In Focus @ GWA

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Email: info@gwa.com
Website: www.gwa.com
Phone: (678) 635-3800
Facebook: facebook.com/GeorgeWaltonAcademy/
Twitter: @georgewalton

• Pre-Game Tailgate & Pink Out: Sept. 17 @ 6 p.m.
• V Football vs. Hebron: Sept. 17 @ 7:30 p.m.
• Curriculum Night: Sept. 21
• College Probe Fair: Sept. 23 (details below)
• Early Dismissal: Oct. 8 - all grades, see below
• Yearbook Picture Make Up Day: Oct. 26

This Monday, the complete high school student council held a leadership retreat at Liberty First Bank. It was an exciting day full of interesting ideas and positive feedback. In the morning, Mr. Hobbs began the day by talking to us about the qualities of an influential leader. Along with Mr. Hobbs, the executive council helped to raise questions about how our student council here at GWA can continue to become more involved as the leaders of our school. Everyone in the room had the chance to promote their new ideas for student council as well as their ideas for improvements to what we already do as members. Collectively, we came up with some compelling ideas that student council is going to lead this school year. Some of these new ideas include a movie night on the field, a bonfire night with dancing, a Valentine’s Day bake sale, and competitions at the homecoming parade. It was super exciting to have so many people across all four grade levels with their own awesome ideas collaborating together for one goal -- making our school a better place!

We spent a good amount of time focusing on our plans for homecoming, making the parade better, deciding on a theme and dress-up days, designing t-shirts and tickets, and choosing decorations for the gym! For the homecoming theme, we decided on Cloud 9: On Top of the World. For the homecoming week student dress up days (10/4 - 10/8), we chose:

• Monday- Rockstars Day
• Tuesday- Fan Day: Rep Your Favorite Sports Team
• Wednesday- Heroes vs Villains Day
• Thursday- Pajama Day
• Friday- Spirit Day

This time spent planning the homecoming festivities was very productive and ran smoothly as the groups collaborated together. As for the rest of the school year, we also plan to be very involved in the George Walton community. You will see us volunteering at the Dawgs Unleashed Fun Run and 5k races, welcoming and thanking veterans at the Veterans Day Program, donating food and other goods to the Empty Stocking Fund during Christmas, and assisting with the teacher appreciation luncheon. The meeting was an overall success and we hope to make this school year enjoyable and memorable for everybody. We thank all involved for their time and help during the retreat!

Will Herren, Executive President

Noah Hicks, Executive Vice President

In celebration of International Dot Day, our lower school STEM classes are "making their mark"! Inspired by Peter H. Reynolds book, The Dot, young creative minds are busy this week taking simple ideas to the next level! They quickly turned toothpicks and gum drops into houses, a bridge, a necklace – even a treadmill! These STEM projects demonstrate ingenuity and creativity while building self-confidence.

Our K3 class is learning the letters in the alphabet and recently enjoyed a special class on the letter “B” with a visit to our campus beehives. They bravely and safely walked in pairs with Mr. Cole to get an up-close look at the honeybees in their “home.” Students were able to get a taste of the honey straight from the honeycomb. K3 student Ridge said, “The honey tasted yummy, the bees made something sweet for us to eat." Our youngest Bulldogs loved their on-campus field trip and are ready for a second visit!

On Thursday, September 23, GWA is hosting the Walton County Probe College Fair. High school juniors and seniors from across Walton County will visit with college admission reps from across the country.

Probe is an annual program of college fairs and guidance counselor workshops that are held throughout the state of Georgia. The program is managed by the Georgia Education Articulation Committee (GEAC), whose sole mission is to disseminate information and stimulate interest in post-secondary education for students in Georgia. Hundreds of colleges from across the nation attend Probe each year to reach thousands of Georgia high school juniors and seniors. Probe is a resource to connect students with the right school to individual needs and career goals.

For a list of attending schools, please visit -
https://www.gaprobe.org/student-fair-registration/walton-county-probe-fair/

Congratulations to our newly elected middle school student council members! The group met with Mrs. Grimsley on Wednesday and have started making plans for their homecoming festivities! The 2021-2022 middle school student members are:

• Executive Chairperson: Anthony Pham

• 8th Grade Executive Council Members: Journey Allen & Hayden Johnson
• 7th Grade Executive Council Members: Phillip Akin & Gibson Brady
• 8th Grade Class Representatives: Lauren Exline & Lucie Pulliam
• 7th Grade Class Representatives: Emmett Kirkpatrick & Carrie Ann Plyler
• 6th Grade Class Representatives: Mac Ferguson & Jax Fleming
• Advisory Panel: Gabby Rainford, Emma Wasserman, & Peyton Hughes

Homecoming is October 8. An online shop (link may be found on gwa.com on the Dawg Shop page or below) is now open for presale of this year's homecoming t-shirt: Cloud9, On Top of the World. Sizes available are YXS up to 3X. The shop will close at midnight on Tuesday, September 21. T-shirts will be delivered to Lower school students on Wednesday, October 7 while Middle and High School students can pick up at the Dawg Shop. The shop will have a few extras for purchase.

https://stores.inksoft.com/gwa_homecoming_2021/shop/home

My name is Jackie Vadney (Mrs. V), and I get the privilege of teaching and being an Academic Coach for the Lower School PARC this year. I have taught at GWA for 7 years. I’ve had the blessing of teaching 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and the PARC at GWA! I graduated from Georgia State University with a BS in Early Childhood Education. I have taught in public and private schools for over 34 years while being a stay at home mom for 9 of those years. I enjoy spending time with my husband and two grown daughters. I also have a beautiful 3 year old granddaughter, and I enjoy spending time with her so much! I enjoy reading and writing during my free time (summers). I am a published author of the book “Pokey’s Promise,” a story on how to teach telling time to young children. I have also had the pleasure of being on “Good Morning America” with a former student from Conyers. Teaching children is a natural gift for me, and I truly enjoy it! I feel so proud when I see my former students doing so well in life!

Get ready for #fridaynightlights! Our GWA Bulldogs face Hebron Christian at home this Friday – kickoff at 7:30 p.m. If you can’t make it, be sure to tune in on the NFHS network (subscription required). Click HERE for the link.

Our talented lower school art teacher Chelsea Carver has work on display in the Regional Art Show at the Monroe-Walton Center for the Arts until October 21.

“These pieces are not new,” said Carver, “but all are very relevant to my (and others, I suspect) current state of humanity. Like many artists before me, I use my to art to cope with situations or better myself. I thought these pieces were very pertinent TODAY. Hopefully, others find a commonality in my art.”

The Monroe-Walton Center for the Arts is located at

205 South Broad Street, Monroe.

Hours: Tuesday - Thursday from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Friday & Saturday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Sunday (spring & summer) 1 - 5 p.m.

Mark your calendar for Dawgs Unleashed! It's time to sign up for all events as a participant and/or a volunteer. Go to our website (under Events tab) or HERE for details and registration. The deadline to get a guaranteed t-shirt is Sept. 23. Contact Elizabeth McDonel with any questions.

Please join us for our pre-game tailgate on September 17 at 6 p.m. in the courtyard. At 7:05 p.m. cancer survivors, caregivers and those impacted by cancer will be recognized on the football field. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. against Hebron Christian Academy. Don’t forget to wear PINK!

Today's In Focus is proudly sponsored by Reliant Homes. (https://www.relianthomes.com/). Interested in advertising through our Corporate Partnership program? Contact Jeanie Beach at jbeach@gwa.com or call 678-635-3812.