GSD E-Blast September 2025

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Welcome back to a new school year in GSD! This year, we are embracing the theme Accelerate, Engage, Achieve! In GSD, we focus on accelerating learning, enhancing student engagement, and improving outcomes for every child. Our staff is ready and excited to create classrooms and learning experiences that inspire, challenge, and support students at every level.

We are grateful for the strong partnership we share with our families and community. It is your encouragement and support that help make student success possible. Together, with the incredible talents of our educators and the dedication of our families, we are confident that our students will thrive. Let’s work side by side to make this an extraordinary year filled with growth, opportunity, and achievement for every student in GSD!

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!

Congratulations to the 20th graduating class of the GSD Orange Frog Workshop! Over the past eight years, nearly 500 GSD staff members have taken part in this training, which is grounded in the principles of positive psychology. We are incredibly proud of our staff for embracing this work, and we know it directly supports student success by fostering positive, engaging, and encouraging learning environments across our schools.

Carlson High School kicked off the new school year with its annual Prep Day on August 21st, 2025. Seniors, juniors, and sophomores came in throughout the day to take school pictures, pick up their class schedules, and collect yearbooks. Seniors also had the opportunity to receive important information regarding caps and gowns as they begin preparing for graduation. Freshmen had a special experience, spending time with their Marauder Captains who helped welcome them to Carlson. They also toured the building to become more familiar with their new school environment. Prep Day provided a smooth and organized start for all grade levels, ensuring students were ready for the year ahead. The event also fostered excitement and school spirit as Marauders reunited after summer break. Staff, student leaders, and families all played a role in making the day a success. Carlson is looking forward to another great year filled with achievement, growth, and Marauder pride.

This past week, we had the joy of welcoming our newest Chargers during Kindergarten screening, followed by a fun-filled afternoon on the playground for Popsicles with the Principal. Families had the chance to connect with one another, soak up the sunshine, and of course, cool down with popsicles. The playground was alive with laughter as our kindergarteners-to-be explored, made new friends, and shared their excitement about starting school. We can’t wait to see our kindergarteners and all of our students back on campus soon, ready for a wonderful year ahead!

And speaking of Kindergarten, we’re delighted to introduce and warmly welcome our new Kindergarten teacher, Ms. Lilly Brodeur. We are so excited for her to join the Chapman team!

Hunter Elementary got a major glow-up this summer thanks to bond-funded renovations! Our parking lot has been fully refreshed, sidewalks have been expanded and upgraded, and every classroom now has new flooring, updated bathrooms, and shiny new casework with coat closets and storage cabinets. But that’s not all—construction is underway for two brand-new classrooms and a multi-purpose room to give us more gym and activity space. And throughout this school year, all three of our playgrounds will be getting new and upgraded equipment for even more fun at recess. We’re so excited for our students and families to enjoy these improvements—it’s going to be a fantastic year at Hunter! We are grateful for the community’s support in making these improvements possible!

Parsons Elementary proudly represented our school in the Gibraltar July 4th community parade! Over the summer, students and families came together to decorate and create our float, which showcased this year’s theme: Under the Sea – “We All Swim Together.” During the parade, Pirates spread joy by handing out lots of candy, sharing plenty of smiles, and showing their patriotic spirit. It was a wonderful celebration of creativity, community, and school pride!

Our Open House was such a wonderful event! Students had the chance to explore their new classrooms, meet their teachers, and get a sneak peek at the exciting year ahead. It was so nice to see so many of our students and families together, building excitement as we gear up for the first day of school. The smiles, high-fives, and laughter throughout the building showed just how ready our Wildcats are to kick off another great year. Teachers were thrilled to connect with families and begin building those important relationships right from the start. We are grateful to everyone who came out to make the evening such a positive and welcoming start to the school year.

As the 2024/25 school year ended, Shumate 8th graders Jade O’Connor and Hailey Urbiel were selected for an all-expense-paid trip to New York City to see Hamilton: An American Musical, complete with a cast Q&A and swag bags. The opportunity came through Mr. Dunwoody’s U.S. History class and the Hamilton Education Program (EduHam), where students research a founding-era topic and create an original performance. Jade and Hailey’s poem about the Hamilton-Burr duel, set to the show’s song Burn, was praised for its creativity, accuracy, and engagement. This year, Shumate 8th graders will once again take part in EduHam and create submissions of their own.

Lakeshore Virtual recently hosted our annual Prep Day, welcoming families into the building to kick off the new school year. The event provided students and parents an opportunity to connect in person, meet their teachers, and learn more about the virtual school experience. Families were able to pick up student IDs, check out Chromebooks, and receive important information to ensure a smooth start to the year. Prep Day also served as a time to ask questions, explore resources, and build relationships with staff, setting a strong foundation for a successful year of learning.

Gibraltar School District is required to provide families with certain notifications, as required by law, which can be accessed at this link. Please take a moment to review these notifications.

We are excited for our school year to begin! We have put the routes together and the families can view their assigned stops in their parent portal. Please check your parent portal just before school starts to make sure there have been no changes. We are hiring bus aides and drivers. If you are interested, please contact us at (734) 379-6370.

Cherie Fraser- Asst. Director of Transportation

As we kick off another school year, I want to send a big thank-you to our custodial staff. All summer long, they’ve been hard at work making sure our schools are clean, safe, and ready for students and staff. From scrubbing classrooms and hallways to setting up learning spaces, they’ve put in countless hours to get everything just right. Thanks to their dedication and teamwork, we’re starting the school year off in buildings and spaces we can all be proud of.

I also appreciate our amazing grounds crew for keeping our campuses looking great all summer. Hands down one of the best ground crews around! Also a huge thank you to our skilled maintenance team for taking on some huge tasks this summer! They truly went above and beyond. Their hard work often happens behind the scenes, but it makes a huge difference every single day. I am very proud to be a small part of this amazing group!

So many projects completed from concrete, pool equipment replacement, tennis courts, concession stand addition, classroom updates, parking lot restructuring, ventilation replacement, generator additions and replacement, rooftop units, and lighting upgrades, just to name a few. It has been a busy summer around the GSD campuses. Looking better everyday.

Let's have another great year!

Greg Timmons- Director of Operations

Breakfast is available at all Gibraltar Schools each morning. Warm breakfast options along with Grab and Go options. Have your student stop in at Breakfast. Breakfast service starts at Chapman 8:15am, Hunter 8:15am, Parsons 8:15am, Weiss 8:15am, Carlson 7:15am, Shumate 7:45am and GSRP Rockwood.

Brian Bahr- Director of Dining Services

As we begin the new school year, this is a good time to review an important safety measure in place across the Gibraltar School District: the SmartBoot System.

Installed last year using bond funds and state grant sources, the SmartBoot System provides both physical and technological protection for students and staff. It allows for quick classroom lockdowns, instant communication across the building, and direct connection with law enforcement in the event of an emergency. Color-coded room signage has also been added to assist both staff and first responders in locating individuals quickly. All staff received training last spring, and training will continue throughout the course of the school year.

As a reminder, tampering with or falsely activating the SmartBoot System—or any other safety system such as fire alarms—is strictly prohibited. These systems must only be used when absolutely necessary. Misuse can result in disciplinary and legal consequences.

Thank you for your continued support as we advance our safety measures to ensure a safe learning environment for our students and staff.

Have a great year,

Ken May- District Crisis and Safety Coordinator

We’re excited to kick off the new school year with several major technology upgrades across the district. Over the summer, we installed a brand-new network infrastructure to ensure our schools have fast, reliable internet and Wi-Fi—giving students and staff access to the latest and most efficient connectivity. Our team also prepared more than 1,000 new devices for students, so they’re ready to hit the ground running on day one. In addition, we’ve fully launched Classwize, a new classroom tool that helps teachers monitor and guide students’ internet use during the school day to help them stay focused and on track. Classwize works seamlessly with our existing Linewize web filtering system, making our digital learning environment even more safe, efficient, and supportive. We’re proud of these improvements and can’t wait to see the positive impact they’ll have on student learning this year.

Jaime Williams- Director of Technology