Holly McKnight comes into my class once a week to help run reading groups. She is always willing to step in and help and does it with a smile. I am so thankful to have her as a parent and classroom volunteer!
A heartfelt thank you to the GEMS PTO for generously volunteering your time to support our students and teachers. Your dedication makes a meaningful difference, and we’re so grateful for all that you do!
At GEMS, we are fortunate to have two exceptional secretaries who make a big impact every single day, Jessica Bailey and Connie Green.
Jessica is the welcoming face and voice of GEMS. She greets students, staff, and families with kindness, manages attendance, assists students when the nurse is away, and handles countless daily tasks with patience and care. Her deep knowledge of Skyward and calm approach help keep our front office running smoothly.
Connie keeps our finances on track and supports staff with event planning, facility use, and athletic programs. She helps coordinate subs to ensure every classroom is covered and is always quick to find answers when policy questions arise. Her behind-the-scenes work is essential to our success.
We appreciate Jessica and Connie for their dedication, professionalism, and everything they do to support GEMS. Thank you both for all you do!
Jessica Gortsema volunteers hours and hours to the music program. She heads up decorations for the concerts and makes the T-shirts for us. She is the first to volunteer for chaperoning or anything else I need including stitching up costumes and bean bags for our plays!
Genny Lutz comes in two mornings a week to help with literacy in our class. She helps kids practice their spelling words, she works with individual students on their reading fluency, and she works with kids on their writing. Everyone smiles when Genny walks in the room! We’re so lucky to have her volunteer in our room.
Kim Kaschmitter comes in once a week to help in the classroom. Whether it’s grading, organizing, helping during a whole group lesson, Kim jumps right in wherever there’s a need. I don’t even have to ask. She sees the need and fills that need. She is a huge help in our classroom and we love having here.
Mrs. Wasem's and Mrs. Frei's classes spent some time today picking up trash on the playground and around the school to celebrate Earth Day. This is some of the garbage that was picked up. Picking up trash helps the Earth by reducing pollution, protecting wildlife from harmful debris, and keeping natural environments clean and healthy.
The students at GEMS celebrated our bus drivers today by making signs and cheering them on as they drove up to take our students home. Thank you to our incredible bus drivers!
Missy Orgish's son is a student in Mrs. Wellard's third grade. She volunteers for that class, but she gladly steps in to help all of the 2nd and 3rd grade team! She is an amazing parent volunteer who spends every Monday helping decorate the hallway, preparing things for students, working with small groups, and keeping the teachers organized. She is greatly appreciated by everyone on that team, especially Mrs. Wellard!
Calen Wolter makes our classroom a better place every Tuesday. She assists every student during reading time and even ensures that our iPads are clean and sanitized for our class. We appreciate her taking the time to support our class very much.
Pete Lane works with 4th, 5th, and 6th-grade math students every day! He is amazing to give of his time and talents to our kids:)
Sadee Petersen comes on Wednesdays and supports the classroom by reading with students, giving one-on-one instructional help, testing students' knowledge in sounds, correcting papers, and helping with art projects. She is open to helping in any way I need her as well.
Kenzie Losberger volunteers often in the classroom. She helps during classroom parties as well as volunteers frequently in our classroom doing whatever is helpful to us. She has taken students to the book fair, helped with math and reading, and provided general classroom support. We appreciate her a great deal!
Week of April 7: 4th-6th Grade Bulldogs of the Week
Week of April 7: 2nd-3rd Grade Bulldogs of the Week
Week of April 7: K-1st Grade Bulldogs of the Week
Wow! Our attendance this week was the best it's been since December. We were almost at 96% attendance for the week. That's amazing!
Mrs. Wasems class earned a walking field trip to the city library. We learned how a library works. played a fun scavenger book hunt, received a water bottle and stickers and learned about the exciting plans for the summer reading program. Thank you to the ladies at the library for the fun experience.
Performing yoga moves to story books was a hit! We also served delicious ice cream sandwich sundaes that added a sweet touch to the festivities! It was a pleasure to share our students' amazing work and present them with wonderful choices at the book fair. Your support makes a difference in fostering a love for reading in the students at GEMS!
Thank you once again for being part of our community and for making literacy a priority in your families. We can’t wait for the next event!
Last night, we had a fantastic time at our family literacy event, and we want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the families who joined us! Your enthusiasm and participation made the evening truly special. A huge shoutout to our amazing GEMS staff for planning such a wonderfully engaging night! We enjoyed a delightful play based on "The Gruffalo," had fun playing Bingo for books and various literacy games, and even raffled off some incredible baskets filled with books.
Make sure to swing by Literacy Night at GEMS tomorrow, April 16, from 4 to 6 p.m. for a chance to snag one of these awesome baskets or an eWallet for the Scholastic Book Fair! You won’t want to miss out!
Book Swap
PTO has partnered with GEMS to assist with the Scholastic Book Fair (4/14 - 4/17, 2025). Volunteers are needed to help students and others make purchases by running the registers. Shifts are available on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday in both the morning and afternoon. Each shift is 2.5 or 3 hours. If you are able to sign up for multiple shifts, it would be greatly appreciated. Click the link below for specific dates and times to sign up. Thank you for your help!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4CACAC2AA6F4C34-56274617-book
Mrs. Rambo's third grade class cashed in another whole classroom reward. The kids earned root beer floats. One of the students made the celebration even more fun by bringing her pet pony to share with the class. The class enjoyed meeting Tony the pony and feeding him carrots. Thank you Kaschmitters for making the party so much fun!
Week of March 24: 4th-6th Grade Bulldogs of the Week
Week of March 24: 2nd-3rd Grade Bulldogs of the Week
