Greetings,
This year we are celebrating GMS's 175th anniversary. What better way to celebrate this month by honoring Louis Braille and the importance of braille at our school? World Braille day was Monday, January 4th, Louis Braille's birthday. Braille is practice and celebrated every day at GMS. Our teachers and staff work closely with students to identifying their best learning medium. This is done through Learning Media Assessments (LMA), a tool that helps identify which literacy media is best for our students based on their vision and sensory needs. Learning mediums can be print, auditory, tactile, braille, or any combination of these mediums. Students who are identified as needing braille have access to a wide range of materials at GMS. Braille skills are taught, practices, and refined everyday with our students. Take a tour of our campus and you find many examples of how braille makes our campus more accessible. Observe our classes and you will see how literacy and the use of braille is expertly integrated by our teachers into lessons. GMS has highly qualified staff who are experts in producing braille materials and tactile diagrams, so all our students have access to the curriculum. We are proud of all our students who work hard in accessing their education using braille.
Braille extends outside the classroom as well and is integrated into the culture of the school. This is evident in our student lead Braille Club, our brailled musical notes, our assistive technology, and our Louis Braille tribute in the garden. The braille club meets to discuss the importance of braille, to read and discuss, and to ensure GMS is fully accessible to all. On February 19th many of our students will attend the 2020 Braille Challenge. The Braille Challenge is an academic competition for students who are blind or visually impaired. The Braille Institute hosts the Braille Challenge to motivate students to practice and refine their braille literacy skills, which are essential to academic and employment success.
This month our students traveled to The Maryland School for the Blind to participate in the 2020 EAAB (Eastern Athletic Association for the Blind) Wrestling and Cheerleading competition. Our cheerleaders placed 2nd in competition while our wrestlers earned 3rd place. Congratulations to all our student athletes on proudly representing GMS and all your successes! Leading up to the big tournament students participated in Spirit Week where they had the opportunity to demonstrate their school pride and attend a pep really lead by our school band and cheerleaders. Go Chargers!
Sincerely,
Matthew Mescall
UPCOMING EVENTS: FEBRUARY
- February 4- PTA/PTO Meeting
- February 10-14- GMS Short Term Session
- February 11- Teen Summit
- February 12- SEANC visits GMS
- February 14- GMS Advisory Council
- February 18- Kai’s Comforts- In a short assembly, Kai Owens of GA shares his sight loss story including that he's the world's only legally blind sponsored skimboarder and a drummer in several local bands. He also distributes blankets to students.
- February 18- Kidz Korner
- February 19- Braille Challenge hosted by Eye Shine Foundations
- February 25-28- ACT
- February 25-28- NC EXTEND Alternative Assessments at Grade 11
- February 27- GMS Black History Month Luncheon