Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley CUSD #5

All, There is an industrial fire at IFF that is being managed by authorities. The smoke trail is spanning across all three of our campuses. We will be keeping classes and student inside until the smoke has cleared to avoid unnecessary exposure to the smoke. Dismissal procedures will go on as planned. If the situation changes and update will be shared. Sincerely, Mr. Darnell

Mrs. Young's FCS class welcomes you to the 1940's! So far they have made Food for the Gods from the 1900's and Blackberry Jam Cake with Ermine Frosting from the 1920's. Only a few more decades as they bake their way through the "Baking Yesteryear" cookbook (@bdylanhollisofficial). Dream Bars are a type of bar cookie with a crunchy cookie base topped with a soft, brown-sugar caramel chewy texture mixed in with coconut and pecans. It was a two-part recipe, first, they had to bake the crust, then they had to mix the filling, pour it atop the crust, and bake again.

This is a reminder that we have IAR testing for 3rd-5th grades this week at the elementary school. Thank you for getting your kids to school on time and encouraging them to rock this test! Thanks! Mr. Kean

Today's (4/5/2024) softball and baseball games have been moved to the Rantoul Sports Complex at 4:30.

Senior Parents/Guardians, Caps and gowns were given out to the seniors today. We have told them to try them on and hang them up to get the wrinkles out of them. The gowns can also be steamed if necessary. Please do this prior to the senior class picture in their caps and gowns which will be taken on Thursday, April 25. Individual cap and gown pictures will be taken on Friday, May 17. Please contact the office with any questions. Sincerely, Mr. Bielfeldt

Today's (4/4/2024) JV Baseball game vs PBL has been cancelled due to weather.

Senior Parents, Please click the link below for information about our SAT Day on Thursday, April 11. https://bit.ly/3xsj6bj Seniors will not be in attendance on that day. Please reach out with any questions. Sincerely, Mr. Bielfeldt

Junior Parents, GCMS High School will be administering the SAT to all juniors on Thursday, April 11. Completion of the SAT is a necessary requirement for graduation. All juniors will be testing in the high school gym that day on a digital platform this year. Upon the completion of the test by all students, juniors will be allowed to leave school for the day. We will have an Avanti’s gondola and a bag of chips for the students to take as they leave the school. Please make every effort to have your student in attendance the day of testing and avoid appointments and absences if possible. Please reach out with any questions. Sincerely, Mr. Bielfeldt

Freshmen and Sophomore Parents, GCMS High School will be administering the PSAT 9 and PSAT 10 to all freshmen and sophomores on Thursday, April 11. All testing will be conducted on a digital platform this year. Please make every effort to have your student in attendance the day of testing and avoid appointments or absences if possible. Please reach out with any questions. Sincerely, Mr. Bielfeldt

Congratulations to GCMS Senior Mitchel Quinley for reaching the rank of Eagle Scout! Only 4% of Boy Scouts reach this rank which amounts to around 0.3% of the total US population. Your hard work and dedication makes us #FalconProud!

Tonight's (4/2/2024) High School Track meet has been cancelled due to weather. Baseball and Softball games have also been cancelled.

GCMS Families, I am seeking 8-10 parent/guardians to participate in a discussion on the GCMS Strategic Plan, Vision, and Mission on Wednesday, April 17th from 12:30 - 2:00 pm. This focus group will be led through a discovery conversation by Dr. Scott Kuffel, of Leading Simply Consulting, to gain the parental perspective of GCMS. The Board of Education, teachers, students, and administration will be going through similar exercises to draw on all perspectives in an effort to ensure we are continuing to provide the best for our students and community. If you are an adult caregiver of GCMS students and wish to be considered for this opportunity please send me an email for consideration to darnell.jeremy@gcmsk12.org. If you know someone with a strong voice encourage them to join. Thank you for considering. Sincerely, Mr. Darnell

On March 23rd, 2024, Col. Shane Upton, Gibson City Melvin Sibley Schools Alumnus, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate for promotion to the rank of brigadier general. Col. Upton currently serves as the Director for Army Futures Command’s Contested Logistics Cross-Functional Team at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. Col. Upton’s pinning and promotion are expected to occur sometime in late 2024 to early 2025. This will make him the first GCMS School District Alumnus to reach the rank of brigadier general. Congratulations, Col. Upton and we look forward to your promotion!

REMINDER!!! No school today, Monday, April 1. See everyone tomorrow!

Today the middle school celebrated our students that received Fantastic Falcon Awards! These students have gone above and beyond in displaying our school-wide expectations.

Congratulations to our Falcons With Character for the month of March. This month we are highlighting Courage! K/1 K=Cahlani Palumbo, Jaxon Young, Maisy Freehill, Lorelei Able 1st= Brodie Keith, Stefan Gonzales, Luke Huber (not pictured) 2/3 3rd= Ava Butler, Autumn Gassaway, Jack Tracy, Ehvah Morris 2nd= Tucker Brandon, Easton Fairchild, Kamryn Evans, Luna Anderson 4/5 4th= Emmylou Kraft, Eden Hull, Avah Leach, Almirah Thomas (not pictured) 5th= Shyanne Sneddon, Carter Luttrell, Ava Mullins

Mrs. Young's Child Development classes are preparing to start their preschool at the high school! If you or someone you know may be interested, here are the details: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday April 9th - May 9th 8:15am - 9:30am 3-4 years old Must be potty trained *Students don't have to come every day, for example, they could come on Wednesday only OR Tuesday/Thursday only, etc. For questions, please email Mrs. Young at: young.ashley@gcmsk12.org To sign up, you may also complete this Google Form: https://forms.gle/vgthunDxBeYAFSyu9 Spread the word and sign up by April 2nd!

Thank you to travel agent Chris Cook-Leitz with On the Road Travel for taking time to talk with our 6th graders about things to consider when making travel plans!

GCMS High School is proud to announce that four seniors from the graduating class of 2024 have been designated as Illinois State Scholars. The Illinois Student Assistance Commission presents this recognition of academic achievement to exceptional Illinois high school students annually. Students receiving this recognition scored in the 95th percentile or above on the SAT/ACT. This year’s GCMS High School Illinois State Scholars are Molly Killian, Brynn Boundy, CC Francis, and Lilly Lahr. Congratulations!!!

Time to brag!!! We received the following email about our PED Day. The gentleman that sent the message works with high schools throughout the ROE and is heavily involved with post-secondary events. Lots to be proud of here at GCMS!!! "I wanted to pass along to you a note of high praise on the Postsecondary Exploration Day event that was organized by your school put together by counselor Josh Carter with the assistance of your many staff. I get the opportunity to attend other schools who also promote postsecondary careers/education and I can say the one at GCMS is “Top Shelf”. Combining of the many information tables to visit in the gym from colleges to manufacturing to trades, to military , and local employers along with breakout sessions where students get the opportunity to learn more and ask specific questions that covers all aspects of what students need to help make the decision on their next step.  Mr. Carter told me he makes changes to the event each year based on feedback from the students as to what they are looking for to help them with their future planning. This was my 3rd year attending your event and each year it gets better."