Hooray! The Garry Community Center, known as the GCC, is now officially open after many months of delays due to materials supply issues. We will spend the spring months fine-tuning our staffing and operations inside the space. Right now, the GCC offers student and family support through Communities in Schools, Bite 2 Go, Gonzaga University, and the Department of Family and Community Engagement. The space also provides a clothing closet! Next year, the College Success Foundation will return to provide college and career readiness support. And finally, this space not only allows for academic tutoring, but provides an alternative schooling experience through GPL – Garry Personalized Learning.

In April, we will return to in-person, monthly PTG (Parent/Teacher Group) meetings in this space as well. Stay tuned on that specific date in the evening which will be the perfect time to see the GCC!

April’s character trait is Respect. Students who display this trait recognize, consider, and properly honor the worth of one's self and others.

Spokane Garry Middle School will be closed for Spring Break from Monday, April 4th through Friday, April 8th. Students will return to school on Monday, April 11th.

Hello Garry Families! My name is Devony Audet. I am so excited to join Garry as the new Student Support Specialist. As a parent of a Garry alumni and future Garry students, I know it can be challenging navigating our education system on top of the everyday challenges of parenting, especially if you live in unique circumstances like myself with a son who has autism. This is why I am so excited to work in my own community, partnering with parents to connect them with all the resources our school, district, and community has to offer. From one parent to another, don’t hesitate to reach out if you or your student needs help! My email is DevonyA@Spokaneschools.org and my number is 509-354-5170.

Raven’s Nest Homework Center is available every Wednesday and Thursday from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Spokane Garry Middle School. Students have the opportunity to catch up on any missing assignments or homework. Students must sign up a day prior to attending Raven’s Nest as there are limited spaces. If you would like your student to attend Raven’s Nest, please sign up through the following academic interventionists:

Autism, also known as ASD, affects 1 in 68 people. If you are a student, you are likely in class with someone who has autism. If you are a teacher, you definitely have students with autism. And parents will likely encounter someone with autism on a regular basis. April is Autism Acceptance Month which is a great opportunity to learn about something that impacts so many members of our community. Autism is a unique way of seeing the world and while it might be different, it is important to realize that differences should be celebrated and embraced. Some notable people with autism include Tim Burton, Courtney Love, and Elon Musk - examples of how thinking differently positively impacts society. Social interactions can be difficult for those who are on the autism spectrum; so this month is a good time to remind ourselves that kindness costs us nothing, but it will change the world if we make it a priority. Saturday, April 2nd is Autism Acceptance Day so wear blue in solidarity. For those of you reading this who are on the spectrum, take April to celebrate the unique and amazing person you are! 

In honor of Women’s History Month, students in social studies classes this March learned about 10 notable women and voted for four of them to be placed on new equity banners to be placed around the school for next year. The following banner honorees who will join J.K. Rowling and the NASA Mathematicians: Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson, are:

Our AVID students are spearheading our upcoming community service project when we return from spring break! Our theme is helping shelter animals. Stay tuned for news on how students and community members can support our annual service project and help homeless and shelter animals in the Spokane area.

If you have questions email: juandiegol1@spokaneschools.org 

State testing is right around the corner. Spokane Garry Middle School students will complete the Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA), the annual state measurement of student achievement and proficiency in ELA & Math in May. Seventh graders who took the truncated 6^th grade assessments in the fall will take the full 7^th grade ELA SBA the week of May 9^th and the Math SBA the week of May 23^rd. Eighth graders who took the abbreviated 7^th grade assessments in the fall will take the full 8^th grade assessments, ELA the week of May 9^th and Math the week of May 23. For 8^th graders, in addition to the ELA and Math SBA, they will also take the Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science (WCAS) the week of May 16^th.

Wrestling: The Spokaloo Wrestling Tournament was held Saturday at Salk Middle School. Garry wrestling brought the A game with Parker Eastman and Hailey Ramsey finishing in 6^th place, Malekye Fletcher and Pierce Turnage in 5^th, Jaelynn Luna and Kyra Saniatan in 4^th, Ethan Sweeney in 3^rd, Aiden Rouse in 2^nd, and Cade Lawlor, Elijah Rhoades and Travis Toombs winning their brackets.

Girls Basketball: The Spokane Garry girls basketball finished a strong season of victories as well as personal and athletic growth. What began as a group of girls learning the game transformed into a triumphant group of athletes who competed as a team.

 Alicia Umana received the Spokane Garry Spirit Award for consistently demonstrating joy in the game and a desire to learn. Adelina Knop was awarded the Most Improved Player for growing exponentially in decision making and dribbling. Defensive Player of the Year was awarded to Sierra Graf, who provided 20+ blocks on the season. Offensive player of the Year was awarded to Aubrie Lowman for consistently lighting up the scoreboard. Yasmin Lopez was awarded the 6^th Woman Award for helping to center the offense. This year’s MVP was Ashley Richards, who provided consistent play night in and night out. Every player on the team did an exceptional job and received honors for their improvement throughout the season.

Boys Basketball: The 8^th grade boys JV basketball team had a terrific season. The boys worked super hard to learn and improve their skills and had many 6:50am morning practices. This is a great sacrifice that the boys and their families made all season.

The team’s skills improved significantly in defense, rebounding, passing, and most of all, running the fast break. The team ran an up-tempo offense that overwhelmed the other teams. Some performance highlights include:

Aareel Washington who ran the team with his dazzling array of passes leading to easy baskets for his teammates. This earned him the nickname of “Dimes." 

Tony Orozco was our leading rebounder, shot blocker, and scorer all season. He was our anchor, keeping our team competitive in every game and leading us to victory in 5 games.

Our Most Improved Player was Joseph Thompson, who showed tremendous growth both on the court and in the classroom. He was a big contributor to our success.

Finally, Graham Nesbitt was instrumental with his speed and scoring ability. He made big improvements to his point guard skills over the course of the season.

  

Congratulations on a great season. It was a pleasure to coach all of the boys. Other notable contributions to our success were:

Aidan Adsit - rebounding and defensive specialist.

Kolby Epler - steady/calming hand during the games.

Ignacio Guzman - became a big contributor as the season progressed.

Dallas Lyman - Mr. Layin – shot about 95% when he was around the basket.

LeBron Smith - provided a big spark as he joined in the last 5 games of the season.

Adin Wimmer - huge improvement over the season.

7^th/8^th Track & Field                    April 11- May 27

7^th/8^th Baseball                             April 11- May 27

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I have a tattoo on my left arm that reads “bibliophile” which means collector and lover of books. Books are also made of paper which will come in handy on said desert island. The books I would choose to bring are For Everyone by Jason Reynolds, The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald, and Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson.