce basic skills. A child proceeds at their own pace while mastering facts and increasing problem-solving, computation, critical-thinking, and pattern recognition skills. While children are playing these games they gain confidence in their skills, become more proficient in a mathematical process, and become self motivated to see how many points they can earn.  It’s a win- win scenario for everyone! Each 1^st-5^th grader has received a log-in. Please call us or contact your teacher if you need assistance. We also have additional student websites in math that can be located on our GM website: http://www.cobbk12.org/garrisonmill/WebLinkNotebook.htm. Also- please mark your calendars now for Math Game Night on February 3, 2011!

Thank you for your continued support of Garrison Mill and our school goal for achievement in math!

Vicki Stasiak

Assistant Principal