HAWK HIGHLIGHTS

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Mission:

• To provide a high-quality, inclusive, and equitable education for students to grow, lead, and thrive by empowering staff, collaborating with families, and embracing our diverse community.

Vision:

• Gompers will be a collaborative community that provides a sense of belonging and high levels of achievement for all students, staff, and families.

Dear Gompers Jr. High School Students and Families,

Welcome back to Gompers for another exciting school year! I'm Principal Gaston, and I'm thrilled to see both our returning students and new faces. We're glad to have you in the Gompers family! We look forward to a wonderful year filled with learning, growth, and fun. Our dedicated teachers and staff have worked hard to create a supportive environment where every student can thrive.

This year, we want to encourage collaboration and teamwork among our students. We believe that exploring new ideas and working together on challenges will help our students become thoughtful and engaged citizens. Our curriculum will be exciting and challenging, with many chances for you to excel in all subjects. We invite all families to participate in our school community! Join us for various events and activities throughout the year. Your support means so much to our students and helps make our school an even better place. Read below for details about the open house, and other important dates coming soon.

Here's to a wonderful and memorable 2025-2026 school year at Gompers Jr. High School, where every Hawk is Working Together, Soaring Together! We can't wait to get started!

Warmly,

Principal Gaston

Gompers Jr. High School

Tentative and upcoming important dates:

• 8.11.25 - Gompers Office Opens, 7a-4p
• 8.18.25 - 6th Grade Open House, 4:00p-6:00p

• 8.19.25 - 7th & 8th Grade Open House, 4:00p-6:00p
• 8.20.25 - First Day of School, 7:30a arrival/7:45a classes begin.
• 9.8.25 - Picture Day, During school day

The City of Joliet Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee is seeking community feedback through their two-year planning process to develop a plan to shape land use and policy decisions for the future of Joliet. The goal is to hear from people all over Joliet about their vision for Joliet. They would love your input! You can share your priorities for the future of Joliet by taking this short survey. At the end, enter your information to win a $50 gift card. Click here to respond to the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JolietCompPlan The online survey is available in English, Spanish, Polish, Arabic, and traditional Chinese through the drop-down option.

Thanks for your help!

My name is Loretta Gutierrez, and I am the new PALS teacher at Gompers. I am starting my 17th year in the district. I have taught in several special education programs including inclusion, instructional, and autism. I earned my undergraduate degree in Elementary Education from Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights and my masters degree in Educational Leadership from Lewis University in Romeoville. In my free time I enjoy gardening and word puzzles. I am looking forward to meeting and working with the students in the program.

Hello! My name is Davina Morris, and I am excited to join the team this year. I bring over 10 years of experience in education, most recently serving at a K–12 public charter school in Gary, IN. Over the years, I’ve served as a Middle School Humanities teacher, Athletic Director, Culture Coordinator, and for the past three years, Director of Compliance & Reporting. I’ve also coached cheerleading for eight years and served as the National Honor Society advisor for four years. I look forward to supporting staff and students, partnering with families, and contributing to a collaborative and engaging school environment. Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my husband and children. I’m looking forward to building connections and making this a great year together!

Gompers families have achieved a 92% completion rate for the 2025-2026 Registration. These students will have a schedule, lock, locker, and have everything they need to start the school year in August.

If you've not registered your student and are attending Gompers in the fall, please complete their registration as soon as possible. Without a completed registration, your student will not be able to participate in the Open House or start on the first day of school.

For registration help,

• contact Mrs. Alavarez at palvarez@joliet86.org

• visit Marshall Elementary, 319 Harwood St, Joliet, IL 60432, (815) 727-4919

• Monday & Wednesday 8:30am-2:30pm

• Tuesday & Thursday 12:30pm-6:30pm

Have a question, comment, concern, or compliment about our school or District? Submit a Let’s Talk message at https://www.joliet86.org/district-info/lets-talk/ 24 hours a day, seven days a week from any computer, tablet, or smartphone.

Sixth Grade

• Academic Advisor: Davina Morris - dmorris@joliet86.org
• Team Leader: Robert Pollard - rpollard@joliet86.org
• Social Worker: Therese Skwarczynski - tskwarczynski@joliet86.org

• Academic Advisor: Laura Arias - larias@joliet86.org
• Team Leader: Jeremy Poch - jerpoch@joliet86.org
• Counselor: Brooke Hagadus - bhagadus@joliet86.org

Eighth Grade

• Academic Advisor: Courtney Miller - camiller@joliet86.org
• Team Leader: Jessica Pasquale - jpasquale@joliet86.org
• Counselor Maria Arroyo - mgarroyo@joliet86.org

School Psychologist: Andrea Gandy - agandy@joliet86.org

Fine Arts Team Leader: Theresa Curry - tcurry@joliet86.org

PE Team Leader: Jennifer Colstock - jcolstock@joliet86.org

Athletic Director: Eric Blaeser - eblaeser@joliet86.org

Nurse: Melissa Quitman - mquitman@joliet86.org

Assistant Principal: Tony Villagomez- tvillagomez@joliet86.org

Principal: Raul Gaston - rgaston@joliet86.org

Newsletters for the week of...

• 8.4.25 - https://app.smore.com/n/t3a9dr
• Summer Break - https://app.smore.com/n/v5y1u
• 6.2.25 - https://app.smore.com/n/a0nep
• 5.26.25 - https://app.smore.com/n/mvsyc
• 5.19.25 - https://app.smore.com/n/us0kma
• 5.12.25 - https://app.smore.com/n/mjc9r
• 5.4.25 - https://app.smore.com/n/2ks1n
• 4.28.25 - https://app.smore.com/n/8bxcg
• 4.21.25 - https://app.smore.com/n/bct3s
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• 3.31.25 - https://secure.smore.com/n/3x1cm
• 3.17.25 - https://secure.smore.com/n/sxmag
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• 2.24.25 - https://secure.smore.com/n/n0648k
• 2.17.25 - https://secure.smore.com/n/6fwva
• 2.10.25 - https://secure.smore.com/n/chp9q
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• 1.27.25 - https://secure.smore.com/n/0bf7q
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• 1.13.25 - https://secure.smore.com/n/t3e8p
• 1.6.25 - https://secure.smore.com/n/ndewc
• Winter Break - https://secure.smore.com/n/je3a7
• 12.16.24 - https://secure.smore.com/n/kt0na
• 12.9.24 - https://secure.smore.com/n/nz05d
• 12.2.24 - https://secure.smore.com/n/n7ejy
• 11.25.24 - https://secure.smore.com/n/6veyk
• 11.18.24 - https://secure.smore.com/n/4z0j18
• 11.11.24 - https://secure.smore.com/n/sgnqm
• 11.4.24 - https://secure.smore.com/n/mp4w1
• 10.28.24 - https://secure.smore.com/n/w32a5
• 10.21.24 - https://secure.smore.com/n/ta54fv
• 10.14.24 - https://secure.smore.com/n/cyaq3
• 10.7.24 - https://secure.smore.com/n/dqgmp
• 9.30.24 - https://secure.smore.com/n/c3d8x
• 9.23.24 - https://secure.smore.com/n/5tbcq
• 9.16.24 - https://secure.smore.com/n/s89fe
• 9.9.24 - https://secure.smore.com/n/bxk8a
• 9.2.24 - https://secure.smore.com/n/8snaf
• 8.26.24 https://secure.smore.com/n/0cvtb
• 8.19.24 - https://secure.smore.com/n/0jn2u
• 8.12.24 - https://secure.smore.com/n/532she