August 28- Students' First Day of School

September 1- First Week of School Celebration

September 4- Labor Day/ Schools and Offices Closed

September 8- Back-to-School Dance

September 14- SY 22-23 Fourth Quarter Honor Roll Assembly

September 20- Back-to-School Night @Gholson 6:30 PM

🎒 FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL NEED-TO-KNOW! 🎒

In order to make sure every Knight feels safe, seen, and are supported to be successful-

• Check your personal e-mail and read the Student Welcome Back letter.

• Be sure to complete a Student Dismissal Plan for each of your young Knights. 

• THERE WILL BE LOTS OF PEDESTRIANS, VISITORS, and TRAFFIC! Pack your patience and flexibility; and follow all directions of Gholson staff as there will be many of us and we will all be filled with joy and excitement. 

• Drivers of car-riders must drive all the way down to the end of the building. Drivers must remain in their car and students must be ready to exit the vehicle as soon as it comes to a safe stop. 

• If you wish for a longer goodbye, please park on the hill in designated parking spots and walk your young Knight down to the building. 

• The Washington Commanders, Towson University, University of Maryland, and other community partners will be at Gholson MS to cheer on students as they enter the building and to give out prizes to students and parents/guardians.

• Parents may enter the building and wish students well from Scholars' Circle. Prepare for a brief greeting, hug/kiss, and drop off. Staff is positioned around the building to direct our young Knights to their destination.

• Most important: Smile. Be Kind. Share Grace.

Arrival

School doors open to students at 7:20 AM. Do not drop off students before 7:25 AM. Before doors open, students are the sole responsibility of parents/guardians and should be under parent/guardian supervision at all times. 

Attire

Gholson Knights take pride in their school and their appearance. Gholson is a MANDATORY UNIFORM SCHOOL. The uniform policy will be enforced for all students.  Each student must be dressed each day in their grade level's uniform.

Student Schedule

Classes begin promptly at 7:45 AM and are about 65 minutes long. The last class ends at 2:25 PM and begins student dismissal. Parents and students can view students' scheduled courses via SchoolMAX Family Portal. Student schedules are created based on student academic needs and state courseload requirements. At this time, we are not changing schedules or considering schedule change requests.

Meals

Breakfast and lunch are free to all of our students. Students will need their lunch personal identification number (PIN) which will be emailed to their PGCPS email account. Snacks and beverages will be sold a la carte. Funds can be deposited in students'  MySchoolBucks lunch accounts for purchase of a la carte items.

Dismissal

Regular dismissal begins at 2:25 PM. In order to ensure a safe and smooth dismissal process, a completed Student Dismissal Plan  is REQUIRED on the first day of school for each student. Please complete the Student Dismissal Plan form by this evening Sunday, August 27, 2023.  

Early Dismissal

Early dismissal ends promptly at 2:00 PM every day to allow us time to organize and prepare for regular dismissal of almost 800 students. All students for early dismissal must be picked up by 2:00 PM. Please plan accordingly as any requests after 2:00 PM will be declined and you will have to wait until 2:25 PM- regular dismissal time. 

According to the Maryland School Immunization Regulations (COMAR 10.06.04) to be allowed to attend schools all students entering preschool/Kindergarten through twelfth grade must show proof of meeting the Maryland Vaccine Requirements for Children Enrolled in Preschool Programs and in Schools. Updated immunization requirements for the 2023-2024 school year, are as follows

•  All students entering 7th and 12th grades must have had ONE Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria and Pertussis) vaccination and ONE meningococcal vaccination

•  All students entering 1st thru 9th grade must have had TWO varicella vaccinations.

When students have not received their immunizations as required by COMAR, and fail to have an immunization appointment within 20 calendar days of school enrollment, they will be excluded from G. James Gholson Middle School. Students enrolled on or before the first day of school for the 2022-2023 SY must show proof of being compliant in order to avoid being excluded beginning Monday, September 18, 2023. Reach out to Nurse Buford (Yolonda.Buford@pgcps.org) for questions and concerns.

PGCPS is offering FREE Back-to-School Immunization Clinics 9 AM to 3PM on a first-come, first served basis to the first 100 students-

August 21-25 at Bladensburg High School

August 28 - September 8 at Fairmont Heights High School

As we prepare for the upcoming 2023 - 2024 school year, PGCPS is approximately 135 bus drivers short of where we need to be. This will likely lead to some delays in transportation. PGCPS will continue to hold virtual bus driver job fairs every two weeks in an effort to close the gap. Additionally, please be mindful of the following items related to transportation:

Postcards - The postcards with students’ bus information for the 2023 - 2024 school year will be mailed out on Monday, August 14, 2023. They will be sent to the latest address provided to the school registrar in SchoolMax.

Stopfinder Bus App – Available on Google Play and the Apple App Store. Parents/guardians must have an email address on file in School Max in order to be invited to view the students’ bus schedule. The Stopfinder invites for the 2023 - 2024 school year will be sent out weekly, beginning the week of Monday, August 14, 2023. Stopfinder Help/FAQs: https://stopfinder.com/help/ 

Infofinder – Parents may locate designated, comprehensive bus stops using this site by entering their home address. Information for the 2023 - 2024 school year will be available beginning on Friday, August 18, 2023. Use this link to access Infofinder: https://bit.ly/PGCPSinfoFinderi (Useful if you do not have a bus assigned before August 28, 2023 or newly enrolled students).

Transportation Resolution System (TRS) - If you have any transportation related questions or would like to report a concern, please complete and submit a ticket to the TRS page at: trs.pgcps.org or you may call our Transportation Phone Bank at 301-952-6570 (Monday - Friday 6am to 6pm) for immediate assistance. Weekend phone bank dates August 19 - 20 and 26 - 27, 2023 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

If your child is coming from one of our feeder elementary schools (Cora L. Rice, Robert Gray, Columbia Park, Highland Park ES), they are automatically enrolled in Gholson MS. There is no action parents/guardians need to take at this time.

If you have been approved to transfer your child to Gholson MS from outside of PGCPS or a PGCPS school that is not our elementary feeder, you may register online at - https://pgcpsmdc.scriborder.com/ or in person by appointment only (jada.perkins@pgcps.org). You will need your government issued ID; child's birth certificate; primary and secondary proof of residency; most recent report card; and immunization records. 

If you are withdrawing your child from Gholson MS, make an appointment (jada.perkins@pgcps.org) to pick up your child's withdrawal packet and complete the withdrawal form. Please note, the person(s) withdrawing, must be the same person(s) listed in SchoolMAX who enrolled the student.

Students impacted by the boundary changes have been automatically enrolled in their new boundary middle school.

Prince George’s County Public Schools has a district-wide communication tool, SchoolMessenger, that Gholson Middle School uses. The SchoolMessenger system is a robust communication tool that the district, schools, and teachers use to communicate with parents, students, and community members using phone calls, emails, social media, and text messaging.

What should I do?

• Make sure your contact information (primary telephone and cell phone numbers) is up-to-date in the SchoolMAX Family Portal. This will allow you to receive phone calls and text/SMS messages.

• Register for the Family Portal if you have not done so already. This will allow you to receive emails from the teacher and school.

• Visit our school’s website for general updates and announcements at https://www.pgcps.org/gjamesgholson/

• Follow our school on social media at Twitter @Gholson_Knights.

What should I expect?

• Phone calls will be identified from the district or school by caller ID number.

• Text/SMS messages will come from 67587.

• Emails will come from individuals- teachers, administrators, etc.

Questions?

Please contact The G. James Gholson Middle School directy (301) 883-8390 if you have questions or need support with this tool.

Gholson Knights take pride in their school and their appearance. Gholson is a MANDATORY UNIFORM SCHOOL. The uniform policy will be enforced for all students.  Each student must be dressed each day as follows:

• Tops

  • 6th Grade Uniforms:  Yellow polo shirt with collar (short or long sleeve) and a black cardigan sweater; no hood

  • 7th Grade Uniforms:  White polo shirt with collar (short or long sleeve) and a black cardigan sweater; no hood

  • 8th Grade Uniforms:  Royal Blue polo shirt with collar (short or long sleeve) and a black cardigan sweater; no hood

• Pants/Bottoms:

  • ALL students must wear tan khaki pants (no jogger, carpenter, stretch, cargo, jeans, yoga/jeggings/leggings pants

  • Tan khaki skirts (need to be finger tip length) 

  • Close-toe shoes (NO Crocs, flip-flops, or open-toe footwear) 

  • Brown or black belt (at no time should undergarments be showing) 

  • Black cardigan sweater (button or zipper down front, can open fully, NO pullover sweaters or hoodies)

Knight Tip:  Check Flynn O'Hara, All American Wear, Inc., Risse Brothers School Uniforms, Old Navy, Target, and Amazon for uniform deals. And purchase black cardigan sweaters while the season is hot/warm.

This year we have field trips and other student activities planned that will require parent/guardian volunteers and chaperones. Please go to https://offices.pgcps.org/volunteer/cards/Become-a-Volunteer/ to complete the process. If you have previously completed the background screening process, please check with Ms. Perkins (Jada.Perkins@pgcps.org) to ensure your background screening confirmation document is on file at the school. 

Also, we want to be prepared to continue instruction and school operation when staff take leave or if we have any remaining teaching vacancies. I encourage you to apply to be a Substitute Teacher at https://www.pgcps.org/offices/humanresources/substitute-teaching/how-to-apply Our young ones need you! We need you! 

August 23- PGCPS Family Institute- Welcome to the New School Year 23-24 (virtual)

August 24- Gholson Parent Orientation @Gholson 6:30 PM

August 25- New Student Orientation @Gholson 7:45 AM

August 26- Nalley Neighborhood Day

August 28- Students' First Day of School

September 1- First Week of School Celebration

September 8- Back-to-School Dance

September 4- Labor Day/ Schools & Offices Closed

September 14- SY 22-23 Fourth Quarter Honor Roll Assembly

September 20- Back-to-School Night @Gholson 6:30 PM

Arrival

School doors open to students at 7:20 AM. Do not drop off students before 7:25 AM. Before doors open, students are the sole responsibility of parents/guardians and should be under parent/guardian supervision at all times. 

Attire

Gholson Knights take pride in their school and their appearance. Gholson is a MANDATORY UNIFORM SCHOOL. The uniform policy will be enforced for all students.  Each student must be dressed each day in their grade level's uniform.

Student Schedule

Classes begin promptly at 7:45 AM and are about 65 minutes long. The last class ends at 2:25 PM and begins student dismissal. Parents and students can view students' scheduled courses via SchoolMAX Family Portal. Student schedules are created based on student academic needs and state courseload requirements. At this time, we are not changing schedules or considering schedule change requests.

Meals

Breakfast and lunch are free to all of our students. Students will need their lunch personal identification number (PIN) which will be emailed to their PGCPS email account. Snacks and beverages will be sold a la carte. Funds can be deposited in students'  MySchoolBucks lunch accounts for purchase of a la carte items.

Dismissal

Regular dismissal begins at 2:25 PM. In order to ensure a safe and smooth dismissal process, a completed Student Dismissal Plan  is REQUIRED on the first day of school for each student. Please complete the Student Dismissal Plan form by Sunday, August 27, 2023.  

Early Dismissal

Early dismissal ends promptly at 2:00 PM every day to allow us time to organize and prepare for regular dismissal of almost 800 students. All students for early dismissal must be picked up by 2:00 PM. Please plan accordingly as any requests after 2:00 PM will be declined and you will have to wait until 2:25 PM- regular dismissal time. 

According to the Maryland School Immunization Regulations (COMAR 10.06.04) to be allowed to attend schools all students entering preschool/Kindergarten through twelfth grade must show proof of meeting the Maryland Vaccine Requirements for Children Enrolled in Preschool Programs and in Schools. Updated immunization requirements for the 2023-2024 school year, are as follows

•  All students entering 7th and 12th grades must have had ONE Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria and Pertussis) vaccination and ONE meningococcal vaccination

•  All students entering 1st thru 9th grade must have had TWO varicella vaccinations.

When students have not received their immunizations as required by COMAR, and fail to have an immunization appointment within 20 calendar days of school enrollment, they will be excluded from G. James Gholson Middle School. Students enrolled on or before the first day of school for the 2022-2023 SY must show proof of being compliant in order to avoid being excluded beginning Monday, September 18, 2023. Reach out to Nurse Buford (Yolonda.Buford@pgcps.org) for questions and concerns.

PGCPS is offering FREE Back-to-School Immunization Clinics 9 AM to 3PM on a first-come, first served basis to the first 100 students-

August 21-25 at Bladensburg High School

August 28 - September 8 at Fairmont Heights High School

As we prepare for the upcoming 2023 - 2024 school year, PGCPS is approximately 135 bus drivers short of where we need to be. This will likely lead to some delays in transportation. PGCPS will continue to hold virtual bus driver job fairs every two weeks in an effort to close the gap. Additionally, please be mindful of the following items related to transportation:

Postcards - The postcards with students’ bus information for the 2023 - 2024 school year will be mailed out on Monday, August 14, 2023. They will be sent to the latest address provided to the school registrar in SchoolMax.

Stopfinder Bus App – Available on Google Play and the Apple App Store. Parents/guardians must have an email address on file in School Max in order to be invited to view the students’ bus schedule. The Stopfinder invites for the 2023 - 2024 school year will be sent out weekly, beginning the week of Monday, August 14, 2023. Stopfinder Help/FAQs: https://stopfinder.com/help/ 

Infofinder – Parents may locate designated, comprehensive bus stops using this site by entering their home address. Information for the 2023 - 2024 school year will be available beginning on Friday, August 18, 2023. Use this link to access Infofinder: https://bit.ly/PGCPSinfoFinderi (Useful if you do not have a bus assigned before August 28, 2023 or newly enrolled students).

Transportation Resolution System (TRS) - If you have any transportation related questions or would like to report a concern, please complete and submit a ticket to the TRS page at: trs.pgcps.org or you may call our Transportation Phone Bank at 301-952-6570 (Monday - Friday 6am to 6pm) for immediate assistance. Weekend phone bank dates August 19 - 20 and 26 - 27, 2023 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

If your child is coming from one of our feeder elementary schools (Cora L. Rice, Robert Gray, Columbia Park, Highland Park ES), they are automatically enrolled in Gholson MS. There is no action parents/guardians need to take at this time.

If you have been approved to transfer your child to Gholson MS from outside of PGCPS or a PGCPS school that is not our elementary feeder, you may register online at - https://pgcpsmdc.scriborder.com/ or in person by appointment only (jada.perkins@pgcps.org). You will need your government issued ID; child's birth certificate; primary and secondary proof of residency; most recent report card; and immunization records. 

If you are withdrawing your child from Gholson MS, make an appointment (jada.perkins@pgcps.org) to pick up your child's withdrawal packet and complete the withdrawal form. Please note, the person(s) withdrawing, must be the same person(s) listed in SchoolMAX who enrolled the student.

Students impacted by the boundary changes have been automatically enrolled in their new boundary middle school.

Prince George’s County Public Schools has a district-wide communication tool, SchoolMessenger, that Gholson Middle School uses. The SchoolMessenger system is a robust communication tool that the district, schools, and teachers use to communicate with parents, students, and community members using phone calls, emails, social media, and text messaging.

What should I do?

• Make sure your contact information (primary telephone and cell phone numbers) is up-to-date in the SchoolMAX Family Portal. This will allow you to receive phone calls and text/SMS messages.

• Register for the Family Portal if you have not done so already. This will allow you to receive emails from the teacher and school.

• Visit our school’s website for general updates and announcements at https://www.pgcps.org/gjamesgholson/

• Follow our school on social media at Twitter @Gholson_Knights.

What should I expect?

• Phone calls will be identified from the district or school by caller ID number.

• Text/SMS messages will come from 67587.

• Emails will come from individuals- teachers, administrators, etc.

Questions?

Please contact The G. James Gholson Middle School directy (301) 883-8390 if you have questions or need support with this tool.

Parents and students, you can find the school supply list at this link =>  https://www.pgcps.org/about-pgcps/back-to-school/basic-school-supplies-list Please note per Superintendent Millard House (7/31)- Clear backpacks are now optional for 6 - 8th graders. Uniform information is below.

Gholson Knights take pride in their school and their appearance. Gholson is a MANDATORY UNIFORM SCHOOL. The uniform policy will be enforced for all students.  Each student must be dressed each day as follows:

• Tops

  • 6th Grade Uniforms:  Yellow polo shirt with collar (short or long sleeve) and a black cardigan sweater; no hood

  • 7th Grade Uniforms:  White polo shirt with collar (short or long sleeve) and a black cardigan sweater; no hood

  • 8th Grade Uniforms:  Royal Blue polo shirt with collar (short or long sleeve) and a black cardigan sweater; no hood

• Pants/Bottoms:

  • ALL students must wear tan khaki pants (no jogger, carpenter, stretch, cargo, jeans, yoga/jeggings/leggings pants

  • Tan khaki skirts (need to be finger tip length) 

  • Close-toe shoes (NO Crocs, flip-flops, or open-toe footwear) 

  • Brown or black belt (at no time should undergarments be showing) 

  • Black cardigan sweater (button or zipper down front, can open fully, NO pullover sweaters or hoodies)

Knight Tip:  Check Flynn O'Hara, All American Wear, Inc., Risse Brothers School Uniforms, Old Navy, Target, and Amazon for uniform deals. And purchase black cardigan sweaters while the season is hot/warm.

This year we have field trips and other student activities planned that will require parent/guardian volunteers and chaperones. Please go to https://offices.pgcps.org/volunteer/cards/Become-a-Volunteer/ to complete the process. If you have previously completed the background screening process, please check with Ms. Perkins (Jada.Perkins@pgcps.org) to ensure your background screening confirmation document is on file at the school. 

Also, we want to be prepared to continue instruction and school operation when staff take leave or if we have any remaining teaching vacancies. I encourage you to apply to be a Substitute Teacher at https://www.pgcps.org/offices/humanresources/substitute-teaching/how-to-apply Our young ones need you! We need you!