News from the Mill

GMEF Auction

There will be many exciting activities for students that will be auctioned off during the Foundation's Silent Auction on Saturday, February 5th. Many of our teachers and Garrison Mill staff will be providing these activities.

Mrs. Huffman will have one lucky young lady accompany her as Principal for the day.
She will also have one lucky young man accompany her as Principal for the day.

Dr. Stasiak will also have one lucky young lady accompany her as Vice Principal for the day and one lucky young man to be Vice Principal for the day.

GMEF Auction

GME Foundation

Greyhound Gala

Live and Silent Auction

Saturday, February 5th

7-11 PM

Brookfield Country Club

  

Incredible Items to be Auctioned Include:

 

2 Adult Mountain Bikes     Lake Arrowhead Lakefront House

2 Children's Mountain Bikes          Destin Beachfront Condominium

4 Passes to Universal Studios and 2-night, on-site accomodations

Round trip Air Tran Tickets

 

Please join us for the Garrison Mill Educational Foundation’s BIG fundraiser of the year!  Our ultimate goal is to enhance the Science and Technology curriculum.  By using only Garrison Mill volunteers for the auction 100% of the profits will go directly to our school!

Please help us meet our goal by returning the following form by Friday, January 21st.  Download Auction Tickets and Donations form

Thank you!

November Update

Dear GM Families:

 

This is the time of year when we pause to reflect on what we are thankful for in life. As Dr. Stasiak and I look back on our school year so far, we are truly thankful for the parent and community support we have had this year and wanted to take this opportunity to express our thanks to all of you.

 

As many of you are aware, both our school instructional budget and class sizes have been greatly affected by the tough economy. As you might guess, it is a difficult task to make the instructional money stretch throughout the year. We are truly thankful that we have the support of  GM Families like yours who have helped to raise additional instructional funds through our recent QSP Fundraiser, joining our GME Foundation and supporting school events like the PTA Fall Festival. We do have some upcoming opportunities to support our school like the Foundation Pancake Breakfast (Dec. 4^th) and Greyhound Gala (Feb. 5^th) as well.  We also are grateful on a daily basis for our volunteers who help run copies, work with classroom centers,  shelve books in the media center, help with Walk Fit or greet at our front desk. If you’d like to get involved with volunteering feel free to contact me and we’ll find a place for you!

 

We also want to let you know how much we appreciate the ways you support the learning of our children at home by monitoring homework, reading with your child  and practicing math facts. Your child’s teacher may have mentioned additional ways to support learning at home during your recent conference, but by far the two most important ways to help your child be a successful elementary student are to encourage reading and practice math facts. Simply using a set of flashcards is fine or encouraging your child (1^st-5^th) to use our First in Math subscription is also an easy way to help your child increase their success in math. If your child has already mastered the facts, First in Math will also provide an extra challenge to increase problem solving ability. Please also consider utilizing the CRCT practice website to practice the test format as we get closer to April. This information and login was sent home to all 3^rd-5^th graders last week. If you have any questions about this don’t hesitate to call or email us for more information.

 

Finally, I did want to mention that we will begin our Spring School Extended Day tutoring in January for our 3^rd-5^th graders who need extra assistance in the area of math or reading. Our budget is allowing for one session this year and we decided that January – March would work best for our students. Notices will be sent home to parents about tutoring in December.

 

We look forward to seeing many of you at our Grandparent and Special Friends Luncheon later this month. Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Paula Huffman, Principal

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

September Update

Dear GM Families:

September is a busy month and we wanted to take a moment to remind you of some upcoming school events!

Tonight (9/13) is Reading Night from 6:00-8:00. We have several reading nights throughout the year where our Media Center is open in the evening for families.  Accelerated Reader stations are also available for your child (usually those in 1^st grade and older) to take AR quizzes. We also have our September Foundation meeting tonight at 7 p.m. in the cafeteria and all are welcome.

On Tuesday of this week, President Obama will give his back to school address. This is broadcast via internet and the link will be posted on our GM website. We encourage our students to view this as a family.

Wednesday night is Brusters’ Night from 5:00-8:00 on Trickum Road. Dr. Stasiak and I will be taking ice cream orders and we hope to see you there!

Fall Break is September 18-26.  We hope you enjoy this time with your family. It’s also a wonderful time to encourage your child to continue reading and practice First in Math! (Logins were distributed earlier in the year- please call if your child needs one.)

On Sept. 28^th at 8:30 a.m. we have our first Parent Munch and Learn for this year. Our first meeting is on having an effective parent/teacher conference and is brought to you by our Partner- in- Education, Knowledge Points. Jon Bayer, Target teacher, will also speak to our parents about how students qualify for the gifted program in Cobb County. Our 5^th grade parent field trip meeting is also that evening, Sept. 28^th at 6:30 p.m.

Finally, on Sept. 29^th our Fall testing begins. This year we are giving the CoGAT (ability test) in 1^st and 3^rd grades and the IOWA Test of Basic Skills (nationally normed test) to our 3^rd and 5^th graders. Both of these tests play a role in how students qualify for Target. The IOWA test also helps determine middle school placement.

Thank you again for your continued support of Garrison Mill. We hope to see you at many of our September events!

Paula Huffman, Principal

August Update

 

 

 

Dear GM Families:

We’ve had a fantastic start to our school year and wanted to let you know how much we appreciated your attendance at our recent Open Houses. We are looking forward to a great year of learning ahead!

Please take a moment to review our Student Handbook on our GM website http://www.cobbk12.org/GarrisonMill  under the Information tab. This will help you with many questions you may have regarding our policies and procedures.

I also have a few important reminders that I wanted to share:

School begins promptly at 7:55 and any student entering after that time is considered tardy. Part of our AYP determination is based on student attendance each year so we certainly appreciate you having your child here each day and on time. Our afternoon dismissal time can be hectic so we also respectfully request that if you are checking out your child early that you do this by 1:45 if at all possible.

One of our school academic goals this year is to improve our student performance in MATH this year. One easy way to support your child’s learning at home is by having them use First in Math. This is a free program for your child to use at home funded by our GME Foundation! First in Math is web based and will work from any computer with internet access. You should have received login information at Open House but please feel free to contact me if you need this information. We are strongly encouraging ALL of our first through fifth graders to take an active role in practicing math at home this year. Thank you for your support with our school goal!

Our CRCT Scores for 2010 were very strong!  Spring 2010 CRCT Grade Level Results by grade level are listed below:

 

Grade	Reading	ELA	Math	Science	Social Studies
1st	99	99	99	not tested	not tested
2nd	99	99	99	not tested	not tested
3rd	99	96	96	95	96
4th	99	96	94	98	98
5th	99	100	99	99	98
Sch. Average	99	98	97.6	97.3	97.3

 

 

As I mentioned at Open House, our 5^th graders from the 09-10 class were listed in the AJC as scoring the highest in Cobb County on the 5^th grade Math CRCT. They were tied for 5^th place in the metro area and 8^th in the state! All of our students did very well though and we are so proud of them!

Congratulations also to our 09-10 PTA for winning 1^st place in the state of Georgia award for Outstanding Local Unit (elementary schools at enrollment of 750 and under).  This speaks so highly of our parent involvement at Garrison Mill and is quite an accomplishment for our school and community.

In closing, I wanted to remind you that Dr. Stasiak and I have an open door policy should you ever need to contact us. We are looking forward to working with you and your child this year!

 

Paula Huffman

Principal

 

Sneak-a-Peek Information

We certainly hope you can come and visit us during Sneak-a-Peek on Wednesday August 4th! All of our new families and Kindergarten students are invited at 8:30-9:00. Returning students with last names beginning with A-L come from 9:00-9:30 and M-Z from 9:30-10:00.

Class Lists will be posted on the front door on Tuesday, August 3rd at 3:00 p.m. When you arrive for Sneak-a-Peek you will be given event location information and greeters will be available at the front door to assist you.

Our After School Program sign up and After School Club sign up are available in the Media Center (down the main hallway on your left).

Information about our Garrison Mill Educational Foundation, lunch money line and car tags for car riders will be in the cafeteria (end of the main hallway on your left).

PTA Membership, PTA Calendars, Spirit Wear, School Supplies and Yearbook sales will be in the Gym. (Exit the main hallway and the gym is on your right.)

Our first day of school is August 5th. Our bell rings at 7:55 but students may arrive anytime after 7:20.

Congratulations GM PTA and 5th Graders!

We had two very exciting things happen at Garrison Mill over the summer. The first was that Garrison Mill's PTA was named 1st place in the STATE for Outstanding Local Unit (elementary schools at 750 and under student enrollment). We are extremely  proud of our wonderful PTA and want to extend our heartfelt congratulations for winning such a prestigious award. This award truly reflects the dedication of our parents and teachers toward creating a world class elementary school that advocates for all children.

Our other exciting news was that Garrison Mill's 5th graders were ranked #5 in Metro Atlanta with a 99.2% pass rate in mathematics on the 09-10 CRCT! Garrison Mill was listed in the July 9th edition of the AJC as a top performing metro Atlanta math school. We were also the highest scoring 5th grade math class in Cobb County in 09-10. Congratulations to our 5th graders for a job well done and best of luck at Mabry!

Welcome Back!

Welcome to the 2010-2011 school year! Beginning our new academic year always brings such excitement and energy to both students and staff. We would like to welcome back our returning families and also extend a special welcome to our newest families. We are so glad you have joined the Garrison Mill community!

 

Garrison Mill has a long tradition of academic excellence. We are noted for our high expectations for students, exemplary instruction from our staff and outstanding support from our community. We are a child centered environment and strive to make sure that the needs of all children are considered.

 

This year our school improvement goals will continue to be math problem solving and writing. We will focus specifically on the writing traits of Ideas and Conventions in order to improve our student writing. Last year we expanded our current Exemplars problem solving program to add new instructional resources. We also added the First in Math online program for all 1^st through 5^th graders. We will continue to implement those resources this year and encourage you to continue home use of the web based First in Math program to expand your child’s learning opportunities at  home. Password information will be distributed right after school begins. We also support the Georgia Standards through our Language Arts program from Pearson- Good Habits, Great Readers. There are seven “Good Habits” in reading that your child will be focusing on throughout the year.

 

Our mission at Garrison Mill is to provide a safe, caring environment in which your child can succeed and become a productive member of society. In today’s world of constant change and economic uncertainty, our continued focus will remain academic excellence along with our overarching school behavior expectation of kindness, respect for all and doing our best each day.

 

As administrators, we maintain an open door policy should you have any questions or concerns about your child’s academic progress. Please take the time to read through this PTA calendar and see the numerous activities we have available for your family to become involved. We look forward to working with you this year!