
Dear GKMS Families, The students did an excellent job of maintaining focus and being prepared throughout the IAR assessments this week. The weather has been warming up and it is a good time for some reminders. The staff attempts to take the students outside whenever possible and practical so please have your students dress appropriately for the weather. Please... READ MORE >

GKMS Families, Your student will be coming home with their 3rd quarter report cards today if your student attends in person. If your student attends remotely, we will mail the report card home and you should receive it in a few days. Please take time to look over your student’s report card with them and discuss what is going well and what they would like to... READ MORE >

GKMS Families, The students and staff have done a tremendous job transitioning to our new plan where students can attend 5 days a week in person. I hope everyone is able to relax and enjoy themselves over Spring Break and spend time with family and friends. The 4th quarter will begin on March 29th when students return from Spring Break. Every student gets a... READ MORE >

GKMS Families, It has been awesome to see so many students in the building this past week. They have done an excellent job of following the expectations at school to keep everyone as safe as possible. We are excited to be able to offer Track & Field to our students. Practice will begin on March 29th and the first Track Meet is scheduled for April 7th. The... READ MORE >

GKMS Families, On March 8th we will be changing from the Hybrid Model with Orange and Blue Days to a 5 Day In-Person Model. Students who selected 5 Day In-Person will attend school in person 5 days a week. Students who selected the Full-Remote option will attend classes remotely each day. The teachers will continue to instruct the in-person and remote students... READ MORE >

GKMS Families, We are officially halfway through the 3rd quarter. Progress Reports are now available in PowerSchool. Please take time this weekend to discuss the Progress Report with your student. While academics are very important, I highly encourage you to check in with your student to see how they are doing on a personal level during these unique times. ... READ MORE >

GKMS Families, We are excited to offer Basketball Intramurals to our students. Intramurals will consist of fun basketball drills, games, and scrimmages. This morning I shared the GKMS Basketball Intramural Information with students. It is not too late for students to sign up. Boys Basketball Intramurals will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting next... READ MORE >

GKMS Families, I hope everyone is staying safe and warm. GKMS Parent/Teacher Conferences are next Thursday from 1:30pm-8pm. Please click on the link to register for a conference. The conference format will be remote using Zoom as it was in the fall. Conference time slots are ten minutes and you will sign up with any individual teacher you would like to meet... READ MORE >

GKMS Families,Friday, February 5th will be full remote for ALL students due to the forecasted weather conditions. All students will log in remotely to all of their classes at their class period start times. The After School Remote Assistance with teachers will be available from 1:30pm-2:30pm as it was during the Adaptive Pause. As always, please contact me with... READ MORE >

Good Evening GKMS Families, Report Cards 2nd Quarter Report Cards are being mailed home today and you should expect to receive them within a few days. Your student’s MAP Report with explanation will also be included with the report card. Honor Roll Certificates will be handed out to students next week. In-person students will receive them in school and full... READ MORE >

Good Evening GKMS Families, What a great week it has been! It has been fantastic to see students back in the building this past week moving from class to class. Please remind your student to dress appropriately for the winter weather; hats, gloves, coats, and cold weather footwear. The Journalism Club has been hard at work creating the GKMS Gazette for... READ MORE >

GKMS Families, On Tuesday, January 19th, we will be returning to our Return to Learn In-Person Hybrid Model. Tuesday, January 19th is a Blue Day. We will be implementing a couple of changes when students return to in-person on Tuesday. First, students will move from classroom to classroom. Students attending in-person will be given a copy of their schedule... READ MORE >

GKMS Families, Quarter 2 ends next Thursday on January 14th and the current Encore rotation ends on Friday, January 22nd. In an effort to support all of our students, Monday, January 11th will be synchronous (live instruction at their regularly scheduled time in the class Zoom meeting) for students who currently have a “D” or “F” in their class. Students who... READ MORE >

Good Evening GKMS Families, I hope everyone is able to take time over break to enjoy time with family and friends; everyone has definitely earned a break this year. I am proud to be part of a community that works so hard to support one another. I would like to wish all of our GK Families Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year! Happy Holidays! Craig... READ MORE >

Dear GKMS Families, Next week, students are encouraged to participate in our Holiday Spirit Theme Week. On Monday, students can bring their pet or favorite stuffed animal to share at the beginning of 1st period. The staff is looking forward to seeing what the students share. The students have been working very hard and are doing a great job as we work... READ MORE >

Greetings GK Families, On Monday and Tuesday of next week, all GKMS students will be taking the MAP Growth test. Please look over the Remote MAP Testing Guidance for Families for the dates and times of the test along with a description of what MAP Growth is. Progress Reports are now available in PowerSchool. If you have any questions please contact your... READ MORE >

Dear GKMS Families, I hope everyone was able to enjoy the long holiday weekend. We will begin the Adaptive Pause tomorrow, December 1st and it will run through January 14th. During the Adaptive Pause, students will log in remotely each day to their class periods starting at 8am. With having all students learning remotely, we have expanded the teacher office... READ MORE >

Greetings GKMS Families, As you may have heard today, we will be taking an adaptive pause and teaching remotely for all students beginning on November 30th through January 18th. I have full confidence that the students will continue to receive a high quality education as all GKMS teachers have been teaching to remote students every day this school year and doing... READ MORE >

Greetings GKMS Families, The students have been doing a fantastic job of both in-person and remote learning. The students have been engaging in a new educational format that is new to all of us and continue to impress. Having completed the first week of 2nd quarter I thought it would be a good idea to remind everyone of strategies that will help all students... READ MORE >

Greetings GK Families, I hope everyone has been able to enjoy the exceedingly pleasant weather this week. Thank you to all the GK Families who attended remote Parent/Teacher Conferences this week. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we shifted to the new remote format for conferences this fall. Your student’s report card is being mailed home and... READ MORE >

Dear GK Families, We begin 2nd Quarter on Monday, November 2nd. All slates have been wiped clean and all students get the opportunity to start over. Please remind your students to stay on top of their work as we begin 2nd Quarter so they don’t fall behind. I would like to thank all of the students, staff and families for their flexibility and understanding as... READ MORE >

Good Evening GKMS Families, On Wednesday, November 4th and Thursday, November 5th, GKMS will be holding Parent/Teacher Conferences remotely. Please click on the links below to sign up for a conference with your student’s teacher(s). If you would like to meet with several teachers at once, please select the teachers for the same time slot. All core teachers are... READ MORE >

Greetings GKMS Families, The students and staff have really seemed to hit their stride as we approach the end of Quarter 1(Quarter 1 ends October 30th). This school year has been more difficult than others for students to find ways to feel part of the school community. To help bring some “normalcy” the awesome GKMS club sponsors have moved their clubs to remote.... READ MORE >

Greetings GK Families, Quarter 1 will be ending in just 3 weeks on October 30th. The student’s will have a long weekend, with no school tomorrow(Teacher Institute Day) or Monday(Columbus Day). This is a great time for students to take time and reflect on their grades and complete any missing or incomplete assignments. The Encore 1 rotation ends today. On... READ MORE >

GKMS Families, The Encore 1 rotation is ending next Thursday, October 8th. When students return on Tuesday, October 13th, they will begin Encore rotation 2 and will have a new Encore class and teacher. Please encourage your students to do their best during their last week of Encore 1 next week. Please visit the GKMS School Website for information about... READ MORE >

Greetings GKMS Families, We are now midway through Quarter 1 and the students, staff, and families have been doing a tremendous job adjusting to the new school year. Progress Reports for Quarter 1 are available today in PowerSchool. Please take time this weekend to look over your student’s Progress Report grades and discuss how they are doing in each of their... READ MORE >

GK Families, Week 3 is in the books. Next week the students will take two MAP tests. They will take a Reading MAP test on Monday, September 21st, at 8am. On Tuesday, September 22nd, the students will take the Math MAP test in the afternoon. Please remind your student’s to get a good night’s rest and have a healthy breakfast each day. Students will be taking... READ MORE >

GK Parents, The staff and I would like to recognize what a tremendous job all of the students have been doing in the classroom and when remote. The students in person are wearing masks, washing hands, and maintaining safe distances. When students are remote they are sitting up right, engaged and with cameras on. Please remind your student to continue exhibiting... READ MORE >

GKMS Families, I would like to thank all of the students and families for their understanding and flexibility as we returned to school this week. The students have done a tremendous job of following the expectations when they are in person learning or in class remotely from home. If your student is having technical difficulties with logging in to their Zoom... READ MORE >

GKMS Hybrid Model Overview 50% of the students will be assigned to the Orange Days and the other 50% of students will be assigned to the Blue Days. Students whose last names are A-L will attend on Orange Days, while students with last names M-Z will attend on Blue Days. ALL GKMS students, whether they choose the In-Person or Full Remote Learning option will... READ MORE >

Greetings GK Families, Thank you to everyone for your patience as we work out any technical issues. It has been fantastic seeing students in class and in Zoom meetings remotely. If your student is having issues logging into their classrooms please contact their teacher or the office at 815-784-5222. I wanted to remind everyone that we are not following the... READ MORE >

Greetings GK Families, Earlier today I sent an email to all students with instructions and expectations for the first day of school. I reminded students to log in to their 1st period Zoom meeting by 7:55am if they will be joining class remotely on Monday, August 31st. The 1st period Zoom meeting will begin at 8am and the extra 5 minutes will allow students time... READ MORE >

Greetings GKMS Families, I hope you have all enjoyed your extended summer vacation with the start of the school year changed to Monday, August 31st. The extra time has allowed us to gather all of the materials students will need for the first day. ALL students are being asked to sign up for a time slot on the Material/Chromebook Pick Up Sign Up for next... READ MORE >

Good Afternoon GK Families, The first day of attendance is only two weeks away. With the changes to the updated District Calendar, we have had to adjust some of the events we had on the GKMS calendar. When schedules are complete I will send out an email so students can see their schedules. We will be have another Chromebook/Material pick up day on Tuesday,... READ MORE >

Good Evening GK Families, The GKMS Staff is excited for the year to begin. All students may pick up their Chromebooks next Tuesday or Wednesday. Please click on the Chromebook Pick Up Date and Time Sign Up to choose a time slot to pick up your student’s Chromebook. Families will remain in their cars to pick up their Chromebooks. We are also asking all families... READ MORE >

July 31, 2020 Greetings GKMS Families, I hope everyone has been able to enjoy their summer break. The staff at Genoa-Kingston Middle School have been hard at work preparing the school as we prepare for school to resume on August 17th. The staff is excited to see the returning 7th and 8th grade students and meet the new 6th grade students. The 6th Grade... READ MORE >

GK Families, As this is the last weekly communication until next school year, I would like to say how proud and appreciative I am of how the GKMS students, families, and staff responded during Remote Learning. We have truly been in this together. If you ordered a yearbook, you will be contacted as soon as they are available so you may pick them up. If you are... READ MORE >

Good Afternoon GKMS Families, The students have all been working hard and doing a great job throughout these unique circumstances. I would also like to thank the parents for all they have done to assist their students throughout this process. Chromebook Drop Off/Locker Item Pick Up Tuesday May 26th -Thursday May 28th Please refer to the scheduled times... READ MORE >

Good evening GK Families, This Thursday, May 14th, students who have completed ALL assignments in ALL of their classes will be done for the school year. If your student(s) have (I)Incomplete assignments, they will have until 3pm on Friday, May 22nd to get Incomplete assignments completed and turned in. By 3pm this Friday, May 15th, teachers will be emailing... READ MORE >

GKMS Families, I hope you and your families are doing well. I would like to thank all of the families for your continued support. Please continue to encourage your students to engage in Remote Learning. Students who have earned a “P”(Pass) on all of their assignments on Thursday, May 14th will essentially be done for the school year. Students who have... READ MORE >

Greetings GKMS Families, I hope you and your families are doing well. I would like to thank all of the families for continuing to support and assist your students as you are able, with participation in and completions of Remote Learning. Please continue to encourage students to engage in Remote Learning. Students who have earned a “P”(Pass) on all of their... READ MORE >

Greetings GK Families, Last week, we all learned that we will be finishing this school year using the online Remote Learning format for the remainder of this school year. While all school events are cancelled for the remainder of the school year, we have currently postponed the 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony and plan to hold Promotion at a later date; dependent on... READ MORE >

GK Families, I hope this message finds you healthy and safe. I wanted to clarify the grading procedures during Remote Learning during 4th quarter. All assignments your student turns in for 4th quarter during Remote Learning will receive a “P” or “I”, which will be explained below. Until we return to physical classes we will be using “P” and “I” for our... READ MORE >

Good afternoon GK Families, I would like to thank the students, families, and staff for their tremendous patience and understanding as we continue with remote learning(eLearning) through April 7th. To that end, I would ask that you please take a few minutes and complete the GKMS E-Learning Family Survey with your student. We are doing our best to gauge how much... READ MORE >

The GK Journalism is proud to publish the Quarter 3 GK Times. #gkcogs READ MORE >

Greetings GK Families, As we approach the end of 3rd quarter on Friday, March 13th, there are several fun and educational opportunities happening for our students at GKMS. Please continue to check your students' grades in PowerSchool. 7th Grade students will be heading to the Shedd Aquarium on Monday. Please be on time for school everyday, but especially... READ MORE >

Good evening GK Families, We are in the home stretch for the 3rd quarter, which ends on March 13th. Please remind your students to continue to work hard as we move towards the end of 3rd quarter. On Monday, March 9th, the 7th grade students will be taking a field trip to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. Please make sure your students arrive at school on time on... READ MORE >

Greetings GK Families, Next week on Wednesday, February 19th, Encore/PE 4 ends. Encore session 5 begins on Thursday February 20th; students will begin their next rotation. Please check PowerSchool to see your students final grade for Encore/PE session 4 on Wednesday, February 26th. If you are looking for a discussion starter with your student; ask them what... READ MORE >

Good evening GK Families, Progress Reports were made available yesterday. If after looking at your student’s Progress Report you would like to schedule a conference for next Thursday, February 13th, please contact the office at 815-784-5222. We have appointments available from 12-8pm. Next Thursday and Friday, February 13th and 14th, we will have Early... READ MORE >

Good evening GK Families, In the GKMS Newsletter for January 31, 2020 you will find information in regards to 3rd quarter Progress Reports and Parent/Teacher Conferences along with the grade level and Encore newsletters. Have a Super Weekend! Respectfully, Craig Butcher Principal GKMS#gkcogs READ MORE >

Good evening GK Families, Inside the GKMS Newsletter for January 10th, 2020 you will find information on student goal setting, 8th Grade Promotion, and the grade level and Encore newsletters. Have a safe weekend and stay warm! Respectfully, Craig Butcher Principal GKMS#gkcogs READ MORE >

Good evening GK Families, Inside the GKMS Newsletter for December 13th, 2019 you will find the grade level and Encore newsletters. Have a Cogtastic weekend! Craig ButcherPrincipal GKMS#gkcogs READ MORE >

Good evening GK Families, Inside this newsletter for Friday, Dec. 6, you will find the newsletters for the grade levels and Encore and information on happenings at the middle school. Have a great weekend! Craig Butcher Principal GKMS READ MORE >

Good evening GK Families, Inside this week’s GKMS newsletter, you will find grade level newsletters and information on our Food Drive sponsored by the GKMS Community Impact Club. Have a Cogtastic weekend! Craig ButcherPrincipal GKMS READ MORE >

Here is the GK Times Student News 1st Issue. The students in the Journalism Club, Mrs. Schumacher, and Mrs. Lee have worked hard to bring you the first edition of this year's student newspaper. Happy Reading! READ MORE >

Good evening GK Families, Inside the GKMS Newsletter 10/25/19 you will find the grade level newsletters with information on conferences and how you can help the PTO. Have a Cogtastic weekend! Respectfully, Craig Butcher Principal GKMS#gkcogs READ MORE >

Good evening GK Families, We ended quarter 1 today with an end of the quarter PBIS celebration. Students were able to play bags, dance, draw, play board games, do puzzles, or play 4 on 4 basketball. Hopefully all of the students were able to find an activity they enjoyed. Report Cards will be coming home next week on Thursday, October 24th. Students Fall MAP... READ MORE >

October 10th, 2019 Dear Parents/Guardians of 8th grade students, We would like to invite every parent/guardian to participate in Student-Led Conferences which will be held November 6th and 7th. In place of a traditional conference, students will lead conferences with you to reflect on his or her progress, show you his or her work, set goals for the... READ MORE >

Greetings GK Families, We have had a fantastic start to the school year and the end of Quarter 1 is quickly approaching. Quarter 1 will be ending on October 18th. Please take the weekend to look at your student’s PowerSchool and discuss how things have gone during the first quarter. I do appreciate the students and staff staying positive with the loss of our... READ MORE >

Greetings GK Families, Please click on the links below to access the weekly newsletter for the week of 9/16/19. Have a great weekend! Craig Butcher Principal GKMS Mr. Butcher's Newsletter 9/13/19 Encore Newsletter 8th Grade Newsletter 7th Grade Newsletter 6th Grade Newsletter READ MORE >

GK Families, Please see the grade level and principal newsletters below for information on the classroom and school happenings at GKMS. Respectfully, Craig Butcher Principal GKMS Principal Newsletter 9/6/2019 Encore Newsletter 6th Grade Newsletter 7th Grade Newsletter 8th Grade Newsletter READ MORE >

GK Families, We've had a great second week of school. Please see the grade level and principal newsletters below for information on the classroom and school happenings at GKMS. Have a great week! Craig ButcherPrincipal GKMS Principal's Corner 6th Grade Newsletter - Week of August 30 7th Grade Newsletter 8th Grade Newsletter Encore Newsletter READ MORE >

August 23, 2019 GK Families, We had a great first week of school filled with getting to know you activities, classroom community building, and discussions on classroom and school-wide expectations. I would like to invite all students and their families next Monday, August 26th, to Genoa-Kingston Middle School’s Open House. There will be a brief presentation... READ MORE >

GKMS Letter to Families August 2019 READ MORE >

Greetings 6th Grade Students/Families, I hope everyone is having an enjoyable summer. I am excited to get to meet all of you in a couple of weeks. Here is a rundown of how the first day of school will go for you: Schedules will be posted in PowerSchool around 3 p.m. on August 15th. Lists will be posted as you enter the school with 1st period teachers names and... READ MORE >
Hello GK Parents. As a followup to our previous May 15th and 16th training days, and in an effort to ease recent concerns regarding Powerschool and the online registration process we will be providing Powerschool registration help on Mondays throughout the summer. Starting July 8th - August 5th from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm training is available in the Genoa-Kingston... READ MORE >

Please see the Illinois Assessment of Readiness Informational Letter from Mr. Butcher. You can access the document in PDF by clicking the link or read the content of the letter below. Dear Parents and Guardians, Our students take federally required assessments every spring. These assessments help us understand how our students are growing academically,... READ MORE >

Greetings GK Families, The 8th grade teachers have been planning a variety of activities and events for the 8th grade students, most important of which is the 8th Grade Promotion. The 8th Grade Promotion will take place on May 20th at 7:00 PM. The promotion will be held at Genoa-Kingston High School in the gymnasium. A ticket is not required for admittance to... READ MORE >