GSD E-Blast October 2026

Dear Parents and Guardians,

It is hard to believe we are already heading into October! The first few weeks of school have been filled with learning, excitement, school spirit, and so many examples of what it means to be Marauder Made.

This year, our Marauder Made theme is about recognizing the strengths, talents, skills, and experiences that help shape every student. Whether students are discovering something new in the classroom, participating in athletics or the arts, building leadership skills, solving problems, or simply finding ways to make a positive difference in their school, we want them to have opportunities to discover what they are good at and what they love to do. Throughout our schools, we are already seeing so many great examples of Marauder Made in action!

October also brings one of our favorite GSD traditions: Homecoming! Homecoming will take place on Friday, October 16, with a full week of activities leading up to the big day. Students across the district can look forward to spirit days, Powder Puff football, pep assemblies, and other activities that bring our schools together and showcase our Marauder Pride. We hope our families and community members will join us for the annual Homecoming Parade and help us celebrate this special tradition. Homecoming is always a wonderful reminder that being Marauder Made is also about being part of a community that supports and celebrates one another.

We encourage families to stay connected throughout the year by following our district and school social media pages and checking the live feed on our website. From classroom learning and STEM experiences to athletics, clubs, performances, celebrations, and everyday moments, these are great ways to see the incredible opportunities our students experience each day. Be on the lookout for #MarauderMade, #MarauderPride, and #InMarauderCountry as we share those stories throughout the year.

Positivity also continues to be an important part of who we are at GSD. Through our continued Happiness Advantage work, Spark’s Corner, and our focus on “spreading the orange,” we encourage students and staff to recognize the good happening around them and the positive impact they can have on others. Those moments of kindness, encouragement, perseverance, and connection are just as much a part of being Marauder Made as the accomplishments we celebrate.

Thank you to our families, staff, students, and community for helping us begin another great school year. We have so much to look forward to this fall, and we cannot wait to continue sharing all the ways our students and staff are Marauder Made!

It’s always a great day to be a Marauder!

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!

Our elementary schools had a little extra sparkle, denim, and country flair for Dolly Day on 9/25! Students and staff at Downriver STEM at Weiss, Parsons, Hunter, and Chapman Elementary joined in the fun, filling our schools with pink, cowboy boots, hats, and plenty of creative Dolly-inspired outfits. Even better, the day gave us another opportunity to celebrate something Dolly Parton has championed for years: the joy of reading. From “Read Like Dolly: 9 to 5” shirts to classrooms filled with smiling students, it was a fun way for our four elementary schools to come together around literacy, school spirit, and a whole lot of personality.

Carlson High School welcomed students and families to our Open House on Tuesday, September 15! Guests connected with teachers and learned more about the exciting year ahead. Students explored the many clubs and activities available at CHS, and may have discovered a new way to get involved! Families also had chances to win fun prizes throughout the evening. Our Marching Marauders performed a few songs from their show and a variety of food trucks kept everyone fueled while they enjoyed the event. It was a fun evening filled with food, prizes, and plenty of Marauder spirit!

Learning is already coming to life in some pretty creative ways at Chapman! First graders in Mrs. Meeks’ class recently created their own clay worry stones after reading Alma and the Worry Stone, making a thoughtful connection to some of those first-week-of-school jitters that come with new routines, classrooms, and experiences. Our first graders also took on a Jack and the Beanstalk challenge in STEM, using creativity, problem-solving, and teamwork to design and build their own way for Jack to travel down the beanstalk. In second grade, students practiced their reading skills with some very special listeners: their favorite stuffy buddies! In PE, our Chargers have been discovering that successful teamwork takes communication, cooperation, and plenty of patience as they work through challenges together. Meanwhile, fourth graders put many of those same skills to the test during the “Saving Fred” challenge, working together to solve the task without using their hands. From reading with a cozy buddy to building, moving, creating, problem-solving, and persevering together, our Chargers are off to a wonderful start!

Hunter Elementary has started the 2026–2027 school year with a strong focus on what makes a school special, community! Students have gathered to review what it means to be kind, respectful, and responsible, while playing games, celebrating one another, and cheering each other on.

They also welcomed Bobby the Boot for a kid-friendly lesson about our SmartBoot safety system, and their HFSA brought in PAWS from the Detroit Tigers to reinforce positive character traits and being a great teammate.

That sense of community extends beyond our students and staff. To close out September, Hunter families came together to shower the staff with special drinks and treats for a Spirit Day, providing a wonderful reminder of how much our families support our school. At Hunter, we are intentionally creating opportunities to gather, celebrate, learn, and support one another, because when people feel connected, our entire school is stronger.

Ahoy, Parsons Pirates! September 19th was Talk Like a Pirate Day, and our little pirate crew had a whole lot of fun celebrating!

Students and staff showed their Pirate Pride by dressing like pirates or wearing their favorite Parsons spirit wear. The day got even more entertaining when Mrs. Aherne took over the announcements and put her best pirate voice to work! She had our Pirates laughing while reminding everyone about our PBIS expectations and the importance of making positive choices throughout the school day. It was a fun and memorable way to reinforce what it means to be a Parsons Pirate!

At lunchtime, students shared their best pirate jokes, filling the lunchroom with plenty of laughter. From pirate outfits to pirate voices and plenty of “ARRRs,” the whole building felt a little more playful.

More than anything, Talk Like a Pirate Day was about celebrating who we are as a school community. Days like this give us a chance to laugh together, celebrate our traditions, and remind our students that school is a place where they can belong, have fun, and be themselves.

Arrrgh.... you proud to be a Pirate? We sure are!

Since 1995, the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) Buddy Walk® has been a premier advocacy event celebrating and raising awareness for individuals with Down syndrome and their families. The annual flagship Buddy Walk in New York City brings together participants from across the country to celebrate inclusion, community, and belonging.

The 2026 NYC Buddy Walk took place on September 12, and we are SO excited to share that our very own Wildcat, Miss Clara, was featured in a video in Times Square! 🗽✨

We couldn't be more proud to see one of our Wildcats representing our school community on such a special stage. Go, Clara! You make the Wildcat Pack proud! 🐾💙

#WildcatPride #Maraudermade #BuddyWalk #DownSyndromeAwareness #Inclusion #EveryWildcatMatters

Science comes to life in a pretty special way in Jena Stamper’s 6th and 7th grade science classrooms at Shumate Middle School. In the fall of 2025, Shumate was once again among the few schools state-wide selected to participate in the Sturgeon in the Classroom program, bringing a juvenile lake sturgeon into the classroom and giving students a hands-on role in conservation efforts right here in the Detroit River. Students cared for their sturgeon, affectionately named Bubbles, while learning to maintain its tank, test water quality, record data, and monitor its growth. The program allows students to experience real-world science while becoming active participants in an international effort to restore the lake sturgeon population. After nearly a year of learning and caring for Bubbles, students released the nearly seven-inch sturgeon into the Detroit River, completing a meaningful cycle of science, stewardship, and conservation.

Mrs. Stamper’s classes experiences with Bubbles are highlighted in the larger article, “How Lake Sturgeon Are Teaching Children,” which explores how programs like Sturgeon in the Classroom are helping students develop a deeper connection to their local watershed and see themselves as part of the ecosystems they study. Click the link below to read the full article and learn more about the incredible work Jena and her students are doing with Bubbles!

Link: How Lake Sturgeon Are Teaching Children

Our recent Open House provided families with an opportunity to connect with staff and learn more about the resources available to support student success. Families were able to meet members of our school team, receive hands-on technology support with their child’s learning platform, and ask questions about navigating the virtual learning experience. Our school counselor, Mrs. Montry, also shared information about career and postsecondary planning, helping students and families begin thinking about opportunities and next steps after high school. The evening was a great opportunity to strengthen connections between home and school while ensuring families have the tools, information, and support they need for a successful school year.

Our second transportation bid day is scheduled for October 6, 2026. As part of this process, families may see some changes in bus drivers or route assignments. While a different driver or bus may be assigned to your route, we anticipate that scheduled pick-up and drop-off times will remain largely the same.

Our Transportation Department works hard to make these transitions as smooth as possible and to minimize disruptions for students and families. We appreciate your patience and flexibility as we work through any necessary adjustments.

Thank you for your continued support of our transportation staff and drivers as they work each day to safely transport our students!

Elementary Breakfast: 8:15 am - 8:45 am

Middle School 7:45 am - 8:00 am

High School 7:15 am - 7:45 am

In accordance with Michigan’s “Safe Storage Laws” (MCL 28.429, MCL 380.1313a, and MCL 380.1313b), schools are required to share resources with parents and caregivers on the safe storage of firearms. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the Michigan Department of Education have provided the following resources for families:

• What is the Secure Storage Law in Michigan

• Safe Storage Notice

We are sharing this information to ensure all families have access to the required resources.