To my fellow GMS Families,

Welcome to the 2017-18 school year!

The GMS Community Association (GMSCA) is excited and honored to welcome our many new families joining our Montessori community for the first time.  We’re also proud to say welcome back to all of our returning families, with a special "hats off" to those pioneering families joining our inaugural ninth grade class. Finally, a special welcome to our new Head of School, Kevin Navarro, and his family.  We are excited about the enthusiasm Kevin has already put into building the partnership between our parent community and our administrative and teaching staff. It’s a wonderful time to be at GMS!

Our hope is that every family will find value in the GMSCA.  Our mission is inclusion; inspiring an engaged community of friends who support and encourage each other as parents. We also strive to recognize the diversity of contributions we collectively bring to our school.

Unlike most other schools, membership in the GMSCA is automatic….and free! We ask for no dues and we do not ask you to sell anything. Our activities are funded through a variety of ways, mainly the fall and spring book fairs. We also raise funds through initiatives like the Harris Teeter Together in Education VIC Card Program, so please let’s get those cards linked to our school (link to #1849)!

Perhaps the most visible way you will see the GMSCA in action is through the events we plan and support throughout the school year. Three of the largest are:

• The Fall Festival - a free family-centered weekend event with dozens of activities for kids of all ages.
• The International Fair - an amazing event highlighting our community’s cultural diversity through music, food, art and fun.
• The Green & White Bash - an adults only social event that gives us the opportunity to get to know each other better and raise some money to support our school.

Beyond events, we also provide opportunities for you to participate in the overall experience for your children. The GMSCA supports room parents who work directly with your teachers and help coordinate other parent volunteers needed to plan and execute many of the fun and educational activities your children love. The GMSCA virtual community page on Facebook is available to all parents to connect from home, the office or after hours.  We also host social opportunities like morning coffees and Parents’ Nights Out.

In closing, thanks so much to the many parents who participate in the GMSCA. We’re always looking for more parent and community involvement and would love to have your talent on our community team.  You don’t need to attend a meeting, host an event, or take a day off work to volunteer to be an essential member of our community.

Here are a few ways you can contribute right now:

• Attend our first Community Garden Workday on Saturday, September 16. We will have a variety of needs that day as we reimagine our Upper School Garden. All ages and abilities welcome!
• Plan to volunteer one morning or afternoon for our Scholastic Book Fair October 6 through 13. The monies raised from the book fair go directly to the GMSCA and allow us to fund things like the Fall Festival and Teacher Appreciation Week celebrations.
• Look for the sign-up genius coming soon with opportunities to volunteer at the Fall Festival on Sunday, October 8. It takes a village to have a successful and fun event.  And this year the GMSCA will be purchasing all of the supplies so we are simply looking for donations of your time.

We’re looking forward to a wonderful year for our school, our community and, most of all, our children.

See you at school!

Cordially,

Karen Kelly, 2017-18 GMSCA Lead Coordinator

Karen Kelly, 2017-18 GMSCA Lead Coordinator, and her daughter Kyla