Gilkey Elementary -

BATTLE OF THE BOOKS: Do you have a 3rd-5th grade student who loves to read? The 2023 Battle of the Books sign-up is coming soon! Join us for a fun extra-curricular reading activity where students work as a team to read and study seven selected books before competing in a quiz bowl type battle in February 2023. A week from today on Wednesday, October 5, the 2023 Battle of the Book titles will be announced! Interested in participating? Sign-ups will take place at students' elementary buildings, so please stay tuned for more information and sign-up details to be shared soon!

GILKEY SPIRIT WEEK: Our elementary buildings have joined in Homecoming Spirit Week! Yesterday, the Gilkey Geckos had superhero day. It has been so much fun to see all the school spirit throughout PCS this week! Go Trojans!

MEET THE CANDIDATES: As a reminder, the Meet the Candidates event is TONIGHT (Tuesday, September 27) at 7 PM. Join us to meet the 2022 Board of Education Election Candidates. In-person attendees will have the opportunity to meet and submit questions to learn about the candidates to prepare for voting. Your vote matters, as the Plainwell Board of Education has four openings that will be on the ballot on November 8, 2022. Unable to attend in person? The event will be available via livestream on the Plainwell Performing Arts Center Facebook page and on TrojanTV.net. Please note, only in-person attendees will be able to submit questions during the event. Thank you for your support of Plainwell Community Schools and the PCS Board of Education.

TODAY - PHS CLASS OF 2024 DINE TO DONATE FUNDRAISER: Tonight’s dinner plans = ✔️ Join us at Blaze Pizza for the Class of 2024 Dine to Donate fundraiser. Must present flyer when ordering: https://5il.co/1i4oq. - Date: Tuesday, September 27, 2022 - Time: 3-9 PM - Location: Blaze Pizza at 5015 W. Main Street, Kalamazoo

MEET THE CANDIDATES: We are just one day away from the Meet the Candidates event on Tuesday, September 27 at 7 PM. The PCS Board of Education currently has four openings and ten candidates that will be on the November 8 ballot. Your vote matters! Join us to meet and learn about the candidates to prepare for voting. Unable to attend in person? You can watch the event via livestream on the Plainwell Performing Arts Center Facebook page and on TrojanTV.net. Thank you for your support of Plainwell Community Schools and the PCS Board of Education.

GILKEY BIKE TRIP: It was the perfect day for the Gilkey Elementary 4th and 5th grade students to take their annual bike trip throughout Plainwell. They stopped at various spots along the way to learn about bicycle safety. A very special thank you to Bob Farris, Plainwell Public Safety, the Gilkey Staff and the many parent volunteers who made this an amazing experience for the Geckos!

2022 HOMECOMING PARADE: Mark your calendar, we are just ONE WEEK away from the 2022 Homecoming Parade! Join us to support PHS and cheer on the Trojans beginning at 1:20 PM on Friday, September 30. Students, staff, PCS families and the community are welcome to join us for the parade to celebrate Homecoming Spirit Week and to cheer on the Trojans prior to their football game against Niles at 7 PM on September 30. GO TROJANS!

FALL CHOIR CONCERT: Mark your calendar to join us for a free concert featuring the 7th, 8th, PHS Choirs and PHS Honors Choirs as they perform some of rocks biggest hits on Thursday, October 20 at 7:30 PM at the Plainwell Performing Arts Center. We look forward to a great show by the PCS Choir programs!

IT (INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY) PROFESSIONALS DAY: We are a day late, but couldn't let it pass without acknowledging National IT (Information Technology) Professionals Day! We are so grateful for our IT team, who work hard each day to provide the best technology services for our students and staff! Thank you Thang, Evan and Devon for your constant hard work and dedication to PCS - you are so appreciated! Plainwell Pride!

KICKERS (SOCCER): Registration is currently open for our upcoming Kickers soccer program for K-5th grade students. For dates and additional information, please view the flyer or visit plainwellschools.org/page/youth-programs. Ready to register? Please visit plainwell.revtrak.net/Community-Ed-Rec/. Please note that the registration deadline is October 22.

MEET THE CANDIDATES: Join us for our upcoming Meet the Candidates event on Tuesday, September 27 at 7 PM to meet the 2022 Board of Education Election Candidates. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet and submit questions to learn about the candidates to prepare for voting on November 8, 2022. Your vote matters, as the Plainwell Board of Education has four openings that will be on the ballot on November 8. Unable to attend in person? The event will be available via livestream on the Plainwell Performing Arts Center Facebook page and on TrojanTV.net. Thank you for your support of Plainwell Community Schools and the PCS Board of Education.

BUS ROUTE UPDATE FOR 9/16: The Secondary and Elementary Lion bus riders will be riding on the Dolphin bus this afternoon. Please note that this may cause delays in the PM bus routes. Thank you for your understanding!

PHS VARSITY FOOTBALL: Our first home Varsity Football game against Gull Lake High School is tomorrow (Friday, September 16) at Streidl Field with a 7:00 PM kick-off. Gates will open at 5:45 PM, but please plan to arrive early to avoid the long lines. We are strongly encouraging our Trojan fans to purchase your tickets and passes online before coming to the game by visiting phstrojans.com. Please note that this event is CASHLESS. We will be accepting credit and debit card payments at the FRONT GATE ONLY (off of Starr Road), but please anticipate a wait while processing payments. We look forward to a positive and fun experience while cheering on the Trojans! As you select a seat for the game, please keep in mind that the student and band sections are seated on the northwest side of the bleachers. We look forward to this first home game of the season - GO TROJANS!

BOARD OF EDUCATION: Plainwell Community Schools is excited to welcome our new Board of Education member Rex Hall. Mr. Hall was appointed at the September 13, 2022 meeting to serve on the Board of Education through December 31, 2022. Please join us in congratulating Mr. Rex Hall on his appointment to the Plainwell BOE!

UPCOMING CONCERT AT THE PAC: Tickets are available for the upcoming Allegan County Search and Rescue concert featuring Ronnie McDowell at the Plainwell Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, September 14 at 7:00 PM. For additional details and ticket information, please visit allegancountysar.publicsafetypsa.com.

SHARP SHOOTERS BASKETBALL: There is still time to register for the upcoming Sharp Shooters Basketball League for 5-8th grade girls. Games are held on Saturdays, beginning October 22 and the season will end with a tournament on December 10 & 11 for all participants who wish to participate. Team organization and practices (days of the week, location, times) will be announced this month. The cost of $125 and covers gym rental, officials, jerseys and league insurance. Registration is currently open on RevTrak by visiting plainwell.revtrak.net/Community-Ed-Rec/ (closes on 9/16). Please note, this is not a league for AAU or Area All Star Teams.

GILKEY GECKOS: The students in Ms. Pierce’s fourth grade class at Gilkey Elementary spent time this week learning about building rules and expectations. The students visited the Gilkey Expectation Stations to practice both what to do and what not to do. They also created their social contract together. It was a great first week at Gilkey!

As a reminder, we have two upcoming no school days: Friday, September 2 and Monday, September 5. We look forward to welcoming our students back to school on Tuesday, September 6. Have a great weekend!

PCS FOOD SERVICE: Are you interested in sending money for food service? Account balances are available for review or to add money, at any time, using our automated web service by visiting https://plainwell.familyportal.cloud/. If you have not already registered for this service, you will need an active email account and the student ID numbers for each student you intend to register prior to completing the registration process. For more information on PCS' Food Service program, please visit plainwellschools.org/page/food-program-details.

COOPER POWER OUTAGE UPDATE: Due to the continued power outage, Cooper Elementary will be closed today (Tuesday, August 30). This closure includes the Cooper SAFE program. Currently, the power is scheduled to be restored on Wednesday at 3:45 PM. We will continue to provide updates to Cooper families through our normal communication methods.