Highlights & Action Items

You are invited- GSA's Engineering Expo
Aftercare payment options
Lost and Found
A forest of gratitude

Middle School Engineering Expo- Dec. 20

Our Middle School students have been putting on their engineering hats during their science classes this month! On Wednesday, December 20th, there will be an Engineering Expo where students will be presenting the end results of their engineering design challenges. All community members are welcome to attend. The event will be from 1:00-3:00pm, and will include an "Exhibition Hall" in the MUB along with special presentations from 5th-8th Grade students.

Aftercare Payment Options

For those of you who utilize our aftercare program, you know that the pricing structure and payment options were updated for the 2023-2024 school year. If you are still utilizing the monthly billing option, we really encourage you to consider one of the new options. Not only do these options save families money, they are also easier to manage on the administration and billing.

Option 1: Pay by Semester

Parents may choose to pay for each semester up front. Each semester costs a flat rate regardless of the number of days the student stays in aftercare in a semester or what time they get picked up:

Lower School: $1,200 per student per semester (average $15/day)
Middle School: $800.00 per student per semester (average $10/day)

Option 2: Punch Card

Parents may purchase a 20-day punch card for $350.00. Each “punch” counts for one day of aftercare for one student, regardless of what time the student is picked up. Punch cards are valid for the whole school year. (average $17.50/day)

Read more about the options here!

Please note that in the Fall of the 2024-2025 school year we will be moving all aftercare payments to one of these two options and eliminating the monthly billing option. If you have any questions about Aftercare payment, please contact Chandler Yanke.

Ask Your Student to Check the Lost and Found

Over the next two weeks, we will be sorting through the Lost and Found and returning any labeled items. We will also lay the items out on Fridays leading up to the break. On December 21st, the GSA sweatshirts and sweaters in the lost and found will be washed and placed in the uniform closet. Also on December 21st, all other items in the lost and found will be donated. Please ask your child to check out the lost and found before that date!

A Forest of Gratitude

Over the last month, students have participated in lessons focused on self-awareness and social awareness through learning more about what the Cherokee people are grateful for throughout the year. We then reflected on what we are grateful for in our classroom communities. During these lessons, we read We Are Grateful / Otsaliheliga (oh-jah-LEE-hay-lee-gah) by Cherokee author Traci Sorell, which highlights the modern Cherokee community and some of the ways they honor their indigenous heritage and interconnectedness with each other and the land during each season of the year.

After reading the story, classes worked in pairs to make a gratitude tree. We then created a GSA Gratitude Forest in the Front Office with all of the gratitude trees from our community. Make sure to stop in and check it out! If you’re interested in hearing this book yourself or extending the conversation at home, you can find a YouTube read aloud of this wonderful book here.