Parent Notes

Every two weeks, parents in all divisions will receive an email including dates, updates, and important information. Keep an eye on your email every other Friday afternoon for this communication! The email will contain important details for the entire school as well as links to your divisional landing pages for more specific information. You can also click below to visit your divisional Parent Notes landing pages:

May 8, 2026

SUPPORT YOUR GRIZZLIES AT THE IAAM LACROSSE AND TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS WEEKEND!

• Track & Field: Saturday, May 9, beginning at 8:30 AM. Archbishop Spalding High School, 8080 New Cut Road, Severn, MD 21144. Click here for details; click here for advanced tickets.
• Lacrosse: Saturday, May 9, 3:00 PM. USA Lacrosse, 2 Loveton Circle, Sparks, MD 21152. Click here for details; click here for advance tickets; click here for the livestream!

REGISTER TODAY FOR THE TRI-DIVISION RACE ON TUESDAY, MAY 19. The Tri-Division Adventure Race is back. We are hosting the race on Tuesday, May 19th (from 3:45-5:00 pm) in order to introduce students to each other across divisions. Our hope is that this will help them build friendships. The race starts on Paw Print field and will take advantage of several parts of campus. Students sign up individually and then are placed on teams by the race organizers. The hope is that each team will have students from at least two divisions but that is dependent on the number of students who sign up. You can sign up using this form. Students in Lower School may be signed up by their parents. Students in Middle and Upper Schools should sign up on their own.

• Teams will be challenged:
  • On foot
  • In a campus search
  • Through an Obstacle course
  • and in various mystery events
• Collaboration is the name of the game
• It’s FREE
• Awards for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishing teams

All forms are due NO LATER than Friday, May 15th so that teams can be made. If you have any questions, please contact: bethruekberg@gfs.org.

PARENT ASSOCIATION NEWS AND UPDATES:

• Grizzly Gear Donations - Senior Class Raffle
  • Friday, May 15: The PA will be hosting a Senior Class Raffle in the Courtyard at 10:00 a.m. Seniors should bring their donations to school on Friday morning, then trade in the items for raffle tickets during break.
  • Seniors can earn raffle tickets for every school uniform item they donate (white shirts and leggings are not eligible for raffle tickets): One ticket per uniform item and two tickets for blue skirts The raffle drawings will be for gift cards!
• Grizzly Gear Drop Off at Drop-Off! Wednesday, May 27 and Thursday, May 28. The PA will be in the car lines at drop-off on Wednesday and Thursday to collect your bags of school uniform items and spirit gear to donate to Grizzly Gear!
  • Items of greatest need include Jumpers, Kilts, Blue Skirts, and Tunics. We have a surplus of white shirts and leggings, so none are needed at this time.

KENYA CONNECT COLLECTIONS: GFS has a long-standing partnership with Kenya Connect, an organization that brings educational resources to rural schools and communities in Kenya. Learn more here. We have two current opportunities to help this important cause:

• Our Lower School is collecting books and other items for Kenya Connect’s mobile library and makerspaces. See the full wishlist here.

• Our Middle and Upper School are collecting underwear for Kenya Connect’s Wings Poa project, which provides sanitary pads and underwear to girls in rural Kenya to ensure they do not miss school while on their period. See requested items below; bins will be in Marshall-Offutt through May 18! Click here to learn more about the program.

PARENT PULSE SURVEYS: Thank you to everyone who took a few moments to share their thoughts and insights through the most recent Parent Survey. If you missed it, click here for an overview of findings. The next survey will launch soon–keep an eye on your email!

JOIN US FOR THE GOLF & RACQUET CLASSIC ON MONDAY, MAY 18! Join us at Green Spring Valley Hunt Club for a great day of pickleball and golf! Register as a sponsor, foursome, individual golfer, or pickleball player below. Interested in playing both? We have that option too!

Honor your daughter, her class, or highlight your own business as a Tee Sponsor. You can find our complete sponsorship package and online registration on the Golf & Racquet Classic website.

SUMMER AT GFS: Get ready for fun in the sun this summer with a variety of camps for boys and girls ages 3-17. Click here to sign up today!