Good Evening Panther Families, We hope everyone enjoyed the weekend and are looking forward to a great week at Gunning Bedford. Thank you to the many families who came for Open House last week!
Upcoming Dates/Events:
Wednesday September 25: First soccer match of the season! The match is away at MOT Charter Middle School @ 4:00PM. Good luck Panthers!
Friday September 27 is the end of the first marking period interim. Interim reports will be shared with families in the following weeks.
Friday October 11: No School for students, professional development day for staff.
Thursday October 24: Picture day for students & staff. Paperwork will be shared from Lifetouch (picture company) in the coming weeks for students/families.
District Calendar: The school district calendar for the 24-25 school year is linked here:
New Updates
Enrichment Update: Last week was our first week of enrichment. During enrichment, students work through personalized assignments on ST Math, i-Ready and Lexia Power Up. Many classes using ST Math are off to a great start! By the end of the year, our goal is that every student reaches their “average puzzle goal”. Shout out to the following classes whose class average puzzle goal progress is well on the way to that 100% goal:
6th Grade: Ms. Berrios & Ms. Zhang, 7th Grade: Mr. Tortosa 8th Grade: Mrs. Ferry & Ms. Shisler
Please encourage your students to keep working hard in enrichment classes! Stay tuned for i-Ready and Lexia Power Up updates next week!
Community Event: The Youth Leadership Institute (YLI) is a youth-led and
highly interactive leadership development program designed to empower and engage youth, ages 11-13. YLI is a signature program initiative for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated® where youth will participate in monthly youth-led activities that focus on the leadership quality of self-awareness through the concept of growth mindset. The YLI program is free for children, but spaces are limited. If you are interested in your child participating in YLI please see the flier here: YLI Flyer.pdf
EMERGENCY SIRENS TEST ON OCTOBER 1: The Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA), the Delaware State Police, and Public Service Enterprise Group Inc. (PSEG), will conduct a quarterly test of the Salem/Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Stations Alert and Notification system on Tuesday, October 1 at 10:45 a.m. More information from DEMA on the event is here: DEMA Media Release_Siren Test Oct. 1.pdf
Updates from 6th grade teachers: Please see weekly update here for 6th grade families: document will be updated each week by 6th grade staff:
Update from Grade Level Administrators:
Update from 6th grade assistant principal, Dr. Thomas-Brown:
Update from 7th grade administrator, Mr. Sopkanich:
Update from 8th grade assistant principal, Mrs. Nowell
Rolling Updates
Hispanic Heritage Month: National Hispanic Heritage Month is Sep. 15th to Oct. 15th. This month recognizes the contributions & celebrates the cultural history of Latinos in the United States. It occurs during this 30 day period since many Latin American countries celebrate their national independence days on or near Sep. 15th. The purpose: to celebrate the histories, cultures & contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. We will be doing morning announcements, door decorating, and a spirit week in October.
Fall Sports & After School Activities: Practices will continue on Tuesday this week. Fundraiser: Cajun-Sno will be at Gunning Bedford’s first home athletic games on October 7 . The ice cream truck will be parked at the back fields for all to enjoy a treat while cheering on our field-hockey and soccer teams. Gunning Bedford will receive 10% of all sales. Please remember that all students must be accompanied by a parent/guardian while attending an after school event. Cajun-Sno website. Our website for games and matches for the year is here: https://www.panthers-sports.com/. For questions about sports, please contact our athletic director, Mr. Brelick via email, here:
YMCA Partnership:WOW After School Program at the Bear-Glasgow YMCA (Working on Wellness) Visit Link here for info: YMCA Program 2024-2025.pdf Link here to sign up: https://ymcade.formstack.com/forms/bear_2024_parent_guardian_agreement_ Contact Ebony Tessein: etessein@ymcade.org or 302- 257- 5854 with any questions.
Health Office Information: Please view a letter from our school nurse, Mrs. Taylor: GB 2024-2025 Greetings from Nurse Taylor.docx Please coordinate any medication drop-offs with Nurse Taylor, do not send students to school with their own medication, it must be brought to school by a parent/guardian.
After-School Activities Pick-Up Details: As we move into our fall 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.
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:
Car Rider Drop-off and Pickup Details: If your student is being driven to school, please review the images linked before on where drop-off and pick-up is located. am and 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. Please be patient with students, staff and our fellow families as we learn together. 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.
Early Dismissal Procedure: Students will no longer be able to wait in the Main Office for a family member to pick up early. As increased security measures we must check the ID of the persons picking up before releasing the child. Please ensure early dismissals are completed prior to 2:00 PM.
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:
| 8 lunch: 11:05-11:35 | 6 Lunch: 11:47-12:17 | 7 Lunch: 12:27-12:57 |
Student cellphone expectations: Please review the letter and research linked here on our cellphone expectations for students. We have an expectation for a cell phone use free experience for students during the school day. When students arrive at school, their phones are to be out of sight and not in use. Student Lockers, Coats, Cellphones, & Expectations for Dress: 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. Students are to use their own lock on their lockers. Please see the 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. Link for Code of Conduct & Colonial Expectations for Dress:. Also, student horseplay is not appropriate at school. Students are to keep hands/feet to themselves.
Change of Address/information Documents: Link in Spanish: Link in English:
Please use the link above, to complete the form so that the office is aware of the change, and we can update your student’s file. Please note that in order to update or change your address you need to provide proof of residency and below is the list of acceptable documents for this: Utility Bill: Electric, Water, Sewer, Lease/Deed/Mortgage *Please note these bills need to be in the parent or guardian’s name.
Grade level Administrators & Counselors: The names and contact emails for our grade administrators and school counselors are listed below. They are your go-to contacts for supporting your student.
Administration School Counselors
| 6th Grade AP: Dr. Thomas-Brown | 6th Grade: Ms. Sheppard |
| 7th Grade Student Advisor: Mr. Sopkanich | 7th Grade: Mr. Arent |
| 8th Grade AP: Mrs. Nowell | 8th Grade: Ms. Pine |
| ILC Administrator: Mrs. Melissa Eger | |
| Principal: Mr. Johnston |
Have a great rest of the day and remember, you can’t hide that Panther Pride!
Sincerely,
Bill Johnston
Principal
Gunning Bedford Middle School