INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Counselors’ Corner……….. 2

Health News……………….. 4

Notes from the Office …... 5

Website Info ………….....6-7

IMPORTANT DATES

Nov 6-7 Conferences

Nov 7 Early Dismissal

11:00 a.m.

Nov 8 NO SCHOOL

Nov 27-

Dec 2 NO SCHOOL

MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL Yet another year of 6th grade Outdoor Education Camp is in the books. The students had an amazing time learning about weather, water studies, soil studies, and nature in the beauty of the Capital Retreat Center. We hope they made memories that will last a lifetime! November is always a very busy month. Student-Led Conferences are being held on November 6th, 7th, and 8th. Please make every effort to participate in the SLC opportunity. This is a perfect time to hear from your child about his/her progress so far. November also includes a special Veterans Day event, Thanksgiving break, and concludes with preparation for the holiday season of concerts and events.

Gettysburg Area

Middle School

Since 1938, November 11th has been a legal, federal holiday in which Americans honor all persons who served in the United States Armed Forces. Again this year, GAMS will host a Veterans Day breakfast for the parents, grandparents, and siblings of our students who are veterans of the United States military. We invite our students to attend the event with their family members on Monday, November 11th, beginning at 8:00 a.m. The program will include breakfast served by our Student Council members, a performance by the 7th and 8th grade chorus, and a special guest speaker from the US Army War College. If you are a veteran and have a child, grandchild or sibling attending the middle school, please consider joining us on the 11th. Please RSVP to the main office by November 4th. We would be honored to recognize you on this special day. As always, feel free to contact us with any concerns or questions you may have. Enjoy the autumn season.

Mrs. Nancy Herb Principal, Gettysburg Area Middle School

GAMS Office Hours

7:00 a.m.— 3:30 p.m.

NOTES FROM MR. MUSSER Please feel free to stop by the Counseling Center during conference time if you need to:

• Discuss any concerns regarding your student

• Sign up for Family Access

• Pick up an application for the Respective Solutions Group (RSG) after school program

NOTES FROM MRS. SWOGGER Second marking period is here! As you gear up for parent conferences and then the holidays, take a moment to consider the developmental assets that are the building blocks for healthy development.

The Search Institute has identified 40 assets that help young people (ages 8-12) grow up healthy, caring, and responsible. The full list can be viewed at youtherie.com/the-assets. Some important assets to consider are: adult role models, parental involvement in schooling, resistance skills (being able to say no to pressures), self-esteem, positive view of personal future, and creative activities. The overall message is, get involved, get your kids involved in meaningful activities, and develop a wide network of adult supports for your students.

The old adage, "It Takes a Village", still holds true! We believe that school staff are an important part of that village, and as the counselors we view ourselves as a touchpoint for students and their families. Feel free to reach out to your child's counselor at any time if you have concerns.

Suicide Prevention Lifeline organization also has a chatting/texting feature. This is available for adults

or children who would like to reach out for help but would rather communicate using chat features.

For more information on this, please visit:

suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat

If your child is in need of a winter coat,

please reach out to the Counseling Center.

You are welcome to stop by during conferences!

RUTH’S HARVEST Ruth’s Harvest is a community/school program that provides meals for the children of our school that are in need of food for the weekends. We are in need of some specific single serve items, and ask for your help to donate items listed below that are less plentiful in our pantry at this time. Please help by bringing some items from the list below. You may drop them off in the Main Office at any time on any school day. Thank you for your support!

Single servings please

• Vegetables – mixed, corn, green beans, carrots, peas, etc.

• Beef Stew

• Canned chicken and ham (approximately 5 oz.)

• Instant rice cups (approximately 3 oz.)

• Cold cereal (2 oz. boxes or cups)

• Baked Beans (8 oz. or less)

• Fruit Cups (4 oz.)

CLOTHING CLOSET

We would welcome donations of new or gently used coats for middle school-aged students.

Other winter clothing and shoes would also be appreciated. Please bring donations to the

Counseling Center anytime during school hours.

Thank you!

Please

Working with the Gettysburg School District, Health Hero PA is excited to kick off our 2019 School located influenza vaccination clinics. Flu is among the top vaccine-preventable illnesses.

Per the CDC, 25 to 50 million cases are reported each year in the United States. They lead to hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations and tens of thousands of deaths! Schools are virus incubators, and school children are efficient virus spreaders – they have the highest rates of infection. Our Health Hero program is a voluntary flu vaccination at school program that prevents the disease and reduces student absenteeism. The program has been safely immunizing children for years. This school year, an estimated half a million-school children will be immunized via this program.

To help you keep your child well, Health Hero will be providing quadrivalent Injectable flu vaccinations on Tuesday, November 19th at the Gettysburg School District. Please consider having your child vaccinated, help them become a Health Hero, and help us stop the spread of the flu in your school and homes.

• Our clinics are safe: a doctor oversees the program and only licensed professionals give the immunizations.

• Our clinics have no out of pocket costs: We immunize every healthy child that returns a signed consent form from their parent or guardian.

To take part in the Health Hero Program, please completely fill out, sign, and return the consent form to the school. Once your student is vaccinated they will receive immunization paperwork for your records. If you have any questions we encourage you to visit the CDC website at www.cdc.gov/flu, Health Hero at www.HealthHeroUSA.com or contact us at PA@HealthHeroUSA.com.

Sincerely,

The Health Hero Team

Jeanette Slimmer, School Nurse extension 35141

NOTES FROM THE NURSE

Click here to view the Consent Form in English

Click here to view the Consent Form in Spanish

We understand that occasionally appointments cannot be scheduled for before or after school and must be scheduled during school hours. When this occurs, please send a note to school, in the morning, stating the time and the reason you will be picking up your child. In order to minimize the loss of instructional time, your child will be called when you arrive at the school. Please give yourself plenty of time. Students may be out on the track, over at the tennis courts, or in band or orchestra when you arrive. Students are also required to return laptops to their homeroom and may need to go to their locker before being dismissed. We appreciate your patience in the matter.

NOTES FROM THE OFFICE

Milton Hershey School invites your family, or someone you know, to enjoy a free meal and presentation to see how their cost-free home and school can unlock a world of possibilities for children. Feel free to bring family and friends!

If you have questions about Milton Hershey School or their admissions considerations, visit them online or call/text Stacey Spangenburg at 717-696-6714.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

6:00 p.m.

Hoss’s Steak and Sea House

1180 Carlisle Street

Hanover, PA 17331

DISCOVER THE POTENTIAL INSIDE

RSVP online at mhskids.org/succeed

You can find all sorts of important information on the GASD website!

https://www.gettysburg.k12.pa.us/

Find information on Services, Transportation, Policy, Teacher Contact Information, Sports, and MORE!

From the GASD homepage, click on Program/Activities.

Click on Athletics.

This site provides information on Schedules, Eligibility, Forms, Coaches, Directions, and MORE!

https://www.gettysburg.k12.pa.us/

From the GASD website under Schools, click on Middle School. The three most popular links are Calendar, Clubs, and Announcements.

Clubs

Under Our School, click on Clubs. This site shows all the clubs we offer at the Middle School with the dates, times, locations, advisors and a little information on each.

Calendar

Click on Our School, then on School Calendar. To subscribe, click on You can subscribe to the whole district or individual schools.

https://www.gettysburg.k12.pa.us/Page/12

Announcements

Announcements are posted on the Middle School homepage. These announcements are read every morning during homeroom.

December 2019

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 NO SCHOOL 3 4 5 6th grade

Band/Orch/

Chorus Concert

7:00-9:00 p.m.

6 7

8 9 Book Fair

Mon-Fri

7:30-3:30

10 11 12 13 14

15 16 17 18 19 20 Early

Dismissal

11:00 a.m.

21

22 23 NO SCHOOL

Dec 23 —Jan 1

24 NO SCHOOL 25 NO SCHOOL

Christmas

26 NO SCHOOL 27 NO SCHOOL 28

29 30 NO SCHOOL 31 NO SCHOOL BACK TO

SCHOOL

Jan 2

November 2019

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2

3 4 5 6 Conferences

3:00-7:30 p.m.

7 Early

Dismissal

11:00 a.m.

Conferences

12-7:00 p.m.

8 NO SCHOOL

Conferences

7:30-11:00

a.m.

9

10 11 Veteran’s Day 12 13 14 15 16

17 18 19 20 21 22 23

24 25 26 27 NO SCHOOL

Nov 27—Dec 2

28 NO SCHOOL

Thanksgiving 29 NO SCHOOL 30