- Sherwood Githens Middle School
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Principal Update 5/12
Good evening Githens and Happy Mother’s Day to all of our amazing Raider moms! Please read the following for important information and updates:
Important Dates:
- 8th Grade Dance (A Night on the Red Carpet) - May 17 (6:00 - 8:00)
- Principal Selection Stakeholder Parent Meeting - May 20 (6:30)
- Spring Sports Awards Ceremony - May 23
- Memorial Day - May 27 (No school for students)
- State Mandated EOG Testing - May 24 - May 31
- Spring (School Wide) Dance - May 31 (6:00 - 8:00)
Principal Selection Stakeholder Survey:
Dr. Kecia Rogers, Assistant Superintendent for Middle Schools, will hold a parent meeting on Monday, May 20, at 6:30pm, in the school’s media center to share the principal search timeline and next steps. Additionally, members of our school community may share input about Githens and qualities you want to see in the next Principal of Githens via a feedback survey. The feedback survey is posted on the homepage of our school’s website through Monday, May 20. Below is the survey link for the Githens Principal Selection Stakeholder Survey. The survey will close on May 20, 2024, 11:59 p.m. A QR code can be found on the landing page of the Githens website.
Githens Principal Selection Stakeholder Survey Spring 2024
EOG Testing:
The following is the schedule for EOG testing: any students taking their EOG on a date different from their grade level will receive a letter with their testing dates from our Testing Coordinator, Mrs. Wayson.
Friday, May 24:
- 8th grade Science
- Some 6th and 7th grade separate setting Math
- 7th grade scholars enrolled in Math I will take the 7th grade Math EOG
Tuesday, May 28:
- Some 6th, 7th, and 8th grade small group reading
Wednesday, May 29:
- 7th and 8th grade Math
- Some 6th grade small group math
- Math I EOC
Thursday, May 30:
- 8th grade Reading
- 6th grade Math
Friday, May 31:
- 6th and 7th grade Reading
Monday, June 3 - Friday, June 7:
- EOG make up testing
Monday, June 10 - Thursday, June 13
- Take Two (EOG retakes)
8th Grade Promotion Ceremony (Reminders):
The ceremony will take place on Thursday, June 6th in the Githens Middle School gymnasium. Please see reminders regarding details of the event:
- Broncos Team (Boykins Science) - 9:00 - 10:00
- Seahawks Team (Stackhouse Science) - 10:45 - 11:45
- Rams Team (Phillips Science) - 12:30 - 1:30
- Scholars will be entering the gym in the procession promptly at their team’s assigned start time. It is recommended that parents/guardians show up at least 15 minutes before their scholar’s team ceremony start time to ensure a parking spot and a seat.
- You MUST sign your scholar out after their team’s promotion ceremony. ONLY ONE parent needs to sign their scholar out in order to limit the number of people in the cafeteria.
- Scholars will exit the gymnasium to the outdoor area immediately following the ceremony and parents will be directed to exit to the outdoor area. They must sign their scholar out at the designated location and depart the campus immediately.
- Please ensure that your scholar is at school and on time, so they will be prepared for the promotion ceremony rehearsal.
- Each scholar will be given three TICKETS for admission to the Promotion ceremony. Spectators will NOT be admitted into the ceremony without a ticket. Extra tickets will not be provided nor will tickets be replaced if they are lost. No exceptions will be made for any reason.
- Scholars are required to dress professionally, NO PAJAMAS.
- If your scholar is in need of professional/dress attire, please contact Lessa Swift, 8th grade School Professional Counselor.
All questions regarding the Promotion Ceremony need to be directed to Ms. Vivianease Major, 8th grade Assistant Principal.
Title I Annual Review (Reminder):
As we approach the end of the school year, an annual review of our Title I Program will be conducted. Title I is designed to help at risk students meet the state’s challenging academic content and performance requirements. The purpose of the Annual Review is to examine Githens’ Title I program. Parental and family input is a vital component of the review, therefore a Parental and Family Engagement Survey will be provided to families to gather data to inform decisions for the 2024-25 school year. Please use the link provided to complete the Parent and Family Engagement Survey.
Math Saturday Academy (Reminder):
Githens is hosting our last Math Saturday Academy on May 18. Students will engage in targeted enrichment of priority standards from 9:30 to 11:30 each session. Snacks will be provided; however, parents must provide transportation. If you are interested in your scholar attending the Math Saturday Academy, please contact your scholar’s math teacher as soon as possible.
Raiders Sports:
- Monday, May 13 at 5:00 pm: Baseball and Softball Championship games will be held at Carrington Middle School & Lacrosse vs Alamance at Githens
- Monday, May 13 at 3:30 pm: Football Interest Meeting, pickup in bus lot at 4:30pm
- Wednesday, May 15 at 3:30pm: Athletic Physicals at Githens (FREE)
***City of Medicine Volunteer Medical Corps (VMC), a local nonprofit that manages volunteers to bring free preventive healthcare services to adolescents in Durham will be administering the physicals*** (15 to 20 students limit)
Email Mrs. Stackhouse if you are interested (Shlisa_Stackhouse@dpsnc.net)
- Thursday, May 23 at 5:30 pm - Spring Athletic Awards Ceremony
- Track & Field team members need to return their uniforms to Mrs. Stackhouse
A document has been added to the Parent Resource folder that contains the sports schedules for the 2023-2024 school year. Click on the link provided in the email that accompanies this phone message to access the document and plan accordingly. All sports ticket sales are virtual through “GoFan” and are required for entry. Please use the link provided in this email to follow the steps necessary to purchase tickets. For further information regarding athletics or specific teams, please email either Mrs. Stackhouse, Athletic Director, or the coaches.
Durham Public Schools wants to ensure safety at all our athletic events. To achieve this, there must be effective collaboration with our schools, athletics, security, and school communities. Please be advised of the following:
- 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. However, if the bag is not clear, the contents of the bag must be displayed.
- No Re-entry: Spectators that voluntarily leave an athletic contest may not be allowed reentry into that contest.
- Elementary & Middle School Students: All elementary and middle school students must be accompanied by an adult when attending athletic competitions.
A reminder that we ask all scholars and families to pay close attention and adhere to the following guidelines:
- Scholars are not allowed to be dropped off prior to 8:00 am.
- Scholars must be on time daily.
- Scholars are required to bring laptops and chargers everyday and must ensure their laptop is fully charged every morning before entering the building.
- Cell phone use is not allowed at any time during the school day for any reason and scholars will need to power off their cell phones and place them in their book bags prior to entering the building. Scholars are not permitted to use cell phones on the bus.
- Scholars who carpool in the afternoon need to be picked up no later than 3:45. The school day ends at 3:20.
Student Incentives (Reminder):
Githens will continue its Raider buck student incentive plan this week. This plan allows scholars the opportunity to earn raider bucks through exhibiting behaviors aligned with the Raider Way. Raider bucks can be used to purchase items at the Raiders Store on Fridays during lunch. Today we had another very successful Raider store opening. The success of the store continues to be attributed to the generous donations of items by our PTA and Raider families. We encourage families to continue to send in donations as they are truly the backbone of this student incentive plan. Thank you to all the families who have provided donations thus far. We hope to have your continued support. The link to purchase items for the Raider store is located in the weekly Pride Blast sent out by our PTA. Please drop off any donations at the front office.
PowerSchool Parent Portal (Reminder):
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) to navigate the setup process.
IMPORTANT LINKS:
Parent Resource Folder
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1b99yzhijM3WM0QzydyrFUa2tjDJ1Lv4U?usp=sharing
DPS School Safety, Security, and Emergency Information Guide for Parents/Families:
DPS School Safety, Security, and Emergency Information for Parents and Families and DPS School Safety, Security, and Emergency Information for Parents and Families (SPANISH VERSION).
Athletics: https://www.dpsathletics.com/githens
GoFan: (How to purchase game tickets)
https://gofan.co/app/school/NC13663
One-to-One Student Device Handbook (English/Spanish)
Parent/Student Technology Agreement (English/Spanish)
Githens Middle School 2023 - 2024 Supply List
“Here Comes the Bus” Bus Tracking App
Cell Phone Policy
Traditional Calendar (English/Spanish)
PowerSchool Parent Portal: 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 above to navigate the setup process.
Parent Canvas Observer Access: Parents are highly encouraged to sign up to be an observer in Canvas. Teachers will post homework assignments for scholars in Canvas and will be responsible for keeping these pages updated.
2023 - 2024 Student/Family Handbook (English/Spanish)
Discovery: Every scholar at GMS is scheduled to take an intervention class from 9:22 to 10:12. Click the link to access a description of the learning scholars will engage in.
Durham Public Schools Dress Code Policy
Immunization Requirements
