The Buzz
School Community Newsletter
Issue #27
Friday, December 18, 2020
Important Remote Learning Announcement
Due to staffing issues, The Gilbert School will remain in remote learning until the holiday break. Over the next two weeks a January return date will be determined. For further updates go to our website at this link.
Next Week's Schedule
Important Information from the Head of School
December 16, 2020 

Dear Gilbert School Community, Faculty and Staff, 

I am writing to you at this time to inform you that The Gilbert School learned today about a positive COVID-19 case in our Gilbert Community. The last time the individual was in the building was November 10, 2020. No direct contact occurred in the building from this positive case. We will continue to monitor all cases and any other potential cases as they arise and will inform you in a letter similar to this one of test results and pending action. This reporting through letter is a State requirement that we will continue to fulfill. Click here to read more. 
COVID-19 Protocols
COVID cases are increasing in the community. Symptoms can start out as being more subtle and can include: congestion, runny nose, sore throat, fatigue, and headache. If your child is experiencing ANY symptom, even if it is mild, they should stay home, do remote learning, and contact the school nurses so they are aware. Additionally, if your child has been exposed to someone with COVID they should not come to school. School nurses are available by calling 860 379-8521,  gilbertk@gilbertschool.org, or webbd@gilbertschool.org.
TGS COVID Assessment Guide
Travel Advisory
Travel/Holiday Plans

Christmas is just a week away. Please remember if you travel:
     
1. Please check the travel advisory list for the current states that are on restrictions. Link is here: https://portal.ct.gov/coronavirus/travel

The travel advisory had been updated to include Vermont. If you travel anywhere to places on the list, you must get tested within 3 days of returning to Connecticut. Please provide me with a copy.

The only places that are left that are NOT on the list are: New York, Rhode Island 
New Jersey, Hawaii.
 
2. If you choose to travel, please make sure you follow the travel guidelines-test three days before, or three days after arrival back to Connecticut or quarantine for 14 days. Information needs to be completed and faxed to the State of CT. 

3. Be smart, really think through and plan your holiday plans. Most of the recent outbreaks are associated with extended family gatherings or friends-specifically, people thinking that they didn't have to mask around extended family and friends. 

COVID Testing

If you get a COVID test. you should get a PCR test. This is having about a 2 day turnaround time now. The rapid tests have a high false negative response. If you are testing for travel, you need to submit your test to the State of CT and it must be a PCR test.
Questions About Holiday Gatherings
Why is it important to be cautious over the holidays? I’ll only be around my family members who I trust.

Connecticut has been a national leader in our COVID-19 response efforts. However, as the country heads into winter, flu season, and into holiday gatherings – the risk of spreading COVID-19 has become higher, and even Connecticut is seeing a spike in cases.

The Gilbert School Celebrates its 125th Anniversary
The Gilbert School was founded "for the improvement of mankind by affording such assistance and means of educating the young as will help them to become good citizens."
–William L. Gilbert, Founder
A Legacy of Nurses
The Gilbert School's Nurses Club in 1970.
Over the years, The Gilbert School had its own Nurses Club and Nurses Helpers Club.
The Future Nurses Club in 1974
The clubs were made up of students interested in the field of nursing.
Nurse's Helpers Club in 1973.
You can find many more photos of these groups at The Gilbert School's Facebook page! Go to facebook.com/TheGilbertSchool
Alumna of the Week
Brooke (Jacobs) Crossman
Class of 2000
What have you done since you graduated?: "I graduated with a degree in Human Services and a degree in American Sign Language Interpreting. I went on to get my National Interpreter Certification through the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf Inc.

“I spent some time working at the American School for the Deaf in West Hartford and then accepted a position at the Forman School. Forman is a co-ed college prep school in Litchfield, dedicated to empowering high school students who learn differently. I have been at Forman for 16 years where some of my positions include World Languages Department Chair, American Sign Language Teacher, Houseparent, and Community Service Coordinator."

Why did you choose that career path?: “I found teaching by accident. My goal was to go out into the world and enter the profession of sign language Interpreting but I was given information about an opportunity to teach at a private school close to home. I interviewed and was hired. I found a love of teaching very quickly, knowing that what I do daily truly makes a difference in the lives of young people. I believe that what we sometimes set our minds to do is not always what we are meant to be doing but just go with your heart and you will find your way.”

What do you remember from your time at Gilbert?: “I loved my time at Gilbert. I made lifelong friends and married my high school sweetheart. My family bleeds blue and gold! My now-husband, once my high school sweetheart, found his way back to Gilbert educating the amazing students there now. I visit often with our son and it warms my heart to watch athletic contests, attend concerts and performances, and see all of the incredible transformations that take place throughout the halls that I once roamed. I love seeing my former teachers and even watching some of my former classmates' children get to experience TGS now as students!”

What lessons from Gilbert have you applied to the real world?: “I remember the fun, engaging classes that I had at Gilbert and I incorporate that into my teaching and classroom. It’s so important to build strong, healthy relationships with your students and from there you can teach them anything. If you don’t capture their hearts, it’s challenging to captivate their minds. I remember having teachers, coaches, and mentors that cared about me at Gilbert and that made a difference in my education. I am constantly learning new things from listening to my student's stories which is one of my favorite things about being a teacher. If you make a student feel important and heard, you can learn so much from them!”

What advice would you give to current students at Gilbert?: “I would say enjoy every moment! This sounds so cliche but my best piece of advice would be to appreciate the time you get to spend at TGS and your high school career. It goes by so quickly and you can never get that time back. I feel like most of my high school students are always rushing to graduate and get out. Once you’ve entered the real world, you will wish you could go back to these days. So enjoy them while they are here! Don’t take anything for granted.”
Teacher of the Week
Marysol Knipper
Educational background: “I earned my Master's Degree in Foreign Language Education and Curriculum Instruction from The University of Connecticut. My Bachelor’s Degree is in Spanish with a minor in Psychology from Central Connecticut State University.”
What do you like about teaching at Gilbert?: “I like that besides academics, we also teach the whole student. It's about sharing and being involved in each other's lives. It's about nurturing, and it's also about relationships.”

Why is learning other languages important?: "It's important in the statistical sense. If you learn a second language, you can do better academically. What I like to focus in addition to Spanish grammar, is cultural tolerance. I like for the students to understand people from other cultures, including why they think the way they do. I include diversity and social justice. I try to help my students understand other people who look and think differently."

What do you think is the best way to learn Spanish?: "The best way to learn a language is to practice it, listen to it, then try to imitate it. I think that's the best way. But now that we are in COVID times and everybody is online, it's different. I can't gauge how much they know because I can't see them in person. It's a little challenging. But I always try to include clips of different things in Spanish. If we're talking about the weather, then I show them clips of weather in different areas of the world so they can see what other people are dealing with, to open up their curiosity."

How would you describe Gilbert to a stranger?: "I would describe Gilbert as a unique school where kids learn their academics, practice their sports and learn about music. They also help each other. To me, it's a family. It's a family with the administration, the faculty, the staff, and the kids. Sometimes our boundaries get a little blurred because we care for each other. I'm very grateful to be at Gilbert. I'm very grateful for the wonderful kids that go there. They are respectful and they are curious. They want to learn and, to me, they are family."
Student of the Week
Annalise Currier
Age: 18

Parent: Nicole Klebe

Favorite classes: "Choir and English. Choir because I am interested in enjoying the adventures we go on. Performing is something that I want to do in college. I love being in the choir because we are our own little family in a way. We create our own memories and do our own little things. Personally, I think that Mr. Atkins is a great mentor and an overall great conductor, and director. His classes are always very fun. And when I had Mr. Minnerly, he was a great teacher. I loved having conversations with him and being in a performance. It was an overall great experience.

For English, I like learning more about poetry and looking more in-depth into things. Reading and writing are more of my strong suit. When I first started at Gilbert, English wasn't really my strongest subject. As I went through high school I got stronger with English. Ms. Gilley is a very good English teacher.

Also, photography is one of my favorite classes because the class has opened up a whole new world for me to look at from a different view. I have Mr. Hodges to thank for that and I do photography as a hobby and I love it and plan to have it as a side job."

Favorite extracurricular activities:" I like performing because it's very interesting."

What have you learned during your time at Gilbert: "I have learned that everyone knows everyone and it's good to be in a small family because everyone is there for each other, even if we aren't really close. Within my grade, we all grew up together and we all went to high school. Once we got to high school, we all split up and went into our own group of friends. But we still all come together like a group. If someone's having a rough day and we're not close friends with them, we still stop and talk, and ask 'hey, what's going on?' We make sure everyone's okay because we're a family in a way. I love my experience at Gilbert because I know that I can go to a person, even if they don't necessarily hang out with me. If you need help with something, people will be there. I'm going to miss Gilbert and my crazy teachers after I graduate."

What are your future plans?: "They are currently up in the air. But I do know I want to go to college to learn how to be a teacher. I'm looking into moving to North Carolina to go to the University of North Carolina in Wilmington because that's where my family lives."
Making
Making Birthdays Special
By Debra LaRoche Walls, Dean of Admissions
Alan Wan
Celebrating and making our international students feel special on their birthdays is an important part of our international program. For years, Residential Coordinators and members of the international team have recognized the birthdays of all of our international students. 
Ben Nguyen
Birthday cards are personally signed and shared with each student celebrating their special day. The celebration wouldn't be complete without several choices of delicious birthday cakes to enjoy and choose from.
Frank Guan
So far this year, the team has celebrated the birthdays of Alan Wan, in October and this month, the birthdays of Ben Nguyen and Frank Guan. 
Coach's Corner
By Buckley Morgan, Athletic Director
What's on my mind? As much as I would like to say that the winter season will start on January 19, as set by the CIAC Board back on November 17, the reality is not so clear and definitive. Positive COVID results in Connecticut and across the country are on a steady rise. I fear with the holiday season ahead we may be in for even more of an increase in the COVID positive numbers. With this in mind, I want to remind everyone that the January 19 start date for the winter season was made back on November 17th when things were a little calmer on the COVID front.

The number of positive cases in Connecticut has increased by 65 percent since November 17 and the daily rate of positive tests has increased from 5.16 percent to 6.97 percent, according to the latest available numbers published by the state on December 11. I heard today that Winsted’s COVID case rate is over 9 percent as of December 15. The CIAC’s Board of Directors will meet on January 7 and they will likely revise their original decision made back in November. The Gilbert School and CIAC will do everything possible to get our student-athletes playing, but unnecessary risks will not be an option. Conditions that are not possible to mitigate may interfere with the current January 19 start date. It's not my intention to be all doom and gloom here, but I just want to emphasize that any decision is possible from CIAC at their meeting on January 7.

The following is a poem that I came across a long time ago. I love it and it holds great meaning to me and its message could not be more true or factual for all of us. I would love to give credit to someone for this but every time I look for it, it is only cited as anonymous.

Who Am I

I am your constant companion.
I am your greatest helper or heaviest burden.
I will push you onward or drag you down to failure.
I am completely at your command.
Half the things you do you might just as well turn over to me, and I will be able to do them quickly, correctly.
I am easily managed - you must merely be firm with me. Show me exactly how you want something done, and after a few lessons, I will do it automatically.
I am the servant of all great people; and alas, of all failures as well. Those who are failures, I have made failures.
I am not a machine, though I work with all the precision of a machine plus the intelligence of a human being.
You may run me for a profit or turn me for ruin - it makes no difference to me.
Take me, train me, be firm with me, and I will place the world at your feet.
Be easy with me and I will destroy you.
Who am I?
I AM HABIT.

I occasionally have students in ISS read this poem. It always opens up a discussion in which I explain that life is filled with choices. We should always strive in every instance to make the choice that improves our potential. Habits are a choice that we make. The question is: do you choose to have habits that are beneficial and supportive of your goals or do you choose habits that work against your goals?

Ask any successful athlete, coach, or entrepreneur what made them successful and they will likely tell you about their habits as they discuss their success. This applies to every aspect of our lives. To be an exceptional athlete you must make it a habit to work out every day. You must make it a habit to be a positive thinker. Take a look at your habits and think about what they say about your direction in life. Maybe you want to change some of them or even start some new habits. It is not easy but then again most things worthwhile are not easy.
Upper Body Workout
Last week, I discussed dividing the body up into three parts, Lower, Mid, and Upper. Over the next three weeks, I will discuss exercises for each of those parts. This week I will discuss the upper body. But first I feel I should clarify last week's article. In last week's article, I spoke about working out to build muscle. I stated that you should work one part of the body to extreme exertion to build muscle. I want to make it clear that if your intention is not to build muscle but to simply stay in good physical condition you should work all three body portions daily. Now, this week's upper body exercise suggestions.

First, we always start with the warmup exercises we discussed in Buzz issue #25. After completing that you can start your upper body exercises. You may have some of your own exercises and that is fine. I will share a couple options that will also help and can be done at home with no equipment.

1. The Pushup; we all know this one, but are you doing it correctly, and are you aware of the many varieties of pushups you can do? Any exercise is only fully effective when performed correctly and could cause injury when performed incorrectly. The pushup is one of the best all-around upper body exercises I know. Your back should always be straight. Be sure to break the plane (upper arms parallel to the ground) when going down and full extension when coming up. Keep your head up at all times. The following link will show you how to do pushups correctly. If you can, follow along for his complete pushup workout. Strive to just meet half the time hacks that he has. Don't expect to be able to do the whole thing. Have fun with it. Maybe have a Zoom or Google Meet with some friends and compete with each other virtually.


Triceps Dip: This exercise looks a little uncomfortable but it works great to exercise the upper body. You will start in the inverted crab position. The exercise is a form of push-up that works different muscles than the traditional push-up. The following link will give you a visual example of the exercise. 


Again, this video is a complete upper body workout. If you start from the beginning and follow the entire video and complete the exercises as demonstrated, you will have a great upper body workout. Just realize that you may not be able to do the whole workout. Just do each portion/exercise in lesser repetitions.

Have a great workout today!
Food Service Schedule Update
Pick up is between 11:00 am - 12:00 noon.

Pick up will be at the door entrance to the Cafeteria Kitchen. The door is by the dumpsters in the lower parking lot.

If for any reason you are unable to pick up during this time frame, please call the Food Service Director, Ms. Lynn Metcalf, directly at 860-738-9304. We will be happy set up a time or day that is more convenient for you.

All children ages 18 or younger are eligible for one free breakfast and one free lunch.
Children do not need to be attending this school. This is a food pick up site. We are located at:

The Gilbert School
200 Williams Avenue
Winsted, CT 06098

This program will end on June 30, 2021.

Meals are served Monday – Friday in school.

Pick up days are Monday and Wednesday between the hours of 11:00 am -12:00 pm.

Meals served are breakfast and lunch.

Monday meal pick up will consist of five breakfasts and five lunches for each child. Being Cohort C or all student distance learning. Pick up for three days will consist of 3 breakfasts and 3 lunches for each child. Being Cohorts A and B.

Please take advantage of this program while we have it. Whether your child is in school or at home, they are entitled to a breakfast and lunch for the days they are learning at home. If you have any questions about the program please call the above phone number.
Google Classroom Cheat Sheet
Attention Gilbert Alumni
We Want to Stay in Contact With You!

The Gilbert School
200 WIlliams Avenue
Winsted, CT 06098
860-379-8521