Bobcat Bytes
September 10, 2021
Dear Bobcat Virtual Families,
We hope you've had a great start to the year! We know there have been some technical issues we've had to work on with the ISD and our content providers, but we feel confident that they are either already fixed or are currently in the process. Thank you for your patience as we work with these new companies to provide your students with a high quality education.
We are excited to continue to move forward with the 21-22 school year and continue to grow alongside your students!
Allyson Walroth
Bobcat Virtual Learning Director
awalroth@gbcs.org
810-591-6649
Parent-Teacher Organization - PTO!
We are excited to be able to offer the opportunity to our parents to participate in a PTO this year. Our first meeting of the year will be on
Wednesday, September 15, at 6:30pm on Zoom.
To access this meeting, click on this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8072191939?pwd=M3JGT3JHQzNpNG8waWdvY25ydjN4dz09
Meeting ID: 807 219 1939
Passcode: 385980
At this meeting we will select officers, approve a PTO calendar for the year, and start to brainstorm ways to raise money and provide fun opportunities for our students!
Student Support Referral Form
We are lucky to introduce the support of both an Academic Interventionist, Joe Matthies, and a Social Worker, Idalis Slotka, this year!
If your student is struggling with either academic or emotional issues, please feel free to submit their information to this referral form. Our intervention team will review referrals on a bi-weekly basis and develop a plan of support for your student. This could mean they will be invited to meet virtually or in-person with either of our new support persons, or it may mean that we offer them support in a different way. We are excited to be able to start providing these services for our students!
Because we are only meeting on a bi-weekly basis to review referrals, please reach out to our school counselor, John Hentes (jhentes@gbcs.org, 810-591-1634) or our school coordinator, Kevin Keilitz (kkeilitz@gbcs.org, 810-591-6375) for any emergency help.
Local Assessments
It's the time of year where your student's teacher may be reaching out to you to schedule district-required testing that is used to inform instruction and grading. This must be conducted in a live virtual session, so please respond back to the teacher or have your student log in to the live session when scheduled. Participation in these assessments is a requirement of Bobcat Virtual Learning.
Attendance
Don't forget that it is VERY important for your student to participate in two-way contacts each week. This is how we track attendance for your students, and we are required by law to report students who are not attending.
Each student is counted as present by participating in two-way contacts with their homeroom teacher each week. This can be accomplished by:
If a student does not participate in at least one two-way contact each week, that is considered the same as five days of absences. After the first week of no contact, families will receive a warning. Any future absences will require us to file truancy.
Elementary Workbooks
Workbooks have been ordered through the ISD. They will be mailed directly home for those of you who selected that option. If you elected to pick them up in our office, we will notify you as soon as they have arrived. We know that it is frustrating to not have the workbooks yet, and we are doing everything we can to expedite the process.
We originally thought we would be able to purchase the Parent and Teacher Guides; however, they are now informing us that those are not available in print form. You can access them virtually on the Lincoln Learning website.
If you would still like us to order print versions of the workbooks, please use our Print Materials Order Form. There is no cost to order workbooks.
Parent Observer Account
As a reminder, if you'd like to monitor your student's progress in their classes, you can access their information by creating a Parent Observer Account. Click
here for instructions to get a pairing code, and then have your student accept it through their Canvas account.
Each week we will profile one of our amazing virtual staff members so that you can meet everyone!
Mrs. Sarah Johnson
Position: Math Teacher (6-12)
Experience: This is my 19th year teaching and all of those years were at Grand Blanc! I've been teaching virtual classes since last year.
Excited About: I love helping students reach their goals with flexible learning options. We can work together to improve student achievement outcomes for all learners!
Looking Forward To: Meeting new students and families!
Interests: I am a mom to four busy girls.
AP Testing
Students enrolled in an AP course need to contact their GB teacher or mentor (if they are taking an AP class through an outside vendor) to receive their join code in order to register for the AP exam. Students enrolled in an AP class first semester must register for the AP test by November 1, so this is an important step if they plan to test.
GBHS 2022 Yearbook
Order your 2022 yearbook at orientation for the lowest price of the year -
$75.00 plus tax (and get free personalization during Jostens' back-to-school promo). Visit
www.jostens.com. Price increases at the end of the first week of school.
Senior Photos
Don't miss out on your senior photo in the yearbook! Each senior must submit a professional indoor studio portrait to appear in the senior section of the yearbook.
- Photos are due Tuesday, October 26.
- For more information, click this link.
- Plan ahead with your own photographer or use our school photographer, Prestige, for a free 15-minute sitting on site at HS East, and a free yearbook photo.
- To sign up for your session with Prestige, click this link, select school and select session, and then choose from available times on September 11 or 18.
- Check out this list of local photographers you can work with for a senior portrait in their studio space - costs will vary.
National School Lunch Program
We are working with Dining Services to provide a breakfast/lunch program for Bobcat Virtual families.
In the meantime, we still need your household to fill out and sign the Free and Reduced-Price Meal Application. This information is critical in determining the amount of money that our school receives from a variety of State and Federal supplemental programs like Title I A, At-risk (31a), Title II A, E-Rate, etc.
These supplemental programs have the potential to offer supports and services for our students including, but not limited to:
- Instructional supports (staff, supplies & materials, etc.)
- Non-instructional services (counseling, social work, health services, etc.)
- Professional Learning for staff
- Parent and Community engagement supplies and activities
- Technology
We are asking that you please complete and submit it as soon as possible to ensure that additional funding for our school is available to meet the needs of our students. All information on the application submitted is confidential. Without your assistance in completing and returning the attached application, our school cannot maximize the use of available State and Federal funds.
If we can be of any further assistance, please contact us at Grand Blanc Dining Service
(810) 591-6675 or (810) 591-6928.
Vaccination Cards
For our students who attend some in-person classes, we will be required to follow quarantine rules this year. If you have chosen to have your student vaccinated against Covid-19 and would like the school to have a record of it, please bring a
copy of the student's vaccination card to Open House OR scan and email a copy of the card to our secretary at
emartinez@gbcs.org. Please understand that we are NOT requiring this vaccination, but offering you the opportunity to have it documented for school records/potential contact tracing situations.
Deadlines
Most of our courses have recommended pacing guides and deadlines that teachers have created to help students stay on schedule. While these deadlines are flexible, students are expected to make every attempt to meet them so that they do not fall behind. Once they are off schedule, it is very difficult to catch up. Work will be indicated as "missing" and will be logged in the gradebook as a zero, but it can still be turned in late for a full grade.
Final deadlines for the end of the semester/year are as follows:
Elementary and middle school classes that do not give an exam and are not tied to high school credit:
- Wednesday, January 19 & Wednesday, June 8
High school classes and middle school classes that have an exam and are tied to high school credit:
- Friday, January 14 & Friday, June 3
Senior Deadlines:- Friday, January 14 & Friday, May 13
Who Can Help?
If you need something, please don't be afraid to reach out:
- Main Desk/Technology Help: 810-591-1658
- Enrollment/Grades: Elaina Martinez - 810-591-6391
- Counselor: John Hentes - 810-591-1634 or jhentes@gbcs.org
- Mentors: Elizabeth Ralbusky (last names A-J) - 810-591-6368; Scott Thurlow (last names K-Z) - 810-591-6366
- Coordinator: Kevin Keilitz - 810-591-6375 or kkeilitz@gbcs.org
- Director: Allyson Walroth - 810-591-6649 or awalroth@gbcs.org
- Classroom teachers should all include information on how to contact them on their course. If you have course-related issues, please reach out to your teacher first. They will respond back within 24 hours (during the work week) and can usually clarify things quickly. You can also attend their office hours, which should be listed in their course.
Allyson Walroth
Director of Bobcat Virtual & Secondary Curriculum Director
