We have been very lucky to have had such great weather on the field for P.E.! Elementary students have been doing regular workouts, playing various tag games, and just finished up the very popular hockey unit. Grades K-2 played noodle hockey (which is simpler and safer than traditional field hockey) while Grades 3-6 students played a version of 4-on-4 street hockey on the grass. Fun was had by all! We are now transitioning into our modified volleyball unit for the...
With families making potential plans for travel over the Presidents’ Day extended weekend, we are reviewing our guidance because it's considered a high-risk activity by the State and County. If your family is traveling greater than 120 miles from home, the student needs to quarantine upon return to their place of residence in San Diego for 10 days before returning to Gillispie. If they get tested on Day 7 of that quarantine and the PCR test result...
We are always in awe of the way our students shine inside AND outside of school. Just this week, we saw Emma in Grade 4 highlighted in the San Diego Union-Tribune as the winner of Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist Steve Breen's caption contest. Over the past two years, we have had other budding creative writers published. Emma was a K-12 Winner with her witty caption, "So who wants to top off this meeting?" for Breen's illustration of congregating condiments (see above). We also...
By now you should have all received an invitation to Gillispie’s upcoming {virtual} FUNdraising Fiesta, to be held on March 6th. So many of you have already responded by underwriting, purchasing dinners, and indicating your attendance. We are excited! This is Gillispie’s largest fundraising event of the year, and there are many ways you can help: 1. Attend! We would love to have you at our party, and there is no cost to participate! 2. Want to up the “festive...
During the winter break, our amazing teachers in Cypress Room did some classroom rearranging! The children were surprised to see the "new classroom" and played as if it was their first day of school. "I've never played here before!" one student said. They have been enjoying counting with red pegs, looking for golden coins at the sensory station, hopping with frogs at the large wooden table, and making colorful designs using marbles on a Chinese checkerboard....
To borrow from and add to the inertia of their classroom study of ancient Egypt, Grade 6 students took a break from their genetics studies in Science to focus on mummification. Using apples from the garden, students carved and weighed miniature heads and packed them in salt. Over several cycles of weighing and repacking (and even using a food desiccator), we saw the original mass of the heads decrease substantially as water was lost, mirroring the mummification process. The final...
As an additional measure to keep our students and teachers safe and our campus open, Gillispie will begin regular surveillance COVID testing next Monday, January 25. By testing a sampling of students for COVID-19 in each elementary class each week, the School will have a stronger ability to head off any possible outbreaks on campus. Approximately half of the students in each homeroom will be tested between Monday and Wednesday of one week and the other half...
Here are links to the most updated information from the San Diego County of Health and Human Services Agency: The newest version of the COVID-19 Symptom Decision Tree (1/11/21) Quarantine Timelines Based on the Decision Tree Isolation Timelines Based on the Decision Tree Parent/Family Guidance on Symptom Checking The Centers for Disease Control's Latest Travel Advisory Guidelines Thank you for your continued support in trying to keep us safe....
I wish each of you family time and lots of “game-on” fun as we head into the Holiday Break. Below are resources shared by parents at our Early Childhood and Elementary check-ins. Some of these bring out the competitive edge while others require a team effort (for example, see games by Peaceable Kingdom). In addition to your great suggestions, our fifth and sixth graders, as our on-campus experts, added a few of their favorites. Besides their choices listed below,...
Greetings, Gillispie Families! Many of us draw strength from metaphors that keep us going when we experience extremely challenging times. Some of us would say we are soldiers going to war against the enemy known as COVID-19, while others see ourselves as goalkeepers in an incredibly high-stakes game, who will not let our guards down. Right now, I feel like I am facing off with a raging storm, always thinking about what is the next right move...