The Panther Post
The Panther Post
News & Updates from Gum Springs Elementary School
Week of November 14-18, 2022
News & Updates
Class Shirts are on sale now. All shirts have the same design, and each class has a specific color. Classes wear these shirts on field trips, Field Day, etc. Shirts are $12 each for sizes (YS-AXL) and $15 each for sizes (A2XL & A3XL). Orders must be placed at https://www.schoolpay.com by December 2.
Our Book Blast is off to a GREAT start! We have already earned over $50,000 towards books for our students and supplies for our classroom teachers. Thank you to those of you who are helping grow our network of community reading supporters! Students can register and earn prizes until November 18. Remember, one set of ten emails/phone numbers earns EVERY child in the household their prizes. Books will be delivered before Christmas break.
Chorus auditions preparation begins this Thursday afternoon, November 17. Any 4th or 5th graders interested in auditioning for Aladdin should plan to stay after school until 4:30. Parents of interested should send your child's name, grade, and homeroom to Mrs. Cooper, music teacher, via Remind. Pick-up will be at the BACK of the school on Thursday.
All projects for the Student Technology Competition are due Monday, November 28 (the day we return from Thanksgiving Break). Information about how to submit projects will be shared directly with families of participating students via email.
Congratulations to 5th grader Sophie Thomas. You might remember that we recently recognized her as the 3rd-5th grade winner of the GSES Bus Safety Poster Contest. We are excited to announce that this week she was named the JCSS DISTRICT WINNER in her division too! Sophie's art will now represent our system at the state competition. Way to go!
This Week's After-School Clubs
Tuesday: Panther LEGO League
Thursday: Chorus (ends 4:30), Science Olympiad Team (ends 4:00), & Secret STEM Club (ends 4:00)
Upcoming Events
November 18: Last Day to register for Book Blast prizes
November 18: Teacher Workday - No School for Students
November 21-25: Teacher & Student Holidays
November 28: Student Technology Competition Projects Due
December 1: Chorus Auditions
December 2: Class Shirt Orders due
We hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving Break. We are SO VERY THANKFUL to have such a supportive Panther community! Our next newsletter will be shared on Sunday, November 27th.
We had a great celebration on Friday recognizing our Panther community members who are veterans and active service members. 1st grade students performed patriotic songs, and students shared information about the history of Veterans Day, as well as presenting the flags of each military branch. The program also included a video tribute recognizing almost 200 members of our Panther community who are veterans or active service members. All of the students who participated in the program are children of veterans or active service members. You can view the recording of our program (including the tribute slide show) HERE. Thank you to everyone who helped us make Veterans Day special for our community. (More pictures available on Facebook)
This week 2nd graders celebrated National STEM Day with a fun problem-solving challenge! Classes read The Great Turkey Race and were challenged to design and build an obstacle course for the turkeys in the story to complete. Each course had to have a starting line and finish line with at least three obstacles. Our students loved seeing each team's creativity as they shared their designs. Students were only allowed to use paper to create their designs, so our teachers also loved seeing great teamwork, resourcefulness, and perseverance as students learned to create 3-D models from a 2-D material. Great job, 2nd grade!