GSD E-Blast June 2024

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Congratulations! We've made it to the end of another fantastic school year! This year has been filled with amazing accomplishments from our award-winning band, sports teams, and clubs. We continue to put GSD on the map thanks to our supportive staff, students, and community, who show their Marauder Pride every day. I want to wish everyone a happy and relaxing summer. Please remember to look for emails from your child's school with updates about the beginning of the school year!

Your Partner in Education!

Amy Conway

Superintendent

Research shows that being happy and positive primes the brain to be more successful and productive. Promoting positivity will enhance our student’s academic ability and develop them into happy and positive thinkers and leaders. Each month we will highlight a building or staff member that is spreading “The Orange” (Happiness) through Gibraltar!

With the support of the Greater Gibraltar Kiwanis Club, the Parsons Lighthouse Club and the Chapman Chargers both held a cereal drive. The cereal was donated to the Gibraltar Food Pantry to help families in need in our local area.

Do you have a child at home who will be five years old on or before September 1, 2024? Do you know someone who does, perhaps a friend or a neighbor? If so, Gibraltar School District has a spot waiting just for them in our kindergarten classrooms next year! Gibraltar School District offers both a traditional Kindergarten program as well as a Young Fives Kindergarten program. Both of these programs have a strong focus on the math and literacy skills needed for a solid foundation through the course of the formative elementary years. Registration is now open!

https://www.gibdist.net/page/kindergarten-and-young-fives-information

Congratulations to the Carlson High School Class of 2024! Friday, June 7th marks the culmination of years of hard work, dedication, and perseverance. As you step into the future, may you carry forward the knowledge, friendships, and memories you've made here. Your achievements have set a high standard, and your resilience has been inspiring. We are immensely proud of each one of you and excited to see the incredible paths you will forge. Here's to new beginnings and a bright, successful future!

On Friday, May 3rd, Señora Brown hosted a field trip to Mexican Town in Detroit with Shumate’s 8th grade Spanish students. Students were able to apply topics learned in class, such as food and restaurant, shopping and prices, and conversational Spanish on this trip! The day started with a scavenger hunt that students completed entirely in Spanish in small groups. Winning teams received free churros! Next, they enjoyed an authentic Mexican lunch at Mexican Village restaurant where they were able to speak a little Spanish with the wait staff. Following lunch, they visited the ‘supermercado’ where they were impressed by the huge variety of Mexican ingredients, spices, and foods. Along the way, students were able to see several bright, artistic murals that taught great cultural significance. Of course, the day would not be complete without a trip to La Gloria bakery where students could enjoy churros and other authentic Mexican sweet treats. It was a great day to make some memories and celebrate a culmination of their two years of learning high school Spanish taught right here at SMS!

Our Kindergarten and First Grade Students celebrated a very special event at Chapman - the Wedding of Q and U! We joined Q and U in a joyous wedding ceremony, then the celebration continued at the reception where we danced with enthusiasm, blew bubbles to mark the special occasion, and savored delicious wedding cake. The wedding reinforces the idea that every time we write a word with a q, we always follow the "q" with a "u." It was a silly, fanciful, wonderful way to teach students the spelling pattern in a memorable way!

The end of the school year is a time to celebrate the home school connection present at Hunter Elementary. Each grade level tries to create an engaging opportunity for families such as:

-Whole School Hornet Hustle and Field Day

-5th grade promotion ceremony

-3rd and 4th grade field trip to Willow Park

-3rd Grade Multiplication Sundae Celebration

-1st grade muffins with moms

-1st and 2nd grade a trip to Toledo Zoo

-Kindergarten's family picnic in the park

-Young 5's promotion ceremony

And finally the Hunter Family School Association helps sponsor a PBIS Luau. Where the students celebrate all their positive choices for the year.

Parsons students had an amazing opportunity to Bike to School on May 29th. We had three bike trains and approximately 78 students who participated. It wouldn't have been possible without parent volunteers, the Gibraltar Police Department, the Gibraltar Fire Department, and the Metroparks and Brownstown Police Departments.

The goal of Bike to School is to encourage children and teens to be more active on their commute to and from school. It also promotes a sense of community, which is evident by all of the support we received! Thanks to everyone for helping us celebrate the joy of bicycling!

This past month, the Toledo Zoo visited Weiss to continue our native prairie project with our students. Every student at Weiss had the opportunity to plant a native prairie plant on our Weiss prairie. This native prairie will take shape over the next school year, providing students with more opportunities to learn about native habitats, plants, and their benefits to our ecosystem. Our partnership with the Toledo Zoo will extend through the 2025-26 school year.

Additionally, as part of our Weiss Earth Day initiative, we partnered with Westrock to plant tree saplings. Each student learned about sustainability and nature and received their own tree sapling.

Lastly, our 4th-grade team also weeded, tended, and planted our school garden. Throughout this process, our 4th-grade students have been learning about gardening. This garden will produce vegetables and fruits that the Weiss community will care for throughout the summer. Families will be able to harvest produce from the garden for their homes. The students' hands-on experience has not only enriched their understanding of science but also fostered a sense of responsibility and community engagement.

We are incredibly proud of our agricultural and green initiatives at Downriver STEM at Weiss. These efforts not only enhance our students' learning experiences but also foster a deep appreciation for nature and sustainability within our community.

Congratulations to the remarkable Class of 2024! As you step across the stage and into the next chapter of your lives, we celebrate your dedication, resilience, and achievements. You have navigated the challenges of your high school years with grace and determination, emerging stronger and more prepared for the future. As you venture into new horizons, whether in further education, careers, or other endeavors, remember that you carry with you the skills and values that will guide you to success. We wish you all the best in your future pursuits and are confident that you will continue to make a positive impact on the world. Congratulations, graduates!

We are in the process of turning in our old leased buses and will receive new leased buses for the start of the 2024-2025 school year. Congratulations to our 2024 graduating seniors. We wish you the best in your future endeavors!