GPPSS Update

At the January 26th Board of Education meeting, North Principal Kevin Shubnell and students Kendall Bradley, Olivia Sexton, and Robert (Russell) Warner presented on the Corewell Heath and Grosse Pointe Public School System Student Nursing Extern Program.

This externship (happening predominately outside the school day and off campus) is a competitive, hands-on clinical experience in a hospital setting. There students worked alongside professional nursing staff, and gained real-world exposure to patient care and healthcare careers. They had an opportunity to see the challenge, pace and rewards of numerous careers in the medical field.

Kelly Adams from Corewell Health shared with Principal Shubnell: “Kendall, Oliva and Robert brought curiosity, professionalism, and a strong desire to learn … [and] demonstrated the maturity and dedication we hope to see in future health professionals.”

When asked why he chose to participate, Russell shared, "I always knew I wanted to help others but I didn't know how. Mrs. Speirs' biology class opened up my eyes to this world you can't see, but it's there."

The North students who presented were part of a small cohort of students who not only had the opportunity to see biology applied in the medical field, but different roles within the industry before they make decisions regarding future educational paths.

Why This Matters

• Students represented GPN with professionalism and maturity
• Demonstrated North's Proud, Tough, Together culture in action
• Provided a strong example of meaningful community partnership

At the January 26th BOE meeting, the Board approved:

• Minutes from January 12
• A South Field trip to Egypt in 2027
• The South Turf Replacement Project
• Direction to keep the current open campus lunch practice through the 2026 school year, while reviewing the Student Code of Conduct and handbook to correct alignment of the language with practice
• The HR report, noting the over 20 years of service by Brian Degnore and Cynthia Morefield Pinder
• The first budget amendment GAAA#1
• A Cost Reimbursable Food Service RFP
• Budget Parameters edited to remove specific examples in section 4 related to transportation

Previewed for board action February 9 were:

• Masonry and Tuckpointing Bid
• Roofing Replacement Bid
• Bond Program Project Procedures
• Establishing a Bond Oversight Committee (an application process will open if/when approved by the Board)

Please watch the district calendar on the website for the latest information on board and committee meetings. Upcoming BOE meetings include:

• BOE Strategic Planning Meeting, Saturday, February 7, 8 a.m.-4 p.m., North Library

• BOE Closed Session, Monday, February 9, 6:15 p.m., Brownell MPR

• BOE Regular Meeting, Monday, February 9, 7 p.m., Brownell MPR

• BOE Regular Meeting, Monday, February 23, 7 p.m., Brownell MPR

On the new website, click About GPPSS, then School Board. From there you can read about our board members, find links to past and current agendas, and watch the meetings.

Due to recent school closures for inclement weather, report cards will be released to parents on a delayed schedule. Report cards will be available to parents in MiStar on Friday, February 13th. Please look for an email to come shortly that will provide instructions on how to login to MiStar and locate Elementary and Middle School Report Cards. Thank you for your collaboration and understanding.

This fall, based on the District’s ongoing practice of curricular and program review, a Magnet Review Committee convened to discuss the current program and practices related to gifted education in Grosse Pointe Public Schools. The purpose of this letter is to provide information about the Magnet Program, as well as to outline the Committee’s recommended process for student referrals and nominations.

About the Magnet Program

In the Magnet Program, grade-level curriculum is extended, deepened, or supplemented to meet the accelerated cognitive needs of identified students. Recommendations for Magnet placement are based on multiple factors, including:

• District-wide NWEA assessment results in Mathematics and English Language Arts
• Current classroom teacher recommendations in ELA, Math, and gifted characteristics
• Student performance on the Grosse Pointe Writing Assessment
• Parent input

Criteria for Magnet placement include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Ability to work approximately one grade level ahead
• Consistent performance near or above the 90th percentile in Math and Reading on NWEA
• Grosse Pointe Writing Assessment scores above grade-level expectations

The Magnet Program referral process is designed to be comprehensive and equitable, using

multiple measures to identify students who may benefit from advanced programming. The

following steps in the referral process are followed in the order in which they are listed below.

1) Initial Data Review - The process begins with a review of student achievement data,

including:

• NWEA assessment scores
• Grosse Pointe Writing assessments
• Classroom-based assessments

Students who score at or above the 90th percentile on the NWEA non-auditory assessment will

be automatically referred for further consideration.

Important note regarding NWEA testing: NWEA offers two testing formats—auditory

and non-auditory. To qualify for an initial referral, students must score in the 90th

percentile or above on the non-auditory version of the assessment. If a student

completed the auditory version, they will be given the opportunity to take the

non-auditory assessment to measure performance when reading the test independently.

2) Teacher Referral - Following the data review, second and third grade teachers will

receive training and dedicated time to refer students whose abilities may not be fully

reflected by assessment trends alone. This step ensures that students with

demonstrated gifted characteristics are not overlooked.

3) Parent Notification and Input - Parents and guardians will be notified by letter on

Monday, February 23rd if their child has been referred for Magnet Program

consideration. Parents will be provided with a giftedness inventory to complete in order

to provide their input to the Child Study Committee. Parents may decline the nomination

if they are not interested in the Magnet Program.

Giftedness Inventories - For students who are referred, both teachers and parents will

complete a giftedness inventory. These inventories provide valuable insight into

students’ learning behaviors, strengths, and characteristics and will be included in each

student’s portfolio.

4) Portfolio Review and Recommendation - In early March, a team of teachers and

administrators will review each student’s portfolio, which includes assessment data and

completed inventories. Based on this holistic review, the team will make a final

recommendation regarding Magnet Program placement for the 2026–27 school year.

Families have the right to appeal decisions related to the Magnet Program. Appeals may be submitted in the following circumstances:

• If a parent or guardian believes their child should have been nominated for Magnet consideration but was not referred through test scores or teacher nomination, they should file an appeal with the Department of Teaching and Learning by Monday, March 2nd, through a Google form that will be provided if a parent reaches out to request an appeal.
• If a parent or guardian wishes to appeal the Child Study Committee’s decision not to recommend their child for Magnet Program placement, a separate appeal process will be outlined in the letter they receive regarding their child’s placement decision and can be filed at that time.

Appeal procedures, timelines, and required documentation will be provided to families at the

conclusion of the referral and placement process. Appeals are reviewed using the same

commitment to fairness and multiple measures that guide the original decision-making process.

We value your partnership in this process and appreciate your support as we work together to

meet the needs of our learners. Additional information will be shared with families as the

process moves forward.

If you have questions, please contact Sara Delgado at delgads@gpschools.org or Pam

Albrecht at albrecp@gpschools.org.

Click the image below to purchase tickets.

Our Parcells 8th grade WEB leaders are continuing to make connections with their 5th-grade "Webbies." WEB leaders have had 11 missions and activities with their Webbies so far this school year. For January, their mission activity was to provide a lesson where students think of their "one word" for 2026. WEB leaders then delivered motivational magnets so students could hang up their words on their lockers.

Brownell Principal Mr. Hunwick visited Kerby last week to speak with our 4th graders about what they can expect at Brownell next year. The students were incredibly excited and asked so many thoughtful questions.

"One of my favorite moments was watching them during the video showcasing clubs and sports, as they eagerly started planning which activities they want to join," shared Principal Vernier.

Afterward, students shared how excited they are for middle school, naming the specific clubs they can’t wait to be part of.

Mrs. Vernier added, "It’s wonderful to see them feeling ready for this next step, even though I’m very glad we still have one more semester together at Kerby."

Defer and Richard students in Y5, K, 1st, and 2nd that see Ms. Martin for Library, have been learning about 3D designing while using the online program Tinkercad. Each class worked with Ms. Martin to design two different bookmarks to help encourage reading at home while also learning 3D technology. These students are now familiar with the design tools in Tinkercad which they enthusiastically demonstrated by answering questions and providing input during the design process.

Students also digitally wrote their name on a mouse touchpad so it could be used to make their bookmark choice one of a kind and all theirs. Students learned to log into Tinkercad themselves and experiment dragging different shapes into their digital work area, as well as rotating, resizing, elevating and grouping these shapes. Students quickly adapted to using a mouse for the first time during this process.

Finally, all students were encouraged to continue exploring Tinkercad at home with their families. They were provided with Tinkercad login cards and directions to share at home so they could create with their families. Bookmarks are now being printed and will be passed out to students over the next several library periods as they are run off.

Zach Werenski, the Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman, was the top points-getter in the 4 Nations Face-Off, and was named the best defenseman in the IIHF World Championships, where Team USA won gold for the first time in 92 years. Next up for Werenski is the Milan Cortina Olympics.

“There’s two things that you always think of when you’re growing up. It’s the Stanley Cup and an Olympic gold, and I’m just very honored to have the opportunity to compete in the Games and hopefully get that chance to win,” said Werenski.

Click the video above for more.

Students exhibited wonderful examples of their own dream after reading and learning about Martin Luther King Jr. and his dream.

"It restored faith in our youth and I was so proud of them!" said Mrs. Wild, Monteith, Resource Program.

Special thanks to Firefighter Josh, Firefighter Larry, Firefighter Jeff, Officer Ross and Firefighter Connor for teaching our Raccoons about fire safety! Here are some important reminders:

• test your smoke detectors every month
• set a family meeting place in front of your house
• know your address/phone number
• close before you doze, keep bedroom doors shut at night
• stop, drop and roll
• stay 3 feet away from a fire source

Defer third graders celebrated Michigan's 189th birthday with Michigan activities, facts about Michigan, drinking Faygo pop, and eating Better Made potato chips. Sounds like a great birthday to me!

The GPN varsity dance team took 2nd place in pom and 3rd place in hip hop at the Pistons Dance Classic at LCA on January 17th.

Students in Stephanie Martin's Early Childhood Special Education class have the opportunity to participate in Book Buddies, during which preschoolers from the tuition-based program join the class for an opportunity to learn and play together. The Book Buddies program provides an opportunity to build friendship and inclusion at the preschool level. It fosters social, emotional, and language skills, and builds empathy and self esteem for all students.

Early On

Early On is Michigan's system for helping infants and toddlers, birth to age 3 and their families who have developmental delays or are at risk for delays due to certain health conditions.

Build Up

Build Up helps parents and their eligible children, ages 3 through 5, access special education supports and services as they develop and learn skills before they go to kindergarten.

If you have a concern about your child's development, go to https://miearlychildhood.org/ to make an online referral for a free Early On or Build Up evaluation.

Above you will find the Unified Showcase flyers for both GPS and GPN. If you click the image, these unique links will purchase tickets to support their respective programs. The North South rivalry game is at 1 p.m. on Feb 25th at LCA. Then, with the tickets purchased, our Unified students can go back to the Pistons' game on March 31st for "All Abilities Night."

Unified Basketball in high school is an inclusive Special Olympics program that pairs students with intellectual disabilities ("athletes") and without disabilities ("partners") on the same team to train and compete together. It promotes social inclusion, friendship, and understanding. These programs are part of the Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools strategy to create inclusive school environments, reducing bullying and stigma while encouraging social interaction.

Have questions? Email Drew Kisskalt, MiCI Teacher at Parcells and GPN Unified Basketball Coach.

Locally, these little free libraries, that normally stock books, have converted to food pantries to help our families:

• 1325 Torrey Rd, GPW

• 19950 Mack Ave, GPW

• 1014 Hollywood, GPW

• 477 Cook Rd, GPW

• 1616 Huntington, GPW

• 69 Hawthorne, GPW

• 20601 Beaufait St, HW

• 407 Lexington Rd, GPF

• 227 Chalfonte Ave, GPF

• 740 Cadieux, GPC (Maire)

• Trombly facing Essex

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services asked that we direct families that may need assistance with food to the following resources:

• The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) interactive map, Where can I get TEFAP?
• Find Help - Michigan 2-1-1 for other local resources available.
• Remember that free breakfast and lunch are available on school days in all our schools. There is a charge for ala cart selections, but meals are free.
• Here is another resource suggested by The Family Center through Gleaners: https://pantrynet.org/

GPPSS is conducting a GSRP survey of currently enrolled families regarding interest in the Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP) in order to ensure we are serving our current GPPSS families and those families intending to apply to tuition based preschool. The initial plan for GSRP would be to acquire the current GSRP classroom at Ferry run by Wayne Metro, and have our district become the subrecipients of funding for that classroom. Based on the data from our GSRP survey, GPPSS will decide if we proceed with additional classroom(s) with the location to be determined. Our goal is to ensure that our GPPSS families continue to have the same, or more, options for preschool as they do now.

Basic facts about GSRP

Current law states that in order to qualify for the free GSRP program, a family’s income must be equal or less than 400% of the federal poverty level ($128,000 for a family of four). There are seven GSRP program prioritization factors. These include:

1. Low family income

2. Diagnosed disability or identified developmental delay

3. Severe or challenging behavior

4. Primary home language other than English

5. Parent(s) with low educational attainment

6. Abuse/neglect of child or parent

7. Environmental risk

Based on the prevalence data, family income is the main factor in determining eligibility for GSRP. It should be noted that with programs across the state, geography is a major determinant for where families choose to send their child. For example, in the current GSRP classroom at Ferry of the 16 students, 14 live within GPPSS boundaries. If you have additional questions about GSRP, don't hesitate to reach out to Dr. Sara Delgado.

Do you know someone who would be a good fit for one of these open positions in GPPSS? We're particularly looking for paraprofessionals, but check out the possibilities and help us spread the word to find great candidates! Here are a few positions to explore:

• Afternoon Custodian (there are also Substitute Custodian positions available)
• Swim Instructor and Swim Lifeguard
• Lunchroom Supervisors
• Special Education Parapros
• Mild Cognitive Impairment Teacher
• Speech and Language
• Instructional Substitute

The Grosse Pointe Public Library is undergoing a strategic planning process as well and would appreciate your input on their survey. It only takes a few minutes. Tell what YOU want to see from your library in the future. Scan the QR code at your library branch or tap this link to take the survey: https://ow.ly/H3UE50XwZi6

Our GPPSS Update comes out every week throughout the school year. Please make a practice of scanning through it for important updates throughout the district.

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• Facebook @GPPSS
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While we do not yet have the school calendar for next year, we promise to share that as soon as we do. In the meantime, we do have these dates to mark on your calendar:

• North Homecoming is October 2nd vs. Marysville
• South Homecoming is Oct. 9th vs. Eisenhower
• The North South game will be October 23rd at North