GCA Weekly Update
11/19/2021
Hello Spartan Community,
On the precipice of Thanksgiving, I want to thank all of the parents that contributed to the Teacher Appreciation Thanksgiving feast. The food was amazing, and the time those took to prepare it made all of us feel appreciated. Thank you to Michelle Sorensen for organizing the meal and all the parents who brought in food. You are amazing.
Prepare for Finals: Starting the week after Thanksgiving, we will be having a three-day-a-week Finals Preparation event.
Students can receive tutoring, engage in group collaboration and review for finals, and more.
There is NO prior SIGN UP to receive help.
Students are signing up for being a tutor to receive service hours.
Plan to attend Monday and Thursday from 2:30 to 3:30 and Wednesday from 1:30 to 2:30 in the Cafeteria.
No Saturday Latin Tutoring for the next two Saturdays
GCA Music News
Winterfest is only three weeks away! We are getting very excited about the revival of this event, but we need YOUR help to make it happen. We are still looking for auction item donations. As one more reminder, the basket themes are below. If you are not sure what to contribute to your class basket, we will do the shopping for you! Just visit the PTO store, and you can donate as little as $10 to your class basket. All items and monetary donations are needed by December 1st, so our parent committee has enough time to assemble the baskets in time for the event. Please see your child's Google Classroom or contact your child's music teacher if you need more information.
BANDS:
7th Grade Band - ASU Basket
8th Grade Band - Gardener's Paradise
Percussion and Beginning Band - Ace of Baking
Symphonic Band - The Great Outdoors
Wind Ensemble - Date Night
CHOIRS:
Belles Chanteuses - That's I-talian
Lacones - Master Chef
Cantate - That's Entertainment
Chorale - Gift Card Tree
GUITAR - Gilbert Nights
ORCHESTRAS:
Cadet Orchestra - Mexican Fiesta
Chamber Orchestra - Morning Comfort
Concert Orchestra - Bonfire N S'mores
Sinfonia - Pizza Pizzazz
Symphonic Strings - Treat Yourself
Also, if you have not had the opportunity to sign up to volunteer for Winterfest, there is still time! Contact Mrs. Kalo or Mr. Gibson to get your name on the list.
Save the date for our two concerts coming up in December!
December 6th, 7pm @ MJHS- Symphonia Festi. Come celebrate the holidays with Chorale, Symphonic Strings, and Wind Ensemble. All GCA music alumni are invited to join us for the grand finale, the Hallelujah Chorus. Musician call time to be announced soon.
December 11th, 11 am @ GCA- 15th Annual Winterfest. All GCA music ensembles will perform while attendees can watch the concerts, bid on auction items, shop at vendor booths, play games, and enjoy a meal. Please join us for this fantastic annual event!
Finally, for Hallelujah Chorus rehearsal, students in Chorale, Symphonic Strings, and Wind Ensemble need to be at school with their instruments next Tuesday, November 23rd. Students will check in with their legion teacher and then go to the cafeteria for rehearsal before leaving on the day's field trip. Don't forget, Spartans!
Thank you, again, for your continued support of the music department, and have a blessed Thanksgiving!
Character Strong
Our next session will be on December 1st. We will continue discussing how to turn items on our To Be Lists into actions in this session. One way that's proven to help us accomplish goals is through working to create goal-related habits. Today we work on a proven strategy called Habit Stacking, where we connect the habit we want to make to one we already have to provide a good cue for us to engage in the new habit.
GCA Good Things
Congratulations to Mars Kapadia, who is a Flinn semi-finalist!
Athletics
Tonight, Nov. 19th at 6:00, is our H.S. Boys Basketball game Purple vs. Gold. Scrimmage
Come out and support their Fundraiser. The entrance fee is one canned food item. You will also be entered to win some prizes!
Volleyball Recognition
Congrats to Jillian Urrea, who was selected to the Valley Region 1st Team as Libero!
Congratulations to Mia Drake, who made All-Region Second Team as Hitter/Middle Blocker!
Jillian was also the Region's Defensive Player of the Year!
Honorable Mention for Volleyball- Elisa Berva, Keely Sorensen, Angelina Lazar!
Cross Country-
Team Results- Girls Cross Country finished 10th in State
Boys Cross Country finished 12th!
Congrats to Ayla Young, who finished 5th overall!!!!
Also, In Dive- Cole Dunnett finished 3rd, and Alvaro Testa finished 5th in Dive @ State.
GCA participated in the 30th Toro Country Classic Speech & Debate Tournament at Mountain View High School. Lizzie Beistle made it to the quarterfinals in the Varsity Lincoln Douglas debate, and Emily Enriquez took 3rd place in the Novice Lincoln Douglas debate.
GCA Counseling News
In November, we are busy helping seniors with application deadlines, scholarships, and testing. We are currently seeing students on a walk-in basis at their lunch or after school. If we are unavailable, they can email us for appointments. In addition, we will start going into the Junior service-learning classes later this month to begin their college portfolios and from there work to help 9th and 10th graders begin community service opportunities.
Support for Stressed Parents from Childmind.org
Summer Programs 2022- Both fee and free opportunities
The FAFSA is open
The 2022–2023 Free Application for Federal Student Aid opened on Oct. 1. We encourage your students to submit their completed FAFSA by Jan. 15 priority filing date to be considered for the most need-based aid. Every fall 2022 student must submit their FAFSA to be considered for the maximum amount of financial assistance.
Parent and Student Career InvestIN Journey for Dream Careers- Check it out to discover some top options.
This year the Alpha is split by the counselor as follows:
7th – A- L,
8 and 9th – A - K,
10th – A - L,
11th – A - J,
12th – A - K
7th – M- Z,
8 and 9th – L- Z,
10th – M - Z,
11th – K - Z,
12th – L- Z
Mental Health Counselor
If you are concerned about your child’s mental health or need family support, please don’t hesitate to contact me at nicoleta.alfaro@gilbertschools.net.
With Gratitude,
Dan Hood Ed.D.
Principal
Gilbert Classical Academy