Good Evening Panther Families, we hope everyone has enjoyed the grey weekend with family & friends. We have our first spring DeSSA testing this week with ELA. We are excited to see the hard work of our students & staff displayed in their learning growth this year.
Upcoming Dates/Events:
Monday 4/06/25 is an A Day for exploratory classes
District Calendar: The school district calendar for the 24-25 school year is linked here:
Spring Break: Spring Break Begins on Thursday April 17th. We return from Spring Break on Monday, April 28th.
New Updates
DeSSA Testing this Week: Spring DeSSA testing will begin on Tuesday, April 8. Students are demonstrating their learning growth in ELA on Tuesday & Wednesday. The assessment will occur from 8:20-10:20 on Tuesday & Wednesday. Afterwards, we will follow an adjusted class schedule for the day. Please view video about assessment security with your student here from the Delaware Department of Education:
2025 Delaware School Climate Survey for Families: Panther Families, we are asking you to complete this survey so that we can learn what parents and guardians think about our school. Your thoughts and opinions are important. By completing this survey, your experiences and opinions will be included in our plans as we build on our strengths and work to make improvements. The survey will only take about 15 minutes to complete. If you have more than one child in this school, please complete the survey with one child’s experiences in mind. Deadline to complete is Friday 4/11.
Panther Sports: Away games/meets @ Talley; Student-athletes & coaches will dismiss at 1:00. Home games/meets on Wednesday. Upcoming games/meets are here: https://www.panthers-sports.com/
Field Trips this Week: Monday, chorus students to Mid-County Senior Center with Lierenz. Please excuse students @ 9:30. Students will return by 12:30 PM.
Colonial Compass this Week: Thursday is Colonial Compass Day instead of Wednesday. Students will report to their Compass classroom for period 5 on Thursday.
Marking Period 3 Honor Roll Assemblies: We will be having our 3rd marking period honor roll assemblies next Wednesday, April 16th. An email/text will be sent with additional details to families this week.
One School, One Book Final Project Completed: Thank you so much for your support during our One Book, One School program this year. As a recap, the students and staff of Gunning Bedford read the novel LINKED by Gordon Korman. Please view the summary of the final project here:
Upcoming Art Show: Please see details here: 2025 art show4.jpg
Upcoming Event for Families: Please see details here for April 15th evening event with a Tech Life Expert: tech life steph event2.jpg
Colonial School District March/April Math Family Newsletter: It is linked here with lots of great resources and information! Please check out!
Updates from 6th grade teachers: Please see weekly update here for 6th grade families: document will be updated each week by 6th grade staff:
Updates from 7th grade teachers: Please see weekly update here for 7th grade families: document will be updated each week by 7th 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
Student Kudos: David Beasley has been a part of the Black Student Union at Gunning Bedford for several years now. This year he joined the planning committee with United Way to organize the Statewide Student EmPOWERment Summit that was held yesterday, April 5th. He was asked to write an article from a student’s perspective. We are proud to share that his article was recently published in the Bay to Bay News and was included in the most recent United Way Communication that goes out to over 30,000 people.The article is linked here:
Rolling Updates
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.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: Order a yearbook for your student Link to order is here:
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: Parents/guardians, please stay in your car during pickup. It ensures a safe experience for students, families, and staff. 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. 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: 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 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 are:
| 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: 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.’
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. 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 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 *The 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 Administrator: Mr. Sopkanich | 7th Grade: Mr. Arent |
| 8th Grade AP: Mrs. Nowell | 8th Grade: Ms. Pine |
| ILC Administrator: Mrs. 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