The Panther Post
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News & Updates from Gum Springs Elementary School
Back-to-School Edition / July 30, 2023
Join us for Open House!
Join us for Open House at GSES on Tuesday, August 1st. You will have the chance to meet your child's teacher and learn everything you need to know to be ready for a successful school year! Feel free to bring your child's supplies to Open House as well.
Back-to-School Info
The first day of school for students is August 3, 2023. You can view next year's approved school calendar HERE.
Regular and punctual attendance is essential if students are to receive the maximum benefits from our instructional program. We love seeing your children at school, so please make an effort to be here ALL DAY, EVERY DAY! Our instructional day begins at 7:40 A.M. Any students who arrive after that time need to be accompanied to the office and signed in by a parent or guardian. School dismisses at 2:35 P.M.
Click HERE to view the 2023-24 school supply list for kindergarten through 5th grades. (Supplies are not necessary for Pre-K students.) Your child's teacher may provide an optoinal wish list of additional supplies that would be helpful additions to their classroom as well.
For student safety, we have a "Hug and Go" policy for morning drop-off. This includes the first day of school. Open House is a great time to show your child where he/she will get out of your vehicle and walk into school. Lots of adults are on hand to help students out of vehicles, walk them to classrooms, and help carry supplies.
Click HERE to view the JCSS Student Handbook.
Be sure to carefully read the sections below about transportation, meal service, and communications. (Returning families, we've had a few changes since last year.)
We are excited to welcome many new families to our Gum Springs community this year. We look forward to meeing you soon!
Morning Transportation Changes
In an effort to be good community partners and help alleviate the traffic on Gum Springs Church Road, beginning on August 3rd, the first day of school, we will implement new morning traffic patterns for our Gum Springs Elementary School community. We will conduct our afternoon operations as we did during the 2022-23 school year, with car riders in the front of our building, golf carts on the side, and bus riders in the rear of our building. If you are new to the area, it is important to know that GSES is a high-volume traffic area on a busy road, particularly during morning arrival. Please plan accordingly as you make travel arrangements for getting to school and work on time and, most importantly, please travel slowly and safely in our school zone. We understand that the first few days of school are always a little hectic, so please be patient as we implement these traffic changes. Thank you for the partnership to ensure these changes go smoothly for our new school year!
Bus routes for the 2023-24 school year are now available by visiting www.jacksonschoolsga.org/busroutes. Please note: To increase student and driver safety on buses, the Jackson County School System has increased the number of community bus stops throughout the system.
MORNING
Buses will now unload at the front of our building in the morning hours.
AFTERNOON
Afternoon buses load and dismiss in the rear of our building.
JCSS is excited to launch a new app this year called "Here Comes the Bus." The app will allow you to track your child's bus each afternoon so you will know when it is close to your house. Information about how to download the app and link to your child's bus will be shared soon.
MORNING
We will be transitioning all morning car riders to the rear of our building for morning drop off. Vehicles will enter on the access road between the WJMS football field and the GSES front parking lot. Once they enter, they will loop around the back of the school, and exit using the same road. View this map for an aerial perspective.
AFTERNOON
Our afternoon car rider procedures will stay the same as they were last year. Vehicles will enter our front parking loop at the school's main entrance (where our sign is located) and fill in both lanes. A Dismissal Tag showing your family's transportation number must be visible to our staff members. If you pre-registered for a dismissal tag, it will be available in your child's classroom at Open House. If you did not pre-register, you wil be able to do so Open House. To better understand our specific safety procedures, please carefully read the information that will be attached to your Dismissal Tag.
MORNING
Due to increased traffic to the rear of our building, we have made adjustments to the golf cart line as well. All morning golf cart riders coming from Traditions will be dropped off at the gate between the GSES playground and the middle school football field. Morning golf cart riders coming from Magnolia Point will drop off students at the neighborhood entrance and will be allowed to cross Gum Springs Church Rd. as directed by the School Resource Officer. Students who arrive by golf cart will be escorted across the access road to the school by a GSES staff member. View this map for an aerial perspective.
AFTERNOON
Our afternoon golf cart procedures will stay the same as they were last year. Families enter the afternoon pick-up line at the portable building on the side of the school and travel along the sidewalk to the concrete pad at the front of the building, where you will pick up your child and loop back around to exit. A Dismissal Tag showing your family's transportation number must be visible to our staff members. If you pre-registered for a dismissal tag, it will be available in your child's classroom at Open House. If you did not pre-register, you wil be able to do so Open House. Great news--our sidewalk/ golf cart path was widened over the summer!
MORNING
As they have in the past, families from Magnolia Point may continue to walk their children across Gum Springs Church Road to the staff member located at the gate between the playground and the middle school football field. Students will then be escorted by a GSES staff member across the access road to the school.
AFTERNOON
Families of walkers may walk to the golf cart pad at the front of the school to pick up their children. A Dismissal Tag showing your family's transportation number must be shown to our staff member on duty. If you pre-registered for a dismissal tag, it will be available in your child's classroom at Open House. If you did not pre-register, you will be able to do so Open House.
Communication
It is VERY IMPORTANT for all families to set up an Infinite Campus Parent Portal Account. Click HERE to set up your child's account. This account allows you to receive important school messages and update important contact information. If you have trouble with this process, support staff can assist you at Open House.
The best way to stay up-to-date on GSES current news is by reading our weekly newsletter, "The Panther Post." A link will be sent to you each Sunday afternoon through the Remind messaging app by text or email, based on your preference. You an also find our newsletter linked on our school website or social media accounts.
Meal Service
Visit Linq Connect to add money to your child's meal accounts or to complete the online application to for free or reduced-price meals. (If you are a returning family who set up an account on Titan in May, your remaining funds were transferred to Linq, but you will still need to set up an account.) Breakfast is no longer free for all students. Elementary school meal prices are $1.45 for breakfast and $2.10 for lunch.
Summer Reading Challenge
Returning families, we hope your students have enjoyed participating in our JCSS Summer Reading Challenge. We look forward to receiving your completed forms soon!
Volunteer at GSES or Join GSES PTO
GSES has a very active and supportive Parent Teacher Organization and volunteer network. Volunteers help our school run smoothly and are very much appreciated by our staff! If you would like to get updates about GSES volunteer opportunities or information about our PTO, please complete this short form. The form also includes examples of ways volunteers can help at GSES. We will send email updates when volunteer opportunities are available. Thank you for your help making our school great!
School Spirit Wear
PTO will be selling a variety of school t-shirts at Open House. Purchases can be made using Zelle or Venmo.
School Pay Accounts
GSES uses an online payment program called School Pay to receive payments for school shirts, field trips, and other financial transactions during the year. if you don't already have an account, you can set one up HERE.
New Families
Welcome to our Panther family! If you were unable to attend one of our New Family Orientation sessions in July, check out the presentation below. We look forward to seeing you soon!
Community News
Fall Sports Registration Closing Soon
Fall Sports Registration is underway at Jackson County Parks and Recreation and will end on August 4. Visit their new registration site at https://secure.rec1.com/GA/jackson-county-ga/catalog to set-up an account and register for programs.
Anyone interested in being a volunteer Assistant or Head Coach can click on the link in each program description, or click https://forms.gle/LHZsAdEuBX1f38LM9 to fill-out the Coaching Interest Form. Please contact the JCPR office at 706-367-6350 if have questions or need assistance.
Congratulations, Sheriff Mangum
Congratulations to Jackson County Sheriff Janis Mangum, who was recently named the 2023 Georgia Sheriff of the Year. The Jackson County School System would like to thank Sheriff Mangum for her continued partnership with our school system, as the Sheriff's Department supplies JCSS with school resource officers dedicated to the safety and security of our students and staff. Sheriff Mangum and her team are great supporters of our schools and our students. Congratulations on this well-deserved honor!
Partners in Education
Our Partners in Education are an essential part of our Gum Springs family. If you are interested in joining our PIE team, please contact hannah.freyre@jcss.us for information about how you can support our school. "Thank you!" to the following Partners in Education for supplying all of the donations for each homeroom Safety Bag to help our staff members be fully prepared for emergency situations.
Thank you to Simply Stephens Real Estate and Kares 4 Kids for donations of fully-stocked backpacks filled with school supplies for GSES students. We appreciate your support!
Thank you to our Partner in Education Moss and Mane who are providing lunch for our staff on Open House day.
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