There will be no school for all grades on Monday, February 21st for President’s Day.
No Drop Off or Pick Up in Neighboring Lots
We want to remind caregivers and students that pick-up and drop-off should happen only on the south side of the school. Caregivers should never pick up or drop off students in the business’ parking lots on either side of Great River.
Looking to avoid the long pickup line? Remember that caregivers can pick up or drop off on the other side of Pierce Butler and have students utilize the pedestrian bridge to walk a short distance to school.
Thank you for helping us to be respectful neighbors!
Half Day Tomorrow for Elementary Grades Only
Next Wednesday, January 16th will be a half day for our Elementary (grades 1-6) students only. Adolescent students will have a normal school day.
Show Your Love for Great River School Today
We love being part of the Great River community with you!
“What’s not to love, honestly?! We love that Great River School is a community that is dynamic and actively trying to reflect and engage the real world our children are living in and the humans they are becoming.” GRS parent, Elementary
Show your love for our school today! If you are able, please consider becoming a monthly donor. Click here to donate.
Last Call for Great River School Enrollment Applications
Does your student have a sibling you want to enroll at Great River School? Have a friend who has been interested in our unique educational setting? Applications for the 2022-23 enrollment lottery are due February 15th, 2022 at 11:59pm.
To apply, check out our enrollment website for more information or fill out our 2022-23 Application for Enrollment. You must submit a separate application for each student and for each school year.
We will hold our virtual enrollment lottery on February 22nd at 10am. For more information, email enroll@greatriverschool.org.
Chinook Book Fundraiser
One year digital subscription is a suggested donation of $20 or pay what you can. You can always donate a subscription to a GRS staff member!
The Chinook Book app helps you discover more sustainable ways to live, work, and play through inspiring stories, savings, rewards, and prizes. With mobile offers that can be redeemed online or in-store, plus monthly giveaways of gifts, groceries, and more, you’ll always find a new way to save while helping your community thrive.
Use the QR Code to fill out the google form and pay via Paypal OR fill out the google form and drop your payment at the GRS front desk
A special link with access to your subscription will be emailed to the address you provide.
Funds raised go to support the many wonderful programs that make Great River School such a wonderful place!
Sustainers Support Great River School
“...my kids' friends are what bind them to the GRS community. They appreciate their guides' efforts to provide them with lessons that challenge them and help them to understand the complicated and amazing world that they live in.”
-GRS parent, Upper Adolescent
Did you know that Great River is a non-profit institution and receives 87 cents for every dollar that district public schools receive? Donations from families help make up for this difference and provide the unique learning opportunities and life-changing experiences that define the Great River education. No amount is too big or too small—even $5 a month helps! greatriverschool.org/give
Families that give monthly make the biggest impact on Great River fundraising by offering a consistent and reliable source of funds.
Half Day Next Wednesday for Elementary Grades Only
Next Wednesday, January 16th will be a half day for our Elementary (grades 1-6) students only. Adolescent students will have a normal school day.
Winter Outdoor Social: Ice Skating & Snowplay TODAY
Winter Outdoor Social: Ice Skating & Snowplay
Presented by the Parent Engagement Group (PEG).
Join us on February 11, from 3-5pm at Groveland Park in St Paul. The address is 1961 St Clair Ave, St Paul, MN. Loaner ice skates will be available through park facilities. There is a big field for games and running around so you are welcome to come skate, play and socialize. Name tags will be provided so we can all get to recognize and know each other again! Hosted by Jeremy Sartain (Shingobee parent) and Mary Sage (Little Elk parent).
Caregivers are responsible for their child(ren). Masks should be worn when in the proximity of others per MDH guidelines. Hot chocolate and hot tea will be provided.
Please RSVP on Sign-up genius here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050A4BA8AF2AA6FB6-211
Save the Date for our Blue Heron Bash Fundraiser
Save the Date!
Blue Heron Bash Fundraiser Week April 25-30. Stay tuned for more details. Contact blueheronbash@greatriverschool.org to get involved.
For more details, check out our BHB 101 document from last year.
Box Tops Sweepstakes
Yes - we do collect Box Tops! Yes - they DO contribute to our school!
Remember to scan your receipts so GRS can earn Boxtops for Education points.
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. Any questions? Email Holly at hbell@greatriverschool.org
There’s a sweepstakes happening through the end of February; you can enter for the chance to win 5,000 box tops for Great River!
GRS Summer Camp - Full Day Opportunities for 4-7th Graders
Our summer camp has full-day opportunities for 4th-7th graders. But did you know that for the younger ages, you can combine a morning camp with an afternoon camp, creating a full day of fun! If you do this, your camper will have an outdoor, supervised lunch and recess in between the two camps.
Our camps are a fun way for your camper to spend a week exploring, building, learning, moving, creating, and having a blast. At GRS, we treat each other and our environment with respect, and we are focused on being safe while having fun. We are open to all people from everywhere. No Montessori or Great River School experience necessary for a great summer here.
We are dedicated to making summer camp possible and affordable for all through our early-bird pricing, sibling discount, multi-program discount, and our scholarship program.
Check out all our camps at www.greatriverschool.org/summercamp.
Winter Outdoor Social: Ice Skating & Snowplay
Winter Outdoor Social: Ice Skating & Snowplay
Presented by the Parent Engagement Group (PEG).
Join us on February 11, from 3-5pm at Groveland Park in St Paul. The address is 1961 St Clair Ave, St Paul, MN. Loaner ice skates will be available through park facilities. There is a big field for games and running around so you are welcome to come skate, play and socialize. Name tags will be provided so we can all get to recognize and know each other again! Hosted by Jeremy Sartain (Shingobee parent) and Mary Sage (Little Elk parent).
Caregivers are responsible for their child(ren). Masks should be worn when in the proximity of others per MDH guidelines. Hot chocolate and hot tea will be provided.
Please RSVP on Sign-up genius here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050A4BA8AF2AA6FB6-211
Call for Great River School Enrollment Applications
Does your student have a sibling you want to enroll at Great River School? Have a friend who has been interested in our unique educational setting? Applications for the 2022-23 enrollment lottery are due February 15th, 2022 at 11:59pm.
To apply, check out our enrollment website for more information or fill out our 2022-23 Application for Enrollment. You must submit a separate application for each student and for each school year.
We will hold our virtual enrollment lottery on February 22nd at 10am. For more information, email enroll@greatriverschool.org.
Winter Outdoor Social: Ice Skating & Snowplay
Winter Outdoor Social: Ice Skating & Snowplay
Presented by the Parent Engagement Group (PEG).
Join us on February 11, from 3-5pm at Groveland Park in St Paul. The address is 1961 St Clair Ave, St Paul, MN. Loaner ice skates will be available through park facilities. There is a big field for games and running around so you are welcome to come skate, play and socialize. Name tags will be provided so we can all get to recognize and know each other again! Hosted by Jeremy Sartain (Shingobee parent) and Mary Sage (Little Elk parent).
Caregivers are responsible for their child(ren). Masks should be worn when in the proximity of others per MDH guidelines. Hot chocolate and hot tea will be provided.
Please RSVP on Sign-up genius here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050A4BA8AF2AA6FB6-211
BIPOC Caregiver Committee Meeting Tonight
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. All caregivers of BIPOC students are welcome.
Our next meeting is tonight Thursday, February 3rd at 7:45pm. Want to join the BIPOC Caregiver Committee? Email Anu (adean@greatriverschool.org) or Cassie (curbano@greatriverschool.org) to get connected!
Spring Musical Seeking 1970s Furniture
Our spring musical 9 to 5 is well underway! We've been rehearsing for the past month, and it's shaping up to be a great show.
However, outfitting a stage so it looks like it's 1979 is a challenge when it comes to furniture and other set dressings! We're looking for some items that we can BORROW for February, to be returned the week of March 20th. These items will only be used during rehearsals under the supervision of our director. We do not want permanent donations, as our theatre doesn't have space to store large items. Please contact Caroline Miesle (cmiesle@greatriverschool.org) if you have an item you'd be willing to lend for the show.
1) A small 1970s-style loveseat (36" length ideal), appropriate for a very masculine office.
2) An old-school office chair, ideally made of wood and/or leather, appropriate for an executive's office.
3) A small 1970s-style couch (60" length ideal), appropriate for a living room of the time.
4) A bean-bag chair that can pass as 1970s era
5) Large crocheted doilies
6) A typewriter, no newer than 1980
7) Assorted small office items that are period-appropriate for secretaries' desks or an executive's office.
8) A small step stool, appropriate for the time.
9) Floor area rugs (ideally 5x7 - shag carpet would be a dream!)
Thank you for your support,
The cast of 9 to 5
Summer Camp Highlight on Legos Robotics
Our Lego Robotics Camp is back and open for registration! Our full-day Lego Camp is July 18-21 from 9:00-4:00. During this camp, you will learn the basics of building and programming a Mindstorms EV3 Robot. You will also work as part of a team to complete fun & exciting robot challenges. Each team will have mentors from the GRS Mythical robotics teams.
Our camps are a fun way for your camper to spend a week exploring, building, learning, moving, creating, and having a blast. At GRS, we treat each other and our environment with respect, and we are focused on being safe while having fun. We are open to all people from everywhere. No Montessori or Great River School experience necessary for a great summer here.
We are dedicated to making summer camp possible and affordable for all through our early-bird pricing, sibling discount, multi-program discount, and our scholarship program.
Check out all our camps at www.greatriverschool.org/summercamp.
Black History Month at GRS
Here at Great River, we are celebrating Black History Month this February! Our school is a place that is fraught with all the real challenges of racial justice in our time and place, here in Minnesota in 2022. We offer our school as a place where Black lives can be actively appreciated, loved, and celebrated in history and the present day.
Some of the resources that our faculty will be bringing into the classroom this month are from the Center for Racial Justice, Black Lives Matter @ School, and other community-compiled resources uplifting Black voices. We are grateful to work together to make the best and most just community we can. Look for more BHM information in our February newsletter, out next week. Happy Black History Month!
~ Great River School educators
In Person Learning Begins Tomorrow
(click here for a full-size, hyperlinked PDF of the above graphic)
We’re so excited to welcome students back on campus tomorrow, Tuesday, February 1st for in-person learning. We’d like to ask all families to review the message sent last Thursday to be familiar with our new quarantine and isolation guidelines going forward.
A few reminders and updates for our community as we transition back to being together on campus:
All community members must be masked while on site, unless actively eating or drinking. We recommend a high-quality air filtering mask (like an N95 or KN94) and will soon have a stash for students or staff who need one provided.
We highly encourage that all families continue testing regularly. Minnesota has made multiple free PCR testing sites available around the metro area.
Great River does have a limited number of rapid antigen tests that are available for symptomatic students or faculty. If your family would like to request a set of these, please contact covid@greatriverschool.org.
The school has purchased 30 new air filters that will be distributed around the building before classes start on Tuesday.
If you have any specific questions or concerns, please contact covid@greatriverschool.org. We look forward to seeing you in the building!