September 2019

Dear GHS families,

It's hard to believe that we are just over three weeks from the end of the First Quarter and Fall Break! Our students, faculty and staff have been working hard and it's been awesome to see the strides our freshmen are making already!

Our Student Council has been hard at work, and as I write this piece they have been busy with our final Homecoming preparations. HoCo has come early this year, and the Stranger Things theme has been a big hit on campus (and with me, as a child/fan of all things 80's!).

Fall sports have started in earnest, and I have been fortunate to get to football and volleyball matches. I am looking forward to seeing Boys and Girls Golf, Cross Country and Badminton compete, as well!

Today, over 300 seniors took the ASVAB exam. This exam is traditionally used to determine possible jobs in the US military, but it does a great job for all students in identifying potential aptitudes and career pathways for a young person. Oftentimes these careers can go overlooked, so it is a good tool to demonstrate the many options before a young person. I am interested in keeping as many doors open to a young person's future, so hence why we encourage our seniors to take the exam regardless of where they see themselves in five years!

September marks Suicide Awareness Month across the nation, and I am proud of the work by a committee of GHS faculty and staff in having a variety of activities to raise community awareness of this pressing and tragic issue. We know that teenage suicide is at a crisis level in the East Valley, and we must be a campus that cares for our students' well being and mental health. I am proud of the work of our staff in this regard.

We are also the first high school in Gilbert Public Schools to partner with Southwest Behavioral Services to start offering mental health services to be delivered directly here on campus (they keep office hours in our counseling office on Mondays). We hope to expand soon to more days per week; see your student's counselor with any questions and/or inquiries!

Thank you everyone! Have a great month and Go Tigers!

Sincerely,

Christopher Stroud

Principal

Our GHS Senior Night will take place on Wednesday, November 6th from 5 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. We are excited to have local college and university representatives, as well as FAFSA assistance for our families. Jostens will also be here to help students with ordering graduation related items. Come and enjoy this valuable, informational night with us and have some fun! (Seniors will have the opportunity to win some wonderful prizes during the event!!!) See you there!!!

Please join us as Gilbert Theatre Ensemble presents Shakespeare's comedy Much Ado About Nothing. The actors are hard at work rehearsing and the sets are in the process of being built. A fun night will be had by all.

Danceworks Company, our performing dance group at Gilbert High will be performing at our “Homecoming Pep Assembly” and during “Halftime” at the Football Game on September 13th. Danceworks performs at all Pep Assemblies and will be performing in the Fall Dance Concert on November 21st and 22nd on the Gilbert High stage.

One hundred and one orchestra students and their families participated in a community service event at the Midwest Food Bank on Saturday, August 3. It was a great way to start the year in the spirit of service.

The orchestra is hosting a charity golf tournament on Saturday, October 5 at Western Skies Golf Course. Proceeds help students raise money for a trip to New York City over spring break.

Twenty first year FFA members attended the Arizona FFA Leadership Summit on September 9th at Chandler High School. The objectives of the conference are to share many of the benefits of FFA, increase knowledge of first year activities, develop agricultural career awareness, and design an individual personal plan of involvement to help guide the student through his/her first year of agriculture education enrollment.

On Saturday, September 7th the Gilbert FFA Animal Science classes conducted their annual Lamb and Goat Auction. 52 GHS Animal Science students worked to organize this auction in class and after school for weeks leading up to the event. Over 250 people from around Arizona attended the auction buying 70 animals to use as 4-H and FFA projects. In addition to student workers, over 20 volunteers came together to make this event a success.

Students develop their intelligence in school and strengthen their bodies though sports or exercise. Now they can develop and strengthen their minds through the Mindfulness Small Group that will be offered in the Counseling Department starting in September.

I am currently co-teaching Economics, Government, and World Studies. This is my second year teaching but first year in high school. These students are learning and growing so much not only academically but socially and emotionally. I love to see their growth and assist my students to build a positive foundation for their future. This will be with fourth year coaching for Gilbert Varsity Softball and second year as the head coach. Go Tigers! I love coaching and it has shown me how much I enjoy being around high schoolers. The best thing about Gilbert High is a welcoming place to work. I picked special education because I enjoy working one on one or small group to allow those students to better understand the content and grow as a student to their best ability. I have been married to my husband, Colton since 2013. And we welcome our first child, Ryann in February of 2018.Outside of school, I love to be outdoors. I spend a lot of time playing outside with my 1 year old daughter and playing slow pitch softball.

Hello! My name is Taylor Bird and I am teaching Agricultural Engineering and Fabrication 1 and Lab Biology this year!

The best thing about being an educator is working with the students! I really have so much fun helping students learn!

I am absolutely amazed with my first impression of the Tiger campus community! All of the faculty, staff and students are outstanding here. I couldn't think of a better place to be!

I always have a hard time thinking about a fun fact about myself... I can say my alphabet backwards! That's fun!

September is the month the Health Office will be conducting Vision and Hearing Screenings on all of our 9th grade students. Our district actively participates with the Hearing Conservation Program of Arizona to identify students who may be at risk or experiencing a hearing loss. Our goal is to ensure our students are healthy and are not hindered by a hearing loss in the classroom.

With the cold and flu season underway, here are some important tips to know on deciding whether or not to send your ill child to school. When your child has experienced any of these symptoms within the last 24 hours, s/he should be kept home from school:

-Fever 100 degrees or above

-Vomiting

-Diarrhea

-Symptoms of Pink Eye (redness, itching, discharge)

-Skin rashes (open blisters, discharge)

Students exhibiting the above symptoms are considered contagious and, in general, are not feeling well enough to be in school. Once these symptoms have subsided for 24 hours without the use of medication (Tylenol, Imodium), they may return to school. Students who do not have any of the above symptoms, but may have some mild cold symptoms such as nasal congestion, cough or headache may attend school.

In this section, I will provide interesting parent article to help our teens navigate our 21st Century world. As I come across articles that I think can help my family, I will be sure to post them here for yours, as well. -Mr. Stroud

Please stress to your student the importance of dressing for success and to be dressed appropriate for school. The weather of course is still very warm and will be for some time, but we need to make sure we are not dressing for the summer while here on campus. Please refer to the District Student Handbook for guidance, and reach out to the GHS Administration Team if you have any further questions.

Mrs. Gonzales, 480.497.0177, x184

12th grade, 9th grade H-N

Mr. Haasch, 480.497.0177, x169

11th grade, 9th grade A-G

Mr. Yanez, 480.497.0177, x156

10th grade, 9th grade O-Z

Parents, please remember to use the parent drop-off loop in the morning and after school. Please do not drop off or pick up in the faculty lot on the west side of campus as this is used by students who walk and for bus transportation purposes. For everyone’s safety, please use the loop between campus and Elliot Road just north of the building.

As a note of caution to all of our campus community, please know that Gilbert Police will at some point do a traffic enforcement sweep on Elliot Road. We ask everyone to always drive safe and practice patience.

We appreciate everyone’s commitment to the safety of our students!

Remember to opt-in for SMS messages in the event of an emergency on campus. Please note that GHS will only use the SMS feature to communicate with you in the event of an emergency. Thank you for your assistance in this matter!

Student handbooks are available from the district website at http://bit.ly/2lAMLae. (Please note that these haven't been updated as of June - watch this space and we'll let you know once the new ones are live).

This handbook outlines our procedures, activities, rules, etc. Please be sure you and your student take time to review these important guidelines to ensure your student’s success at Gilbert High School. Please take the time to review the attached student dress code policy; it is important for our students and parents to understand the expectations of the dress code before they start purchasing new clothes for the new school year.

In order to try out for an athletic team at Gilbert High School, students must have completed the online athletic registration at www.RegisterMyAthlete.com. The requirements include completion of the 2019-2020 Annual Pre-participation Physical Evaluation packet (which needs to be cleared and signed by a doctor); the Brain Book Concussion Course (for first-time high school sport enrollment); and online documents, e-signed by parent/guardian and student. Additionally, an athletic fee of $100.00 is required for each sport (due after try outs and before regular competition season starts). There may be additional fees required per sport. Ask the coach for further details.

Due to many year-round sports, we encourage parents to plan on the completion of the online registration and AIA physical forms before the school year starts, or as soon as possible. We also request this so there is no added delay in an athlete being able to participate in our interscholastic athletic programs. Please log on to www.RegisterMyAthlete.com to register your child. For any questions concerning Athletics, please contact our office at (480) 497-0177, ext. 6534.

FALL SPORTS

Football

Girls' Volleyball

Badminton

Boys' Golf

Girls' Golf

Swim & Dive

Cross Country

Cheer

Chess

WINTER SPORTS

Boys' Basketball

Girls' Basketball

Boys' Soccer

Girls' Soccer

Wrestling

Cheer

SPRING SPORTS

Boys' Volleyball

Girls Beach Volleyball

Track & Field

Boys' Tennis

Girls' Tennis

Baseball

Softball