
Community Education Cooking Class Alert: Valentine's Cookie Class!
Bake Valentine's cookies to share with your friends and family. We will be making three different kinds of cookies. You will be able to take home two dozen cookies at the end of the night.
Tuesday Feb. 11 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
$15 a person (kids must have an adult present, adult doesn't have to pay fee)
Limit 15 kids Age 8+
GFW MS/HS Kitchen Winthrop


Check out some of the photo updates from the construction of the new school facility this week! Get full updates at: https://www.gfwschools.org/page/building-updates





The GFW School Board approved a change to the 2024-25 school year calendar! Friday, Jan. 31 will now be a full school day with no early release in order for students and teachers to have more time together.


Thank to Laura Sallstrom and Megan Jacobsen who spoke with seniors and their families today about the robust scholarship program at GFW!


There are three opportunities for kids to get messy coming up with GFW Community Education!
Messy Art:
Kirsten Dean (instructor)
Ages 5 yrs and older
Hands on fun with multimedia projects. Kids will create their own works of art using their imaginations. Very hands on and messy! Kids will be bringing their works of art home with them. Please dress in messy clothes.
Monday, Feb. 3 - Valentine Themed
Monday, March 3 - St Patrick Themed
Monday, April 7 - Easter/Spring Themed
3:30 - 5 p.m.
$18 per student/per class
GFW Elementary School - Community Ed/ECFE Room. Please register by one week prior to each class.


The GFW Community Bus will be in Downtown Winthrop on Friday, Jan. 24 from 8-10 a.m. Learn more about this resource: https://www.gfwschools.org/article/1907538


The Minnesota School Boards Association held their annual leadership conference last week and some of the GFW School Board and leadership team was able to attend!


It is Paraprofessional Recognition Week in Minnesota! The paraprofessionals at GFW Public Schools go above and beyond for our students every single day and we are so grateful to them. Be sure to thank a para this week!


The 2025 GFW CTE College & Career Fair is returning to GFW High School on Friday, Feb. 21 and we are inviting local businesses and higher education institutions to take part in this incredible event! Students in grades 8-12 will be able to attend the fair and learn about options for careers and educational options focused on Agriculture, Manufacturing, Shop/Trades, Family Consumer Sciences, Business, Visual Arts, Healthcare, and more!
Visit our website to learn more: https://www.gfwschools.org/article/1977679


We will be holding our informational session about scholarships with Laura Sallstrom of Dollars for Scholars and GFW Alumni Megan Jacobsen this week on Wednesday, Jan. 22 from 8:30-9:30 a.m. at GFW High School. All seniors will be attending and we invite any families of the class of 2025 to join as well!


Due to the extreme cold and windchill temperatures forecasted, GFW Public Schools will have an E-Learning Day on Tuesday, January 21. After school and evening activities will be allowed to proceed as scheduled.


Monday, Jan. 20 will be a non attendance day for students and a professional development day for staff!


Congratulations to the December GFW Middle School Students of the Month!



Some GFW Middle School students chose to participate in a badminton tournament during this week's reward day. Congratulations to the top three teams!




Students at GFW Middle School that are meeting and exceeding GFW behavior expectations, and that are succeeding academically are allowed to participate in Middle School Reward Days where they get to choose from a variety of fun activities. Students had fun playing games, singing karaoke and more yesterday!







Community Education Trip Alert: Just the Way You Are
Friday, February 14, 2025
Happy Valentine’s Day! We’re headed for the Ives Auditorium in Bloomington where we’ll begin with an included lunch of honey garlic chicken breast, cheesy potatoes, roasted broccoli & cauliflower, salad, dinner roll, assorted desserts, coffee and hot tea. (Special dietary meals available by request ahead of time.) Then we’ll head to the theater for Just the Way You Are, an array of classic romantic songs from the 60s, 70s, and 80s, featuring hits from Elvis Presley, the Righteous Brothers, the Bee Gees, Carole King, Billy Joel and more. Just the Way You Are showcases your favorite Sidekick Theatre musicians with some of the Twin Cities best vocalists performing such songs as ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’, ‘Wonderful Tonight’, ‘Can’t Take My Eyes off You’ and of course ‘Just the Way You Are’. Enjoy an atmosphere of fun and romance at Sidekick Theatre this Valentine’s Day!
Bus will pick up in Fairfax at the old Middle School at 8:30 a.m., in Gibbon on the west side of the building at 8:45 a.m. and in Winthrop at the MS/HS bus loop at 9 a.m.. Bus will return to Winthrop at approximately 5 p.m., Gibbon at 5:15 p.m. and Fairfax at 5:30 p.m.
Cost: $106 per ticket


Find the GFW Community Bus in downtown Gibbon on Friday, Jan. 17 from 8-10 a.m. This valuable resource aims to take a way barriers for community members to get resources they need at no cost.
Learn more about the bus: https://www.gfwschools.org/article/1907538


Renville County is hosting a community engagement night where parents, teachers, coaches, and community members are invited to watch the streaming of board certified psychiatrist Dr. Amanda Black's presentation on the book The Anxious Generation. It will take place on Thursday, Jan. 23 at the Renville County Government Building in Olivia. Regsiter for the event at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScO_TEMdNXiNKb9UqPcXWeWMsSt2conewi4vmk9h-UgL6Ql7w/viewform


As work continues on the construction project of the new PreK-12 Facility, we will be sharing photo updates on the Facility Updates Page. Check out the latest construction photos! https://www.gfwschools.org/page/building-updates

Teams of staff at GFW Elementary competed in a gingerbread house decorating competition. Students will get to decide the winner!








