Blog
Woodworking Classes at GIA!
Crafting Future Innovators:
Why offering Woodshop as an elective for 7th graders is a game-changer
In an age where digital screens dominate our lives, there’s something profoundly grounding about hands-on learning. GIA’s 7th-grade Woodshop elective […]
Disney Day at GIA!
Disney Day at GIA!
“Today was Disney Day at GIA, and our students 5th took their electricity learning to a whole new galaxy! 🚀 They built lightsabers in FABLAB using […]
Exploring Sound Waves
🕵️♀️ Exploring Sound Waves 🕵️♂️
🥁 Our 7th graders had a blast exploring sound waves today! They crafted their own drums, comparing tones from different sizes. Stay tuned as they dive deeper into the world […]
Forensic Science Day
🕵️♀️🌿 **Forensic Science Day Recap! 🕵️♂️🌺**
What an incredible Forensic Science Day we had yesterday! 🌟 Our young detectives immersed themselves in the world of horticultural mysteries, and the results were bloomin’ fantastic! 🌸💼 […]
A Purple Mouse Named Riz Dreamed of Winning the Olympic Cheese.
In a tiny mouse village, there lived a purple mouse named Riz, who dreamed of winning the Cheese Olympics!
Hey, Families of future programmers! 🌟 Today, our students embarked on a thrilling coding […]
Happy Steaming: Santa and the Zip Zap Christmas
Happy Steaming: Santa and the Zip Zap Christmas
🎅🎁🚀 Ho, ho, ho! Santa’s got a new gig this year –when the winds are too strong for the sleigh, he’s all about that high-speed Zip Zap Christmas […]
Productive Struggle to Build Resilience
One common theme amongst school-aged children, especially in a post-pandemic world, are a lack of motivation, discipline, and resilience. However you look at it, the world has changed, leaving all kinds of industries to change with it. This includes elementary […]
Chronic Absenteeism Unrelated to Illness
“Chronic absenteeism occurs at every grade level but is more prevalent in some grades than others. Research suggests that students in the early elementary grades also experience high rates of chronic absenteeism. Understanding when students are most at risk will […]
Dads On Duty
Over the summer, GIA Leadership were coming up with ideas to make sure safety was implemented on campus year-round. Nearly four weeks into the new school year, and we are thrilled to announce the “Dads On Duty” initiative. We put […]
School Safety GIA’s #1 Concern
GIA Family –
Can you walk into your scholar’s school without being challenged? If you can, we see an urgent problem that needs attention.
Whether we’re spending your Summer months enjoying vacations, activities as a family, or relaxing at home, I’d like […]
Tech Safety & The Parent’s Role
The op-ed this blog draws from, linked below, comes from a 6-8th grade middle school assistant principal, about what he encounters everyday with his students and the significant lack of accountability from the parents of those students. The main point […]
The Story of GIA
The original scholars of the GIA building who promoted 8th grade, at that time called The Odyssey Preparatory Academy, graduated high school last year, in 2020. In recognition, we thought we’d take a look back at the origins of GIA […]
Hands-On Learning at GIA (Part Two: Examples)
Earlier this month, we wrote about hands-on learning and what that means for school-aged children. This week, we want to give examples of what GIA has been doing to support hands-on learning for both our scholars and our teachers, as […]
Hands-On Learning at GIA (Part One: What it is and Why it’s important)
It’s no secret that working with your hands can boost stimulation to your brain. No group needs this type of stimulation more than adolescent elementary and middle schoolers. Goodwin University has said, “Children in all stages, from preschool age through […]
Importance of Reading Proficiency by 3rd Grade: Part One
“The relative decline of American education is untenable for our economy, unsustainable for our democracy, and unacceptable for our children, and we cannot afford to let it continue.”
– Barack Obama, 2009
“All skills begin with […]
Black History Month
Happy February!
Today marks the start of Black History Month. We welcome almost any occasion that leads us to examine our past. Some people feel that Black History Month shouldn’t exist because its very existence leads to further racial angst. We […]
GIA’s Shining Moments from 2020 (yes, those happened!)
2020 has been quite a year, but one thing rings true – GIA rocks! We want to take this time to recognize some of the Grande accomplishments that have happened in 2020, all made possible by our incredible staff, parents, […]
Benefits of Tradition and Gratitude
As Thanksgiving quickly approaches (when did it become November?), we are reminded of family traditions, time spent with loved ones, and what we are grateful for. It’s no secret that this year has been one for the history books, so […]
Love & Logic
If you’re in the GIA community, you may have heard the term “Love and Logic” used around campus or in communications about the school. In this post, we’ll explain exactly what Love and Logic means, how it’s used in different […]
Tips for Parent-Teacher Conferences
Parent-teacher conferences are on the horizon for GIA parents beginning on October 28th. Before arriving for a conference with you scholar’s teacher, it’s important that you are prepared for a conversation about your scholar’s needs in and out of the […]
Arizona Summative Testing
What is summative testing, you ask? Arizona, like most states, participates in statewide standardized testing which takes place in the spring in public schools. In Arizona, the test is called AZMerit […]
Social-Emotional Learning: Part Three
As we dive into the third and final post in our series on Social-Emotional Learning (SEL), let’s recap what we’ve discussed so far. On the surface, “emotional intelligence” can seem like a fluff term, but underneath the title is […]
Social-Emotional Learning: Part Two
Last week, we talked about Social-Emotional Learning (SEL), what it is, and how this strategy of learning will be integral in shaping a generation. In part two of three blog posts, we’ll discuss the benefits of how parents and teachers […]
Social-Emotional Learning: Part One
It’s no secret that early-aged children are faced with increasing levels of anxiety. The reasons for this are broad and constantly evolving. To tackle all of them would turn a blog post into a dissertation. Instead, in this three-part blog […]
