Garrison Union Free School District

GUFS Board of Education SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT A virtual joint meeting is scheduled for the Highland Falls-Fort Montgomery Central School District and the Garrison Union Free School District Boards of Education on January 14, 2021 at 6:00 PM This joint business meeting will include a Presentation from the faculty and staff of the Highland Falls-Fort Montgomery CSD on updates and developments to the academic programs at James I. O’Neill High School. Watch the meeting via YouTube live stream. https://www.hffmcsd.org/Page/4694

Nurse Melissa’s good news started the entire district off on a high note for 2021: She received the COVID-19 vaccine last Friday! She was given the vaccine at Putnam Hospital Center by a student nurse from Mount Saint Mary. Nurse Melissa reported that the vaccination itself felt much like the flu shot and other than slight muscle soreness at the injection site, she has no other side effects. Congratulations Nurse Melissa!

Our 4th graders headed outside for Guidance this week. They start each class with a mindfulness activity and the crisp, sunny weather was perfect for practicing it by going for a nature walk using the 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 strategy. This method uses the five senses to focus on the moment. Deep, slow, and long breaths are the first priority for achieving a calm state before thoughtfully taking the time to see, smell, hear, touch, and taste the environment. The exercise ends with a long, deep breath. #gufsrocks #breathe #mindfulness

All the pennies (and nickels, dimes, quarters and dollar bills!) have been counted and the winner of this year's GUFS Middle School #PennyWars class competition is.6th GRADE! Congratulations to the 6th graders for racking up over $400! Final standing are as follows: 6th grade: $411.06 7th grade: $232.56... 8th grade: $221.51 The 7th and 8th grade classes did a great job too, with both classes bringing in lots of coins and cash. But, they were overwhelmed by silver coins that lowered their classes' point totals, said Garrison School Counselor Krista DiDiego. Overall, Penny Wars raised nearly $870 to support our local VFW and American Legion. Start saving those coins for next year's Penny War! #gufsrocks

As part of #NationalBullyingPreventionMonth, GUFS middle school students participated in Unity Day by wearing orange and promoting kindness, acceptance, and inclusion! Under the guidance of School Counselor Krista DiDiego, students participated in this annual event which encourages schools, communities and organizations to work together to stop bullying and cyberbullying and put an end to hatred and racism by increasing awareness of the prevalence and impact of all forms of bullying on all children of all ages. "The more awareness that is created all year round, the closer we are to putting an end to bullying," Ms. DiDiego said.