Good evening Githens families,
I hope you had a great weekend. Please review this email in its entirety for our weekly updates at Githens.
Calendar
Monday Nov. 3rd - Report Cards Go Home
Tuesday Nov. 4th - Teacher Workday, No School for Scholars
Tuesday Nov. 11th - Veteran’s Day, School Closed
Thursday Nov. 20th - Performing Arts Concert
Friday Nov. 21st - School Dance
Monday - Friday Nov. 24th - 28th - Thanksgiving Break, School Closed
Raider Store
The Githens Raider store is in need of donations. Please visit our Amazon Wishlist HERE. We appreciate all donations as this helps support our mission and vision of students modeling The Raider Way.
Performing Arts Concert
The GMS Performing Arts will host its Winter Concert on Thursday, November 20 at Githens. More information to come.
Give to Githens 2025: Annual Fundraiser Coming Soon!
The Annual Give to Githens fundraiser kicks off today through November 17th. This is our one and only school-wide fundraiser for the year. Your tax deductible donations go towards supporting important initiatives and events for our school community, including teacher stipends and grants, school events, and so much more. Our goal this year is to raise $40,000 over the next two weeks. CHALLENGE MATCH: if we raise at least $10,000, a generous donor will donate $10,000 which will get us halfway to our goal! You can donate online through Givebacks. Cash and Checks (made out to Githens Middle School PTA) are also accepted. Go to the 2025 Give to Githens page for more information on how to donate. No amount is too small, every dollar counts and is appreciated. Reach out to givetogithens@gmail.com with any questions. Thank you for supporting our Githens community!
School Dance
The GMS PTA will host a Harvest Dance on Friday, November 21st from 6:00pm - 8:00pm. In order to attend, students must have no disciplinary major referrals from Monday October 20th to Friday November 21st. Please review our GMS Dance Policy HERE (ENG) and HERE (SPN). Students will receive a copy of the permission slip during report card distribution. Also, our GMA PTA would love to have your support and help with the Dance. Please use the Sign up Genius to volunteer.
Transportation (Carpool and Buses)
Carpool: 6th grade car riders are dismissed at 3:20pm followed by 7th grade car riders being dismissed at 3:30pm. No students will be dismissed between 3:00pm - 3:20pm and ALL carpool scholars must be picked up no later than 4:15pm daily.
Buses: To help you stay informed, we encourage you to use the Edulog app to track your scholar’s bus and receive real-time updates about delays or changes. Transportation information and guidelines can be found HERE. If you have any questions regarding buses, please contact Mr. Carter, james_carter@dpsnc.net. Thank you for your patience and support as we work to ensure safe and efficient transportation for all students
Athletics
The Fall Awards Program will be held on November 3rd at 6pm at Githens in the cafeteria. Please use the bus entrance off SW Durham Rd.
Soccer
The Raiders will compete in the District championship game, tomorrow, November 3rd at 5:00 pm. The game will take place at Durham County Memorial Stadium. The Raiders will take on the Cougars of Carrington. Tickets will be available for online and point of sale (POS) purchase only through GoFan.
Ticket Price - $10 + $1 surcharge Ticket Link - DAC Boys' Soccer Championship - Soccer - Nov. 3, 2025
Ultimate Frisbee
If you missed the frisbee interest meeting and need information, please email team manager Sarah Woodruff at sarah@hwoodruff.com or stop by Dr Amber Manning's classroom to get a printed flyer for more information
Ticket to Play (READ CAREFULLY)
GMS Athletics will host a miniature Ticket to Play Event on Tuesday November 4th from 2pm - 4pm. The event will be held in the GMS Cafeteria. Please use the Bus Entrance located off SW Durham Rd. The official Ticket to Play for the Winter Season will be announced once all coaches are in place for the Winter Season. The purpose of the miniature Ticket to Play is to help minimize the rush and wait times. Prior to attending any Ticket to Play event, please log into Dragonfly and complete the following steps:
1. Log into Dragon Fly https://max.dragonflyathletics.com/maxweb/max-cover/login?redirectUrl=%2Fmain
https://www.dpsathleticzone.com/githens/registration/
2. Once you have either set up or logged into your account, you should see your child's/student athlete's name at the top of the page.
3. Click the "Get Ready" tab at the top, and then scroll down to "Things to Do"
4. Under the appropriate school year, click the "Get Started" under the "Prep for ___ Athlete Eligibility". Each item you have submitted, are currently working on, or still need to complete will be labeled accordingly.
If you cannot attend the miniature Ticket to Play event on Tuesday, there will be another opportunity during the official Ticket to Play event prior to the start of the Winter Season.
A reminder that all students wishing to try out for a DPS sport must complete the Ticket to Play process. This process ensures that your scholar is eligible to try out for their desired sport.
If you have questions, please contact Mr. Carter or Mr. Goble as they are hosting the Ticket to Play event on Tuesday.
Please see review the Guidelines for DPS Sporting Events Attendance
1. Clear One Bag Limit: Guests (spectators and students) will be limited to one bag that is clear plastic, vinyl, or PVC and less than 12" x 12"x 6” exceptions will be made for medical and baby needs. Guests must adhere to the Department of Athletics' clear bag policy.
2. No Reentry: Spectators that voluntarily leave an athletic contest may not be allowed reentry into that contest.
3. Elementary & Middle School Students: All elementary and middle school students must be accompanied by a parent or guardian when attending athletic competitions.
Tickets for Sporting Events can be purchased at GoFan. https://gofan.co/app/school/NC13663
If you have any questions regarding athletics, please contact Mrs. Shlisa Stackhouse at shlisa_stackhouse@dpsnc.net or Mr. James Carter at james_carter@dpsnc.net
Community Events:
*Showcase of Schools will take place on Saturday November 22, 2025
Infinite Campus & Rooms Information
Beginning in the 2025-26 school year, Durham Public Schools is transitioning to a new student information system, NCSIS powered by Infinite Campus . This system will replace PowerSchool as your one-stop-shop for grades, attendance, and other important school information. Watch this video to preview the new system. You can stay connected via the Campus Parent app, which can be downloaded through the links below or by visiting the App Store or Google Play on your smartphone.
Download from the Google Play Store
This year, Durham Public Schools will launch a districtwide two-way messaging tool that will make communicating with families easier and more efficient. The new tool, called Rooms , is part of the same platform that runs the district website and app, which will integrate and streamline the process for teachers and district leaders to communicate with families. From now on, communication from our schools will all exist in one place: The DPS district app. Parents and guardians can also receive messages from their teachers via text and email or can check notifications via a web browser.
Download from the Google Play Store
Our goal at Githens is to keep a strong connection between home and school. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns.
For 6th grade inquires - Mr. Carter
For 7th grade inquires - Mr. Goble
For 8th grade inquires - Mr. France interim for Mrs. Major
Raiders, I will see you tomorrow, let’s have a fantastic week!