The Panther Post

News & Updates from Gum Springs Elementary School

Week of January 30 - February 3, 2023

News & Updates

Pre-K Registration for the 2023-24 school year will be open February 1-28. Students are selected for the limited spots in our Pre-K program through a lottery drawing that will be held on March 14. Specific information about our Pre-K program and the application and registration process can be found at https://www.jacksonschoolsga.org/prek. Applications may be picked up at GSES. If you know of a family in our school district with a rising Pre-K student, please help us spread the word by letting them know this important information. (Kindergarten registration will be in March, and information will shared later about that process.)
Help & Cooperation Needed for Morning Car Riders - We appreciate you understanding that our priortities are to keep our students and staff members safe and protect our instructional day; therefore, we are reminding parents and students to remain in the car line until it closes at 7:40 A.M. and refrain from walking through the active car line. This disrupts the flow of the line and puts everyone at risk. We realize that we have many car riders, but please know that we are trying to be as safe and efficient as possible. We would greatly appreciate your cooperation in adhering to the safety protocol for our morning car rider line, as well as respecting our staff members as they are doing their very best to keep everyone safe. Please note, the best way to avoid a longer wait time is to arrive between 7:05 - 7:15.
We are excited about this weekend's Bookin' It for Backer 5K in honor of Coach Heather Backer. If you are a registered runner, you will receive an email on Tuesday this week with specific details about bib pick-up, parking, etc. On-site registration Is available Saturday as well for $30. The registration area will be located at the bus awning In the West Jackson Middle School parking lot beginning at 8:15 A.M.
Thanks to those of you who signed up to donate blood at the Bookin' It for Backer Blood Drive this Thursday. You will receive reminders and Information directly from the American Red Cross.
The Kids Heart Challenge kicks off on Monday this week. We are proud to support the American Heart Association by having our students participate. Click HERE to get registered and become a Heart Hero or download the Kids Heart Challenge app. Students who register earn a free wristband.
WJMS PTO is sponsoring a Community Daddy-Daughter Valentine Dance at WJMS on February 11. You can reserve tickets HERE.

This Week's

After-School Clubs

Thursday: Science Olympiad Team (pick-up at 4:00)

Secret STEM Club (pick-up at 4:00)

Drama Club Cast, Ensemble, and Crew (pick-up at 4:30)

Upcoming Events

February 1: Pre-K Registration Window Opens

February 2: Bookin' It for Backer Blood Drive

February 3: JCSS District-Wide Pink-Out for Coach Backer

February 4: Bookin' for Backer 5K Race

February 9: "Setting the Stage for STEM" Family STEM Night (6:00-7:30 P.M.)

SCHOOL SPOTLIGHTS

GO, GO GIZMOS!

It's been a big week for the Gum Springs Gizmos FIRST LEGO League Team. They kicked it off on Monday by sharing their innovation project (an idea to create a solar-powered greenhouse) and robot design at the monthly Jackson County Board of Commissioners meeting. Then, on Saturday, they competed in the Super-Regionals competition, along with 24 other teams. The Gizmos won one of only two Innovation Awards at the competition! The team has worked together over the last few months to research renewable energy, create and program a LEGO robot to complete energy missions, and design an innovative project to help our school. Now they are excited to bring their idea to life by doing a renovation on our school greenhouse! Stay tuned for more great innovations from this awesome team of thinkers and doers. This was the rookie season for GSES, and we are blown away with their great success! Thanks to coaches Mrs. Sheridan and Mrs. Meier for their dedication and hard work and to team mentor Mr. Jonathan Page from Jackson County 4-H, whose prior experience got the team started on the right foot. Way to go, Gizmos!

Fraction fun

5th grade celebrated the Lunar New Year by learning more about Chinese culture. Students were challenged to use chopsticks to sort a variety of items and then use fractional representation and percentages to analyze their data. They not only reviewed fractions, but also learned to use chopsticks as utensils and indulged in a yummy snack! Check out Mrs. Hawk and Mrs. Lowe's classes in action.

Love for literacy

Literacy development starts before students ever step foot in the school doors. From learning to talk by listening to adults around them to learning to think by enjoying bedtime stories with families at home, a love of literacy begins at home. As a parent, there's nothing more meaningful or important you can do to promote future academic success for your child than reading together. Our GSES media center is the hub of literacy at our school and such a special place for students. We loved seeing the excitement in Mrs. Lyle's Pre-K class recently as they got to check our their very first library books! We hope this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship with reading that lasts a lifetime!

Does milk matter?

Should flavored milk be served in schools? After getting a faux email from Mrs. Stover that only white milk will be served in our school, 4th graders in Mrs. Ellis and Mrs. Barbrow's ELA class had some strong feelings about the topic and began forming their opinions. They had to decide whether all milk should be served in schools or no milk should be served in schools, along with researching to provide evidence to support their opinions. We are proud to see our students working hard to become successful communicators and grow their persuasive writing skills.

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