The Panther Post

News & Updates from Gum Springs Elementary School

Week of January 2-6, 2023

News & Updates

We hope you all had a wonderful holiday season with your families and are as excited as we are to ring in 2023! We are looking forward to seeing students back at school on Wednesday, January 4th.
On Saturday, February 4th, our GSES family is hosting the "Bookin' It for Backer" 5K race in honor of GSES P.E. Coach Heather Backer. Coach Backer was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 and is continuing to undergo treatment. If you've spent much time with Coach, you know what a HARD WORKER, GO-GETTER, and COMMUNITY SUPPORTER she is. Coach Backer has taught or coached at six JCSS schools during her 24-year career in our system and has influenced the lives of thousands of JCSS students and likely many of you as well. We'd love for you to join us to run or walk in honor of Coach Backer and the many lives she has impacted. Funds raised at the event will be donated to Coach Backer. You can register for the race and pay your entry fee at https://www.schoolpay.com/link/Bookin-It-for-Backer. Specific details about entry fees, prizes, and more are included in the registration form. If you don't want to register for the race but would like to provide monetary support, you can also make donations using the same link. If you are a business or family who would be willing to donate $500 or more to offset costs as an event sponsor, please complete the online Sponsorship Form at tinyurl.com/BackerSponsorship. Specific information about sponsorship levels, incentives, and payment are included on the form. Please pass this information along to anyone you know who might be interested in the sponsorship opportunity. All Sponsorships and Pre-Registration Forms are due by January 18, 2023, at 11:59 P.M.

In addition to the 5K race, GSES will be the host site for an American Red Cross Blood Drive in Coach Backer's honor from 12:30 to 5:30 P.M. on Thursday, February 2nd. Click HERE and "Book It for Backer" with the life-saving gift of a blood donation. Spots are going fast, so sign up today!

In her most important job, Coach Backer is the mom of Brooklyn, an 11th grader at JCHS and 5th grade twins Bryce and Braelyn who attend GSES. She is a great parent and "team mom" to many other lucky kids too.

Please tag and share our post on Facebook to help us spread the word about this event. We appreciate your help supporting our teacher, co-worker, and friend. Thanks for "Bookin' It for Backer!"

This Week's

After-School Clubs

Thursday: Science Olympiad Team & Secret STEM Club (pick-up at 4:00) and Chorus Practice (pick-up at 4:30)

Upcoming Events

January 2-3: No School for Students

January 11: Author Stan Tucker visits GSES

January 16: MLK Holiday (No School for Students)

January 18: Bookin' for Backer Registration Deadline

February 2: Bookin' It for Backer Blood Drive

February 4: Bookin' for Backer 5K Race

SCHOOL SPOTLIGHTS

GUM SPRINGS GIZMOS WIN BIG!

Ten brave Panthers charted a new course for GSES on Saturday, December 17th as they competed against 18 other elementary and middle school teams in the FIRST LEGO League competition.…and they brought home a trophy too!!! The Gum Springs Gizmos were recognized as one of two teams at the event for the Innovation Award, highlighting the project idea they designed to turn our greenhouse into an automated system run by solar power. Much traditional research and several interviews with experts helped the team prepare their proposal, which was creatively pitched to a panel of judges as part of the competition. The team was also judged on five timed coding challenges, their robotic design skills, their core values, and teamwork. The competition was a great opportunity for our students, and we are SO proud of the hard work they have put into making it happen. Months of long practices and overcoming obstacles proved to be great preparation, and their hard work really showed at the event. The Gizmos were also thrilled to find out a few days after the competition that they were one of only four teams from the tournament invited to advance to the next level--Super Regionals in January! What an amazing honor--especially for a rookie team! The team was coached by Mrs. Sheridan, Mrs. Meier, and Mr. Jonathan Page from Jackson County 4-H. Congratulations to team members Jocelyn, Allie, Murphy, Lane, Patrick, Mason, Liam, Clay, Dylan, and Katelyn for this amazing accomplishment. Way to go, Gizmos!!!

CELEBRATING OUR LOCAL C.H.A.M.P.S

The annual 5th grade C.H.A.M.P.S. graduation ceremony was held December 20th at GSES. Choosing Healthy Activities and Methods Promoting Safety (C.H.A.M.P.S.) was founded in 2003 by the Georgia Sheriffs’ Association to teach students about safety and the importance of making good life choices. Students learn about topics like drugs, alcohol, Internet safety, peer pressure, and much more in the 12-week course taught by trained local officers. We are so thankful for Deputy Scott Frazier and Deputy Joy Parson who have been this year's instructors. In addition to the great curriculum the course covers, we are also thankful that the C.H.A.M.P.S. program gives our students the opportunity to connect with local law enforcement on a personal level and realize the community champions who are here to support them as they grow up.

A few special awards were presented during the ceremony. Congratulations to our C.H.A.M.P.S. Students of the Year Brady Lee and Layla Bennett who were selected from among the 178 5th graders at GSES to receive this honor. Lylah Green was recognized for winning the C.H.A.M.P.S. Essay Contest and was able to read her essay aloud to the crowd, and Logan Curtis placed 2nd.

Special thanks to Sheriff Janis Mangum and the Jackson County Sheriff's Office for sponsoring this program and always being such great supporters of our students and school. We were excited to have a team of JCSO officers at our ceremony today to recognize this year's graduates. Congratulations, 5th graders!

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