Part 1 Video: About GMS Beta Club
Part 2 Video: About Canvas & Service
Welcome to the 2024-25 school year at GMS, and thank you for your interest in our National Junior Beta Club chapter! National Beta Club is the largest independent, non-profit, educational youth organization in America. For more than 80 years, it has prepared today's students to be tomorrow's leaders. Its mission statement is:
To promote the ideals of academic achievement, character, service, and leadership among elementary and secondary school students.
ACHIEVEMENT - Recognizing and honoring high academic achievement
CHARACTER - Preparing young people for life and empowering them to be successful
LEADERSHIP - Developing the leaders of tomorrow
SERVICE - Demonstrating our motto: Let Us Lead by Serving Others
All GMS Beta members are required to complete at least FOUR different service projects totaling TEN hours or more of work before the end of the school year in May 2025. Members can access the service form (an Excel sheet that will be filled out electronically instead of on paper) in the "service projects" module in Canvas. If earning stellar grades, participating in monthly meetings, AND serving your community are important to you, please keep reading!
To be eligible to join GMS Beta, see the following criteria. If you meet the criteria and want to become a Beta, there is no application to fill out; after paying the membership fee, you will be added to our roster:
1) RETURNING MEMBERS: If you were a member of our Beta chapter last year who met all requirements (by earning all A's, completing assignments in Canvas as well as completing your service projects), then you already received a message in May confirming your eligibility (please contact Ms. Brook if you are uncertain). Please pay the "returning member" fee on My School Bucks by September 15, 2024. You will not be an active Beta member again this year unless the fee is paid by the end of September.
2) PROSPECTIVE NEW MEMBERS:
-7th graders and 8th graders who attended GMS last year and earned all A's on their final averages (Ms. Brook has a list that she will use to confirm) but were not Beta members are eligible to join by paying the "new member" fee on My School Bucks before the September 15 deadline. Please email Ms. Sarah Brook (sbrook@madison-schools.com) before the September 15 membership deadline if you are not sure if you made all A's or if you have additional questions.
-6th graders who earned all A's on their final averages last year are also eligible to join at the beginning of this year. Ms. Brook already has a list of students from Mannsdale and Madison Crossing who made all A's to confirm this. To join once you are sure that you have met the requirements, pay the "new member" fee on My School Bucks before the September 15 deadline. Please email Ms. Sarah Brook before the September 15 membership deadline if you have additional questions.
-If you are a 6th, 7th, or 8th grade student who is new to GMS this year, please send Ms. Brook a picture of your report card from last school year showing that you made all A's on your final averages. You can send a picture via email (sbrook@madison-schools.com) or by coming to portable 312 (in the cafeteria parking lot with a long wooden ramp) with proof. If you do not have access to your report card, contact Ms. Brook so she can access your records in the school vault. To join once you are sure that you have met the requirements, pay the "new member" fee on My School Bucks before the September 15 deadline. Please email Ms. Sarah Brook before the membership deadline if you have additional questions.
Once eligibility is verified and dues are paid via My School Bucks (you can also come to Ms. Brook's portable to pay by cash or check made to GMS), you will be added to Beta Club Canvas Course where we will communicate about upcoming meetings, service projects, etc.
All information about service opportunities, monthly meetings, and other activities will be in our Canvas course, and announcements will also be sent through the Remind (to receive messages, click here or text "@betamavs" to 81010).
Here is a tentative calendar for the 2024-25 year:
We look forward to another great year in Beta!
Sincerely,
Ms. Sarah Brook, lead sponsor
Mrs. Elizabeth Hancock, sponsor
Ms. Alnita Ndebele, sponsor