March 2023
Dear Rising 6th-Grade Families,
Welcome to Gainesville Middle School, home of the High Flying Hawks! We are excited to welcome your student for the 2023-2024 school year! The end of the school year is just around the corner and your student will soon be entering sixth grade at GVMS. The transition from elementary school to middle school is an exciting time in the lives of your student. We recognize the wonders and questions that accompany such a transition and want to provide some activities and information prior to the start of the school year to help them feel safe and prepared for their new adventure.
The GVMS Counseling team has already traveled to Piney Branch and Glenkirk Elementary Schools to schedule the students. They will be traveling to Bristow Run and Chris Yung soon! Our counselors presented to students and shared important information about the courses they can take next year. The student and their counselor selected courses and completed a paper copy of the course recommendations (they should have brought them home for you to see). We want to be sure that we are communicating that information to parents and families as well. Join us on Thursday, March 30th, at 6:00 PM for a Zoom Webinar to learn about academics at GVMS. Webinar registration and specific information on what will be covered can be found below.
Later in the spring, we will invite parents and students into the building to check out the school, learn more about clubs and activities, and learn what middle school life is like. Once that date is set in stone, I'll share that information directly with you. In order to ensure that we are answering all of your questions and providing you with all the necessary information, I've provided a link below for you to complete. We will take the responses and include additional information in both our webinar, the in-person session, and via email, as appropriate.
Additionally, as you are making your plans for summer, we will be holding an Open House event the week of August 14, where students will receive their schedule, have a chance to open their lockers, and walk the school to find their classes. The date and time for this event will be communicated to parents before the end of the 22-23 school year. This is the only time that students will have the opportunity to come into the building and receive their schedule during the month of August, prior to the start of the school year.
Below, you'll find some basic information about life at GVMS. If you want to come to check out a GVMS event this spring, you'll find a list of dates for athletics, music concerts, and drama productions. We love to show off the incredible things our Hawks do!
If you have any questions about the transition to Gainesville Middle School, please don't hesitate to reach out to our team (contact information is included below). I look forward to meeting you and your student and am so excited to welcome you to the GVMS community!
Best,
Mary Kate Graham
Proud Principal
Twitter: @HighFlyingHawks