The Panther Post
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News & Updates from Gum Springs Elementary School
Week of March 27 - 31, 2023
News & Updates
We are gearing up for a busy week as we count down to SPRING BREAK! As a reminder, there is no school for students April 3-7. We hope you all have a fun, safe, and restful week with your families. Our next edition of The Panther Post will be delivered on Sunday, April 9th.
Kindergarten Registration appointments are this week on Monday and Wednesday. If you are registering a new student, be sure to complete the JCSS online enrollment forms at https://www.jacksonschoolsga.org/Page/223 (Look for the big orange button!), then sign up for an appointment with a kindergarten teacher at https://tinyurl.com/GSKdg2023. We are excited to meet our new families this week!
Thanks for all of your support in the Original Works Art Fundraiser this month. Our families ordered over $10,000 in products, which will be a great help to provide more arts-based opportunities for our students. Thank you for your generosity!
Some of our proud Panthers will be participating in the Jackson County Spring Special Olympics soon! If you'd like to show your support to our GSES participants, you can order shirts for $10 at https://tinyurl.com/2023SOshirts. Online sales close on April 3 (during Spring Break).
The deadline is QUICKLY APPROACHING for yearbook orders! The final deadline for custom page orders and school delivery is APRIL 6 (during Spring Break). YEARBOOKS ARE SOLD BY PRE-ORDER ONLY, SO EXTRA COPIES WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE. Place your order by visiting www.treering.com/validate and pasting our school passcode: 101485563232668. For orders placed after April 6, shipping will be added and delivery is not guaranteed before the end of the school year.
We loved all of the tribe check-ins during last year's Spring Break, so our Spring Break Tribe Challenge is back! Our Facebook Messenger will be active from this Friday, March 31st at 2:35 P.M. through Sunday, April 9th at 3:00 P.M. so that you can share the fun things happening during Spring Break! Head to our GSES Facebook page, click "Message," send us a picture of your child in his/her tribe shirt or color, and tell us what you're up to on Spring Break! Be sure to include your child's name, grade, and tribe, and look for us to share on our GSES social media accounts throughout the week.
This Week's
After-School Clubs
Monday: Tech Club (pick-up at 4:00)
Tuesday: Drama Club Cast, Crew, & Ensemble Bonus Practice (pick-up at 4:30)
Thursday: Drama Club Cast, Crew, & Ensemble (pick-up at 4:30)
Upcoming Events
March 20-31: Parent Conferences
March 27 & March 29: 2023-24 Kindergarten Registration Appointments
March 27: 3rd Grade Field Trip
March 29-31: 5th Grade at Camp Jekyll
April 3: Deadline for Special Olympics T-shirt orders
April 3-7: Spring Break: No School for Students
April 6: Last Day for School Delivery Yearbook Orders
SCHOOL SPOTLIGHTS
MINDSET WINNERS
MINDSET WINNERS
We are proud to recognize our "Live to Give" Mindset winners, staff member Mrs. Kasey Sheridan and 5th grader Brady Lee. The Live to Give Mindset teaches students the following lessons: Stretch Yourself, Make a Difference, Receive Gracefully, and Create a Legacy.
Mrs. Sheridan models the Live to Give mindset every day in her job as GSES STEM teacher. She is happy to help our students and school in any way she can. She also invests in growing our students' passions by voluntarily coaching the GS Gizmos Robotics Team and Science Olympiad Team after school. She is creating a legacy for many of our students and staff at GSES.
Brady was nominated for the "Live to Give" Mindset Award because he is truly a great friend to everyone. He is always seen with a smile on his face and is kind to everyone he encounters. He tackles any challenge with a positive attitude and works hard to solve any given problem. Brady reaches out to any student who needs help and willingly welcomes anyone into his group.
Congratulations to these great Panther examples!
MATTOX JEFFERS: LEAVING A LEGACY
In our 7 Mindsets lessons this month, we are focusing on "Live to Give: Leaving a Legacy." In this week's lesson, students were shown how easy and quick it was to spread positivity when a teacher encouraged a student. Mrs. Laird's 2nd grade class discussed "the drive-thru difference" where cars pay for the person's meal behind them. The lesson's conclusion told students that when people leave a legacy, they leave a part of themselves behind with one another. This challenged their class to watch how fast their legacy can spread!
In connection, Mrs. Laird's class decided to participate in a special day on Tuesday, March 21--World Down Syndrome Day. Students were encouraged to wear mismatched socks to show love for, advocate for, and celebrate this day. Mattox Jeffers, one of their classmates, shared his special connection to this day and included information regarding Down Syndrome to help his classmates understand why March 21st was chosen for this special day. He showed his class a picture of chromosomes, how they are paired, and how the 21st chromosome has three for individuals with Down Syndrome. Thank you, Mattox, for sharing a day with us that is so very special to your family and for spreading awareness and Mabel's legacy!
4-H PROJECT ACHIEVEMENT
Remember a few weeks ago when we shared that fifty-four 4th grade Panthers were selected as county winners in the Jackson County 4-H School Project Achievement competition? They were given their chance to shine this weekend as they represented Jackson County 4-H at District Project Achievement Competition! The public speaking competition was a big risk-taking endeavor and a first for many of our students. 310 students from 10 northeast Georgia counties participated in Saturday's event. In addition to their individual honors, these students helped Jackson County 4-H win two group awards: Largest County Delegation and Largest Increase in Participation. We are SO PROUD of the courage and preparation our students put in to trying something new! Congratulations to all of our participants and winners!
Rebecca Gonzales, 1st place, Companion Animals
Tanner Runge, 1st place, Dairy
Isla Stewart, 1st place, Dog Care and Training
Grant Day, 1st place, Freshwater Fish and Shellfish
Rocky Kale, 1st place, Housing, Equipment, and Environment
Jacob Mack, 1st place, Interior Design
Ezekial Woolms-Bey, 1st place, Marine and Coastal Ecology
David Warren, 1st place, Outdoor Survival Skills
Ayla Armstrong, 1st place, Performing Arts-Vocal
Rosie Fairbank, 1st place, Safety
Maddie Godfrey, 1st place, Sports-Individual
Hudson Hamrick, 1st place, Ag Awareness
Hollen Freyre, 1st place, Current People, Places, and Events
Lexie Long, 1st place, Historic People
Archie Scott, 1st place, Plants, Soils, and Fertilizers
Tameria Perkins, 2nd place, Art
Amelia Harvin, 2nd place, Beef
Olivia Bennett, 2nd place, Engineering and Mechanics
Sydney Richardt, 2nd place, Historic People
Ali Lancaster, 2nd place, Historic Places and Events
Victoria Boebel, 2nd place, Human Development
Autumn Tallant, 2nd place, Paleontology
C'Laneasse Bradley, 2nd place, Safety
Olivia King, 2nd place, Wildlife
Samuel Wharton, 2nd place, Environmental Science
Tanner Cherry, 2nd place, Freshwater Fish and Shellfish
Devin Parr, 2nd place, Fruits, Vegetables, and Nuts
Faith Smith, 2nd place, Rabbits
Mayzie Reddy, 3rd place, Art
Nathan LaRocco, 3rd place, Computer Information Technology
Aubrey Conner, 3rd place, Sheep and Meat Goats
Levi Jurovschi, 3rd place, Freshwater Fish and Shellfish
Natalie North, 3rd place, Rabbits
Norah Eberlin, Honorable Mention, Historic Places and Events
Chloe Vang, Honorable Mention, Rabbits
Liam Duke, Honorable Mention, Engineering and Mechanics
Zabrina Hall, Honorable Mention, Plants, Soils, and Fertilizers
SUMMER CAMP
4th grade parents, your child may have come home this week with exciting news about summer camp sign-ups for Jackson County 4-H. 4th and 5th graders are eligible to join the fun in the mountains at Wahsega 4-H Center in Dahlonega June 5-9. Click HERE to learn more about Wahsega summer camp. It is an affordable overnight camping option in a beautiful, rustic setting that is LOTS of fun! If your child is interested in attending, you can register through Jackson County 4-H HERE.
STUDENT ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: LANE PEEVY
Our amazing Art Teacher Mrs. Hannifin has been hard at work all month planning special projects and events to highlight our talented student artists as we celebrated Youth Art Month at GSES. This week, we'd like to shine a spotlight on 5th grade student artist Lane Peevy in Mrs. Hawk's class.
Mrs. Hannifin says, "Lane enjoys making and building pieces of art in his spare time at school and even at home. His media of choice that I see most frequently is 3-D art, specifically origami and clay. Lane's 3-D work is neat and precise, but he also enjoys sharing his knowledge with others. For example, when Lane finished his clay project early during a recent art class, he used the rest of his class time to walk around and help, guide, or teach others how to make certain details as they finished their Pinch-pot Dragons. I appreciate his help and willingness to go above and beyond the requirements of a student artist! Good job, Lane!"
GSES GROWERS
Mrs. Clark's multi-age class has enjoyed their unit study on the parts of plants, the needs of plants, and plant life cycles. Students enjoyed having the opportunity to actually plant seeds in a pot and are still tending to them with care each day. They also practiced measuring skills by using snap cubes to measure the height of flowers. Students enjoyed using Play-dough to build models of the different parts of the plants as well. We love seeing our students knowledge GROW every day!
GEOLOGISTS ROCK
One of our 3rd graders' favorite science units every year is Exploring Rocks, Minerals, and Fossils. This week, all of our students enjoyed a special treat during their unit--a visit from Mr. Michael Hamrick who works for the U.S. Geological Survey (better known among GSES 3rd graders as "Parker's Dad"). They were able to explore different types of rocks and fossils found in the regions of Georgia through hands-on experiences. Students learned that because Georgia was once underwater, it wouldn't be a place we could find dinosaur bones, but students loved learning about megalodons and seeing examples of their baby teeth and junior teeth. Students were thrilled to receive their own shark teeth as a gift from Mr. Hamrick too! Other favorite items to explore were geodes and a Mastodon tusk. Students also learned about different rock formations in Georgia and the roles of geologists in our changing environment. Thanks for creating such a memorable learning experience for our students, Mr. Hamrick!
READY...SET... GLOW!
Mrs. Landers and Mrs. Severt have kicked off Glow Days in our ASL (Advanced Strategies Lab) specials class to bring math to life! They said, "Thanks to all of you for your generous donations that helped make this event possible. Our students are having a blast glowing and growing!" All students will have a chance to spend two days in the Glow-Lab during the next few weeks on their class's ASL specials days.
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