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Principal Update 11/6

Good evening Githens Raiders! This is Dr. Lanier with a brief message for the week! Please listen carefully to all details!

A reminder that Tuesday, November 8, Election Day, is a teacher workday. Friday, November 11, is Veteran’s Day. There is no school for scholars.

Calling all realtors! You are invited to breakfast with the Githens Instructional Leadership Team and the Pride Ambassadors to learn why your clients should choose Durham Public Schools, specifically, Githens Middle School. The event will be held tomorrow, Monday, November 7, at 10:00 in the media center. Please call the main office at (919) 560-3966 to RSVP! Parents, if you know any realtors, please spread the word and put this message on all of your social media!

Rising 6th Grade night is tomorrow from 5:00 to 7:30. Families from all feeders schools are invited to attend.

The Boys Soccer Championship game will be held tomorrow at Durham County Stadium beginning at 5:00pm. The following is a reminder, from DPS Athletics, for those planning to attend tomorrow's championship game. DPS Athletics has a one clear bag policy. Guests will only be allowed to enter with a bag unless it is a clear one. DPS Athletics will also enforce a no re-entry policy. Any guest that leaves the venue will have to pay to re-enter. Additionally, no outside food and/or drinks are allowed in the stadium. Any food and/or drinks provided for the team must accompany the team upon arrival. No one will be allowed to take food or drinks to the team that did not accompany the team on the bus. All elementary and middle school aged children must be accompanied by an adult to gain entry to the event. The rules will be strictly enforced. DPS Athletics appreciates your cooperation with these rules as they strive to continue to promote a safe and family friendly environment.

Ms. Stackhouse, Athletic Director, will hold a winter sports “ticket to play” clinic on Thursday, November 10, from 4:00 to 6:00. The location will be the bus parking lot. Winter sports are as follows: cheerleading, boys and girls basketball, wrestling, ultimate frisbee. Winter sports tryouts will begin on Monday, November 14. The tryout times are as follows:

Boys Basketball: 5:45 – 7:45pm

Girls Basketball: 3:45 – 5:45pm

Wrestling: 3:45 – 5:45pm

Cheerleading: 3:45 – 5:45pm

Ultimate Frisbee: 3:45 – 4:45pm

Our annual fundraising campaign, Give to Githens, has officially begun! Last year, we exceeded our $10,000 goal and are hoping to raise even more this year! Flyers with information on the campaign, including information on how to donate and a QR Code, are located in the parent resources folder. A link to the folder is included in the email that accompanies this phone message. If anyone is interested in serving as a "Matching Donor" (whether as a sponsor or anonymous), please reach out to Laura Dubois at stirman02@gmail.com.

A reminder that The Encore! afterschool program still has space to serve students. The program operates Monday through Thursday from 3:30-5:30 pm at Githens. The program is open to all scholars for a small fee or you may choose to take advantage of a “free” scholarship. This semester, scholars can get assistance with their homework from teachers, have access to robotics & STEM programming in addition to participating in fun, recreational activities. The program provides a daily snack and bus transportation is available if you live in the school’s transportation zone. For more information, go to www.dpsnc.net/afterschool or call the Community Education office at (919) 560-9488.

PowerSchool Parent Portal is the official source of student grade information and a convenient way for you to update your most current contact information. DPS has created step by step instructions, as well as video instructions, on how to access the PowerSchool Parent Portal. Use the link (https://www.dpsnc.net/Page/383) provided in the email that accompanies this voice message to navigate the setup process.

That’s all for now. Have a great week.

Winter Sports Coaches/Information:

Boys Basketball

Thomas Hopkins - coacht0725@yahoo.com

Timothy Lee – Timothy_Lee@dpsnc.net

Girls Basketball

Shante Nelson – Shante_Nelson@dpsnc.net

Jazmin McMillan - jazzndserenity40@gmail.com

Wrestling

Charles Murrill – Charles_Murrill@dpsnc.net

Ultimate Frisbee Coordinator

Caroline Brickhouse – Caroline_Brickhouse@dpsnc.net