Several students have asked me about free dress and spirit dress days--I suppose they’re longing for the freedom of summer! We are giving you a sneak peek for the first several months! The first non-uniform day is scheduled for September 24, and students may arrive in free dress or in Padres apparel/colors. Sixth graders will decide for November 19, whether it’s a free dress or themed-dress day, and their selection will be posted in the Sun and through Room...
Hello Gillipsie Families, This will start a series of emailed Special Notices that you will receive periodically throughout the school year. These notifications will be titled COVID-19 Updates so that you know the content entails important information regarding this topic. UPDATED MASK POLICY As are many public and private schools in San Diego, we are requiring adults and Kindergarten through Sixth Grade students to wear masks both indoors and outdoors as we open the school year. Early childhood students will be required to...
As I shared with Gillispie's Board of Trustees in my end-of-year report, it has been an extraordinary year for each and all of us. Reading the written comments from the 2021 Parent Survey, I recognize that parents missed being on campus to connect with each other and with their children's teachers. Yet, in thoughtful and different ways, we built and maintained a community. "It takes a village," and Gillispie is a Village. Adults on campus had to...
Hello Gillispie Families, With Holiday Break around the corner, I wanted to remind you about the protocols that we will be following to increase the likelihood of a safe return to school. Gillispie will welcome back early childhood students on January 4 and will be virtual for all elementary students the week of January 4. To come back to campus on Monday, January 11, all students in grades K through Grade 6 will be required to show the results of...
Dear Families, We hope that you have had a wonderful holiday and that you found a way to celebrate safely with loved ones. As the number of COVID-19 cases in San Diego continues to rise along with a sharp increase in hospitalizations, it remains essential for us to put all of our communal and concerted efforts into slowing the spread of the virus so that we may remain together on campus. What has worked for us thus far...
Keeping our community well is our highest priority. As such, we have been monitoring our community health during the normal cold and flu season, and also in consideration of the media coverage of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus. It is important that families continue to monitor the health and wellbeing of their children and themselves, and take all necessary, routine precautions that we would expect: washing hands, remaining home from school for at least 24-hours following any symptoms...
With bittersweetness, admiration, and respect, I announce that two incredibly accomplished and dedicated educators will be leaving at the end of this school year. Linda Jacobs, who has lovingly instructed our students for the past 29 years in music, and Laura Moore, who in her twelve years has nimbly taught elementary students library, technology, and media literacy skills, have big plans as they head into their future. These two women have been bedrocks in their areas of...
It certainly has been an exciting couple of weeks as the school year winds down! As an educator, I am always pleased to see students find their individual “sandboxes;” those places where they stretch themselves, gaining excitement and sense of purpose from the challenge. Recently, some of our fourth and fifth graders participated in the county-wide Science Field Day, collaboratively constructing catapults, paddle boats, towers, and a series of simple machines that delivered marbles into cups. This...
In recognition of the individuals who died tragically at Stoneham Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida a month ago, a number of teachers and parents joined yesterday in a short walk. In classrooms, teachers dedicated a period of time to read stories and hold discussions about courage, empathy, and making a difference in small or large ways. In consideration of age-appropriateness, it was our indirect way of commemorating lives lost—as a school, it is incumbent upon...
It has been heartbreaking to hear Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students and their parents speak out about the recent shooting. I remember the shock of what unfolded in Columbine High School in 1999 and continue to grapple with the surreal circumstances of school shootings since then. The school community, teachers, staff, and I, as Head of School, take very seriously the health and welfare of our students, and to that end, share with you the...