Screen Shot 2021-09-02 at 11.05.31 AM.png

Dear GWCS Community,

Is it possible that this first week was the best ever in 23 years? We think YES! It’s been so amazing welcoming everyone to the 2021-2022 school year — what compassionate, curious, and clever coyotes. But, don’t just take it from us, here’s what our students and teachers had to say about it as well as a photo glimpse of coyotes in action.

Here’s to a great year,

Alexa & Rick

Back to Top

A GLIMPSE OF THE FIRST WEEK…

STRAIGHT FROM THE COYOTES’ MOUTHS…

For Office Hours on Thursday 9/2, students and teachers were asked to send Ms. Warden an email telling her about something they liked or appreciated about this first week of school. Here’s what they had to say:

I enjoy group discussions and group dialogues. I think they're a great way to express ideas, and I think they also allow for a greater understanding of the class material.
I am thankful to see my teachers again.
This week I liked how we kept the bathroom policy, I also liked how I had a lot of new teachers rather than the same ones as last year!
Something I really like is how the Senior Lounge has become a lounge available for all grades. It’s nice to see acceptance that the rules were broken and that people of all grades like the area.
What I like most about this week were the classes. Now I usually wouldn't say that about a school. but here, all the classes are heavily discussion-based, which allows me to express more of what I know and not be as focused on writing things down, which I have difficulty doing.
I like that we still have the two breaks that we had last year.
I appreciate that all my students were patient, understanding, and helpful as we tried to figure out together how to use the various apps and websites I’ll be using this year.
I immensely APPRECIATED Kason bringing in vegan brownies. They were “the bomb dot com” as the kids say. Or used to say.
I really liked how friendly and welcoming everyone was, especially the teachers who helped me adjust to being in school again.
This first week of school, I really enjoyed how welcoming everyone was to the new students. I also love how every teacher was kind and helpful. I appreciated everyone for helping me understand how things work and being patient. I like how accommodating GWCS is, and how much safer it feels in comparison to public school. I really enjoyed the first week of school and I look forward to many more weeks at GWCS!
I enjoyed the fact that I finally got a cubby. I also enjoyed how you, Jay, Matthew, and Maddie left me in the hallway with a ladder and told me to put it away with no specification to where. P.S. the ladder is now located in the storage room two doors down from Mr. Lindner’s room on the left.
I appreciate the tutorial class because it helps me get all my work done on time and a higher quality, also Mr. Corrigan and Mr. Comstock are very nice and cool and smart and funny.
I like that we still have the two breaks that we had last year. The breaks give me time to decompress and relax. Also, it is a down time for me.
Meeting new people.
One thing that I really appreciated about the first week of school was the orientation days, which introduced new students to the school and got everyone to know each other before jumping into the classes. Those days were really good for helping students feel comfortable at the school and they really made me feel relaxed for the first few days of school.
This first week of school was amazing! Science class was super fun - we got to calculate densities of different metals and analyze the properties of varies sodas (aka matter)!
The best school in the world: I love the school because it is very flexible. All the teachers are amazing. Alex C is by far the best student in this school. I love office hour because it gives me time to do homework. Mr.Comstock is amazing he helps me get all my work done. all the students here are nice. You're the best principle . THANK YOU
The teachers have been very helpful and everyone seems nice.
There were so many amazing parts of this week, I can't pick just one. I think I liked the fact that Mr. Robbins lets us work on writing assignments in class and I am really enjoying Mr. Goldie's World Civ class this year.
Meeting new people and having fun with my amazing new friends and welcoming our new peers into our colorful community 😁
My first day back to school was great, it was nice to see everyone again. I talked to some new students and I found out that a few had the same hobbies etc.. I’m excited for this year for what it can bring.
I appreciated how easy the transition was back onto school, I had overthought how anxious I was going to be and how long it was going to take me to get adjusted, in actuality, it only took 15-20 minutes, I'm sure everyone was nervous though I had thought about every single thing that could have gone wrong the school made it easy to transition and painless and I'm just as comfortable as I was last year.
I feel like this school suits me well.
I really like that I have Brody at the school and that I have good classes that I like. I like office hours because I get to finish my homework with Mr. Comstock.
For me, I really liked meeting a ton of new people.
The best thing that happened to me this week was meeting everyone and feeling so welcomed.
I really liked the welcome atmosphere that we had at the school this week. It was great to see GWCS students and staff welcoming the new students and making sure that they were feeling comfortable in our community. It was great to see how everybody was supporting each other, when they were introducing themselves, clapping or giving words of encouragement.
My favorite thing this week was getting to see all the students from last year and getting to meet the new ones!
My favorite this week getting to know new students and seeing old ones! Also seeing my colleagues after a long time ! I’m happy to be back at GWCS for the new school year !
What I liked about this week was how relaxed and nice the teachers and other students were. I also liked how there are different themed rooms, they are very pretty!

Back to Top

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2021

No School: Labor Day Holiday

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2021

No School: Rosh Hashanah

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021

No School: Rosh Hashanah

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2021

Regular class schedule - Advisory thru Office Hours from 9:15 am - 3:15 pm (howl)
Office Hours from 2:40 pm - 3:15 pm
- Juniors will meet with Ms. Warden to plan Camp Coyote
- Everyone else will have Office Hours

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

Regular class schedule - Advisory thru Office Hours from 9:15 am - 3:15 pm (howl)
Office Hours from 2:40 pm - 3:15 pm
- Juniors will meet with Ms. Warden to plan Camp Coyote
- Everyone else will have Office Hours

GWCS ONLINE EVENTS CALENDAR - UPDATED DAILY

Back to Top

GET TO KNOW MS. N-O, THE NEW D.O.

June 2013 “I’m the new Sinichko — muhahahaha” — June 2013 *“I’m the new Sinichko — muhahahaha”*

Job foreshadowing

In this Instagram post from 2013 (eight years ago) Maria Nunez-Oliver (a.k.a. M or Ms. N-O) shared a picture of herself sitting at the front desk at GWCS with the caption “I’m the new Sinichko, muhahahaha.” Here we are in 2021 and she is the new Sinichko — the new GWCS Director of Operations!

AS A GWCS STUDENT

Ms. N-O graduated from GWCS with flying colors in 2014. She was a beloved and respected student by her teachers and her peers. Here are a few highlights to give you a little glimpse as to what kind of Coyote community member Ms. N-O was as a GWCS student:

SGA President & Event Coordinator
Boys Varsity Basketball Manager/Score Keeper
Coyote Robotics Team Member
Yearbook Editor
Avid History in Movies Participant
Student of the Year Award Recipient
Most Outstanding Contribution to the Community Award Recipient
Dually Enrolled at NOVA Community College
Interned with French Africa division of Voice of America

AS A GWCS ALUM

After graduating from GWCS, Ms. N-O was who we called when we needed a little extra help. From 2014 - 2021, Ms. N-O continued to support GWCS in a variety of ways including:

Proctored SATs
Chaperoned Event Nights
Chaperoned Overnight Trips
Helped with Basketball Books
Mr. Goldie’s Assistant on Misc. Projects

GETTING THE JOB

Last winter, when Mrs. Sinichko announced she was moving to Colorado, the very first person Ms. Warden thought would be perfect for the job was Ms. N-O! Below are a few direct quotes from Ms. Warden’s letter of recommendation for M back in 2014 when she was applying to college. These snippets will help you understand why she was the first person considered for the demanding job of Director of Operations for GWCS:

“Maria is positive patient, and present. She takes her responsibilities seriously and is a natural leader.”

“…she has that certain combination of intangibles that make her a great leader and a great student, but she is also eager to take on those thankless behind the scenes jobs that don’t get the glory.”
“She is calm yet spirited, open-minded and accepting yet her morals and values are solid, and a friend to everyone but able to maintain close and deep friendships with a few.”

recent updates

Click Here to read Ms. N-O’s current bio on the GWCS website and learn about her recent endeavors, accomplishments, and adventures.

MS. N-O’s Contact Info

Maria Nunez-Oliver (a.k.a. M or Ms. N-O)
Email: nunezoliverm@gwcommunityschool.com
Phone: 703.978.7208 x301

ALUMNI EMPLOYEES

Having GWCS alumni return as employees is the highest form of recognition that what we do matters. Our alumni employees are thoroughly committed to our values and understand and embrace the deep commitment of what it means to be a part of this community.

Look forward to hearing about more of our alumni faculty in WYNKs to come.

Back to Top

GREAT DINNER TIME CONVERSATIONS…

Here is a sampling of the three most recent Screenagers Tech Talk Tuesday articles which are informative, include suggestions, and always end with questions to discuss as a family. This blog is not an attack on teens and technology - it’s truly helpful and appreciated by students, parents, and teachers.