November 9, 2017

Thank you to those parents that came to the dance on 11/3 to help chaperone and help our Leadership students with the concessions!  We couldn't have done it without you!

Thank you to the parents that stopped by GV Cellars on 11/4 for the Pouring with the Principals!  We had a blast and will report out what was made to help students in Napa and Sonoma Counties!

Thank you for those that participated in our Mountain Mike's Dine and Donate on 11/7!  Every little bit we raise helps our school and our students!

It's that time of year again when we, at GVMS, do our best to support those in need!  We are currently collecting canned goods for Solano County Food Bank and new toys for our Toys Drive with Officer Holecek!  Thank  you for all of your generosity as we have been able to donate MULTIPLE backpacks, school supplies and more to those in need due to the wild fires in Nor Cal.

If you are able to donate canned goods or a new toy for those in need, please send them in!  THANK YOU!!

As parents, we all STRIVE to teach our kids responsibility and, in middle school, it can be especially challenging.  How do we handle this and how do we encourage this when they aren't in our care and are at school?  Take a look at THIS ARTICLE on ways to encourage your middle school student to make smart decisions, be kind, be responsible, and to do the right thing EVEN when no one is watching!

We continue to do our best to encourage our student to make SMART and KIND decisions at GVMS and in life.  That being said, many students (especially when they get to middle school) feel it's time to express themselves and repeat the disrespectful words that they hear others use.  PLEASE encourage your student to not use foul language.  Click HERE for an article on ways to curb foul language.  You would be VERY surprised to hear what comes out of the mouths of some of our students. 

We have already held three parent engagement nights (Back to School Night, Planning for College with RHS, and All Things Tech at GVMS) and we are hoping that you will join us for our next one coming up!  

*NEW DATE* Please join us on Wednesday, DECEMBER 6th from 5:30-6:30 for our first ever STEAM Night, run by OUR students in the gym! Come and see what we have been doing in STEAM, STEM, Robotics, Coding, and more!

Hope to see you all there!

*UPDATED WITH ALL NEW PROJECTS!!*

We are ALWAYS thinking outside the box to create effective ways to reach all of our students!  Want to be a part of this??  All donations are TAX DEDUCTIBLE!!!  Check out THIS LINK to see ALL OF the different ideas that our VERY OWN GVMS teachers have come up with!  NEW PROJECTS HAVE BEEN ADDED!!

November 3, 2017

Official Progress Reports will be mailed home again this week.  PLEASE remember a few things:

1- These are NOT final.  Final grades that go on transcripts and official report cards will be December 20.

2- Late work for ANY subject, ANY teacher, ANY area will be entered AFTER all work that has been turned in on time.  PLEASE be patient when asking when teachers will enter the late assignments.  Keep in mind, they have the "on time" assignments to enter first.

3- Almost 100% of homework assigned is classwork that students have been given time IN CLASS to start.  Please encourage your Viking to use their time in class wisely!

4- We aren't making any schedule changes to electives until January.  Due to the number of students at GVMS, we just don't have any flexibility!

5- Parent Portal, Websites, Blogs, Remind text, and Google Classroom are all there to HELP you AND your Viking stay on top of their work!

Halloween Day was super fun seeing all of the costumes and smiles on their faces!  Sometimes we need the reminder that our middle school students are kids and want to have fun, even when they are trying to push the boundaries becoming an adult!

It's that time of year again when we, at GVMS, do our best to support those in need!  We are currently collecting canned goods for Solano County Food Bank and new toys for our Toys Drive with Officer Holecek!  Thank  you for all of your generosity as we have been able to donate MULTIPLE backpacks, school supplies and more to those in need due to the wild fires in Nor Cal.

If you are able to donate canned goods or a new toy for those in need, please send them in!  THANK YOU!!

We continue to do our best to encourage our student to make SMART and KIND decisions at GVMS and in life.  That being said, many students (especially when they get to middle school) feel it's time to express themselves and repeat the disrespectful words that they hear others use.  PLEASE encourage your student to not use foul language.  Click HERE for an article on ways to curb foul language.  You would be VERY surprised to hear what comes out of the mouths of some of our students. 

We have already held two parent engagement nights (Back to School Night and All Things Tech at GVMS) and we are hoping that you will join us for our 3rd and 4th coming up!  

*Please join us on November 8 from 6-7:30 in our joint event at Rodriguez High School for College Funding Coach Night to help plan for college!  

*NEW DATE* Please join us on Wednesday, DECEMBER 6th from 5:30-6:30 for our first ever STEAM Night, run by OUR students in the gym! Come and see what we have been doing in STEAM, STEM, Robotics, Coding, and more!

Hope to see you all at both of them!

*UPDATED WITH ALL NEW PROJECTS!!*

We are ALWAYS thinking outside the box to create effective ways to reach all of our students!  Want to be a part of this??  All donations are TAX DEDUCTIBLE!!!  Check out THIS LINK to see ALL OF the different ideas that our VERY OWN GVMS teachers have come up with!  NEW PROJECTS HAVE BEEN ADDED!!

October 27, 2017

Official Progress Reports will be mailed home again the week of October 30.  PLEASE remember a few things:

1- These are NOT final.  Final grades that go on transcripts and official report cards will be December 20.

2- Late work for ANY subject, ANY teacher, ANY area will be entered AFTER all work that has been turned in on time.  PLEASE be patient when asking when teachers will enter the late assignments.  Keep in mind, they have the "on time" assignments to enter first.

3- Almost 100% of homework assigned is classwork that students have been given time IN CLASS to start.  Please encourage your Viking to use their time in class wisely!

4- Parent Portal, Websites, Blogs, Remind text, and Google Classroom are all there to HELP you AND your Viking stay on top of their work!

Halloween Day is quickly approaching and our students have voted to wear (APPROVED) costumes on Halloween Day, October 31 with a Harvest Dance on the following Friday, November 3 from 3:00-4:00 after school.  

Please remember that REGULAR FSUSD dress code (including no masks, guns, drug paraphernalia, promotion of violence, etc) still applies for Halloween Day.  There will be a costume contest during lunch as well!

The Harvest Dance is open to all students in good behavior standing and they must have their ID.  The cost to enter is $2.00 per student and snacks will be available for purchase from our Leadership Class.  Parents are MORE than welcome to attend and help supervise!

The brain of a "tween" is a fascinating thing to try to understand.  I say try, because I am not sure anyone really understands what's going on up there all the time!  THIS ARTICLE is an easy ready to help parents and caregivers TRY to understand what's going on including tapping into them, helping to change perspectives, and key phrases to get them to understand!  Check it out! 

We have already held two parent engagement nights (Back to School Night and All Things Tech at GVMS) and we are hoping that you will join us for our 3rd and 4th coming up!  

*Please join us on November 8 from 6-7:30 in our joint event at Rodriguez High School for College Funding Coach Night to help plan for college!  

*NEW DATE* Please join us on Wednesday, DECEMBER 6th from 5:30-6:30 for our first ever STEAM Night, run by OUR students in the gym! Come and see what we have been doing in STEAM, STEM, Robotics, Coding, and more!

Hope to see you all at both of them!

We are ALWAYS thinking outside the box to create effective ways to reach all of our students!  Want to be a part of this??  All donations are TAX DEDUCTIBLE!!!  Check out THIS LINK to see ALL OF the different ideas that our VERY OWN GVMS teachers have come up with!  NEW PROJECTS HAVE BEEN ADDED!!

October 20, 2017

Halloween Day is quickly approaching and our students have voted to wear (APPROVED) costumes on Halloween Day, October 31 with a Harvest Dance on the following Friday, November 3 from 3:00-4:00 after school.  

Please remember that REGULAR FSUSD dress code (including no masks, guns, drug paraphernalia, promotion of violence, etc) still applies for Halloween Day.  There will be a costume contest during lunch as well!

The Harvest Dance is open to all students in good behavior standing and they must have their ID.  The cost to enter is $2.00 per student and snacks will be available for purchase from our Leadership Class.  Parents are MORE than welcome to attend and help supervise!

We have already held two parent engagement nights (Back to School Night and All Things Tech at GVMS) and we are hoping that you will join us for our 3rd and 4th coming up!  

*Please join us on November 8 from 6-7:30 in our joint event at Rodriguez High School for College Funding Coach Night to help plan for college!  

*NEW DATE* Please join us on Wednesday, DECEMBER 6th from 5:30-6:30 for our first ever STEAM Night, run by OUR students in the gym! Come and see what we have been doing in STEAM, STEM, Robotics, Coding, and more!

Hope to see you all at both of them!

As our middle school students get further into their journey into middle school, their emotions can be ALL over the place.  We certainly do the best we can to support them in middle school when they are with us and THIS ARTICLE has some excellent ideas on self-awareness and emotional development for parents to review.  Check it out!

Are you interested in support for your tween or teen?  Are they displaying more aggression, depression, anger, or frustration and you want some help to get them back on track?  Fairfield PD offers a 10 week class called Parent Project that is a one time fee of $25.00 for the entire time.  If you are interested, please email Mrs. Bates HERE!

We are ALWAYS thinking outside the box to create effective ways to reach all of our students!  Want to be a part of this??  All donations are TAX DEDUCTIBLE!!!  Check out THIS LINK to see ALL OF the different ideas that our VERY OWN GVMS teachers have come up with!!

October 13, 2017

As mentioned in the weekly email, we are gathering donations to deliver to Napa and Sonoma of backpacks, school supplies, pencil boxes, lunch boxes toiletries, paper goods, bathroom essentials, and any new essentials that we can then deliver to the victims of the wildfires this week.  We are working side by side with contacts in Napa and Sonoma to deliver these.

If you and your Viking are able to donate anything, please drop these off outside of Mrs. Bates' office as we will then deliver to Napa and Sonoma directly.  We APPRECIATE your help and hope that you and your loved ones have stayed safe.  If you know of anyone in specific need or has lost everything and we can help, please reach out to Mrs. Bates HERE.  THANK YOU! 

Halloween Day is quickly approaching and our students have voted to wear (APPROVED) costumes on Halloween Day, October 31 with a Harvest Dance on the following Friday, November 3 from 3:00-4:00 after school.  

Please remember that REGULAR FSUSD dress code (including no masks, guns, drug paraphernalia, promotion of violence, etc) still applies for Halloween Day.  There will be a costume contest during lunch as well!

The Harvest Dance is open to all students in good behavior standing and they must have their ID.  The cost to enter is $2.00 per student and snacks will be available for purchase from our Leadership Class.  Parents are MORE than welcome to attend!

We have already held two parent engagement nights (Back to School Night and All Things Tech at GVMS) and we are hoping that you will join us for our 3rd and 4th coming up!  

*Please join us on Wednesday, November 1st from 5:30-6:30 for our first ever STEAM Night, run by OUR students in the gym! Come and see what we have been doing in STEAM, STEM, Robotics, Coding, and more!

*Please join us on November 8 from 6-7:30 in our joint event at Rodriguez High School for College Funding Coach Night to help plan for college!  

Hope to see you all at both of them!

Are you interested in support for your tween or teen?  Are they displaying more aggression, depression, anger, or frustration and you want some help to get them back on track?  Fairfield PD offers a 10 week class called Parent Project that is a one time fee of $25.00 for the entire time.  If you are interested, please email Mrs. Bates HERE!

We are ALWAYS thinking outside the box to create effective ways to reach all of our students!  Want to be a part of this??  All donations are TAX DEDUCTIBLE!!!  Check out THIS LINK to see ALL OF the different ideas that our VERY OWN GVMS teachers have come up with!!

October 6, 2017

Did you know?  By 6th grade, chronic absence becomes a leading indicator that a student will drop out of high school.  Did you know?  Research show that missing 10% of the school year, or just two days a month, negatively affects a student's academic performance?

Did you ALSO know?  GVMS has the HIGHEST attendance rate in the ENTIRE district!  YAY!  We want this to continue as our goal for the year is 98% and that is where we are for this first month of school!  Why does attendance matter you ask?  Check out THIS LINK with information on why being at GVMS matters!  Plus, we miss you when you are gone =)

We have already held two parent engagement nights (Back to School Night and All Things Tech at GVMS) and we are hoping that you will join us for our 3rd and 4th coming up!  

*Please join us on Wednesday, November 1st from 5:30-6:30 for our first ever STEAM Night, run by OUR students in the gym! Come and see what we have been doing in STEAM, STEM, Robotics, Coding, and more!

*Please join us on November 8 from 6-7:30 in our joint event at Rodriguez High School for College Funding Coach Night to help plan for college!  

Hope to see you all at both of them!

Are you interested in support for your tween or teen?  Are they displaying more aggression, depression, anger, or frustration and you want some help to get them back on track?  Fairfield PD offers a 10 week class called Parent Project that is a one time fee of $25.00 for the entire time.  If you are interested, please email Mrs. Bates HERE!

Now that you have a middle school student (or two), you may have noticed that your student has struggled to LOVE reading as much as they once did.  It's absolutely critical for us to all find ways to encourage our middle school students to read as it increases all cognitive abilities.  Click on THIS LINK for ideas on ways to help reach and encourage your student to enjoy reading once again!

We are ALWAYS thinking outside the box to create effective ways to reach all of our students!  Want to be a part of this??  All donations are TAX DEDUCTIBLE!!!  Check out THIS LINK to see ALL OF the different ideas that our VERY OWN GVMS teachers have come up with!!

September 29, 2017

Official progress reports have been MAILED home!  Please note!! These are a reflection of how our students are doing at THAT moment.  Numerous grades will go in BEFORE the official report cards in DECEMBER!

We HIGHLY encourage you to constantly check Parent Portal to get a more accurate picture of how they are doing.  Additionally, final report card grades (December and June) are what we see on their official transcripts, not progress report grades.  Thank you!

Helping your GVMS Viking to be able to self-manage and be self- aware, is something that can be a challenge.  Parent Toolkit is a GREAT resource to help guide you through some tips and advice on what to do.  Check out THIS LINK for this and more ideas on social emotional support, relationships, academics, and more!

Did you know?  By 6th grade, chronic absence becomes a leading indicator that a student will drop out of high school.  Did you know?  Research show that missing 10% of the school year, or just two days a month, negatively affects a student's academic performance?

Did you ALSO know?  GVMS has the HIGHEST attendance rate in the ENTIRE district!  YAY!  We want this to continue as our goal for the year is 98% and that is where we are for this first month of school!  Why does attendance matter you ask?  Check out THIS LINK with information on why being at GVMS matters!  Plus, we miss you when you are gone =)

Thank you all of the adult volunteers for joining us at our Challenge Days this past week!  We hope that you had a great time with our students and built strong bonds with your family groups!  

Thank you to Mrs. Barnes, Mrs. McCormick, Mr. Cason, Mrs. Metcho, Mrs. Taylor, Mrs. Bilafer, Mrs. Sherrod, Mrs. Sandbak, Mr. Lapid, Mrs. Love, Mrs. Young, Ms. Morrison, Mrs. Burns, Mrs. Thompson, Mr. Scott, Mrs. Villarreal, Mrs. Frische, Mrs. Moreno, Mrs. Pereira, Mrs. Keffer, Mrs. Garcia, and Mrs. Fisher for your participation on Tuesday!  Thank you to Mrs. Fisher, Mr. Diaz, Mrs. McKenna, Mr. Pozzesi, Mr. Phan, Ms. Wheeler, Mrs. Garcia, Mrs. Frische, Mr. Peterson, Mrs. Medley, Ms. Harkness, Mrs. Gurion-Jumamoy, Mrs. O'Connell, Mr. Perry, Mrs. Plancarte, and Ms. Pollard for speing the day with us!

We are ALWAYS thinking outside the box to create effective ways to reach all of our students!  Want to be a part of this??  All donations are TAX DEDUCTIBLE!!!  Check out THIS LINK to see ALL OF the different ideas that our VERY OWN GVMS teachers have come up with!!

ATTENTION!  The "grace period" for Food Service meal applications expired on September 27!  If your student has NOT renewed their application for free or reduced lunch, please check and see if it's possible to DO SO NOW!  Click HERE or cut and past this address: http://www.fsusd.org/Domain/835