Just a reminder that there will be no school for ECE Tuesday Jan. 17, 2012.  Also, there will be an ECE early release day on Jan. 27, 2012.

The Gust staff is excited to begin the 2012 year with students returning on January 4, 2012.  We hope you all had a restful break and found time to enjoy the company of loved ones.

Be sure and mark your calendars for January 12, 2012 – the GFTA (Gust Family Teacher Association) Meeting will be held 3:30-4:30 p.m. in the library.  As always, child care will be provided so plan on attending this community meeting and learn more about the happenings at your child’s school.

January will be the month for math and reading mid-year assessments to be administered to students in grades 2 – 5.  Teachers use the assessment results to identify individual strengths, as well as skill gaps, in order to adjust instruction to best meet the needs of students.

In observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, there will not be school on January 16, 2012.  All Kindergarten through 5^th Grade will return on Tuesday, January 17, while ECE will not return until Wednesday, January 18.  This week will end with the annual 5^th Grade Ski Trip on Friday, January 20, 2012.  Students and staff are very excited about the idea of spending a day in the mountains – in ski lessons in the morning and skiing with their teachers in the afternoon!

As a reminder for ECE Parents, Friday, January 27, 2012 is an early release day for ECE students only.  ECE students will be released to parents at 11:30 a.m.

Additional important dates include:

• February 9, 2012               GFTA Meeting and Family Science Night
• March 26-30                       Spring Break
• April 12, 2012                     GFTA and Family Night
• April 24, 2012                     Talent Show at 6:00 p.m.
• May 16, 2012                       Field Day  9:00-11:00 Grades 3-5
  1:30-2:30 ECE and Kindergarten
• May 17, 2012                      Field Day    1:15 – 3:15 Grades 1 and 2
• May 24, 2012                      5^th Grade Graduation at 2:00 p.m.
• May 25, 2012                      Kindergarten Graduation at 2:00 p.m.
  ECE Programs being at 9:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

The 2012 year is off to a great start, and we look forward to our continued work together to ensure student success at Gust.  Happy New Year, Gust Community!

Gust Elementary School students have been published in the Dreams and Directions, DPS Elementary Poetry, Volume Four, with a special section:  “How to Write Poetry … Advice from Gust Kindergartners.”  Gust Kindergarten Teachers, Judy Pansini and Kari Vibber, have chartered a bus to take the student authors and families to the Tattered Cover on December 14, 2011 where the Gust students will read their published work.  After the reading, Gust will have hot chocolate at the Oxford Hotel.  Congratulations to Gust student authors:  Taryn Martinez, Obed Armendariz, Alexia Burke, Jeanette Blea, Bella Trillo, Carolyn Maestas, Jasmine Mai, Melissa Brito, Manuel Romero, and Rigo Baltazar.

Just a reminder that ECE has an early release day on Friday December 9th.  ECE students must be picked up by 11:30am.