Good Evening Panther Families, We hope everyone enjoyed the beautiful weather today and are looking forward to a great week at school with conferences on Thursday & Friday. Happy start of Women’s History Month!
Upcoming events:
Thursday-Friday March 7-8, 2024 Parent/Teacher conferences, No School for Students
STEAM Showcase is March 14, 2024 at 6pm, William Penn –Flier Here
March 21, 2024: End of Marking Period 3
District Calendar: The school district calendar for the 23-24 school year is linked here:
2024-2025 School Calendars: July 2024-December 2024 January 2025-June 2025
Referendum Information: WE did it! Thank you to all who voted to support our operating and capital referendum. WE are truly grateful for your support of the work that we do and commitment to the importance of investing in education. Our students deserve it. This outcome means our aging campuses will see some much needed improvements and we can continue providing innovative, engaging programming for our students. WE can support and retain our dedicated and talented staff. When our schools thrive, our communities thrive. Our tomorrows look brighter than ever, thanks to your vote!
Parent Teacher Conferences: Links to each teacher’s sign-up link may be found HERE. The timeframes for the conferences are: Thursday 3/7: 8AM-7:00 PM and Friday 3/8: 8AM -11:00AM. Families can sign up for in-person, phone, or Zoom conferences with each teacher individually for 10 minutes. This provides the families with flexibility with scheduling and to be able to meet with whom, when, and how best works for them. When signing-up, please indicate in the comment section if your conference will be in person, phone, or Zoom; and if a translator is needed for the conference. Families need to sign-up in advance, no unscheduled meetings.
Spring sports: Baseball and softball will be this Tuesday and Wednesday March 5 and 6. Track Tryout results will be shared this week. Schedules: Baseball Softball Track & Field
Mr. Johnston Update: My wife and I welcomed a son on 2/20, Luke Johnston. I am excited to be returning to school tomorrow, 3/4/24.
FFA Field Trip, Tuesday & Wednesday: About 11 students will attend a 2 day event at Delaware State University as part of FFA (Future Farmers of America).
Upcoming Community Events:
Family Tech Talk Event: Pleasantville PTA is hosting a Family Tech Talk event with an internet safety expert. We invite you to join the event on zoom on March 5, 2024 at 7:00pm.
Event Flier Zoom link for event
-Delaware Tech Free Stem Expo on March 20th from 5:30-7:30pm. We will feature a variety of hands-on STEM projects for students to explore and not to mention DOOR PRIZES! Please see the flier here: stantonwilmstemexpoflier2024 (1).pdf
-Verizon Stem Achievers program taking place on April 13th on the DSU campus. Thank you to Ms. Stokes for sharing! DSU_Flyer_VIL_STEMAchievers_
New Updates:
One School, One Book: Please view the letter from our Literacy Coach for an update on our One Book – One School event, House Arrest by K. A. Holt. Click HERE the Week 3 Parent Newsletter.
Spelling Bee: Congratulations to Eli and all the students that took part in our First Spelling Bee last week. Thank you to Mrs. Pine and our supporting staff to help make the event a success!
Updates from Grade Level: Please see updates from our grade level administrators and staff here from before break: 6th Grade: 7th Grade: 8th Grade: ILC:
Rolling Updates
Second Semester YMCA Program:. See link here for sign-up information and details: Any questions, contact jessica.hitchens@colonial.k12.
After-School Activities Pick-Up Details: As we move into our next season of after school sports and activities, we want to clarify procedures for parents who pick up their students from after school activities. Student safety is our biggest concern. Please do not park in the first 5 bus slots or along the sidewalk outside of the auditorium. Both areas are noted in the map below by a blue ‘X.’ This ensures that our students can safely cross the bus court to get on their assigned buses.
2023-2024 Yearbook Order Form: Linked here if interested in pre-ordering. 2024 Yearbook QR Code Order Link.pdf
Back to Basics Tutoring: Please see flier here: 23-24 SY Back to Basics Learning Dynamics Colonial Revise Flyer.png
Morning Car Rider drop-off & Afternoon pick-up: Parents dropping off students in the morning need to create a single line on the right side of the cones. Students should exit their cars to the sidewalk. Cars are not to travel on the left side of the cones. Student safety is our top priority. As a reminder, please review the images linked before on where drop-off and pick-up is located. amand pm. AM is in the front of the building, PM is on the side of the building. Staff will be present to support in building the routine with students and families. Our doors open at 7:55AM each day. Please be mindful of dropping off students before then as staff are not outside. In the afternoon, car rider dismissal begins at 2:37PM on the side of the building. Families will pull into the parking lot on the side of the building and form a line that goes up and around the lot. Please follow the directions of staff supporting the dismissal to ensure a safe dismissal for all.
Library Information from Ms. Hewes: Please visit HERE to get more details.
Student Lockers, Coats, Cellphones, & Expectations for Dress: All students have access to a locker. Students are to use their lockers to store their coats and bags each day. Students have access to their lockers multiple times during the school day to pick-up/dropoff items. Students are to not wear backpacks or coats during the school day. Link for Code of Conduct & Colonial Expectations for Dress: Please see link for a reminder for our district expectations for dress and this year’s code of conduct. Students are to not wear hats, hoods, or sunglasses inside the building. Please remind students about our cellphone expectations of devices being away while at school. Students are able to use YONDR pouches and/or have phones remain in their bags. A brief presentation about our cellphone expectations is linked here: Also, student horseplay is not appropriate at school. Students are to keep hands/feet to themselves.
GB Gear: Please see link here to order GB clothing & apparel.
Health Office Information: Our school nurse is Ms. Taylor & her email is: olivia.taylor@colonial.k12.de.
Breakfast & Lunch for students: All students at Gunning Bedford get free breakfast & lunch each day. Students can pack their breakfast or lunch as well. Students are not able to have any outside delivery food for lunch time; For example no Door-Dash or UberEats delivery. The lunch times for students is:
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11:05-11:35 |
8 lunch |
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11:47-12:17 |
6 lunch |
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12:27-12:57 |
7 lunch |
Support Links for Families: –Please use this link for more information & FAQ about Home Access Center –To update the contact information you have on file please fill out the form linked here:
Grade level Administrators & Counselors:
Administration School Counselors
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6th Grade AP: Dr. Thomas-Brown |
6th Grade: Ms. Sheppard |
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7th Grade Administrator: Mr. Sopkanich |
7th Grade: Mr. Arent |
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8th Grade AP: Mrs. Nowell |
8th Grade: Ms. Pine |
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ILC Administrator: Mrs. Eger |
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Principal: Mr. Johnston |
Have a great rest of the day and remember, you can’t hide that Panther Pride!
Sincerely,
Mr. Johnston, Principal, Gunning Bedford Middle School