In Focus @ GWA

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

• Winter Term internship agreements due: Friday, Nov. 3 (juniors/seniors)
• First Grade/Senior Breakfast: Wednesday, Nov. 8
• Winter Sports Photo Day: Thursday, Nov. 9 (details below)
• One Act Performances: Nov. 9-11, 6 p.m. (see below)
• Veterans Day Program: Friday, Nov. 10
• Thanksgiving Break: Nov. 20 - 24

Students in Mrs. Dickerson's sixth-grade Social Studies class were able to further explore their Ancient Egypt unit by visiting the King Tutankhamun Exhibition in Atlanta. His tomb and his treasures offered an unprecedented glance into Ancient Egypt. The hundreds of perfectly reconstructed objects, breathtaking decorations and fascinating explanations, allowed the students to step right into the wonder of the most famous archaeological discovery site of the 20th century.

Spooky season brought an exciting twist to the classroom as Mrs. Schnieders' third graders embarked on a thrilling adventure into the world of pumpkin math this Halloween. Armed with the book "How Many Seeds are in a Pumpkin?" as their guide, the young mathematicians took on the challenge of estimating and counting the seeds in these vibrant gourds.

First, students put their newfound knowledge from the book to good use, making predictions about the number of seeds they believed each pumpkin concealed. Then came the real fun – gutting the pumpkins and getting down to the seed-counting business. The ingenious minds of Mrs. Schnieders' class decided that using their grasp of multiplication was the best approach for this task. Working in groups, they diligently tallied the seeds within their respective pumpkins. Finally, the moment of truth arrived, and their estimations added up to a grand total of 2075 seeds.

This Halloween day lesson enhanced their math skills and revealed the mysteries hidden within pumpkins. It was a spooktacular math adventure they won't soon forget!

For the past ten weeks, the newly introduced Scene Shop class has been quickly renovating the upper school arts department auditorium, a space which has not been updated since its construction in 2002, transforming the space into a functioning black box style theatre. Shop students primarily construct immersive sets and props for the GWA theatre department, but behind the scenes they are introduced and tested on wood shop power tools and construction techniques. While simultaneously learning theatrical set design and principals of drafting, students will gain an in-depth understanding of the industry basics before entering college or entertainment business.

Building two functional sets for the One Act performance team, one that travels to Brenau University for the competition and another more elaborate set which will be featured in GWA’s public performances. This contemporary adaptation to the Greek tragedy myth of Antigone brings powerful, modern prose to an ancient and universal story. Set in a 1990’s war-torn city, Antigone defies her uncle to bury her disgraced brother. This performance is set for November 9 – 11 (6 p.m. showtimes). Don’t miss out on the all-female cast’s moving performances in “Antigone Now." Email our drama teacher, Bekah Wesley, at rwesley@gwa.com to reserve your ticket now!

Under the direction of lower school music teacher Mrs. Sanders, our first-grade music students performed “You’ve Got a Friend in Me!” and second graders presented “Music Around the World” before family and friends. Both grades gave outstanding performances!

Artists in third grade are exploring 3D art by using plaster gauze and cardboard to create realistic paint tubes. They will mix their own color to create their own personal paint and create a label for their paint tube. Students are getting messy and making masterpieces in lower school art!

Good luck to our GWA clay target team as they head to the GIAA State Varsity Meet at the Forest City Gun Club in Savannah, Nov. 2 - 4. Go Bulldogs!

Winter sports photos will be taken in the Commons on Thursday, Nov. 9 beginning at 1:30 p.m. and going until 4:15 p.m. Individual photos will be taken on a white background separately and the team picture will be created from these photos during post processing.

• Varsity Girls and Boys Basketball – 1:30 p.m.
• JV Girls and Boys Basketball – 1:50 p.m.
• Middle School Boys and Girls Basketball – 2 p.m.
• 7th Grade Boys Basketball – 2:15 p.m.
• 6th Grade Boys and Girls Basketball – 2:25 p.m.
• Equestrian, Wrestling, Swim – 2:35 p.m.
• 5th Grade Boys and Girls Basketball – 3:05 p.m.
• 4th Grade Boys Basketball – 3:15 p.m.
• 3rd Grade Boys and Girls Basketball – 3:30 p.m.
• Anyone that couldn’t get to pictures during school – 3:45 p.m.
• Clay Shooting – 4:10 p.m.

The GWA Art Department entry in the Stripling's Hay Bale Contest won FIRST place! GWA's hay bale, titled "The Mailman," raised $1,537 for ESP (Extra Special People) and the contest as a whole raised over $5,000! We are very proud of our school and the talented students and teachers who contributed to this effort.

You have the power to redirect a portion of your state income taxes towards providing tuition assistance for exceptional students seeking a GWA education. Your participation in the Georgia GOAL program plays a vital role in enabling deserving students to access our outstanding educational offerings. By increasing enrollment, strengthening our financial well-being, and continuously enhancing our programs, your support helps shape the future of George Walton Academy.

The link to the 2024 GOAL Tax Credit application is HERE. It only takes about 20 seconds to complete. You will receive a confirmation email from GOAL upon completion of the application outlining the next steps in the process. Learn more at www.goalscholarship.org. Click here for a step-by-step flyer.

Contact Jenni Cole – jcole@gwa.com or Johnny Green – jgreen@gwa.com with any questions.

Hi GWA High School Parents and Students!

From now until the end of the semester, School Counseling is offering an opportunity for your students to improve their study skills. We will meet during break on Wednesdays in Mrs. Crabtree's room to review study methods, time management, and prepare for upcoming finals. This is an additional resource to give your student the tools to improve their academics. Now that we are in high school, grades count and colleges look at all four years. This is mostly geared toward our ninth-grade and new to GWA students, however, anyone can benefit! I hope you take the opportunity to come!

Ms. Thomason - Middle/Upper School Counselor

We are happy to bring back the Kids Who Care Club; where the members are creating themed "get well soon" cards for children that have long-term stays in the hospital here in Atlanta. For this round of card creating, our theme was Halloween. The kids got creative with their slogans and designs for each card. We are also incorporating goodie bags with special treats and arts and crafts for the kids to enjoy. Several members of The Junior Beta Club came in to assist the younger students in cutting out the different shapes and designs they needed for their cards and lending a helping hand wherever they were needed. The students were so excited to be able to create their own cards and truly feel that they are giving back to their community and putting smiles on dozens of children's faces. We are looking forward to our next meeting where we will be creating Christmas cards and other fun goodies.

Today's In Focus is proudly sponsored by Stripling's General Store. (https://striplings.com).