Duke Update for 11/17/2024

Duke Update November 17, 2024
Report cards were sent through Document Delivery on Tuesday, Nov. 12. Quarter 1 grades can also be viewed in PowerSchool. If you have any questions or would like a paper report card, please contact the GHS Main Office.

Congratulations to the Students of the Month:
9th Grade: Carodie Walker & Tannyr Paull
10th Grade: Kylie Jones and James Ruble
11th Grade: Aubrey Milawski & Alexis Dishman
12th Grade: Cody Keck & Mariah Linkous

Congratulations to the Staff Member of the Month:
Ms. Early

Congratulations to the Teachers of the Month:
Ms. Schoenthal, Chief Williams, and Mr. Cullison

Congratulations to Natalie Vickers, who represented RCC in the Primis Bank Women in STEM Competition on Tuesday, November 12. Natalie’s team earned second place in the competition, where they analyzed real banking data and developed an AI-based solution to detect bank fraud. As a result of her outstanding contribution, Natalie will receive a $250 scholarship from Primis Bank. We are incredibly proud of Natalie’s dedication; she spent the past few weeks meeting with her teammates via Zoom in the evenings to prepare for this event.

CONGRATULATIONS to the cast of the One Act Play “Off Road” for their performance in the VHSL super regional competition this weekend! The team qualified for Super Regionals by placing 4th overall in the Regional competition last weekend. The cast represented Gloucester not only with their artistry and talent, but with a spirit of community, building artistic fellowship across districts. Congratulations also to Van Hutchins who was recognized as an outstanding actor BOTH at the Regional and Super Regional levels of the VHSL competition. Way to go Van!

Congratulations to our athletes that have made a Fall All District Team or All Region Team:
Girls Volleyball – All District – 2ⁿᵈ Team – Keira Tidwell & Samantha Carlton; Honorable Mention – Amanda Stafford & Ava Hutton
All Region – 1ˢᵗ Team – Samantha Carlton;
2ⁿᵈ Team – Keira Tidwell;
Honorable Mention – Amanda Stafford

Boys Volleyball – All-District – 1st team – Hayden Simmons;
Honorable Mention – Colter Callis & Gavin Blanks
All Region – 1ˢᵗ Team – Hayden Simmons;
2ⁿᵈ Team – Colter Callis & Gavin Blanks;
Honorable Mention – Grayson Shield

Cross Country – State Qualifiers – Joel Taylor, Mackenzie Alcon, & Rachel Blittle

Golf – District Champ – Blake Sibley, State Qualifier – Levi Vannoy

Field Hockey – All District – Aaliyah Mattocks, Mackenzi Reece, Charlotte Houtz, Reese Miller, McKayla Clark, Abby Junker, Caroline Klink, Addy Zabicki

District Player of the Year – Reese Miller, District Coach of the Year – Joe Dougherty
2ⁿᵈ Team – Ayelu Mason, Addison Wymer, Kaylee Hall, Chloe West, Ellary Miller, Hannah Symonds
Honorable Mention – Maddie Rowe & Emily Farrar
All Region – 1ˢᵗ Team – Mackenzi Reece, Peyton Sutton, Reese Miller, Charlotte Houtz, Chloe West, McKayla Clark, Abby Junker, Ellary Miller, Caroline Klink & Addy Zabicki
Region Player of the Year – Reese Miller, Region Coach of the Year – Joe Dougherty
2ⁿᵈ Team – Aaliyah Mattocks, Ayelu Mason, Kaylee Hall, Hannah Symonds;
Honorable Mention – Addison Wymer & Maddie Rowe

W.E.B. DuBois Honor Society members: Please come to the next WEBDBHS meeting, Tuesday, 11/19/24. We'll be explaining new expectations and planning to participate in the FOOD DRIVE. See you there!

The GHS Activity Bus now departs at 5:30 pm.

GHS is now accepting new unwrapped toy donations for Toys 4 Tots in the GHS Main Office from now until Friday, December 6th.

Demographics Form: All returning GCPS students received an email from PowerSchool with a link to update demographic and emergency contact information. Please be sure to log in and verify that all information is correct, and make any changes that are necessary. If you do not have your Parent PowerSchool account activated you will not be able to update your students PowerSchool contact information. If you need any help with PowerSchool, need to activate the Parent PowerSchool account, or have any other questions, please call the GHS Main Office at (804)-693-2526.

Gloucester High School is accepting students for Behind The Wheel. Openings begin the first week of October. The cost of the lessons is $89.00. Contact Coach Morgan or Coach Hooker for more details.

The Care Closet is not accepting anymore clothes donations unless the clothes are new with tags. We are not able to do laundry. We are still accepting food donations in the Main Office. If you need a list of food items please call or email.

Food Delivery: Please remember that students may not receive food orders from DoorDash or other delivery services before, during, or after school. Thank you for your cooperation.

Visitors must park in a visitor spot in our main entrance lot. Visitors must utilize the main entrance and show valid identification to enter the building. Please do not park in the main loop for any reason.

Yearbooks can be ordered online at yearbookordercenter.com using code 4758 until sold out.

Parking Passes: Any student who does not have a parking pass but wants one should go to the Main Office to be put on a waiting list. We will be opening some spots up as soon as they are painted in the lot.

Cell Phone Policy: Gloucester County Public Schools has adopted “cell phone-free education.” Effective Monday, August 26, 2024, the use of cell phones, electronic communication devices, headphones, earbuds, smart watches, and or any other Bluetooth enabling device will be strictly prohibited. The Executive Order applies to students while in the school building during instructional times and at all times while on the school bus.

Dress Code: Parents and guardians, we appreciate your support in following the GCPS dress code, which is found on page 6 of the Code of Conduct . Please note that hats and hoods should not be worn indoors, and tops must cover the midriff and navel.

Security Screening: We want to thank our students for their continued cooperation with the security screenings that we have implemented. Here are some updates and reminders on the process:

- All visitors to GHS go through the screening. Visitors must come through the Main Entrance.

- All students who are getting dropped off in the parent loop must come in through the Main Entrance first before going to classes in C-Hall or the portables.

- In the morning, students going to first block classes in C-Hall or the portables should exit the main building through the doors near the School Counseling Office across from the cafeteria, and not through the Main Entrance. This change will help with traffic flow in the morning.

- Our students are doing a great job of being prepared and getting through the scanners quickly, and we are able to get students through the scanners before first block begins. With this in mind, we remind student drivers to enter the building promptly upon arriving at school so they can be in class on time. Failure to do so will result in being marked tardy.

- As a reminder, students should be prepared to take their Chromebooks, binders, and other large metal objects out of their backpacks before going through the scanners. Cell phones, keys, and other small metal items do not need to be removed from backpacks.

Parent drop-off and pick-up: Please use our main entrance loop to drop off and pick up before and after school. Please pay attention to our staff as they direct you around the loop.

Student Parking Lot: Only GHS students who have a valid parking pass should enter and park in the student parking lot. Teacher and Construction areas are marked and should not be used by students or visitors. Students entering the building from the parking lot/bus loop side should enter through the doors by the Theater room (formerly Chorus). Student driver late arrivals should also enter through the doors by the Theater room and check in with the Attendance Office before going to class.

Early Dismissal/Late Arrivals: To ensure a smooth and organized process, all Early Dismissals must be picked up before 2:20 pm. Early Dismissals occurring between 2:20 pm and 2:40 pm will be released during regular dismissal at 2:40 pm. Please take note and plan accordingly for the prompt pickup of your student. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated, and we thank you for helping us maintain a safe and efficient dismissal process. Students getting dropped off late should enter through the Main Entrance and sign in at the Attendance window.

Bus loop: No students, parents, or visitors should enter the bus loop from 7:00AM-8:00AM and 2:00 PM-3:00 PM for any reason.

Counseling
ATTENTION parents and guardians of current juniors. The school counseling department will start scheduling for your student on November 6ᵗʰ and be done with all class of 2026 scheduling before winter break. If you want to participate in the scheduling meeting please email your child’s school counselor early this week and set up an appointment.

Athletics
Winter sports tryout dates and times are listed on the GHS website, please contact the coach or Ms. Hunter if you have questions. You must meet all VHSL eligibility requirements and have a valid sports physical to tryout on November 11ᵗʰ. Track and field will start on the 18th.

Letterman's jackets are back - if you are interested please check out either one of the Jostens Graduation or Class Ring Links on the GHS website, the jackets are shown there. If you have questions please contact Athletic Director Ms. Hunter. Jacket Link

The GHS Athletics schedule can be found on the school website: https://ghs.gc.k12.va.us/o/ghs/page/athletics

Parents and Fans attending athletic events - Sportsmanship is always a top priority. Please show support and respect for the fans, opposing teams and game officials at all times while attending home or away events. This includes never engaging negatively with fans or players from the opposite team. Any misconduct can lead to dismissal from the game, and from attending future games.