What an exciting homecoming week we have had here at Gorzycki!  The pep rally was awesome.  The band, cheerleaders, and dance team all performed.  Gnasher was even part of the fun!

There was a great turnout at the 7A and 8A football teams that night.  I grabbed a hamburger from Burgerfi and headed to the stadium.  Burgerfi is definitely my new favorite burger joint.  The onion rings were amazing!

The 7A and 8A volleyball teams have all made it to the next round of tournaments.  The girls play here Monday night.  Come out and support them!

8th graders heard from LASA this week.  If you are interested in applying for this high school, their application and timeline is one their website.

Today, students who were nominated for GT began the assessment process.  Once all information is entered, Mrs. McEuen will send out results.  This will take several weeks.

Several big things happening next week.

It's Transportation Appreciation Week.  Please make sure you say thank-you to our wonderful bus drivers.

GMS is hosting a Duke TIP parent presentation in the cafeteria at 6:00 pm on Monday.

GMS has our first Choir Concert of the year.  Tuesday, 7:00 pm in commons area.  The Bowie Jazz Choir will also be performing with us.

GMS is also in the process of building a chicken coop for the campus.  Mrs. Young is sponsoring this club.  I heard there might be some feathery "guest" in the commons area next week.  If you are interested in making a donation to help build homes for future GMS chickens, we will send out the link through the google group.

GMS began the week with a visit from Author Kenneth Oppel.  The students enjoyed listening to him share his stories.

Did you know that we have a few English Language Learners using Rosetta Stone?  On Monday, I was able to present an award to one of the students in Mrs. Law's reading class who had completed the most hours this past six weeks.

As I walked classes this week, I saw some great interactive learning from our 8th grade Social Studies classes with Mr. Martin and Mr. Branham.  I think there classes are in for some interesting learning next week.

Because it was the end of the six weeks, there was some celebrations happening.  Here are some of the outstanding students on team 6-3.

As I mentioned last week, our PALS students attended a Ropes Course this week.

Next week we are celebrating Homecoming.  To support our football and volleyball teams, we are going to wear school shirts all week.  There is a pep rally, sorry it's just for students, on Tuesday.  That night there is a football game at Burger Stadium.  Stop by Burgerfi first for our Spirit Night and then head over to the stadium.  The cheerleaders and football parents will be having their own tailgating there.  The volleyball teams are in the playoffs.  Wednesday the 7th graders will play at O'Henry and the 8th graders play here on Thursday.  We wish you the best of luck athletes!

With all the excitement next week, I am glad Monday is a student holiday.  We will see you back here on Tuesday.  

Have a great long weekend!

The EXCEL Leadership class did an excellent job presenting our wonderful custodians with their gift for Custodian Appreciation Week.

The football and volleyball teams came off with wins again.  Homecoming is just around the corner.  Get ready to come celebrate at the games that week.

Hard to believe that the first 6 weeks is over.  You should receive Report Cards next week.  Be on the lookout for them.

I am so excited to finally announce that we have hired our 6th grade counselor.  She has worked with AISD for several years and had actually been hired by the Middle Schools Office to work with 4 middle schools.  We were one of those schools and immediately like what we saw.  Please welcome Rachel Fierro to the team!

Author Kenneth Oppel will be on campus Monday visiting with different classes of students.  We are excited to have him here.

Tuesday is the Marching Band Jamboree at Burger Stadium.  I've heard this is an awesome event.

Thursday is vision and hearing screening for all 7th graders.  Please make sure your child is present that day.

Also on Thursday, the Leadership Students participate in their Rope Course.  Having done something similar myself, I know they will enjoy this opportunity.  Then on Friday, the PALS has their team building fieldtrip.

Have a great weekend.

Did you know that you can find useful information on the GMS webpage, http://www.gmstigers.com/?  Under the "Parent" tab, you can find the daily announcements read by students at 1:00 pm.  This is a great place to find upcoming events like club meetings, sport events, and possible author visits.  Also on the website, under "counseling corner", we have started posting the Gorzycki 101 and SEL lessons.  The topic for next week is Cyber bullying. It is a requirement that all students must receive a 45 minute lesson on Cyber Safety. This same requirement was completed by all students last year and the same resources will be used.   All this information is posted on the website. 

Looks like our volleyball teams put on a strong showing against Bailey in this week's games.  Our football teams have had some strong competitors.  But district games begin next week, and I am sure they will be ready.  (I am not the best photographer nor does my cell phone take great pictures.  If you ever have a great picture that you would like to add to my blog or tweets, just send it to me through email!)  

GMS Student Council application process begins next week.  The process is different this year in hopes of identifying students that actually want to be in the program.  Please look under the student council tab on the website to find specific information.  Applications are due October 5th.  

Next week we celebrate Custodian Appreciation Week.  If you see one one our wonderful custodians, please stop them and say thanks!

On Sunday, Sept. 27, a lunar eclipse will be visible in Austin. The "show" starts around 8 pm and should stop around 11. Please go outside and watch! This will be the last "supermoon" eclipse until 2033!   Here are some links to help you:
What is a supermoon eclipse? http://www.space.com/30607-supermoon-lunar-eclipse-time-place-guide.htmlAnimation of what you should see and when: http://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/usa/austinAustin Viewing Party: http://www.austinastro.org/event-2053859

Enjoy the great weekend!

Gorzycki Families,

I understand that there is some concern regarding our participation in Pride Week this week.  Below is the link to the district website and toolkit.  All the resources used have been from this site.   Please know our goal is to provide a safe, supportive, inclusive environment for all our students.

Thank you

http://www.austinisd.org/pride

The GMS football teams began their season this week.  Although we didn't come off with any wins, I know the teams are working hard to change that for next week.

All 4 volleyball teams had games and wins over Ann Richards.

Progress reports were mailed out this week.  If you are concerned, please check Parent Connect and if needed request a conference with the teachers.

We ended the week with our first dance, the 6th grade Glow dance.  There was lots of dancing, eating, and definitely lots of fun.  It was great to see all parents and teachers help support this event.  Thank you!!!

 Pizza, popcorn, cokes...what more could they ask for?!

 Lots of glow in the dark shirts.

 Kind of hard to take pictures in the dark...but you get the idea!

Next week along with the district, we are celebrating Pride Week.  Students should come home and be able to discuss lots of new things they learned.

Have a great weekend.

It was great meeting everyone Tuesday at Back-to-School Night.  I hope everyone enjoyed the evening as much as I did.  Obviously, BTS Night looks different at the middle school level compared to elementary.  Watching all of you travel the classes your child attends was fun.  It was encouraging to know that I am not the only one that comes out of the stairwells and can't remember where I am!  

Most students began their new EXCEL classes this week.  Here's a photo of Mrs. Snyder's Texas Wildlife Appreciation class observing the GMS outside learning environment.  

Thursday night the cheerleaders performed for the first time at the volleyball games.  

The volleyball teams played against Murchison.   Congratulations to all 4 teams.  Each earned wins!

Next week will begin our Social Emotional Learning (SEL) lessons on Mondays during EXCEL.  Make sure you ask your child about what they learned.  

Gnasher News receives national recognition.  Students Kendall O., Logan M., Kayden D. and Anna I. were named as Finalists by the National Scholastic Press Association for its 2015 Broadcast Story of the year contest. Gnasher News was the only middle school broadcast program to be recognized among the 30 finalists from across the country. The students were named Finalists in the Broadcasts Sports category for their video on skateboarding from the 2014-15 school year. Kendall, Logan and Kayden are current eighth graders and Anna is a freshman at Bowie.  Winners will be announced on Nov. 4 at the JEA/NSPA Fall National High School Journalism Convention.  Congratulations to Ms. Shirak, our teacher of the year, and her students!

PTA has begun their annual membership and volunteer drive.  Please check their website on how to sign-up for both.  Without the PTAs support, students wouldn't be able to do many of the things that have become tradition.  Please sign-up and show your support. 

This is a reminder that the office doesn't deliver "forgotten" items to students during the day, except for lunches and medicine.  Things such as homework, money, and PE clothes just sit in the office until the student comes and gets them.  The only method for students to know items are in the office is through you.  Since they shouldn't be receiving text during the day, that means it won't be until after school.  By the next morning, everyone has forgotten and the items just sit in the office.  Currently, we have items that were brought in on the 1st day of school!  Please don't bring items.  

Next week is the first Tigers football games.  The 7th graders play at Burger and the 8th graders travel to Dripping Springs.  Hope to see everyone there.  

A special thanks goes out to all the GMS Families who are "First Responders".  I appreciate all you do.  Thank You!!!

Principal Twitter @GMS_DrMitchell
Gorzycki Twitter @GMSTigers