Tuxedo UFSD GGM Home Page

Welcome to the George Grant Mason School! I am extremely proud of our students, teachers, parents and community. We are committed to helping our children excel in the New York State Learning Standards and grow in the areas of civility, citizenship and character education. Our office is open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Feel free to contact us at (845) 351-4786 ext. 414. Sincerely, Barbara Geoghan Principal

About The George Grant Mason School George Grant Mason School is Tuxedo Union Free School District's elementary/middle school, serving students kindergarten through grade eight. Often affectionately abbreviated GGM, our school has the fine reputation of being one of the best schools in our area. Its personal touch is designed to complement the strengths and needs of each student. An addition was built on The George Grant Mason School during the 2000-2001 school year. Now, visitors to the school enter through a skylight lit atrium. A new science lab containing 28 workstations and a 12-workstation computer lab were added, along with an art room, library media center, elevator and cafetorium. The Student Resource Center was redesigned and the building is now handicapped accessible. Staffing: The complete staff of GGM includes: the principal, secretary, classroom teachers, guidance counselors, psychologist, speech and language teacher, special education teachers, math and reading teachers, foreign language teachers, choral and instrumental music teachers, art teacher, librarian, physical education teacher, and teacher aides. Program: The GGM elementary/middle school academic program supports a rigorous curriculum designed for students to succeed in the New York State standards and assessments. Integrated science, health, geography and social studies programs, stressing higher level thinking skills, decision-making, team building, and creative problem solving skills round out our programs. Activities: Music and the Arts have a high priority in our school. GGM has a chorus for students in grades four through six and a chorus for students in grades seven and eight. Students may begin taking instrumental lessons in fourth grade. There is a beginning band comprised mainly of fourth graders and a fifth through eighth grade band. Our students participating in our band and chorus groups perform many times throughout the school year. We are very proud of their achievements. Our students have been honored to compete at the All-County Band and Chorus Festival and have received the rating of Excellence at Music Competitions in New York City and Boston. Students in grades three through eight have an opportunity to participate in plays and musicals. The Baker High School fall drama production and the spring musical is open to our seventh and eighth graders. The George Grant Mason School musical production is open to third through eighth graders. Traditionally, our musical production is in June. The visual arts are also a strong component of our school curriculum. It is said that our school hallways have the feel of an art gallery. It is our goal to have each student's art work, framed and on display in our hallways at least once during their time at here at GGM. Artwork is also displayed at the town library, the local deli and educational sites in the county. Odyssey of the Mind is a national competition to challenge our creative, high achievers. The club meets after school. There are many other after school clubs that help give our students a chance to further develop their interests and develop leadership skills. Presently, our after school clubs include: Art Club, GGM Yearbook Club, Student Council, Junior Honor Society, Junior Jazz Singers, Jazz Ensemble, Practice Club (instrumental), Problem Solving Club, and Reading Club. Other learning opportunities for our students include numerous field trips to plays, musicals, planetariums, museums, government offices, botanical gardens, animal farms, zoos, and many local exhibits. Modified Sports: The following sports are offered to seventh and eighth graders; volleyball, soccer, basketball, softball and baseball. The students practice after school from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and compete with other schools both at home and away. All students who want to participate and comply with the school rules are allowed and encouraged to be part of the program. Character Education: Developing students with good values and good judgment is an important part of a student's life here at GGM. Please visit the Character Education, Skillstreaming, Bullyproof, guidance and the Resource Lending Library links for specific details about all of these important programs. Teacher/Parent/Community Involvement: Teacher involvement is part of every facet in our school. The teachers are committed to working with our students, parents, and community members to provide an outstanding education for our young people. The District has completed a Comprehensive District Educational Plan designed by a team of teachers, administrators, board members and parents. The team continues to meet on a regular basis to assess our District's goals and objectives. Our Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) is a vital component to our school. The Thanksgiving program, Senior Citizens' Day and Career Day are among a few of the programs supported by our PTA.

THE GGM KINDERGARTEN PROGRAM Parents are the child's first teachers. Your active participation is needed throughout the child's academic career. Your child continues to need you for leadership, guidance and encouragement throughout his/her academic career. Kindergarten is the first step of your child's formal school adventure. Kindergarten allows children to explore and develop through various experiences. In order for any child to gain the maximum benefit from Kindergarten, the home and school needs to develop a solid partnership. Setting up a place for your child to cut, color, paste and reading will set the stage for a place for homework that begins in first grade. Making a set time for reading together on a daily basis will help your child develop organizational skills and see you are interested in books and reading, too. This positive model is necessary for your child to be interested in books. The following outline will help you understand and support your child's progress: Language Arts Listening, speaking, reading and writing comprise the Language Arts Program. Children need many experiences to practice language. The Kindergarten year is rich in language experiences. In school and at home children love: Listening to stories, poetry, nursery rhymes and music Observing and discussing pictures Labeling, naming and grouping objects Tape recording for dictating and listening to stories Telling stories (creating and dramatizing) Developing a story from an experience Recording ideas, concepts, decisions and rules Hearing rhyming words Sequencing events Writing the alphabet and hearing beginning and ending sounds Understanding left to right progression Writing for fluency Review the letters and sound over and over for your child to master them. The alphabet is the building block of literacy. Mathematics The math program will include computation: adding, Problem Solving (so children need to be able to read to understand the problem), Estimating (guessing based on a realistic view), Geometry (working with dots and lines) and Probability (also used to get students to think). The Kindergarten math program gives children opportunity to use manipulatives so children see the concepts in concrete form. Some of the manipulatives are: Clocks (to tell time) Rulers and tape measures, non standard units of measure Large/small blocks to discover the relationships of shape, size, balance and color Counters and cuisinaire rods to count, recognize and understand numerals Scales and cooking materials to understand measurement Magnetic and felt boards to understand the order relation of numerals Pattern blocks, beads, tangrams, geoboards Computer software to reinforce skills and Calculators for addition readiness. Note: Today, schools present a Math-Science-Technology Program to help children see the relationships among the three areas. Science For young children, science means learning about the environment. Children are challenged with inquiry-oriented questions. The answers are found through observation. The scientific method of hypothesis (guess) and observation is used. Children are given opportunities to explore science concepts through various activities using their five senses. Some of the activities include: Graphing and classifying information about us Observing life styles of frog and butterfly Housing classroom pets to learn how to care for animals Cooking experiences to encourage good health and nutrition Planting seeds and watching them grow Reading weather maps and charts to observe and predict the weather Walking around the school to collect leaves and Freezing and defrosting water. Science helps children to rely on the knowledge they gain from their first hand experiences. It helps children be more aware of their environment. Social Studies The Social Studies strands include: historic, geographic, economic, social and political areas. The elementary curriculum begins with the child understanding his role (as a family member and student) and the role of his family members and community members. The program expands to include different cultures and customs around the globe as the child matures and better appreciates similarities and differences. In order for you to help your child, the relationships studied in school are mentioned here: the geography of a place determines economic possibilities (sea ports lead to imports/exports; waterways permit travel and fishing, etc.). The way people govern themselves (politics) are learned through the history. The beliefs, customs and cultures are reflected in the holiday traditions, games, music and celebrations that the children study in the social area. Students build self-esteem and understanding of the world through the following activities: Role playing and pantomiming Puppet shows Field trips Holiday parties and Art exhibits. Foreign Language The George Grant Mason School begins foreign language instruction in Kindergarten. Through the use of games, songs, puppets and stories, children learn numbers, colors, animals, greetings and other basic vocabulary that is built upon through their years at GGM. Computers Curriculum integration and computer awareness are important aspects of the Kindergarten computer program. The students learn about the computer and what it can do by using different software programs. They are also introduced to multimedia programs by using CD-Rom software. Students will familiarize themselves in the following areas: Keyboard familiarity Letter recognition Shapes Patterns Number recognition Listening skills Science Adding, subtracting Introduction to Word Processing Free Play Play is an important part of a Kindergartner's day. It provides an opportunity to relive or dramatize an experience in an imaginative and creative way. Students may choose from among the following activities: Performing plays and role playing Art activities (exploring with clay, paints, paper, glue, crayons, chalk, scissors and cloth) Large and small muscle activities (playing with sand, blocks, puzzles, toy cars and dolls) Housekeeping manipulatives (playing with kitchen appliances and utensils) and Classroom computer (math and reading readiness software), to name a few. The Kindergarten teacher recognizes the varying degrees of development in young children and guides them into experiences in which they will feel comfortable. The program has to be flexible to meet these needs. Young children often pretend to be adults in the store, block corner and house keeping area. This kind of play allows them to model the adult behavior they are familiar with and realize different people play different roles. Note: There is a request for all parents to become involved in the life of the Kindergarten class. Through your participation children see their efforts as important, in your eyes and your care of others becomes a model to them of how they can regard and treat other people. Best wishes for years of involvement with the elementary school. Your participation is very welcomed.

Kindergarten Registration Forms Registration Information If you are planning to enroll your child in the Tuxedo Union Free School District, please do so as soon as possible. The George Grant Mason Elementary and Middle School is open daily. Please call (845) 351-4797 for an appointment. Many of the forms that are required for new entrant registration are now available on-line and can be printed from your home computer. Click on the links below to be directed to a webpage where you can print the form. Please complete the form and bring it with you to your appointment. The following forms are required for new entrants: Registration Form Health/Immunization Health History Record Medical Examination Form Emergency Dismissal Form Transportation Data Sheet Pre-Kindergarten Screening Form (kindergarten only) Parent Release of Records (if transferring from another school) Medication Form (if applicable) Guardianship Letter (if applicable)