It’s hard to believe that the 2021-22 school year is coming to an end! We had a great school year and are so excited to see our students working hard every day and achieving amazing things. We are also excited to continue to offer more opportunities for our students and our community!

We started the school year welcoming some passionate teachers, paras, and other staff members to our district and all worked together for the benefit of our students in all that we did. Dedicated social emotional learning specialists provided students with additional support and taught skills in friendship, collaboration, and communication. Cultural liaisons at each building supported our English learners and helped us better connect with our LatinX community. 

Our music and art program saw renewed excitement from our students who dove right into new instruments, hands-on arts activities, arts opportunities, and performances throughout the year. Elementary students showed what it means to live the T-Bird Way by being respectful, responsible, and safe in and out of the classroom while middle and high school students explored new pathways and passions. 

Thunderbird athletes also had some notable achievements, with milestones achieved, records broken, college commitments signed, and victories celebrated. We heard amazing stories about football teammates helping community members and student clubs and organizations donating their time to support community initiatives. 

We also did substantial work to make sure that our school district is able to provide quality education to our community for years to come. Our finances continued to strengthen with the district officially exiting statutory operating debt and focusing spending on priority programming. District leadership worked tirelessly toward goals of continuous improvement and achieved several goals of the strategic plan. 

New academies and pathways programming beginning in the fall will bring a renewed focus on career and technical education, allowing GFW to grow future world class leaders, nurses, farmers, mechanics, artists, and so much more. We will offer free athletics and activities for the 2022-23 school year in hopes to encourage more participation and offer students the chance to try new things and be part of the Thunderbird story. 

We are optimistic about the future at GFW and are grateful to a passionate community of teachers, learners, and supporters who encourage students to reach their full potential!