Congratulations to Coach Gautney and the Griffin Middle School Boys Soccer
Team! We are the Division 1A Champions for the 2006 school year! Way to
go, Tigers!

Congratulations to Coach Hankerson and the Lady Tiger Basketball Team! We
are the Division 1A Runner-Up Champions for the 2006 school year! Way to
go, Tigers!


12.11.06
“E” Week— 5 days left until exam week begins!
Science Fest Display in the Media Center through 12.15.06

12.12.06
Pre-AP Mythology Banquet—Questions? See Mrs. Gaskin
Annual Gift of Literacy for all Tigers begins!
Jr. BETA Club applications and fees are due to Ms. Nolan

12.13.06
GMS Chorus performs at the Capitol  11:30 AM Questions? See Mr. Whitfield

12.15.06
Locker Clean-out and Organization Day!
Jingle Jam—Holiday Social  7:00—9:30 PM in the cafeteria
Students will only be admitted with a permission slip and a ticket!

Exam Week at Griffin Middle School! Good luck, Tigers!

12.18.06
Exams in A and B period classes  8:20 AM—12:10 PM
Lunch Menu: Ham & Cheese Sandwich
PTO Silent Auction  6:00 PM on the walkway to the Tiger’s Den
Boys Basketball and Girls/Boys Track & Field Meeting 6:00 PM
Band and Chorus Winter Concert  6:30 PM in the Tiger’s Den

12.19.06
Exams in C & D period classes  8:20 AM—12:10 PM
Lunch Menu: Turkey Sandwich

12.20.06
Exams in E & F period classes  8:20 AM—12:10 PM
Lunch Menu: Smuckers Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich

There will be NO AFTER SCHOOL BUSES OR AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES from
December 14,2006 — January 5, 2007.
Our after school program will resume on 01.08.07!

IMPORTANT CALENDAR DATES
Winter Holidays  December 21, 2006—January 2, 2007
Teacher Planning Day  Wednesday, January 3, 2007
Students Return:  Thursday, January 4, 2007 at 8:20 AM

Holiday Food Drive News

Congratulations, Tigers! We exceeded our Holiday Food Drive Goal by 66%!!
Our 2006 goal was set at collecting 1,968 items!
We embraced the vision & collected 3,269 items!
Our top three classes to collect the most items are listed below:
Mrs. Kendrick
Ms. Jackson
Ms. Hill

Way to help our community, Tigers!

Parents, our PTO will host our Annual Silent Auction in the Griffin Media
Center on December 18, 2006 (same night as the winter concert). If you own
or know of a business that will donate items (or gift certificates), our
PTO will be very appreciative.  Also, the PTO can accept any new/unused
item you may have that you would like to donate for auction. Please
contact Mrs. Maria Smith at 510-3641 or just drop off donated items at the
GMS front office. Don't forget to stop by the auction on December 18, 2006
at 6:00 PM! We hope to see you there!

Here is a partial list of some of the items from our
Silent Auction:
1.      Family ticket at Fun Station includes game tokens,
   large pizza, pitcher of soda and choice of 4 games to play
2.      Fun Station tickets for laser tag, go-karts and tokens
3.      Dinner for two at El Chico
4.      Dinner for two at El Tapatio
5.      $20.00 gift certificates from On The Border Mexican Grill
6.      $35.00 Gift Certificate from Turn the Tables
7.      Lunch/Dinner gift certificate from Ole Times Country Buffet
8.      $20.00 Gift Certificate from Salty Dawg Pub & Deli
9.      $20.00 Gift Certificate from Suzy Q’s Pet Boutique
10.  $20.00 Gift Certificate from Julie’s Restaurant
11.  Oil change Gift Certificate from Sun Tire
12.  Tire Alignment Gift Certificate from Sun Tire
13.  Oil change Gift Certificate from Tuffy Auto Service
14.  Tire alignment with rotation and balancing Gift Certificate from
Firestone Auto Care
15.  Bike Helmet from Joe’s Bike Shop
16.  Dinner for 4 Gift Certificate from Golden Corral
17.  2 silk flower arrangements
18.  Silver plate candle sticks
19.  Gift Certificate for rug cleaning from White’s Rug Cleaning
20.  Hand crafted imported wool rug  Valued at over $600
21.  2    $10.00 Gift Certificates for Sonny’s Bar-B-Que
22.  Dinner Gift Certificate from Red Lobster
23.  Small gift basket of Pampered Chef products

Stay tuned for more items to be listed! You do not want to miss this great
event! Come out and get some holiday shopping  done or treat yourself!
Thanks for helping our PTO!

Griffin Middle School’s Turn Off the TV Night
Monday, December 18, 2006

Please review some interesting facts and figures about our TV habits that
undermine family life and hampers higher educational achievement:


Time per day that TV is on in an average US home: 7 hours, 40 minutes

Amount of television that the average American watches per day:  over 4
hours or 1,669 hours per year.

Percentage of US households with 3 or more TVs in 2003 – over 50%

Percentage of Americans who always or often watch television while eating
dinner – 40%

Time per week that parents spend in meaningful conversations with their
children – 38.5 minutes

Average time per week that the American child ages 2 – 17 spends watching
television – 19 hours, 40 minutes

Percentage of children 8 – 16 who have a TV in their bedroom – 27%

Hours per year the average American Youth spends in school -  900 hours

Hours per year the average American Youth spends watching television –
1,023 hours

Percentage of young adults who admit to postponing their bedtime for the
television of internet – 55%
Source:  www.tvturnoff.org


We know that this information is shocking and we want to collectively do
something about it on Monday, December 18, 2006 with our first Griffin
Middle School’s Turn Off the TV Night! Read on and join us as we make a
positive difference for our school community!

OK Tigers - Now that we have turned the TV off what can we do instead of
watching television?

Attend our PTO Silent Auction and Winter Band/Chorus Concert at GMS!

Go for a walk, bike ride, or play basketball with your parents!

Work in the yard together – planting plants, plan a garden!

Play board games or complete Sudoku puzzles with your kids!

Read a book together!

Work on a project together as a family such as cooking, baking, painting,
or doing crafts projects!

Volunteer to help another family or friend!

Visit the local library to pick out books together!

Family music night – explore the different types of music!

Reflect on the past year and set family goals for the upcoming year!

Please complete the information below and enter your family in our school
drawing to celebrate “Griffin Middle School’s Turn Off the TV Night”! We
will choose three Griffin Middle School families to win some great prizes
that will serve to ensure hours of family fun!

Yes, our family participated in Griffin Middle School’s Turn Off the TV
Night on December 18, 2006!

Student's Name: ______________________________Grade: _____________

Parent's/Guardian's  Name:_______________________________

Parent's/Guardian's Signature:____________________________

Please return this completed form to the front office by 12.20.06 at 9:00
AM in order to be eligible for our prize drawings!