The Gilbert School E-News

WEEK ONE EXAMS

Monday, 5/1

• 8:00 am - United State Government and Politics
• 12:00 pm - Chemistry

Tuesday, 5/2

• 12:00 pm - Psychology

Wednesday, 5/3

• No Exam

Thursday, 5/4

• 12:00 pm - Statistics

Friday, 5/5

• 8:00 am - United States History

WEEK TWO EXAMS

Monday, 5/8

• 8:00 am - Calculus AB
• 12:00 pm - Computer Science Principles

Tuesday, 5/9

• 8:00 am - English Language and Composition

Wednesday, 5/10

• 12:00 pm - Biology

Click on the flyer below to order tickets.

On Friday, May 26th, Grade 8 students are celebrating the end of the year with a field trip to Lake Compounce. Students are excited to be able to be together to share fun and sun before they venture off to high school. Buses will leave from school in the morning and plan to return at 3:00 pm.

SBAC testing preparations:

• Middle school students will be participating in the SBAC state testing in May. Students have completed practice tests in preparation for formal assessments.

"Continuous effort—not strength or intelligence—is the key to unlocking our potential.”

- Liane Cardes

By Buckley Morgan, Gilbert Director of Athletics

May has arrived and with it so has some nice Spring weather. Spring sports are well under way and our student-athletes are enjoying an outstandingly normal Spring season. While the past couple years have negatively impacted our sports programs, we are clearly heading in the right direction now. Numbers are up for almost every program. Everyone is excited and enjoying all the benefits that spring sports have to offer. Fresh air, physical activity and great comradery.

While there are many games left to play in the Spring season, we also have some key dates to be aware of for the next several weeks.

May 7 - The Annual Connecticut High School Scholar Athlete Awards Program will be held. Along with Scholar Athletes from across the state, we will be honoring two of Gilbert's highest achievers in academics and athletics.

May 31, 5:30 pm - The Gilbert Spring Sports Award Ceremony to be held in the Gilbert Lunch room All spring athletes and their families are encouraged to come and celebrate their student athlete.

June 1st, 5:00 pm - The Berkshire League All-Star Banquet. All the Gilbert All-Stars and their parents are invited to attend this event.

June 3 - The Annual Gilbert Blue and Gold Golf fundraiser is set to play. We already have many teams signed up and are looking for more. The goal is 144 golfers. If you're not a golfer, you are encouraged to come and enjoy the dinner meal following the golf game and participate in the raffle of numerous great prizes. For more information and to register, click HERE or contact the Director of Athletics or any Gilbert coach.

June 6, 6:00 pm - Senior Athletes Banquet to be held in the Gilbert Cafeteria and catered by the Railway Cafe. Sponsored by the Lions Club. All Senior student athletes and their guests are invited. There will be awards handed out at this final Senior Athletics recognition ceremony. Athletes' meals are paid for by the Lions Club. Guests please submit checks made out to Gilbert Athletics for $15 per additional guest by the 10th of May.

We still have about four weeks of regular season sports. I encourage everyone to come out and enjoy the weather while watching Gilbert student athletes perform on the field, court or track. It truly means a lot when our kids can look out in the stands and see friends and family watching them play.

To follow any of the Gilbert Spring Sports teams and their schedules, navigate to the Gilbert Athletics webpage, where you will find the schedule for each of the Spring teams. We hope you get out to watch as many of the games as possible. The athletes love to see the bleachers full of parents, family and friends.

For Gilbert specific updates, navigate to and follow the TGS Athletic Department Facebook page, our Twitter page, Instagram, or visit the Gilbert Athletics webpage. You will find the athletics handbook on the website. All athletes should know it, front to back.

Questions?

Contact the Gilbert Director of Athletics at: morganb@gilbertschool.org or call 860 379-3721. The Middle school Athletic Director is Joshua Penn at: pennj@gilbertschool.org

By Debra LaRoche Walls, Dean of Admissions

This year, the Student Ambassador Program, that was originally started and organizationally run under the direction of School Nurse, Mrs. Kelli Gilbert, when the international program first began, is being carried on under the Advisory direction of co-chairs Mrs. Ingryd Flores and Mrs. Magdalena Kruk.

For several months this year, a group of student ambassadors visited the residence hall of the international students for Game Nights. Each night was filled with lots of laughter and fun as the students would play Bingo, (both in English and Spanish), with gift card prizes for the winners. Other board games, Jenga and ping pong added to the mix of activities that the students shared together. Snacks were provided to end the evening which was an added highlight to the gathering.

Mrs. Flores has been a consistent substitute teacher at The Gilbert School since 2018. She coached Gilberts boys’ varsity soccer team last year. In addition, she helps Spanish speaking parents communicate with the school’s administration. She loves being at Gilbert and working with the students and it shows in all that she does.

Mrs. Kruk enjoys being at Gilbert and began her association with the international program when she hosted two girls from China as a home stay parent when the program began in 2015. This is her second year at The Gilbert School as she started in 2021. Presently, she is a world language teacher teaching Spanish. She has developed a French curriculum and will teach French starting next year which is a new world language opportunity for our students. She is also the Freshman Class Advisor.

Together, with the orchestration of Dean of Admissions, Debra Walls, the combination of care and interest in teaming the international students and student ambassadors is a win for all the students. The group is working on an end of year event and may be headed to Lake Compounce Amusement Park in Bristol.

(From left to right) Victoria Parent, Mariah Castillo, Ivan Lyu, Freily Cruz, Kianna Cox Alycia Cox

Counselors frequently email seniors and post scholarship application information to Naviance. In Naviance, go to “Scholarships & Money” to see the scholarships that are coming in to Gilbert. Paper copies may also be available in the Guidance office. See Mrs. Kirsch or your school counselor for assistance.

IMPORTANT for students applying to community college: If you plan to attend community college next year, you must apply for financial aid using the FAFSA, and include this school code on your FAFSA: 007635. This is actually the school code for Capital CC, but should be used for any/all CT Community Colleges next year. This message comes to you from the CT Community College Office of Financial Aid. Questions? See your counselor!

For more information on PACT (Pledge to Advance Connecticut), and free tuition for CT residents who are first time college students attending one of our 12 Connecticut community colleges, click here.

By now, most seniors have received college admissions decisions. It is important for students to log into Naviance to indicate “accepted”, “denied” or “deferred”. Don’t forget to notify your school counselor regarding these decisions and add a pennant to the college acceptance wall for all college acceptances.

TGS junior students took the Connecticut School Day SAT on Wednesday March 23. Most scores became available on College Board on April 15. See the links below for additional testing dates off campus, and free customized online test prep through Khan Academy.

Khan Academy, in conjunction with College Board, is offering free customized SAT prep based on a student's performance on the PSAT. Generated SAT practice is tailored specifically to focus on those areas in which the student requires the most practice. Click on the button below to find out more information!

In spring 2023, all junior students participated 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. Additional testing dates are listed below. 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.

Hundreds of colleges and universities from the US and worldwide will be ready and waiting to talk with you at an upcoming in-person college fair. Don't miss these free, one-day events for high school students and families. See the info about the next fair below.

• May 9 - June 5 - NEACAC College Fairs, various colleges/universities in New England

By Kelli Gilbert RN BSN, Director of Health Services

Students are required to have a physical exam during ninth grade. It can be done during the summer before ninth grade. Blue physical forms will be mailed out in report cards at the end of the year. Physicals are also required every 13 months for students who are trying out for sports. Don’t forget to make your doctor’s appointment for your child as times book up quickly!

Postural Screening will be taking girls in 7th grade and boys in 9th grade. Screening is only performed for students who have not had it completed by their physician in the past year. Students who need further assessment will be referred to their physician.

TGS no longer has COVID tests available for families. However, you can get free COVID tests for home use by requesting them at https://www.covid.gov/tests. Some insurance companies, such as HUSKY, will provide insurance coverage for at home test kits.

Additionally, free COVID test sites are available at the following locations:

• Walgreens - 1745 East Main Street, Torrington
• CVS - 661 North Main Street, Torrington
• Walgreens - 28 E Elm Street, Torrington
• Walgreens - 220 Albany Turnpike, Canton

Community Health will be here in April for free dental cleanings. If you haven’t already signed up and are interested, please contact Mrs. Gilbert at gilbertk@gilbertschool.org or 860 379 8521 x1431.

No School

5/25 - Memorial Day

Early Release

5/10 (12:16 pm)

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