It's almost time for our Holiday Break! All students and staff are invited to celebrate the season by wearing a GTA-appropriate "ugly" sweater with uniform pants or skirt on Friday, December 17. Let's all enjoy the silliness!
School will be closed on Monday, December 6, due to the weather. Please stay warm and drive carefully!
Current GTA 7th graders planning their trip to Washington, DC in 2023 are raising funds by selling Grand Traverse Pie Company gift certificates. These make great gifts or stocking stuffers, or provide you with a super easy treat to take to your holiday festivities! Each $20 certificate is good for one 9" fruit or cream pie, a large chicken or beef pot pie or any large quiche from either Traverse City location. For details or to order, stop by either GTA office or contact Mrs. VanHouzen at vanhouzenm@mygta.us or (231) 932-6960.
GTA Parents & Staff: Thank you for your patience regarding today's construction on Three-Mile Road. We are very pleased to report that our Three-Mile entrance is now open and available for use. Afternoon carpool will function as usual today, so you may disregard yesterday's instructions. However, Three-Mile Road continues to be blocked between South Airport and Vanderlip Roads. We appreciate your understanding and thank you for sharing your children with us.
GTA Parents & Staff: Please be sure to check your email for an important message about the carpool process tomorrow, November 11.
GTA parents: If you see two fire engines in the south parking lot tomorrow morning (Wednesday, October 27) during carpool, please know that all is well at GTA! Our kindergarteners have the exciting opportunity to learn about fire safety from real firefighters and will be able to see their equipment up close. They can't wait!
As of Friday, GEMS classes had collected 771 pairs of socks and toiletry items for area homeless shelters, far exceeding their goal of 500 by the end of the month. But theyre not stopping there! They‘re raising the bar and aiming for 1,000 pairs of new adult-sized socks or personal care items (such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, soap, deodorant, etc.). If you haven‘t participated yet, please consider helping our homeless neighbors with a donation. Items may be sent to school with your child through Friday, October 29. Thank you!
School picture retakes are scheduled for next Tuesday, October 19. Be sure to return the original picture package with your child to avoid paying twice. First-time photos will need an order form with payment (available in either office), or order and pay online at http://preorder.timeless-image.com. Order codes are 5821 for Preschool & Elementary and 6321 for Junior High & High School. School uniforms are required for school pictures.
It's not too late to sign up for Parent-Teacher Conferences! All parents are encouraged to meet with teachers to discuss their children's progress or any concerns you may have, either in person or by phone. Reserve your spot today at School Bookings online for Elementary (https://www.schoolbookings.net/code/3tmwq) or Secondary (https://www.schoolbookings.net/code/q8vb8).
As a reminder, masks will be required of students, staff and guests for the two-week period starting Monday, October 4 due to the current Grand Traverse County COVID-19 test positivity rate. Students will wear masks in common areas (including hallways), when indoors before or after school, and while present for school functions. Once students are seated in the classroom, masks may be removed, though it is strongly recommended that they be worn at all times. This temporary change in policy will be reevaluated on October 14 and the results will be communicated via email. Thank you for your understanding and assistance in keeping GTA healthy and open for in-person instruction.
Our first parent-teacher conferences of the school year are right around the corner! All parents are encouraged to meet with their children's teachers to discuss their progress or any concerns you may have, either in person or by phone. Instructions have been emailed to all families, or see the October 1 Connections newsletter for information and sign-up links.
Find out how you can help make the most of your child's GTA experience by joining the GTA Family Council for their first meeting of the 2021-22 school year! It happens this Thursday, September 23 from 6:30-7:30 pm in Multi-Purpose Rooms 3 & 4. RSVP at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C45A5AD28A5FCC34-20212022. Questions? Contact Kristin Boogaard at kristinboogaard@gmail.com or (616) 328-4646.
Don't forget our Fill the Pantry Jeans Day tomorrow, September 16. For a $2 per student donation, students and staff may wear school appropriate jeans (no holes or tears) with a uniform top. Proceeds will help stock our student lunch pantry for less fortunate students (and those who occasionally forget their lunch at home). We thank you for your participation, which is voluntary.
Is your 6th-8th grader interested in learning the fundamentals of golf? Here's a great opportunity for them to get instruction from a former PGA professional. This clinic was extremely popular last year and costs just $30 for four sessions, including all necessary equipment. Find details in the September 10 issue of the Connections newsletter here: https://www.mygta.us/page/newsletter. Classes start on September 21, so be sure to sign up right away!
Tomorrow, September 15, is Picture Day! Parents who wish to purchase pictures may either complete the order form we're sending home with students and return it to school with them on Wednesday, or visit the Timeless Image website at http://preorder.timeless-image.com/ to order and pay online at your convenience. Order codes are 5821 for Preschool & Elementary and 6321 for Junior High and High School.
We are so excited for the start of the 2021-22 school year tomorrow, September 7!
As a reminder, there is a change from previous years to our afternoon carpool process: Pickup for students in grades K-4 will be at South Carpool (Hammond Road) as usual. However, students in grades 5-6 will meet their drivers at North Carpool (Three-Mile Road). Those in grades 7-12 will also wait for their rides at North Carpool (Three-Mile Road) as they have in the past. Remember that if you have riders from more than one group (4th and 7th grades, for example), all students will be picked up at the location designated for the youngest rider. Note that North Carpool lanes will be labeled by pick-up times; please follow the posted signs to be sure you are in the proper lane. Complete details and a downloadable PDF can be found at https://www.mygta.us/page/carpool-procedures.
We look forward to seeing your children tomorrow!
If you missed the Book Fair at Wednesday's Open House, we offer the following options:
1) Shop an expanded selection at our Virtual Book Fair at https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bookfairs/cptoolkit/homepage.do?method=homepage&url=grandtraverseacademy2
2) Set up an eWallet account on our Virtual Book Fair website to provide funds for your children to spend when they visit the Book Fair with their class (or simply send cash)
3) Make an appointment to visit the Book Fair in person September 7-10 by calling Julianna Schuetze at (231) 932-6941
Thank you for supporting our Book Fair!
We look forward to seeing everyone at our Back-to-School Open House tomorrow, September 1, from 1:00-7:00 pm. If you have Elementary students and have not chosen a time block for attending, you may do so here: https://www.schoolbookings.net/code?code=gtahs. Secondary students and parents may stop in at any time. See you then!
Parent volunteers are needed for our first Scholastic Book Fair of the year, planned for the Open House and the first week of school. If you can spare some time to support our school, please contact Julianna Schuetze at schuetzej@mygta.us. It's a great way to meet other GTA parents, too!
Good news for GTA families: For your convenience, we have created a Private Facebook Group for carpool assistance and used school uniform sales/purchases. We hope you find it helpful ! To join, go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/930613170849541 and click "Join Group" at the top of the page. Please provide your name and the names and grades of your GTA children for identification purposes.
