GCMS Families,
I am sure I am one of the few who woke up excited to not have piles of snow on the ground both Tuesday and today! Even though we did not have a snow day this week we do have a three day weekend due to Martin Luther King holiday on Monday. Next week we will be facing some bitter cold and I want to remind everyone that we do not cancel for cold unless the temps are projected to be sustained at -20 real feel or colder. Illinois winters always present some challenging days and every household circumstance is different. Those with evening and weekend activities will be notified if scheduled events are impacted. Stay safe, warm, and enjoy the long weekend.
It is a great day to be a Falcon!
Mr. Darnell
Illinois provides a dental clinic, Miles of Smiles, that is coming to GCMS on Tuesday, April 2nd. The program may provide services such as an exam, cleaning, fluoride treatment, and sealants (a protective coating on the chewing surfaces of back teeth). Student's in the following grades are required by the State of Illinois to provide a State of IL Dental Exam for school: K, 2nd, 6th, and 9th grade. The clinic is not limited to these grades.
Forms can be picked up at the school offices or downloaded at https://bit.ly/3tKOVuI Parents need to fill out the front page and leave the back page for the dentist. Forms for the Elementary are due this Friday 1/12, for the Middle and High School forms are due Friday 1/19. This will give enough time to make sure they can get the appropriate amount of hygienists. The clinic itself will take place at the Elementary School on Tuesday, April 2nd. Transportation from the Middle School to the Elementary School will be provided. Anyone can attend regardless of ability to pay!
GCMS Families,
Winter weather is upon us! GCMS will do our best to inform everyone of any cancellations or schedule changes for school, or activities, in as timely a manner as possible. Any school cancellations will be sent out via text message and posted on all of our school digital platforms. Please use GCMS platforms as your primary source for timely awareness.
If we have a school closure for weather related circumstance we will be engaging in remote learning and teachers will communicate with students and families appropriately to allow for this to occur. We ask that all students and families engage in the remote learning opportunities to the best of your ability, and we are aware that each students circumstance is different on these days.
If anyone fails to get the text message, and sees this message via social media or are notified through others, please contact Walker Willis at willis.walker@gcsmk12.org to ensure your proper phone numbers are in our system. Thanks for your attention and understanding as we head into Illinois winter.
Sincerely,
Jeremy Darnell
Superintendent
With the possibility of poor travel for this evening, the start time of today's MS Girls Volleyball matches vs. Iroquois W. at Onarga has been moved up and will now be 4:30. Bus time will be 3:20. GO FALCONS!
Registration for 2024 Little League will be open from 1/12-2/16. More information and registration is available at https://www.gcmslittleleague.com/
GCMS Middle School is looking for a Social Studies teacher for the 2024-2025 School Year. Join our team and see what makes us #falconproud! Apply online at https://www.gcmsk12.org/page/job-opportunities
GCMS is looking for a lunchroom supervisor. Hours are 11:00am-1:00pm on days school is in session, pay $15.00/hr. Apply in person at the Unit Office or download an application at https://www.gcmsk12.org/page/job-opportunities
Junior Parents,
On Wednesday, January 17 all junior students will be taking a practice SAT test in the gym. This PRACTICE test is an opportunity for your student to have more exposure to the SAT testing process and we feel it will help all of our junior students when they take the actual SAT in April. Our goal is for all of our students to show growth in their test scores and doing their absolute best when testing in April.
Sincerely,
Mr. Bielfeldt
Freshmen and Sophomore Parents,
We have a voluntary PSAT test available to all of our freshmen and sophomore students that will take place on Wednesday, January 17. This test is optional for any of our freshmen and sophomore students that want to practice taking the SAT. We want our students to have as much exposure to the SAT testing format and practice SAT tests are a great way to gain that exposure and to show growth each testing period.
Students have been emailed a link to sign up or can stop by the curriculum office to sign up for the voluntary PSAT.
Sincerely,
Mr. Bielfeldt
5th-7th Grade Volleyball Intramurals begins this Fri. 1/5 at 5:30 at the MS Gym. There will be a parent meeting at 5:00 in the MS cafeteria prior to the first session where the coaches will give program info, collect paperwork and answer questions. We hope to see all who can attend.
The 2nd Quarter edition of the Falcon News from the GCMS Middle School Newspaper Club is now available! https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rSJzn9LegKtLB30WYoENyQdySz1dz6EQ/view?usp=sharing
A reminder that tomorrow (Dec. 19th) is a 2:20 dismissal. Thank you for picking your children up on time!! We will then be on Christmas Break until Jan. 4th. Thanks!
Mr. Kean
This afternoon, the family of the late Colin Kristensen joined his friends, classmates and staff to dedicate a fully stocked tool box to the FFA for use in Ag Mechanic classes. Proceeds from Colin's memorial with the assistance of our local ACE Hardware provided the gift. Our gratitude to the Kristensen's; Colin remains in our hearts and with this gift, his legacy will long be felt at GCMS.
We now have video of Tuesday's Elementary Christmas Concert available on our YouTube channel! You can find video of all our Winter Concerts at https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnsSeC3bBFW1b4bFLieTxyyjRBovUWkMg&si=9JJ58gMyHT5Px300
GCMS Elementary is looking for a Paraprofessional. Apply online at https://bit.ly/486y3x0 and join our team!
GCMS Middle School will have dress up days for our final 2 days of school before break. Monday will be Ugly Sweater Day and Tuesday is Holiday Cheer Head to Toe!
GCMS Elementary Yearbooks are on sale for $15 through December 29, and $17 through the end of February. There are copies of the order form in the ES office or you can order online at https://www.jostens.com/yearbooks/students-and-parents/about-yearbooks
Congratulations to one of our own! Coach Ryan Tompkins (GCMS ‘94) reached his 300th victory as a varsity coach tonight, all of them at GCMS. He’s one of the finest role models we can ask for our student athletes. We’re #FalconProud of you, Coach; here’s to many more W’s!
The doors to the high school will open at 5:30 tonight for the Elementary Christmas Program. Thanks!
Mr. Kean
This is a reminder that we have our Elementary School Christmas Program tonight at the high school. Pre K - 2nd will begin at 6:00 pm and 3rd-5th will begin at 7:00 pm. Please note that if your child is gone from school because they are sick, they should not be at the program. Thanks!
Mr. Kean