The Great Georgia Pollinator Census– August 23 & 24

Are you Down for the Count? Join us for this year’s Great Georgia Pollinator Census and help make a difference for pollinators across our state. This exciting Citizen Science project only takes 15 minutes, and it’s fun for the whole family!

Why It Matters to Us

At Garrison Mill, our mission is to connect students and families with the natural world through hands-on learning, gardening, and environmental stewardship. Pollinators are at the heart of a healthy ecosystem—and by counting them, we help students and our community see the impact of small actions on a global scale.

How to Participate

	You can take part in the census in two simple ways:

	1. Join the Cobb County Master Gardeners
	Visit one of nine locations across Cobb County (rain or shine) All materials are provided See the flyer below for times and locations
	2. Count at Home or in Your Community
	Head out to your own garden, a neighborhood green space, or a local park Print out a counting sheet and start observing!

👉 Learn more and download counting sheets at gsepc.org

A Mission in Action

By participating, you’re not just counting pollinators—you’re joining a movement to:

Educate students about science in action
Engage families in hands-on environmental learning
Protect pollinators that sustain our gardens and food systems

💚 Together, we can turn curiosity into conservation.
— The GME Garden Guardians

Fall FEAST is underway!

The after-school fun is here. You can view the full FEAST calendar.

On FEAST days, please adjust your child’s "Temporary Dismissal Changes" to reflect “Club” in the drop down on ParentVue. If your child is going to a second-session FEAST Club, you can choose to dismiss to ASP or your child can leave school and return for FEAST club.

You can find a Quick Start Guide for Temporary Dismissal changes in the form of a PDF here.

Or, watch this short video below.

A variety of feast clubs for different interests

Garrison Mill Elementary families registered for more than 440 FEAST spots for the fall 2025 semester. Our roster of clubs includes a variety of activities led by a combination of our teachers and external partners in our community.

The Garrison Mill Education Foundation (GMEF) thanks our families for supporting FEAST – Foundation Enrichment After School Time.

FEAST concludes for the fall 2025 semester in December. Registration for spring 2026 opens in January.

The volunteer-led GMEF, a 501(c)(3) focused on supporting STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, mathematics) activities at the school, also relies on Garrison Mill teachers and a variety of locally operated businesses to supplement our offerings.

A percentage of every club fee funds the GMEF. Not only is the Foundation the organizer of FEAST, it also funds STEAM initiatives like the Garrison Mill STEM Lab, science teacher salaries, programmable robots, the school Learning Garden and more.

STEAMing Into the New School Year!

Garrison Mill Education Foundation was proud to support the Welcome Back to School Staff Luncheon with a special STEAM Raffle Giveaway! Each raffle basket was thoughtfully curated to represent one of the five STEAM pillars: Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math.

Our goal was to show appreciation for our amazing educators while also celebrating the foundation’s commitment to fostering curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking through STEAM initiatives.

Each themed basket included fun, engaging items tied to:

S – The Science of Baking & Cooking
T – Technology Lover
E – Engineering Structure
A – The Art of Self-Care
M – The Math is Math-ing

Thank you to our volunteers for making this STEAM raffle a fun and meaningful experience. We’re excited to refocus our efforts and funding toward expanding STEAM programing across the school. We are committed to helping bring even more opportunities for hand-on, creative learning into our kids classrooms for all the STEAM-powered learning ahead in 2025!

Congratulations to Mrs. Diegnan, Mrs. Latimer, Mrs. McReynolds, Ms. Whittle, & Mrs. Cady!

Support GME—Volunteer Opportunities Available!
We’re looking for passionate, hands-on volunteers to help enrich the
learning experiences our students love. 💙

The GME Foundation—the nonprofit that powers our STEM Lab, STEAM events, and school garden—is currently seeking volunteers for two key board roles:

✨ FEAST Club Coordinator: Help organize after-school enrichment clubs
✨ Fundraising Coordinator: Lead event planning and community outreach efforts

These flexible positions are perfect for anyone who’s organized, creative, or eager to get more involved. Most tasks can be done on your own schedule, and you’ll be part of a collaborative, supportive team.

Want to learn more?
Email us at president@gmefoundation.org. We’d love to connect!