Interested in participating in GRS’ production of Alice in Wonderland? Auditions will be held on Monday, October 4th, from 3:30-5:30pm in Room 209A for students in grades 7-12.
YOU MUST HAVE A SIGNED AUDITION FORM TO BE CONSIDERED FOR A ROLE.
If you are interested in auditioning for a singing role, make sure to prepare an audition song. Folks interested in non-singing roles do not need to bring any prepared audition materials.
Our Outdoor Education guide Brent Cummins is hosting a volunteer morning TOMORROW, 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!
Harvest Fest is back! This is a time for us to come together as a community and celebrate the season.
We need lots of volunteers to make the event a success. Adolescent volunteers are welcome! You can donate items, paint faces, keep the soup fire going, and more!
What should I bring?
a mess kit (bowl, spoon for eating the soup)
prepared vegetables or a small stone to add to our soup (bring pre-cooked veggies or tender greens that cook quickly - make sure they are chopped small or pre-sliced for the soup! Stones should be small & clean)
an attitude of hospitality
What will be happening?
all free of charge:
Bouncy Houses for fun leaping and bounding!
Face painting for wonder and whimsy!
Coffee House open mic style music
Caramel Apple stand
Leaf Crowns
Bird feeder making
Stone soup making
A chance to buy from student micro-economies (student-made crafts, foods, etc)
The Great River School Foundation is seeking applications for the position of Great River School Foundation Coordinator. This position will be a part-time, contracted position, and will focus on donor data systems management. For more information and how to apply, check out the job description: Great River School Foundation Coordinator.
Interested in participating in GRS’ production of Alice in Wonderland? Auditions will be held on Monday, October 4th, from 3:30-5:30pm in Room 209A for students in grades 7-12.
YOU MUST HAVE A SIGNED AUDITION FORM TO BE CONSIDERED FOR A ROLE.
If you are interested in auditioning for a singing role, make sure to prepare an audition song. Folks interested in non-singing roles do not need to bring any prepared audition materials.
Grab some new Great River spiritwear during our Back to School sale!
We’re excited to offer some new merch this year - windbreakers, flannel shirts, baseball caps, & more! Check out what we have on our spiritwear site (always accessible through our website under the “Current Families” tab) and get 15% off everything with code GRSBTS21 now through October 13th.
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!
11th and 12th-grade students should begin thinking about what they might do with their CAS Wednesday experience.
CAS Wednesday experiences must be an experience interning, working, or volunteering within Great River or another organization. Leading student clubs or planning events (voter drive, blood drive, Mental Health Awareness Week, Community Meetings, etc) count!
Students may find their own internship or can choose from our 2021-2022 Wednesday Internship Opportunities.
Any questions? Email Lindsey Weaver (lweaver@greatriverschool.org).
Great River School will be hosting A+ Driving School again this fall for an in-person, after-school Driver’s Education course.
When: Oct. 12,13,14,15, 18,19, 26,27,28,29, from 3:30-6:30pm
Where: Great River School campus, Abby Mesnik’s classroom
Want more information or to register? Check out the A+ Driving School’s website!
Or email amesnik@greatriverschool.org with questions.
We want to remind caregivers and students that pick-up and drop-off should happen only on the south side of the school. When the main entrance parking lot is used for pickup and dropoff, it quickly becomes dangerous to have so many cars attempting to turn around in such a small space and limits our accessible parking options. Please only use this lot for accessible or visitor parking (such as attending a meeting at school or picking up a sick child).
Caregivers could also drop their students on the other side of Pierce Butler and utilize the caregiver-staffed crosswalk to walk over the pedestrian bridge. To see more details on the parent-organized initiatives at the Pierce Butler crosswalk, click here.
Thank you for helping us with traffic flow during these high-congestion times!
Grade 12 Families- IB Exam Registration season is here! All 12th-grade students have the option of taking IB exams in their subjects for potential college credit. Lindsey Weaver (IB Coordinator) will be visiting with seniors this week to talk about the advantages of taking IB exams and how to register. More information is linked here. Email Lindsey Weaver (lweaver@greatriverschool.org) with any questions.
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.
Grade 12 Families- IB Exam Registration season is here! All 12th-grade students have the option of taking IB exams in their subjects for potential college credit. Lindsey Weaver (IB Coordinator) will be visiting with seniors this week to talk about the advantages of taking IB exams and how to register. More information is linked here. Email Lindsey Weaver (lweaver@greatriverschool.org) with any questions.