The Gator Gazette

It is Red Ribbon Week, and we will be celebrating Halloween on Friday (plus there's a full moon tonight.....)! Our 1st quarter challenge winners will be receiving their reward party on Thursday, and flyers went home last week regarding the 2nd Quarter Challenge. We greatly appreciate all the parents that gave their time to assist with planning, decorating, and assisting during our Fall Festival last week. We raised almost $2,000 for our PTSO, and everyone seemed to have a great time. We are aware of the talk and concern regarding the state facilities report that was released; we will have some info on that below. Here is what you can expect to find in this edition of the Gator Gazette:

- This week's menu

- Red Ribbon Week

- State Facilities Report information

- PTSO Meeting

- School Board Meeting

- 121 Foundation Thanksgiving Collection & Carroll Christmas Fund Collection

- Election Day information

- Teacher / Staff Member of the Month Nominations

- Information from Tri-Area Health

- Calendar of upcoming events

Have some feedback for us? Feel free to drop us a line using the feedback link at the bottom of the page.

We will be celebrating Red Ribbon Week this week! While this week was initiated primary to focus on drug education, at GBES we use it for character education as well, especially for our younger students. Join us in dressing up each day as we focus on a different character trait! We will celebrate Halloween on Friday...please remember that the dress code still applies at all times. Costumes must be school appropriate, look alike weapons are not allowed, and masks may only be worn during the costume parade and trick or treating.

We understand that there is great concern regarding the VDOE Facilities Condition Assessment, which is linked below. While there were 5 possible actions recommended, Mr. Huff (Superintendent) has recommended exploring options 2 (closure of GBES) and 5 (closure of RAE Center and relocation of program to a different site). We want to emphasize a few key points:

• This is only a proposal to explore the options. No final decision has been made. The School Board would have to vote to approve any school closure, and they have stated that they want to listen to feedback from all Carroll County Public Schools stakeholders before moving forward in any way.
• If you choose to contact your elected representatives or speak at any School Board meetings, PLEASE do so in a positive manner.
• Please understand that we, as a school, cannot and will not comment on this publicly. We will continue to do what we do best, which is to take care of our students. We want to make sure that the school day is a safe place where they are sheltered from any discussion of this topic.
• We work hard to make sure our Social Media accounts reflect positivity and promote the great learning that occurs at GBES. Please help us with this by keeping talk of this issue off of our GBES Facebook and Instagram Accounts.
• With all of this said, please know how much we appreciate the support from our GBES Community. We have been encouraged by the kind words shared with us directly and to other on our behalf. As always, our families are the best!

Our next PTSO Meeting will be held on Thursday, November 5th at 6 pm in the gym. All parents are welcome to attend!

We have two canned food drives running concurrently. The first is the Thanksgiving Give Back Collection for the 121 foundation, which was formed in honor of Deputy Logan Utt. Please see the flyer below for details on what they are requesting. These items will be picked up on Friday, November 13th.

The second is the Carroll Christmas Fund canned food drive. This year, they are requesting donations of canned mixed vegetables from GBES. This will be collected on November 30th.

To avoid confusion, any of the items listed on the 121 Foundation flyer before 11/13 will go towards that purpose. Any canned mixed vegetables donated, or any donations that come in after 11/13, will go to the Carroll Christmas Fund. These items will be tallied, and the class with the most total donations (average per student) will receive a popcorn and movie party in December.

As with the past few years, Election Day will be a Virtual Learning Day. We will send out a Special Edition of The Gator Gazette next Sunday with more detailed information on what to expect.

We have some great staff at GBES! Feel free to nominate them for either teacher of the month or staff member of the month by using the links below:

Teacher of the Month Nomination Form

Staff Member of the Month Nomination Form

Tri-Area will continue to operate our School-Based Health Clinic. While located at CCHS, students at GBES can access health services virtually as long as patient registration has been completed. Below, you will find a flyer attached, along with the patient registration form.

• Mon. 10/26 - Fri. 10/30 - Red Ribbon Week
• Tues. 11/3 - Election Day (Virtual Instruction Day)
• Thurs. 11/5 - PTSO Meeting @ 6 pm in the gym
• Tues. 11/10 - School Board Meeting @ GBES in the gym (public comments @ 6 pm)
• Fri. 11/13 - Last day for donations for 121 Foundation Thanksgiving Give Back
• Mon. 11/16 - Fri. 11/20 - Book Fair
• Tues. 11/17 - Thanksgiving Lunch
• Wed. 11/25 - Fri. 11/27 - Thanksgiving Break