In Focus @ GWA

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Email: info@gwa.com
Website: www.gwa.com
Phone: (678) 635-3800

• Winter Term (upper school only): Jan. 3 -13
• Admissions Testing: Jan. 13, No school for Pre-K3 - K5 ONLY
• School Holiday/MLK Jr. Day: Jan. 16
• Red Cross Blood Drive: Jan. 27 (see below)

Prospective parents for rising Pre-K3 through 11th-grade students are invited to join us for Open House on Sunday, Feb. 5 beginning at 2 p.m. Registration is required; the registration form may be found at gwa.com. We will begin with a general presentation followed by campus tours. We can’t wait to share all that George Walton Academy has to offer!

Three groups of GWA upper school students have taken their Winter Term learning adventures overseas. Mrs. Watts and Mrs. Quinlan will guide students on a STEM centered trip to the U.K. with visits to Oxford, Bath, Stonehenge, and other iconic sites around London. Our global exchange students will be reuniting with their exchange partners from St. Paul’s School in Barcelona, Spain, and St. Denis International School in Loches, France. We are looking forward to sharing more about their experiences abroad!

Here’s a quick glimpse of our Winter Term classes! Over the next two weeks, students are taking a pause on their normal schedules and following their interests. From the arts to games and fitness, life skills, and much more – Winter Term offers students a chance to delve into a subject, experience hands-on learning, put what they have learned into practice, and explore topics outside of the regular curriculum. Stay tuned for more on our Winter Term mini-courses!

Winter Term offers our junior and senior students the chance to engage in internships and learn in real-world settings. Ninety-three students have taken advantage of the opportunity and they are serving as interns in the metro Atlanta area and in South Carolina, Florida, Idaho, and Wyoming. They will gain exposure to a wide variety of fields, including medicine, law, engineering, education, public service, communications and more. We will highlight their stories over the next two weeks and are thankful for the businesses and organizations who are mentoring our students during this time.

First-grade students just started their geometry and fractions unit. They are beginning to analyze attributes of two-dimensional shapes and three-dimensional solids to develop understanding of their properties. Over the entire unit they will use concrete and pictorial methods to conceptualize what is happening with shapes and fractions. In Mrs. Franklin's class, students used pattern blocks to create pictures of objects or make their own creations.

This month, our kindergarten classes are learning about winter and animals who hibernate and adapt to the cold. The students were interested in blubber which helps animals like the beluga whale stay warm. Mrs. Bellah used Crisco as the fat along with a bowl of ice water. Students placed one hand in the ice as the control and their other hand inside a Ziplock bag that is inside a gallon-size bag filled with Crisco. This helped them to understand (first-hand!) the benefit of the extra layer of fat to stay warm.

The college counselors will again be offering optional Academic Planning Consultations for current freshmen and sophomore students and their parents. During the meeting, we collaboratively and strategically plan for courses that would best serve a student’s individual needs and future goals. The college counselors would welcome the opportunity to sit with each family and discuss what classes or subjects can benefit a student the most and best prepare them for their college and career goals. College applications will not be a focal point of these meetings as we begin those meetings in the fall of junior year, but we will include the information when beneficial and necessary. Preregistration for the 2023-24 courses will take place March 15-20. We have made ourselves available to meet beginning January 30 through March. If you are interested in meeting, please make your appointment during your student's study hall (click HERE to view upper school daily schedule) or after school on Tuesday or Thursday. These meetings will not last longer than 45 minutes. You can click HERE to schedule.

Go Bulldogs,

Mr. Jon Terrell & Mrs. Laura Nabors

Fourth-grade art students have been studying the art of Jackson Pollock. His paintings were called Action Paintings because he moved so quickly dripping paint onto his canvas. GWA students had the opportunity to do their own drip painting. They loved the lesson and the freedom of moving the paint.

Our varsity basketball teams will play Friday at home against FPD starting at 6 p.m. and head down the road to Prince Avenue on Saturday with games beginning at 5 p.m. Be sure to get there early (both days)! Let's go Bulldogs!

The GWA varsity wrestling team hosted Bethlehem Christian and Loganville Christian in a tri-match on Wednesday. Congratulations to our Bulldogs on their excellent showing! Highlights include:

· Adam Denhardt won his four matches, three by pin.

· Nate Sharp won both of his matches by pin.

· Evan Newsom won his two matches by pin.

· David Eberly won his three matches by pin.

· Cash Sorrow won both of his matches by pin.

Stop by the Dawg Shop to check new arrivals in adult and youth spirit wear - including new hoodies and baseball caps.

Today's In Focus is proudly sponsored by Blue Ice Events (https://blueiceevents.com/). Interested in advertising through our Corporate Partnership program? Contact Mike Elmankabady melmankabady@gwa.com or call 678-635-3812.