MCA testing season is upon us and to improve concentration (and as a treat), students get a mint as they begin their test. Please drop off donations at the front office! We are in need of Lifesaver Wintergreen Mints and Vegan Halal mints.
Thank you for your continued support our our students!
Spring Middle School Ultimate (5th-8th) Registration Now Open
Calling all 5th-8th graders interested in playing Ultimate this spring, registration is now open! GRS Stars will once again have 4-5 teams this spring but we need you to sign up! For info about GRS ultimate and registration guidelines, please visit our Stars Website: Middle School Registration. As explained on the website, in order to complete your registration, you’ll have to fill out the GRS Form and register with MN Ultimate. We are getting new uniforms this year as well. The GRS deadline is March 15 so we can decide how many teams we can have. Also, we are in need of 1-2 more coaches, no experience necessary. You would be an employee of MN Ultimate and they pay $700 for the season. Please contact Brent Cummins (bcummins@greatriverschool.org) if you are interested in coaching or have any questions.
See you on the field!
REMINDER: SEAC Meeting, TONIGHT, Monday, February 24th; 6pm
There will be a SEAC (Special Education Advisory Council) meeting TONIGHT, Monday, February 24th at 6pm. All parents / guardians of students currently receiving special education services are invited to attend. The meeting will be in the media lab at Great River School. If you are unable to attend in person, please contact Jeremy Sartain at jsartain@greatriverschool.org or 612-414-5224 or if you prefer attend via Zoom. If you arrive late and can't get into the building on the day of the meeting, call or text Jeremy Sartain at 612-414-5224.
What is a SEAC?
A SEAC (pronounced “seek”) is an acronym for Special Education Advisory Council, which is a group that provides input on special education issues to its local school district. Its purpose is to advise and advocate, not to decide policy. Minnesota law requires each school district in the state to have a SEAC although it does not specify how the groups should be organized or what duties they should perform. As a result, each SEAC may have a unique mission and structure.
(Source www.pacer.org)
Staff Conference Meals Volunteer Sign-up
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0D49A4A62BABF94-55209849-spring
Want to show our teachers a little appreciation for all they’ve done? We are continuing our tradition of staff food support during conferences. These two days provide an important opportunity for families and guides to check in about our children's experiences at GRS so far this year. To accomplish this, the teachers will be putting in long days, engaging in focused conversations with all of us. The food that families contribute not only keeps everyone nourished, but serves as an important show of support for all that the guides and staff do for our kids!If you prefer to donate funds you can via Venmo @GRSPEG or Paypal at https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/K4WXAQPN3FHNU
Reminder: Transitions Open House, February 27th; 6 - 8pm
Come learn about the Adolescent Program! Rising GRS 7th Graders (Current 6th graders) and Rising GRS 9th graders (current 8th graders) are invited to the Adolescent Transitions Open house on Thursday February 27th from 6-8pm (6-7 for Rising 7th, 7-8 for Rising 9th). During this event, you’ll learn about the academics and key experiences your student will be engaging with next year. You get to meet the guides and have a tour of the classrooms. Please RSVP here. RSVP is not required to attend, but it does help us to prepare better for the event. After the event, information from the event will be emailed out for families who cannot attend.
School Menu Updates, February 24 - 27, 2025 (School closed on Fri., Feb. 28)
The kitchen has released the new menu for next week, February 24 - 27.
We are over half way through our menu change!
We are making minor changes to the menu this week, switching a few breakfasts and adding a different salad. We are going to use this week to test a few new menu ideas and then continue on with the day changes the following week 3/3/2025. Curious about other things breakfast and lunch related? Find tutorials, helpful links and contacts on our Nutrition website.
SEAC (Special Education Advisory Council) Monday, February 24th; 6pm
There will be a SEAC (Special Education Advisory Council) meeting on Monday, February 24th at 6pm. All parents / guardians of students currently receiving special education services are invited to attend. The meeting will be in the media lab at Great River School. If you are unable to attend in person, please contact Jeremy Sartain at jsartain@greatriverschool.org or 612-414-5224 or if you prefer attend via Zoom. If you arrive late and can't get into the building on the day of the meeting, call or text Jeremy Sartain at 612-414-5224.
What is a SEAC?
A SEAC (pronounced “seek”) is an acronym for Special Education Advisory Council, which is a group that provides input on special education issues to its local school district. Its purpose is to advise and advocate, not to decide policy. Minnesota law requires each school district in the state to have a SEAC although it does not specify how the groups should be organized or what duties they should perform. As a result, each SEAC may have a unique mission and structure.
(Source www.pacer.org)
Reminder: Transitions Open House, February 27th; 6 - 8pm
Volunteer Build Day! GRS Theatre Help needed! Come Join us!
Do you enjoy building, painting, or sewing? This Saturday, February 22nd, the theatre department will be hosting a Volunteer Build Day from 10am - 4pm to work on sets, props, and costumes for the upcoming production of Les Misérables. Helping hands are greatly appreciated to help us put on a truly epic musical for our audiences, and folks are welcome for a few hours or the full day. If you'd like to help paint, please dress appropriately. Snacks, beverages, and lunch will be provided. Please reach out to our technical director Katie with any questions (katie@outstandingteam.org). We hope to see you there!
PEG Meeting, Tuesday, February 18th; 6pm. with Special Guests!
Please join us for our upcoming Parent Engagement Meeting on Tuesday, February 18, 6:00 - 7:30pm. This month, our first guest speaker is Matt McElrath, GRS Director of Student Services. He will be talking about the student support process at GRS. Our second guest speaker is Mel Hammond, GRS Director of Nutrition Services. Time for questions will follow each presentation. Here is the full agenda.
PEG meetings are a great time to connect. To join the meeting in person, please park in the pick-up line area on Energy Lane and use the garden door labeled "G" in the SE corner of the school. Follow the stairs to the Upper Adolescent Commons space on the second floor.
You can also join the meeting via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3976588186
Grab dinner at the Roseville Parkway Pizza and GRS will receive 5% of all sales throughout the day on Feb 18!
We look forward to seeing you!
Snack Donations for Elementary Social Work Team
Our social work and behavioral support team in the Elementary is looking for donations of snacks to use with students throughout the day outside of the classroom. We are in need of peanut free snacks. These include- beef sticks, fig bars, nature valley granola bars, soft and chewy granola bars, graham crackers and other nut free snacks. Donations of snacks can be dropped off at the main office or brought to the classroom given to your child’s guide. Thank you on behalf of our growing students!
School Menu Updates, February 18 - 21, 2025 (School closed on Monday, Feb. 17)
The kitchen has released the new menu for next week, February 18 - 21.
Check back occasionally to view new details. Please see the menu below so you can prepare accordingly. Please note, the kitchen will put out a new menu every week, changing one day at a time each week. Curious about other things breakfast and lunch related? Find tutorials, helpful links and contacts on our Nutrition website.
GRS Student Civics Project: Donations wanted!
Hello GRS Families,
I am Skylar Sennewald, a great River School student. My project for civics was to make a change in a community or organization you are interested in, I am working with THRESA, a women's support organization. My goal is to get donations from the families of GRS after school or before school. How that will work is that would will drop off your (clean donations) at the front office from 8 am to 5 pm. We will be taking donations within the last three weeks of February. The list of needs is down below:
New or gently used household goods such as:
Pots and pans and bakeware
Silverware and Kitchen utensils
Dishes, bowls, and mugs that are microwaveable
Small kitchen appliances: such as mixers, blenders, or crockpots in good working condition
Twin bedding: New or used & clean sheets, pillowcases, and blankets without stains or tears. Occasionally we accept other size bedding for families living in our community apartments. Throw blankets are welcome but no baby blankets right now, please.
CLOTHING appropriate to the season:
Clean used items without stains or tears are often accepted but seasonal clothing only, please. All sizes are needed especially for children For example, right now we do not need any clothes for infants through 18-month-olds.
New items needed: We like to provide new residents with robes and slippers or shower shoes and to have a supply of sweatshirts, sweaters, casual t-shirts, sweatpants or leggings, socks, bras, and underwear available in various women’s sizes. Spring, fal,l and winter coats are welcome in season.
Miscellaneous hygiene & household products commonly needed:
Donations of deodorant, body wash, combs/brushes, shampoo/conditioner, toothpaste, lotion, size 5, 6, or 7 diapers/pullups, detergent, and dishwashing liquid are often needed... Apartment families very much appreciate cleaning supplies and paper products.
Summer Camp Early Bird Pricing Ends Soon!
Summer Camps are filling up quickly and our Early Bird Pricing ends on February 18. We have great camps for our adolescent students including a rock band camp with Chad Hofland, Art camps with Randi McClure, Ultimate camps with Scott Alsleben, Urban Biking with Derek Damron and more! Take advantage of our Early Bird Pricing and go to Our Summer Camp registration page to check out all of our camp options ranging from preschool to 12th grade. Contact Brent Cummins, bcummins@greatriverschool.org with any questions.
No School, Monday, February 17th - Presidents' Day
PEG Meeting, Tues., February 18th; 6 - 7:30pm
Connect with other families at our monthly meeting. February’s meeting will be Tuesday the 18th from 6 - 7:30pm.
You can join the meeting in person at GRS. Meetings are held in the Upper Adolescent Commons (park in pick up line & use garden door G in the SE corner) or online via Zoom. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3976588186 Grab dinner at the Roseville Parkway Pizza & GRS will receive 5% of all sales throughout the day (11am -8pm).
School Menu Updates, February 10 - 14, 2025
The kitchen has released the new menu for next week, February 10 - 14.
Check back occasionally to view new details. Please see the menu below so you can prepare accordingly. Please note, the kitchen will put out a new menu every week, changing one day at a time each week. Curious about other things breakfast and lunch related? Find tutorials, helpful links and contacts on our Nutrition website.
EXTERNAL: Cleaning service option: Ashley Home Clean
Osiris and Antonio are the incredible mother-and-son team that work so hard to clean our school every evening. They also clean homes! If you need a house cleaner, please consider supporting their business! https://www.ashleyhomeclean.com/
Please note, Osiris says the prices on the website are not currently accurate, so call the number on the website to get an estimate.
School Menu Updates, February 3 - 7, 2025
The kitchen has released the new menu for this week, February 3 - 7. Starting this month, we will be rolling out the new menu week by week. The changes will be posted weekly here on the nutrition page. Check back occasionally to view new details. We are excited to offer new meals to the students! Please see the menu below so you can prepare accordingly. note the kitchen will put out a new menu every week, changing one day at a time each week. Curious about other things breakfast and lunch related? Find tutorials, helpful links and contacts on our Nutrition website.
Girls on the Run, Registration open now!
Girls on The Run Is coming back form Spring 2025! Registration opens February 1st. Practices will be Tues/Thurs from 4:00 - 5:30 starting the week of April 7th. We ask that participants only sign up if they are able to attend both days during the week. Visit gotrmn.org to sign up!
