Bobcat Innovation

Families,

Testing is almost complete at Bobcat Innovation. It is still going very well and we just have a couple more groups to finish up with. The kids are definitely excited to be done! One more week!

Don't forget!!! Election day for our sinking fund renewal is Tuesday May 6th. Early voting for the election is from May 1st-4th for GB Township only. It is extremely important to vote in this election and this Sinking Fund Renewal is crucial. It will not raise taxes and is designed to ensure that our students and staff remain warm, safe, and dry without impacting our general fund.

We had some fun field trips this week with our Upper School students going to the Great Lakes Loons game on Friday, and our 5th graders going to Lapeer to release the salmon they have been raising.

Our Pastries for Parents and Guardians family event is right around the corner! This is a great opportunity for families to come in and mingle, and have some great treats. We look forward to seeing everybody on Thursday, May 15th from 7:00 am - 7:35 am in the Perry Center Cafeteria.

This year field day will be on Tuesday June 10th for elementary students (2-5). Below is a sign up for supplies as well as a sign up for volunteers for the day of the event. If you are volunteering the day of please make sure you have a volunteer application on file. Contact Mrs. Williams with any questions 810-591-6032 or nwilliam@gbcs.org.

Supply Sign up:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B054CAAA72DA1FB6-56493963-field

Volunteer Sign up:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B054CAAA72DA1FB6-56494179-field

Our PTO fundraiser is under way!! Because our Fall fundraiser didn't do as well as we needed it to, we are not going to have enough money to fund our trips to begin the 2025-2026 school year, and may not even have enough to fund everything THIS school year. See below for more details. We have activated a school pay account to collect online donations/pledges. Please visit or click the QR code below: https://schoolpay.com/pay/for/BOBCAT-INNOVATION-WALKATHON/SgvbZH

Warm regards,

Zach Hamilton, Director of Innovative Programs (Daily oversight of Bobcat Innovation In-Person and Hybrid)

(810) 591-6077

zhamilton@gbcs.org

Kevin Keilitz, Asst. Director of Innovative Programs (Daily oversight of Bobcat Innovation Virtual)

(810) 591-6375

kkeilitz@gbcs.org

May

• • May 6th - PLC/PD - Election day - Vote!

  • May 21st - BVL secondary NWEA testing

  • May 21st - PTO meeting - 6:30 pm

  • May 23rd - ½ day students

  • May 26th - No School - Memorial Day

  • May 28th - End of year learning showcase and new student welcome

  • May 29th - High School Graduation

As a part of their Energy Unit our Bobcat Innovation 4th grade students explored alternative fuel options by trying to create wind turbines. STEAM learning at its best!

At the February meeting, the PTO treasurer presented an end-of-year financial projection that raised cause for concern about our ability to fund anticipated end of year activities and to be prepared to support early fall funding requests. The combination of already approved funding requests and anticipated end-of-year expenses means we will likely begin the fall 2025 school year with less than $500.00. The revenue from our raffle fundraiser is not fully deposited until early November. We have created a school pay link to make it easy to donate: https://schoolpay.com/pay/for/BOBCAT-INNOVATION-WALKATHON/SgvbZH

Why does this matter? Last fall our raffle fundraiser fell well short of our goal. The PTO (all families) has typically funded major field trips for students early each fall (Camp Tamarack and the Frankenmuth Aerial Park). We will be unable to fund anything before mid-November given our current financial situation. This means that activities will not happen or individual families will be asked to pay (and teachers will have the added work of managing those individual payments).

We need approximately $6000.00 to fund our anticipated spring activities and begin the fall in a position to sponsor our usual activities.

Now What? After much discussion, PTO members voted to approve a motion for a donation-based FUNdraiser that will be followed by a walk-a-thon if we fall short of our goal. They directed the PTO Board to submit this request to The Board of Education. The Board approved the request at its March 17th meeting.

This is EASY! If 175 students donate a minimum of $40.00 each, we will more than achieve our goal and we won’t have to do anything else. We know that some families will not be able to contribute at this level and that others may contribute more – this is what it means to be part of a community. Please know that we will not track WHO contributes, only the contributions themselves. We hope that this simple plan will allow us to continue to support the activities that are central to the mission of Bobcat Innovation and that we will not have to ask for volunteers to coordinate a walk-a-thon! Look for details coming soon!

Use the QR code above to donate through school pay!

Election day is May 6, 2025.

Early voting for the election is from May 1st-4th for GB Township only. It is extremely important to vote in this election and this Sinking Fund Renewal is crucial. It will not raise taxes and is designed to ensure that our students and staff remain warm, safe, and dry without impacting our general fund.

The money generated from the .9915 mill Sinking Fund Renewal is used to make repairs and improvements to the 19 classroom, support buildings and surrounding property owned and operated by Grand Blanc Community Schools. Sinking Fund money is not allowed to be used for supplies, salary, or benefits. However, it protects the General Fund, which does pay for those things, from large, sudden repair expenses. This property tax would cost a homeowner just under $100 per year for every $100,000 of the home’s taxable value. This renewal would be for 10 years.

Recent examples of expenses covered by Sinking Fund Dollars just right here at the Perry Center:

• Window Replacements

• Smokestack and Coal Bin Removal

• Resurfacing of Entry Walks & Pavement

• Second Boiler Added

• Electrical Upgrades

• Room AC Units

GBCS maintains 19 buildings totaling over 1.5 million sq. ft. The Sinking Fund allows us to have a
preplanned maintenance schedule which prevents larger maintenance issues from developing.

For more GBCS voter information, go to www.gbcs.org/voters!

Credit Recovery: Any students behind on credits have an opportunity to catch up through the Credit Recovery program. To sign up for Credit Recovery, contact your counselor for details and costs. BVL counselor: juhl@gbcs.org.

Measles

• We do have Measles cases in Michigan, but not YET in Genesee County
• 97% of the cases are unvaccinated
• Measles Symptoms: Fever > 101°F, rash, and one of cough, runny nose, or conjunctivitis
• Measles Fact Sheet here: https://www.geneseecountymi.gov/Document_Center/Department/Health%207-18-22/CD%20Fact%20Sheets!/measles.pdf
• If we have a case at GBCS we will work with the health department on exposure notifications

Vaping/THC

• Products are being camouflaged as regular items and familiar foods – it will blow your mind
• See Pics -> that were shared with us at a recent Nurse Meeting: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1TeY9Rt_3edegKlz-XfArJ3iJBU-TonRIXMJnNRTA0fo/edit?usp=sharing
• High potency: A single vape can contain the nicotine equivalent of many cigarettes from 20 to hundreds, depending on the type and strength of the vape. A 20mg/ml vape with 40mg of nicotine can be considered equivalent to one or two packs of 20 cigarettes. Some vapes, especially those with high nicotine content, can even contain the equivalent of 500 cigarettes or more
• Vaping is a nationwide Health Concern
• We are doing our best to provide info on vaping K-12 through health curriculum, newsletters, presentations, handouts and individual meetings

Free Healthcare under age 21

• Genesee County has 7 school based health care centers that are open year-round and offer services at no out-of-pocket cost for check-ups, vaccines, sports physicals, or support for mental health for anyone under the age of 21
• To learn more or find a nearby health care center, visit: https://umhs-rahs.org
• We can coordinate visits for students without transportation with parental consent
• Our goal is to continue to pursue a school based health clinic on GB campus

Flyer attached – it can be posted and shared

Sideline Cheer tryouts for next school year will be June 3rd, 4th & 5th, 2025 after school at East Middle School with a mandatory parent meeting on the June 5th @ 5:30 pm. Students should sign up using their school email account. Here is the link to sign up: MS Cheer Sign-up 2025. This will be for current 6th and 7th grade students. In-Person and Virtual students are welcome.

Bobcat Innovation Athletics Website: https://bobcatinnovation.gbcs.org/for-students/pic-athletic

Email: zhamilton@gbcs.org
Website: https://bobcatinnovation.gbcs.org/
Location: 11920 South Saginaw Street, Grand Blanc, MI, USA
Phone: (810) 591-6078
Facebook: Visit us on Facebook at: Bobcat Innovation