Gilmer County Elementary School

⭐️🎉A huge THANK YOU to the amazing local businesses that helped make Teacher Appreciation Week extra special for our GCES staff! Shoutout to: • Ashley Butcher • GSU Dining Department (donated lunch!) • Foodland • Glenville McDonald’s • Glenville Family Dentistry – a BIG thank you for donating all the ice cream and toppings for our celebration! We’re also incredibly thankful for our PTO, who sponsored and planned all of the week’s events. Special thanks to our PTO president Elania Rhodes, along with Britni Price, Becky Chesser, April Jenkins, and Julie Perrin for helping pick up, set up, and make everything run smoothly! It really was a fantastic week of goodies. #GoGilmer

🍋✨ 3rd Grade Lemonade Wars are coming! ✨🍋 Join us on Wednesday, May 21st from 1:00–2:30 PM for a sweet showdown like no other! Our creative and hardworking 3rd graders will be setting up their very own lemonade stands—complete with themes, decorations, and a “secret ingredient” twist! 😋🎨💡 🧃 Lemonade cups will be $1 to $2 — please bring correct change if possible! 📣 Families, community members, and friends — everyone is invited to come out and support our young entrepreneurs as they put their teamwork, marketing, and math skills to the test! Let’s make this a fun and memorable day for our 3rd graders! 💛🍋

Happy Teacher Appreciation Day—and Week! At Gilmer County Elementary School, we are incredibly thankful for our amazing team of educators. Each day, they pour their hearts into helping our Wildcats learn, grow, and shine. This week, we celebrate their dedication, passion, and the lasting impact they make in our students’ lives. Thank you, GCES teachers—you are truly appreciated! #GoGilmer

GSU Middle/High School Honor Band Clinic 2025 Congratulations to GCES 5th grade students Phoebe Bailey, Lindsey Kinder, and Ariel Sponaugle who participated in the Glenville State University Middle School/High School Honor Band Clinic on May 2nd & 3rd. This event is held annually and has participation from middle school and high school students from around the state. This year’s clinic involved 163 students divided into two separate bands. The girls had to audition on Friday morning for their chair (position within their instrument section) and all did very well even though they were the youngest musicians there. They rehearsed with their band on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, then presented a wonderful concert on Saturday afternoon. These girls worked extremely hard to be able to participate in this event and we are very proud of them. #GoGilmer

GSA Testing Reminder! Our 3rd–5th grade Wildcats will be taking the General Summative Assessment May 5-7 (with an extra session for 5th grade on May 8). Please help your child do their best by making sure they: ✅ Get a good night’s sleep ✅ Eat breakfast ✅ Arrive at school on time And check out this adorable motivator! Former GCES Wildcat Lindsey Cottrill made this crocheted opossum to cheer on our students—complete with a tiny sign that says “Do ✅ on GSA!” We love the support! Let’s show what we know, Wildcats!

🐾GCES Wildcats: Week At-A-Glance🐾

Gilmer County Elementary students in grades 3–5 will be taking the General Summative Assessment (GSA) May 5–7. In addition, 5th grade will have one final testing day on May 8. To help your child do their best: 🌙 Make sure they get a good night’s sleep 🍳 Eat breakfast ⏰ Arrive to school on time If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the school. We’re proud of our Wildcats and know they’re ready to shine! Go Wildcats #GoGilmer

Congratulations to Emmalee Frederick and Hunter Workman for representing Gilmer County at Young Writers Day in Charleston, West Virginia! We are so proud of these two talented students and the hard work they put into their writing. Gilmer County Elementary is cheering you two on—way to go, Emmalee and Hunter! #GoGilmer

⭐️We’re so proud of Lucy Hutchison, a 4th grader at Gilmer County Elementary School, who represented our county at Young Writers Day in Charleston, WV! Lucy’s creativity and hard work earned her a spot among some of the state’s most talented young authors. Way to go, Lucy; your Wildcat family is cheering you on. #GoGilmer

Mrs. Chesser’s 4th grade math students were on the move today! To sharpen their multiplication and division skills, students kicked things off with a fast-paced Tic-Tac-Toe Relay—solving problems to earn their spot on the board! Next came the Egg on a Spoon Challenge, where teamwork and math went hand-in-hand. Students raced to collect eggs and tackled multi-step word problems to earn more! The grand finale? Math Bowling! Each correct answer earned a chance to bowl—and every pin knocked down added to the team’s score as they reviewed fractions, decimals, and line plots. Way to make math fun and active, Wildcats! #GoGilmer

☀️GCES May Calendar of Events☀️

Mrs. Thorne’s first graders turned their classroom into a mini marketplace! Using play money, students practiced real-world math skills by purchasing candy and fun items from a classroom store. This hands-on activity helped them strengthen their understanding of counting coins, making change, and being smart shoppers—all while having a blast! #GoGilmer

Gilmer County Elementary School is proud to announce Mrs. Amber Fox as the 2024-2025 Gilmer County Elementary School Teacher of the Year. Mrs. Fox’s passion for teaching, dedication to her students, and stolid commitment to building lifetime learners has made her a standout educator and beloved member of the GCES community. I became a teacher because I simply love being around children”, said Fox. “I love making connections with kiddos – especially the challenging ones – and helping them learn and gain confidence.” Seventeen years ago, Mrs. Fox started her career as an educator as a Title 1 Reading specialist at Pleasant Hill elementary school. After seven years of service, she moved to Glenville Elementary School. Afterward, she served for four years as the SAT Coordinator and Academic Coach at the new Gilmer County Elementary, where she has now taught for the past six years as a third-grade teacher. Upon receiving the honor, Mrs. Fox expressed her gratitude, saying, "It’s truly an honor to be named Gilmer County Elementary’s Teacher of the Year. I’m grateful and humbled." As a devoted member of the GCES staff, Mrs. Fox has earned considerable respect from her colleagues. GCES Principal Tyson Price praised Mrs. Fox’s incredible dedication to her students, stating, “The level of commitment to teaching that Mrs. Fox demonstrates each and every day is commendable. She builds deep, positive, and long-lasing relationships with her students. They respect her, and she shows them the same – she doesn’t accept failure from her students – and her data proves it!” Mrs. Fox expressed that the simple joys found in daily interactions with her students serve as the inspiration for her tireless efforts in the classroom. “I love coming to school and finding moments to laugh and connect with them”, said Fox. “Of course, we do a lot of learning and working, but it’s those small moments of joy, curiosity, and even silliness that make every day meaningful. Looking to the future, Mrs. Fox hopes to continue to nurture her students’ love for reading and learning. She hopes to continue reading a great deal of books with her students and to foster a life-long love of reading and reading traditions. Gilmer County Schools congratulates Mrs. Amber Fox on her well-deserved recognition and thanks her for her exemplary dedication to her students, her school, and the greater community. We are excited to see all she will continue to accomplish as she now moves forward to compete for Gilmer County Schools Teacher of the Year.

🐾GCES Wildcats: Week At-A-Glance🐾

🥞☕ You're Invited to Our Title I Parent Breakfast! Join us Friday, May 9 at 9:00 a.m. in the GCES Cafeteria for a light breakfast and meaningful conversation about how we can support student success—together! We'll be reviewing: ✅ Title I paperwork ✅ The county's strategic plan ✅ The parent involvement policy This is a great opportunity to ask questions, share ideas, and partner with us for a successful school year. 📅 Please RSVP by Friday, May 2, 2025. 📌 See the flyer below !

Jamie Mullins joined Mrs. Sprouse’s 2nd grade science classes for a STEAM activity called The Dragon in the Library! Students used hard-boiled eggs to make predictions and test their theories. Would the dye color just the cracks, the whole shell, or even the yolk? It was an egg-citing way to blend science and curiosity! #GoGilmer

🌟 Happy Administrative Professionals Day! 🌟 Gilmer County Elementary would like to give a huge shoutout to our incredible administrative professionals, Christina and Heidi! Your hard work, organization, and constant support keep our school running smoothly every single day. Thank you for all you do — we appreciate you more than words can say!

From all of us at Gilmer County Elementary — Happy School Bus Driver Appreciation Day! Thank you to our amazing bus drivers for your dedication, patience, and the care you show our students each and every day. You are truly the first and last smile they see, and we are so grateful for all you do!

🐾GCES Wildcats: Week At-A-Glance🐾

STEAM Night at GCES was another great success this year! With as many as 73 students participating, Dr. Kooken and her pre-service education students prepared and presented 17 STEAM stations for students and families to engage in, while Mrs. Barker and her GCHS STEAM students presented 3 STEAM stations. The evening's theme was STEAM Around the World. Students received a passport to travel to the stations, which were all tied to a location in the world. Upon departure from the event, students "claimed baggage" which included a STEAM Kit activity to take and make at home. We are very thankful to GCES Title I teachers, Mrs. Shuff, Mrs. Perrin and Mrs. Canfield, for helping to organize this event in partnership with GSU, GCHS and Save the Children afterschool program, Wildcat University. Be sure to mark your calendars and plan to join us for next year's STEAM Night. #GoGilmer Please Click the Link Below for the STEAM NIGHT Album: https://www.flickr.com/gp/198674518@N05/y83gE2698d