Galena Unit School District #120

Galena Community, Staff, and Pirate Families- On behalf of the Galena School District, we would like to express our deepest gratitude for your support in approving the recent high school referendum. As you may know, the unofficial election results show that voters have approved the Galena High School referendum 1352 votes (65.09%) to 721 votes (34.91%). Thank you for trusting our school district and for taking the time to participate in yesterday's election. The voter turnout nearly doubled the percentage of the county and the primaries across the state. We understand that this decision was not made lightly, and we are humbled by the overwhelming support that we have received from the Galena community. Your generosity and commitment to our schools have demonstrated your understanding of the importance of education and the future of Galena High School. The much-needed improvements will create safe and more functional learning spaces at our high school and extend the useful life of existing facilities. Using referendum and District funds, the school will benefit from security and safety upgrades, accessibility improvements, renovations, and a classroom addition that will connect the recently-completed GEMS building with the future GHS building. We appreciate the community’s investment, and we understand our responsibility to use these funds wisely. We will continue to work diligently to ensure that every dollar is spent in the best interest of our students and our community. Thank you for all that you do - and have always done - to support the students of the Galena School District. Sincerely, Galena School District Board of Education and Tim Vincent, Superintendent https://youtu.be/xV0vjlY6YjU

Pirate Familes and Staff- All Galena students and staff will be on a 2 hour delay due to forecasted freezing rain tomorrow morning and morning Pre-K is canceled. The normal bus times and all start times are pushed back 2 hours. I'm sorry for the inconvenience but we want to keep our student drivers and busses safe in the morning; also to give families time for arrangements. Take your time in the morning tomorrow! Tim Vincent Superintendent Galena Unit School District #120

Good evening Staff and Families- Due to expected ice, snow, and rain tomorrow morning Galena students will be e-learning on Tuesday, January 23. Please look for an email from teachers and principals about procedures, which will be similar to previous weather events. As of now, extracurricular games and practices are on as scheduled but you will hear by noon if anything is canceled in the afternoon or evening. Stay safe! Tim Vincent Superintendent Galena Unit School District #120

The Galena School District and the Galena Education Foundation have partnered to provide the community an opportunity to nominate successful Galena Alumni for the Pirate Pride Award. The mission of the Pirate Pride Award is to recognize graduates who have impacted society in a positive manner through their outstanding accomplishments and contributions. Recognition for graduates (out of school a minimum of 10 years) is based on their contributions, accomplishments, and impact in life after graduation through any of the following areas: Community, State, National or World Impact Professional Careers Military Service Humanitarian Contributions Leadership Positions/Actions Intercollegiate Accomplishments Lifetime Achievements Contributions and accomplishments to the school district More information about the criteria and process may be found in the document below. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ervVWSdyF27-ysF-okd5Ja2fqGyhQRMdg18Ay9p6Mdk/edit To nominate a deserving candidate electronically for this award, please complete the following form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1hupJe9WWNmMa1lqB9w5PwOy3gvz5QxNojjUBqa_u6fM/edit Please consider nominating deserving alumni!

We are thrilled to announce that we were named the Non-Profit Business of the Year at the Galena Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner last night! Thank you to everyone who makes Galena Unit School District #120 such a special place.

Galena School District Students and Staff will be e-learning tomorrow, Tuesday January 16th, due to frigid and dangerous weather conditions. Wind chills will be -33 in the morning and not safe for students to be waiting for busses. Stay safe and warm!

Due to forecasted weather conditions, Galena School District will be e-learning tomorrow, January 12th for the scheduled half day of student attendance. All district buildings will be closed all day tomorrow. Enjoy your long weekend and see you Tuesday. Be safe!

The kindergarten class took a trolley ride through town to learn about the Galena community. The ride was the culminating activity of their research projects and the kids were excited to see everything they have been researching. Thank you to the Galena Trolley Depot!

This week we would like to recognize Paraprofessional Cora Gomoll! Cora is new to GEMS this year and we are very happy to have her on our team!

Good morning Pirate Staff and Families- Congratulations to the GHS Volleyball Team for making history at the IHSA State tournament this weekend! Since we did not have school on Friday, we have some changes to the school calendar moving forward: 1) Friday, December 8th will be a half day student attendance for the makeup of the SIP day. 2) We will make up the full day of school on Friday, March 29th. 3) The current last day of school will be Thursday, May 23rd. Go Pirates! Tim Vincent Superintendent Galena Unit School District #120

After the move of all kids and staff to the new school and keeping everything we need for the new school, we have surplus bookshelves, file cabinets, and various other items. We need to vacate the surplus furniture asap to make room for temporary rental space for community government and organizations. On Friday (tomorrow) from 130-4, Mr. Vincent will be at the Primary School and community members are able to take anything remaining they can put to use. Full disclosure--we have sold and reused anything with much value so most of the remaining is older storage and shelving. Anything left over will be recycled next week. Below is a link with pictures of the available items: https://galenaunitsdil.sites.thrillshare.com/page/items-for-sale All is free for the loading and hauling.

Great way to end the season for our 7th and 8th grade football teams with another win! 7th grade finished 6-0 and 8th grade wrapped up the year with a 5-1 season. Congratulations to the boys and coaches for all your hard work!

It was a great 1st Day at G.E.M.S.! We are already looking forward to Day 2 and the rest of a great school year!

Good afternoon Pirate Students, Staff, and Families- As the summer draws to a close, we find ourselves on the cusp of a new school year–a time of excitement and new beginnings for our community. Our ongoing construction project is drawing to a close and we are thrilled to provide our students with a safe and stimulating facility in which they can reach their fullest potential, funded entirely through tourism-driven 1% sales tax. As I stated in a previous communication, Galena Elementary and Middle School classrooms will be ready for students on September 5th. Both gyms, the locker rooms, and the music rooms will be completed approximately 6-8 weeks after we welcome back students from summer break. We hope you can attend the GEMS and GHS open house/orientation events below: Elementary and Middle School: August 30th from 4-6 High School: September 1st from 2-5 More information and specifics for students and staff will come directly from the principals. I can’t express how exciting the new facility will be for our community and students for generations of Galena families. The administration has spent the bulk of summer planning for new procedures that will affect both schools: morning arrival/dismissal logistics, lunch/breakfast routines, supervision of a larger building, sports/club schedules, and too many more to name in this communication. I ask for your patience as we put these plans into action with the start of a new school year. Shortly you will hear from principals with the details of these new routines and it is important that we are all on the same page. As the year starts, please continue to communicate with them with suggestions for improvements so we can run efficiently as possible. It’s also important to note that our work is not done–we are devoted to constantly impact our district in a positive manner. Our broad district goals for this year are to substantially improve the high school facility and to streamline efficient communication to the families we serve. We have been diligently working on those goals so we can hit the ground running, but you will begin hearing about our advancements toward these priorities in the next few months. I would be happy to sit down with anyone to go through these in detail. We are excited to welcome back familiar faces and new members to our school family. To our returning students, we look forward to witnessing your growth and accomplishments. To our new students, we extend a warm welcome and promise that you will find a place where you are valued, you belong, and you can thrive. In closing, we extend our heartfelt thanks for your unwavering support. We look forward to the possibilities ahead and the chance to work with our community to provide a brighter future for all. Tim Vincent Superintendent Galena Unit School District #120 Catch up with the latest student stories, events, and news updates. It's everything Galena School District, in your pocket. If you haven't already, download the app! Download for Android https://bit.ly/3M9fbTo Download for iPhone https://apple.co/3LgUxiW

From the GHS Booster Club: Due to the impending weather the Pirate Open is being moved to a 10 am shotgun start with check-in beginning at 9am. Please spread the word!

The GHS Football team hosted three sessions of football camp last week. Youth Camp 2-5 grade, MS Camp 6-8 grade, and our HS camp. Thursday, due to the excessive heat all groups met at the same time.

Greetings Pirate Staff, Students, and Families- A demanding but productive school year has drawn to a close. As we breathe a huge sigh of relief and launch into summer break, it is fitting to take a moment or two to reflect on how far we have come and where we are headed. First, I want to recognize all of our staff for the dedication, talent, energy and care you bring to your work. You are making a visible difference for our students, families and community. It has been wonderful for me to visit classrooms at all schools this year and to spend time with employees and students. I am always impressed by the teaching and learning taking place in our schools, and it is obvious that everyone is deeply committed to our school community, and the students benefit greatly from these efforts. During the final weeks of school, we have had so much to celebrate - students’ final performances, showcases, promotion, and graduation. Thank you to all of you for taking the time to appreciate the students’ achievements and encouraging them to find joy in their accomplishments. A big thank you goes out to our employees who are retiring this year-Heidi O’Shea, Joan Peters, and Jackie Werner. We want to express our sincerest thanks for your years of service to the students in Galena, and we wish you the best in your future endeavors. The impact you have on our students is critical to their success and our society’s future. As all of you know, we are at the beginning of a long summer to get as much construction done in the current middle school. I am pleased with the progress of the addition (which is nearly finished) and now we turn our focus to a total renovation of the spaces at the current middle school. When we come back in September, you should expect that the interior renovation will largely be done, with the new gym being finished in the fall. While the project has gone remarkably smooth, the students and staff have lived through an entire school year in a construction zone and I commend them for their flexibility and understanding through the process. A very special thanks to the GPS and GMS crew today who moved almost an entire building worth of furniture in just a few hours. We are extremely grateful for the end product when everything will be finished in late Fall. The new school will be a highlight of pride for our community, and I am thankful to the Board for their support of a project that was funded through our 1% sales tax driven by tourism and not local property taxes. The new Galena Elementary and Middle School will bring positive changes for our district, including ensuring that our PK through 8th grade students are in a facility that is safe and conducive to learning for decades to come. With this combination to one PK-8th grade building, I am thrilled that we will be able to lean on Mr. Soat’s leadership as the Principal and pivot Mrs. Muehleip to Associate Principal, where she will focus on social emotional learning, special education leadership, and parent outreach. I am confident in both of these school leaders in their new roles to direct our school to a culture of pride and excellence. The collective staff coming together from both buildings will provide additional opportunities for students and staff and I am excited for the future for all involved. Later this summer, I will invite the community to an open house to view the upgrades and tour the entire facility. Speaking of building upgrades, a facility committee has been meeting about facility master planning for Galena High School, which is in dire need of physical upgrades. This planning group of board members and school facility experts have already devoted dozens of hours looking at site plans and interior concepts for the future of GHS. This advisory group has been tasked with making a recommendation to the school board and have meetings scheduled through December. It is our objective to provide students with a safe, innovative learning environment from PK-12th grade while being good stewards for the taxpayers of this community. There will be more to come and the meetings are open to the public-if you are interested in attending please contact me and I will provide you with further details. We’re grateful to our teachers, staff, and families who contribute to our success and to all the students who give us hope. We can say with pride that we have helped these students reach their full potential and there is more positive work ahead. Thank you for your support during the 22-23 school year. Tim Vincent Superintendent Galena Unit School District

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a public hearing will be held on Monday, April 24th at 6:00 p.m. in the Galena High School Library, 1206 N. Franklin Street, Galena, IL 61036 to hear testimony on the intention of the Board of Education of Galena School District #120 to request a modification of State Board Rules and/or School Code Mandates. It is the intent of the District to improve student achievement and to recruit and maintain highly qualified staff. The purpose of the Hearing will be to receive public comment on the proposed waiver of school tuition for children of full-time Galena USD #120 employees. BOARD OF EDUCATION, GALENA UNIT SCHOOL DISTRICT #120

STATE BOUND! Last night Chase, Nick, Cooper & Summer interviewed at the district level in their proficiency areas. THREE are advancing to the Final Five at the state level! Chase Dittmar STATE BOUND in Agricultural Communications Nick Handfelt STATE BOUND in Agricultural Processing Cooper Einsweiler STATE BOUND in Safety Summer Belken represented our chapter and Section well in Agricultural Education! We are so proud of this crew and wish them luck as they prepare to compete on March 25!!

Galena School District will be on a 2 hour delay tomorrow, Thursday, February 23rd with no morning pre-K. We are so sorry for the inconvenience this causes but are not confident rural roads will be safe for school bus travel in the morning.