The Panther Post
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News & Updates from
Gum Springs Elementary
November 13-17, 2023
News and Updates
We have so much to be thankful for in our GSES community! As we get ready to celebrate this season of Thanksgiving, we want to celebrate one of our own staff members for whom we are very thankful! Coach Heather 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 25-year career in the Jackson County School System and has influenced the lives of thousands of JCSS students and families. Join us in showing our love and support by wearing PINK in her honor on Friday, November 17th!
We have an opening for a Copy Crew volunteer this Friday, 11/17. If you are available to fill this need, please sign up HERE.
Families may now sign up to join your child for lunch at GSES. Please read the guidelines at the top of the form carefully before signing up. Click HERE to select your spot for November or December.
THANK YOU to all who have supported our Book Blast fundraiser! Our school has collected over $45,000 in donations….ALL FOR BOOKS! Donations will accepted through Sunday, November 17th. We've already recognized three Treasure Chest winners, and this week we'll be recognizing one more Treasure Chest winner, as well as one lucky student who will win an iPad! To be eligible for these prizes, students simply have to share 15 email addresses. Contact Mrs. Gassman at monica.gassman@jcss.us if you have any questions. Thanks for supporting our GSES Book Blast!
Original Works Art sales kick off this Friday, November 17th. Orders can be placed online November 17-28th using the unique code that will be sent home with your child. Orders will arrive December 15th, just in time to make great holiday gifts for grandparents, friends, and family members. Be on the lookout for the flyer your child will bring home this week with ordering information. A percentage of sales is donated to our school art program as well. Please contact art teacher Mrs. Hannifin at khannifin@jcss.us if you have questions.
Lost and Found items are being donated TOMORROW. Be sure to have your students swing by during arrival on Monday morning to check for any missing items that belong at your house. Thanks!
We hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving break. We are thankful to have you and your family as part of our GSES community! Our next edition of The Panther Post will be published on Sunday, November 26th.
This Week's
After-School Clubs
Monday: GS Gizmos (pick up at 5:00 P.M.)
Tuesday: GS Gizmos (pick up at 5:00 P.M.)
Thursday: Science Olympiad Team (pick up at 4:00 P.M.)
Thursday: Stock Market Club (pick up at 4:00 P.M.)
Thursday: Secret STEM Club (pick up at 4:00 P.M.)
Thursday: Spring Musical Auditions (pick up at 4:00 P.M.)--This week is for students who didn't finish or callbacks. Ms. Cooper will notify callbacks.
Upcoming Events
November 16: GSES PTO Spirit Night at WNB Factory; 5:00-7:00 P.M.
November 17: Wear pink in honor of Coach Backer!
November 20-24: Thanksgiving Break (No School for Students or Staff)
SCHOOL SPOTLIGHTS
Last week was National School Psychologist Week. How fortunate we are to have Ms. Rachel Greenlee as our GSES School Psychologist! Her dedication to our students and staff, as well as the wealth of professional knowledge she brings to our school are an integral part of student success at GSES. Thank you for being such a committed, hard-working, and supportive part of our Panther Family, Ms. Greenlee! This week, and every week, we appreciate you!
Veterans Day Salute
We were honored to celebrate veterans and active service members at our annual GSES Veterans Day ceremony on Friday, November 10th. GSES 1st graders led our guests in the Pledge of Allegiance and sang "America the Beautiful" and "My Country Tis of Thee." Students of active service members presented the flags of each military branch and recognized guests in attendance from each branch. Music teacher Mrs. Cooper played a beautiful version of Taps on the trumpet. Students shared video thank-you messages and created cards and notes for each guest. Classrooms also participated in special activities throughout the week to help students learn the importance of Veterans Day, and we all wore red, white, and blue to honor the special American heroes in our GSES community. If you were unable to attend the ceremony in person, you can view Friday's ceremony by clicking HERE. Thanks to many of you for submitting tributes to our community of veterans and active service members. Visit our GSES Facebook page to see our virtual salute to these honorable members of our community. Thank you to all who have served and continue to serve our country!
Fall Festival Fun
We had a great crowd and lots of great family fun at Friday's Fall Festival. Thanks to GSES PTO for their hard work planning such a great event!
Thankful for Book Buddies!
Mrs. Lyle's Pre-K Pals are thankful for their Book Buddies! Mrs. Suggs' 4th graders are great role models for these eager readers in Pre-K!
Panthers Step Up and Lead
Panther Helpers attended the "Step Up and Lead" conference this week. Students had the chance to participate in team-building activities and learn more about what it takes to be a great leader. We appreciate this hard-working group of 5th graders and the ways they use their leadership skills at GSES!
STEM Day Celebration
This week included National STEM Day, and Ms. Menard's 5th grade class turned their social studies unit on the Great Depression into an all-day STEAM lesson. In math, students did an activity that allowed them to calculate the cost and loss of stocks from 1929 to 1933. Students were challenged to create a budget with the goal of staying within the budget until they all lost their jobs and had to live in Hooverville. Before students could “build” their Hooverville home, they had to plan how big they could build their home given the parameters of the square footage each person in their family was allowed. This was followed up by an Internet scavenger hunt about the cause and effects of the Dust Bowl. Students were able to activate their prior knowledge with discussions of weathering and crop rotation. Afterward, when it was discovered that many people moved to the city to find a job, students created their own wearable resume in hopes of landing a job to support their families. What a fun day of learning!
Book Buddy Creators
Book Buddies in Mrs. Carter's kindergarten class and Mrs. Mitas' 3rd grade class enjoyed some fall fun during their monthly visit with each other. They read the story Leaf Man together then used objects from nature, along with a little inspiration from the author, to collaboratively create their own "leaf men." Check out their creative constructions!
2nd Grade Surgeons
Mrs. Runge's 2nd grade class performed surgery on Friday--text structure surgery, that is! Students had to find text structures throughout a nonfiction book about spiders in order to save their patient!
PANTHER SUPPORTERS
Want to know more about how you can support our school? Click below for details. Feel free to contact Mrs. Hannah Freyre at hannah.freyre@jcss.us with questions.
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