Seeking lids for a math project!
Please bring well washed lids to GRS and drop off at the from office! We are seeking many of the following plastic lids:
Extra small: Found on Swanson’s broth boxes and some water bottles
Small: From your standard 20 oz. pop bottle
Medium: Screw-top milk jugs
Large: Simply Natural juice bottles
Drop-off and pick-up got you down? Come to Coffee at the Crosswalk. Wednesday 9/29 at 8AM.
Come meet other Great River School parents and learn about an alternative drop-off and pick-up option.
There is a pedestrian bridge over the railroad yard north of Pierce Butler. Students often cross the bridge and pass through the crosswalk at Pierce Butler and Hamline Avenue on walking field trips. Parents are volunteering to ensure an adult crossing guard is there daily between 8:00-8:30am and 3:00-3:30pm. Stop by Wednesday, September 29th between 8:00-8:30am. Say hi, get involved. BYOC.
Questions? Contact Susan Sochacki, susan.sochacki@gmail.com or 651-775-7166.
Picture Day is TOMORROW, Monday, September 27th.
Students will have the option to take their masks off for the picture. Photos will be taken in the gym with the external doors open for ventilation and all students will be 6+ feet from anyone else when they can unmask.
You can order online now at inter-state.com/FlyerEntry/60055ZF
Our Outdoor Education guide Brent Cummins is hosting a volunteer morning next Saturday, October 2nd from 9:00am to 12:00pm. Jobs could include spreading wood chips, finishing picnic tables, building a big octagonal bench for community meetings, weeding the garden, and more!
As part of our community-minded mission, we ask that all families give 20 hours of volunteer time per year. Interested in coming to the volunteer morning? Let us know by registering here!
Dear Great River community,
It is time to vote in our special GRS School Board election! In recognition of the ongoing pandemic, we are holding this election virtually via Google forms and email validation. You can find a link to your ballot below - voting will remain open through TONIGHT, Friday, September 24th at 11:59pm. All caregivers and faculty are eligible to vote.
Click here for the candidate materials.
Any questions? Email us at board@greatriverschool.org!
The BIPOC Caregiver Committee is a group of caregivers who meet the first Thursday of each month to talk about ways that the school can be more inclusive for BIPOC students while also focusing on encouraging everyone in the school to explore their identity. Our next meeting is October 7th at 7:45pm - all parents of BIPOC students are welcome to attend! Want to join the BIPOC Caregiver Committee? Email Anu (adean@greatriverschool.org) or Cassie (curbano@greatriverschool.org to get connected!
We put together a survey to see what activities students and family would like us to focus on so we have more voices of what the community is desiring to see this year. We are inviting all students & caregivers to fill out the below forms, to gather information and ideas of what activities students would like to do this year to explore their own cultural identity and the cultural identity of others in the community.
Elementary survey
We are also inviting all community members to participate in a GRS cultural activities and recipe cookbook. There is a survey link below to share a recipe contribution or a specific cultural activity:
Cultural Cookbook survey
Yes - we do collect Box Tops! Yes - they DO contribute to our school!
You can follow the new-ish scanning method (see the how-to for a primer on scanning your shopping receipts) AND we still collect any box tops that you can find that you can still cut from the box. Please give those to Holly at the front desk. She gets so excited!!
Any questions? Email Holly at hbell@greatriverschool.org
Holly modeling her excitement over physical box tops, along with our resident therapy dog Petunia!
Candidate materials are available to view here.
In recognition of the ongoing pandemic, we will hold this special Board election virtually via Google forms and email validation. Your ballot will be sent to you on September 23, and voting will remain open through September 24. Voting will close at 11:59pm on Friday, September 24.
You will be voting for candidates in these positions:
Teacher (licensed GRS teacher in a current teaching capacity at GRS)
(1) standard 3-year term
New! GRS Student - New this school is the addition of a voting seat for a GRS Student. A GRS Junior will begin with 1 active board year, then moving as a GRS senior for 1 year as board alternate, with a new GRS Junior taking the active seat.
Great River School will have an 11:45am dismissal time for all students TOMORROW, Wednesday, September 22nd for teacher professional development. Lunch will not be served for students.
To see the GRS calendar and all teacher professional development half-days, check out our website. For easy viewing, you can add the Google calendar to your family’s calendar (view tutorial here).
Hello, GRS Community!
Please remember to VOTE in the GRS Board special election, this Thursday and Friday, September 23-24.
In recognition of the ongoing pandemic, we will hold this special Board election virtually via Google forms and email validation. Your ballot will be sent to you on September 23, and voting will remain open through September 24. Voting will close at 11:59pm on Friday, September 24.
Candidate materials will be available on September 22 for your review
You will be voting for candidates in these positions:
Teacher (licensed GRS teacher in a current teaching capacity at GRS)
(1) standard 3-year term
New! GRS Student - New this school is the addition of a voting seat for a GRS Student. A GRS Junior will begin with 1 active board year, then moving as a GRS senior for 1 year as board alternate, with a new GRS Junior taking the active seat.
Thank you in advance for your participation! Please do not hesitate to call on your GRS Board if you have any questions, you may also email us at board@greatriverschool.org.
Best Regards,
Great River School Board
Picture Day is one week from today on Monday, September 27th. As seen above, our faculty always impress.
You can order online now at inter-state.com/FlyerEntry/60055ZF
Dear Great River Caregivers,
We are following the Minnesota Department of Education’s Decision Making Tree about when to send children home if they start exhibiting symptoms that could be COVID-19.
MDE’s Decision Tree advises that if a student has one “less common” symptom, they may or may not get sent home, depending on how they are feeling. But, if they have one “more common” symptom, two “less common” symptoms, or any symptom on day 8-14 of quarantine, we would send your child home.
Please remember to follow these guidelines at home as well. If your child has two “less common” or one “more common” symptoms, please keep them home and let us know by emailing attendance@greatriverschool.org. Take them to get tested and share the results with us before they return. Find more information on free saliva testing here.
Thank you for your diligence and care in keeping our entire community safe.
Peace,
Know someone looking for a job? There is a national shortage of substitute teachers and we are no exception here at Great River. Having a good supply of substitute teachers helps us ensure that our faculty can take needed time off - all the more important after the last 18 months.
We are looking to hire:
Multiple full-time substitute teachers to work across all levels (benefit eligible)
Many occasional substitutes to work as their schedules allow
Great River offers a competitive benefits package, including free/discounted Big Canoe care and faculty child enrollment preference. For the job descriptions and more information on how to apply, check out our employment page.
No substitute license? Any adult with a college degree can apply for a substitute license in Minnesota and we will support you in the process. Please share widely with your networks!
Elementary Families — We've moved one of our bike racks over to the west side of the school for use by our 1st through 6th-year students (and probably a couple elementary adults as well!) We hope this makes arriving and departing from GRS less hectic! If we see this area getting more and more use, we can look into additional parking options.
Drop-off and pick-up got you down? Come to Coffee at the Crosswalk. Wednesdays 9/22 and 9/29 at 8AM.
Come meet other Great River School parents and learn about an alternative drop-off and pick-up option.
There is a pedestrian bridge over the railroad yard north of Pierce Butler. Students often cross the bridge and pass through the crosswalk at Pierce Butler and Hamline Avenue on walking field trips. Parents are volunteering to ensure an adult crossing guard is there daily between 8:00-8:30am and 3:00-3:30pm. Stop by Wednesday, September 22th or 29th between 8:00-8:30am. Say hi, get involved. BYOC.
Questions? Contact Susan Sochacki, susan.sochacki@gmail.com or 651-775-7166.
Please note, if you have the ability to send an email to attendance@greatriverschool.org to inform us of an absence, that is greatly preferred to a phone call at the attendance line. Thank you so much for promptly letting us know if your student is not attending school. We appreciate the caution caregivers are exhibiting in keeping students home if they are not feeling well.
It takes us much more time to listen to voicemails than it does to go through the emails. If you do not have access to email, a phone call (to 651-305-2780) is still acceptable, but we ask that it be the second resort.
Wednesday, September 22 is a half day at GRS - dismissal will be at 11:45am.
Big Canoe will offer workshop programming that afternoon to families in need of care. The cost is $30 for afternoon care, with pickup anytime between 3:15 and 5:30 pm.
Sign up using this link - choose "9/22 half day care" and check out. Space is limited. The registration deadline is September 20.
Hello Great River School Families!
Our kitchen is excited to produce food for students this year. We have developed safe eating plans for each classroom and are eager to serve our delicious food onsite! Our school meals include an entree, fruit, and milk (or alternative almond milk). Sandwiches and snack trays will be available every day, with “hot lunch” cooked fresh twice a week.
Please fill out this form to sign up for Breakfast for your child AND/OR if you need almond milk for your child. Thank you! Breakfast rotates daily and consists of either cereal, a bagel, yogurt & granola, or a granola bar always served with either fruit, yogurt, or hard-boiled eggs & milk.
Great River uses LunchTime to order and pay for student meals. We are asking that families order onsite meals at least a week in advance. All relevant links can be found on our website at www.greatriverschool.org/nutrition.
Need more help logging into Lunchtime? Check out this parent help guide!
With any questions about Free & Reduced Lunch or payments for lunch, contact Syd Tempas (stempas@greatriverschool.org).
Need more information about the food or want to chat about allergies or food sensitivities? Contact Mel Coombs at mcoombs@greatriverschool.org.
Great River School will have an 11:45am dismissal time for all students next Wednesday, September 22nd for teacher professional development. Bussing families - expect an email with more information soon.
To see the GRS calendar and all teacher professional development half-days, check out our website. For easy viewing, you can add the Google calendar to your family’s calendar (view tutorial here).
Know someone looking for a job? There is a national shortage of substitute teachers and we are no exception here at Great River. Having a good supply of substitute teachers helps us ensure that our faculty can take needed time off - all the more important after the last 18 months.
We are looking to hire:
Multiple full-time substitute teachers to work across all levels (benefit eligible)
Many occasional substitutes to work as their schedules allow
Great River offers a competitive benefits package, including free/discounted Big Canoe care and faculty child enrollment preference. For the job descriptions and more information on how to apply, check out our employment page.
No substitute license? Any adult with a college degree can apply for a substitute license in Minnesota and we will support you in the process. Please share widely with your networks!