The GMA Gazette

Ahhhh! The last day of school before Winter Break is always a day of excitement and fun for all. This morning, students were greeted by a very special guest at car line. The looks of delight on the faces of the little ones was precious! We even had a few penguins directing traffic and a couple of reindeer greeting students with a gingerbread girl!

Our Pre-K families were treated to a very special, albeit small, performance of some festive songs sung by their favorite little ones. I loved seeing them sing and dance to the winter songs they've been working on in music class. But, what I loved more was seeing a room full of proud family members armed with their phones to record the cuteness and capture the moment in photos to share far and wide! It was adorable!

I hope that you and your family enjoy a safe and healthy Winter Break and a wonderful holiday season with those you love. I look forward to welcoming everyone back to school for the second semester on Monday, January 8, 2024.

Happy holidays,

Ms. Jen

12/21-1/7 - Winter Break - no school

1/2-1/5 First ever Winter Camp at The Grove, 8 am-4 pm (Kindergarten-8th grade only, registration required, fees apply)

1/8 - All students return to school

1/15 - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - no school

1/16-3/4 - WIDA Access assessment window for EL students

1/31 - GMA Board of Directors Meeting, 5:30 pm in the Birch Room

2/16 - eLearning Day for all students, Staff Professional Development

2/19 - Presidents Day, no school

2/22 - Skating Party at The Roller Cave

2/28 - GMA Board of Directors Meeting, 5:30 pm in the Birch Room

3/4-15 - IREAD-3 assessment window

4/1-8 - Spring Break - no school

4/15-5/10 - ILEARN assessment window for all students grades 3-8

The Grove will be offering winter camp this winter break! We will be playing games, doing crafts, and having fun. Students will need to bring their own lunch, snacks, and water bottles. This camp will be available for students in kindergarten through 8th grade. Spots will be limited, and filled in the order that sign-ups are received. Reach out to Miss Kayla at kcommons@gma.k12.in.us with any questions.

To sign up, complete this Google Form.

Are you familiar with GMA's Inclement Weather Policy? As we enter the most unpredictable weather season in Indiana, it's important to know what to expect in terms of school delays and closings. Our board adopted and approved policy states the following:

GMA will make every attempt to make a decision regarding school closures or delays as early as possible to allow families ample time to make appropriate plans for children. As an independent school not affiliated with any school district and not providing school transportation, the decision to close or delay school is unique.

As a general rule:

If either Mt. Vernon Community Schools or Hamilton Southeastern Schools are delayed or cancelled, GMA will evaluate our local conditions including parking lots and side roads to determine if a delay or cancellation is necessary.

If both Mt. Vernon Community Schools and Hamilton Southeastern Schools are delayed or cancelled, GMA will follow suit.

We reserve the right to either cancel school or issue a delay whenever we feel it is necessary for the safety of all students and staff.

Due to constraints and requirements that the state has enforced around e-learning days, GMA will not be able to utilize an e-learning day should school be cancelled due to inclement weather. Therefore, if there is a school day cancellation between now and the already scheduled e-learning day on Friday, February 16; GMA will be in session on that day. If needed, we will utilize the Presidents Day holiday as a second inclement weather make-up day as well. Families will be notified of these changes immediately should they be necessary due to inclement winter weather.

We use OneCall Now as our mass communication system to send out alerts, updates, and school-wide communication such as The GMA Gazette. Most communications are sent through email, with a text alert to notify you that something has been sent from GMA.

When school is closed or delayed due to inclement weather, especially in the unpredictable Indiana winters, it is important that families receive the notification quickly and easily. The best way to ensure that you don't miss an announcement from GMA is to sign up for text alerts!

It's simple to sign up. Just text the word alert to 22300. That's it!

Please contact Ms. Beth at blarock@gma.k12.in.us if you have questions or need to add an additional phone number or email address to our OneCall Now system.

81 GMA families have submitted their information to be included in a school community directory. The goal is to have this resource ready to share with our school community mid-Janaury.

If you would like to participate in our GMA Community Directory, please use the link below to complete the information form. Only information shared in this form will be published in the directory.

Thank you for helping us continue to connect members of our school community.

Thank you for continuing to help us keep our students and staff safe during arrival and dismissal each day. Please refer back to this document that was shared in August regarding traffic patterns and safety reminders.

Last Friday afternoon during carline, Ms. Jamie and I stood at the entrance to Traditions at Brookside. I was surprised at the number of families that continue to disregard my messages regarding safe, courteous traffic behavior. Multiple cars attempted to turn into Traditions and use their private property as a turn-around point. Several other cars made unsafe u-turns on 900 N in front of Deer Crossing.

I cannot stress this enough - it is imperative that you follow the guidelines that have been shared over and over again. This is for the safety of all drivers. If it causes too much frustration or delays you too much to simply use Carroll Road or another legal roadway as a thoroughfare to an eastbound roadway, GMA may not be the best school choice for your family.

As we work to build partnerships with organizations and businesses in our community, we need your help in being good neighbors.

It has been said that “behavior influences behavior.” Please be mindful of this fact as you model behavior for your children each morning and afternoon in and out of our carline.

If you need to speak with me regarding these expectations, please email me to set up a time for a meeting as soon as possible. All GMA Families are expected to heed these instructions and model safe, courteous carline behavior.

Thank you for your cooperation in this important matter.

We have asked McCordsville police for their assistance several times throughout the year. As traffic increases in this area with the influx of new housing, I anticipate a stronger police presence to monitor the flow of traffic and assist drivers.

Also, please note that we use the blacktop area on the north and west sides of the building during recess time. It is for this reason that we put up the chain and cones to block off this area for our students immediately after carline ends promptly at 8:35 am. If you arrive in the parking lot at 8:35 or after, you will have to park and walk your child(ren) into the office to sign them in as tardy.

Thank you for helping us keep our community safe on the roads!

Please be sure to notify the school if your child will be absent. Families should call the front office at (317) 813-4626 and select option 1 from the menu to reach the attendance line.

Our office staff makes daily attendance calls to families at 10:00 am after classroom teachers have submitted their attendance for the day. We want to make sure our students are safe and healthy when they are not here at school with us. Thank you for your help in reporting attendance in a timely manner.