Dear Parents and Students:

A new school year has started and I’m happy to report that we have had an exceptionally smooth opening. Students and staff have acclimated well and seem to have gotten back to the routine of school.

With any new school year comes change. Please join us in welcoming the following new teachers, staff, and assignments:

• Stephen Barone, Social Studies Department Chair
• Michaela Cutarelli, Social Worker
• Michelle Farrar, HS Science
• Bridget Grady, Art
• Sarah Guenther, Math
• Craig Levesque, MS Science
• Shannon McGrane, Social Worker
• Josh Penn, Athletic Director (HS* & MS)
• Maryanne Shaffer, Executive Assistant

* denotes TGS faculty in a new role

The Gilbert School is a wonderful school that offers tremendous opportunities for our students in and out of the classroom. I hope to see you all out and about at the many exciting events to come this year. Here’s to a happy and successful school year!

Sincerely,

Greg P. Shugrue, Head of School

The Gilbert School

Unsure how to set up your PowerSchool account? No problem! Follow these simple steps:

1. Begin at The Gilbert School Webpage www.gilbertschool.org
2. From the Parent dropdown menu, choose PowerSchool
3. Click on the PowerSchool logo
4. Click the create an account button
5. Completely fill out the form

(The Access ID is your child’s student ID number, and the Access password is the first 8 letters of your child’s last name.)

PLEASE NOTE - PASSWORDS MUST BE:

• At least 7 characters
• At least one uppercase and one lowercase letter
• At least one number
• At least one special character (!,$,&,*, etc.)

Should you need assistance, please contact battistas@gilbertschool.org

Due to roof-work, on-going construction, and safety concerns, we are implementing the following changes for this school year. These changes are going back to our policies we followed for a very long time. We are also trying to provide convenient parking during the day for parents/visitors.

AM DROPOFF (7:00-7:45 AM):

Morning student drop-off procedures: Students may ONLY be dropped off in the student parking lot in the morning OR at the bottom of the hill on the faculty side. Parents may NOT pull up to the teacher lot and drop at the door unless students have significant physical impairments that require handicapped parking to drop off (ex: crutches, injury, etc.).

DURING THE SCHOOL DAY:

If you are dropping off paperwork to the office or making a quick stop to school, we will have a Short-Term Parking spot available for you to make a fast trip into the building and out with no worries of where to park. If you are here for a meeting with staff, please use one of our new “Visitor Parking” spots. They are located in the teacher lot and accessible for public

visitors during school or right after school hours.

PM PICKUP (School Dismissal 2:00-2:30 PM):

Afternoon pickup procedures: Students may ONLY be picked up in the student parking lot in the afternoon OR at the bottom of the hill on the faculty side. Parents may NOT pull up to the teacher lot and park in the teacher parking lot to wait unless students have significant physical impairments that require handicapped parking-which is where they may park to wait for dismissal (ex: crutches, injury, etc.).

It's almost time to show that Yellowjacket spirit! Spirit Week will be the week of 10/23-27, and will be filled with dress-up days, class contests, and wall building! The Homecoming Court will be announced at the Homecoming Football Game versus Seymour High School on Saturday, 10/28.

Fall Coffee House will return on Thursday, 11/9 in the TGS school library at 6.30 pm. Open to all grades, the Fall Coffee House is an evening of the arts-- music, poetry, and more. However, only high school students may perform at this open mic style event. If you are a high school student who would like to perform, you can find a signup sheet in front of room 308. Please be sure to submit your sign up sheet to Mrs. Daniele by Tuesday, 10/31. For questions, email her at danielef@gilbertschool.org.

The TGS World Language department is hosting a Purse Bingo Fundraiser to benefit the Classical Italy trip. Bingo round winners get to choose from several designer handbags! The fundraiser will be held on Saturday, 9/30 at the Winsted Elks Lodge. Doors open at 6:00 pm and Bingo starts at 7:00 pm. The event will be $40 per ticket - Cash Bar - BYOS (Bring Your Own Snacks). Tickets are presale only and sales close on Wednesday, 9/20. Click HERE to purchase tickets. Click on the Purse Bingo flyer for more info about this fun event.

For more information about the Gilbert Classical Italy trip, please email frechtettes@gilbertschool.org.

By Josh Penn, Gilbert Athletic Director

The fall season is officially underway! Girl’s soccer has played its first two games and is still looking for its first victory, but they have played hard and are going to be a force in the Berkshire League this season. Cross Country had its first official meet on 9/12. Sophomore Kate Hudak placed 3rd for females while Sophomore Alec Marvin placed 7th and Junior Richie Reeves placed 11th! Volleyball has also played two contests and has shown improvement in each set they have played in. Football had a tough week 1 matchup with perennial powerhouse Ansonia, but they battled for the entire game. Friday 9/15 they take on Kennedy under the lights here on Van Why Field. Cheerleading may have a smaller squad than last year, but they have just as much passion and energy as always. Golf has played in several matches so far and improved their team score in every match. Congratulations to Senior Aiden Blanchette for being medalist at Norfolk Country Club shooting a 39! Boy’s Soccer is still looking for more student-athletes to sign up, anyone interested should contact Mr. Penn or Coach Kelsey.

Middle School Sports started on 9/11 and will play their first contests on Thursday 9/21, good luck to all of our Middle School student-athletes.

PSAT testing will take place in school on October 18 for all grade 8, freshmen, sophomore, and junior students. More information to follow. Registration for the PSAT is not required.

Our AP courses are in full swing. Students completed summer work for each course and are already starting to progress through their rigorous college-level curriculum. Fees for the mandatory AP tests (required for the course) will be due to Mrs. Fiducia soon; listen for the announcements on when and where to turn in your payments. Those students who pass the test will be refunded money back as an incentive from Gilbert. Also, many colleges accept scores 3 and above for college credit (check specific university/college requirements for credit). Students who take AP courses in high school are proven to perform better academically in post-secondary programs than those who do not. If you have any questions about AP courses, please contact your school counselor.

For 2024 testing information and dates, please visit this link on the College Board website.

In spring 2024, all junior students will participate in the Connecticut SAT School Day here at The Gilbert School. However, any student (not just juniors!) can register online to take the SAT and/or to take the ACT throughout the year - as many times as you choose. Like anything else, the more you practice, the better you'll get!

*Please note that The Gilbert School is no longer a testing site and will not be hosting SAT testing on alternate dates.

Purchase now to get Early Bird Pricing!

Yearbook Prices:

• $55 until 9/30
• $65 from 10/1-11/31
• $75 from 12/1-12/31
• $85 from 1/1 through end of the school year

To order HIGH SCHOOL yearbooks, click HERE or contact Mrs. Daniele.

10/9 - Columbus Day

Early Dismissal (12:16 PM)

10/11

School Picture Day

9/22

Senior Portrait Days

9/26-27

PSAT Testing

10/18

Spirit Week

10/23-10/27

Pep Rally

10/27

Homecoming Game

10/28