GSD E-Blast April 2024

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Spring has finally arrived! It won't be long until school is out for the summer. At GSD, we love springtime because we have many special activities and programs happening in our buildings. From Kindergarten Roundup to 6th and 9th-grade orientation, concerts, and activity nights, we've got something for everyone this Spring!

If you're interested in attending any of these events, please check with your child's school to find out what's happening in April, May, and June. We highly recommend following your child's school and the district on our official social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. We often post amazing pictures and updates from all over the district so you can see the great educational and fun activities our students are participating in!

We're also excited about the amazing learning opportunities our students will have on April 8th with the solar eclipse. Although we won't be in the direct path, the district has purchased special safety viewing glasses for all staff and students. Many field trips and lessons are planned for that day. This rare occurrence is something that we're excited to share with our students. Please remind your child that it will be imperative to wear the protective eyeglasses provided if they plan to be outside during the eclipse and want to view the eclipse.

Your Partner in Education!

Amy Conway

Superintendent

Research shows that being happy and positive primes the brain to be more successful and productive. Promoting positivity will enhance our student’s academic ability and develop them into happy and positive thinkers and leaders. Each month we will highlight a building or staff member that is spreading “The Orange” (Happiness) through Gibraltar!

In order to have a little pre Spring Break Orange Spark fun, Parsons teachers were challenged to a unique contest. Two hundred and twenty mini-ducks were hidden around the school! As a team, they had to collect as many ducks as they could in order to win a prize!

There were some rules. They couldn't start taking the ducks until 8:00 in the morning and each teams’ ducks had to be turned in by 3:45 in the afternoon. Everyone on the team had to participate, work together, and have fun!

The competition was ruthless! Almost all of the ducks were found by 8:05! Students had a lot of fun looking as they arrived as well. Ultimately, the fourth grade team took home the prize!

Do you have a child at home who will be five years old on or before September 1, 2024? Do you know someone who does, perhaps a friend or a neighbor? If so, Gibraltar School District has a spot waiting just for them in our kindergarten classrooms next year! Gibraltar School District offers both a traditional Kindergarten program as well as a Young Fives Kindergarten program. Both of these programs have a strong focus on the math and literacy skills needed for a solid foundation through the course of the formative elementary years. Registration is now open! Once you register, please join us for an informational night, for parents and prospective students, on April 16 at 6:00. These will be held in each elementary building. Visit our website for more information!

https://www.gibdist.net/page/kindergarten-and-young-fives-information

Several of our sophomore students had the opportunity to attended a forum and lunch hosted by the Detroit Economic Club (DEC). The members of the DEC are mainly businesses from the Metro Detroit area that meet regularly to network and hear about the latest and greatest business innovations happening in our area.

This month the speakers were Steve Yzerman, head coach Derek Lalonde and key

players of the Red wings team including Dylan Larkin, Moritz Seider, and Alex DeBrincat. The Forum was hosted by Broadcast team Ken Daniels and Mickey Redmond.

Students were given a chance to have a question and answer session with Yzerman before attending the luncheon with the team, discussing the season and the role the Red Wings play in the city of Detroit. This was such an incredible experience to be offered to our Economics students.

In March, 7th and 8th-grade choral students from Shumate participated in the DCA (Downriver Choral Association) choral festival held at Woodhaven High School. Alongside high school students, over 105 participants from Gibraltar took part in the event. Both Shumate groups achieved a commendable “2” rating at the competition. This marked the second consecutive year that students had prepared songs and competed in the DCA. Following the competition, both groups had the opportunity to enjoy a vocal clinic conducted by Music Educators from Wayne State University and Taylor. Additionally, Kelsey Ryan, a soloist from Shumate, competed at DCA and received an exceptional “1” rating (excellent). Mr. Vandergriff expressed great pride in all the students, recognizing their dedication to mastering challenging music and their growth as musicians.

We enjoyed an exciting literacy extravaganza at Chapman Elementary all through the month of March with "Peace - Love - Books!" March is Reading Month excitement kicked off building-wide with an assembly that set the stage for a month-long celebration of reading. Hosted by Mrs. Fabrizio and Mrs. Hickey, students dived into a specially crafted reading calendar with promises of book prizes for students upon completing specific daily reading activities. Every week, students brace themselves for the mysterious Masked Reader, where our school staff disguises themselves while reading enchanting tales, keeping students on the edge of their seats and wondering who the mystery reader could possibly be?! Last, our PTO hosted a thrilling Bingo for Books event, where the luckiest readers and bingo players scored new books to read at home! We hope to continue to foster a love of literacy in our students at Chapman!

March was a blast at Hunter Elementary! Each grade level spent a day doing camp-themed reading activities in the library, that the staff turned into a camp ground with tents, trees, boats and other decorations, at Camp-Wanna-Read. Mrs. Brown planned a day of learning about the stars and constellations with Star Lab. The Hunter Family Association hosted BINGO for Books event for families. The school wrapped up the month with a GLOW PARTY! Where parents donated glow stick, light up glasses, lights and games which the students enjoyed in the gym.

This year, as part of our PBIS initiative, Parsons has moved from monthly reward parties to monthly clubs. Research shows that some students lack motivation or a feeling of connectedness at school. Participation in a high interest, extra-curricular activity, monitored by an adult, can help the student view school in a more positive way. In addition, it allows students to develop numerous positive adult relationships at school, which increases feelings of belonging. Our first round of clubs was a huge success. We started our second round of clubs this month. Students took a survey to choose a club of their choice from a selection of clubs led by different teachers. Students are participating in clubs such as Sports Club, Dog Club, Baking Club, Plant Club, just to name a few. Participation in clubs is a great opportunity to practice social skills and develop leadership qualities.

We are thrilled to tell you all about the fantastic success of our recent school-wide field trip to the Imagination Station! It was an extraordinary journey where over 185 chaperones and more than 280 students came together to explore the exciting world of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

Right from the start, our curiosity sparked as we stepped through the doors and discovered hundreds of hands-on exhibits. Each exhibit was more captivating than the last! We didn't just learn about science; we lived it! Through fun activities and cool demonstrations, we gained a deep appreciation for the amazing things we can discover.

We want to say a big thank you to our wonderful chaperones. Your enthusiasm and support made this trip possible, and we are so grateful. Thank you to everyone who helped make this trip so amazing! This trip showed us how powerful learning by doing can be! It lit a spark in us to keep exploring, even after we left. We can't wait for our next adventure together at Weiss Elementary School!

For the month of March, our virtual students from both Lakeshore and Carlson paired up with Ms. Witte's 3rd hour class at Shumate Middle School to celebrate reading month. Ms. Witte's students picked a book of their choice to read together with our students. The books were a wide range of fiction, non-fiction, and history. In between reading together, they also made bookmarks to keep and use for future books. Bookmarks included creative designs, a spring scenery, and outerspace to color and have laminated. Together we had a great day sharing our love for reading!

We are excited to welcome aboard Shelby Pope. Shelby is training for her bus driver’s credentials. Once she has her credentials, she will be a sub driver and learn the routes. We have ordered two 77 passenger buses and one lift bus. They should arrive sometime in July.

Food is FUEL!

Studies show that breakfast can support a student’s learning throughout the day, boosts students academic performance, increases alertness, improves classroom behavior, and reduces absenteeism.

Have your student check out breakfast at their school served each morning.

We are excited to serve breakfast each day in Gibraltar School District!
Carlson starting at 7:15

Shumate starting at 7:50
Chapman starting at 8:33

Hunter starting at 8:43
Parsons starting at 8:33

Weiss starting at 8:43

We offer several choices every day and all meals are served with fresh fruit and milk to give you the necessary fuel your body needs to perform. You can check out our school menus at gibdist.net.