The Gillispie School

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2008-2009 Events

Sept. 15: Hot Lunch Program Begins

Sept. 17, 18 and 19: Picture Days

Sept. 17: Parent Coffee with Head, Toddler Families, 8:45-9:45 a.m.

Sept. 18: Back to School Night, 6:00 p.m.

Sept. 19: Student Council Rep. Elections

Sept. 22: Fall Enrichment Begins

Sept. 24: Parent Coffee with Head, Preschool Families, 8:45-9:45 a.m.

Oct. 1: Parent Coffee with Head - PK, 8:45-9:45 a.m.

Oct. 8: Parent Coffee with Head - EK, 8:45-9:45 a.m.

Oct. 10: Family Hoe Down, 5:00-7:00 p.m.

Oct. 13: Faculty In-Service (No School)

Oct. 15: Parent Coffee with Head - K, 8:45-9:45 a.m.

Oct. 17: Parent Coffee with Head - Grade 1, 8:45-9:45 a.m.

Oct. 19: Warwicks' Event, 5:30-7:00 p.m.

Oct. 23: Parent Coffee with Head - Grade 2, 8:45-9:45 a.m.

Oct. 24: Parent Coffee with Head - Grade 3, 8:45-9:45 a.m.

Oct. 29: Parent Coffee with Head - Grade 4, 8:45-9:45 a.m.

Oct. 31: Halloween Celebration

Gillispie Goes Solar!

Michael Candra
Mr. Candra
Environmental Coordinator
Visit the Sustainability Website!

SOLAR PANELS ENERGIZE SCHOOL: Mayor Sanders to "power up" La Jolla school's solar array and sustainability curriculum.

(La Jolla) On Friday, February 29, 2008, San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders will help The Gillispie School celebrate its new 276-panel solar array and accompanying sustainability curriculum.

Mayor Sanders will join 300 children, toddlers through Grade 6, in a morning assembly from 9-9:30 a.m. to ceremonially "flip the switch" on the array. The assembly will also include a brief video of the panels being installed, a short lesson on how the panels work, and the children singing a song about the role of the sun in their lives.

The school has partnered with SDG&E and the California Center for Sustainable Energy to install its array over 53,300 square feet of roof space. The panels, which comprise a 41.4 KW DC photovoltaic system, can supply enough energy to power seven single family homes a year and will meet a significant percentage of Gillispie's electricity needs. In January alone the array saved more than 35,000 pounds of CO2 from being emitted into the atmosphere.

The assembly will also mark the launch of a curricular initiative titled Gillispie del Sol. As one of San Diego's leading independent schools, Gillispie already is engaging students in lessons about a number of sustainability topics, including recycling, composting, and schoolyard gardening. "Our new solar array will provide the anchor for exploring a wealth of 'school as ecosystem' concepts," said Margie Edwards, Interim Head of School. Gillispie del Sol will help frame for teachers and students numerous cross curricular connections to the many roles the sun plays in students' lives.

For example, Grades 3-6 students will go online at www.gillispie.org/sun to track current data about electricity generation. They will then use the data to develop their math and science skills by calculating variations in the amount of energy generated across days and seasons due to changes in the weather.

The Gillispie School is an independent, co-educational school for 300 students in early childhood through the sixth grade. The school�s program is designed to provide an enriching education in a safe, nurturing environment that develops the whole child and addresses each student's strengths and capabilities. Gillispie faculty and staff strive to graduate students who are enthusiastic about learning, respect diverse backgrounds and talents, and exhibit strength of character.