PANTHER PROWL

Happy May, Panther Families!

We have officially reached the final stretch! With only a few short weeks left in the school year, our campus is buzzing with a mix of focused determination and end-of-year excitement.

As the weather warms up and summer feels within reach, we are reminding all students to stay positive, productive, and professional. Our goal is to finish the year with the same "Panther Pride" we started with. Please remind your students that maintaining these expectations is essential, as poor choices can result in consequences including the loss of end-of-year event privileges. We want every Panther to participate in the fun celebrations we have planned!

The first three weeks of May are dedicated to State Testing. These assessments are an opportunity for students to show off the incredible growth they’ve made this year. You can help your student be ready by ensuring they:

• Get plenty of rest each night.

• Eat a healthy breakfast.

• Arrive at school on time with a charged chrome book and ready to try their absolute best.

We have a calendar full of rewards and events to look forward to including but not limited to:

• Field Day: As mentioned last month, our Celebration Field Day is approaching! This event is for all students who participate in testing and follow testing behavior expectations. We will have additional incentives for students who show improvement, or meet grade-level standards.

  • Stay tuned—more detailed information on Field Day will be sent home soon!

• Culture Fair Day: A wonderful day where our Panthers celebrate the diverse backgrounds and traditions that make our school community and world so special.

• Student Recognition Events: We will be hosting various recognition events throughout the month to honor academic achievement, attendance, character, and leadership.

Between our final home games, these special events, and our monthly awards, May is going to be a month to remember. Thank you for your continued support in helping our students stay focused until the very last bell!

With Panther Pride,
Jessica Fernandez
Principal, GEMS

Hello Panther Families,

SBAC TESTING:

With state testing starting next week I wanted to share how important California state testing is for our students and school community. These assessments help measure how well students are progressing in key areas like English and Math and identify where additional support may be needed. The results also help teachers and schools improve instruction, programs, and resources to better meet student needs.

Just as importantly, doing their best on the test helps ensure our school has accurate data that can impact future planning and support services. We encourage students to come rested, on time, and ready to give their best effort. PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOUR STUDENTS ARE CHARGING THEIR CHROMEBOOK EACH NIGHT. Thank you for partnering with us to support your child’s success.

Please see the previously sent information about state testing that was shared on Wednesday, April 15th on ParentSquare.

BEHAVIOR:

This is a reminder that our schoolwide expectations remain in effect until the final bell on the last day of school. Please remind your students that staying positive, productive, and professional is the key to participating in end-of-year celebrations. Negative behaviors may result in the loss of event privileges. Students disrupting classes during state testing will lose event privileges and receive disciplinary consequences for their behavior.

ATTENDANCE REMINDER:
To report an absence, families may reply to the ParentSquare email or texted link with the reason for the absence, or call the 24-hour Attendance Hotline at 916-645-6581. If phone or internet access is not available, please send a written note with your student on their first day back to school. Any absence not cleared within three school days will be marked as unexcused.

Steve Roman

Assistant Principal

Glen Edwards Middle School

At our last Student Senate Meeting, Placer County DA Lisa Botwinik spoke about the Placer County AppSafe initiative and the risks of unsupervised online activity.

Here is the presentation she shared with our Student Senate:

"Think Before You Send" presentation from the Placer County DA's office - click here

In the PDF, there are two videos embedded and I don't think they'll play for you via PDF. The first one (animated with grey background and soccer players) can be viewed here. The second one (with the yellow background and teal background and then in a science classroom) can be viewed here.

Here are some tips for talking to your student:

It’s a tough but essential conversation to have. Since kids often feel defensive or embarrassed by these topics, the best approach is to lead with curiosity and safety rather than suspicion.

Here are some open-ended, age-appropriate questions to help you start that dialogue:

1. General Online Safety & Atmosphere

Before diving into the "heavy" stuff, get a pulse on their digital world.

• "What are the coolest things you’re seeing on [TikTok/Snapchat/Roblox] right now?"

• "If someone you didn't know sent you a friend request, how would you decide whether to accept it?"

• "Have you ever seen something online that made you feel weird or uncomfortable? How did you handle it?"

2. Understanding Grooming (Spotting Red Flags)

Grooming often starts with "love bombing" or making a child feel special. These questions help them identify manipulative behavior.

• "Does anyone you talk to online ever ask you to keep your conversations a secret from me?"

• "Has anyone ever offered to buy you 'skins,' gift cards, or game currency in exchange for a favor?"

• "Do you ever feel pressured to stay online or reply to someone immediately, even if you’re busy or tired?"

3. Sextortion & Body Safety

This is the hardest part. Frame it as a scam or extortion—which it is—rather than a moral failing on their part.

• "Do you know what 'sextortion' is? It's when people trick others into sending a photo and then try to scare or blackmail them."

• "If someone ever threatened to share a private photo of you unless you did what they said, would you know that they are the one breaking the law, not you?"

• "Do you feel like you could come to me if you made a mistake online, without me taking your phone away immediately?"

Key Tips for the Conversation

The "No-Phone-Loss" Guarantee: The #1 reason kids don’t tell parents about online trouble is the fear of losing their device. Explicitly tell them: "If you come to me because you're in trouble or someone is threatening you, I won't take your phone away. We will fix it together."

• Be a "Safe Harbor": React calmly. If they share something concerning, stay composed so they don't shut down.

• Explain the "Why": Instead of just saying "don't talk to strangers," explain that people online can pretend to be anyone—even another kid—to get what they want.

• Use Real-World Parallels: Compare a digital "secret" to a "surprise." Surprises (like a birthday party) have an end date and make people happy; secrets (especially with adults) often feel heavy and bad.

Hello families,

This is a friendly reminder about end-of-year travel plans. If your student will be participating in a travel study, they MUST RETURN IN PERSON TO SCHOOL on or before May 20, 2026.

Please note that we will not be able to approve or accept any travel study requests that extend beyond May 20th. We encourage you to plan ahead to ensure your student can meet this requirement.

Thank you for your support as we wrap up the school year!

Get ready to soak up some sun and enjoy a change of scenery! We are excited to announce that we are officially planning our 2nd annual "Lunch in the Quad" event for our Panther Parents.

Mark your calendars now! More information to be shared soon.

May is our testing month and we have adjusted our bell schedule to allow extended testing blocks

⏰ Key Schedule Changes

• Longer morning periods (8:15–9:39) for testing
• Rotating class periods each day (not the usual order)
• Lunch remains mid-day, slightly adjusted by grade
• Afternoon classes continue after testing blocks

🧠 What This Means for Students

• Students will test during extended morning blocks if that is their MATH, ELA, or SCI 8 class
• Class periods rotate daily, so check the schedule carefully
• Regular instruction continues after testing each day
• Dismissal time T-F remains consistent (ends at 2:55 PM)

📌 Tips for Parents

• Make sure students:
  • Get good sleep
  • Eat breakfast before school
  • Arrive on time (before 8:15 AM)
• Double-check which period comes first each day

Your child's voice matters. We are inviting your child to participate in the YouthTruth Student Survey (https://youthtruth.org) to help us understand and improve their school experience.

The YouthTruth Student Survey is used by hundreds of schools and districts nationwide to gather student perspectives on what's working well and what could be better. The survey asks about student experiences on topics like school engagement, relationships with teachers, and academic rigor.

Your child has complete control over their participation. Not only is participation entirely voluntary, but students can skip any question they don't want to answer. There are no right or wrong answers—we simply want to hear their honest perspective.

Our school will use this feedback to guide improvements that make school better for all students. We may also contribute anonymous, overall results to research that helps improve education nationwide. The survey will be administered during May 5- May 22.

For more information about this survey, to review the survey questions ahead of time, or to opt your student out from this survey- please contact Jessica Fernandez (jfernandez@wpusd.org).

If you missed the Promotion Newsletter that was previously sent, <<CLICK HERE>> to start making plans and save the dates!!

PROMOTION DANCE COMMITTEE UPDATE:

We have been planning the upcoming 8th Grade Dance and would love your support to help make it a special night for our students!

If you’d like to contribute, there are several ways to get involved:

1. Donate snacks, drinks, or gift cards by purchasing directly from our Amazon Wish List
2. Volunteer to chaperone, help set up, or assist with clean-up by signing up on our Sign Up Genius
3. Make a monetary donation through our Cheddar Up link

Every contribution—big or small—helps make this event memorable for our students. Thank you for your continued support and generosity!

P. S. We would like to play a slide show of photos of the 8th graders during the dance. Please fill out this form if you would like to add photos of your child.

Warmly,
The 8th Grade Dance Committee

Greetings from the GEMS Health Department,

As we begin planning for the 2026–2027 school year, we would like to share a friendly reminder about immunization requirements for all students entering, advancing, or transferring into 7th grade.

The following immunizations are required:

• Tdap – 1 dose (Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis – whooping cough booster typically given at age 11 or older)

• Varicella – 2 doses (VZV and/or MMRV – usually given at 12 months and again at 4–6 years)

If your current 6th grade student has not yet received the Tdap booster, or if you are unsure of their status, Spring Break is a great opportunity to schedule an appointment or check with your healthcare provider. If you do not currently have a healthcare provider, please refer to the flyer below for information about an upcoming vaccination opportunity.

If your student has already received the Tdap booster, we kindly ask that you provide a copy of the updated immunization record to the front office so we may update our files.

Thank you for your attention to this important health requirement and for helping us keep our students safe and ready for the upcoming school year.

See Message sent by WPUSD on 2/13-

At Tuesday's Regular Meeting (2/10)of the Board of Trustees, the Board took official action to restrict elementary and middle school e-bike use to Class 1 ONLY. Included below is the language from the updated board policy and administrative regulation. We will continue to work in collaboration with the Lincoln Police Department and site administration on education efforts surrounding this new policy change.

• BP/AR 5142.2 - Safe Routes to School Programs

  Note: on AR 5142.2 Safe Routes to School Programs, the following new language is being added to Section "3. Enforcement strategies to deter unsafe behaviors of drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists, such as:"

  c. Monitoring to ensure that students who bicycle to school or who use skateboards, skates, or nonmotorized scooter wear helmets in accordance with Vehicle Code 21212

  i. Elementary and middle school students are prohibited from operating or storing electronic scooters or Class 2 electric bicycles on District Campuses

  ii. Only Class 1 (pedal-assist) e-bikes and non-motorized scooters may be brought onto and stored on elementary and middle school campuses in designated areas.

  iii. Students who violate this provision may be subject to disciplinary action consistent with District Policy and California Education Code.

Since we scored high enough to apply for gold recognition, our PBIS team is gathering data items and is expected to submit our application shortly. We look forward to the prospect of being awarded this recognition for implementing PBIS practices sufficiently.

Theme of the week:

Our themes for the month of May will coordinate with state testing and wrapping up the school year. Students have a chance to earn a Panther Buck from teachers for our weekly raffle.

• 5/4 & 5/11: Panthers remain positive and focused during state testing

• 5/18 & 5/26: Panthers turn in all due materials to teacher, the library, and other staff members

Campus Clean up Challenge 2x:

During our three weeks of testing, GEMS students will participate in another campus cleanup challenge. Each grade level will receive a score for participation (how many students are helping to keep the campus clean), visibly clean (how tidy and clean is the area), trash removed (how much trash was picked up), and effort & teamwork (students working together). There were 20 points possible for each grade level each day with a total of 300 points possible. The winning class will receive a sweet treat the last week of May.

Student Store reminders:

Please encourage your students to spend their 5Star points and pick up items. Points do not roll over into the next school year.

THERE IS STILL TIME TO GET INVOLVED!!!!!!!

Session 3 clubs began the week of 3/10!!

May Leadership Update

We wrapped up April on a high note with our final school dance of the year! Our Leadership students hosted a fun and energetic Pajama Jam that was a big success. Students enjoyed music, free popcorn, and had the chance to capture great memories at our professional photo booth. It was a fantastic way to bring our school community together and celebrate the end of the year.

As we move into May, our focus shifts to supporting students during SBAC testing. Leadership students are working hard to create positive and motivating posters around campus to help encourage all students to stay confident and do their best. We are proud of the positive school culture they continue to build.

In addition, Leadership is planning a special SBAC Field Day event to celebrate students who participate in testing. This event will take place on Friday, May 29th during the school day. Students who take the SBAC test will have the opportunity to enjoy a variety of activities, including inflatable carnival games, an obstacle course, and other fun field day experiences.

OUR 24/7 GLEN EDWARDS MIDDLE SCHOOL Sideline Store is up and running. Stop reading and start shopping to score the latest fan wear and accessories.

*PLEASE NOTE: THESE CLOTH ITEMS WILL NOT MEET PE UNIFORM REQUIREMENTS. DO NOT PURCHASE FOR PE CLOTH FROM HERE.

FUNDRAISERS:
THANK YOU to everyone who attended our dine out event last month at The Habit! Your participation is much appreciated!

STAFF APPRECIATION WEEK:

Staff appreciation week is this month May 4th - 8th and we could use your help to make it a success! Please consider donating!

• Sign up genius!
• Amazon Wishlist

We encourage All Parents, Teachers & Students (APTS) to attend our meetings. This is a great way for everyone to be a part of the GEMS community. Our FINAL meeting is on Tues, May 12th @5pm in the school's library!

CONNECT:
For more ways you can help support APTS and our ONGOING FUNDRAISERS check out the GEMS Website for details.

Be sure to follow us on:

• Facebook @GemsApts
• Visit the APTS website here!
• Any questions, comments or concerns be sure to email us at GemsApts@Gmail.com

Spring Sports are wrapping up! (Boys Volleyball, Girls Flag Football and Track & Field)

For questions on any of the sports please contact the appropriate coach below:

Check out the flier below. There are several ways to report absences. We hope you find it useful!

• 7TH PERIOD is actually the students PAW period and the first class of the day Tuesday - Friday.
• When you receive a message that your student was absent, you can respond easily by clicking on the link within the message to report your student's absence.
• ALSO NOTE: There will be NO TRAVEL STUDIES approved if the Annual Registration Update is not completed and no travel study will be granted after May 20th, 2026
  

Check out www.pantherpress916.com

You can find articles on any of the following topics of interest.

News / Arts and Entertainment / Feature / Opinion

MANY OTHER UPDATES IN PAW PRINTS SECTION

***Check out our SPORTS SCORECENTER with updated scores from all of our teams and games

Available on the GEMS TV YouTube channel, Spotify and Apple.

Web Link: Click Here

https://youtu.be/6KM-iwB6mVI?si=w6qlR2zepxxCL3Xr

Prices go up to $70 on May 16th

IF your student wants to participate in any athletic capacity be sure you have an account created in Final Forms and physical clearance by a physician.

• Parent AND Student must create their own account, fill out and submit information via FINAL FORMS
• All students must have a current PHYSICAL on file with the school (current means within the past year).

Learn more about our food service program HERE and visit the food services website HERE for daily menu options.

Don't forget to follow our GEMS Facebook Page to stay on top of all the fun things we are doing around campus! Click this link or the picture below to follow!