November 14: Middle school optional Outdoor Ed hike after school

November 17: Hockey Day - professional players from the Garmisch-based Riesersee Hockey Team will be visiting our school! See the email sent home by Ms. Mills for more information.

November 19: Turkey Trot – strap on your running shoes and join us for a short trot around the housing area. Parents are invited to join the trot, or gobble and cheer for students along the path! More information will be forthcoming.

November 20: Thrilling Thursday parent information night and PTA meeting; 6PM at GEMS. Meet a representative from the ski school and learn all you need to know about the ski program. More information will be forthcoming.

November 26-28: No school in observance of Thanksgiving

Aspen: update your POC’s, please! Please take a moment to login to Aspen, check that we have the correct contact information for your student, and make any necessary adjustments. Please check the following:

Flu immunizations: The MEDDAC-B Hohenfels medical team will come to Garmisch to administer flu vaccinations on November 12 and 13th at the Pete Burke Center. The influenza vaccine is required for enrollment in DoDEA schools and documentation is due to the school nurse by December 1st.   

Shared food in classrooms – 3 days notice: We ask parents who wish to send in shared classroom food items (birthday treats, etc.) to notify the nurse and classroom teacher at least 3 days prior to the event. This way, we can ensure the safety of our students with food allergies.

Student absences: Please notify the Main Office (gemsoffice@dodea.edu) as soon as possible, but no later than 09:00 if your child will be absent. If a student is marked absent, and we have not heard from you, GEMS will send a parent notification/inquiry. For preplanned/extended absences, please reach out to the Main Office to obtain a preplanned absence form.

Spirit wear! If you have spirit wear that no longer fits your children, please consider donating it to the PTA so it can find a new home with another student. Donations are being collected in the front office. 

1000 books before High School GEMS is supporting our base library with their awesome program called '1000 Books before High School'. Students can count any book they read from the GEMS library and the base library towards their goal of 1000 books. They also receive a prize for every 100 books they read! Please see more information below, or contact our librarian Laini Blanchard at laini.blanchard@dodea.edu

You Made the Grade! Your Garmisch Exchange is part of the 'You Made the Grade' program! The 'You Made the Grade' program is designed to reward students, 1st-12th grade, for above-average academic achievement and to inspire them to work that much harder. Please see more information below.

School Meal Selection (Grades K-8 only): The menu for the week is posted on the GEMS website at School Meals Program | Garmisch Elementary Middle School | DoDEA 

From the Registrar If you haven’t already, please be sure to verify your student in Aspen. Also, if your phone number or address has changed, please send the updated contact information to the Registrar at gemsoffice@dodea.edu