September 18, 2018

Dear Parents and/or Guardians of the Bowie Vertical Team,


Please remember that Austin ISD has become a District of Innovation (DOI), a designation that allows schools to adjust their schedules and calendars to meet the needs of the school community.


The following changes were made for the Bowie Vertical Team.

All Bowie Vertical Team Elementary Schools (Baldwin, Baranoff, Clayton, Cowan, Kiker, and Mills) will begin at 7:40 a.m. each day. The warning bell will ring at 7:35 am and students will be counted tardy if not in classrooms by 7:40 a.m. Students will be released each day at 3:00 p.m.

· Bailey and Gorzycki start time and end time will remain the same.

· Bowie High School start time and end time will remain the same.


This slight adjustment in our start/end time will allow us to add four additional days of professional development for our staff, which will allow our teachers to collaborate on lessons, analyze data, and engage in professional learning to better serve our students. On these days, students will not attend school.

The professional development dates are:

· All Bowie Vertical Team Elementary Schools: September 24th, January 3rd and 4th, and February 15th.

· Bailey and Gorzycki Middle School: September 24th, January 3rd and 4th and February 15th. (NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS)
· Bowie High School: October 5th, January 3rd and 4th, and February 15th.

If you have concerns, comments or questions please let me know.

Cathryn Mitchell, Ph.D
Principal

Welcome to the 2018-2019 school year. Today was the first day back with staff. A huge thank you to our amazing PTA for breakfast. It is great to feel such appreciation from our community. Just a few reminders for the upcoming year. The Bowie Vertical team is a District of Innovation team. This means students are out of school four additional days this year so that teachers can attend professional development. In addition to the district calendar, GMS students will be off Sept. 24th, Jan. 3rd & 4th, Feb. 15th. Secondly, there will be some safety changes this school year. Students will have limited access to exit/entrance points. Students will now only use one door to walk back and forth to the portables. To prepare for future drills, students will practice multiple types of drills during the first week of school. Another safety change will be to create some classrooms that are nut free. About 5% of the GMS student population has a nut allergy! Because of this concern, GMS is requesting that all food brought into the school be nut free. Lastly, student schedules are NOT complete. GMS students will receive their schedule during 1st period on Monday like in years past. Unless students are missing a CORE class, schedule changes will not happen until the second week of school. If you have any concerns with any of the changes this year, please let me know. – Looking forward to August 20th!

6th Grade Parents New from Mr. Kvapil
I would like to take a moment to welcome you all to Gorzycki Middle School for the 2018-19 school year! As your grade level administrator, I am here to facilitate and support a smooth transition for your child (and you) into 6th grade. Some of you had the opportunity to attend a parent orientation over the summer. For those of you haven't, I have posted a brief power point presentation on our website detailing the information covered at those sessions. 6th graders will receive lockers on the 22nd of August. 6th grade parents may come up to school to assist their child with organizing their locker between 4:30 – 5:30 that day. Should you have any questions or concerns please don't hesitate to contact me via email at scott.kvapil@austinisd.org. I look forward to working with you!


7th Grade Parents New from Mrs. Black
Welcome back parents! I am so excited to see your 7th grade students this year, as students change so much in middle school. I would like to provide a few reminders for the upcoming school year. First, please remind students that cell phones/devices are to be put away unless specifically approved by the teacher during classroom activities. Second, if your student is attending athletic events, they must be picked up no later than 10 minutes after the game ends. This can be difficult as we don’t always know exactly when volleyball and basketball games end. If students are not picked up by appropriate times, they will not be allowed to attend future games. Second, remind your students to use social media respectfully, if they wouldn’t want you to read it, then it shouldn’t be posted. Finally, double check your child’s immunization records. New shots are required for 7th graders. I’m looking forward to a great year!

8th Grade Parents New from Mr. Campbell
Welcome back students and families. Here are a few helpful hints to help you navigate 8th grade. 1. Do not share a locker with another student – this can cause multiple problems. Locker change requests are readily available and most get the locker they want. 2. Only use your phone when appropriate – historically 8th graders have the highest number of phone fines. Social media is for after school, not in the middle of class. 3. Make sure you leave all Gorzycki events within 10 minutes of when they finish. Volleyball and Football are tricky (these sports do not have a set end time), make sure you have a plan in place to leave on time – otherwise you can be banned from future events (teachers and AP’s would like to see their families too). 4. Be nice to the 6th graders – remember, you were in 6th grade once too, a kind word or gesture can go a long way. I hope everyone had a great break, and I hope these helpful hints will help your 8th grade experience be a positive one.

Click the link for a PowerPoint slideshow that tells you why there is Only One Gorzycki!

March 20, 2018

Dear Gorzycki Families,

Family involvement at GMS is important and a huge part of the culture. However, after reflecting on the safety protocols at Gorzycki, there are a few procedures that need to be added to increase campus safety. The following procedures will be made effective starting on Monday, March 26th, 2018.

1. When visiting a student on campus, the visitor must be on the student's registration form. This will be a new procedure for lunch. For lunch, visitors must be on the student's registration form and eat in the commons with only that student. For efficiency, parents may make a reservation by sending a note in the morning with their child stating that they will be on campus for lunch. Students can submit the note before school (like when students leave during the day) and the office will check status.

2. During the school day, visitors are only allowed through the front doors in order to check in at the office before entering areas with students.

3. The visitor’s badge given to you by the office staff when you check-in must be worn on your shirt and must be easily visible for the entirety of your visit. Badges will identify specific locations for visitors. Visitors must remain in the area specified. Visitors without badges or that are in the wrong area will be escorted to office. Please remember to sign out in the office before leaving Gorzycki.

4. When on campus, do not open any outside doors for another person.

5. Visitors need to park in parking lots and not in fire lanes.

I realize that these are new procedures to practices that have been in place at Gorzycki for many years. However, the safety of your children is a priority and these protocols add another layer of protection. Visitors not following these safety procedures will be asked to leave the campus and might be prevented from future visits.

I appreciate your support and help in providing a safe campus for our students.

Cathryn Mitchell, Ph.D
Diane Gorzycki Middle School Principal
http://gorzyckiprincipalsblog.blogspot.com/
@GMS_DrMitchell