One month down, a school year to go!

Congratulations! You and your student made it through the first month of school! Hopefully your routines have been set, and the school year is feeling a bit more familiar.

Be sure to refer back here to the school newsletter, and read weekly parent emails to stay up to date on all things Locust Grove.

At the end of September, our school, along with the rest of the Locust Grove cluster schools, will be receiving student learning devices for every student. Use the following links to familiarize yourself with what you as a parent needs to know about these devices, and what you and your student will be responsible for before the devices are distributed.

All month long, LGMS will be raising money to fight childhood cancer! Be alert for messages and dates of activities that will be going on this month, including a sock sale!

The book fair will be open from 8:15- 4:15p daily the week of Sept. 11- Sept. 15. Drop in, or shop online!

http://www.scholastic.com/bf/locustgrovemiddleschool2

Don't forget that fall break is September 18th- 22nd. There will be no school that week.

It's never too early to think about yearbooks. Books are on sale for $40, and the prices will increase after September 29th.

http://www.jostens.com/apps/store/customer/1864594/Locust-Grove-Middle-School/

Quality Habits of Work (HOW) are an essential part of students' Pathways to Success. Students receive a separate HOW grade in each course (including the Makerspace and Assessment Lab). There is a clear correlation between quality Habits of Work, academic achievement and learning. The better one’s Habits of Work, the more s/he will achieve and learn. Our Habits of Work grade assesses how students interact with others, how students approach learning challenges, and how students participate in class.Habits of Work are regularly assessed in each course and term (similar to a conduct grade), using the same grading scale (1-4). These will be looked at every 4 1/2 weeks.

To view the full Habits of Work rubric and to fully understand what your student will be graded on in this area, click the following link:

https://schoolwires.henry.k12.ga.us/Page/110762

The Jekyll trip is currently full – I will release the few remaining spots late next week after we look at boy/girl numbers to see how our cabins are looking. If you have signed up to be a chaperone, your child should have brought home paperwork for you to fill out and return to me by October 7, 2017. If you have additional questions about the trip, please email me at melinda.foster@henry.k12.ga.us

The LGMS counseling department in collaboration with Locust Grove High School will administer the PSAT (Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test) on Wednesday, October 11. This test gives feedback about critical academic skills, prepares students for the SAT, helps students get ready for college, and identifies academic strengths and weaknesses.

The fee is $14.00 payable by check, money order or cash to the counseling office. The deadline to pay the fee is Wednesday, September 13, 2017. We only have 25 slots available! Secure your spot today!

For more information, contact the counseling office or visit www. collegeboard.org.

Please note: The high school hours are different from the middle school. Testing will start in the morning. We ask that you provide transportation for your child to be at LGMS earlier on that day.

Locust Grove Middle School is excited to be implementing a project-based learning model based on career pathways. The pathway Center Stage includes all arts and video technology. LGMS 8th graders will be working on a project titled “We Are the Storytellers,” and will be challenged to tell a story through the arts or through video technology. The project process will include conducting research to find inspiration (a “story” to tell) then sharing out that story through the artistic medium of their choice.

If you or someone you know works as a professional that could be classified as "center stage" (fine arts, broadcast, set design, production, etc.) we want to hear from you. We are searching for individuals who want to help us kick off this project by sharing their passion, their experiences with finding inspiration, and anything else they think would be beneficial to a group of hopeful young artists.

Please contact Casie McDowell at casie.mcdowell@henry.k12.ga.us to discuss options for sharing.

Thank you for your time and consideration. We look forward to hearing from you.

Regards,

Kelly (Brannon) Morgan, Casie McDowell, and Alicia Pace

Our first home game is Wednesday, September 6th, and we'll be hosting an afternoon tailgate to celebrate! The cost is $3, and you must have a signed permission form turned in in order to stay. The form can be found here: https://schoolwires.henry.k12.ga.us/cms/lib/GA01000549/Centricity/Domain/13357/LGMS%20After%20School%20Events%20Permission%20Slip.pdf