8th grade promotion ...

Yes, I know!  Too early to be talking of such things.  At the same time, we understand families needing to plan.  8th grade promotion will be Wednesday, May 20th at 7PM in the high school gym.

Favorite Holiday

There are several great holidays throughout the year.  Times for family, giving thanks, reflection, and appreciation for those around us.  However, Thanksgiving is my favorite.

As we enjoy family and those around us, we know it is just the beginning.  Just the start of holiday season.  When we know that more time together, celebration, connection, and joy is in store for us.  When we know it is ok to simply revel in the relationships we have and rededicate ourselves to our mission.

Wishing all our GKMS families a great holiday season.  We look forward to continuing our dedication to help all our kids succeed, excel, and contribute.  

Band Concert Change in Date!!!

Due to  a significant amount of missed rehearsal time for all band students recently, the Winter Concert date will be changed to Monday, December 8 at 7PM in the high school auditorium.  We look forward to seeing everyone there for a great performance!

A Good Dinner Helps our Band and Chorus!

Wednesday, November 12th is GKMS Band and Chorus night at the DeKalb NIU Chipotle!  Bring a flier, show this pic on your phone, or just tell the cashier you are there to support us.  50% of proceeds go to GKMS Band and Chorus!  Hope to see you there.

Matt Wilhelm visits GKMS

X Games and National BMX Champion, Matt Wilhelm, speaking with our students about living a bully-free life and working hard to make dreams come true.   Thanks to PTO for helping fund this event!  Yes, he did jump his bike over teachers and administrators.  Very uncomfortable, but at least he cleared us!

At GKMS we all work together to Say It if we See IT!  We all work together to create an environment where bullying is not encouraged by students or tolerated by adults. 

Chrome Book Insurance for 6th Grade

6th grade families, accidental breakage insurance is available to you should something happen to your student's chrome book.  There are many insurer's available to you. 

The information I sent home for Worth Ave is due to them being recommended by another district.  The online portal to register is:
https://my.worthavegroup.com/gkmsil 

GK School District 424 is not involved with any fees, claims, or contact with the insurance company.  That is handled directly by families who choose to do so.   Thanks 

 

What is WIN Class?

GKMS families are noticing WIN on their students' schedules.  What is WIN?  WIN stands for What I Need - a program I observed in Chatham last year.

If a student is in band they will miss WIN II.  All other kids have WIN I and WIN II. One of these will be directed to Reading, the other to Math.  Each student will be placed in a class specifically addressing an area of weakness or an area of strength.

If data shows us a student may be below grade level in one area, they will work to develop those skills through interventions to help them excel and reach grade level performance.  If a student is above grade level, they will be working on extension activities maximizing their strengths.

During WIN and WIN II time, students will be specifically working on what they need.  Feel free to contact the office with any questions.  

Chrome Book Open House

Thanks to all the 6th grade families that attended our Chrome Book Open House.   The turn out shows a level of family involvement everyone at GKMS greatly appreciates!

Twitter up, let's go!

Parents, go on over and follow GK Middle School on twtter!   https://twitter.com/gkmscogs
#letsgocogs

Exciting Time of the Year

We hope everyone has had a great summer so far!  Staff has been in all week working to establish a great learning environment for our students and already analyzing data to better articulate our standards based curriculum.  Exciting work, and we are happy to do it in order to give our students a better opportunity to excel.

We are all looking forward to a great start of the year!

Happy and Safe Summer

Wishing all our GKMS families a great summer.

As everyone enjoys new experiences in town and traveling around the country, we know August will find us ready to excel at a higher level than before.

All staff working with data and learning additional skills through independent study and university courses will bring new views to our interpretation of data and student learning.  Our PLC environment allowing us to work more efficiently at meeting each student's needs. 

Enjoy the summer, and I look forward to seeing everyone back for the first day of student attendance - August 13th.

Also, a reminder that walk in registration is July 30th from 11AM-6PM at any G-K building.

Not quite yet ...

No Time for Counting Down…

I don't usually do countdowns.  Life is too short to be wishing away today waiting

for tomorrow.  However, it is human nature to look forward to certain events, opportunities,

or times of the year.

Recently, I have begun hearing whispers on the breeze.  Perhaps a student smiling and telling me only this many days to go.  A parent casually stating x number weeks left.  A teacher commenting on how quickly the year is flying by.  My son at home making plans for a sports camp the first week off of school.  Countdown time?  No way!

We are fortunate at G-K schools to have been working diligently and continuously on mapping effective, standards base curriculum for all classes - for the entire year.  Skills taught and refined in the latter months of the school year are vital for student learning and preparation for what lies ahead this year and next.

All that work continues into June and beyond.

When the time comes, we will wish all our families a happy and safe summer.  But, not now.  Too much important learning to do and great experiences for kids to have here at GKMS! 

Spring has Sprung!

Actually, it is still snowing.  Surely, however, Spring will eventually arrive.  Wishing all of our GKMS families a happy and healthy Spring Break.  We look forward to seeing everyone recharged and ready to go on Monday, March 31st.  

ISAT Week!

This is a reminder to all parents that your student will be participating in the Illinois State Achievement Test.  ISAT testing is the measure for No Child Left Behind and school ranking within the state.  Students participate in ISAT from grades 3 to 8. 

The testing window is March 3^rd to March 14^th.  Students perform best following a good night sleep and a healthy breakfast.  As testing occurs primarily in the morning, please help ensure students are present by scheduling all appointments in the afternoon or after school hours.  We thank you for doing all you can to help ensure your student’s success.

8th Grade Promotion

We are aware that many families have already made plans and invited relatives for the previously released 8th grade promotion date.  Therefore, the date will remain Thursday, May 22nd despite recent emergency weather days.

Snowmageddon or The Locker Room

Last weekend, my son's hockey team that I coach was in St. Louis.  And a storm was coming.  Sunday morning was a mess.  The whole city under snow.  Blizzard conditions.  Talk of I55 already being closed in parts.  Of course, we couldn't leave until after our 10AM game against a team we have never beaten in 5 years.  Just take it.  So, we went to the game and played it with the kids calling out Snowmageddon! in the locker room.

Of course, I55 was closed by the time we got to Litchfield.  I received the call that school would be closed, secured a hotel room and finally had a chance to relax - and enjoy.  Once I stopped fighting the weather, I was able to appreciate the beauty and reflect on the morning.

For the first time in 5 years of playing this team, our 14 year olds beat the top team from St Louis.  3-2.  Certainly not a blow out, but a real win where we all played well.  We used to get blown out by this team.  Last year, actually gave them a decent run once.  Saturday, lost 2-5, but you could see the gap was closing.  Here we were in Litchfield with an extra day of the trip with my son, pizza and soda in the hotel, decent movie on tv, and fond thoughts of the morning.  What a great day.

We measure growth by comparison.  The gap had been closing and finally overcome.  This week and next our students are taking MAP assessments.  Perhaps some would rather skip over it, just get on the highway and move on, but like the boys' challenge Sunday morning being worth the effort, so is MAP assessment.  We measure student growth, meeting their goals, and a measure with national performance.  The data is used by teachers to specifically target instruction and help each student succeed.  Setting aside time to help each student be successful is always worth the effort.