GW Town Crier 10/6/2014

[GW Town Crier]

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IMPORTANT DATES:

10/9        FUNdraiser @ Curious Grape 

10/13      NO SCHOOL - Teacher Work Day

10/14      First PTA Meeting 7:00pm (Library)

10/14      Take Your Parent to School Day

10/16      FUNdraiser @ Curious Grape

10/23,24 Teacher Conferences

10/23      Dinner for Teachers 

11/6        Academic Volunteers Meeting 3:45pm

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FIRST PTA MEETING NEXT WEEK - PLEASE REVIEW AUDIT AND DRAFT BUDGET FOR APPROVAL

Please join us on Tuesday, 10/14 at 7pm in the library for the first meeting of the year. Attached are last year's audit and this year's draft budget - both will be submitted for approval at this meeting. Questions or comments? Please contact PTA Treasurer Mike Ernst at gwpta...@gmail.com or PTA President Kathy Stenzel at gwmspta@gmail.com. Also attached - the most recent version of the PTA Calendar.

OUTDOOR STEM CLASSROOM COMING TO GWMS
Working with Dr Greg Tardieu at ACPS central office, GW has received a grant from Dominion Power to create an outdoor classroom in an existing enclosed courtyard. The grant includes initial construction as well as assistance with curriculum development. Mr Mazur has met with representatives to plan the initial elements and construction will take place October 14. Next steps include forming an inter-disciplinary committee to help ensure maximum use of the space. Watch for more details on this exciting opportunity soon.

FIRST EDITION OF PREXIE PRIDE UPDATE ATTACHED!

Mr. Mazur has initiated a new means of communication - the Prexie Pride Update newsletter. Information on PBIS and discipline, honors classes, and monthly coffees with the principal are among the topics included in this first issue.

OCTOBER IS HERE! TIME TO SHOP AND DINE AT THE CURIOUS GRAPE!
For the month of October, anytime someone shops or dines at the Curious Grape in Shirlington and mentions GW, a percentage of the bill will go back to the PTA. So plan a lunch or dinner out. Buy your wine & beer for the winter! Shop for specialty cheeses! All in the name of supporting your child's school. We are trying to put the FUN back in FUNdraising, but we need your help. Speaking of FUN, we had our first wine-tasting fundraiser this past Thursday and it was a great success! There is still time to sign up for the next 2 Thursdays. Mr. Mazur will be at the event this Thursday! Pick a date that works for you and have some fun in the name of GW! Click through to the links below for more information and to sign up. Hope to see you all there! 

October 9th: 
http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=4c84kecab&oeidk=a07e9o4pjceca0d7428
October 16th: 
http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=4c84kecab&oeidk=a07e9o4q1nbcfe79db1

Questions? Call or e-mail Rosie Wiedemer: rosie.w...@gmail.com or (703) 549-2551

GW STAFF DINNER NEEDS YOU!
Calling all volunteers!! We could really use your help in providing dinner for our teachers on Thursday, October 23rd, conference day. Thanks to Mindy's Catering, we have lasagnas for this event. What we still need are salads, bread, drinks, and volunteers to help serve.

Drop donations off in the GW Cafeteria by 5:45 p.m. on the 23rd. Food that needs to stay cold should be marked "PTA Event" and can be placed in Cafeteria refrigerator if you are dropping off earlier in the day. Please note on container what the salad or item is you are donating. If you can provide any information that might be helpful for our staff with dietary restrictions, that would be greatly appreciated (e.g., Pasta Salad with nuts, Vegan, Gluten Free). Include a serving piece with item if needed. Also, if your dish/serving piece is not disposable, please put your name on it. Dishes/serving pieces with names will be left in cafeteria for pick-up.

CLICK HERE to sign up or visit http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0b4aaaad29a57-gwstaff3

Thank you for donating.  This is a wonderful way to show our teachers how much they are appreciated. For questions, please e-mail Stephanie St. John at stephan...@hotmail.com.

TAKE YOUR PARENT TO SCHOOL DAY IS NEXT TUESDAY

Plan to arrive early to sign in and pick up a schedule in the library if you need; if your visit extends across your student's lunch, please join us in the library to relax with other parents and find out about upcoming events. Questions? Contact your child's grade level office at 703-706-4500.

ACADEMIC ACCESS (POWERSCHOOL) AND BLACKBOARD ACCESS CODES MAILED LAST WEEK; DEMONSTRATION AT PTA MEETING 10/14

By now you should have received a mailing at home from ACPS with access codes and instructions for these important tools to stay up to date with your student's classes and grades. Please set up these accounts as soon as possible. If you did not receive this mailing or are having trouble, contact the ACPS Help Desk at 703-619-8007 between 7:30am and 4:00pm. Our first PTA meeting next week will include a quick overview and demonstration by Kyle Dunbar and James Draper. Please come with any questions!

SAVE THE DATE - TCW LACROSSE SOCIAL IS COMING 10/29!

Have a student interested in playing lacrosse at TC Williams this spring? Plan to attend a fun social event for all families to help 8th graders get involved on October 29th, time and place to be determined (and will be published in Crier at a later date). Want to find out more? Contact Wendy Donohue, Co-President of TCW Lacrosse Boosters at 4we...@comcast.net. 

OVERWHELMED AT THE THOUGHT OF PLANNING FOR COLLEGE?

You're not alone. Join other middle and high school students and their parents for the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria’s College Night Virginia—a free, college-planning event being held at T.C. Williams High School on Tuesday, October 28th at 6:00 p.m.  It is never too early to start planning for college, so come get answers to your questions about college admissions and paying for college.  The event includes: 

• Free pizza
• College-planning tips
• A chance to win one of three $500 scholarships and some great raffle prizes!
  

Experienced professionals will take the mystery out of financial aid and guide you through the process of planning and paying for college. College Night can help you start to see college as an affordable, attainable goal—and give you the tools to get there. Please register for the event at http://www.acps.k12.va.us/face-centers/ . College Night Virginia is co-sponsored by the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria, the T.C. Williams College and Career Center, the ACPS Family and Community Engagement Center, AVID, Building Better Futures, & ECMC. For more information, contact College Adviser Margaret Feldman at margaret...@acps.k12.va.us or (703) 824-6730.