Panther Prowl

I hope this message finds you well as we embrace the beautiful autumn season. November is here, and it brings with it exciting events and opportunities for our school community.

Parent Conferences: We are thrilled to announce that parent-teacher conferences are just around the corner. These conferences provide an invaluable opportunity for you to connect with your Panther's teachers, discuss their progress, and work together to ensure their academic success. Our dedicated teachers are eager to share insights into your Panther's journey, so please keep an eye out for conference scheduling information, which will be sent home soon.

Thanksgiving Break: As we approach the end of the month, we have a lot to be thankful for. The Thanksgiving break is quickly approaching, offering students (and teachers) a well-deserved rest and an opportunity for families to come together to express gratitude for all the wonderful things in our lives. Our school will be closed from Nov. 20-24th, and we hope you enjoy this special time with loved ones.

Shoutout to our Leadership Students: A big shoutout to our amazing leadership students for their outstanding efforts in organizing a successful and fun Trunk or Treat event. It was a tremendous hit, and their hard work, creativity, and dedication truly made it a memorable experience for our Glen Edwards community. We are proud of our student leaders, and we look forward to more fantastic events they'll host in the future.

As we move into November, we encourage you to stay involved in your Panther's education and participate in the upcoming parent-teacher conferences. Together, we can continue to support our students' growth and success. Thank you for your ongoing partnership and support.

Wishing you all a wonderful month of November and a joyous Thanksgiving celebration!

Panther Proud,

Ms. Castillo

Happy Fall Panther Families,

The cooler weather is welcomed and you can tell fall is here by the crisp morning air and the harvest colors all around. This time of year Thanksgiving tends to bring the season of gratitude. Here at GEMS we are so grateful for all the amazing students that are doing their best in and out of the classroom.

We want to ensure that your student receives the best education possible, and a crucial part of that is minimizing their time out of class. Here are a few important point to help us achieve this goal together:

• Punctuality: Please encourage your student to arrive at school on time and to make it to classes on time utilizing the 4 minute passing period appropriately to make the most of their classroom instruction.

• Encourage Attendance: Stress the importance of regular school attendance to your student and the impact it has on their education. Schedule routine medical appointments outside of school hours whenever possible.

• Restroom Use: Students should utilize passing periods and lunch times to use the restroom. If a student needs to use the restroom during class time, a hall pass will be activated during the class time and the student is expected to go to the nearest restroom and be back to class within the allotted time.

• Phones: Phones are required to be off and in backpacks during school hours. When a student needs to leave the classroom during class time, they will be required to show the teacher that their phone is in the backpack or will be required to leave the phone behind. Oftentimes time out of class is being utilized for students to access their phones inappropriately.

We appreciate your cooperation in helping us limit your student’s time out of class, which ultimately supports their academic success. Thank you for being a partner in your student’s education.

Don't forget to follow our GEMS Facebook Page to stay on top of all the fun things we are doing around campus! Click this link or the picture below to follow!

The week of November 11/13-11/17, we will be on a SPECIAL DISMISSAL schedule different from our regular Early Release Days. We dismiss that week at 12:45. This is due to the Elementary Trimester cycle and Transportation, Middle Schools will be dismissing at 12:45 that week and that week only. SEE BELOW for detailed class and lunch times.

WHAT SHOULD I DO NEXT?
Please reply to your Panther’s teacher(s) and let them know if you would like to schedule a parent-teacher conference Tuesday, 11/14-Friday, 11/17 from 1-3 p.m., or if you will be attending one of the evening drop-in parent-teacher conferences nights on Tues., 11/14 or Thurs., 11/16 from 5-7 p.m. If you need to meet with more than one of your Panther’s teachers and are not attending one of the evening drop-in conference nights, it is our goal to try and schedule one conference so we can meet all together.

Each month teachers nominate students to be recognized for demonstrating the "Panther Way" on campus and in classrooms. We celebrate them during their PAW time at the end of the month with donuts, small prizes, bumper stickers, certificates AND a coupon for FREE Sundae at Leatherbys.

The First Quarter has ended and our amazing September and October recipients are listed below. We could not be more proud of their Positivity, Professionalism and Productivity!!

Hi Panther Families!

It's Fall, and you know what that means: cooler weather, dropping leaves, and low snack supplies! We're asking for your help stocking the Wellness Center's snack pantry. Every student is welcome in the Wellness Center at any time of the day, so every student can benefit from your donations.

Please click the link below to sign up. The front office will be collecting the donations. We appreciate you! GEMS APTS (PTA)

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050845AEA628A6FB6-44985584-snacks

Hi there Panther families!

WHO IS APTS?
For those of you who don't know us, check out our flyer here! This will tell you what we are all about and what we were able to accomplish last year.

MEETINGS
Our APTS meetings are now IN PERSON in the Spirit Center. Parents AND students are welcome! We hope you can join us!

SUPPORT APTS
One way to support APTS is to participate in our Dine-Out events. We strive to hold them once a month. Be sure to read Panther Prowl and/or visit our Facebook page for more info every month for location and date information. Our next dine out is scheduled for Wed, Nov 8th @Leatherbys. Be sure to mention Glen Edwards before ordering and APTS will receive a portion of all sales.

Another easy way to support GEMS APTS with very little effort is to assign Glen Edwards Middle School to your Box Tops account.

ONGOING FUNDRAISERS
We still have Water Bottle stickers and bling hoodie strings for sale. Be on the look out for more info coming soon!

TEACHER WISH LISTS
Reminder teachers will add/edit their lists throughout the year. Please be sure to support!
Agrippino Alonso Banderas Baracosa Butler Davena Gonzalez Hargis Harp Harrigan Law Luci Mahan McAdam Mullen Noonan Ransford Rayos Santos Saul Smith, Richard Smith, Ryan Stolesen Ward White

UPCOMING EVENTS:
First week in Nov - Fall Catalog Fundraiser
Wed, Nov 8th - Dine out event at Leatherbys
Thurs, Nov 9th - Nov APTS meeting (parents & GEMS students welcome)

Be sure to follow us on Facebook @GEMSAPTS.

Any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us via email at GemsAPTS@Gmail.com

SAVE THE DATE!! Informational Meetings regarding Dual Language Programs for 24-25 have been calendared. Any questions contact the district office, 916-645-6350.

Dual Language Immersion

• November 8, 2023 - Dual Language Immersion Parent Information Session #1, 5:30 - 7:00pm at Creekside Oaks Elementary
• November 30, 2023 - Dual Language Immersion Parent Information Session #2, 8:45am - 9:30am at Creekside Oaks Elementary with classroom walkthroughs available
• January 22, 2024 Dual Language Immersion Parent Information Session #3, 2:00pm - 2:45pm at Creekside Oaks Elementary

TK/Kindergarten Parent Information Meetings (Virtual)

• December 12, 2023 TK-K Parent Information Meeting (English) - Virtual ONLY 6:00pm - 7pm
• December 13, 2023 TK-K Parent Information Meeting (Spanish) - Virtual ONLY 6:00pm - 7pm

Our student led GEMS TV has begun!!! The Advanced Broadcasting class will be producing shows every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Shows are hosted on YouTube at www.youtube.com/gemstv916. We hope you tune in to see what's happening on and around Glen Edwards Middle School!!

Also, keep an eye out for our new podcast, WeAre105, which will be starting this month. Our show is hosted on YouTube, Spotify and Apple.

Mark your Calendars! NOVEMBER 7TH is the Boys Basketball BLACKOUT GAME vs Twelve Bridges
Wear Black to support our Panthers!

7th Grade- 4pm

8th Grade- 5pm

**Show up early to receive a black Pom Pom

It was a busy October for ASB! We helped to host the 8th grade volleyball tournament at the beginning of the month, and ended the month with Red Ribbon Week activities. For spirit week we saw a lot of creative alternatives to backpacks, and some great costumes for Halloween.

We held our second annual Trunk or Treat event, which was a huge success. A big shout out and thank you to all of you that helped to donate decorations, candy, cakes, and other goodies. We could not have done this without you! Everyone had a great time at the event and we appreciate all the support from everyone who attended, and volunteered time to work the event.

A special thanks to Dave's Dogs, Reds Country Kitchen, and La Villa Mexican Restaurant for coming out to support our school!

This next month we will be helping out with the Boys Basketball Blackout Game against TBMS, and looking forward to starting planning for our next school event that will be taking place in December.

Once again thank you for all your support!

At the end of last school year, your child's school sent out notifications to update/verify your emergency contact information using your PowerSchool Parent Portal. As a reminder, this needs to be completed by every family to begin the school year. If it is not completed before the start of the 2023-2024 school year, it may impact your students' ability to find our who their teacher is, receive their schedule, or participate in extracurricular activities.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Families who recently registered their child for school (new to WPUSD) do NOT need to complete this process.

For instructions on how to access your PowerSchool Parent Portal account click HERE.

Families: Please Complete a 2023-24 Household Income Form to Help Your School Maximize Its Funding!

DID YOU KNOW?

A portion of every school's funding is determined by the needs of its students. Extra funding is usually distributed to schools based on submitted free/reduced meal applications but this year the state is providing schools with the option of using the Household Income Form. This form can easily be completed online and will provide your school with extra funding. Please note that for the 2023-2024 school year all students are eligible for FREE meals, so extra funding will be distributed differently and the Household Income Form is the best source to increase your school’s funding.

WHY FILL OUT THE FORM?

- additional support staff for schools, like Instructional Aides, Intervention Support Providers, and after school tutors
- more resources for classrooms and teachers
- additional health and wellness services
- fee waivers for college applications
- fee waivers for college admissions exams (i.e. SAT/ACT/AP)

It’s a quick process and only needs to be completed once for each household. By taking the time to fill out this form, you are taking part in a process that might provide thousands of dollars in funds to the school your student attends. You can access this Form when you are updating your Emergency Contact Information and Waiver Forms in your Parent Portal account.

You can also request a paper copy of the form from your school office or the District Office, 600 Sixth Street, Suite 400, Lincoln, CA 95648

If you need assistance in completing this form please contact your child's school office or the District Office (916) 645-6350 and we can help! Thank you so much for your time and support!

Western Placer Unified School District

Links are now Live!

Click on the form below to complete:

WPUSD 2023-24 Household Income Form (English)

WPUSD 2023-24 Household Income Form (Spanish)

Our Sports are off to a good start!! We look forward to a competitive and rewarding season. IF your student wants to participate in any athletic capacity be sure you have an account created and physical clearance by a physician.

TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR SPORTS:

• Parent AND Student must create their own account, fill out and submit information via FINAL FORMS
• All students must have a current PHYSICAL on file with the school (current means within the past year).
• NO CHILD WILL BE ALLOWED TO PRACTICE OR PARTICIPATE WITHOUT THE PROPER FORMS. NO EXCEPTIONS WILL BE GRANTED.

Pre-order your yearbook now at jostensyearbooks.com. Prices will go up throughout the year.

8th grade dedication ads are filling up quickly. Reserve your spot by filling out this form. https://forms.gle/ZLr1yv6KVb4NVdeZ9

Yearbook Photo Request: Parents, did you attend Glen Edwards back in the day? Please send us a photo with you and your student to gemsyearbook@wpusd.org. We are also looking for more summer photos, photos with students and their pets & students participating in any Lincoln sports and activities.

Attention 7th Graders: Planning has begun for the East Coast 2025 trip! Contact jnoonan@wpusd.org with any questions you may have.

Western Placer Staff and Families,

The District is aware of recent trends on Tik Tok where fake accounts are posing as schools in our district in connection with students resulting in cyberbullying and other inappropriate content. We would like to be very clear, NO schools or WPUSD are in any way affiliated with any accounts on Tik Tok that may use their name or reference students. Any Tik Tok account posing as WPUSD or any of its schools should be immediately reported using their ‘report account’ feature.

WPUSD does not condone cyberbullying. Tik Tok and other social media platforms are a breeding ground for cyberbullying, and these large social media companies are typically unresponsive and unhelpful when these types of accounts are brought to their attention. Additionally, WPUSD does not have the authority to remove Tik Tok accounts or ‘shut them down’. What you can do as parents is report the accounts and ask your student(s) to do the same. We also urge parents to discuss cyberbullying with your student(s) and the impact that can have on others as well as themselves. Below are a few resources you can review and share with your student(s).

WPUSD Bullying Policy:

The Western Placer Unified School District and Board of Trustees recognize the harmful effects of bullying on student well-being, student learning, and school attendance and strives to provide a safe school environment that protects students from physical and emotional harm. No individual or group shall, through physical, written, verbal, visual, or other means, harass, sexually harass, threaten, intimidate, cyberbully, cause bodily injury to, or commit hate violence against any other student or school personnel, or retaliate against them for filing a complaint or participating in the complaint resolution process.

• WPUSD Board Policy and Administrative Regulation

• California Department of Education Bullying Prevention Resources & Education

Additional Resources:

• Stop Bullying Resource Website (stopbullying.gov)
• Resources from Common Sense Media

From the City of Lincoln:

We’re working with the City of Lincoln on the Joiner Parkway pavement rehabilitation project between Moore Road and 3rd Street. The City and its contractor, Western Engineering Contractors, are very aware of school schedules and understand that this construction will be impactful to your families. The contractor will begin its work in August and plans to be complete this November. Work hours are generally 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. although some nights/weekends could be added. Please see the attached map.

We are proud to announce our online Spirit Store! GEMS receives a 10% kickback for all spirit wear purchases, and you can purchase direct. LOTS of cool GEMS Wear for sale.

*PLEASE NOTE: THESE CLOTH ITEMS WILL NOT MEET PE UNIFORM REQUIREMENTS. DO NOT PURCHASE FOR PE CLOTH FROM HERE.

Take a moment to check it out!

Learn more about our food services program HERE and visit the food service website HERE to fill out a meal application to receive breakfast and/or lunches.