News from Powell and Schmidt

Relay for Life Luminaries

Dear Garrison Mill Families,

The Relay for Life team will be selling luminaries that will be used in the opening ceremony on Friday Night at the RFL Event at Jim Miller Park.  The luminaries are used to remember those we have lost, celebrate those that have battled and won and to give hope to those who still fight the battle with cancer.

The luminaries can be decorated by the family, they are $5.00 a piece. We will be selling them at reading night tonight, at the PTA meeting on Thursday or anytime this week in Mrs. Longyear's classroom. We will need all money and bags by 2:30 on Friday!

Thank you so much for your support!

Parent Workshop

All GM Parents are encouraged to attend a free parenting workshop this Thursday, April 16th, at 10:30 AM which will cover specific plans for parents to keep their children engaged and learning all summer. It is in the media center and it is for parents of students of all ages.

Boosterthon Fun Run

Dear Parents,

On behalf of everyone at Garrison Mill Elementary, I want to thank you for all your help in making this year's Boosterthon Fun Run a huge success!  Don't forget to come out tomorrow as your child runs for our school at 11:00 AM.  If we are rained out on Thursday, we will reschedule for Friday, April 3rd.

We are on track to make this a financially successful Fun Run, but WE NEED YOUR HELP over the next week in order to reach our financial goals.  The money for the Fun Run is due Tuesday, April 14th.  Please make checks payable to Garrison Mill Educational Foundation and place all money in your child's collection envelope.  Remember, all gifts are tax deductible!

Thank you again for all your support in making this year's Boosterthon Fun Run a tremendous success for our school.  Please feel free to contact me at anytime with questions regarding the Boosterthon Fun Run collection process!

Sincerely,

Jennifer Hungerbuhler
GMEF/2nd Grade Liaison
Phone:  770-518-1091
Email:  Jennifer.hungerbuhler@carat.com

Boosterthon Fun Run

Dear 2nd Grade Parents,

The Boosterthon Fun Run is in full swing and we are excited about how well the 2nd Grade students are doing!

Thank you so much for your support thus far. If you haven't had the opportunity to connect your students to potential sponsors yet, this weekend is a great time to get on board! We are offering a special "weekend challenge" prize.

As a reminder, here are some action steps you can take in order to help our school through the Boosterthon Fun Run:

1. Connect your child to multiple sponsors across the country who can pledge your student a dollar amount per lap (25-35 laps)

2. See how many states we can get for your class. The winning class will receive a party.

3. Remember to come to the Boosterthon Fun Run! Our class will be running on Thursday, April 2nd 11:15-12:30

Thank you again for all of your generous support and we hope to see you at the Fun Run next week!

Sincerely,

Jennifer Hungerbuhler 
GMEF/2nd Grade
Liaison Phone: 770-518-1091
Email: Jennifer.hungerbuhler@carat.com

Boosterthon Fun Run

Dear Parents,

Hello!  My name is Jennifer Hungerbuhler and I am excited about the opportunity to serve as the GM Foundation liaison for 2nd Grade.  It is my pleasure to introduce you all to the Boosterthon Fun Run, which kicked off today!  This will be the most fun event of our entire school year and with your help will also prove to be the most financially successful event of the year!  Please sit down with your child tonight and watch the "Gold Medal DVD" which explains the nature of this interactive program.

You are being asked to help in 3 specific ways:
1.  Connect your child to at least 10 different sponsors who can pledge them a dollar amount per lap (25-35 laps)
2.  See how many states you can get pledges from (the classroom with the most states will receive a Classroom Party!)
3.  Come to the Boosterthon Fun Run on Thursday, April 2nd from 11:15-12:30

I have met the Booster Team and their enthusiasm has already been a breath of fresh air to our teachers and students.  During their time on campus, they will be promoting FITNESS, EDUCATION, and CHARACTER to each of our children.  Be sure you ask your child about those Character traits!  If you have any questions about this program after watching the DVD and reading through your child's pledge book, please feel free to contact me at anytime.  Thank you so much for your generosity and we look forward to seeing you next week at the Fun Run!

Sincerely,

Jennifer Hungerbuhler
GMEF/2nd Grade Liaison
Phone:  770-518-1091
Email:  Jennifer.hungerbuhler@carat.com

Classroom News

Thank you all for a WONDERFUL Conference Week. We so enjoyed getting to discuss your fabulous children with you and look forward to the rest of the year.

Next week we are back to our normal schedule. Wednesday, however, is an Early Release Day. School will be dismissed at 12:20 and lunch will be at 10:14 (Wednesday only).

Next Thursday evening will be a fun night at Garrison Mill. It is Curriculum and Reading Night. Education students from Kennesaw State University will be coming to do some special activities with us. Your children will also be able to read and take AR tests that night. Remember your child must have 7 new AR points by March 19th to participate in our next AR reward. This would be a great opportunity to earn some points.

Take some time this week to get started on those Valentine cards and boxes. Your child can bring them in anytime before February 13th.

Thanks again for a wonderful conference week and thank you for all the support you give to your child's education. It makes all the difference in the world.

Conference Week

This week is Conference Week. We are really looking forward to having the opportunity to sit down and talk with you about your wonderful children.

School will be dismissed at 12:20 all week to allow time for conferences. Our lunch time will be 10:14-10:44 all week. PLEASE be on time for your conference as we will only have 20 minutes per conference. You will receive your child's report card at your conference.

Thank you and we can't wait to see you this week!

Six Flags Reading Club

The Six Flags Reading Club form will come home this week. This activity is optional. If your child would like to participate, please have him/her complete the form at home and return it by February 17th. Happy Reading!

Welcome Back!

Welcome back! We hope you all had a WONDERFUL Holiday and a fun break from school. We are so excited to be back at school. Can you believe we are halfway finished with 2nd grade?

We are starting off the new year with some very exciting news. We have two new students in our class! Welcome Jay and Diego. We are so excited to have you join our wonderful class.

Mark your calendars, Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held January 26-30. Look for a letter with your date and time to come home over the next week. Please let us know immediately if your date/time does not work so that we can try and reschedule your conference. You will receive your child's 2nd report card at your conference. We really look forward to meeting with you and discussing all the progress your child is making.

Look for our Heroes Writing Contest letters to come home this week. We ask that you help your child complete this assignment at home. These are due the first week of February, but your child may turn it in as soon as it's finished.

Please keep practicing addition and subtraction facts at home with your child. We will be continuing to master 2-digit regrouping. We will also continue to work on geometry, time, and money. Please continue to practice these difficult concepts at home.

In language arts we will continue to master our reading, writing, and spelling skills. At this time in the year, 2nd graders are expected to independently use correct capitalization and punctuation skills. Please look over the Family Journal letters your child brings home each Friday and see if there may be any areas your child can improve.

Again, welcome back and we look forward to a wonderful second half of school.

Classroom News

Welcome back! We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving Break and are ready for three weeks of learning and fun.

Dr. Stasiak came to visit our classroom yesterday and got to observe us learning about reading strategies. She really enjoyed watching us learn and was very impressed with our class.

We made a big announcement today about our next Accelerated Reader reward. On December 19th, (our last day of school before the Winter Break) we will have a special celebration. On this day we will be halfway through 2nd grade. First of all, we will celebrate by enjoying the movie, The Polar Express. In order to enjoy the movie, the students will have to turn in their Polar Express ticket. The students received their tickets today and will use them to help monitor their behavior over the next few weeks. Ask your child if he/she lost any letters on his/her ticket today.

We will also tie our AR reward into our celebration on the 19th. If the students earn the required 6 points this quarter (in addition to what they earned last quarter) they will get to wear their pajamas that day and get hot chocolate to drink while they enjoy the movie. Finally, the students who go above and beyond the 6 points will receive a special surprise treat.

Notes were sent home yesterday with those students who have NOT met the 6 point requirement for the quarter. We are really looking forward to celebrating on the 19th!

During the next three weeks we will be very busy finishing up our second quarter of studies. This had been our busiest quarter for math. It has been jammed packet with information. This week we are working on geometry. There are some very challenging vocabulary words such as quadriateral, obtuse angle, and vertex. Please look over the classwork and homework that your child brings home to ensure they are understanding these concepts. Please also continue to practice telling time, counting money, and addition/subtraction with regrouping so that your child can master these concepts by the end of the quarter.

In language arts, we are continuing to improve our reading, writing, and spelling skills. Your child should be beginning to use correct grammar, capitalization, and punctuation independently. Please look over your child's Family Journal letters with him/her and point out possible areas that can be improved.  

Thank you again for your continued support. It makes such a difference in your child's success in school.