Good Evening Panther Families, My name is Mr. Johnston and I’m excited to work with you and your family this school year. It is going to be a great year! This is my 17th year in the Colonial School District. I have been a teacher at William Penn High School and an administrator across all of our secondary schools in Colonial during my career. I started at Gunning Bedford in 2022 and can’t wait to begin the school year together. Linked here is a picture of my family and I (wife Lauren, daughter Nora, & son Luke).Each week this year, I will share an update to families the day before we return to school each week (That will usually be Sunday’s). The email/text will go out around 5PM each time. Please review the information each week from the update with your student. Below is our first update to Panther Families:
Upcoming events: Walkthrough Night: Thursday 8/22, 4:30PM-6:30PM. Walkthrough night is an evening at our school to see the building, ask questions of our administrative staff, walk the hallways, and see homerooms.
-Monday 8/26 is the first day of school for 6th grade students ONLY. 7th and 8th grade students do not attend until Tuesday 8/27.
-Tuesday 8/27, all students will attend, it will be the first day for 7th & 8th grade students.
-No school on Friday 8/30 & Monday 9/2 in observance of the Labor Day Holiday.
-No school on Tuesday 9/10 staff professional development day.
-Our Open House is on Thursday 9/19 in the evening. More details will be shared in coming weeks.
District Calendar: The school district calendar for the 24-25 school year is linked here:
Student Schedules: Students will receive their schedules on the first day of school in their homeroom class. If a student does not know their homeroom classroom, staff will support them at arrival getting to their homeroom. Home Access is scheduled to open for families later this week.
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. Thank you for your understanding and your partnership in keeping our students safe.
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:
| 11:05-11:35 | 8 lunch |
| 11:47-12:17 | 6 lunch |
| 12:27-12:57 | 7 lunch |
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: 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.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. 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.
Fall Sports & After School Activities: Our Fall sports are co-ed Soccer and girls field hockey. Our after school activities will begin on Wednesday September 4th. For questions about sports, please contact our athletic director, Mr. Brelick via email, here:
Health Office Information: Our school nurse is Ms. Taylor & her email is: olivia.taylor@colonial.k12.de.us
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:
Change of Address/information Documents: Link in Spanish: Link in English:
If you have updated your address or contact information, please use the link below, to complete the form so that the office is aware of the change, and we can update your student’s file as soon as possible. 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 level assistant principals, student advisor 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