The annual GPS Toy Drive will be held the week of November 28th-December 2nd. We will be collecting items for families in our community, who are in need this holiday season.
New items needed for donations:
- Clothing of all sizes - Toys for all ages- Socks of all sizes - Family games/puzzles- Hats, mittens, gloves - Blankets, pillows, sheets
- Children’s books - Art and school supplies- Gift cards
Poopsie's is offering 25% off items purchased for our toy drive!
**If you are a family in need of extra assistance this holiday season,
please contact our local police department at (815) 777-2131.**
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
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
Our last day at Galena Primary School!
May 12, 2023
The 2nd Annual GPS Art Show will be held on April 6th from 4:30 - 6:30 PM. Stop in to see some great artwork from our students! Birds. food truck and Koppes Creations will be on site as well.
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.
Due to the Ice Storm Warning, Galena Unit School District will be holding an e-learning day tomorrow, 2-22-23. Stay safe!
Due to the forecasted weather and Winter Storm Warning for tomorrow the Galena School District will be participating in an e-learning day tomorrow, February 16th, 2023. The Galena Middle School girls' basketball game vs. Shullsburg has been rescheduled to Friday (tomorrow) at 4pm and there will be no practices at GMS. GHS Athletic Director Mr. Freed or the basketball coaches will be in contact about tomorrow's activities and potential dates for rescheduling.
Finally, thank you for your participation during e-learning last Thursday as we had over 95% student attendance.
Be Safe!
We are excited to welcome our students back from break on January 3rd! Our winter-themed hallway is ready, filled with lots of cool and creative snowmen, and at the end, a couple of very cute penguins!
Tonight (11/22) is our PBIS Share Night at Culvers! Dine in or carry out from 5-8 PM to support the PBIS program at Galena Primary. Hope to see you there! Thank you!
Here are some important dates and reminders for GPS!
*Tomorrow, November 22nd we will dismiss early, at 2:00 PM, for Thanksgiving break. *GPS will have our annual Toy Drive the week of Nov. 28th - Dec. 2nd. *The GPS annual Food Drive will be held the week of December 5th - 9th.
Have a happy Thanksgiving!
GPS families: Don't forget to check the Digital Locker on our website for information on upcoming events and community activities! To do this, visit our website at https://www.gusd120.k12.il.us/o/gps, in the drop down menu click on Documents, select Galena Primary School, then Virtual Backpack.
Our 3rd Graders are working on letter writing. Mrs. Feyen's class wrote a thank you letter together to give to Mrs. Digman!
The GHS Key Club will be offering Halloween Babysitting on October 28th from 6:00 - 9:00 PM. Permission forms and information was sent home with students this week! You can also find the registration form in the Virtual Backpack on our website!
Color Run fun! Thanks to the PTK and everyone who helped! Check out these colorful kids!
The PTK is hosting a COLOR RUN for The Pre- K through 4th grade students and staff on Thursday, September 15th at Rec Park! We hope for a great turn out, but in order to plan, we are asking for you to RSVP your child by 9/2/22. Please follow the link attached to RSVP your child. You will see time slots designated per grade levels. Those are suggested time slots to help keep each session as close in size as possible, with similar sized/aged kids. In the event you are unable to make the specific time slot, feel free to RSVP in the slot that does work for your family. We look forward to sharing in on the fun!
GPS PTK: Color Run RSVP- September 15th, 2022 (signupgenius.com)
Volunteers will be needed for each time slot as well. If you are interested in volunteering, please email galenaptk@gmail.com or text/call (563) 581-0345. The PTK meeting on September 7th at 5:30pm will be the final Color Run planning meeting, where we will fill color bottles and finalize the event. All are welcome to attend! Thank you!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0e4eaea92aa0fec43-color
School Supply lists for the Primary and Middle School are available in the virtual backpack under each school's dropdown menu:
GPS: https://www.gusd120.k12.il.us/o/gps/documents/galena-primary-school/virtual-backpack/school-supply-lists/281818
GMS: https://www.gusd120.k12.il.us/o/gms/documents/galena-middle-school/virtual-backpack/school-supply-lists/281825
ESL Family Game Night was held last evening at GPS! What a great evening of smiles, laughs and family fun!
