GES Monthly Update

As we step into our fifth week of school, our students are settling into their daily routines and showing great enthusiasm in their classrooms. The students have been working hard on their beginning-of-the-year testing. They’ve shown focus and determination, giving us a great baseline to support their learning journey this year.

To keep this momentum going, we would love your partnership in reinforcing two key habits at home:

• Student Responsibility: Encouraging your child to take ownership of their daily routines—like packing their own backpack, tracking assignments, and keeping track of personal belongings—builds independence and confidence that lasts a lifetime.

• Positive Behavior: Remind your child about the power of kindness, respectful listening, and making safe choices both in the classroom and on the playground. A quick conversation at home makes a massive impact on our school environment.

With warm late-summer weather still with us, please ensure your child comes with a refillable water bottle each day. However, as crisp autumn temperatures can sneak up on us quickly, keeping a light jacket in their backpack is a great way to stay prepared for cooler mornings.

Thank you for your ongoing support, energy, and partnership. Together, we are setting our students up for an incredible school year!

Warmly,

Mrs. Jennifer Dunlap

Principal, Gilcrest Elementary

• GES has scored Performance on the state School Performance Framework eight out of the nine past reporting cycles.
• Gilcrest earned "Meets" ratings in both Academic Achievement and Academic Growth.
• In the 2025-2026 school year students in grades 3-6: 48.1% met or exceeded expectations in ELA, outperforming the statewide average.

We will plan to celebrate with our students by having a "GREEN" day later in September.

Our school and school district use Bloomz as our main source of communication. Please be sure to download the app to ensure that you receive all of the valuable information. Helpful tips can be found on the parent support page. If you haven't already downloaded the app- click on the title "Bloomz" to find helpful tips to get you started. If you have any problems- contact the school and we can help!

We are off to a fantastic start this school year, and seeing our classrooms full of energetic, engaged learners every day has been incredible! Because our district operates on a 4-day school week, every single instructional minute carries extra weight. When a student misses just one day, they are missing a significant percentage of their weekly learning, hands-on projects, and teacher instruction.

To help keep our students on the track to success, we kindly ask for your partnership with the following:

• Schedule Outside of School Hours: Please aim to schedule medical appointments, errands, and family travel on our non-school days (Mondays) or after dismissal whenever possible.

• Prioritize Full Days: Arriving on time and staying through final dismissal ensures students don't miss key morning instructions or end-of-day wrap-ups.

• Communicate Early: If an absence during school hours is completely unavoidable, please notify the main office in advance so we can help your child stay on track.

Thank you for prioritizing consistent attendance and working with us to give our students the solid foundation they deserve!

• 9/1- Outdoor Education Meeting for 5th grade parents- 3:45-4:15 in GES library
• 9/1-9/8- Butter Braid fundraiser continues. Orders are due on Tuesday, Sept. 8!
• 9/2- Student Picture Day
• 9/2- Principal's Coffee- 8:15-9:00 in GES library
• 9/2- Board of Education Work Session- 6:30-8:30 at Education and Community Center in Platteville
• 9/7- Labor Day- District Closed
• 9/12- Fall Community Care Day- 10:00am-12:00pm in GES gym
• 9/16- PTO meeting- 8:15-9:00 in GES Staff Lounge
• 9/16- Board of Education Regular Session- 6:30-8:30 at Education and Community Center in Platteville
• 9/30-10/1- Dental screenings at GES
• 10/2- GES Annual Loop-a-thon

What an incredible turnout for our first PTO meeting! Seeing so many new faces in the room was truly inspiring, and having our largest attendance in years speaks volumes about the strength and dedication of our school community. Thank you to everyone who took the time to come out, share ideas, and step up to support our students and teachers. If you weren't able to make it to the meeting, it is not too late to join! We would love to have your voice, ideas, and energy.

Our September PTO meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 16 at 8:15 in the GES Staff Lounge. Please join us virtually if you are not able to make it in person:

meet.google.com/bsu-piec-mzp

The purpose will be:

• To hear from you about what GES can do to serve our students and families better.
• To provide an opportunity to address any questions or concerns you may have about GES or Weld RE-1.
• To pass on critical information to you.