GSD E-Blast October 2023
Dear Parents and Guardians,
The school year began with great enthusiasm from our students and staff. We are thrilled to maintain this energy with Homecoming Week, scheduled for October 9th. There will be various events and activities planned for students of all ages. We would like to extend an invitation to you to come watch our GSD Homecoming Parade on Friday, October 13th. The parade will start at 5 p.m. from the Gibraltar Community Center and will end at Carlson High School.
If you are on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or X (formerly Twitter), please check out our official district social media sites, individual building social media sites, and our website live feed to view all the fun and engaging activities our students and staff are participating in. Our district is dedicated to preparing students for a successful future by actively engaging them in STEM and 21st-century learning.
Research shows that a happy brain fosters better problem-solving ability, effective task completion, and leads to a more successful life. At Gibraltar, we focus on the work of Shawn Achor, called the Happiness Advantage, to promote positivity. This will help develop our students into happy and positive thinkers and leaders. Throughout the year, we will continue to emphasize "spreading the orange" and the Happiness Advantage. We are thrilled to share our positive journey with you.
Finally, we have a NO-tax increase Bond proposal on the ballot for November 7th. Please check out the information below about the Bond and visit our website which has a comprehensive FAQ document and detailed list of projects for each building!
Your partner in education,
Amy Conway
Superintendent
Bond Election Information
We have exciting news for all GSD Community!
This summer, the Gibraltar School District Board of Education has approved placing no tax-rate increase bond proposal on the November 7th ballot. Voter approval of the bond proposal will not increase residents' current tax rate.
The $81.5 million no-tax-rate increase bond proposal is designed to improve the learning environment and update the interior and exterior of school buildings.
The bond proposal will allow the school district to make improvements in five key areas:
1. enhancing elementary educational programming;
2. enhancing student safety and security;
3. improving the learning environment;
4. expanding arts, athletics, and play areas; and,
5. addressing aging facility infrastructure and, increasing building efficiencies.
To learn more about the bond proposal, click HERE
Amy Conway- Superintendent
Spark's Corner
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!
Parsons Orange Spark Teacher and Student of the Week
Every month Parsons has a Student of the Month Award for each class. This year we are also going to have Spark Orange Frog Award each week for a student and teacher who exudes positivity and happiness. In The Orange Frog, the main character is a frog named Spark who turns “orange” among an island of green frogs. Spark is a positive outlier, adaptive with an optimistic mindset open to change.
Teachers are chosen by the previous week's winner. They look for moments of joy-spotting and happiness from their co-workers. Students are chosen by the principal who looks for students who bring joy and positivity to the school. Each teacher and student gets to keep an orange frog for the week. Students also receive a certificate. Both teachers and students are asked the following questions and are highlighted in weekly newsletters.
- What brings you joy?
- How do you bring joy to others?
- Who is someone that brings joy to you?
Keep up the great work Pirates!
Congratulations CHS Marching Marauders!
The CHS Marching Marauders have been crowned the Grand Champions at the Southgate Band Competition! Congratulations to the best band in the land for this remarkable achievement, which is a testament to the hard work and determination of Mr. Brockington and his CHS marching band students. GSD would also like to extend a thank you to the Band Boosters and parents for their unwavering support of our amazing and talented band.
CHS Band placed 1st in:
Best Percussion
Best Color Guard
Best Marching
Best Musicianship
Carlson High School
Our families enjoying the local food trucks.
CHS Open House Carnival
CHS Marching Marauders!
CHS Open House Carnival
Chapman Elementary School
Fourth Grade celebrates Constitution Day 🇺🇸
In honor of Constitution Day, fourth graders at Chapman spent a week learning about the Constitution, analyzing the Preamble, discovering why a government is necessary, and learning about what kind of government we have in the U.S. according to our Constitution. In library, Mrs. Provost read the book "We the Kids" by David Catrow and held inspiring discussions with students about the Preamble. They also watched an educational cartoon, "We the People" by Liberty Kids, to see how our founding fathers collaborated when writing the Constitution. Students used this new knowledge gained to create a Branches of Government project on a hanger to represent facts for each of the 3 branches and a symbol to represent each branch.
Hunter Elementary
Hunter Nominated for MEEMIC Beautification Grant
Parsons Elementary
Town Hall Celebrates Back to School and Teaches Expectations
On the first Friday of school, Parsons hosted their first Town Hall. Each month Parsons has a Town Hall meeting where students and classes win awards for meeting PBIS expectations, following good habits, and "promoting the orange." This month, students were welcomed back to school by the Orange Squad. PBIS school-wide expectations were reviewed and established. Fifth grade student leaders even acted out skits to help showcase expectations. It's going to be a great year!
Downriver STEM at Weiss
Toledo Zoo Prairie Partnership
Weiss Elementary is excited to announce that the installation process for our native prairie, a cornerstone of our partnership with the Toledo Zoo for the next three years, is already underway on our school grounds. This marks a significant step in our journey towards creating the first native prairie partnership with the Toledo Zoo in southeast Michigan. As we witness the prairie taking root, we are eagerly preparing for our Weiss students to work hand-in-hand with the Toledo Zoo in planting seeds, a vital step in this transformative conservation effort that promises to shape the future.
As part of this initiative, Toledo Zoo conservation staff will work with Weiss staff and students to install an urban prairie right here at Weiss Elementary. This prairie will serve as both a symbol of our commitment to conservation and a valuable resource for scientific exploration. The Zoo's education staff will diligently train our teachers and students, imparting the knowledge and skills necessary to conduct citizen science and inquiry-based learning projects within these prairie habitats. We are thrilled to be part of Project PRAIRIE as an EVERGREEN and STEM school and look forward to the enriching opportunities it will provide for our students and the broader community. Together with the Toledo Zoo, we are sowing the seeds of knowledge, conservation, and discovery, eagerly awaiting the blossoming of our native prairie in the years to come.
Shumate Middle School
Constitution Day at SMS
Constitution Day is observed each year on September 17 to commemorate the signing of the Constitution on September 17, 1787, and “recognize all who, by coming of age or by naturalization, have become citizens.” In 2004, an Act of Congress was passed requiring “Each educational institution... to hold an educational program about the U.S. Constitution for its students” on or about September 17 of each year.” This year at Shumate, since Constitution Day fell on a weekend, students learned about the Constitution in their Social Studies classes on Friday, September 15, or Monday, September 18, 2023.
Students in all grades participated in a wide variety of learning activities connected to the Constitution. In addition to reviewing the purpose of the Constitution, students examined the preamble, articles, and amendments. Depending on their grade level or class, students did things such as reading articles, listening to songs and stories, engaging in impactful discussions, and even participating in various Constitution themed games. This year, many media outlets also offered Constitution quizzes and news items to students across the world to help be a part of the Constitution Day celebration. This was an amazing day of learning about one of the most important documents in our nation’s history.
Lakeshore Virtual School
Our Leadership Club
All students can be leaders and lead in different ways. Last year our leadership club provided many opportunities for social events and community service projects, and this year our students plan to keep that tradition going. The LVS staff met with this year's Lakeshore Leadership Club for the first time this school year. Students of all grades and ages came together to get to know one another and discuss ideas for the school year. We are very excited to see their ideas come to life and watch them grow their leadership skills.
Transportation Update
Almost a month into the 2023-2024 school year and the Transportation Department is running smoothly. Our second bid day is Wednesday, October 4th. We might have some changes with different drivers and routes, but the times should stay the same. Bus inspections will start soon, so we are preparing for that as well.
If you are interested in becoming a driver or bus aide, please come in and fill out an application. We are located at 28291 Fort Street, in Trenton or contact us at (734) 379-6370.
Cherie Fraser- Asst. Director of Transportation