GSD E-Blast November 2025

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As we near the end of the second month of school, it’s time for parent-teacher conferences and report cards! Strong communication between home and school is essential to every student’s success, and we encourage all parents to stay actively engaged in their child’s education. Checking the MiStar Parent Portal, reviewing report cards or progress reports, and meeting with teachers during conferences are excellent ways to stay informed about your child’s progress, celebrate their strengths, and identify areas for growth. Consider asking teachers how you can support learning at home and how the school can assist if your child needs additional help. Talking with your child about their favorite subjects and school activities can also spark positive conversations and keep the focus on the joy of learning.

This year, as we continue to Accelerate, Engage, and Achieve, staying connected and involved helps every student reach their fullest potential. Following your child’s school’s official social media pages is another great way to stay updated on the exciting learning opportunities and events happening each day. Take a look below to see the many amazing things our students and staff are doing to make GSD such an incredible place to learn, grow, and succeed!

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!

Students at Lakeshore Virtual recently took part in a heartwarming community service event to celebrate the Halloween season. Gathering in person on campus, students decorated pumpkins in festive fall themes to share with senior citizens in local assisted living communities. The activity allowed students to show their creativity while brightening the day of others, spreading seasonal joy and building meaningful connections beyond the classroom. This event reflects our commitment to fostering not only academic success but also compassion and community engagement among our students.

Chapman recently hosted a Fire Prevention Assembly and fire truck visit provided by the Rockwood Fire Department. Students learned practical fire-safety tips - like “Stop, Drop, and Roll,” testing smoke alarms, and practicing family exit plans - while exploring real equipment and asking first-hand questions about emergency response. The event blended hands-on learning with our PBIS focus on being Respectful, Responsible, and Safe. Highlights included a walk-around of the fire truck, trying on lightweight gear, and seeing how tools help first responders keep our community safe. We’re grateful to the Rockwood Police Department for their time, expertise, and ongoing partnership in keeping our students and community safe.

At Hunter Elementary School, math is an important part of every student’s day. Teachers in every grade help students develop strong number sense, a clear understanding of what numbers mean, how they relate to one another, and how they can be used in flexible ways. Starting in Young Fives and Kindergarten, students explore counting, grouping, and comparing quantities. As they move through the grades, they build on these skills to learn operations, fractions, measurement, and problem-solving. Each new concept connects to earlier lessons, helping students grow with confidence.

To make math engaging and meaningful, teachers use a variety of hands-on materials that bring numbers to life. Students might work with familiar tools like five frames, number lines, and hundreds blocks, or more creative items such as pumpkin seeds and paper cups. These tools help students visualize math, think deeply, and make connections. At Hunter Elementary, math is about more than finding the right answer; it’s about exploring, reasoning, and seeing how math is part of everyday life.

Our 3rd–5th grade Wildcats had an incredible experience this month as the Detroit Institute of Arts brought their interactive art program right to Weiss Elementary! During their visit, students explored pieces from the museum’s diverse collection through engaging, guided classroom discussions that encouraged critical thinking, creative expression, and personal connections to art.

Each class had the chance to analyze works of art in new ways, share ideas with their peers, and reflect on how art connects to their own lives and experiences. The visit concluded with a hands-on art-making project that allowed every student to create something uniquely their own, inspired by what they learned.

This partnership with the DIA provided a meaningful opportunity for our students to see themselves as artists, thinkers, and creators. The joy, focus, and creativity in every classroom were incredible to see and it truly brought the museum experience to life right here at Weiss!

Shumate PBIS has launched a new initiative to celebrate positive classroom culture and engagement through the Advisory Classroom of the Month recognition. Each month, advisory classrooms are nominated by principals, counselors, and instructional coaches, and reviewed by the PBIS Committee, which considers factors such as the class’s focus on advisory goals, positive behavior, and active student participation. The committee then selects one winning advisory that exemplifies these values. The honored classroom proudly displays a large blue ribbon on its door for the month, symbolizing the teamwork, connection, and commitment that make Shumate’s advisory program thrive. They also have privileges to the game cart and, of course, candy! This month’s winners are Ms. Stamper and Mr. Bailey! The Shumate PBIS Committee would like to extend congratulations to Ms. Stamper, Mr. Bailey, and all of their advisory students!

We are holding our 13th annual "Fill the Bus” food drive at the Transportation Building, located at 28291 Fort Street. We will start collecting donations on Tuesday, November 11, 2025 through Thursday, December 18, 2025. Any donations may be dropped off from Monday through Friday, 6:30 am to 4:30 pm.

We will be collecting non-perishable food items and daily essential supplies. All donations will go to the Gibraltar Food Pantry. This is an opportunity for our community to come together and help those in need.

We appreciate your caring and ongoing support of our mission to help those in need in our community.

The Michigan Apple Crunch is an annual event hosted by MSU Extension and the Michigan Farm to Institution Network to promote National Farm to School Month and celebrate the iconic Michigan Apple. Thousands of participants from K-12 schools, Early Care and Education sites and other institutions and organizations across the state and Great Lakes Region register to crunch into a local Michigan apple on Crunch Day. Apples provide a great way to get local schools and institutions excited about supporting local farmers and they are a nutritious snack that is available in Michigan eleven months of the year.

- MSU Extension Community Food Systems