Stay connected with GBMS Subscribe or follow us on our website, peachjar, twitter, instagram, youtube, The Wildcat Chat PAWdcast with a picture of a wildcat. Green background, white background, yellow, black green writing. Logos of each way to subscribe.GBMS Supports Our Military Families. American Flag with blue and white circle. Click here to see our military resources!Respectful, Responsible, Ready to Learn. The Wildcat Way. White background, with green and gold wildcat in the middle. green and gold paw prints on the left and right of the wildcat.

 

Wildcat Summer Welcome

Wildcat Summer Welcome Graphic Great Bridge Middle School will host the Wildcat Summer Welcome on Thursday, July 27th from 9:00 AM until 11:00 AM. This event is for sixth graders and new students to GBMS to play games, meet new friends, and check out the school!

No registration is required.

Drop off and pick up is located in the front of the building.

Great Bridge Middle Requests Community Feedback

We have organized a committee to begin the process to rename a courtyard on the Great Bridge Middle campus in honor of Mr. Craig Mills. Our principal, Mrs. Heather Martin, is leading this effort to honor the 47 years of dedicated service of Mr. Mills and his many contributions to Great Bridge Middle School.

About Mr. Craig Mills

Mr. Mills began his career with Chesapeake Public Schools in 1975, when he was hired to serve as the Band Director at Great Bridge Junior High (Great Bridge Junior High is no longer an active school site. It currently serves as an administrative office building for the district and hosts Adult Education and SECEP). During his tenure at Great Bridge Junior High School, he formed and directed the first Symphonic Band. In a Virginian-Pilot article published on June 9, 1996, Mr. Mills shared

“I don’t think musical knowledge was the reason I was successful,” he said. “You have to be able to understand the age. You have to be able to motivate the youngsters.” Mills said he responded to the child side of their personalities by trying to be a good listener. In class, before school, after school. When they would stand in his office door, just wanting to be noticed. “Sometimes,” he said, “they just wanted to be paid attention.”

In a February 2022 Wildcat Chat Pawdcast episode, Mr. Mills revealed that every job he served within the district was on Battlefield Boulevard. After 16 years as a teacher, Mr. Mills left the Great Bridge community to serve as the assistant principal, and later principal, at B.M. Williams Primary. He was thankful when district administrators asked him to “come back home” in 2010 to serve as the principal of Great Bridge Middle School, a role he served with tradition and pride for twelve years.

“I’ve made a difference in a quiet way just by doing my job and doing it well and people thought enough of me to promote me to be principal of this school.” – Mr. Craig Mills

Request for Community Feedback

Promotional Graphic in Great Bridge colors (hunter green and gold) with text and clip art logos/graphics. Text reads:COURTYARD DEDICATION ONLINE SURVEY Open through May 10, 2023 Great Bridge Middle (GBM) School is conducting a community survey to solicit feedback on naming the GBM courtyard (located off of the school cafeteria) in honor of Mr. Craig K. Mills. Mr. Mills is a former band teacher at GBM and recently retired as principal. We value your input. integrated graphics include: GBM logo, clip art of a courtyard bench and tree.
Click on the graphic above to access GBM’s community survey.

The school is conducting a community survey to solicit feedback on naming the Great Bridge Middle School courtyard (located off of the school cafeteria) in honor of Mr. Mills. The survey will be open to the public through May 10, 2023.

“Mr. Craig K. Mills has been a pillar in the Great Bridge community for decades, first as a band teacher for 16 years, and then as the building principal for 12 years. He dedicated much of his life to the students, faculty, and community stakeholders which is why he is so deserving of this honor.” – Mrs. Heather Martin

Mr. Craig Mills’ Career in Chesapeake Public Schools

Mr. Mills retired after 47 years of service to Chesapeake Public Schools.

  • 1975-1991 Teacher (Band) Great Bridge Junior High (16 years)
  • 1991-1996 Assistant Principal, B.M. Williams Primary (5 years)
  • 1996-2010 Principal, B.M. Williams Primary (14 years)
  • 2010-2022 Principal, Great Bridge Middle (12 years)

Middle School Summer Learning Programs

Chesapeake Public Schools 2023 middle school summer program offers learning opportunities for current students in grades six through eight. This program consists of two 10-day sessions at 2 of our high school campuses. Our middle school summer program primary goals are to support learning gaps and provide opportunities to engage with our exciting Career and Technical Education (CTE) middle school curriculum.

Core Academic Program

  • These courses are only available for students who need to repeat a core class for promotion.
  • Each course is completed during a 10-day session.
  • Two sessions will be offered. Students may register for up to 2 courses (1 course per session).
  • Students are recommended to participate by their school. Families of recommended students will receive more information from their school counselor in late April.

Enrichment Program

  • Enrichment course offerings include:
    • Girls Who Code
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Robotics
    • Culinary Arts
  • Each course is completed during a 4-day session.
  • Interested students should contact their school counselor for help with registration.
  • Two sessions will be offered. Students may register for only one session.
  • School counselors will have registration information available late April.

 

For more information regarding program dates, times, and locations, please visit https://cpschools.com/summer-school/middle-school-programs/

Month of the Military Child

Month of the Military Child graphic with yellow ribbonApril is month of the Military Child! Military family members are encouraged to join their student for lunch in the cafeteria. Special tables will be set up just for this purpose! Military Students Serve too!

We are also still accepting submissions from members of our military who would like to thank their children by recording a video message that will be played on the announcements at school. Click here to submit a video.

GBMS PTA Dance

Green and gray disco ball with gold lights surrounding it.

The GBMS PTA is sponsoring the Fire & Ice Dance on Friday, April 21 from 6:00-8:00 in the cafeteria. The cost of the dance is $10 per student, which includes two slices of pizza and a water. Concessions will also be available for $1 each.
Tickets will be on sale during lunch April 17-19.
Please click HERE for more details.

Spring Testing Schedule

Please make every effort to be in school on these dates!

Test Date Grades Bells
Multiple Choice Writing SOL Test Tuesday, March 28 8 4-5
Direct Writing SOL Test Wednesday, March 29 8 1-4
Integrated Reading/Writing Field Test Wednesday, April 19 8 4-5
Civics SOL Test Friday, May 19 6 1-3
Science SOL Test Friday, May 19 8 1-3
Reading SOL Test Tuesday, May 23 6, 7, 8 1-3
Math SOL Test Thursday, May 25 6, 7, 8 1-3

Military Child Recognition

Support Military Kids!April is the Month of the Military Child! We would like to give the valued members of our military the opportunity to thank their children by recording a video message that will be played on the announcements at school. Some of the entries will also be displayed on the GBMS social media platforms. We request that all videos be submitted by March 28.

Click here to submit a video.

Visit the Department of Defense website for more information regarding the celebration of military children.

Attendance Matters!

Benefits of regular school attendanceInstructions for reporting an absence in ParentVue detailed in the text of this post.

It is very important that students continue to maintain regular school attendance. If your child needs to be out of school, please use ParentVue to report the absence for the current day and up to 7 days in the future. If you miss the window to report the absence in ParentVue, please send in a note for your student to deliver to the main office. Absences must be reported to the main office within 4 days of the student’s return to school.

Thank you for your help in this matter!

 

 

GBMS Receives Purple Star Designation!

Purple Star with Virginia Distinguished Purple Star School For Supporting Military Connected Students in a blue circle around the star.We are proud to announce that Great Bridge Middle School has received the Purple Star designation 2022!  This distinguished honor is awarded to military-friendly schools that have demonstrated a major commitment to students and families connected to our nation’s military. As a Purple Star school, we receive a resolution of recognition, an award coin, and the opportunity to proudly display the Purple Star logo for three school years. This is our second time receiving this award for our outstanding commitment to serving the needs of our military families. 

See Something, Say Something

Our district offers several communications platforms that provide students, parents, and staff the opportunity to engage in a two-way dialogue.

Quick Tip logo
Quick Tip is an anonymous way to make school administrators aware of a specific safety concern.

Let's Talk logo
Send the school district your questions, concerns, suggestions, and or compliments through Let’s Talk.

Chesapeake Crime Line logo
Chesapeake Crime Line provides a way for citizens to report criminal activity to local authorities.

Additional guidance on how to express a concern for personal concerns is available to our students and their parents.
For emergencies, please call 911

Student Passes for Athletic Events

GBMS Wildcat Mascot

GBMS students who want to attend middle school athletic events this year are highly encouraged to purchase student passes. These passes are available for purchase online only using the GoFan website. The Student Annual Pass costs $20 and provides admittance to any VHSL or CMSL regular season games in Chesapeake, including CMSL tournament games. Students will redeem their passes using their smartphones at each eligible athletic contest. Individual event tickets are also available online through GoFan at $5 for students. If you have any questions, see Ms. Formica or Mr. Fox.

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