April 2024

Nice job on appropriate cell phone protocols! I’m hearing more and more good news from teachers that students are doing so much better at staying off the cell phones and/or peacefully cooperating when asked to put them away. In addition, there are more and more students accessing the Garry Community Center (GCC) during lunch to participate in playing board games or just relaxing and talking with friends. FRIENDS are companions, NOT cell phones.

• April 30th: Expo '74 Fieldtrip

May 2024

• May 7th - 10th: ELA SBA Testing
• May 11th: Junior Lilac Parade
• May 14th - 15th: WCAS Science Testing
• May 21st - 23rd: Math SBA Testing
• May 27th: Memorial Day (No School)
• May 28th - 31st: Makeup Testing

June 2024

• June 14th: Last Day of School
• June 17th & 18th: Weather Makeup Days (if needed)

Seventh grade students have the opportunity to attend an afternoon fieldtrip on Tuesday, April 30th, in the afternoon to visit Riverfront Park to learn about Expo ’74 from Gonzaga students. It is the 50th anniversary of the creation of Riverfront Park due to Spokane hosting the World’s Fair. Students may only attend if they are passing all classes for 4th quarter (2 weeks), and have good attendance coupled with good behavior.

Students will soon be participating in the state-required Smarter Balanced Assessment for ELA and math with 8th graders also taking the Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science. The testing will take place during the month of May based on the following schedule:

• SBA ELA: May 7, 8, 9, 10
• WCAS Science: May 14, 15
• SBA Math: May 21, 22, 23
• Makeup testing: May 28, 29, 30, 31

Students will be in a block schedule for most of that time meaning one day students will attend periods 1, 3, and, 5, and the next day they will attend periods 2. 4. and 6. Each class period about be longer than 55 minutes and would instead be close to 2 hours noting that we also wouldn’t have advisory classes on that day. Stay tuned for a more precise schedule coming up soon.

The months of April and May are full of national “appreciation weeks” where we have the opportunity to slow down in the busyness of the day to acknowledge people who work hard to make this school an inviting place for students to learn and have fun. Take a look at the following appreciation days and reach out to people to just say, “Thank you. YOU are appreciated!” Students, it would be awesome if you also wrote a special thank you card to people as well. 😊

• April 4-8: National Assistant Principal Week
• April 4: School Librarian Appreciation Day
• April 6: Paraprofessional Appreciation Day
•  April 24: Administrative Professionals Day (Secretaries)
• May 1: School Principal’s Day
• May 2-6: Teacher Appreciation Week
• May 6: School Lunch Hero Day
• May 7: Community Helpers’ Day
• May 12: National Mental Health Provider Appreciation Day
• May 18: National Speech Language Provider Appreciation Day

April is National School Library Month!

We've had an exciting Spring at the Garry library. We were visited by professional authors Matt and Lisa McMann thanks to Auntie's Bookstore. Our students got to talk with them about how they create their stories and characters, and many students won free signed books!



We also installed many shelves, allowing us to display more non-fiction than ever before! The extra space has also allowed to re-organize popular genres such as graphic novels, horror, and romance and for special displays such as this month's Arab-American Heritage collection. Thanks to our library clerk Mr. Person for all his hard work organizing our collection.

“Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary.” - Margaret Cousins  

In May we have the opportunity to show our appreciation here at Spokane Garry. May 1st is Principal Appreciation Day and May 6 -10 is Teacher Appreciation Week. Now, more than ever, parents understand how challenging – yet rewarding - it is to keep children engaged and learning through the day. I know I sure feel this way after having my 3 children at home for so long during Covid. Our teachers here at Garry show up day after day to do just that. They often stay late or come in early to help with sports, clubs, or struggling students. A small thank you is something small for us to do but it means the world to them.

Thanking a teacher doesn’t have to be anything big. A quick email or a thank you card is all that is needed. Encourage your student to come see us in the GCC to fill out a Thank You card for one, or all, of their teachers! Keep your eye out on our social media for a special surprise we are working on with our students.

In addition, as a reminder, SBAC testing will be here soon. Testing can cause anxiety for a lot of students. As parents and guardians, we can help alleviate some of that anxiety by having positive conversations, answering questions, and encouraging our students to do “their” best. Also, please make sure your students are getting a good night’s rest, getting here in time for breakfast or eating at home before they get to school, and showing up every day on time on testing days. We don’t have that much time left in the school year so let's make each day count!

Devony Audet

Family Engagement Coordinator

DevonyA@SpokaneSchools.org

(509)354-5170

Communities in Schools Survey

Hello Garry Families and Students,

We are asking parents and students to fill out the following surveys for the rest of April. These Surveys will help Communities in Schools collect information about how we support you at Spokane Garry Middle School.  

Please take 5 minutes to fill it out and submit it. There will be a raffle in May for anyone who fills it out fully.

If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact Tori or Miranda.

Parent Survey: https://forms.office.com/r/7vCfKWyMKc

Student Survey: https://forms.office.com/r/3uCbrsHVvZ

Lost and Found items will be donated at the end of each month.

Announcements will be made during the last week of the month reminding students to look for their missing items. Lost and Found is located in the Student Office and is accessible to students for the entire school day.

All items not claimed will be donated!

Have you seen the Big Blue Bin in the parking lot?

Northwest Center's Big Blue Truck is excited to announce our partnership with Spokane Garry Middle School offering families a sustainable way to donate their unused clothing and cloth items. We are committed to making this partnership a success and we appreciate your involvement.

For more details on what can be donated, click here.

Miranda Adair

CIS Community in Schools

MirandaA@spokaneschools.org

354-5132

Click here to download the flyer.

Summer Experience - Important Info!

The Summer Experience will have breakfast and lunch provided so hours for programming will be from 8:00 am -12:30 pm. Students will go on three field trips: one to the MAC, Mobius, and Shaw MS for a carnival. There will be lots of activities so dress comfortably! If anyone has any questions, they can reach out to me at torisc1@spokaneschools.org. If anyone expresses interest in a physical sign-up, I can also print some and give them to the office!

Click here to register your student for the 2024 Summer Experience.

Tori Schauer 

21st CCLC Student Support Coordinator 

125W 

Garry students and staff had a lot of fun during our March Spirit Week! Check out some of these iconic duos!

April: Humility

Being authentic without being arrogant.

Understanding that everyone has something to teach you.

May: Patience

Students of the Month

March - Perseverance

Spokane Community College's SFMEA

(Spokane Falls Music Educators Association) Festival

An exciting congratulations to the Garry 7th and 8th grade orchestra. The orchestra attended the Spokane Falls Music Educators’ Association’s Large Group Orchestra festival at Spokane Community College on March 26, 2024. Middle School Orchestras from Spokane Schools participated in front of a student audience and were adjudicated by music professionals. All three judges unanimously gave Garry “Superior” ratings; the highest ratings an orchestra could receive. In Garry's music department fashion, we showed outstanding decorum, professionalism, and camaraderie at the festival.



Click here to watch their performance at the festival.

An additional congratulations to the Garry Advanced Choir and Garry Intermediate Band. The Garry Advanced Choir attended the SFMEA Large Group Choir Festival at Mead High School, where the group earned an "Excellent" rating. The Garry Intermediate Band attended the SFMEA Large Group Band Festival, held at Spokane Falls Community College. The group earned favorable remarks from the judges. Both of these groups showcased the highest standard of professionalism and represented Garry Middle School to the highest degree!

If you have yet to see our Garry Middle School Band perform, please come to the Junior Lilac Parade on May 11th. Our Garry Intermediate Band and Drill Team will be pairing with Glover, Shaw, and Yasuhara this year as we represent our greater area schools. Come on out and support our school and the Greater Spokane area as we celebrate spring and our local community!

Congratulations to the following 8th graders who successfully completed the EVERFI Financial Literacy course in CCLR. EVERFI Financial Literacy is a digital financial education program that teaches students how to make wise financial decisions to promote financial well-being over their lifetime:

Earn the opportunity to stay after school and cheer for our athletes in sporting events.

Students must demonstrate the following:

• Good attendance
• Few tardies
• Excellent or passing GPA.
• Manage the AVID binder
• Fill out the planner daily
• Good behavior

Get the seasonal application from your Advisory teacher and fill it out today!

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

We have 5 kids at home, so our free time is spent at the river or snowboarding in the winter. I have the nickname "Mr. Goodwill Bins" because I like to thrift in my spare time. 

What’s something people don’t know about you?

I have lived in Washington State for 20 years, but I grew up on the East Coast in Upstate NY. The high school I graduated from only had 180 students in kindergarten through 12th grade. 

What are your “trapped on a desert island” books or movies?

My desert island book would be the Bible and my movie that I could watch over and over again would be Star Wars. 

Is there a quote or saying that you live your life by?

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are"- Teddy Roosevelt. 

Where is the coolest place you’ve traveled to?

One of the coolest places I've traveled to is the country of Afghanistan. I've only been outside of the USA twice and the mountains and rivers of Afghanistan were beautiful. I would totally love to backpack and kayak there one day. 

InvestED provides middle and high schools with funds to assist promising young people. Plus, they provide schools with tools to boost fundraising in local communities. Join nearly 700 secondary schools across Washington and partner with InvestED!

To learn more about InvestED click here.

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