GCA Weekly Update
1/21/22
Hello Spartan Community,
This week I want to share some data showing our letter grade for 2021 and the results of all the hard work our teachers and students have done to earn this grade. When students enter GCA in 7th and 8th grade, about 15% are identified as gifted. A little more than 10% of our incoming 7th and 8th-grade students scored less than proficient on one or both ELA or Math portions of their state assessments. With that being said, our students had achievement scores of 29.77 out of 30 for our Junior High. With a proficiency score that high, it is tough to receive high yearly growth scores, but our students still earned 43.28 out of 50 points. With the addition of other minor categories they earned 90.06% of the points. Everything over 83% is an A. The impressive piece of this puzzle is the longer students attend GCA, the better they perform. Our high school students scored 30 out of 30 possible proficiency points, which makes yearly growth very difficult. The high school growth score was 17.31 out of 20 possible points. GCA earned total points in all other categories, including college readiness indicators. With the bonus points earned, the high school scored 100.34%. We are proud of the students’ achievements and their yearly growth. It was great to see our teachers and students do so well through this pandemic.
There is more to GCA than just academics. Our new promotional video has students talking about what they like about GCA. Check it out and share the link with your friends and family that may be interested. Gilbert Classical Academy: Home of the Spartans | Gilbert Public Schools District | Gilbert, Arizona
GCA Needs
I want to thank our community for supplying a refrigerator and basketball hoop. However, we still need some help with:
Science Fair Judges - The 2022 GCA Science & Engineering Fair still needs ten additional judges to make it happen. The fair will be on Friday, February 18th, and will be "virtual" again this year. Judges will need to be online for judging via WebEx from 7:00 am to 2:00 pm. Please reply to erik.gillman@gilbertschools.net if you want to be a judge.
Help with Armageddon March 3rd from 8 am to 2:30 pm, and March 4th, from 7:30 am to 11 am. Detailed descriptions will be released soon. Please put these days in your calendar and plan to help out.
One portable basketball hoop for the back eating area. Our current ones are broken and have become a safety concern.
A refresh of our golf carts - tires, seat upholstery, paint, etc.
We will appreciate any help given for any of these items.
No Latin Tutoring Saturday
Character Strong
This week is the 2nd of 2 sessions on Stress Coping. The goal is to understand the difference between solving versus coping with stressors (and to discuss well-being practices that can help).
Regular Tutoring and Study Groups
Tutoring will take place on Wednesday and Friday after school in the cafeteria.
Students can receive tutoring, engage in group collaboration and review for exams, and more.
There is NO prior SIGN UP to receive help.
Students are tutoring to receive service hours.
Plan to attend Wednesday from 1:30 to 2:30 and Friday from 2:30 to 3:30 and in the Cafeteria
GCA Music News
Thank you for your continued support of our music program. We love making music together and using our high-order thinking, constant self-assessment, and collaboration skills each day. Our students are learning valuable skills that help them across other curricular content and outside the classrooms.
Congratulations to:
Charlotte Pascoe for earning a spot in the cello section of the GPS district honor orchestra. She will rehearse and perform with them on February 11th and 12th
Arturo Pacheco earned a Superior rating at the regional solo and ensemble festival last weekend. He now qualifies to compete at the state level with his violin solo piece.
Good luck to:
All our high school band, orchestra, and choir students who will be auditioning for the Central Region honor music ensembles this weekend
Winterfest final number:
Thank you again to all who made our Winterfest in December a success. We look forward to recruiting a fantastic group of parents to help make next year's event even better. After tallying our profits and expenses, our final net income for that fundraiser was $8,353! That is a huge number that will help our music students to continue having equipment, music, and opportunities.
Donation opportunity:
Our music department is looking for some donations of at-home covid tests to take with us on our trip next week. If you have any around your home that are unused and you would be willing to help us out, we would greatly appreciate it. We hope not to need to use any but would love just a few for emergency purposes.
Please be sure to have this quarter's concert dates on the family calendar!
Orchestra- Thursday, February 17th, 7 pm @ MJHS
Band- Thursday, February 24th, 7 pm @ MJHS
Choir- Monday, February 28th, 7 pm @ MJHS
We look forward to seeing everyone soon!
CHORALE STUDENTS AND FAMILIES: The annual NAU Jazz/Madrigal Festival is coming up in just three weeks. Students will leave on Friday, February 11th, and stay overnight in Flagstaff to return home the next day. Watch for the permission forms coming home soon.
SYMPHONIC STRINGS, WIND ENSEMBLE, AND CHORALE: A paper packet came home last week with lots of information about our Anaheim trip. Please be sure to look at it and send any questions back to your child's music teacher through them or by email. You should have received an email this week with a few updated items. Please also return all forms that apply to you as quickly as possible. Forms are due on MONDAY. Information about when and where to turn in medications is included in that yellow packet. Medications are also due on MONDAY. As a reminder, masks will need to be worn on the bus and in any indoor areas other than your hotel room. Also, a negative result from a PCR test within four days of departure will be required. We are pleased to have on-site testing for all trip participants on Tuesday, January 25th, during lunch provided by eMBRY health. Information about that is also in the yellow packet. The online link to get signed up will be coming soon. Finally, a link to a Google Folder with all information about this trip has been shared through email and Google Classroom. As always, please reach out to Mrs. Joslin, Mrs. Kalo, or Mr. Gibson with any questions. Thank you!
Student Government Day
The Town of Gilbert will be hosting its next Student Government Day on Tuesday, February 15, 2022, from 8:00 am – 3:00 pm. As in years past, we’re providing student-participants with an in-depth view of the interworking’s of a municipal government, to include its impact on community organizations and Town residents. We encourage all high school students to apply! Applications are due by January 14, 2022. Learn more at WWW.GILBERTAZ.GOV/SGD
Athletics
Our boys basketball team had to shut down this week due to Covid protocols. We look forward to them getting back on the court to make a playoff run this week.
On Thursday, our soccer programs swept Arete. The girls won 4-3 and the boys 2-0.
Our girls’ varsity basketball team won a close game last night, beating Rancho Salerno Prep. Their game was tied with 38 seconds left and the Spartans were able to hit free throws down the stretch.
All teams are working on finishing strong. Check our website for upcoming games and support Spartan Athletics.
GCA Good Things
Michelle Hein was recently accepted into the 2022 Virtual Technology Externship for the Greater Phoenix Chamber Foundation. It is a paid internship where she will develop meaningful experiences to help expand her network, maximize her opportunity to create long-lasting relationships with Arizona employers and other externs, work collaboratively on a team research project, and receive mentorship. Congratulations Michelle!
Counseling Corner
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 Senior students to submit their completed FAFSA by Jan. 15 priority filing date to be considered for the most need-based aid. In addition, every fall, senior students 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.
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.
Expect Greater Things,
Dan Hood Ed.D.
Principal
Gilbert Classical Academy