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November & December 2020Geneseo Middle SchoolGMS BlogTEACHLEARNCAREImportant DatesView our online school calendar here.Principal’s MessageNovember and December are months of appreciation, celebration, andThanksgiving. It is a season when we appreciate the Veterans of our ArmedForces and the sacrifices they made to protect our freedoms. It is a season whenwe celebrate the bold pioneers as they forged the beginnings of this great nationof life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And it was in November of 1863, in themiddle of the U.S. Civil War, when President Abraham Lincoln scheduled aNational Thanksgiving and issued a proclamation entreating all Americans to askGod to “heal the wounds of the nation.” Those words are as relevant today as anytime since President Lincoln was in office. With a world-wide pandemic, significantpolitical division, calls for racial justice, rioting and looting across the country, andthe struggles of safety versus personal freedom, we have an opportunity at GMSto rise above the issues others won’t confront or solve. We can work togetherwhen it’s tough, give grace when it isn’t deserved, and raise our young learnersup with humility, grit, and service to others.It isn’t easy to raise middle schoolers. In survey after survey, this age alwayscomes out on top as the most difficult to parent. You want to help your childthrough twists and turns just like you did in elementary school, but now they turnaway, get upset when you offer advice, or decide to Snapchat to solve theirproblems. Hold fast though, parents spending time each day with your child is themost important factor in their positive development and ability to solve life’sproblems. Stay strong, stay safe, and make it a wonderful holiday season!Nathan O’DellPrincipal, Geneseo Middle SchoolExtra Info and links:See page 3 for a Parent Notice on “Erin’s Law”See pages 4-5 for hints and pointers on raising a Middle School ChildTuesday, November 3 No Student Attendance- Election DayWednesday, November 4 B Day students in attendanceThursday, November 5 A Students: Picture DayFriday, November 6 B Students: Picture DayNovember 23 - November 27 No Student Attendance Thanksgiving BreakDecember 7 - December 11 Winter MAP TestingFriday, December 18 End of Quarter 2/Semester 1December 21 - January 1 No Student Attendance - WinterBreakJanuary 4 School Resumes - Semester 2Begins, continue Hybrid A/B schedule
Geneseo Middle SchoolGMS BlogGMS NewsGMS Student SpotlightCongratulations to Hannah Stone (left) and AlexErickson (right) for receiving the GeneseoMiddle School Rotary Student of the MonthAward for October. Both Hannah and Alexdemonstrated Service, Humility and Grit thispast month and were honored for their serviceabove self. Well done!From the GMS Staff #BeLEAF The Geneseo Park District is holding STEM classes starting in November for only 10/participant. 6th, 7th and8th grades will be occurring November 5-19, from 4:00 - 5:30 pm each Thursday. Click here for details. GMS Yearbooks for the 2020-2021 school year may be purchased online through your Skyward Family Accessaccount. The cost is 25.00 if done by December 18th, and payment may be made through your Skywardaccount. If you have questions please contact the main office at (309) 945-0599. GMS Families Helpful Hints and Tech Tips - Click this link if you want to know how to automatically sendGoogle Classroom alerts into an email folder, skip the inbox, and help avoid being overwhelmed. Also, checkout the link if you want to know more about setting up Google Classroom Guardian summaries (get a parent listof upcoming assignments in every class for each child in one email). Is your child, a sibling, or family member sick? Has your child been exposed to someone who has COVID-19?Check out these guidelines to help with what to do and who to call.School NewsletterPage 2
Geneseo Middle SchoolGMS BlogDear Geneseo Middle School Families:The Comprehensive Health Education Act, often referred to as Erin’s Law, requires all public schools toimplement an age-appropriate sexual abuse awareness and prevention curriculum for all students in gradesPreK-12 and to provide training on sexual abuse prevention for all staff.Geneseo Middle School Counselors and Health Teachers will annually be providing age-appropriate lessonson personal safety to all students in 6th, 7th and 8th grade. Student lessons will occur in the winter and spring,and will incorporate concepts and skills at that are developmentally appropriate based upon grade levels.Lessons are adapted from our GMS Health Curriculum and the Second Step Committee for Children ChildProtective Curriculum that focus on teaching students basic skills to help keep them safe from abusive ordangerous situations. Some concepts discussed during presentations will include: Personal Safety. Students will learn important safety rules and will also learn ways to help them decide if something issafe or not. Touching Safety. Students will learn about safe, unsafe, and unwanted touches, and rules about touching private bodyparts. They’ll also learn to say no to unsafe or unwanted touches, and to tell a trusted adult if someone breaks rules abouttouching private body parts. Assertiveness. These lessons will also give students a chance to practice asking an adult for help, telling an adultabout an unsafe situation, and being assertive to get out of unsafe situations.If you do not wish your child to participate or if you have any questions, please contact your child’s SchoolCounselor.Thank you for partnering with us as we continue to provide learning opportunities to improve the safety andwellbeing of our children.Sincerely,Mrs. Amy Feely (afeely@geneseoschools.org)Mrs. Kate Reed (katereed@geneseoschools.org)GMS School Counselors (309-945-0599)School NewsletterPage 3
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The Geneseo Park District is holding STEM classes starting in November for only 10/participant. 6th, 7th and 8th grades will be occurring November 5-19, from 4:00 - 5:30 pm each Thursday. Click here for details. GMS Yearbooks for the 2020-2021 school year may be purchased on
