GPPSS Update

Stop by Grosse Pointe South High School to read the historical marker that describes Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speech entitled "The Other America" given on March 14, 1968. Read the speech or listen to audioclips from that evening here on the Grosse Pointe Historical Society page. Here is a video compiled by our TV Production students and staff for the 50th anniversary that includes interviews with people there that evening.

The Board of Education held their regular meeting Monday, March 13. There were only two action items which both passed 7-0 -- the minutes from February 27, and the Food Service Equipment which the board discussed 2/27 and will come out of the Food Service fund balance.

In his Superintendent update, Dr. Dean provided an enrollment update as the audited fall count was received from Wayne RESA and we beat our projection by 10 FTE (full time equivalencies) with 6,485 FTE. He also shared that discussions continue with Grosse Pointe Park officials and city council members regarding the best use of the Trombly property.

Items previewed for action next week Monday, March 20 (off schedule due to spring break) include:

• A one day international field trip to Canada for South Advanced Placement Literature and Composition and Drama students to see King Lear (part of their curriculum) at the Festival Theatre. All international trips require board approval.
• The IA Building program relocation, boiler replacement and counseling area HVAC, which has been discussed several times by the finance and facilities committee as well as the board
• North Commercial Foods Kitchen improvements from State categorical funds for Career and Technical Education ($49,863 and the sinking fund ($149,331)
• Secondary building Large Audio Visual projects which are unique to each of the spaces for the purposes needed at those schools

Upcoming Board of Education (BOE) meetings include:

• BOE Finance & Facilities Committee - Wednesday, 3/15, 6 p.m., Barnes PLS
• BOE Regular Session - Monday, 3/20, 6:30 p.m., Brownell MPR
• BOE Community Engagement Committee - Wednesday, 3/22, 6 p.m., Barnes PLS
• BOE Policy & Contracts Committee - Wednesday, 3/22, 7 p.m., Barnes PLS
• BOE Regular Session - Monday, 4/10, 6:30 p.m., Brownell MPR

Dates for additional committee meetings are being finalized now and will be shared as they become available. A new section of the website has been added under the School Board dropdown, called BOE Committees. That section includes a description of membership for each committee as well as meeting dates, agendas and a link to the minutes. Agendas are also linked from the board calendar.

Police training at Trombly site 3/21 and 3/28

The Grosse Pointe Woods Public Safety Department will be participating in training on March 21st and 28th at Trombly. This will be an active shooter exercise but will not include GPPSS students or staff. We did not want neighbors to be concerned about an increased police presence at Trombly. This is proactive training just for their staff.

Something families and staff can do to help

Ensure your contact information in MiStar Parent Connect is current and accurate, including who is authorized to pick up your student (if you didn't get a snow day notification, be aware we will be using that same contact information for an emergency).

• We will use this information and multiple communication channels (phone call, email, text message (if opted in)) to provide accurate and timely information in the event of an emergency.
  
• If necessary, we may also use our District website (www.gpschools.org), district social media (Facebook https://www.facebook.com/GPPSS), Twitter (@GPSchools), and local news outlets may be asked to broadcast information.
  

Join our Communities United in Diversity meeting 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, March 16 at Richard Elementary to learn about Courageous Conversations. The discussion will be led by Wayne RESA Climate, Culture and Equity consultants Lisa Kaiser and Dr. Terrance Scott. Participants will explore tools from Glenn Singleton's and Curtis Linton's text Courageous Conversations about Race: A Field Guide for Achieving Equity in Schools. We will examine why these conversations can be so challenging to have, and practice engaging in them in helpful and effective ways.

GPPSS conducts surveys of athletes and their parents/guardians each sports season. If you or your student participated in a winter sport, please take your version of the Winter Sports Survey by March 24th (before spring break). Summary results are shared publicly. If you wish to remain anonymous, please do not put personally identifiable information in the open-ended comment sections. Thank you for sharing your input as we seek to continuously improve our athletic programs!

• Parent/Guardian Fall Sports Survey - https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ParentWinterSports23
• Student Athlete Version - https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Winter23Athletes (new shorter student version this year per student input)

• Thank you to all the middle school families that participated last week.
• Elementary families received an informational email regarding conference sign-up Monday, March 6. The link to sign-up for elementary conferences went live at 5 p.m., on Wednesday, March 8. Conferences will be held March 22 & 23. Please note the half days before spring break -- see the calendar at the bottom of each Weekly Update.

Summer Programs 2023 are now online! Go to gpschools.org to see GPPSS's 2023 offerings. These include:

• Summer Theater Camp presents Alice in Wonderland (June 20-30)
  The lottery link will be open from April 3-14.
• Camp Invention (June 19-23)
• Camp O'Fun (June 20 - August 28)
• Summer Music Festival (June 19-30)
• Grosse Pointe Summer Choir (August 14-18)
  

Please note: The Summer Connection program will not run this year due to a change in federal grant funding requirements. A new program called Summer Pointes will be available to support learning loss for K-8 students in the area of literacy and numeracy. Families of eligible students will be notified in mid to late spring.

Grosse Pointe Garden Center is starting to plan an event for families and is looking for a team of representative parents to help them plan and host this event.

A description of the Gardening Morning

Date: Saturday, April 15, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon at an elementary school.

Purpose: to help families plan, design, and get materials to start or improve existing gardens in their yards.

Format: There will be several stations with experienced gardeners and horticulturalists giving 30-minute presentations and answering questions on topics that will help participants take their garden to the next level or simply start a garden. These topics will range from raised gardens, rain gardens, gardens for butterflies, vegetable gardens, perennials, composting, seed saving and more.

All participants will receive seeds, small perennials, tips and techniques with the idea that each family will leave with a starter kit for their spring gardens.

There will be activities for children at small tables and several demonstrations on plants , seeds, and butterflies.

Please call the Grosse Pointe Garden Center at 313-499-0743 and leave a message if you are willing to help plan or volunteer at the event.

GPPSS is looking for caregivers for our Early Childhood program now! Click the link to check out open GPPSS positions and apply today.

We welcome our young learners to the district!

CLICK HERE TO BEGIN ENROLLMENT FOR KINDERGARTEN OR YOUNG FIVES.

For Young Fives, please submit this Y5 Lottery Preference Form by April 10th.

For questions about kindergarten registration, please contact the enrollment office, (313) 432-3083. Families with kindergarten students must complete enrollment prior to May 1 to be guaranteed placement in their home school. Young Fives placement will depend upon the lottery, so please fill out that form prior to April 10.

To review what was shared at our January 12, 2023 parent/guardian information night, CLICK HERE FOR MORE RESOURCES. Or click here to watch a video about our GPPSS Kindergarten program which includes Young Fives.