Every dollar counts!

The Gillespie PTO is excited to announce the return of our Gillespie Fussless Fundraiser, which runs from November 3 to December 1! 

Our goal is to raise $8,000. 

That’s a lot, but together, we can meet this goal!

** Tell your family, tell your friends, tell your employer! **

This is the primary PTO fundraiser of the year, and it’s a simple one. Simply donate dollars. Gillespie students won’t have to sell anything and 100 percent of your donation goes directly to Gillespie Middle School. Upon successful completion, this will be the main request for donations from PTO for the entire school year!

PTO dollars support your child’s educational experiences through: 

To meet our $8,000 goal, we are asking families to consider donating ANY AMOUNT that you can, as small or large as you feel fit. 

We appreciate ALL donations to the Gillespie PTO!

Participation matters! 

Gillespie Middle School is a vibrant community of staff, students and families. Communities thrive when everyone participates and supports one another. We hope that many families will participate in this effort to support our school community. 

Incentive for Success!  

The PTO anticipates a successful fundraiser. To celebrate, the students will have a special Celebration Day at school with games, popcorn and fun! 

Your donation can be TAX DEDUCTIBLE!

Jefferson PTO Madison (still our formal name) is a nonprofit, tax exempt organization as described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code; EIN 88-4270149. Your donation may qualify as a charitable deduction for federal income tax purposes, as allowed by law.

Checks should be made payable to: Jefferson PTO Madison

Send cash/checks to your child’s homeroom teacher, or drop in the office: Gillespie PTO, Gillespie Middle School, 101 S. Gammon Rd. Madison, WI 53717

Thank you for your contribution!!

Thank you Gillespie Staff! from Gillespie PTO

Buy a cup of coffee for your favorite Gillespie teacher! 

The Coffee Truck is headed to Gillespie on Friday to treat our teachers on their work day and YOU can buy your favorite teacher or teachers a cup! 

2 Ways to Pay:

— Venmo @GillespiePTO with a note to your favorite teacher or staff member!

— Send $$ with CheddarUp and click “view form” to type a short note to the teacher.

The Gillespie Fall Dance is on Friday, October 27th from 7pm – 9pm. This is a FREE event for ALL Gillespie students (unless they are not permitted due to suspensions). Non-Gillespie students are not allowed at the dance. There will be a DJ, food and dancing!

Volunteers are needed to make this happen, so please help out by signing up for a volunteer slot! All volunteers can report to the cafeteria/gym at their start time. **You do NOT need to be an MMSD approved volunteer to help at this event!** Questions? Email gillespiepto@gmail.com

PLEASE JOIN US TO CELEBRATE!

The Renaming of Jefferson Middle School to Ezekiel Gillespie Middle School

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29TH 2023 @ 12:30PM

101 S. Gammon St. Madison, WI 53719

12:30 p.m. – Renaming Ceremony in the Gym

All are welcome to stay for lunch following the ceremony

Grilled hot dogs & hamburgers, Vegetarian options available

RSVP HERE (for food count)

2:00 p.m. School Improvement and Title 1 presentation in Lecture Hall

2:30 p.m. – Big Games Activity for all students

 (parents welcome to stay)

Don’t miss Go To School Night on Wednesday, September 27th at 6:00pm. Follow your child’s class schedule to meet their teachers and find out what they are doing in class. Below is the schedule:

(B Day schedule)

Time	Classes
6:00-6:15	Administration and Student Support Team Presentation in the Gym
6:25-6:35	Period 1
6:38-6:48	Period 2
6:51-7:01	Period  3
7:04-7:14	Period  4
7:17-7:27	Period 5
7:30-7:40	Period 6
7:43-7:53	Period 7
Additional Resources & Support in the Gillespie Cafeteria
6:15-7:53	MSCR Student Services StaffAdvanced Learning InformationAssessment Information

The 2023-2024 School Year is almost here, so we wanted to welcome all of our former Jefferson Jaguars, as well as our new Gillespie Grizzlies! 

The Gillespie PTO is ready to continue the forward momentum that we began last year and we would love to have you as part of the team in any way you wish to be involved, as much or as little – click here to let us know! (If you would like to help during the school day while students are present, you must complete the MMSD volunteer process, which can be found HERE.)

One of the ways that the PTO supports our school is through Staff Appreciation. Our teachers work so hard to not only educate, but guide our students and they will be returning to school this week for professional development. We will be providing lunch for our staff and would appreciate any donations from families in order to help fund the meal. You can make a donation here! 

As the start to the 2023-2024 school year nears, we will be working with staff and administration on some fun events, fundraiser and ways for PTO and families to be involved. Below are some dates to remember (and listed on the PTO calendar here) . Stay tuned for more information and welcome to Gillespie Middle School, home of the Grizzlies!

August 21 – Schedules/Bus Information available on Infinite Campus (be patient, changes are still being made) – Also view bus schedules here!

August 28 – 6th Grade Orientation 6pm-7pm **Cancelled – see communication from the school HERE

September 1 – First Day of School for 6th Grade ONLY

September 4 – No School, Labor Day

September 5 – First Day of School for 7th & 8th Grade (2nd Day for 6th Grade)

September 22 – Picture Day

On Thursday, May 18th and Friday, May 19th, our Jefferson 7th graders will be doing the MAD CITY CHALLENGE!

The Mad City Challenge is similar to the television show The Amazing Race, wherein each group is required to locate and document a previously selected item on display at various locations in and around downtown Madison as well as the UW-Madison campus. As the individual groups follow their self-determined routes throughout downtown, they will visit a number of sites, locate the object(s) as instructed, document their discovery, and then move on to their next location. This is a wonderful and exciting event as the students will have the opportunity to experience downtown Madison and the UW campus in person and on foot for the better part of the day!

The Jefferson PTO is providing lunch to all participants upon their return to the school and we are asking families to help by donating dessert items like cookies, brownies, etc. Your help is greatly appreciated!  

***Drop off in the office that morning or send with your 7th grader to drop in the office.***

Click Here to Sign Up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C094CA9AA22ABFFC61-7thgrade

Highlights of the new policy:

• Starting after Spring Break, students will be required to keep their cell phone in their locker or to turn it in with a trusted adult at the beginning of the school day.
• If a student is found with their cell phone during the day, they will be asked to give it to a staff member who will lock it up in a secure location until the end of the school day.
• If the student does not turn over their cell phone to the initial staff person, another staff person will be called. In this scenario, the cell phone will be secured and parents/guardians will need to pick up the phone at the end of the day. Staff will communicate with families to work out details in these situations.

Please read the entire policy, which is located HERE.