May Update

Bearkat Families,

May is here, and with it comes the final stretch of the school year! As we move through these last few weeks, we have a full calendar of events, and we hope you’ll be able to join us in celebrating all that our students have accomplished. From extracurricular activities to special celebrations, there’s a lot happening as we close out the year.

We continue to be amazed by our students—their dedication, growth, and unique personalities have made this school year unforgettable. It’s been a privilege to watch them thrive, and we’re so proud of all they’ve achieved.

Let's continue Achieving Excellence Together!

Proud Superintendent,

Mallory Marr

Our amazing PTO came together to decorate the halls and create a welcoming environment for our students during their STAAR assessments. Thank you for taking the time to help ease their nerves and show your support—it truly makes a difference!

Our community came out to support the GC Girls Golf Team at the 1A State Championship Tournament—and our girls brought home FIRST place for the third year in a row! We are beyond proud of their incredible accomplishments.

Our students competed at the State FCCLA Conference in Dallas, and we are thrilled to be sending sixteen students to the National Conference in July! Mrs. Gunkel has done an outstanding job building and growing this program—we’re so proud of her leadership and our students' success.

On April 8th, we received our bond funds from the $40M bond approved in November. While it’s on a ten-year note, we are excited to share that the bond is callable in 2028. Our Board worked diligently with our financial advisors to structure the district's finances in a way that best supports our community and financial resources.

We are committed to remaining transparent throughout the life of this bond. As we move forward, we will continue to provide updates on how the funds are being utilized and the progress we’re making with the planned projects. Your trust and involvement are crucial, and we will ensure that our community is informed every step of the way.

Students have officially completed their state assessments! Up next, we’ll be administering our end-of-year MAP Growth screener.

What is the purpose of MAP Growth?

• Screen every student with an accurate, efficient, and effective universal screener for RTI, MTSS, and other instructional models.

• Place students precisely into programs that will maximize their academic growth.

• Drive instruction through strategic, data-driven decisions to help students access grade-level content.

• Accurately measure growth over time using the grade-level independent RIT scale.

• Evaluate instructional effectiveness with detailed reports at the student, classroom, school, and district levels.

• Predict student performance on future assessments such as state tests, the ACT, or SAT.

We will be sending home a parent letter with your child’s MAP Growth data from the beginning, middle, and end of the year. This information will help guide our scheduling decisions for the upcoming school year, and we’re excited to use it to support every student’s success.

We will be transitioning to Chromebooks next school year. Current student devices will be available for purchase at a cost of $100. The deadline to purchase a device is May 21st. One device per student in grades 3–12 will be available for purchase. Devices will be sent home on the last day of school. Complete the form below to reserve your student's device.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdnqR7C5HHQRM1x96ApTkI5ldBISFQ7D9TmmhlTLmfPS5eIPA/viewform?usp=dialog

In education, the "summer slide" refers to the learning loss that students may experience over the summer break when they are not actively engaged in educational activities. This phenomenon is most commonly observed in reading and math skills, especially among younger students and those without access to enrichment opportunities during the summer months.

Key points about the summer slide:

• Students can lose up to two months of academic progress, particularly in math.

• The effects can accumulate year over year, contributing to a widening achievement gap.

Educators and families often work to prevent summer slide by encouraging reading, providing access to learning programs, and promoting educational games

Fun Ideas to Prevent the Summer Slide

• Cook Together Using Recipes
• Let kids read and follow recipes, measure ingredients, and even double or halve them. This reinforces reading comprehension and math skills.
• Educational Board Games
• Play games like Scrabble (vocabulary), Monopoly (math and budgeting), or Brain Quest (general knowledge). Learning becomes part of the fun.
• Start a Family Book Club
• Choose a book to read together and have mini discussions each week. Encourage questions, predictions, and connections.
• DIY Science Experiments
• Try simple home experiments (like making slime, vinegar volcanoes, or growing crystals) and talk through the scientific method.
• Visit Museums or Zoos
• Explore local museums, zoos, or aquariums. Follow up with reflection activities like writing about what they learned or drawing what they saw.
• Keep a Summer Journal
• Encourage kids to write daily or weekly entries, draw pictures, and describe summer adventures. It supports writing and critical thinking.
• Math in the Real World
• Involve kids in budgeting for a grocery trip, calculating distances on a road trip, or tracking weather temperatures and graphing the results.