It's hard to believe that the first month of school is over. Everything is full speed ahead. 

Registration is complete, the school store is open and running smoothly, our first meeting was well attended with a lot of new faces, the first cycle of Enrichment grants were approved and the Pom Poms were a big hit at the football game!  September was a busy month!

If you joined the Mothers' Club during registration - Thank You! All of our membership dollars go directly back to the school and students through our three pillars: Enrichment, Scholarship and Preservation programs.  If you haven’t joined, please consider supporting us! 

As October starts, we look forward to several events, including:

• Homecoming - Week of October 3 – 8

     o  Parade, Friday, October 7 at 6:00 pm, football game follows at 7:00 pm

     o  Homecoming Dance – Saturday, October 8 from 7:00 -10:00 pm

• The Mothers' Club Meeting - October 12 at 6:00 pm, 7pm (meeting) in Cleminson Hall.

     o  Meet the School Board Candidates beginning at 6:00 pm.

• Community Tailgate before the South/North football game on October 21.
• Parent/Teacher Conferences on October 26 and 27. Watch for more details soon.

For continuing updates on all the happenings in the Mothers' Club and at South, visit the MothersClubGPS.com or our social media pages.

Sincerely,

Beverly Bennert

Mothers’ Club President

president@mothersclubgps.com

The Mothers' Club uses all funds raised to invest in the past, present, and future of South. 

• Past: Preserving our historic building and grounds. 
• Present: Enriching the classroom experience.
• Future: Awarding scholarships to graduating seniors.

Annual membership is $30 and includes one directory. Additional directories may be purchased for $20. 

Have questions or need more information? Please contact our very helpful membership committee chair Steve Justin at membership@mothersclubgps.com.

Grosse Pointe South School Store

New spirit wear has arrived!

All of our store profits go back to the school, teachers, and students through the Mothers' Club support of enrichment, scholarship, and preservation.

School Store Hours:

Monday 11:00 am - 12:45 pm

Tuesday - Friday 10:30 am - 12:30 pm

Students can stop in at lunch time to purchase warm chocolate chip cookies, snacks, drinks, gum/mints and spirit wear!

Volunteers Needed!

We are looking for volunteers to take 1-2 shifts per month in the Mothers' Club School Store. 

We are using a Google Form to collect availability and compile a monthly calendar. URL to sign-up: https://forms.gle/TXv3jkBRNHd16ess7

Feel free to share with friends, especially freshmen parents.

The school store is a great way to meet new friends and see the fabulous Grosse Pointe South Students. No prior experience needed!

Store Shift Times:

• Monday**: 10:15 am-12:45 pm
• Tuesday: 10:30 am-12:30 pm
• Wednesday**: 10:00 am-12:30 pm
• Thursday: 10:30 am-12:30 pm
• Friday**: 10:00 am-12:30 pm

** M-W-F are cookie days.

Questions, please contact:

Sara Koch @ sararkoch@gmail.com or Helena Carroll @ hjcarr13@gmail.com

• We need convertibles for the homecoming parade. If you are willing to drive your car (or we can find a driver for you), please contact advisor Katie Parent at parentk@gpschools.org
• If your child would like to purchase a spirit pack, a limited number of extras remain. Send your child to room 195 with $45 cash or check (made out to GPS 2023)
• Seniors wear their previous years' spirit shirts during spirit week. If your child would like a freshman or junior year shirt, they can be purchased for $5 each in room 195.

Class of 2024 -  JACK SPARROW JUNIORS

Parent sponsors are still needed to help with various homecoming duties. Please contact class advisor, Shannon Sugamele at sugames@gpschools.org. 

Freshmen Spirit Day breakfast donations: We still need a few donations. Please sign-up here it you can donate:

  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0545aca82da46-freshman

Are you interested in chaperoning the homecoming dance on October 8th?  Please contact Nicole Westfall at WestfaN@gpschools.org

South Athletic Booster Club 

October 2022 Counselors' Corner

SENIOR PARENTS: We met with all seniors on Friday, September 9th to review the college application process including how to send test scores, transcripts, request letters of recommendation. The presentation video is available to you here. The slide deck is available here. Once a senior has submitted their application they must fill out this form for every college in order to have their materials sent. Keep in mind those seniors who would like to apply to the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) and Michigan State University should be mindful of Early Action dates. UM and MSU are Nov 1. We suggest students submit two weeks before the deadline to be confident about Early Action applications. Students who require a written evaluation (letter of recommendation) from their counselors must complete a Junior Conference information form either on Naviance or on paper.

Don’t forget that we have representatives visiting from colleges nearly every day of the week during fall! Calendars are posted on Naviance, eBlasts, Facebook page, and on the announcements. Also, there are many virtual visits similar to our College Night. Check out a listing here. It’s not too late to research schools! Many students are still finding their direction on this. Counselors are happy to help. Also, we encourage students to use the College Super-Match feature on Naviance.

APPLICATION HELP! Every Monday morning in October at 8:00 counselors will be available for hands-on college application help. Also Fridays in October we will have lunchtime college application support in the library. No advance sign-up required – just show up! We love to help. October is College Application Month so there are loads of FREE college apps available. We would love for every college-bound student to have at least one application sent by the end of the month.

FINANCIAL AID search starts now. Families can file a FAFSA, the form you must fill out to determine your eligibility for financial aid, beginning October 1. First, create an FSA ID, this is your electronic signature. Then complete the FAFSA form online. Want help? Check out resources here from our expert at Oakland University Financial Aid Outreach. You can also preview a paper FAFSA worksheet.

JUNIOR PARENTS: Friday, September 16, we presented our Junior College Preparation meeting.  The theme of the meeting was Nuts and Bolts of Junior Year: finding the right fit. We talked about college research, using Naviance, grades, testing, college matching, how to start with online searching, making the most of college representative visits. The video recording and the slide deck are here.

Mark your calendars for Wednesday, October 12th. That is the day the PSAT/NMSQT will be given at South. This is the practice test for the SAT reasoning test, and it is also the test that juniors take to determine eligibility for the National Merit Scholarship Program. Students wishing to get some last-minute review may want to check out Khan Academy online for free test prep and reliable practice tests. You can match your College Board account with your Khan Academy account, and they will customize a free test prep program and help you develop a calendar for practicing.

Juniors will take the SAT as part of state testing in Spring. This is an official test with reportable scores. Many parents are asking if their students should take the ACT in addition to the SAT. Either test is completely fine for college admissions, so students should go with the test they feel the most successful taking. Consider the PSAT score as a good baseline for SAT success. It may be wise to take an ACT as well so you can review both baseline test scores to decide which test he or she will choose to focus on for preparation.  

FRESHMEN PARENTS: If you missed the Freshman Orientation Night, you can see my submission is all about making the transition to high school from last year. It is a significant change, and we see this in five main themes: Academics, Social, Emotional, Physical, and Financial elements. I hope you find the video helpful. Please reach out if counselors can support your student in getting comfortable and thriving at South. A great place to start is by joining clubs, teams, and activities. The club list is still growing so check back often to see what new ones pop up. Typically this list will grow to 60 or 70 opportunities. Mrs. Petz in the Student Activities office is a great resource!

ALL PARENTS:

Have you checked your student’s grades on Schoology yet? We are at about the middle of the first quarter and a good time to take a look at your child’s progress. Here are a few resources that I found helpful in sorting through digital or paper tracking.

1. How to Organize using the Schoology Calendar Function video
2. Schoology workflow and organization video

The Counseling Center continues to post “Wellness Wednesday” updates weekly on Schoology for students, focusing on positive actions to take for health and wellness. If you have an idea about something you would like to see on Wellness Wednesdays, please let us know.

Connect with us!