Bobcat Innovation

We have had a wonderful start to our 2nd marking period at Bobcat Innovation. Our students had tons of fun with our Halloween activities this week. The weather was beautiful too and that never hurts! Don't forget picture retakes are coming up on November 12th (more information below!)

We are looking forward to seeing you all at parent teacher conferences on Tuesday, November 12th, Wednesday, November 13th, and Thursday, November 14th. Conferences on Tuesday and Wednesday are 3:30-6:30, and Thursday is 12:00-3:00. Your child's teachers will be reaching out soon if they haven't already to explain how to sign up for conference appointments.

Please continue to sell raffle tickets for our PTO fundraiser. This is the one fundraiser that PTO does, and is their sole source of income. We still have a long way to go before hitting our goal! PTO helps to make all of our field trips happen. Many of the trips are covered 100% by PTO. Just as an example, our elementary school trip to Camp Tamarack cost about $3500, and PTO is funding the entire trip so there is no cost to families. Thank you to everybody for supporting the fundraiser. If you need more tickets, they are available in the main office at Perry. Our next PTO meeting is Wednesday, November 20th at 6:30 immediately following our Fall Festival. Please see the flyer below for more details!

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

October and November

* Thursday, Oct. 24th - 1/2 day of school for students

* Friday, Oct. 25th - Last day of 1st marking period - No school!

* Monday, Oct. 28th - 1st day of 2nd marking period

* Thursday, Oct. 31st - Halloween Festivities

* Tuesday, Nov. 5th - Election Day - No School for Students

* Tuesday, Nov. 12th - Picture Retakes at Perry

* Tuesday, Nov. 12th - Parent Teacher Conferences - 3:30-6:30

* Wednesday, Nov. 13th - 1/2 day for students and Parent Teacher Conferences - 3:30-6:30

* Thursday, Nov. 14th - 1/2 day for students and Parent Teacher Conferences - 12:00-3:00

* Friday, Nov. 15th - 1/2 day for students

* Wednesday, Nov. 20th - Fall Festival at 5:30, followed by PTO meeting at 6:30 (Perry Cafeteria)

* Wednesday-Friday Nov. 27th-29th - Thanksgiving Break - No School for Students and Staff

We are all working hard to support the Raffle Fundraiser and reach the goals set to support our

student body. You can send the stubs and payment in with your child to turn into their teacher.

If anyone has questions please reach out to the PTO Board Vice President Steve Mcgovern -

stgovern@outlook.com, he’d be happy to help answer any questions.

We still have lots of tickets to sell to reach our goal of $23,000. The PTO meeting and Raffle Drawing are on Wednesday, November 20th at 6:30 PM. All money and unsold tickets are due on by November 20th as well.

We also have our Fall Festival on November 20th at 5:30-6:30 in the Cafeteria at Perry Center. We look forward to a great turnout for this event. We are also looking for parent volunteers to help at the event so if you are interested in running a station please sign up at www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4DABAE28A3FF2-52808271-fall#/

Prior to Bobcat Innovation and the Perry Innovation Center (2017-2024), our school was City School. The City School Family Council created the City School Elementary Family Council Alumni Award when the school transitioned to PIC for the 2017-18 school year. The scholarship was active for five years so the last award was given this past spring. There are, however, current GBHS seniors who attended City School prior to the transition to PIC for their fifth-grade year. At the October PTO meeting, members expressed a desire to make the award available to them. The deadline for renewal or revision is November 1. Members voted that a committee should form to review the award guidelines, make necessary revisions, and circulate significant changes for a vote. Members also approved up to $1000 for a revised scholarship. With such a tight timeline for discussion and revision, rather than reworking the scholarship to incorporate the complexities resulting from the recent transition to Bobcat Innovation, the committee decided to make only the revisions required to ensure the award is available to this year’s seniors so as to not require a vote on substantive changes. We will lead a more inclusive discussion after the new year. The committee edited the name (now Grand Blanc City School & Perry Innovation Center Elementary Family Council Alumni Award), revised eligibility (current Grand Blanc High School seniors who attended City School Elementary and/or Perry Innovation Center for at least 2 years of their elementary school education), clarified expectations for application materials (more detail about letters of recommendation and the content of the short essay). To reflect the approval of an increase from $500, we included the possibility that a total of $1,000.00 may be awarded to not more than two students. Discussion about continuing to fund a scholarship after this academic year will be on upcoming meeting agendas. We look forward to your input!

Submitted by Heather Laube (hmlaube@gmail.com)

Picture retakes for Bobcat Innovation are 9:00-2:00 on November 12th. The picture form can be downloaded below. Virtual students can drop in anytime during that time frame.

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

Grand Blanc East Middle School Fall Athletics Newsletter: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_r_X39BRlT6_Q_9ysmZlTzGvmSkvTdbQ4ZpdXKmwhKk/edit?usp=sharing

This is an awesome opportunity for any students 11-15 years old that is interested in coding! Sloan Museum is offering a free coding work shop. Here are the details:

• November 2 @ 10 AM
• Free event, geared towards ages 11-15
• Scholars will create a vault to keep their Halloween candy safe and learn coding skills with a Raspberry Pi along the way!
• Sign up today: https://sloanlongway.org/workshops/

BVL Seniors! Time to Order Your Cap & Gown

Seniors - It's time to order your graduation cap & gown! Follow the link to the Jostens website to place your order.

· Jostens provides cap & gowns, class rings, graduation announcements, and senior spirit wear.

· The only required item for graduation is the cap & gown set. Order your cap & gown now to get the best price (cost will go up at the end of January)

• Grand Blanc introduced a beautiful new graduation gown in 2023. This gown must be worn by all seniors attending graduation. Older sibling gowns, prior to Class of 2023, cannot be worn.
• Link to Cap & Gown Ordering

Class of 2025 Senior Calendar of important dates: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BM7M3eIeS_4dsPZOpCljh65z_hQLeG60L3jlW9ckt2A/edit?usp=sharing

See the flyer below for details!

As we approach the start of the new marking period, it is a good time to reflect on the skill of goal setting. Helping your student set goals builds independence, confidence, and develops a life-long skill. SMART goals are a good way clearly define what is intended to be accomplished and guide energy with the task at hand.

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