Good evening Githens families,
I trust that you are staying warm and safe during this inclement weather. Please review this email in its entirety for our weekly updates at Githens.
Calendar
January 27 - Report Cards Go Home (Will go home upon our return to the building)
January 29 - STEAM Night (Still scheduled)
Remote Learning Day
Tomorrow, Monday, January 26th, will be a Remote Learning Day for DPS scholars. This means that scholars will access assignments via Canvas and contact teachers via email or by visiting their office hours if they have questions or need assistance. Please find the complete list of Canvas Pages for scholars HERE. All extracurricular activities, after school activities, and events are cancelled for tomorrow.
Teacher of the Year & Beginning Teacher of the Year
Raider Nation would like to recognize our Teachers of the Year for the 25-26 school year. Mrs. Rebecca Burns, 7th grade science teacher is our Teacher of the Year and Mr. Brian McCleave is our Beginning Teacher of the Year! Congratulations to both of our wonderful teachers!!! Your hard work and dedication does not go unnoticed and we are truly grateful and honored to have you at Githens! Congratulations!
Raider Store
The Githens Raider store is currently stocked. Thank you to everyone who donated! We appreciate your continued support.
Report Cards and Failure Letters
Report Cards are scheduled to go home on Tuesday, Jan. 27th. If we are not in school due to inclement weather then scholars will receive them upon their return into the building. Scholars who are failing two or more core classes will receive a failure letter attached with their report card. The failure letter will outline next steps for support for your scholar. If you have any questions, please contact your grade level administrator.
Spirit Week
Spirit week is still scheduled for this week, Jan. 26th - Jan. 30th. Review the flyer for Spirit Week HERE. Themes are chosen by our students to encourage more participation. We will reschedule Spirit Week if there are any additional closures due to inclement weather.
PTA Updates (Yearbook and Tax Letters)
2025–26 Yearbook - The PTA is excited to provide free yearbooks to all 8th graders! Yearbooks for 6th and 7th graders will be available for purchase at $25 each. Details on ordering—both online and in person—will be shared soon. Help make this yearbook special by uploading your event photos [here] and tagging them with the event name. Congratulations to 8th grader Molly Hehran for designing this year’s cover!
Donation Tax Letters - A HUGE thanks to everyone who supported the PTA last year. Tax letters for cash, check, or school store donations will be sent soon. If you donated online through the Give to Githens fundraising page, your tax letter was emailed at the time of donation (search for “hello@info.givebacks.com”). Can’t find it or have questions? Contact givetogithens@gmail.com.
ACCESS Testing
ACCESS testing window for our EL students will begin on Monday, January 26th and continue until March 13th. Monday and Tuesday attendance is especially important for test completion.
Student Climate Survey
The Student Climate Survey for 7th grade students has been extended through January 30th.
The survey WILL require parental opt-in prior to participation, which will be conducted on paper this year.
STEAM Night
Our STEAM Night is still scheduled as planned for now. We will host our annual STEAM Night on Thursday, Jan. 29th from 5pm - 7pm. This is an opportunity for scholars to engage in hands-on activities in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math. We will also host our Middle School Night and welcome our upcoming 6th graders. Please see the attached flyer in this email. We would love to see all of our Raiders there!
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 come to a close this week as our Boys and Girls Basketball team will compete. They will take on the Lynx of Lakewood in our last home game of the season on Tuesday, Jan. 27th. They will also take on the Leopards of Lucas on Thursday, Jan. 29th at Lucas. Tipoff is at 4:45pm. Our Wrestling team will compete in their last home match against the Cougars of Carrington on Wednesday, Jan. 28th at 4:45pm. Please note that games and practices are subject to change/cancellations pending inclement weather.
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
*None at the time.
Infinite Campus & Rooms Information
As we approach mid-January, we want to ensure that all parents and guardians are able to monitor their child’s academic progress. One of the best ways to stay informed is by regularly checking your child’s grades in Infinite Campus. If you have not yet created an Infinite Campus Parent Portal account, please visit https://320.ncsis.gov/campus/portal/psu320durham.jsp to set up your login and begin accessing your child’s grades, attendance, and assignments. Currently, 54% of our families are actively using Infinite Campus, and we would love to see that number continue to grow. Your partnership plays a vital role in supporting student success, and staying connected is an important first step. Thank you for your continued support as we work together to help every student succeed.
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, please stay safe and warm and stay tuned for any updates regarding inclement weather. I hope to see you all on Tuesday.