WEEKLY UPDATE #39

An enormous, heartfelt thank you goes out to everyone in our community who came out to the Grand Island High School Gym this past Tuesday to cast a ballot in the School Budget Revote! We had an incredible turnout, with over 4,000 residents taking the time to make their voices heard.

Our school community always steps up when it matters most, and we are deeply grateful for your continued partnership, engagement, and dedication to the future of our students. Thank you for your unwavering support of Grand Island schools!

Mrs. Olka’s second graders transformed into geologists this week to study the powerful forces of nature! The students kicked off their science lesson by creating coastal mountains out of sand and soil right in their classrooms.

Once their landscapes were built, the young scientists used water to simulate rainfall and rivers, observing firsthand how moving water works to erode and reshape the land over time. It was a fantastic, hands-on way to see a major Earth science concept come to life right before their eyes!

The students in Mrs. Pellittieri/Mrs. Parillo/Mrs. Kropczynski's class turned math review into a major game night this week! Working together in collaborative teams, the students put their brains and creativity together to design and build their very own original math board games.

Once the rules were set and the boards were complete, the teams got to play each other's creations, putting their math skills to the test in a fun, high-energy tournament. It was a brilliant way for our students to review key concepts, practice good sportsmanship, and show off their creative problem-solving skills!

Following last week's exciting preliminary investment rounds, the stakes were raised to the absolute maximum this week for the highly anticipated fifth-grade Shark Tank grand finale! The top student entrepreneurs selected from each classroom stepped into the tank to pitch their products—complete with impressive video promos—to our panel of celebrity guest Sharks: Ms. Wright, Mrs. Kam, Mrs. Ahne, and Mr. Nicolia.

The competition was fierce, and every single finalist brought incredible professionalism, creativity, and business savvy to the floor. After some tough questioning and deliberation from our celebrity judges, a huge congratulations goes out to Ella DeWald for winning over the Sharks and taking home the top prize!

An enormous round of applause to all of our finalists for their outstanding hard work, and a special thank you to our staff members for stepping into the tank to judge this year's incredible business ventures!

Our second graders had a rolling good time this week during an exciting morning field trip to Mallwitz's Island Lanes! The students laced up their bowling shoes and hit the lanes for a fantastic morning of bowling, laughter, and friendly competition with their classmates.

The highlight of the trip came at the very end of their session when Mallwitz turned the house lights down and the neon lights up for a surprise cosmic bowling experience! The kids had an absolute blast watching their bowling balls glow down the lanes. A huge thank you to the wonderful team at Mallwitz's for hosting our second graders and providing such a fun, memorable day!

Mrs. Kwiatkowski’s students put their reading fluency and expression to the ultimate test this week with some fantastic Readers Theater performances!

Instead of memorizing lines, students used their voices, facial expressions, and vocal pacing to bring various characters and stories to life right in the classroom. The kids had an absolute blast stepping into their roles, laughing along with their peers, and building their reading confidence in a fun, theatrical way. Bravo to our talented young performers!

What an absolutely spectacular day! Field Day 2026 was a massive success, and the weather turned out to be absolutely perfect for our outdoor adventures. Students brought incredible energy as they rotated through a jam-packed day of exciting stations across the building.

The day was filled with non-stop smiles, from high-stakes "Minute to Win It" games in the auditorium and classic Bingo to racing down giant inflatable obstacle courses, playing yard games, and enjoying some beach party fun. Of course, a crowd favorite was getting completely drenched by the Grand Island Fire Company truck! We also debuted our newest event this year: the Field Day Book Swap, which allowed every single student to pick out and take home a "new to them" book to enjoy over the summer.

An event this massive takes a village, and we are endlessly grateful to everyone who made it possible. A huge thank you to our incredible parent volunteers, our amazing PTA, the dedicated staff members who organized and ran the stations, and the Grand Island Fire Company for keeping us cool. Thank you all for making Field Day 2026 an unforgettable memory for our students (and staff alike)!

We are happy to announce our newest PTA Co-Presidents were sworn in during the Island-wide Induction Dinner this week. Please join me in thanking Stephanie Marra and Amy Pfeil for stepping up to lead our incredible PTA. They have both been active members of the Kaegebein PTA for many years and have held various offices during that time. We are excited to see our traditions continue under their leadership. You can be in touch with any questions, to share your ideas or to volunteer with the PTA: stephaniemarra@gicsd.org and amypfeil@gicsd.org

We'd like to give a heartfelt thank you to our outgoing Co-Presidents, Melissa Nesselbeck and Heidi Jank. We are indebted to you for everything you've done for the PTA and for the students of Kaegebein.

Wednesday, June 24th is the last day of school, with dismissal at 11:15. If you need to adjust your child's typical dismissal please complete the Google Form below. Please complete ONLY if there is a change to their typical dismissal.

Monday, June 22nd - 5th Grade Moving Up Day @ 9:45am (GIHS)

Wednesday, June 24th - LAST DAY OF SCHOOL - Dismissal @ 11:15am

Thursday, September 3rd - FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL