GCA Weekly Update
12/2/2022
Hello Spartan Community,
Happy December! This month’s theme is Caring and Generosity. We have been experiencing generosity firsthand as we have received gifts to pass on to families requesting them. Again, if you are in need of help this holiday season, please reach out through this form. If you want to donate generously to a family in need, please go to this Needs Document, let us know what you would like to donate, and bring it into the office. Seeing the courage to ask for help and the generosity of this community is an excellent way to ‘protect your joy.’
Annual GCA Food Drive
We are again blessed to have a community that shares food with those in need. The food drive collected 1,796 pounds of food, which is 1,496 meals. Congratulations to the Junior High Senate for organizing the drive, legionnaires for counting and transporting, teachers, and everyone that helped or contributed to this year’s food drive.
Saturday Tutoring
Saturday Latin Tutoring
Ms. Vincent will be holding Saturday Latin Tutoring this Saturday, December 3, in her classroom (room 125) from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Bring $5 to stay as long as you want. Students should come prepared with either homework to work on or specific questions or difficulties they need help with.
Math Tutoring this Saturday
Mrs. Gary will be holding Saturday Latin Tutoring this Saturday, December 3, in her classroom (room 126) from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Bring $5 to stay as long as you want.
GCA Peer Tutoring Club
GCA Tutoring is back for the school year! If you know a student who needs additional help in classes, has them fill out the form below to find a tutor. Also, if you have any questions, please email the club President oavollan@gilbertschools.net.
Link to Form: https://forms.gle/3dD4BiDJna1nXyQq6
Private Tutoring
Blood Drive
We will be having a blood drive on 12/8/2022! If you are 16+ and eligible to donate, please make an appointment using the attached pdf. Please turn in the consent form and appointment application by Dec. 1st. Pick up AND turn in forms to Ms. Dietz's room (113.) Make sure to bring a form of ID. Parents can donate as well using the instructions on the flyer.
Gilbert Classical Academy appt app form 9.28.22...
BS_319RS (English) (Rev. 8).pdf
GCA Music News
Good luck to our GCA Wind Ensemble as they participate in the ABODA Fall Band Festival on Saturday, December 3rd. We are proud of your hard work!
Congratulations to our GCA Chorale members on their invitation to participate in a performance of Handel's Messiah with the Arizona Cantilena Chorale. That performance will be on Sunday, December 11th at 5 pm at St. Mary's Basilica in Downtown Phoenix.
Hawaii travelers: Do not forget to collect those final tax credit payments for the trip! The deadline is coming up on our first day back in the new year. See more details at the end of this music news section.
Winterfest is coming up! We are excited to have our 16th annual event on Saturday, December 10th. Winterfest is our main music fundraiser each year, and it will feature performances by all bands, orchestras, choirs, and our guitar class. We will also have food, carnival games, raffle baskets, a silent auction, and vendors. Thank you to those who have already donated time, items, or resources. We are going to have an amazing event this year! Here is the current information:
We still have a few slots to fill on our signup genius to run this event. If you want to volunteer and there are no more slots, please contact Toni Maguire (her phone number is provided at the top) to get a slot.
Please click the link for the pre-order food form. Fill it out and send it to the GCA front office via your child, or you can drop it off. Pre-order prices are reduced to help us plan accordingly. THIS IS DUE TODAY!
This year, we are running a silent auction on unique items to get community members an early opportunity to bid and opportunities to reserve premium parking places at Winterfest. Click on the link above and use the QR code to participate in the auction and purchase parking spots.
The performance schedule for the event is as follows:
11:00 am-12:00 pm: JH bands and orchestras (including Concert Orchestra)
12:30-12:45 pm: Guitar Ensemble
1:00-2:00 pm: HS bands and orchestras (including the return of Symphony Orchestra!)
2:15-3:00 pm: All choirs
3:00-3:30 pm: Jazz Band
If you have not yet, please join our Band community! We will use this app to communicate all GCA music department dates, announcements, and documents to our students and parents. You can either use it through a web browser, or you can download the app. Please go to https://band.us/n/a5a480C6L5i2N to join!
Important Dates:
Saturday, December 3rd- Wind Ensemble to attend the Fall Band Festival. See your permission slip for more information
Saturday, December 10th- 16th Annual Winterfest, 11 am. See above for more information!
Thursday, December 15th- Next Hawaii payment due on the Brightspark portal.
Friday, December 16th- Symphonia Festi, a holiday concert featuring Wind Ensemble, Chorale, and Symphonic Strings. 7 pm @MJHS
Wednesday, January 4th- Final Tax Credit Deadline for Hawaii payments due to GCA front office. See this folder for more information
Good Things
Nabhan Hossain was our Town of Gilbert Student of the Month for November. Congratulations Nabhan!
Congratulations to our ASU MUN winners!
Farhan Islam, Arshiya Mohamed, Phil Ni, Alana Skiera, & Cindy Tran all won Best Novice Position Paper awards in their respective committees. Arshiya Mohamed also took home the Best Veteran Position Paper award in her committee!
Charlotte Pascoe won Best Novice Diplomat in the Historical Council, while Alexander Tangpan took home awards for Best Novice Delegate and Best Novice Diplomat in the General Assembly.
Leah Kabilan was awarded Best Veteran Diplomat in the Historical Council, while Isabella Smith won Best Veteran Delegate in the Human Rights Council.
In addition, GCA was awarded 3rd place for Best School.
Congratulations to Gilbert Classical Academy’s team of Owen Reich, Diego De La Cruz, Alvaro Testa, and Liam Serva for being in 3rd place in the High School division of the Fall Stock Market Game. The game is at the halfway mark, and there is still plenty of competition left. I can’t wait to see what is going to happen!
Athletic News
It was another excellent weekend for GCA High School Chess. GCA Spartans competed at the Chess State Individual Championships in Flagstaff over the weekend;
Zach Schlimgen took 3rd place,
Merissa Wongso earned 8th,
and
Joshua John grabbed 10th place.
A great effort by each of these Spartans to seal their victories!
Counseling Corner
Pier O’Brien, pier.obrien@gilbertschools.net A-L
Kathy Diggs, kathleen.diggs@gilbertschools.net M-Z
Career Shadowing Opportunity
The Gilbert Chamber Foundation is holding two cycles of our Career Shadowing and Mentorship Program this year. The Student Applications for our Spring Cycle are NOW OPEN. High school students (9th-12th grade) and College students are encouraged to apply! We are also looking for mentors who are interested in participating this spring. The deadline for student applications is Friday, Dec. 16th, 2022, at 5 pm.
Spring Application - Career Shadowing and Mentorship Program
Program Dates:
Orientation – Thurs. Jan. 12th, 20223 – 4:00 pm-5:30 pm
Interview Skills Challenge – Feb. 2nd, 2023 – 4:00 pm-5:30 pm
Closing Reception – Wed. March 29th – 4:00 pm-5:30 pm
Direct questions to Lisa Potter - Program and Events Director, 480-892-0056, lisa@gilbertchamber.com
FAFSA Opened on Oct. 1, 2022
Tips for filling out the form: https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out
Most colleges will ask for the FAFSA to be filled out.
https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa
Here is an example of what many schools do to make paying for college more affordable. It is a Grants, Not Loans, movement. https://www.princeton.edu/admission-aid/affordable-all
A Resource for most things High School and applying to College. Some things are slightly different for GCA as we do things differently from the rest of the district. One example is that GCA does not offer Dual Enrollment courses, IB (International Baccalaureate Program), or CTE (Career and Technical Education) courses. Check the site out when you have questions.
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.
Protect you joy,
Dan Hood Ed.D.
Principal
Gilbert Classical Academy