The Mothers' Club of Grosse Pointe South
A Parent Organization enhancing the South student body by supporting student scholarships, teacher enrichment and preservation programs.
General Membership Meetings
begin at 7:00 pm / Social Gathering at 6:30 pm
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September 15, 2021
October 13, 2021
November 10, 2021
January 12, 2022
February 9, 2022
March 9, 2022
April 13, 2022
May 12, 2022
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Check our website, Facebook or Twitter page for location or Zoom link.
General Membership meetings are open to all.
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Message from the Mothers' Club President |
The 2021-2022 School Year is in Full Swing!
It's hard to believe that the first month of school is over. Everyone seems happy to be back and everything is full speed ahead. September was a busy month. Registration is complete, the school store is running smoothly, our first meeting was well attended with a lot of new faces. We are excited to be enjoying all of our "normal" activities and for what is to come in the next few months.
If you joined the Mothers' Club during registration - Thank You! All of our profit goes directly back to the school and students through our Enrichment, Scholarship and Preservation programs. If you haven’t joined, please consider supporting us!
Some highlights of what has happened since our last newsletter:
- Back to School Night was a success and showcased our beautiful school to all its families.
- Our first membership meeting featured an informative school update by Principal Hamka as well as school tours for our new members.
- Our communications team is hard at work gathering information for High Pointes and keeping you up to date with all the happenings on our Facebook page.
- The GPS Student Directory will go to print and will be delivered to your doorstep in October.
- Our Community Partnership team is hard at work partnering with our local businesses to advertise in our Directory and event programs.
As October starts we hope your students are getting comfortable with their new school routine. We look forward to several events in October, including:
- Homecoming - Week of October 4-9. This year's Homecoming Dance will take place on the front lawn under three large tents from 6-9 pm.
- The Mothers' Club Meeting - October 13 at 6:30 pm (social), 7pm (meeting) in Cleminson Hall. Our speaker will be the new Athletic Director, Brandon Wheeler.
- Community Tailgate before the South/North football game on October
- Parent/Teacher Conferences on October 27 (Zoom) and 28 (in person). 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 Facebook page.
Sincerely,
Laura Wholihan
Mothers’ Club President
president2021@mothersclubgps.com
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The Mothers' Club Monthly Highlight
Enrichment
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This month we are highlighting Enrichment, one of the Mothers' Club three main support pillars.
- Enrichment
- Scholarship
- Preservation
Enrichment supports the educational experience of our students by funding:
- in-class enhancements
- extracurricular programs
- equipment
- materials
Each year, teachers and staff have two opportunities to request enrichment funds. Those requests happen in the fall and spring each academic year.
It is through your support that we are able to continue to enrich the classroom and academic environment of our students.
Fall Update: Enrichment application packages were sent out to faculty in early September for fall funding. Voting will take place at the October general membership meeting.
Have questions or want to know more about our Enrichment Committee, please reach out to Jennifer Kendall at enrichment@mothersclubgps.org.
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SENIOR PARENTS: We met with all seniors on Friday, September 10th 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 including MSU from October 1-7 Click here for a full listing. 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 17, 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 is here. The slide deck is here.
Mark Wednesday, October 13th on your calendars. That is the day that 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 in may want to check out Khan Academy online for free test prep and reliable practice tests. You can actually 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.
We are planning for the Juniors to 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. Our school curriculum has shifted in the direction of the SAT since this is the state test. However, if the student feels more confident sitting for the ACT, that is completely acceptable for admissions consideration as well.
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 big change and we see this in five main themes: Academics, Social, Emotional, Physical, and Financial elements. I hope you find the video helpful. If Counselors can support your student in getting comfortable and thriving at South please reach out. A great place to start is joining clubs, teams, and activities. 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.
The Counseling Center continues to post “Wellness Wednesday” updates weekly on Schoology for students with a focus on positive actions to take for health and wellness. If you have an idea about something you would like to see in Wellness Wednesdays please let us know.
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Don’t forget that GP South Counseling has a page on facebook and @SouthCounseling on Twitter. Please “like” this page for great updates between issues of High Pointes! |
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GROSSE POINTE SOUTH ATHLETICS
Check it out!!
Winter Sports will start in November, look for the tryout schedule on the Athletics website, www.gpsouthathletics.com coming soon.
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Pops & Pastries Concert & Fundraiser
Date: Saturday, November 6th, 2021
Time: 7:00 pm
Location: South Gym
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Class of 2023
Blue Devil Donors
O’Mara
Melham
Schuetze
English
Stidham
Maccagnone
Ecclestone
Craig
Grobel
White
Evans
Garberding
GOLD DONORS
Rogowski
Klunder
Bocci
Bower
McDaniel
Gorski
Kolojeski
McDaniel
Yonkus
WHITE DONORS
Labadie
Krausmann
Peck
Graham
Reich
Ligon
Grabowski
Vethacke
Carr
Wohlfarth
Nugent
McEvoy
Wagstaff
Fish
Musicki
Leech
We are also in need of pizza donations for our final float party from 6-9 on
October 7th at 27 Whitcomb. Link to sign up is here
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Class of 2024
The Class of 2024 would like to give a huge thanks to the following parent donors:
Blue Devil Donors
Shaun and Carol Hampton
Tim and Colleen Jogan
Leonard and Melony Johnson
Elias and Maria Melhem
Michael and Erika Page
James and Sandra Reynolds
Matthew and Ann Turnbull
Alfonso and Helena Wang-Flores
John and Abigail Wujek
Gold Donors
Michael and Eliza Hix
Todd and Jennifer Hutchison
Patrick and Melissa Petz
White Donors
James and Melissa Bellamy
Matthew and Theresa Bellish
Ellen Clark
Shawn and Kathryn Coyle
Kristi Donnellon
Eric and Marisa Fett
Jack Goodman and Elena Tremonti
Christof and Mary Jane Haindl
David and Christine Huffman
Kirk and Beth Mager
Stephanie Neisch
Kevin and Rebecca Ozar
Michael and Laura Peters
Bret and Carrie Tigges
William and Allyson Turner
Sarah Verlinden
Erin Weber
Your donations allow students to put on amazing events and activities for their class, making their four years at Grosse Pointe South incredibly memorable. You are appreciated more than you know and we can't thank you enough! :)
In addition, the class would like to thank the following parent sponsors for their donation of time, food, resources, and supplies over the last two months at float parties:
The Bennert Family
The DeMarco Family
The Jakubowski Family
The Jogan Family
The Kado Family
The Kaminski Family
The Kaspzyk Family
The Kelly Family
The Kendall Family
The Kinsley Family
The Lubanski Family
The Schindlbeck Family
The Simoncini-Chalut Family
The Turnbull Family
The Flores Family
The help from these volunteers allow float parties to take place, run smoothly, and
be a fun experience for the students.
Thank you for ensuring a great homecoming experience for our students!
There was also a list of people who donated items from our Amazon wish list and money over Venmo that we will recognize next month. Once again, we would not be able to do the things we do without the supportive community surrounding our students.
Thank you for everything!
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Class of 2025
Blue Devil Donors
White
Williams
Squitieri
Schwartz
Cameron
Allotta
Haurani
Agosta
Evans
Legghio
Gold Donors
Tsagaratos
Martin
Valice
Craparotta
Irby
MacGillis
Hannan
Troschinetz
Mulcahy
White Donors
DeBerry-Jones
Klepp
Peck
DeLuca
O’Brien
Husek
Grabowski
Bower
Russell
Nyenhuis
Freshmen Spirit Day is Wednesday, October 6th.
Students should plan to come to school early in their Spirit Day Futuristic Freshmen shirt to celebrate with their classmates, run the halls, and get their class picture taken out in front the school with the banner.
NOTE: Class Council Meetings take place on Wednesday mornings at 7:15 am
in room 182 (Mrs. Caralis' classroom).
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SAVE THE DATE!
The next Mothers’ Club meeting of the year will take place in Cleminson Hall.
Wednesday, October 13th @7PM
Meet & Greet begins at 6:30PM
MothersClubGPS.com
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High Pointes | Grosse Pointe South Mothers' Club |
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