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
Letter Emailed to All Parents Today - When To Keep Your Child Home
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,
Seeking Substitute Teachers
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!
Parent Organized Coffee at the Crosswalk This Wednesday
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.
Attendance Notification - Email is Preferred
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.
Breakfast and Lunch Ordering
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.
Half Day Next Wednesday 9-22
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).
Seeking Substitute Teachers
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!
FIRST Lego League for Grades 5-8
Calling interested students and parents! GRS hopes to host 4 lego league teams this fall under the direction of GRS robotics program alum Nick Przybilla.
Teams will practice every Thursday after school from 3:30-5:30, culminating in the all-day tournament in December. The first meeting will be Thursday, September 16.
The fee is $200 (scholarships available--contact bigcanoe@greatriverschool.org). The fee goes towards materials, equipment, competition fees, and GRS staff resources.
Lego League gives students a hands-on technical challenge to solve while working as a team to study the problem and find solutions. We are also looking for a parent or parents who are able to volunteer their time to coach a team--no experience is needed, just a willingness to help guide the kids in their work!
Teams fill fast, so please register soon using this form. You'll receive confirmation and a payment link when teams are confirmed.
Contact bigcanoe@greatriverschool.org with any questions.
Picture Day is Two Weeks From Today
Picture Day is two weeks from today on Monday, September 27th. As seen above, our faculty always impress.
You can order online now at inter-state.com/FlyerEntry/60055ZF
Seeking Substitute Teachers
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!
Free Flag Football for Grades 5-8
Who: Anyone in grades 5th-8th
Where: St. Croix Prep (through our sports cooperative with Twin Cities Academy)
When: 4:20pm-5:00pm on Mondays and Wednesdays
(Monday September 13th through Wednesday October 6th)
What: Wear athletic clothing and bring a water bottle, cleats are not required but recommended
Why: Why Not?! Come out and have some fun, and bring your friends!!
How: How much? FREE!!!!!
Contact: noahdombrovski@stcroixprep.org / St Croix Prep Academy
GRS Letterman Jackets
We now have letterman's jackets available to students at Great River School! You can earn the patches by excelling in sports and/or academics! The G jacket is pictured below and is on display in Holly's office at Great River School. As you can see, there's a beautiful blue heron on the back of the G jacket.
You can letter in any of our sports and the requirements to letter are determined by each individual coach. You can also letter in academics, theater, music, etc. Check out the details here.
Box Tops for Education
(Holly modeling her excitement over physical box tops, along with our resident therapy dog Petunia)
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
Breakfast and Lunch Ordering
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.
BIPOC Caregiver Committee Meeting TONIGHT
The BIPOC Caregiver Committee will be meeting TONIGHT, September 9th, at 7:45pm on Zoom - all parents of BIPOC students at Great River School are welcome!
If you’d like to attend, please email adean@greatriverschool.org for the Zoom meeting link.
BIPOC Caregiver Committee - Meeting Tomorrow
The BIPOC Caregiver Committee will be meeting tomorrow, September 9th, at 7:45pm on Zoom - all parents of BIPOC students at Great River School are welcome!
If you’d like to attend, please email office@greatriverschool.org for the Zoom meeting link.
Rosh Hashanah - Welcoming 5782
LIST Soccer for Grades 5-7
Soccer for grades 5-7 will begin September 8 and run through mid-November.
Our first practice is scheduled for TOMORROW, Wednesday, September 8, after school!
Practices will be at Griggs Park Mondays and Fridays after school until 4:45pm. Parents can pick up at Griggs Park at the end of practice.
Games will be scheduled Wednesday afternoons.
We will follow the GRS sports COVID protocols (linked in our safe learning plan).
Cost is $135 (league and coach fee, includes T-shirt). Scholarships are available; contact bigcanoe@greatriverschool.org for more details.
Sign up here to register, and click on this link to pay the registration fee.
--Karen
bigcanoe@greatriverschool.org
Join NoMythic Robotics
If you are in 7th or 8th grade, stay tuned for info about FTC (FIRST Tech Challenge) Robotics. Those teams are staring soon! If you are in 9-12th grade, read on!
Do you like solving problems? Working with a team? Making things happen? Building things? Then robotics might be for you!
Learn about NoMythic (watch for demos at school), visit/experience the team (dates below, required), and then find our application on our website: Join NoMythic
If you are curious, come check out the team! Experience the Team dates (must attend at least one) are at Great River School from 4:30-8:30 pm (dinner included) on the following dates:
September 21st
September 23rd
September 28th
Build/Design: Design via imagination, whiteboard and CAD. Try things out. Then build a 100 pound robot out of metal, polycarbonate, and your imagination!!!
Programming: Make the robot move using simple and advanced programs. No experience required!
Business/Operations: Meet with CEOs of local businesses to share what we do and ask them to sponsor our team (much easier and much cooler than you think!!). Keep the books balanced. Arrange outreach events for the team. Apply for awards. Update the website. Help run the company that is our team!!!
Questions? Contact 2491nomythic@gmail.com, or talk to Phoebe (11th grade) or Joseph (10th grade) or Liam Skyes (9th grade) at school.
Parents - please share this with your student if you think they might be interested!