Thursday, February 27, 2025

Thursday Thriller, February 27, 2025

Thursday Thriller
February 27, 2026

CELEBRATIONS!

John Schumacher, WA HI Principal, and the kitchen staff commended our 8th graders for their great behavior during lunch and for doing a nice job cleaning up afterward! :D

Robin shared her photos she took of students at SeaTech! Their programs are amazing!

This picture is of Brayden and Camren working together in Nate's ELA class. Both of these boys have improved and grown this year!

Jack turned one this past Saturday and Axcel turned six yesterday. Love on your family and make them a priority. ❤

Nuts-n-Bolts

1. Evacuation drill at 10:45 am on tomorrow.

Please be sure you are ready!

2. Yearbook Sales -March 3-17th.This the second open window for purchases. The third and final open window will be April 28-May 9th.The cost of a yearbook is $25. I will announce on GNN ad Putin our Saturday Newsletter.

3. If you have things for our Saturday Newsletter, please let me know. Here is a sample of last week's letter. Julia, our web designer, places this newsletter on our webpage for parents.

4. In March, each grade level will be going on a field trip, funded by the Blue Mountain Foundation. These field trips have been scheduled months in advance and are coordinated with Pioneer, so rescheduling is not an option. While we’ve secured most of the chaperones, we still need a few more volunteers. When we all pitch in, the responsibility is shared, and it doesn’t fall on the same people every time. When Stephanie reaches out, please respond promptly—it shouldn’t require a follow-up from administration. Be sure to check your emails and let us know if you're able to chaperone. If you have a conflict, please inform us as soon as possible so we can work together to find a solution. We’re also reaching out to our VIP volunteers for additional support. Thank you for helping make these trips successful!

5. Starting Monday, March 3rd, Martin Fortney will be supervising Millenials Soccer. Nicole and I will be meeting with him to go over the expectations for participants. We've had some initial conversations, and he has some great ideas about how to support students who aren’t passing classes but still want to participate. We’re also considering allowing 8th graders to do both track and Millenials Soccer. We’ll keep you updated so you're in the loop on the expectations for Millenials.

Something to Ponder

This article, written in 1990 (I know, some of you weren't even born yet!), really resonated with me because it focuses on self-renewal. It truly spoke to me. While it’s a bit longer, I hope you find at least one valuable gold nugget from it.

We can't write off the danger of complacency, growing rigidity, and imprisonment by our own comfortable habits and opinions. Look around you. How many people whom you know well -- people even younger than yourselves --are already trapped in fixed attitudes and habits? A famous French writer said, "There are people whose clocks stop at a certain point in their lives." CLICK HERE to read this useful essay about self-renewal from John Gardner.

WISE WORDS

Judgement is easy, giving grace is hard.

-Ted Lasso

Thursday, February 20, 2025

Thursday Thriller, February 20, 2025

Thursday Thriller
February 20, 2025

Shout Out to Brian, Jen, Tati, Robin, Mirk and Bertram! They are part of the Classroom Communities PD with Yelena. They are taking some risks and SPILL'N it!!! Great job!!!!

Mika Means, Heather Robinson, and Stephanie Martin, pictured with Board President Derek Sarley. It was wonderful to see how proud these three moms were, along with the families they brought to support them!

NUTS-n-BOLTS

1. Reminder- If you go out the doors by Lauren's classroom, by Jen's room and the breezeway doors please make sure that you pull the doors shut. We are finding that due to air pressure they don't shut and lock.

2. As we approach the end of February, Nicole and I will send out the planned timeline of events coming up. The events will be quickly approaching-5th to 6th grade transition, 8th-9th, testing, music concerts, etc. A couple of dates to get on your calendar now: STUDENT SUCCESS NIGHT May 19th 5:30 (dinner) -7:00PM. This is the 3.5 Building Directed hours that are left. 1.5 hours to plan and 1.5 hours in the evening. More information to come. This event will be much the same as previous year-Tati and Lauren we will send out more information. :D TUESDAY, JUNE 3rd-8th RECOGNITION. We can not do Thursday night because Lincoln and Opportunity/WWOnline have their graduation and Wednesday is Pioneer's Recognition.

3. iReady Bowling Tomorrow: We will call students to the cafeteria, where attendance will be taken. Students should leave their backpacks in room 115 but can bring a water bottle. They do not need money unless they wish to purchase something from the vending machine. Upon our return, we will decide whether to keep students or send them back to class, depending on the time.

4. Tuesday the 25th is the 8th grade CTE/Fine Arts To"ur. PLEASE re-read information regarding this field trip

5. GC Memebers-GC Summit next Thursday, Feb 27th 4:00-6:00

SOMETHING to PONDER

Courtesy of Ryan Hawk's Mindful Mondays. Whatever season you are in, growing and changing can be uncomfortable. "...discomfort wasn't punishment it was necessary." Sometimes change is necessary not always welcomed but needed. Hope you find a gold nugget in the life lesson from Mr. Feeny.

Life Lessons From Mr. Feeny

This scene is from the old TV show, Boy Meets World. The main character, Cory, is in the garden with his teacher, Mr. Feeny, worried about his girlfriend, Topanga, possibly moving away.

Feeny listens, then points to a flower and says: "See that flower? That flower was in a small pot in my living room, but it outgrew its surroundings, so I transplanted it here in the garden." Cory responds, "Seems like it's doing okay." Mr. Feeny nods. "Oh yes, it's flourishing… Now when I pulled the small flower out of the pot in my living room, it resisted a little, you know, tried to hang on by its roots. I had to force it out." Cory asks, "Because you thought it would do better out here, in the world, right?" Feeny corrects him: "No. Because I thought if I left it there, it would stop growing."

That’s how it works. Staying in the pot feels good—until you realize the walls are keeping you small. Moving to something bigger often requires being pulled away from what’s comfortable. But eventually, you’ll look back and realize the discomfort wasn’t punishment—it was necessary.

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Wise Words

Attitude is a choice. Think positive thoughts daily. Believe in yourself.

-Pat Summitt

Thursday, February 13, 2025

Thursday Thriller, February 13, 2025

Thursday Thriller
February 13, 2025

Enjoy the long weekend—I hope it’s a chance to relax and recharge! And if you’re celebrating Valentine’s Day, may it be filled with love, laughter, and maybe a little chocolate or red velvet cake! 🍫❤️

Nuts-n-Bolts

1. I really appreciated your help and support yesterday while Nicole and Chris Gardea managed the situation in the office. Nicole handled it like a true pro (Peanut's mom was a badass!!) The intensity of these situations is very real. As admin, we do our best to shield you so that you can focus on your work. However, please understand that when a weapon is involved, adrenaline takes over, and it’s a scary moment. Once the police, medics, and firemen arrive, they take charge. The school’s responsibility is to ensure the safety of staff and students, communicate with stakeholders, and then debrief the situation. This way, we can learn from the experience in case something similar happens again.

It’s essential to keep information secure! Even if we personally know families and they reach out via text or call for updates, reassure them that students are safe and that official communication will be shared promptly. Avoid sharing details prematurely, as misinformation can escalate situations quickly.

2. Bowling for iReady Achievers on Friday, Feb 21st. We will take the 6th and 7th grade students in the morning from 9-11 and the 8th graders from 1:00-3:00 to Bowl-Away Lanes. Thank you for your flexibility with with students being gone. Permission slips, communication, transportation are all being handled through the office.

The 119 Bowlers received and email today congratulating them. They will receive a second email during Advisory on Wednesday and a final email on Thursday. Here is the information:

6th and 7th graders, We are going to leave right at 9:00 so don't be late! GO TO FIRST PERIOD AND STAY UNTIL YOU ARE CALLED TO THE OFFICE

8th graders you will be leaving after lunch-GO TO 5th PERIOD. YOU WILL BE CALLED TO THE OFFICE -1:00-3:00.

You do not need to bring anything other than a water bottle and even that is up to you. If you bring money, there is a vending machine.

BACKPACKS will be LEFT AT THE SCHOOL.

Students can drop off their backpacks in RUBEN's office.

We will send out reminders and more details. I just wanted you to be in the know. Again, if you would like to chaperone and do some bowling you are more than welcome to join us!

3. At Tuesday night’s School Board Meeting, three of our engaged parents—Heather Robinson (Abigail, 8th grade), Stephanie Martin (Jayda, 8th grade), and Mika Means (Ada, 8th grade)—will be recognized with the Belonging Award. They have been working to bring families together, leading discussions, and starting a book club, all to help create a school community where students and staff feel seen, valued, and supported. We appreciate their efforts in fostering connection at Garrison!

4. The Health Ccenter is going to offer free sports physicals next Thursday, Feb. 20th. We have announced this on Parent Square. I'll have it posted on our webpage and announced on GNN. Students need to turn in their paperwork NO LATER than WEDNESDAY the 19th at 1:00.

5. Nicole and I will be at Principal PD Tuesday morning. We will return to the building by 10:30.

6. Field Trips: If you're planning a field trip, you must send the names of the students attending to Violy at least 2 WEEKS before the trip. This isn't a new rule. Our HRA works 6 hours a day, and Cherie Pestes, our school nurse, manages multiple schools, not just Garrison. Please, please help us out with this! We really don’t want to have to deny a student from going on a field trip just because we didn’t get the info to the clinic in time. Thanks so much!

7. Wednesday, February 19th Classroom Communities PD in the AM in room 115.
GMS Master Schedule Meeting on Thursday, Feb. 20th in the PM in room 115
Bowling -Friday the 21st 6th and 7th graders 9:00-11:00, 8th graders 1:00-3:00
WIDA and NGAT (Highly Capable) Testing February 24-28th

8. If you haven't taken the CEE survey, PLEASE DO SO!!!! Here is where we are at as of this morning:

Something to Ponder

I love podcasts! Whether I’m exercising, walking, driving, or working, I enjoy listening to stories, laughing, and learning—all while multitasking. Here are some of the podcasts I’ve listened to, and I hope you discover a gold nugget in one of these episodes!

Teacher Up