Gemini Elementary Geminews

Parents,

As we are approaching the end of the year, we are noticing an increase in behaviors. We understand students are getting anxious and excited about the end of the year. Please use this time to reinforce schoolwide expectations and appropriate classroom behaviors with your children.

Next week, we are beginning our last window of FAST testing, with grades 3-6 next week and Grades K-2 the following week. This is our time to shine! Please make sure your students are rested and prepared to start their on time on these days. Once testing has begun, students who arrive late will not be permitted to enter their classroom until all testing has been completed. They will be scheduled for a make up test at another time.

We have many fun activities planned for the month of May. Summer will be here before we know it. We look forward to a wonderful finish of the school year.

Thank you,

Christina Carver,

Principal

Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week

May 1st- May 5th

May 2nd-May 3rd- FAST Testing ELA/Math Grades 3-6

Friday- May 5th- Early Release Day 1:15 pm

Monday, May 8th- Book Fair Opens

Wednesday, May 10th- Spring Concert 5:00 pm in the Cafetorium

The Rotary Club is looking for Gemini volunteers to work the beer tent and sell raffle tickets at Founders Day. For the past several years, Rotary has sponsored our Accelerated Reading (AR) program, which benefits all of our children. The annual fee for this program is about $4,000 a year. Let's help show Rotary our support by volunteering on Founder's Day.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E044BA8A623A5F49-founders2

Thank you as always,

Sherrie Stovall

Congratulations to the new PTO Executive Board for the 2023-2024 school year!

President- Sarah Apelquist

Vice President- Sarah Vorwaller

2nd Vice President- Melissa Fletcher

Treasurer- Lindsay Ishman

Recording Secretary- Karen Dawson

Corresponding Secretary- Molly Wilson

Communications Director- Sara Russo

Thank you to all of our PTO members that give so much time and energy to serve our Gemini students.

Sherrie Stoval

Help us celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week! Come aboard and help host a culinary trip around the world with a special breakfast and lunch for all Gemini employees each day. We would love your help to make this week special for all the teachers and staff that care for our children every day.

Below please find the link for supplies and volunteer opportunities that we will need. Each day will cost approximately $500, so if you would like to donate to help with the costs, please send your donation to the school in an envelope marked to Gemini PTO, write your child's name and teacher's name on the outside OR you can make the payment online to our Venmo account @GeminiPTO account. Please write your child's name in the notes box so I know who it's from! As always, we appreciate your support for our teachers and school!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E044BA8A623A5F49-teacher3

PTO will be donating popsicles for the entire school for a Field Day treat. If you are an approved volunteer and would like to sign up to work at Field Day, please click on the link below to sign up:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E044BA8A623A5F49-field

Beginning Friday, April 28th, students with overdue/lost books will no longer be able to check out new books until they return/pay for the outstanding books. Overdue notices will be going home next Thursday, April 27th in the student's Thursday folder.

The last day that students can check out books from the Media Center will be May 5th.

Mark the date: Scholastic Book Fair will open on Monday, May 8th and run through Friday, May 12th. More information will be coming soon.

ALL library books are due back to the Media Center no later than May 17, 2023.

Dear Gemini Families,

Enrollment (registration) has changed for the school year 2023-24. If your child is currently enrolled at Gemini Elementary you can begin the re-enrollment process now. Re-enrollment for returning students will be completed online through Focus. Log onto your Focus parent portal and follow the instructions below to re-enroll your child. Be advised that you will upload any necessary documents, such as proof of residency, directly into Focus. The student enrollment will be completed each year digitally on focus to capture the most up to date information. You will use the parent portal if any changes need to be made throughout the year.

A parent portal account is required to complete the online re-enrollment process. If you need to establish a Focus parent portal account, contact Tiffani Reynolds at 321-727-3090 X45005.

Please contact Tiffani for questions regarding online re-enrollment.

Print Directions: https://bit.ly/BPSreenrollment

Video Directions: https://bit.ly/FocusRe-Enroll

There were lots of exciting milestones on the field this week! 2nd grader Madeline Hawkins crossed the finish line on 100 miles! Madeline and her family have been regulars this year. Congratulations Madeline!

Next up was 5th grader Bella Vermillion who has run 200 miles! Bella is one of the speediest kids on the field. Everyone is inspired trying to keep up with her! Way to go Bella!

Finally we saw Morning Mile royalty 6th grader Maggie McNall run her 400th mile! Maggie has run at least 100 miles every year since kindergarten and she is always at the front of the pack. She is the first girl to hit 400 miles. Awesome!

Inspired by his big sister, 3rd grader Creed McNall achieved an amazing 500 miles this week! This is the most laps run by any student at Gemini. Creed is running 5 miles every morning trying to hit his goal of 600 miles before the end of the year. Keep up the hard work!

For the remainder of the school year Morning Mile will begin at 7am so kids have optional extra time to hit those last minute goals. The last day of Morning Mile is Friday, May 19.

Please support Morning Mile by participating in the Run for the Gecko 5k on Saturday May 13! Team Gemini is currently in second place and we need your help to win prize money to help support the program. Youth registration is only $10 and every participant under 14 earns points for Team Gemini. Participants will also get credit for 25 straws / laps and a super cool charm for their necklace. Hope to see you there!

Run for the Gecko 5k - May 13

https://runsignup.com/Race/FL/Melbourne/runforthegecko

Get notified about details regarding Gemini’s Morning Mile Program through the Remind App - text @dee9f2f to 81010 or go to https://www.remind.com/join/dee9f2f. Questions - email Melissa McNall at melissamcnall10@gmail.com.

Here is the link to the ESE Parent Survey. Survey can be taken from March 22, 2023 through June 30, 2023. This survey is open to all parents of children with an IEP receiving ESE services from preschool age through grade 12. While demographic information must be collected in compliance with federal requirements, individual responses are confidential.

2023 ESE Parent Survey (surveymonkey.com)

Cabbage Cabbage & More Cabbage!

The largest cabbage weighing 6lbs10oz was harvested last week from Mrs. Cox 4th

grade class bin. Mrs. Steger’s 3rd grade class won the pizza party with their guess of 9lbs.

Both Mrs. Cox & Mrs. Steger are the official Cabbage Queens of the Gemini Garden!

This week students and teachers were able to sample Mrs. Gloddy’s homemade recipe of coleslaw made with the cabbage planted from seed & grown by students! The Coleslaw experience was not loved by all. While some refused to try it and others were not sure it was for them, a few kiddos actually came back for seconds😉

Kinder-Garden Planting Event: Kindergartners were finally able to spruce up their garden with new flowers & butterfly plants. They had a blast digging in the dirt, adding their handprints to the garden boxes, and enjoying some fresh homemade lemonade. Each student planted their own sunflower seed pot to grow at home.

Volunteers: **Kinder-Garden Watering Volunteers Are Desperately Needed** We are not allowed to install a watering system on the kindergarten playground. Therefore, the gardens need to be watered on Mother Nature’s days off😊

Please see Sign-Up Genius Link below:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050B44A9AD28A1F94-kindergarden

Garden Club is 100% Volunteer Run. Green Thumb Thursdays happen during your child’s recess and offer a beautiful opportunity for parents to garden with their kids. Please join us anytime on Thursdays between 9:30AM and 2:00PM to participate in our projects😊

Garden Club Volunteer Sign-Up Genius link:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050B44A9AD28A1F94-garden

A Special Thank you to all our volunteers & Supporters!

“All the Flowers of Tomorrow are in the Seeds of Today.”

By Robin Craig Clark

Garden Club Contact: Sonya Ostensen 352-428-7782 sonya.ostensen@oz-matic.com

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