Good evening Githens families,
Happy New Year! Please review this email in its entirety for our weekly updates at Githens.
Calendar
January 10 - Showcase of Schools
January 16 - End of the 2nd Quarter and End of the 1st Semester
January 19 - MLK Holiday, No School for Scholars
January 20 - Teacher Workday, No School for Scholars
January 29 - STEAM Night
Raider Store
The Githens Raider store is in need of donations. Please visit our Amazon Wishlist to donate today. We appreciate all of your support!
Middle of Year Diagnostic Testing
We will conduct our MOY Diagnostic testing in Reading Plus and iReady programs on Jan. 12th and Jan. 13th. If you have any questions regarding diagnostic testing, please contact your grade level administrator for support.
End of the Quarter/End of Semester
The second quarter of the school year will end on Friday, January 16th. All make-up work for excused absences/illnesses will be accepted up until Friday January 9th. All other make-up work will adhere to the GMS Late Work Policy.
Student Climate Survey
The Student Climate Survey for 7th grade students will be continued to be administered through January 16.
The survey WILL require parental opt-in prior to participation, which will be conducted on paper this year. Your scholar will be provided with the Opt-In form upon our return to school. Please complete this form if you wish to have your scholar participate. Your scholar can return their form to their homeroom teachers and/or Mr. Goble, 7th grade assistant principal.
Odyssey of the Mind Request
Have old board games you don't play anymore? Have random board games or pieces lying around? If you do, you could help the Githens Odyssey of the Mind team!
For the solution to their Odyssey of the Mind problem, they need lots of board games, board game pieces and parts, and board game boards. They can be in any condition - they will be used to make props, costumes, and backdrops. If you have any board games that are missing pieces or that you don't want, the Githens OM would really appreciate them. There is a box in the front office for board game donations to the OM team. They are collecting now and will continue to collect them this month.
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
Our winter sports season will continue this week. Our Boys and Girls Basketball teams will take on the Eagles of Neal at Neal on Thursday, Jan. 8th. Tip-off is at 4:45pm.
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
The DPS Showcase of Schools that was previously scheduled for Nov. 22nd has been rescheduled to this Saturday, Jan. 10th from 10am - 2pm. The Showcase of Schools will be held at Northern High School.
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 - Mrs. Major
Raiders, I truly hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and an amazing start to the new year. Let’s start the year off right! See you tomorrow morning!