The Grizzly Roar
September 24, 2016; issue 82

Character Education Word of the Month

Each month we will have a new character word that will be the theme of the month.

The word for the month of September is: 
Citizenship
Tuesday Club

There will be no Tuesday club on Tuesday, September 27th or Tuesday, October 11th.

Mrs. Roth and Mrs. Burleson will be unavailable. Next meeting will be Tuesday, October 18th.

Tuesday club is open to any 4th or 5th grader who is interested in Science activities. 
Tuesday Club meets from 3:00 - 4:00 pm most Tuesdays in the Lower PLTW Lab (former elementary science lab across from the Lower cafeteria). We cover various science topics and try to have hands on activities for the students to do. While students are arriving we usually have a math problem for students to work engaging their thinking and reasoning skills.
Science Olympiad

There will be no Elementary or Middle School Science Olympiad team practice on Thursday, September 29th or Thursday, October 13th.
                 Next practices will be held on Thursday, October 20th.

Student Clubs and Organizations

Interested in other Student Clubs and Organizations at Mountain Gap? 

Check out our school website,   www.mountaingapp8.org
Click on "Get Involved", and select "Clubs and Organizations" 
Reflections

The PTA Reflections Program is designed to enhance quality arts education. Students in preschool through grade 12 are encouraged to create works of art in the areas of dance choreography, film production, literature, musical composition, photography, and the visual arts for fun and recognition. The program brings families, school and communities together by supporting student success through the arts. 

This year's theme is "What is Your Story?"
The entry deadline is Monday, October 17, 2016.
The entry form, general rules, and rules for each category are available here
If you have any questions, contact Misty Johnson mistyjohnson81@gmail.com or Adrienne Howard adrienneLshoward@comcast.net

Middle School Mad Scientist Ball


Friday, October 28th
6pm - 9pm

A few notes about this event:

1. This event is for current Mountain Gap 6th-8th grade students only. 

2. This is a costume ball. However everyone must still follow dress code rules. No weapons allowed. Masks are debatable. For the safety of the children they need to be able to see on the dark dance floor and we need to be able to tell who they are, for the safety of all. 

3. Volunteer Sign Up can be found here 

4. Thank you all for your participation!! 

Basketball Tryouts

Boys - Monday, October 10 and Wednesday, October 12 in the upper campus gym 3:00-4:30 pm

Girls - Monday, October 10 and Wednesday, October 12 in the upper campus gym 4:30-6:00 pm

A current physical MUST be submitted to Coach Atchley by Friday, September 30th. 

All boys and girls in grades 7 and 8 are welcomed and encouraged to try out!
Student Council Fundraiser
September 26-Nov. 18  (through football season)

1, 2, 3, 4 Alabama and Auburn declares a Penny War! Each team has their own jug for collecting money. Gain points by adding pennies and bills to your class jug. Lower point totals by adding silver coins to their jugs. MOST POINTS TEAM WINS!!!
Jugs will be located at the Welcome Center and Middle School Car Drop Off 

Proceeds benefit the Make a Wish Foundation for Kids

Point Rules:
Pennies + 1
$1 + 100 Points
$5 + 500 Points
$10 + 1000 Points
$20 + 2000 Points

Subtracting:
Nickels - 5 Points
Dimes -10 Points
Quarters - 25 Points

Want to help count the coins?  Contact Ms.Queeney  (counselor) or Ms. Thompson (4th grade teacher):
Sam's Club BONUS Back to School Box Tops

Buy 3 or more Box Tops for Education items in one transaction at Sam's Club between 8/16/16 and 11/16/16 for eligibility. 

For more information and a list of promotional items, click here
Publix Partners

Please ask the cashier to scan your card every time you shop your local Publix. For every $37,500 spent cumulatively by our school's participants, Publix will award our PTA $250. You may check the board at customer service for our quarterly cumulative total.

If you do not have a Publix Partners card, stop by the Welcome Center to pick one up.
Box Tops for Education

You may start turning in  your  box tops!  Remember to put the student's name and homeroom teacher on the bag. You don't have to count, just label the bag. For more information about the Box Tops for Education program, click here
For lunch schedules and menu prices, click here
Meal Payment Options Program 

Huntsville City Schools has partnered with EZSchoolPay to provide parents with an easy to use method to view and manage their student's food services account.

Parents are always welcome to check the account of their children at any time there is no cost whatsoever associated with balance inquiries, viewing transactions history for the past 30 days and getting email alerts on balances. EZSchoolPay service also allows parents to make deposits for a 4% per transaction fee when adding funds to your student's account. Parents with multiple students can apply funds to all accounts in one transaction. Deposits made online are typically credited to the student's cafeteria account within 15 minutes, if made during normal school hours. 

For more information on the EZSchoolPay system, click here
Breakfast in the Classroom

All students will have the opportunity to eat free breakfast in their classroom. We are encouraging your students to arrive around 7:45 to get to cla ss in time for breakfast.
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Need to contact a school counselor?

Did you know that our school counselors have their own website? Check it out for all of the services they offer! Click here to visit their site. 
Congratulations, Grizzly Family!! We have been recognized as a 2016-2018 National PTA School of Excellence! Thank you to all of our wonderful volunteers and amazing families for helping us to achieve this! 
Library Volunteers 
We would love to have you join us as a library volunteer! Our lower campus classes will visit the library on Thursdays and Fridays this year.  On those days volunteers are needed to assist children as they look for books.  We also need volunteers on Tuesdays in the lower campus library and on Wednesdays in the upper campus library to help shelve and organize books, along with other routine tasks.  You can pick the day, time, and library where you would like to work. 
For more information, click  here
Clinic Volunteers
You do not need medical experience to be a clinic volunteer. Clinic volunteers deal with minor cuts and scrapes, upset tummies, headaches, etc. For more serious injuries, children will see the school nurse. For more information on signing up to be a clinic volunteer and to see time slots available, please click here.

Mad Scientist Ball
Volunteers needed to assist with the middle school Mad Scientist Ball on Friday, October 28th! To see the sign up form with positions and times available, click here 
Need homework help?

Homework Alabama offers FREE online tutoring and academic resources from Tutor.com for Alabama residents from kindergarten students through college, plus adult learners. Get help in math, science, English, social studies or writing from a live tutor. Tutors are available 3 p.m. - 10 p.m., Sunday through Thursday. The Tutor.com SkillsCenter Resource Library is available 24/7. The services can be accessed from an Alabama public library, from your home computer or from your mobile device.
 
Receive one-to-one, real-time assistance with your job search. Online tutors are available to help navigate job sites, complete applications, write/review resumes and cover letters and even practice for an interview. You can take a career assessment, search job openings and download resume samples and templates on the 24/7 SkillsCenter Resource Library.

Click  here to access the resources.
Student-Parent Handbook 2016-17

Please take a moment and review the Huntsville City Schools 2016-2017 Student-Parent handbook here.  
PTA Membership

Have you joined PTA? Please share the membership form with grandparents, neighbors and community members. 

School Calendar

For all school clubs and after school activities, please check the calendar on our school website.

To help minimize the amount of calls to the school regarding events, please check out the school website for important events on our school calendar.
 
Please stay in the know! 
 
Go to www.mountaingapp8.org and click on the calendar icon at the top right of the page.
Our Mountain Gap families are welcome to submit a note for this section of the newsletter. Email  mgsptaevents@gmail.com.
Grandparents Support Group

This is an informal support group of Grandparents and Great-Grandparents raising their grandchildren.

First meeting will be 
Wednesday, October 12
 12:30 - 1:30 
 at the Bailey Cove Library

For more information, please contact Sharon Ball at 256-603-9327 or email her at sharonlu@knology.net  
2016-2017 NACCS Character Word Contest

The Second Annual North Alabama Community of Character Summit is hosted by the Character Foundation of North Alabama, a 501(c)(3) organization, sponsored by the Better Business Bureau of North Alabama.

Eligible to all students in K-12

Students may submit an essay or a creative art project that illustrates one of four character words- Courage, Fairness, Generosity, and Perseverance.
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Community Sponsors

If you own a business, you can have your logo in the newsletter each week. Email  mgsptaevents@gmail.com for info.

Thank you to our community sponsors for their donation to our PTA so that we can help the many different programs within our school succeed! 
Mountain Gap Basics  at a Glance

Click  here to read 
New anti-spam laws require us to have parents/staff who want to receive the newsletter to sign up each year. To join the mailing list, please send your email address to   
Mountain Gap P-8 School | 821 Mountain Gap Road | Huntsville | AL | 35803
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