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Gower West News
December 1, 2023
❤️ Gower Hearts at Work ❤️
A Gower Tradition
Gower Hearts at Work has been a tradition since 1992. Rather than purchase a gift for someone at school, parents and friends have the option of donating money to Gower Hearts at Work. The Gower staff endorses the idea of giving donations to Gower Hearts at Work instead of receiving gifts. The staff enjoys the personalized gift certificates generated by the Student Council when a donation is made in their name.
This year the student council has chosen to donate to the Hesed House in Aurora:
Hesed House’s mission is to feed, clothe, shelter the homeless and give people a chance to hope again. Hesed House is a national model for ending homelessness -- one person, one family at a time. Because Everyone DESERVES DIGNITY
We are proud of this Student Council tradition. There is no measure for this project’s success. The value comes from our young people who find that giving is truly much better than receiving.
If you wish to help, please send your donations and requests for certificates to Gower Middle or Gower West by Thursday, December 21st.
How to donate:
Please print out the form found in the Virtual Backpack or write on a piece of paper to whom the certificate(s) should be made out - you may include as many names as you would like on the form. There is no minimum amount of money requested
Certificate(s) will be delivered before the winter break
Any questions please email tlange@gower62.com
Checks payable to “Gower Student Council” - one check is sufficient for multiple students and multiple certificates
Please have your child turn this form in along with the donation to their first-period teacher at Middle or their classroom teacher at West by December 21st.
Sincerely,
Greg Hey and Tammy Lange
Gower Middle School Student Council Advisors
PTO Holiday Gift Shop - TONIGHT!
Join us for the 2023 Holiday Gift Shop!
Friday, December 1
2:45 - 7:00 PM
Saturday, December 2nd
8:00 - 11:00 AM
@ Gower West!
Support Gower West!
Purchase GW Spirit Wear!
Shop the Gower West Holiday Sale!
For a limited time, safe a total of 35% of all spirit wear with Code: EXTRASAVINGS. Guaranteed delivery by December 23! Find the perfect gift for everyone on your list - from parents to grandparents and beyond! Shop here now!
Your purchase of spirit wear supports Gower West Elementary School, specifically rewards for Gower Gladiators who are respectful, responsible, and kind! Thank you, as always, for your support!
Gower's 2024 Science Showcase
For Students in Grades 4 - 8
In mid-November, students in grades 4-8 received an informational packet about Gower's 2024 Science Showcase on February 15th from 6:00-7:30 pm at Gower West Elementary School. If your student wants to participate, there is a form in the packet that needs to be completed and turned in by December 15th. In this showcase, there will not be formal judging, but rather feedback cards with affirmations and recommendations. Please encourage your student to participate in this great STEM opportunity! If you have questions, please feel free to contact your child's teacher, Mrs. Bowman at sbowman@gower62.com, Mr. Hey at ghey@gower62.com, or Mrs. Laratta, Assistant Superintendent at rlaratta@gower62.com.
Congratulations to This Week's W.O.W.s!!!
Upcoming Events at Gower West
Please Mark Your Calendars
Monday, December 4
2:25 4th grade Basketball Camp
2:25 Chess Club
Tuesday, December 5
2:25 Spanish Club
2:25 2nd/3rd grade Brownies
Wednesday, December 6
7:10 4th grade Chorus
2:25 3rd grade Basketball Camp
2:25 Young Rembrandts
Thursday, December 7
7:10 3rd grade Chorus
2:25 Beginner Band rehearsal
Friday, December 8
Favorite Sweatshirt Day
Blood Drive at Gower West - 1/26/24
Sign ups are now open for the Gower West Blood Drive!
We are currently in a national blood shortage and every donation helps! We are so proud that the Gower community will have the chance to partner with the Red Cross and help our community out with such an important and life-saving resource. If you are able to donate blood, we ask that you consider signing up. If you are unable to or uncomfortable donating blood, we can still use your help in volunteering during the event.
When: Friday, January 26th from 1pm-5:45pm
Where: Gower West
How to Help: There are two ways to help for this important event:
1) Sign up to donate blood here!
2) Sign up to be a volunteer during the blood drive here!
Am I Eligible to Donate?
There are certain requirements that are necessary to be a whole blood or power red donor. You can find more information at this site: https://www.redcrossblood.org/donate-blood/how-to-donate/eligibility-requirements.html.
What Happens After I Sign Up?
After you sign up, you will receive information from the Red Cross that will give you details on what to do before/after the donation, how to pre-register, and any other information you need.
What if I Have Another Question?
Feel free to email Maribeth Jankowski (imanot2@hotmail.com) or Meredith Mosconi (masigler@gmail.com) with any further questions.
Be a VIP at your child's next school event!
Front Row Frenzy is still going strong!
Click the links below to purchase raffle tickets for VIP seating and parking at your child's 2024 school events! For the events with no seating, you can win one reserved premier parking spot. Each event will have 4 winners.
Text “Gower2023” or “Gower2024” to 33100 for direct links
Attention 8th grade parents, don’t miss out on your chance to win front row seats and reserved parking at graduation! Text “ GowerGraduation” to 33100 for direct links
Proceeds from these raffles will go to support The Gower Foundation's mission of providing enrichment opportunities for students and resources for Gower staff. Information about The Front Row Frenzy can also be found on the Gower Foundation Website.
Click here for 2024 events