GSD E-Blast October 2024

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We've had an incredible first month of school, filled with fun, collaboration, excitement, and engagement across all grades!

Homecoming week is just around the corner, from September 30 to October 4. This is always a memorable time for students of all ages, with a variety of activities and events to enjoy. Some highlights include spirit days, Powder Puff football, and pep assemblies, to name a few. We hope you'll join us for one of our community’s favorite traditions—the Homecoming Parade on Friday, October 4, through the streets of Gibraltar. The parade kicks off at 5 p.m. from the Community Center and finishes at Carlson High School.

If you’re active on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or X (formerly Twitter), we encourage you to follow our official district accounts and individual school pages and check out our website’s live feed. These platforms showcase the numerous fun and engaging activities in which our students and staff participate. Our district is dedicated to preparing students for future success by involving them in STEM and 21st-century learning experiences.

Research shows that a positive mindset enhances problem-solving skills, improves task completion, and ultimately leads to a more successful life. At GSD, we’ve embraced the work of Shawn Achor and his "Happiness Advantage" philosophy to promote positivity throughout our schools. By fostering a positive outlook, we aim to nurture our students into happy, confident thinkers and future leaders. Throughout the year, we will continue to focus on “spreading the orange” and embracing the Happiness Advantage. We are excited to share this each month in our Spark's Corner and also as you read you will see the many other ways we a promote positive mindset and happiness!

Your partner in education,

Amy Conway

Superintendent

This fall, Gibraltar School District voters will be asked to make a decision on two significant ballot proposals. Both are renewals and will significantly impact our school district's future.

We need your help sharing information about the renewals and how they support maintaining and improving the quality of our educational programs and facilities.

Proposal 1: A Non-Homestead Millage Renewal

• The Non-Homestead Millage Renewal is a continuation of an existing tax on businesses, second homes, rental properties, and vacant land.

• This millage will not change the current tax rate on a homeowner's primary residence (the home in which a homeowner lives).

• To receive their full share of state aid, Michigan law requires all school districts to levy 18 mills on non-homestead property.

• The revenue from this millage supports the educational programs, classrooms, and services provided to all of our students.

• All Gibraltar School District registered voters can vote on this proposal even though there will be no change in the tax-rate on their primary home.

Proposal 2: Sinking Fund Restoration and Renewal

• The Sinking Fund Renewal generates revenue for ongoing repairs and improvement of our school buildings and infrastructure.

• The sinking fund covers various needs, from replacing roofs, updating heating and cooling systems, and upgrading technology.

• Due to requirements of the Michigan Constitution, the sinking fund has been “rolled back” to 0.4817 mills from 5.0 mills Gibraltar voters approved. This reduces the amount of revenue received by the school district.

• Restoring the sinking fund to the original 0.5 mills approved by voters will cost the average homeowner in a $200,000 market value home (with a $100,000 taxable value) an additional $1.83 per year… or about 15 cents per month.

For more information, please visit: https://www.gibdist.net/page/election-information

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!

Shumate Middle School launched its PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) program with a heartwarming and engaging start, hosting three uplifting meetings—one for each grade level. During each session, students were introduced to the core principles of PBIS at Shumate, which focus on kindness, respect, and making positive choices. They also enjoyed fun games that fostered teamwork and community spirit. The highlight of the event was an inspiring message from Detroit Lions wide receiver, Amon-Ra St. Brown, who spoke about the power of hard work, being open to learning, and the importance of showing up every day. His words encouraged students to embrace a mindset of growth and positivity. It was a wonderful way to begin the school year, reinforcing the values of kindness and respect that PBIS seeks to promote throughout the school community

Link to Amon-Ra St. Brown’s message to the students of Shumate:

https://www.cameo.com/recipient/66cf37a21983914efd02de1c?from_share_sheet=1&utm_campaign=video_share_to_copy

At CHS, we're all about creating a positive, welcoming environment where students can thrive, and that’s where PBIS, or Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports, comes in! PBIS is like our secret recipe for encouraging awesome behavior. We work together—teachers, staff, and students—to celebrate good choices, like being respectful, responsible, and kind. Whether it's a high-five in the hallway, earning a cool reward, or simply being recognized for doing the right thing, our whole school is on board to make good behavior fun and rewarding. By focusing on the positive, we're building a stronger, happier school community where everyone can succeed!

At Chapman Elementary, we kicked off a brand new school year together with our first PBIS Town Hall meeting. As a building, we reviewed positive behavior expectations together and discussed specific scenarios and appropriate, positive student response to those scenarios. The best part of our Town Hall kickoff was that while we reviewed, we incorporated student vs. teacher Minute to Win It Games to have a little fun. Students and teachers had a blast while learning about PBIS expectations. In addition, each grade level reviewed safe, responsible, and respectful behavior expectations around the school by participating in station rotations around all areas of our school. We sent home an informational note about our PBIS program to inform families on how they can partner with us to encourage positive behaviors at school.

The Hunter Family School Association Board and parents have helped kick-off a great school year at Hunter. They have already provided the teachers and staff with a welcome breakfast on the first day of school, a snack bar (filled with many donations from families), and a lunch for their half-day training.

Additionally, the students have already gotten to enjoy their first HFSA sponsored assembly, Krazy Keith the Magician who had the gym filled with laughter. But it doesn't stop there, October is bursting with more fun filled activities for students, staff, and families. Hunter is so thankful for their active parent group!

As the Parsons Pirates, we love to celebrate national Talk Like a Pirate Day. Parsons students were encouraged to dress like a pirate or wear their Parsons spirit wear. We had fun talking like a pirate on the announcements and telling pirate jokes. It was a playful school event that allowed us to show our Parson pride!

In addition, although we didn't have any parrots grace our school, we did have a Great Horned Owl. We had lots of excitement at lunch when an owl was discovered caught in our soccer net. Our school rallied to quickly help the bird. Thanks to Officer Seifert we were able to get in contact with Dave Hogan of the Migrator Bird Rescue. Mr. Hogan carefully released the owl from the net and gave a quick show and tell to our kindergarten students. We were so thankful for the community support!

We’re thrilled to announce the addition of Lu interactive playgrounds in all elementary school gymnasiums within the Gibraltar School District, transforming our spaces into active and immersive educational environments! Many students at Weiss have already enjoyed the engaging Lu, and those who haven’t will soon have their turn.

The Lu combines fun and learning through interactive games that span across academic subjects and physical education. This innovative system not only promotes physical activity but also supports intellectual growth and mindfulness strategies, enriching our students' overall well-being. Get ready for a new era of active learning!

Our students have been having a great start to the 2024 - 2025 school year and we wanted to celebrate with a game day! Our Leadership Club coordinated with Ms. Wagner and Ms. Scheffler to invite students to come to campus last week to enjoy the sunshine with an outside game hour. Students played a competitive game of cornhole, ladder ball, and even a friendly game of tic tac toe toss. It was a great way to celebrate their academic successes and compete against each other in some outside games before the incoming fall weather.

We are extremely proud of our students and appreciate all the support from our GSD staff and families for following the rules while riding their bus.

Our second bid day is Tuesday, October 1, 2024, so there might be some changes with different drivers on the routes, but the times should stay the same. Also, October 21-25 is National School Bus Safety Week.

GSD Food Service is excited to announce that we have opened a Sub Line at SMS! We call it So Deli on the menu with made to order sandwiches and wraps. You pick the bread you want and add your choice of meat, cheese, and toppings.

The Gibraltar Food Service offers Breakfast at every school every day.

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 a variety of choices every day and all meals are served with fresh fruit and milk. Studies show that breakfast can support a student’s learning through the day, leading to increased focus, fewer absences, and better test scores. Food is FUEL! You can check out our menu at gibdist.net.