Happening This Week
Monday, October 13 - Day 1
Tuesday, October 14 - Day 2
End of MP1
LAST day for the NJHS Food Drive
*information below
Wednesday, October 15
Parent-Teacher Conferences, 11 am - 6 pm *information below
Thursday, October 16
Student-Teacher Holiday
Friday, October 17
Student-Teacher Holiday
Looking Ahead
⭐ Bullying Prevention Month
⭐ Digital Citizenship Week
⭐ Scholastic Book Fair Week
⭐ Book Fair Spirit Week
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Monday, October 20 - Day 1
Pajama Day
Tuesday, October 21 - Day 2
Dress Your Best Day
Picture Day
(for students with PE on Day 2's)
Wednesday, October 22 - Day 1
Unity Day
Picture Day
(for students with PE on Day 1's)
Thursday, October 23 - Day 2
Travel Thursday
Friday, October 24 - Day 1
Literacy Friday
🧡 October is National Bullying Prevention Month!
🧡 Throughout the month, GMS will be celebrating kindness, inclusion, and unity through a variety of activities and events! Each day at lunch during the week of October 20th-24th, students can join in fun activities that promote kindness and connection. We’ll also be sharing resources and information about bullying prevention and ways to help make GMS a place where everyone feels valued and supported.
🧡 October 22: Wear Orange for Unity Day!
Unity Day, started by PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center in 2011, is the signature event of National Bullying Prevention Month. This is a day when we come together to send a visible message of building commUNITY through kindness, acceptance, and inclusion.
The call to action is simple: wear and share the color orange! To top it off, we’ll have some orange giveaways throughout that week to help spread the message.
🧡 Let’s see which class can rep the most orange — Game On, GMS!
Month at a Glance
🎃 October
Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept 15 - Oct 15)
October 14: End of Marking Period 1
October 15: Student Holiday & Parent/Teacher Conference *information below
October 16: No School - Student/Teacher Holiday
October 17: No School - Student/Teacher Holiday
October 20 - 24: Book Fair Spirit Week
October 21: Picture Day 📷 *more info below
October 22: Picture Day 📷 *more info below
🍁 November
Native American Heritage Month
November 4: Student Holiday
November 11: Picture Day retakes
November 13: Secondary Complex Fire Drill
November 26-28: Thanksgiving Break
- - - - - - - - - - -
Throughout the 25.26 school year, please visit this website for upcoming events or activities throughout the Goochland community.
NJHS Food Drive - Ends Tuesday!!
NJHS is hosting a food drive competition for all grade levels from September 29th to October 14th.
We are asking for canned fish, canned meat, and soups that will go to support Goochland Cares.
6th grade will deliver their donations to Mrs. Voss in room M121
7th grade will deliver their donations to Mrs. Waldron in room Q204
8th grade will deliver their donations to Mr. Rorrer in room R219
The grade with the most donations gets to choose between eating outside for a lunch period or having a whole grade recess outside during Eagle Block!
Fall Book Fair!
The Scholastic Book Fair will be here October 20-24! Students can celebrate by participating in spirit week (see image above) and they can bring money (cash, card, or eWallet) to purchase great books in the morning or when visiting with their English class. Visit https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/goochlandmiddleschool to learn more and load your eWallet.
Reach out to Mrs. Settle with any questions!
📝 Parent Teacher Conference Information
Please go to https://ptcfast.com/schools/GMS_Conferences to book times with your student's teachers!
Use this document for more in-depth instructions on how to book!
Please keep in mind, all teachers will be having lunch from 1-2 pm, so no conferences will be available during that time.
Gifted Referral Window Open
Gifted Referral Window Open - The Fall gifted referral window is open! Teachers, students, parents, and community members may complete a referral for gifted evaluation throughout October (referrals from sources other than parents can be found here). As a reminder, Goochland identifies students as gifted in the following areas:
English / Language Arts / Math / General Intellectual Aptitude / Fine Arts (including vocal music, instrumental music, dance, acting, technical theatre, and studio arts) / and Career and Technical Aptitude
To return your referral or to discuss the gifted evaluation process, please contact Matt Rorrer (jrorrer@glnd.k12.va.us) before Friday, October 31st.
7th Grade Families: Signs of Suicide Program
During the week of October 27th, school counselors will visit Health and PE 7 classes to teach 7th grade students about mental health and how to seek assistance if they are worried about themselves or a friend. GCPS uses a program called “SOS: Signs of Suicide.” This program teaches students about this difficult topic and encourages them to seek help if ever needed.
SOS has been used by thousands of schools for over 20 years. Studies have shown that it effectively teaches students about depression and suicide while reducing the number of students’ self-reported suicide attempts.
If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s participation in this program please contact Principal, Patrick Gordon at pgordon@glnd.k12.va.us or school counselors, Caroline Powell (cpowell@glnd.k12.va.us) and Ashton Blackley (ablackley@glnd.k12.va.us).
Tardy Sweeps - We will once again implement random tardy clean sweeps to ensure that our students report to class on time and maximize our instructional time.
Tardy clean sweeps may be implemented at any time during the school day, including the morning tardy bell at 9:00 am. Tardy sweeps will not penalize students arriving on a late bus. Should your child have an excused tardy due to an appointment, etc., please send your child into the building with a note to turn in to the main office. Parents, please discuss the importance of arriving at school and class on time with your child. We look forward to continued partnerships with our students, parents, and community members to uphold the standards of excellence at Goochland Middle School.
GMS Tardy Sweep Process:
After the tardy bell rings, we will announce that we will begin a tardy clean sweep over the PA.
All teachers will close and lock their doors once they hear the announcement.
Teachers will not allow students to enter the classroom and direct them to the cafeteria.
Teachers will not allow students to exit their classrooms during the clean sweep to enable our administrators to process the students caught in the clean sweep.
Once administrators have swept through the hallways and bathrooms, they will assign lunch detention to any students caught in the clean sweep without a valid SmartPass.
After administrators complete the disciplinary process, students caught in the sweep will return to their classrooms with a pass from the administration.
Once students have a tardy clean sweep pass, teachers will allow them into their classrooms.
Once the tardy clean sweep is over, administrators will make another announcement to inform everyone that the sweep has concluded.
GCPS Strategic Planning Survey
Dear Families,
As part of Goochland County Public Schools’ strategic planning process, we will be distributing four unique surveys in late September in order to gather broad stakeholder input:
to students in grades 6-12
to parents of GCPS students in all grades PK-12
to GCPS staff
to the greater Goochland community
Specifically, the student survey is designed to gain insight into each student’s individual school experience. All responses will be anonymous and reviewed only by our third-party survey partner Plan Forward, not by school or district staff. In turn, survey results will be shared with GCPS in summary form only to help guide planning and decision-making. No individual responses will be tracked or shared. We value every student’s voice and are committed to using this feedback to strengthen our schools and support all learners.
Please find a complete copy of the student survey here. Additionally, if you would like to learn more about the importance of using a third-party resource for the collection of stakeholder feedback, please see Plan Forward’s resource here. If you would like to opt out your child from participating in this survey, please fill out this Google form.
As always, thank you for your support of your child, their school experience, and GCPS.
Sense of Belonging Survey
Sense of Belonging Survey - Linked here, please find a preview copy of the student GCPS Sense of Belonging and Inclusion Survey that will be administered during history classes starting on October 13, 2025. The purpose of the survey is to collect student input on how our school is doing in creating a safe, welcoming, inclusive environment for all students and to solicit input on how we can improve.
Any parent wishing to opt their child out of taking this survey may do so by completing this Google Form.
If you have any questions, please contact our survey coordinator, Ms. Jade Miller.
Coming Soon: Picture Day! 📸
Picture day is October 21st and 22nd here at GMS! Please plan accordingly.
Most importantly, don't wear green! The backgrounds will be green screens and you don't want your green clothes to disappear into the background.
Please see the attached flyer for how to order photos.
YOUR NAME, YOUR STORY ~ YOUR YEARBOOK
The memories. The friendships. The achievements. This yearbook is like no other, because your student is like no other. Make it even more special by adding personalization and icons!
ORDER YEARBOOK ›
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MAKE IT ONE-OF-A-KIND
Personalize the yearbook cover with your student's name and icons representing their interests.
Tyde Talks
Once a month during GMS lunches, Mrs. Lawson and therapy dog Tyde will be hosting "Tyde Talks." Whether students need a listening ear, a moment of calm, or just a furry friend to brighten their day, Tyde will be there for it! Each month, they will be sharing information related to mental health. Students will have the opportunity to participate in games, win prizes, or explore new skills through fun and interactive play and conversations. Tyde Talks are optional for students during lunch.
If you have additional questions, please reach out to Mrs. Lawson at alawson@glnd.k12.va.us.
GMS PTSA
Our "Party Like A Champion" event would not be possible without the support of our local community! A HUGE THANK YOU to the following businesses who are sponsoring the event:
NuTECH ADAS CALIBRATION SOLUTIONS
Connect with the PTSA
Website: gmseagles.givebacks.com
Email: GMSEaglesPTSA@gmail.com
Instagram: @goochlandeaglesptsa
Facebook: GMS Eagles PTS
GMS ATHLETICS
VHSL Sports Physical REQUIRED in order for any student to participate in tryouts
Without a completed and up-to-date Sports Physical students will not be eligible to participate in GMS Athletics Program.
Forms maybe submitted to Mrs. Tracy Davis by email or students can drop them off in the office.
*For more information see the GMS Athletics Webpage
Middle School Girls Basketball Open Gyms (Grades 6 -8)
Tryouts for MS Girls Basketball are Monday, November 10, 2025 - Wednesday, November 12, 2025 from 3:45 - 5:15 p.m. Our coaching staff will hold a couple of Open Gym Sessions prior to tryouts on Thursday, October 23, 2025 & Tuesday, October 28, 2025. (Exclusively for 6th - 8th grade girls only). We are also looking at additional combined open gym dates with the GHS girls team prior to tryouts. We will keep you posted.
Attendance at Open Gym Sessions is not mandatory and will not be taken into consideration during tryouts, however, you are encouraged to come out to sharpen your skills before tryouts. A VHSL physical is required to be turned in before attending any open gym sessions for safety reasons. You can get the form from the Athletics page of the GMS website, or from the front office.
In addition, all girls interested in coming out for tryouts in November, should fill out the interest form linked below.
Backpacks of LOVE
Backpacks of Love, Inc. is a local nonprofit organization that has been providing weekend food bags to school children who may not have enough to eat at home since 2011. These food bags are distributed discreetly by school staff on the last school day of each week.
Reminders
Doors open for student arrival @ 8:45 AM
There will be no supervision prior to 8:45 AM
Canvas
Canvas is the learning management system for Goochland County Public Schools. Teachers deliver instructional materials, assignments, etc., through Canvas, and it is recommended that parents create an account to view their child’s progress in Canvas. Parents should use the directions and resources found at https://www.goochlandschools.org/page/canvas