October 2023

October 13th - No School (Prof. Learning Improvement Day)

October 26th - Superintendent Dr. Adam Swinyard visits Garry

Students took the Reading, Math, and Science MAP tests the week of September 18th. In Spokane Public School, we use the benchmark results from these nationally normed formative assessments to give us a snapshot achievement level at a given moment. We administer the MAP 2-3x per year to measure growth and set goals around within the academic year. MAP provides us with a score called a RIT, also known as a Rasch unit. RIT is an equal interval scale that allows us to follow progress from fall to winter to spring and from year to year.

With regular attendance, completing coursework in class, completing homework, and continued reading of Accelerated Reader books from the library, we would expect students to make at least a year’s worth of growth which is 6-8 RIT points growth per year in Reading and 8-10 RIT points per year in Math for a year’s worth of growth. 

October is National Bullying Prevention Month. This year students will learn about signs of bullying, what to do if they witness bullying, and what to do if they experience bullying themselves. Students will also take the pledge to stand up to bullying and help prevent it. We have a zero-tolerance policy for bullying and harassment here at Garry Middle School. If students have any concerns, they can seek help at the Raven Reset Room to fill out a Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying form.

Spokane Garry Middle School is launching a new positive behavior rewards system for students. The new system will be completely online. Staff, students, and parents will all be able to see the rewards students are receiving for positive behavior. In preparation for the launch of the app, parents can go to their app store on the smart device. Just search for "PBIS Rewards Family". You will be receiving a letter with a QR code next week with your individual student's information. You will need to scan the code and confirm your relationship to your student.

Please click on the link to learn more about PBIS rewards.

PBIS Rewards - Parent Education Video

Students will be asked to complete a series of surveys in the month of October during Advisory time. Two surveys are district-based where students will be asked for their perception of the school climate here at Garry and the other will ask them about their student attributes (attitudes about learning, self-management, goals, grit, etc…).

The Healthy Youth Survey, only for 6th and 8th graders, is provided at a state level that tracks different information that may be deemed sensitive where a parent can opt their child out of the surveys. Parents may watch an informative Garry 5 video this week and hear more details, especially in regard to having their child opt out of the survey. The survey results may help our district secure grants to support students.

The Americans with Disabilities Act was enacted 23 years ago. This landmark civil rights legislation works to increase access and opportunity for people with disabilities across society, including in the workplace. Here at Garry, we continue to find ways to include our students with disabilities into regular education classrooms. Part of this work involves teaching all students about acceptance, respect, and kindness for those who are challenged with a disability. Taking care of each other with kindness is an important life skill.

Now that school is up and running, routines are being set. That includes some of the things we do in the GCC. A couple of things we wanted to highlight are the Garry 5 videos that come out every week and Bite2Go that happens every Thursday. 

Every week we upload a Garry 5 video to our Spokane Garry YouTube channel. We feature topics like Ravens Circle starting, view here, or Parking Lot Protocols. We try to choose timely topics of things happening around the school as well as important topics parents often have questions about. If you ever have a video topic idea, please let me know! I would love to hear from the experts, parents, what parents would like to know. 

Next is our Bite2Go program. We do things a little differently here at Garry. Instead of delivering the bags to students, on Thursdays students come to get their own Bite2Go bags. Right after school they can come to the GCC, and they will get to choose from a couple of meal options every week. If you would like your students to sign up, have them come to the GCC to talk to Mrs. Devony or Mrs. Miranda. If there are any other questions or concerns around Bite2Go, I would be happy to hear from you about them. 

Thanks for partnering with us to help your students have a great school year! 

Devony Audet

Family Engagement Coordinator

DevonyA@SpokaneSchools.org

(509)354-5170

Miranda Adair

CIS Community in Schools

MirandaA@spokaneschools.org

354-5132

Raven Circle begins the week of October 2nd and will continue through the end of the school year. Morning program runs Tuesday-Friday from 8:00 to 8:55 am and after school Monday-Thursday from 3:30-5:15 pm. This program is put on by Communities in Schools, a nonprofit organization which works to bring outside resources into the school system. Our programming will include extra time to do homework, staff and student mentoring, and enrichment activities such as STEM, arts and crafts, Social-Emotional Learning, and physical education. The hope for Raven Circle is to promote quality learning in an educational, enjoyable, and safe setting. If you are interested in signing up, go see Miss Tori in the GCC for a registration packet!

Tori Schauer 

21st CCLC Student Support Coordinator 

125W 

Love and Logic in Discipline and Positive Solutions 

By Mrs. Holt, Counseling Department

There are tried and true strategies for parents and guardians when working on boundary setting with our youth. Love and Logic is a great resource for parenting and teaching strategies and it has been used in many settings. You can find these resources at our local libraries. It is normal to have struggles with your child and these strategies help increase long term responsibility and accountability with respect while helping form healthy relationships.

Love and Logic is founded on the following research-based principles:

Adults set limits using enforceable statements.

• Adults regard mistakes as learning opportunities.
• Adults provide strong doses of empathy before describing consequences.
• Adults delay consequences, when necessary, so that they can respond with wisdom and compassion.
• Children are given the gift of owning and solving their problems.

"Research clearly shows that the primary element contributing to success for children is a positive relationship between the child and adults in his or her life. This research also indicates that this relationship is developed most effectively when adults set firm limits while showing sincere interest in what is unique and special about the child."  

Positive Parenting Solutions & Educational Resources | Love and Logic – Love and Logic Institute, Inc

The Garry Middle School Associated Student Body is up and running again. Students on ASB meet Tuesdays through Fridays in their advisory class. The ASB students are already working on an upcoming Daddy Daughter dance for Northside elementary students on November 4th. ASB students have also jumped into creating and leading videos for the school advisory lessons on school culture, social-emotional learning, and behavior expectations. For new 6th graders, elections are rolling out this week.



If you are a 6th grader interested in joining ASB, see Miss Funston in the Raven Reset Room for more information.

Congratulations to the 32 students who memorized the Preamble to the Constitution and earned a pizza party! Each honoree also got to bring a friend to the party and eat pizza and play board games. The biggest congratulations goes to the 6th graders where 18 students memorized the lines compared to ten 7th graders and four 8th graders. Take a look at the 6th graders having a fabulous time with no cell phones or technology of any kind!!

This year Spokane Garry Middle School has grown MESA to include both 7th and 8th grade students. MESA is a science class provided to students in partnership with Washington State University. MESA aims to help students from underrepresented communities grow interests in future employment in the science fields. This year MESA students will be going on various field trips to colleges and universities, as well as, learning to fly drones and build/program robots.

Stay tuned for an upcoming article and a “Garry 5” video showcasing MESA!

October: Respect

Treating others as if they were important (because they are). Valuing people for their humanity. Even though they might be different from you.

November: Honesty

• Oct. 12 - Softball Game @ Garry 4:15
• Oct. 12 - 6th Volleyball Game/ Scrimmage @ Garry 3:40
• Oct. 12 - Flag Football Game @ Shaw 4:15
• Oct. 16 - Softball Game @ Shaw 4:15
• Oct. 17 - 6th Volleyball Game/Scrimmage @ Garry 3:40
• Oct. 19 - 6th Volleyball Game/Scrimmage @ Garry 3:40

Introducing your 2023 Spokane Garry 6th Grade Volleyball Team

Let's Go, Ravens!

October 2nd was National Custodian Day and it’s a great opportunity to say thank you to our school’s three custodians: Cindy Milne (Head Custodian), Jay Buck, and Lona James. These 3 staff members are always “behind the scenes” making sure that our school is taken care of, clean, and well managed. It is a thankless job sometimes to do some of the hardest work in the building to clean up after sick kids and messy people. But we need their help!! THANK YOU to all three staff members for taking care of us! Students, I hope you are kind and take the time during lunch and after school to seek out the custodian (especially during lunch) and just say, “Thank you!”

Describe what you do at Spokane Garry Middle School and how long you’ve worked here. 

This year I teach 6th grade Earth Science and 8th grade physical science. This is my 2nd year teaching at Garry Middle School. 

What do you love about your job? 

I love that no day is ever boring. In science, we get to do a lot of hands-on activities to learn about the world around us and I love getting to know all of my students and seeing each of their unique personalities. I also get to work and learn with amazing coworkers. 

How do you like to spend your time when you’re not at work? 

When I am not at work, I love to spend time with my family and friends. I also like to run, do outdoor activities, read, bake, and travel.

What pets do I have?

I have two dogs named Bodhi and Zuli. They are Golden Retriever and German Short-haired Pointer mixes and are full of energy. They will be turning one on Halloween!

Where is the coolest place you’ve traveled to? 

This summer, my husband and I traveled to Oslo, Norway. It is a super clean, safe, and modern city with a lot to do. We were able to explore the city on bikes, spend time on the fjord, and hike. People from all over the world live in Oslo, so we were able to learn about many different cultures. Oslo is also currently on track to becoming a carbon-neutral city by 2030.

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Visit the Spokane Garry Facebook Page and the Spokane Garry YouTube Channel for more updates and information!