FROM OUR PRINCIPAL
Hi Agritopia Parents,
As a school principal and mother of two adult sons, I have witnessed firsthand the BIG emotions boys experience! They are fierce protectors who stand against injustice and often express themselves with passionate intensity. As parents of boys, it can sometimes be a challenge guiding your son through these powerful emotions. A book I highly recommend as an excellent parent resource is Raising Emotionally Strong Boys by David Thomas. This insightful book provides parents with a roadmap to help their sons navigate emotions in a healthy, God-honoring way.
This book emphasizes the importance of emotional strength over mere toughness. Thomas outlines practical strategies for helping boys understand, process, and express their emotions in constructive ways. He combines psychological expertise with biblical principles to guide parents in fostering resilience, confidence, and empathy in their sons. The book also offers valuable insights into how boys experience and express emotions differently than girls, helping parents to better connect and support their sons through life’s challenges.
Additionally, Thomas has created a companion workbook, Strong and Smart, which parents can go through with their sons. This interactive resource provides practical exercises and activities designed to reinforce the lessons from the book, helping boys build emotional strength in tangible ways. It’s a wonderful tool for deepening discussions and putting these principles into action in everyday life.
I encourage all parents of boys to read (or listen) to this book, as I believe it will be a great help to you in your parenting journey. The insights and strategies presented can help boys grow into men who are not only strong in spirit and character but also in their ability to handle life’s ups and downs with grace and wisdom.
I hope this resource blesses and equips you to help your son both validate his emotions and develop strategies to work through them in effective ways. I will be giving away three copies of the book and workbook next week. If you are interested in entering the drawing, please enter your name HERE before Wednesday, February 26th.
Raising Worry-Free Girls is on my Spring Break reading list and I look forward to sharing a review of that book in a future newsletter.
Educating with eternity in mind,
MIDDLE SCHOOL ATHLETICS
The Gilbert Christian Middle School Spiritline Gold Cheer Team is gearing up for their third and final competition of the season at the Arizona State Cheerleading/Pom Tournament TONIGHT, Friday, February 21st! They will be competing in a new division and performing a new routine, with added difficulty, as they take the mat one last time this season. Let’s Go, Lady Knights!!
Location: North Canyon High School (1700 E Union Hills Dr, Phoenix, AZ 85024)
Competition Start Time: 6:00 PM
GCMS Performance Time: 7:12 PM
Awards Ceremony: 8:55 PM
Spectator Info:
$10 per person (kids 5 & under free). Cash & cards accepted
Seating on the east side of the gym. Arrive early for the best view!
Concessions Available – Water allowed inside the gym
Parking: Free – Follow signs and look for helpers in orange vests.
GAME DATES:
2/26 | Basketball Games Vs. Phoenix Christian
4 pm- JV Girls Basketball Game
5 pm- JV Boys Basketball Game
6 pm- Varsity Girls Basketball Game
7 pm- Varsity Boys Basketball Game
UPCOMING CONCERT – 7TH & 8TH GRADE ORCHESTRA, MS CHOIR, & AFTER SCHOOL MS CHOIR CLUB
Our middle school students have a morning concert on Tuesday, February 25 at 8:30am in the Agritopia gym.
HYGIENE & DIAPERS DRIVE
Our annual City Hope – Hygiene & Diapers Drive started on Wednesday, February 19th and will continue through Friday, February 28th. Below are the collection items for each grade level. All grade levels will be collecting diapers. There will be a collection tote at each classroom to place your donation items.
Thank you for partnering with us to support City Hope.
PreK, Kinder & 1st – Deodorant
2nd & 3rd grade – Baby Wipes
4th & 5th grade – Shampoo (2in1 okay, please no conditioner)
6th, 7th & 8th grade – Toothbrushes & Toothpaste
All grades – Diapers
ON-CAMPUS FUNDRAISER
On Thursday, March 27th from 11:30am-6:00pm, we will be having an on-campus fundraiser. This is a half day and parent teacher conferences are through the evening. Ice Cream Crush will have a truck in the parking lot so you can stop by for a sweet treat after school or during conferences to celebrate the hard work of your child.
MIDDLE SCHOOL KNIGHTS CELEBRATION DAY
Due to district transportation availability, we will be holding our middle school Knights Celebration Day event on Thursday, March 6th instead of Friday. Every student is required to have a completed Urban Air Waiver on file before they are allowed to participate.
*Please ensure this Urban Air Waiver is completed prior to filling out the permission slip below.
Please use this link to fill out the GCS permission slip for your child.
For more information on this day, please see the email that was sent by Mrs. Ehlers on 2/19.
STAFF SHOUT OUT
Have you noticed a staff member you’d like to recognize? Whether they’ve gone above and beyond or made a positive impact, use our Staff Shout-Out Link to recognize their great work and let them know they’re making a difference!
YEARBOOK ORDERS
Click here to purchase your Agritopia yearbook. $30 for a softcover & $35 for a hardcover now through February 28. Make sure to keep your receipt for your records. Please contact [email protected] with any questions regarding yearbooks.
IMPORTANT DATES
2/19-2/28– City Hope Diaper & Toiletry Drive
2/25 – Concert for 7th & 8th grade Orchestra, MS Choir & After School Choir Club (8:30am-9:30am, AG Gym)
2/28 – Chapel / GCS Spring Gala
3/5 – 4th Grade Ranger Day
3/6 – Knights Celebration Day
3/7 – Fit & Fun Day (K-5th) & Kickball Tournament (3rd-5th)
3/7 – End of Quarter 3
3/10-3/23 – Spring Break
3/24 – Quarter 4 Begins
3/27 – On-Campus Fundraiser: Ice Cream Crush
3/27-28 – Half Days & PK-8 Parent/Teacher Conferences
