
Happy New Year! This month's character trait is GENEROSITY. Generosity means "carefully managing my resources so I can freely give to those in need." As we move through January and beyond, let us all practice generosity in our daily lives.

This morning, the Gilchrist County Sheriff’s Office responded very quickly to a fire alarm being inadvertently set off on the THS campus. Although this turned out to be a non-emergency, we are grateful to our first responders for always keeping us safe! The campus has now been cleared by the GCSO, and all is well.

Unfortunately, we’ve just been notified that the City was forced to shut the water off early. They are expecting the water to be off until at least 12:30 p.m. ALL parents who are able may pick children up from both Trenton schools immediately. Please follow all regular parent pick up procedures. For high school students who drive, parents must call the school to give permission for them to check out. For those students who remain on campus, we are working on a contingency plan. We will keep you notified.

Phones lines for all schools and the district office are currently down. AT&T is working to resolve the issue.

Our district is closed next week for Thanksgiving break. Have a great holiday with your family, and stay safe!

The GCSD will be holding an emergency Board meeting tonight at 6pm at the District Office. This meeting is open to the public.

Due to the potential for tropical storm force winds and unsafe travel conditions, Gilchrist County will cancel school for Thursday, November, 12. At this time, we do plan to be open on Friday, Nov. 13. However, if anything changes, we will let you know.

Don't forget it's Red Ribbon Week! Check your child's school news for info on the theme for each day.

Please be advised that our phone lines are still down due to an internet service interruption. AT&T is working to correct the problem, and we will let you know as soon as phones are back in operation.

Please be aware that our phones lines are currently down due to internet issues. We will let you know when service is reinstated. Thank you for your patience.

For information on teachers with out of field teaching assignments, please see each school's webpage.

The GCSD will be negotiating with GE/United on Wednesday, October 7th, 2020, at 3:45pm in the west conference room at the district office.

Welcome to October! This month's Character Trait is OBEDIENCE. Obedience means "quickly and cheerfully carrying out the direction of those who are responsible for me."

Remember that you can respond to the 2020 Census online at https://2020census.gov/.

Thank you for dropping off your child(ren) at school today. We realize the process was slow. We hope to make the needed adjustments by Monday to improve your drop-off experience. Thank you for your patience and compassion as we start a new school year.

The application for Extended Day is now available! Check out our Facebook or website.

School supply lists are out! See our website, app, or Facebook!

Please be advised that our internet and phone lines are currently down.

GCSD is ready to reopen! Check out our reopening plan on our website or Facebook.

The GCSD has served more than 60,000 meals so far during school closures!

We provided approximately 3000 meals on Wednesday! Remember that we are providing two days of breakfast and lunch every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

The GCSD has provided over 1700 meals today! For more info, please see our district Facebook page.

Assignments for the Week of March 23rd will be posted by noon today!
We will be introducing you to our REACH program that will guide you through expectations while students are at home.
Please email helpdesk@mygcsd.org with any concerns.

Please see our Facebook or website for important info on school closures.

Please remember that we are closed next week for Spring Break and the Fair. Have a safe and fun week!

Please remember that tomorrow, March 13, is the end of the 3rd 9 weeks and is also an Early Release day.

The Gilchrist County School Board and GE/United will have a Collective Bargaining meeting on Friday, February 7th, at 3:45 at the Gilchrist County School Board office.
310 NW 11th Avenue
Trenton, Florida 32693

Please be aware that we are canceling all after-school programs and activities due to inclement weather as a precautionary measure.

Please be advised that the next meeting for contract negotiations will take place at the school board office today at 3:45. The address is 310 NW 11th Ave Trenton.

Everyone please remember that Feb 1 is the Education Foundation's Annual Walk-A-Thon! Come out and join us!

Friday, December 20th is the end of the 2nd 9-week grading period. Please contact your child's teacher with any questions or concerns you may have at this time.

Parents, please remember that December 18-20 are Early Release Days for students. We will be closed for break starting December 23. January 6-8 will be Teacher Work Days, with students resuming school on January 9.

Superintendent Rob Rankin and the Gilchrist County School Board wish you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving! Celebrate safely, and let's remember all that we have to be thankful for today and every day.

Parents, please remember that we will be closed next week for Thanksgiving Break. Have a safe and happy holiday with your family!

The Gilchrist County School Board and GE/United will have a Collective Bargaining meeting on Thursday, November 21st at 3:45pm at the Gilchrist County School Board office.

Parents, please remember that progress reports for the 2nd 9 weeks are going home today. Please check your child's backpack, and contact your child's teacher if you have any questions or concerns.

As we celebrate Veterans' Day, let's keep in mind the sacrifice of others who are serving and who have served our country. We appreciate our veterans!

Parents, please remember that tomorrow, November 11th, will be an Early Release day for students at 1pm.

Out of an abundance of caution regarding a report of an off-campus suspicious incident, Trenton campuses were temporarily placed on lock down for a short period of time at the end of the school day today. The lockdown is over, and there is no cause for concern.

Remember that Literacy Parades will take place at both BES and TES this morning!

Remember that October is National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month!

The GCSD will be activating our WAVE Critical Incident Notification System at approximately 3:30pm. This is a scheduled event with no cause for alarm.

Remember to bring awareness to bullying prevention by wearing blue on Oct 22 (Trenton) and Oct 29 (Bell). #BlueUp

Parents, please remember that report cards for the 1st 9 weeks are going home today. Please check your child's backpack, and contact your child's teacher if you have any questions or concerns.

Reminder: Tomorrow (Friday, Oct 18) is a Teacher Work Day. There will no school for students.

Tomorrow (Friday the 11th) is the end of the 1st 9 weeks.

Today at dismissal time, we had an unidentified person walk on the THS campus. As a precautionary measure, both Trenton campuses were put on a brief lockdown until an all clear was established. Student and staff safety is our number one priority.

Dads! Don't forget that Dads Take Your Kids to School Day is September 25!

~GCSD Open Wednesday~
The Gilchrist County School District will be open for students and staff on Wednesday, September 4, 2019. We will continue to monitor the path of Hurricane Dorian and stay in contact with Gilchrist County Emergency Management. Based on the information we have at this time, it is safe for us to return to school on Wednesday.

Please be advised that the Board meeting that was scheduled for today has been cancelled.

~DECISION BY TUES AT 3PM~
As we continue to monitor the progress of the storm, updates will be shared as decisions are made. A decision about school for Wednesday will be made by tomorrow (Tuesday) at 3pm. Please stay tuned and stay safe!

Our character trait for the month of September is DEPENDABILITY. Dependability means fulfilling what I consented to do, even if it means unexpected sacrifice. During this month and moving forward, let's all practice being dependable.

GCSD CLOSED ON TUESDAY
Due to the uncertainty of the path of the storm, we will be closed on Tuesday. We are expecting strong winds in the area on Tuesday. We are in continuous communication with the Emergency Management Center and will be posting any updates on Facebook.

The District Office main phone line is back up and operating normally.

Please be advised that we are monitoring the storm carefully. Superintendent Rankin is meeting regularly with the Emergency Operations Center and will make decisions as information becomes available. Any updates will be shared through Facebook, the GCSD website, and our app.

All four schools are inviting your participation in their School Advisory Councils! If you are interested in serving on this team as a teacher, parent, student, or community member, please contact the school principal asap!

Moms and Dads! We want to see your First Day pics! If you would like to participate in our annual slideshow, send your photos to powersp@mygcsd.org by 2pm tomorrow. Have a great first day!

Remember the Open House events that are happening tonight!
5:00 - BES Grades K-5
5:30 - TES Grades K-2
6:30 - THS and BHS Grades 6-8
7:30 - THS and BHS Grades 9-12
TES Grades 3-5 will be tomorrow at 5:30.

August's character trait is RESILIENCE. Resilience is "the ability to recover quickly from difficulties." We can practice resilience by working to adapt to change and keep going in the face of adversity. As the new school year approaches, let's all face the year with resilience.

Teachers are back to school tomorrow! Please join us in welcoming teachers back to school by flooding Facebook with welcome messages tomorrow!

Superintendent Rob Rankin is proud to announce that the Gilchrist County School District has all A schools, is an A district, and is the #2 district in the entire state. Congratulations TES, BES, THS, and BHS! This is only possible through the hard work of our teachers, students, staff, administrators, and the support of our parents and community. Way to go Team Gilchrist!

School Supply Lists are now available! Locate them in the Documents folder on our app. Also available on our website.

July's character trait is POSITIVITY. Positivity means "being hopeful and confident by looking for the good in our circumstances." During this month and moving forward, let us all have a positive attitude and see what we can accomplish!

Gilchrist County's character trait for the month of June is HONESTY. Honesty is “being truthful in what I say and do.” Honesty includes what you say and what you don't say! This summer and moving forward, let's all practice honesty in our thoughts, words, and actions.

GCSD phones are back online!

Please be advised that our phones are currently down due to internet disruption. This is being addressed, and we will update as needed.

Our character trait for the month of May is BOLDNESS. Boldness means "confidence to say or do what is right, true, and just." During this last month of the school year, let us all be bold in adhering to our values.

Progress Reports for the 4th 9 weeks will be going home today. Please be sure to check your child's backpack, and talk to teachers about any questions or concerns.

Please remember that there is no school tomorrow, April 19. We are closed for a teacher/student holiday.

New school calendars are available on Facebook, the GCSD website, and our app! Select MENU, then DOCUMENTS to find calendars, or simply go to the NEWS section.

Our character trait for the month of April is CAUTIOUSNESS. Cautiousness means "knowing the importance of right timing in accomplishing right actions."

Congratulations to our cash prize winners from this week's Parent Night - Mr. Sapp and Ms. Mendez! We appreciate our parents attending events like this so that we can support the education of our children TOGETHER. Thank you to prize sponsors Gina Geiger and Damon Leggett.

Report cards for the 3rd 9 weeks will be going home today. Be sure to check your child's backpack, and talk to teachers if you have any questions/concerns.

Parents of 8th Graders: Please remember to attend Registration & CTE Night on Tuesday @ 6pm at the BHS Auditorium (for Trenton and Bell).

Welcome back from Spring Break! Let's have an amazing last quarter.

Today (March 15) is the end of the 3rd 9 weeks. Remember that there is no school next week (Fair and Spring Break). Have fun and stay safe!

It's Literacy Week! Did you know that students are 4 times more likely to drop out of school if they are not reading proficiently by 3rd grade?

All 8th graders visited Career/Tech programs at their home school yesterday, and are visiting programs at the other school today. Please talk to your child about what they learned regarding the programs we offer!

Our character trait for the month of March is DISCERNMENT. Discernment means "understanding the deeper reasons why things happen."

Our character trait for the month of February is FLEXIBILITY. Flexibility means “adjusting to change with a good attitude.” Even when you can’t control your circumstances, you can control how you respond.

Our character trait for the month of January is ENTHUSIASM. Enthusiasm is “putting my whole heart into what I do.” Whatever the task, no matter how big or small, it will always turn out better if you put your whole heart into it!

Early Release today at 1pm! Have a great break, and we will see you back in the new year!

Remember that Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday are early release days (1pm). Check with your school for the exam schedule for those days.

Great job to all of the students that participated in the District Spelling Bee that was hosted at BHS!

Our character trait for the month of December is SENSITIVITY. Sensitivity means "using my senses to perceive the true attitudes and emotions of others." During this month and moving forward, let us all be a little more sensitive to those around us.

Tomorrow, we move into December! Keep your child learning during this holiday season by reading together, practicing new vocabulary in conversations, and finding learning opportunities in each day.

Establishing strong relationships between parents and teachers creates an environment that ensures student success! When was the last time you had a conversation with your child's teacher? Let's team up to triumph! #EngagedFamiliesFL

Reminder: Tomorrow will be an Early Release Day for students at 1pm.

We don't just want out families to be engaged in November! Visit http://www.parentsasteachers.org/ to learn more about Parents as Teachers. What are you doing with your child to celebrate Family Engagement Month? Share your photos with us on social media! #EngagedFamiliesFL

Our character trait for the month of November is HOSPITALITY. Hospitality means to "cheerfully share food, shelter, and friendship with others." Let us all practice hospitality this month and moving forward.

Thank you to all of the parents and community members who attended today's Literacy Parades to promote reading and the love of books!

Stand Up for Others! When you see bullying, there are things you can do to make it stop. Talk to a teacher or other adult so that they can help. Be kind to the kid being bullied. Show them that you care by trying to include them. Sit with them, talk to them, or just be there.

All of the food items collected for our adopted school district in Jackson County were delivered this weekend for some very grateful students to receive today upon schools reopening. Thank you for your help in supporting our friends in the Panhandle.

Students are busy collecting non-perishable food items to help our adopted school district in Jackson County. As a reminder, we will be collecting throughout this week to help those impacted by the hurricane and will deliver to the schools this weekend.

Help us as we adopt the Jackson County School District! We will be collecting non-perishable food items this week to deliver to Jackson County this weekend before school opens on Monday. Any cans should be flip top, no corn or greens. Candy is needed for the 31st.

Due to hurricane closures, the end of this 9 weeks will now be Oct 16.

Due to the conditions continuing to deteriorate and winds being strong late into the evening not leaving adequate time to check for road closures, schools will be closed for all Gilchrist county students and staff tomorrow, Thursday, October 11. Schools will re-open on Friday, October 12.
Activities such as practice and games can resume to their normal schedule starting at 3:00pm on Thursday, October 11th.

Parents, please remember that the 21st CCLC after-school program at TES and BES will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.

RE: Hurricane Michael - All schools will be in session tomorrow with early release at 1pm. All school events after 6pm on Tues will be cancelled. All schools will be CLOSED for students and staff on Wed 10/10. An announcement will be made by 6pm on Wed with further info.

Our character trait for the month of October is LOYALTY. Loyalty is “showing my commitment through difficult times.”

Reminder: Bulldog Parade will be today at 1:45pm.

Remember that the Tiger Parade is today at 2, the Bulldog Growl is tonight at 6:00, and the Tiger Growl is tonight at 7:30.

Thank you, dads, for participating in #DadsAtSchool Day!

Remember to download the GCSD app for menus, directories, documents, and much more ON THE GO!

Our character trait for the month of September is DILIGENCE. Diligence is “focusing my effort on the work at hand.”

Please be advised that several of our campuses were on lock-down today in an effort to ensure our schools are safe and drug-free. Thank you for your support as we continue to make safety a priority for our students and staff. All is well, and our campuses are secure!

Link to Parent Survey https://eprovesurveys.advanc-ed.org/surveys/#/action/75362/p2786

Our app has been downloaded over 800 times! Help us to reach 1,000 by searching for GCSD in your app store or Google Play. Download the app with the apple logo, and go into your settings to select your preferences. This is a huge safety and communication tool, so let's use it!

Remember that you can check your child's grades at any time by logging into Skyward Family Access! On our website, go to Menu and then Student Grades & Info. If you need access, there is a form for you to complete and submit. Stay involved - it's proven to raise grades!

Florida Gateway's 32nd Annual College Night will be held on Tuesday, Aug 28th at 5pm in the Howard Center (Building 10) at FGC. Mark your calendars now if interested!

9th Graders and Parents: Plan to attend Laptop Night on Thursday, Aug 16th to receive laptop. THS @ 5:00, BHS @ 6:30 in auditoriums.

We're having a great First Day! Parents, remember to send to First Day of School pics to powersp@mygcsd.org by 2pm to be included in our annual slideshow.

Student Handbooks are out! Check our GCSD app to review the 2018-19 policies and procedures before school starts.

Report cards are available for pick-up at schools, Mon-Wed, 9am-3pm.

Parents: As we wait for hard-copy report cards to come in, please remember that you can check your child's grades at any time through the Skyward parent portal.

Check your app DOCUMENTS folder for Supply Lists!

The School Board meeting previously scheduled for July 10 has been moved to July 17 (4pm).

Congrats to GCSD for being an “A” district and ranked 3rd for the second year in a row!

Check out this link to learn more about Florida's Summer Literacy Adventure - http://www.fldoe.org/academics/standards/just-read-fl/summer-lit-adventure.stml

Remember to read with your child each day to help prevent summer learning loss!

Please remember, school offices will be open to the public Monday-Wednesday (9:00am-3:00pm) June 4-August 1.

Congratulations to all of our 2017-18 graduates!

High School Graduation Ceremony:
We are watching the weather closely as we approach the upcoming graduation ceremony. Every effort will be made to hold the ceremony on the football field even if there is a chance of a slight rain. Please prepare accordingly.
In the event of inclement weather, the Trenton High School Graduation Ceremony will be relocated to the Suwannee River Fair Pavilion located at 17851 NW 90th Avenue, Fanning Springs, Florida.
If a decision is made to move the graduation ceremony off the football field, an update will be provided on our Gilchrist County School District Facebook page around 6:30pm.

The Gainesville Sun will print their special graduation section this Sunday, May 27th. The list of graduates from area schools will appear in the D section of The Sun, instead of the special section. The top grads will appear in the special section.

Graduation Update:
We are watching the weather closely as we approach the upcoming graduation ceremonies. Every effort will be made to hold the ceremonies on the football fields even if there is a chance of a slight rain. Please prepare accordingly.
In the event of inclement weather, the Bell High School Graduation Ceremony will be moved to the Bell High School Gymnasium. The Trenton High School Graduation Ceremony will be relocated to the Suwannee River Fair Pavilion located at 17851 NW 90th Avenue, Fanning Springs, Florida.
If a decision is made to move the graduation ceremony off the football field, an update will be provided on our Gilchrist County School District Facebook page around 6:30pm.

As we continue Teacher Appreciation Week, keep these tips in mind! Author Diane Hodges says that praise for your child's teacher should be timely, sincere, specific, and positive. Find a teacher who deserves a compliment, and share your appreciation with him or her. Just a bit of heartfelt thanks goes a long way. Thank you for supporting our teachers!

Our character trait for the month of May is TOLERANCE. Tolerance means "showing respect for others that are different that me." Let's all try to remember that not everyone is the same.

GCSD phone lines are down, but are being worked on. We will notify as soon as phone lines are back up. We apologize for the inconvenience.

As a reminder, there will be no school tomorrow, Tuesday April 24th. We are closing in light of services being held on the BHS campus for Deputy Lindsey and Sergeant Ramirez and out of respect for the sacrifices made by our law enforcement officials.

In regards to Sergeant Noel Ramirez and Deputy Sheriff Taylor Lindsey’s services taking place at Bell High School on Tuesday, April 24, 2018, and out of respect for the sacrifice they made to protect our community and love for our sheriff’s department, we will be closing all schools for students on Tuesday, April 24th in their honor.

As a gesture of our love, support, and solidarity with respect to today’s tragedy in our community, we would like to invite students and staff to wear blue tomorrow as a visible symbol that our thoughts are with the Gilchrist County Sheriff’s Office, the deputies involved, and their families.

Graffiti has been found again on a bathroom wall at Bell High School that has a threatening undertone. We have again checked it out with law enforcement and do not perceive it as a credible threat.

8th graders and parents: Remember that Career/Tech program applications are due TODAY to your guidance counselor!

April's character trait is CREATIVITY. Creativity means approaching a need, a task, or an idea from a new perspective. Let's practice creativity each day!

If your child is in 9th, 10th, or 11th grade, please plan to attend Registration Night on Monday, April 2. THS will begin at 6, BHS at 6:30 in each school's auditorium respectively.

If your child is currently in 8th grade at BHS or THS, please plan to attend a Registration and CTE Parent Night on Tues, 3/27 @ 6pm in the THS auditorium. CASH prizes available!!

Law enforcement officials will be working on our campuses today. Thank you for all that you do to keep our community safe!

Reminder: Friday, March 16th is an Early Release Day for students.

Parents of 8th Graders: Your child will be visiting all high school Career/Tech programs this week! Be on the lookout for informational materials we are sending home.

Did you know that you can help your child perform better on testing days? Here are some tips!
- Get enough sleep the night before
- Eat healthy breakfast
- Be on time

Reminder: The end of the 3rd 9 Week grading period is Friday (March 9).

Our character trait for the month of March is DISCRETION. Discretion means showing good judgement by recognizing and avoiding words, actions, and attitudes that bring undesirable consequences.

As we're nearing the end of CTE Month, please continue to become better informed about the career tech programs that we offer! Keep an eye out for more info.

February is Career and Technical Education Month in Florida! Help us to celebrate by becoming familiar with the programs that we offer. Expect to see more info through the end of February!

Update: The Gilchrist County Sheriff Bobby Schultz and Superintendent of Schools Rob Rankin would like you to know that all school access and activities may resume effective Saturday, February 17. Thank you for your help in protecting the students and staff of the Gilchrist County School District.

Around 8:00pm tonight, we received an email threat to Gilchrist County School District. With this short notice, we cannot confirm how legitimate this threat is.
We are working with the Gilchrist County Sheriff, Bobby Schultz, and other Law Enforcement Agencies to determine the validity.
In light of the recent incident in Broward County, and out of abundance of caution, we will be closing school tomorrow, February 16th in order to ensure the safety of our students and staff.
Thank you

On behalf of the Gilchrist County School District, we would like to congratulate this year’s valedictorians and salutatorians!
BHS Valedictorian: Molly O’Sullivan
THS Valedictorian: Trevor Noyes
BHS Salutatorian: Alexis Weeks
THS Salutatorian: Sarah Johnson
Great job to all of you. You should be proud of this accomplishment.

Our character trait for the month of February is resourcefulness. Being resourceful means to make wise use of the true value of all assets. People who are resourceful can achieve more with less.

Happy Friday! Did you notice that you can access Documents in our new app? Everything from our Student Handbook to Time Sheets for teachers is available. Check it out!

Did you notice that you can access school lunch menus in our new app?? Just select your school (building icon in upper right) and then select "Menu" (icon in upper left that looks like three lines).

2016-17 graduation rates were recently released by the Florida Dept of Education. Gilchrist County’s rate of 93.4% was once again the highest in the state! Congratulations Gilchrist County Schools!!

Congratulations to our Teachers of the Year and Employees of the Year!
BHS- TOY Johnnie Cook & EOY Pam Powell
BES- TOY Rani Rhodes & EOY Tammy White
THS - TOY Jennifer Wingate & EOY KayLee Beauchamp
TES - TOY Tanya Rood & EOY Donna Watson
DO - EOY Jennifer Terry

Power has been restored at THS. Thank you for your patience

Attention Parents: All Gilchrist County Schools will be open today as scheduled. Although there have been some early morning power outages in Trenton, TES now has power and THS will have power very soon.

School resumes for students on January 9. Happy New Year!

Our character trait for the month of January is PUNCTUALITY. Punctuality is "showing respect for other people and their time." People who are punctual arrive on time, plan for unexpected delays, and think of their impact on others. Let's all practice punctuality!

Remember that report cards for the first 9 week grading period will be going home on Thursday, October 26th. Please check your child's backpack, and contact teachers if you have any questions.

The School Board has approved changes to the school calendar due to missed days during Hurricane Irma. The following days will be full, regular school days:
• 10/20/17
• 11/10/17
• 12/18/17