School pictures will be taken at the Gering Freshman Academy on Wed., Sept. 30.
Group shots of clubs will be taken Wed., Nov 25 for grades 7-9.
Yearbooks are on sale for $20 at the Academy. That price will go up to $25 after October 30. This yearbook covers grades 7-9 and will be delivered the last week of school.
The GHS Freshman Academy
... located at the Gering Junior High
Decisions made for Gering Public Schools are based on student performance data. Data used in making our decision to change the structure at the junior high is:
• The number of students who started as freshman compared to the number of students who completed high school four years later indicates an average of nearly 26 fewer students (approximately 15% of the students).
• The percentage of students completing Algebra I by the end of their freshman year; three years ago approximately 32%, two years ago it was 44% and this past year we surpassed 60%, but this is still short of our goal of 80%. If we want our students prepared for more rigorous courses (not only in math and science), they must complete Algebra by the end of their freshman year.
Students going from the 8th grade to high school are faced with the most difficult transition of their educational experience. All too often, too many of the students do not understand the importance of their freshman year. This is especially true of a 7th-9th organized setup like our current junior high. If the schedule, teachers and the building are the same (despite all of the attempts by parents, teachers, support staff and administrators to explain how critical the 9th grade year is), too many students will not make a successful transition. Many schools across the country are addressing this concern by implementing and developing one of the most successful programs, the Freshman Academy.
With this concept, a school within a school, freshmen are provided with specific experiences to ensure they get off to a good start in high school. Relationships are’ developed with students to address any concerns early so students are not allowed to fail. The relationship also includes the parents so they can be an active partner in their child’s educational process.
Across the country, Freshman Academies prove they do work; schools have seen improved attendance, course completion rates up, and suspensions, as well, as a reduction in other discipline issues. More students are completing the more challenging courses throughout the remainder of their high school career.
We made the decision during the fall of 2006 to plan for the Freshman Academy and to develop our 7th and 8th grade into a junior high. Our staff has developed a good plan and could not wait for a new building. With ingenuity, patience and fortitude our staff will succeed in restructuring our current junior high, but it will work even better when we have the Freshman Academy at the high school campus.