Hello Gilpin Eagles!
It is hard to believe it's already October. We have been busy with many things around the school throughout the month of September. I have been impressed with the student leadership happening this year. Student leaders in Student Council, Interact Club, and our new Circle Keepers have been making a positive impact on our school climate and culture.
Teachers have also engaged in professional development and have been honing their skills in trauma-informed restorative practices as well as differentiated instruction and engagement strategies.
Homecoming is coming up next week. We will have lots of fun activities for students. As a friendly reminder, the homecoming dance is just for high school students in grades 9-12. The spirit dress up days, pep rally, parade, and football game are open to all students.
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Ms. Kayla, Ms. Cobb, and I trained our first group of Middle School Circle Keepers. We are excited to see our Circle Keepers in action. Circle Keepers have two main roles. One, they will help to facilitate Community Circles during Advisory time. Community Circles happen weekly, usually on Mondays during Advisory. It is a time to build community and strengthen relationships. Circle Keepers can run these circles, with teacher support, and they can even determine which questions they would like to ask. The second role of a Circle Keeper is to assist with peer mediation. Students in middle school will be able to request a peer mediation anytime they feel the need. Our Circle Keepers will then arrange for a mediation to take place during lunch or advisory time. Ms. Kayla, Ms. Cobb, or I will be there to support these conversations as needed. Our goal is to empower students to be able resolve conflict together in a respectful manner. Please congratulate our new Circle Keepers when you see them. They are stepping out into a new role as pioneers and advocates for their fellow students.
Circle Keepers from left to right: Riley Gerhard-Erickson, Ilyana Paxton, Bella Hartman, Canyon Carlson, Kayla Carlson (staff), Murphy Molloy, Ella Albrecht, and Sara Reich (staff).
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Sara Reich
Principal
Gilpin County Secondary School
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October 6-11 - Homecoming Spirit Week
October 8 - Late Start, classes begin at 9am
Oct. 15 - Secondary Music Concert 6:30p / Jeffco Career Expo Field Trip for 10th & 11th Graders
Oct. 16 - End of 1st Quarter
Oct. 21 - PSAT/NMSQT Fall Testing
Oct. 22 - Late Start, classes begin at 9am
Oct. 23 - Parent/Teacher Conferences, 4-8pm
Oct. 24 - Parent/Teacher Conferences, 8am-12pm
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Friday - Homecoming Parade - 10am
Homecoming Game - 7pm
Saturday - Homecoming Dance - 7-10pm (grades 9-12 only)
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Please help the Gilpin County High School Theatre Department raise money for the 2026 high school theatre scholarship recipient/s!
The high school theatre department will be hosting the Homecoming Chili Cook-Off on Friday, 10/10/2025.
Entry fee: $20.00 cash or check made payable to Gilpin County School
Sign Up Deadline: 10/09/2025
Drop Off Chili: 10/10/2025 at 6pm
● All entries must provide at least a 6 qt crockpot size of Chili.
● Name must be on your crock pot.
● Full ingredient list must be placed with your crock pot.
● Crockpots delivered to the football field at 6pm, tables will be set up
● Electric outlets and serving spoons are provided.
● Tasting will start at 6:30pm and end at the end of the 1st quarter of the game.
● Winners will be announced at half time. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prizes.
● Pick up your crockpot during the 4th quarter or after the game.
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Attention Freshmen & Parents:
Our 9th graders will be taking the Digital PSAT 8/9 on Tuesday, October 21st. Proctoring will begin at 8:00 a.m., so please be on time.
If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to Ms. Cobb at kcobb@gilpin.k12.co.us prior to Wednesday, October 15th.
Attention Sophomores, Juniors, and Parents:
Our 10th and 11th graders will be taking the digital PSAT/NMSQT on Tuesday, October 21st. Proctoring will begin at 8:00 so please be on time. There is personalized SAT practice on Khan Academy . This test gives each student an opportunity to take the next step for college.
Students can:
1) Access college scholarships. The PSAT/NMSQT connects students with college scholarships. Students should say "yes" to Student Search Service on the day that they do the test prep to make it easy for scholarship partners to find them. Students who meet the National Merit Scholarship Corporation's eligibility requirements are automatically entered into the National Merit Scholarship Competition.
2) Get ready for SAT. The PSAT/NMSQT is great prep for the SAT. Your child will get familiar with the test questions and formats. In fact, students who take the PSAT/NMSQT usually score higher on the SAT, on average, than those who do not.
3) Build an SAT practice plan. Your child can access a personalized SAT study plan based on their results from the PSAT/NMSQT. They can identify the skills they need to work on, and study at their own pace.
If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to Ms. Cobb at kcobb@gilpin.k12.co.us prior to Monday, October 13th.
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We had two seniors, JJ Johnson and Maddie Sutton, take part in the 9/11 Stair Climb on September 11. The 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb honors the memory of the first responders who were lost during the tragedy and in the aftermath of 9/11. Participants symbolically complete the heroic journey to save others and pay tribute to the first responders lost that day. JJ and Maddie wore badges representing the 343 firefighters, 60 police officers, 8 EMTs and 3 state officers who died in service to others during 9/11. Please visit the City of Black Hawk website for more info about the history and significance of this event. Photo Credit: Catrina Amaya
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The Interact Club, sponsored by Heather Fuller, organized a Suicide Awareness Walk for the school community. The Interact Club is made up of the following students: JJ Johnson, Gretchen Osteboe, Keira Ferrante, Makaela Johnson, Ella Albrecht, and Ilyana Paxton. Students, teachers and staff, as well as members from the community joined us for our first walk for suicide awareness. It was a rainy afternoon, so we had to move the walk into the gym. We had a great turnout. Of course the delicious baked goods the Interact Club made encouraged more walkers to take part. Proceeds from the walk will go to benefit the Second Wind Fund. You can read more about the organization at https://thesecondwindfund.org/
This event was student-driven, organized, and facilitated. We couldn't be more proud of these student leaders. Altogether, the Interact Club raised $574 for mental health support in our community! Way to go!
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The September focus for the Student of the Month was on Respect. Both of these students show exemplary respect each and every day. They are respectful to peers and teachers/staff alike. We are proud of our September students of the month! Great job, Kai and Payton. In October, we will be focusing on persistence. |
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Kai is always so respectful to his peers and his teachers. Kai is a friendly face in the hallway: always making eye contact, saying good morning, and checking in with his teachers. When he works with his peers, he is kind to everyone and willing to work with everyone. He will often offer to help someone when they are struggling. Kai's presence makes our classrooms great! |
Payton is consistently respectful to all students and teachers. She is friendly, helpful, and caring towards her peers. Payton has become a responsible and hard working student, as is demonstrated by her outstanding grades. She continues to take a lot of pride in how well she does in school, and has made tremendous growth due to her effort and participation. |
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Middle school students in Ms. Newman's Adventures in Science class make cookies to learn about the elements. Which elements can you identify? Anela and Parker show a tray of cookies while Blakely and Lila hold up their creations. |
In August and September we had fun and interesting activities related to Spanish.
Students were making some maracas related to cultural hispanic speaking countries, shared a science class with Miss Newman, learned a new vocabulary and grammar in Spanish and finally worked on their first project. Middle school and Spanish 1 students talked about their school, schedule and favorite courses, Spanish 2 worked on their favorite after school activities and, Spanish 3 presented A memorable Adventure. They made a presentation (slides) in Spanish, added pictures, videos, they enjoyed and shared information with peers. Our main goal was to communicate in Spanish and promote positive relationships. Congrats to our students! Eagles Rise up!
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We are in the middle of our fall high school athletic season. High School Football's record is currently 3-1, winning their last three games in a row! They defeated Lake County, South Park, and Justice over the last three weeks. Their next two matchups will be huge league games for them. On October 2nd, Gilpin will travel to Clear Creek High School, and on October 10th, Gilpin will host Front Range Christian for their homecoming game!
High school volleyball had a huge win vs Skyview Academy last week, coming back from a 0-2 deficit winning 3 straight games in a row! High school volleyball will host Dayspring Christian for their homecoming and breast cancer awareness game on October 9th. They will be benefitting a local charity, The Hope Chest, during this game.
Middle school volleyball and football only have a couple weeks left of their season! Both programs wrap up in the middle October. Middle school boys basketball will start practices on October 13th and the middle school girls will begin practice on October 20th. Reach out to Ryan Raynes, rraynes@gilpin.k12.co.us, for questions regarding boy's middle school basketball and Andromeda Jordan, aramsey3@gilpin.k12.co.us, for questions about middle school girl's basketball.
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Student Athletes are an important part of our school community. They lead our school both on and off the field/court. This month we have winners from our HS Cheer team and our MS Volleyball team. Great job representing the Gilpin Eagles, Leo and Hanna! |
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Ireland "Leo" Simpson (HS Spirit). Leo has gone above and beyond for the cheer team this year, starting with creating a summer conditioning program in May, working hard at the two camps we had this summer then, this Fall, creating an instagram for the team that not only features cheer related pictures and information but also supports the other fall sports teams. She ensures that time-sensitive information gets to the team and consistently brings new ideas for cheering and competing. She's an all around spirit leader! |
Hanna Thompson (MS Volleyball): Hanna is ALWAYS setting a good example for her peers on and off the court. She is the first to help when setting up the nets, grabbing the ball bag, or cleaning up. She stays positive and composed on the court through her communication and actions. She has good academic standing and is a dependable athlete. |
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The Booster Club is always looking for volunteers. Learn more by visiting their website here. |
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Dostal Alley invited our Gilpin County Football team to take over their restaurant for an evening fundraiser. Players took orders, served food, and bussed tables for GCSD fans. Thank to everyone in the community for your support. Thank you to Coach Ball and Dostal Alley for providing this incredible opportunity for our athletes.
Photo credit: Coach Ball
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As the sponsor of the Junior Class, I am pleased to announce that our Junior class will be conducting a fundraiser to support their prom this year by selling Butter Braids. The fundraising campaign will start on September 23rd and conclude on October 27th, with delivery scheduled for November 5th. Butter Braids are a delectable treat, perfect for the holiday season and make for excellent gifts.
If you wish to support our class, please utilize the link below or the QR code to access our online store. Once there, you may select one of the sellers and place your order under their name. The sellers include the Gilpin County Juniors, and I have also registered as a seller. Should you be unfamiliar with any of our Gilpin County Juniors, please do not hesitate to use my name, Victoria Stephens, as your designated seller for the Butter Braids.
The Butter Braids will be delivered to the school on November 5th. At this time the company does not ship orders to individual residences and will only deliver to our school. If you have placed an order with one of our Juniors, please make arrangements with him/her for delivery. If you placed an order under my name (Mrs. Victoria Stephens), please plan to pick up your order at the school from 4pm-4:30pm on November 5th from my classroom (room 345). If you cannot make this work, feel free to email me the name of a person who you would like to pick up.
Thank you for your support,
Victoria Stephens
Middle School Science/Robotics
Gilpin County School
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Secondary Office Phone Number: (303) 582-3444, ext. 5054
Attendance
For attendance reporting (excusing an absence, late arrival or leaving school early) please reach out to Catrina and/or Katura in the Secondary Office.
Absences should be excused as soon as possible, but no later than 24 hours from the day of the absence.
Leaving Early / Arriving Late
Parents/Guardians must call to excuse a student who is leaving during the school day for an excused appointment or illness. Students must sign in/out in the Secondary Office whenever leaving early or arriving late.
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