Cecil E. Gray Middle

Florida Prepaid's annual Open Enrollment period is underway, offering families an opportunity to lock in future college costs at today's plan prices. The earlier you begin saving, the greater the long-term benefit. Take advantage of these improvements and secure your child's future today with a Florida Prepaid 529 Plan. Enroll now at https://bit.ly/4q2cpCD .

April is the Month of the Military Family in Florida! The Month of the Military Family provides communities with an opportunity to honor and share gratitude for the service of military children. This year, we invite you to “Purple Up!” on April 15, 2026, by wearing purple as a visible way to show support and thank military children. Purple was chosen because it is the color that symbolizes all branches of the military. It is a combination of Army green, Coast Guard blue, Air Force blue, Marine Corps red, Space Force blue and Navy blue. Students and staff in schools across Florida are encouraged to participate in this celebration of the courage of military families and to honor their hard work.

Our March PBIS Event was such a hit! Mr. Tarquine and our theater students performed Rotten Apples. The performance was fantastic! Come out and see the whole play April 15th, 16th, and 17th. Way to go Gators! 🐊 🎉

Gators-Don’t roll in tomorrow unprepared 😅
Tonight’s checklist:
• Charge your Chromebook
• Pack your charger
• Get some sleep

Come in ready — BEST Writing is tomorrow 3/31/26!

Are you interested in playing football? South Lake High is holding a camp for rising 9th graders. You just need a copy of your current physical. Check it out!

Updated dates for Rotten Apples - please check it out!

📣 Join Us for Our PTO & SAC Meeting!

Parents, guardians, and community members — you’re invited to our next Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) and School Advisory Council (SAC) meeting on Thursday, March 26th at 6:00 PM in the Media Center.

Come learn how the PTO and SAC support our students, discuss upcoming events, and stay connected with what’s happening at our school. Your voice and participation make a difference.

The GMS Symphonic Band has earned superiors from all 3 judges as well as the sight reading room for the 3rd year in row. This is the first time in school history the Symphonic Band has had 3 straight years of superior ratings at the annual Music Performance Assessment. Gray Middle School and South Lake High School Wind Ensemble were the only schools to earn straight superiors at the March 12 Music Performance Assessment. We are so very proud! Thank you, Mr. Briggs, for your dedication to our Gators! https://youtube.com/@graymiddleschoolbands?si=m3dHRKGa6syJjSXy

Our 8th graders did awesome with a difficult lab making fresh pasta then using the pasta to make Carbonara. We are proud!

We are celebrating our students hard work in Gator Aid. Go Gators! 🐊

Great things are happening every day in our ELA classrooms at Gray Middle, and this week students are taking their close reading skills to the next level. You’ll see students annotating closely, collaborating with peers, and using accountable question stems to push each other’s thinking further. This lesson brings together the powerful combination of: Reading closely, Writing with text evidence, Thinking critically, and Talking through ideas with peers. After discussing their texts, students apply their thinking by answering evidence-based questions and responding to open-ended prompts that require clear explanations supported by the text.   This kind of classroom learning reflects what we strive for at Gray Middle: engaged students, thoughtful discussion, and meaningful literacy work. We are so proud of our incredible students and grateful for the dedicated teachers who create learning experiences like this every day!

Please take a moment to view this Mental Health Newsletter.

https://www.canva.com/design/DAHBsllblsw/PYrMt55ZlnvEiPrbRf_PSQ/view?utm_content=DAHBsllblsw&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=h29add0c724

Hello Gator Families,
Today, during Thrive Time, students were taught a PBIS Lesson on Digital Citizenship. The information in this lesson can have a great impact on how students conduct themselves online. Please take a moment to talk to your child about what he/she learned about this important topic!

Thank you for your support of PBIS!

Congratulations to our Gators of the Month! Keep up the great work! 🐊

Today we proudly celebrated Global Inclusion Day by signing the Special Olympics Inclusion Banner!
By adding our names, our students and staff made a powerful promise — to choose kindness, include others, use respectful language, and stand up for one another. Together, we’re building a community where everyone feels valued, seen, and supported.
As Special Olympics reminds us, “Inclusion is not just an act. It is an attitude.” Through the global movement of Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools, our school and schools around the world are proving that when young people lead with acceptance and respect, they create lasting change.

When you’re Testing Coordinator creates a Camp Testing PD to train the teachers on testing policies. With dirty soda and s’more snack snacks! Amazing! 🐊

We had a great start to the day in The Swamp! We enjoyed Ms. Frana's Famous Hashbrown Casserole while learning about reading strategies to incorporate into the classroom. Afterwards we celebrated our Teachers and Support Staff of the Month - Ms. Doner, Mr. Tarquine, and Ms. Vollmer.

We are hiring for a Teacher Assistant position - come join our Gator Family!

We enjoyed seeing so many families come out to Gator Expo! Thank you for your support. We have a lot of good things happening in The Swamp! 🐊

🐊 Gator Expo is TOMORROW! 🐊

Gray Middle School families — we can’t wait to welcome you to campus tomorrow evening for our annual Gator Expo!

Join us on Tuesday, March 3rd from 5:30–7:30 PM to explore classrooms, see student work on display, learn about academic pathways, and enjoy live courtyard performances by our talented band and theater students.

This schoolwide showcase highlights the incredible learning happening at Gray — and it’s a great opportunity for current and future Gator families alike.

📍 Gray Middle School
⏰ 5:30–7:30 PM

We look forward to celebrating our Gray Gators with you tomorrow!