The Roar

2018 -19 School Calendar REVISED).pdf

Gilbert Public Schools 18-19 Calendar

138.9 KB

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Friendly Reminder - EVERY Parent needs to complete the Annual Update Online BEFORE their child can take home a Chromebook

(Please disregard if you have already completed the update!)

As part of the GPS Annual Update that parents have been asked to complete, you will acknowledge GPS’s Electronic Use Agreement, Student Handbook and discipline procedures/policies. Students will not be issued a Chromebook until parents have completed the Annual Update since it also contains the Electronic Use Agreement. If you have not yet done so, please follow this link GPS Annual Update Instructions.

Our GHS deadline for the update is 08/15/2018 . GHS will begin Chromebook distribution on 08/16/2018. Again, if your child’s information is not updated we cannot issue them a Chromebook at the time! Thank you for your consideration!

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Link for the GHS Parent Calendar

GHS Parent Calendar

calendar.google.com

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Dress Code Reminders

Please stress to your student the importance of dressing for success and to be dressed appropriate for school. The weather of course is still very warm and will be for some time, but we need to make sure we are not dressing for the summer while here on campus. Please refer to the District Student Handbook for guidance, and reach out to the GHS Administration Team if you have any further questions.

Mrs. Gonzales, 480.497.0177, x184

12th grade, 9th grade H-N

Mr. Haasch, 480.497.0177, x169

11th grade, 9th grade A-G

Mr. Yanez, 480.497.0177, x156

10th grade, 9th grade O-Z

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Parking Lot Procedures

Parents, please remember to use the parent drop-off loop in the morning and after school. Please do not drop off or pick up in the faculty lot on the west side of campus as this is used by students who walk and for bus transportation purposes. For everyone’s safety, please use the loop between campus and Elliot Road just north of the building.

As a note of caution to all of our campus community, please know that Gilbert Police will at some point do a traffic enforcement sweep on Elliot Road. We ask everyone to always drive safe and practice patience.

We appreciate everyone’s commitment to the safety of our students!

GHS Student Drop Off Procedures.pdf

1.3 MB

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2018 Freshman Parent Orientation

Thank you to everyone who attended on the evening of Tuesday, August 7, 2018! Below please find a pdf of the presentation!

Freshman Open House 2018.pdf

Here is the link to the District site for DPP information!

1.8 MB

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Staff Spotlight

Mrs. Elizabeth Jones, GHS Chemistry Teacher

Each month, we'd like to introduce a staff member who is new to our campus community! This month let's give a warm Tiger welcome to Mrs. Jones!

Please introduce yourself to our campus community! (Background, education, family, etc.).

I grew up in Northwest Missouri in a small rural community and was a lifelong resident until I moved here from Missouri with my husband, Mike, in the spring of 2016. We have been married 39 years and have three children, our son Aaron, and our daughters Sarah and Emily. We also our proud grandparents of seven: five boys and two girls.
I often joke it took me parts of 4 decades to finish my undergraduate degree. I started in 1979, and took a few semesters in the early 80's, a few semesters in the late 90's, and finally graduated in 2003, just a week before our middle child graduated high school! I earned a Bachelor's of Science in Natural Science/Chemistry and Secondary Education from Missouri Western State University. This is my 15th year as a chemistry teacher, but I previously spent several years as a substitute.

Tell us why you became an educator.

I became an educator because I truly love being able to interact with students and help them navigate the challenging teenage years. I didn't like science in high school until a good friend begged me to take Chemistry with her and promised to help. I caved to the peer pressure and it was a great decision, because my chemistry teacher helped me realize I could successfully learn science for the first time. I want to share that gift with my students.

What are you looking forward to the most for this school year at GHS?

I am looking forward to helping my students learn and enjoy chemistry. I'm also looking forward to attending extracurricular events to support them outside the classroom.

What do you like best about being a part of the Tiger Family?

I really appreciate how welcoming and helpful everyone has been to me. The Tiger Family has reached out with open arms. Students and staff alike anticipate how they can help and just do so, often without being asked.

What is the best part of working with young people in this day and age?

I am so thankful they are willing to help me with technology. The choices they have before them are vast, and it's gratifying to teach them to believe in themselves and reach for more than they thought they could accomplish.

If you could give our students any advice for having a happy and successful life, what would it be?

Value your family and invest in building relationships. Don't settle for mediocre, and realize that failure only means you haven't achieved your goal yet. Perseverance will bring you sweet success.

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Thank you Mrs. Jones!

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Staff Spotlight

Mr. Christopher Hoerber, GHS College and Career Readiness Liaison

Please introduce yourself to our campus community! (Background, education, family, etc.).

I grew up in Virginia and moved to North Carolina for college where I was every type of music major before finally graduating with a degree in Music Education from East Carolina University. I was a band and choir kid all through school and tried to balance those schedules with soccer and church. I moved out to Arizona in 2007 to attend ASU and earn my Master of Counseling degree. Soon after, I met my wife and we settled in Gilbert in 2009 where we have two very attention hungry dachshunds. I am coming to GHS this year after serving as a School Counselor and CTE Advisor for the last eight years in Mesa.

Tell us why you became an educator.

Educators I have had, from grade school through grad. school, have shaped how I see the world and how I care for others. They have stood by me in the trenches and inspired me to challenge myself to be better than the day before. While serving as a band teacher, I had a student pass away from a sudden illness. Through working with the class during that tragedy I realized that I wanted to work with students in a different capacity and decided to pursue a Masters in Counseling. I hope as your new College and Career Liaison I can do the same for the students at Gilbert as my teachers have done for me.

What are you looking forward to the most for this school year at GHS?

I am looking forward to getting to know the students, staff and families that make up GHS as we re-envision the Library into a welcoming space for all. My goal is to be a resource for the school as we prepare students for higher education and the next workforce.

What do you like best about being a part of the Tiger Family?

I really have enjoyed the sense of pride in the community. Every single person that I have spoken to about Gilbert High has had nothing but positive words about the students, the culture and the support of the administration. It doesn’t hurt that I also now have a five minute commute to work and can serve in the neighborhood where I live.

What is the best part of working with young people in this day and age?

Our young people are growing up in an age of opportunity and ever expanding technological advances. This creates an environment for dreaming, future visions and endless possibilities. I enjoy getting to be a part of that process and seeing all of the positive energy this next generation brings to the table when so many seem to see adolescents in a different light.

If you could give our students any advice for having a happy and successful life, what would it be?

Each and every one of you have strengths and gifts; take time to discover and embrace them. Happiness and success come when you are able to utilize those gifts toward the betterment of others.

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Thank you, Mr. Hoerber!

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Health Office News

Welcome back to school!

Please notify the Health Office when your student has a health related issue. Recent hospitalizations, surgeries, or injuries requiring limited activity are some examples of these issues. A physician clearance to return to school is needed after surgeries, hospitalizations, or lengthy illnesses.

The flu season will soon be here and I wanted to review some of the policies regarding ill students and attending school. When your child has experienced any of the following symptoms within the past 24 hours, s/he should stay home from school:

-Fever of 101 degrees or higher

-Vomiting

-Diarrhea

Students exhibiting the above symptoms are considered contagious and should not be in school. Once these symptoms have subsided for 24 hours without the use of medication (Tylenol, Imodium), they may return to school.

Does your student need to use crutches at school? If so, District Policy requires a doctor’s note be supplied to the Health Office. This also applies to the use of wheelchairs, canes, and knee walkers. All equipment must be supplied by the parent/guardian.

Screenings for Vision and Hearing are ongoing. If you have received a letter regarding your student’s hearing or vision, please let the Health Office know when it is resolved. We can then remove them from the “follow-up” list.

All medications need to be brought to the Health Office by a parent or responsible adult and signed in with the nurse. The medication needs to be in the original container or current prescription bottle. Narcotic pain medication will not be accepted or administered in the school setting. Students are not allowed to take narcotic pain medication and come to school. If this type of pain medication is needed, the student should stay at home. Inhalers and Epi-Pens can be carried by the student, but the parent will need to sign a consent form annually.

Be sure to complete the annual online update. Your student will be given Acetaminophen or Ibuprofen only if you have given permission. For your student’s safety, Acetaminophen or Ibuprofen will not be given during the first and last hour of the school day.

In Good Health,

Twila Gottlieb, RN

Debra Wedmore, HA

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Student Handbooks

Student handbooks are available from the district website at http://bit.ly/2lAMLae. (Please note that these haven't been updated as of June - watch this space and we'll let you know once the new ones are live).

This handbook outlines our procedures, activities, rules, etc. Please be sure you and your student take time to review these important guidelines to ensure your student’s success at Gilbert High School. Please take the time to review the attached student dress code policy; it is important for our students and parents to understand the expectations of the dress code before they start purchasing new clothes for the new school year.

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Chromebook Device Protection Plan Information

GPS CHROMEBOOK DEVICE PROTECTION PLAN (DPP)

As part of Gilbert Public School’s 1:1 technology initiative, parents have the option to enroll in the Device Protection Plan (DPP). Enrollment in the plan will minimize the potential repair and/or replacement fees associated with the device.

By selecting this plan you agree to pay a fee of $25 to be enrolled in the DPP. If a device becomes damaged, your student will take it to the school’s library and fill out the Student Device Repair Form. The Technology Services repair department will repair the device. If the device is lost, a fee of $160 will be assessed. If the device is stolen while at school, the incident must be reported by the student to their teacher, librarian, or front office within 24 hours. If the device is stolen outside of school, the parent/guardian must file a police report within 48 hours. A copy of the report must be turned into the school’s front office.

Students who have purchased the DPP during the 2018-2019 school year and have not had a claim for damage to their device during the school year, will have their fee rolled over to the 2019-2020 school year and their device will remain covered under the DPP. The yearly roll over of the original DPP purchase will remain in place until the student is no longer a GPS student or has a claim. Devices will be periodically inspected to ensure the device is in good working condition and a claim is not being avoided.

There will be no refunds given on the original DPP purchase if a student leaves GPS or upon graduation. Special circumstances will be evaluated by school administration in collaboration with Technology Services.

Enrollment in the DPP does not begin until the $25 payment has been received and must be completed by August 30th, 2018. Students enrolling in Gilbert Public Schools after August 30th, 2018, will be given 2 weeks after their official GPS enrollment date to enroll in the Device Protection Plan.

Student Device Handbook 2018-19.pdf

Here is the District's Chromebook handbook for students.