Good Evening Panthers, we hope everyone we hope everyone enjoyed a Thanksgiving holiday filled with love & appreciation.
Upcoming Dates/Events:
Family Connections: Our Family Connections group will meet on Tuesday, December 3rd to finalize plans for the hot chocolate bar and also to begin planning for our post-winter break activities. We will meet in the Learning Den at 5:30pm.
Winter Break Begins Monday 12/23. Students return from Winter Break on Monday January 6th.
District Calendar: The school district calendar for the 24-25 school year is linked here:
New Updates
Message from 11/25: On Monday, 11/25, a message was shared with the school community about the passing of one of our teachers, Ms. Ferraro. The message is linked here:
Extended Homeroom on Monday 12/2: Tomorrow, Monday, 12/2, we will have an extended homeroom to share areas of support for students, ways to remember and cope with loss, & how we can support each other. There will be additional counseling support available when students return to school on Monday. Students will resume their regular schedules at 8:40 AM.
Panther Sports: Away wrestling match on Tuesday & home on Thursday. All sports schedules are here: https://www.panthers-sports.com Girls basketball tryouts are this week starting Tuesday and will continue Wednesday and Friday. Boys basketball will start next week, December 11th, 13th and 18th. Student-athletes must have submitted their DIAA sports physical and signed-up in order to try out.
Panther Pantry Drive: See information from student council and Ms. Henry & Mr. Jones here: Panther Pantry Drive 2024. Our Panther Pantry Drive continues until December 12th.
Family Connections Hot Chocolate Bar: Our Family Connections team is organizing a hot chocolate bar for our wonderful GBMS staff. Check out the link HEREfor information and to sign-up to donate.
Enrichment Update: ST Math is a supplemental math program for ALL students at GB that builds deep mathematical conceptual understanding. Last year, students who used ST Math consistently at GB had higher achievement levels on SBAC and i-Ready diagnostics. The end-of-year goal is that all students will meet 100% of their puzzle goal which is 2,200 puzzles. Here is a visual to track your student’s progress toward that goal. Check-in with them and see where they are. Students may access the program at home as well. It only takes a few minutes to solve several puzzles. At this point in the year, the goal is that all students should have completed 27% of their average puzzle progress so far.
Updates from 6th grade teachers: Please see weekly update here for 6th grade families: document will be updated each week by 6th grade staff:
Picture Retakes: Picture retakes are scheduled for Monday 12/16 for any students who did not get their pictures taken on 11/4.
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
Adventure Club: Students/families, Are you interested in adventure, the outdoors, and getting involved in the community? Are you ready to dive into a journey through an action and drama packed book? If you are interested in joining or want more information, please see Ms. Bilinsky (Room 706) or Mrs. Walker (Room 106) For 6th and 7th Grade, we will be offering Explorer Club this year! Sign-ups and applications will be out in December.
IXL Math Club: IXL Math is a great way to sharpen your math skills through engaging, interactive lessons that help you improve at your own pace. By joining the IXL Math Club, you’ll not only boost your math abilities but also have the chance to participate in fun field trips and earn Hayden Bucks, which can be redeemed for rewards. Participation takes place in-person on Thursdays after school, with after school buses available, or virtually for added flexibility. Don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity to learn, have fun, and earn prizes—join the IXL Math Club today!For more information and/or to sign-up, please see linked fliers IXL Club Flier 24-25 SY.pdf IXLMathClubRegistration.pdf or contact Crystal.braxton@colonial.k12.de.us Lozetta.hayden@colonial.k12.de.us
2024-2025 Yearbook Order Information: Get the BEST deal of the year! ORDER TODAY Order a yearbook for your student by Friday, October 4, 2024 and you’ll get it at the lowest price of the year! Link to order is 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.
Colonial Compass: Colonial Compass continues this week on Wednesday during period 5. Colonial Compass is a Colonial designed high school and career-readiness course for middle school students. The goal of Colonial Compass is to increase career exploration at the middle school level. Colonial decided to create a course designed to be implemented for 30 minutes, once a week. The course curriculum is being used by all three middle schools for 24-25 SY. The vision for the Colonial Compass program is for middle schoolers to leave middle school prepared for high school, college, and career. We want to empower students to better understand themselves and discover their greatest potential. Our vision is that students will leave middle school with an actionable plan to help them reach their high school, college, and career goals.
Car Rider Drop-off and Pickup Details: Update for afternoon pickup: parents/guardians, please stay in your car during pickup. It ensures a safe experience for students, families, and staff. If you have any questions, please speak with our school constable, Mr. Bond at afternoon pickup. 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.
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.
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:
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. 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.
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 |
Upcoming Events around the Colonial School District
Colonials Math Family Game Night: Colonial’s math department is excited to bring our staff and students together for a math family game night on December 4th at William Penn High School. Join us as we foster math joy with games, routines, and more! Refreshments will be provided. RSVP for students & families here:
Have a great rest of the day and remember, you can’t hide that Panther Pride!
Sincerely,
Bill Johnston
Principal
Gunning Bedford Middle School