Home

The IB Theater class invites you to a free performance of absurdist plays this Thursday, May 23^rd from 6:30-7:30 at the West Campus. The entire IB theater class has been hard at work this semester preparing the plays, and hope to share our work with you. The plays are absurdist plays by Samuel Beckett and Harold Pinter. The plays are directed, acted, lit, costumed, and staged by the IB theater students. We hope to see you there!

It is hard to believe the year is nearly over. Families and students are invited to come celebrate at our end of the year picnic on Thursday, May 23.  We’ll gather at the Como Park Picnic Shelter (off Midway Parkway across from Como Town) about 5 – eat, socialize and be done about 7 pm.  Please bring a salad, raw veggies, fruit or main dish plus plates & utensils for your family.  GRS will provide lemonade, water and paper goods.  Playground equipment is available, but bring balls or frisbees for field play.  Hope to see you there!

Once you are done eating, we hope you will head to GRS to take in the free IB Theatre presentation of absurdist plays in the Multipurpose Room on the west campus.

For the past 8 years, the spring Key Experience for A1 is a 100 mile bike trip.  This year’s trip will be south. Students leave on Sunday, June 1.  They should  be at GRS at 1 pm along with their lunch and backpack.  The parent/guardian orientation was held earlier in May.  For those who were unable to attend or need the information again, here is the Red Wing Trip – Parent/guardian Orientation Document, which includes the daily schedule and a packing list.  For more information and the bike route, please contact Ben Moudry.

Show your school spirit by wearing GRS gear!  New this year – a student designed t-shirt that celebrates spring and GRS. Designed by A1 student, Signe Peterson, the new shirt will sell for $12.  Because the orders are coming in slowly, we will extend the order deadline to Wednesday, May 22.  We still hope to have shirts ready for the bike trip, spring intensives and the summer.

• Click here for Spring 2013 designs to see the designs
• Click here for the Spring Spirit Wear Order Form to send in with your cash or check by 5/22/13

This year’s year book has gone to the printer and will be available on June 6. Yearbooks are $30 each.  Orders are now being taken either by using a paper order form available at the front desk or the online order form.

Please join us on Wednesday, July 31 at 7 pm for Open Eye Theatre’s presentation of Tucker’s Robot.  We welcome families with children of all ages to join us for this driveway tour.  Bring your blanket or chair and join us for about an hour. Refreshments provided.

Tucker’s Robot
Tucker is an adventurer with an unstoppable imagination.  When he discovers an old robot in the garbage, of course he has to take it home.   Tucker’s usually ready for anything but can’t believe it when this robot travels through time and takes him along! Full of surprises, a little danger and some really funny characters.Puppetry, live music, and fun for families and children up to age 12.

Wednesday afternoons provide adolescent GRS students with experiences in and around the community.  This past Wednesday, students from A2 ventured to Como Park to do some work outside taking care of the falls around the outdoor classroom.

For those who like to plan ahead, the 2013-2014 Calendar was approved by the GRS Board at the March board meeting.

The Office of the St. Paul Mayor recently recognized 10 individuals and organizations with the 2013 Sustainable Saint Paul Awards.  Great River School was the recipient of the Environmental Education and Awareness Award – recognizing programs and concepts which develop skills and attitudes necessary to understand the inter-relatedness among humans, culture and environment and foster behavior change.

The following is the text of the award:

“Great River School became the first school in the city of Saint Paul to join the Department of Natural Resources School Forest Program, choosing the Saint Paul’s Como Woodland Outdoor Classroom to be their school forest. The school has shown exemplary commitment to improving sustainability by dedicating students and teachers’ time assisting at Como with a variety of natural resource tasks such as planting, mulching, seed collection, brush hauling, and removing of invasive species. Students also engage in long-term investigative research topics that benefit the outdoor classroom and foster a sense of ownership.
Every year on Earth Day Great River School also has over 200 students participating in natural resource management and park maintenance at Como Park.”

Welcome to our new elementary teachers! We are thrilled to announce the that Jessy Eaton and Karen Anway have accepted positions as the new Lower and Upper Elementary teachers for the new classes being formed for next year. Families in their classes will have an opportunity to meet and greet them on May 18. Look for an invitation in the mail soon. (Click on the title of this article for more details.)