September 25- Yom Kippur/ Schools and Offices Closed

September 25 - October 2- English Language Development Speaking & Writing Student Tasks for Multilingual Students

September 26-  Virtual School Safety Action Forum Join via the PGCPS YouTube Channel 6- 8 PM

September 27- Superintendent Millard House Town Hall 6:00 - 8:00 pm High Point High School

September 30- PSAT Online Workshop | Math Bootcamp @ GJGMS begins

October 3- Picture Day | Parent Workshop: TutorMe 

October 5- Quarter 1 Progress Report Grades Released via SchoolMAX

October 5- Family Food Market; PGCPS Family Institute: Preparing for Parent Teacher Sessions

October 7- PSAT Online Workshop | Math Bootcamp @ GJGMS

October 9- Indigenous Peoples' Day- Parent/Teacher Conferences- Schools Closed for Students 

October 10- Superintendent Millard House Town Hall 6 - 8:00 pm Oxon Hill High School

October 14- PSAT Online Workshop | Math Bootcamp @ GJGMS

October 18- Thee G. James Gholson Middle Open House

October 18- Superintendent Millard House Town Hall  6:00 - 8:00 pm Charles H. Flowers High School

October 20- Professional Development Day- Schools Close

October 21- PSAT Online Workshop | Math Bootcamp @ GJGMS

October 23- Superintendent Millard House Town Hall 6:00 to 7:30 pm Virtual Town Hall Meeting 

October 27- Harvest Festival Dance 6:00 - 8:00 PM

Title I is a federally funded program under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) as reauthorized by the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA). 

The purpose of Title I is to provide all children a significant opportunity to receive a fair, equitable, and high-quality education and to close educational achievement gaps. 

The  restricted grant provides supplementary funding to improve the teaching and learning of students. Funds are to be used only for programs that supplement, and do not supplant, the services that would be provided in the absence of these funds.

All Title I schools benefit from centralized program services that include instructional support, professional development, technology support, and parent and family engagement initiatives.

Parent , Family and Community Engagement is very important and affects student achievement. Research shows that when a student’s parent or guardian is involved, the student is more successful in school.

Please read the ESSA & Title I Parent and Family Engagement Plan for helping and supporting schools in their efforts to encourage and promote parent engagement. The policy may be viewed in its entirety to your left or via the PGCPS website. Please sign the document to indicate that you have received this document.

The Parent Support Centers run from 5:00 - 8:00 pm on every Monday (except for holidays and other systemic closures), by appointment only. To make an appointment click here ->  https://calendly.com/parentcenter-ghols

The team consists of:

1. Site Coordinator, Ms. Chase 

2. 2 IT Techs

3. 1-2 Security staff

4. Parent Engagement Assistant or teacher to help out

5. 1 Professional School Counselor 

Take advantage of this opportunity to address your child's concerns.

To make an appointment click here ->  https://calendly.com/parentcenter-ghols

If you have any questions please contact Ms. Chase, Chavonne.Chase@pgcps.org

Parents, continue to speak with our children about responsibly and hygienically using the restroom and reporting who is tearing up our community. What they do or don't do impacts everyone else.  Students are breaking up the soap dispensers, clogging the toilets and leaving used and unused sanitary napkins on the floor and sink. In this season of COVID, influenza, and other diseases, this behavior is going to end up spreading disease such as deadly staph infections and it's very likely your child is going to bring this to your home and family. And if your child is standing by watching and not reporting who is tearing up our community, then they are very much part of the problem. 

The solution is not shutting down the bathrooms, because this is a school, they are human beings and we are not running a prison or concentration camp. The solution is for our children to responsibly use the restroom just as you have taught them and to be a guardian of our community.

September 18 - 19- Reading Inventory Test

September 18 - October 2- English Language Development Speaking & Writing Student Tasks

September 20- Educational Resource Team Parent Meeting @Gholson 6:00 PM (By invitation only)

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

September 20- PGCPS Virtual  Family Institute Series: Parent Code of Conduct 6:00 - 7:30 PM

September 23- PSAT Online Workshop

September 25- Yom Kippur/ Schools and Offices Closed

September 30- PSAT Online Workshop

October 3- Parent Workshop: TutorMe 

October 5- Family Food Market; PGCPS Family Institute: Preparing for Parent Teacher Sessions

October 7- PSAT Online Workshop

•  Return the Emergency Contact Information sheet to your child's MOD 1 teacher?

• Return Publicity Release form to your child's MOD 1 teacher?

• Submit the digital Student Dismissal Plan?

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. As mandated reporters, staff must report the parent/guardian of any student left unattended.

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 immediately.

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. 

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. 

We welcome visitors, parent shadowing, and the opportunity to partner with our Gholson community members in person. In order to ensure staff are available, visitors should make an appointment prior to visiting staff in the building.  Appointments can be made by either calling the school or email. 

To ensure the safety of our students and staff, ALL VISITORS must report directly to the main office and have their government-issued identification, which includes the visitor’s name, date of birth and photo scanned to receive a visitor’s badge before visiting any classroom. Visitors must be accompanied by a PGCPS employee at all times throughout their visit. Visitors are required to wear the visitor management system badge while at the school. Visitors should be mindful of the PGCPS Code of Conduct for Families, Volunteers and Visitors found here : 

https://www.pgcps.org/parents/code-of-conduct-for-families-and-visitors

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! 

September 11 - 19- Reading Inventory Test

September 11 - October 2- English Language Development Speaking & Writing Student Tasks

September 14- SY 22-23 Fourth Quarter Honor Roll Assembly @8:30 AM

September 15- Hispanic Heritage Month Begins

September 20- Educational Resource Team Parent Meeting @Gholson 6:00 PM (By invitation only)

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

September 20- PGCPS Virtual  Family Institute Series: Parent Code of Conduct 6:00 - 7:30 PM

September 25- Yom Kippur/ Schools and Offices Closed

This week we begin the Reading Inventory assessment. Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) uses a district-mandated Comprehension Reading Level Assessment with secondary students in Grades 6-8 to determine students’ strengths and needs in the area of Reading/English Language Arts. All students in middle school are mandated to participate in this Reading Inventory Assessment Administration. This assessment aims to identify students who may benefit from additional support with literacy and reading comprehension skills. Please read the letters below (in English, French and Spanish) to help your child do their best! Students will use their Chromebooks to take the test. Ensure each evening, your child plugs in their Chromebook so that it is charged and ready for the school day.

•  Return the Emergency Contact Information sheet to your child's MOD 1 teacher?

• Return Publicity Release form to your child's MOD 1 teacher?

• Submit the digital Student Dismissal Plan?

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. As mandated reporters, staff must report the parent/guardian of any student left unattended.

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 immediately.

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. 

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. 

We welcome visitors, parent shadowing, and the opportunity to partner with our Gholson community members in person. In order to ensure staff are available, visitors should make an appointment prior to visiting staff in the building.  Appointments can be made by either calling the school or email. 

To ensure the safety of our students and staff, ALL VISITORS must report directly to the main office and have their government-issued identification, which includes the visitor’s name, date of birth and photo scanned to receive a visitor’s badge before visiting any classroom. Visitors must be accompanied by a PGCPS employee at all times throughout their visit. Visitors are required to wear the visitor management system badge while at the school. Visitors should be mindful of the PGCPS Code of Conduct for Families, Volunteers and Visitors found here : 

https://www.pgcps.org/parents/code-of-conduct-for-families-and-visitors

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! 

September 4- Labor Day/ Schools and Offices Closed

September 4 - 8- PGCPS Free Immunization Clinic @Fairmont Heights & Oxon Hill HS 9AM- 3PM

September 5- 8th Grade Student Rights & Responsibilities Community Meeting

September 6- 7th Grade Student Rights & Responsibilities Community Meeting

September 7- 6th Grade Student Rights & Responsibilities Community Meeting

September 8- Back-to-School Dance

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

September 15- Hispanic Heritage Month Begins

September 20- Educational Resource Team Parent Meeting @Gholson 6:00 PM (By invitation only)

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

September 25- Yom Kippur/ Schools and Offices Closed

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. As mandated reporters, staff must report the parent/guardian of any student left unattended.

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. 

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/Gold 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!