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

9th Grade Retreat Next Week

Our 9th years have an upcoming winter retreat - our annual celebration of the end of semester one.

On Wednesday, February 9th we'll ride buses to Franconia Sculpture Garden and spend a few hours there, then eat lunch at Interstate State Park and go for a hike (with different ability levels).

On Thursday, February 10th, we'll take the city bus to downtown St. Paul for a scavenger hunt, lunch, and ice skating.

We need caregivers’ help to make these days great! Please sign up if you can donate snacks or drop off skates.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0d49a4a62babf94-9thyears

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! 

No School for All Grades January 31st

There will be no school for all grades next Monday, January 31st to allow for teacher professional development and planning.

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 a virtual open house on February 1st at 6 pm and hold our virtual enrollment lottery on February 22nd at 10am. For more information on either event, email enroll@greatriverschool.org.

Minecraft Ice Palace Contest

Three of our UA students are interning at Victoria Theater Arts Center and helping to organize this cool event!

For more information or to register, check out the FB event: https://www.facebook.com/events/984972492107921?ref=newsfeed

Tell Us What You Love About Great River

It’s almost Valentine’s Day! Spread the love by taking a few minutes to tell us what makes Great River School special to you! (https://www.bit.ly/grslove)

GRS may use your answers for an upcoming donor appeal. Let's support our school! THANK YOU!

Snow Queen Part II Tickets Available

The Snow Queen - Part II (The Saga Continues)
Lower Adolescent Theater Intensive

Performances will be held virtually on a Zoom webinar. 
Tickets are $7 for students and $14 for adults.
Purchase Tickets Here

Performances will be Thursday, 27th at 6pm and Friday, 28th at 6pm. Ticketholders will receive the webinar link via email close to the performance date.

Gerda travels into the great unknown on a quest to find her best friend. Are the folks she meets along the way friend or foe? Will Gerda eventually find Kaye? Will the Snow Queen complete her fiendishly icy designs to punish all of humanity? Join in for our first ever virtual theater experience and the next virtual installment of The Snow Queen and find out!

Box Tops at Great River

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!

No School for All Grades January 31st

There will be no school for all grades on Monday, January 31st to allow for teacher professional development and planning.

Heron To Go Daily Digest Error

We had an error where a previously scheduled post with the original HTG order deadline went out on Sunday afternoon. We had a wonderful and overwhelming response to Heron To Go 2.0 and hit our order capacity on Friday afternoon! We closed orders earlier than anticipated and sent a Daily Digest post informing families. Apologies for the confusion with the Sunday post going out and for any families who weren’t able to order!

Heron To Go Ordering Closed Early

**We have had a wonderful and overwhelming response to Heron To Go, 2.0 and have hit our order capacity! We closed orders earlier than anticipated. Apologies to any families who weren’t able to order!**

——————————————

Heron To Go was our kitchen's response project to the COVID-19 pandemic. By preparing our high-standard meals for community members, we were able to keep our kitchen staff employed and our collective belly full.

We are offering one week of a special edition of Heron To Go for this round of distance learning.
Families can order their meals using this form. Meals will be made fresh, kept refrigerated, and bagged with heating instructions included. Soups will come frozen.

Heron To Go is open to anyone, Great River family or not. Please share widely with your networks, especially if they enjoyed our HTG meals during our last round of distance learning!

Thank you for choosing to support our team! Any questions? Email lunch@greatriverschool.org.

Tell Us What You Love About Great River

It’s almost Valentine’s Day! Spread the love by taking a few minutes to fill out this form telling us what makes Great River School special to you. 

(Your answers may be used by the Great River School Foundation on the Great River social media pages and in communications with parents in an upcoming donor appeal.)

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 a virtual open house on February 1st at 6 pm and hold our virtual enrollment lottery on February 22nd at 10am. For more information on either event, email enroll@greatriverschool.org.

Heron To Go Ordering Open

Heron To Go was our kitchen's response project to the COVID-19 pandemic. By preparing our high-standard meals for community members, we were able to keep our kitchen staff employed and our collective belly full.

We are offering one week of a special edition of Heron To Go for this round of distance learning.
Families can order their meals using this form. Meals will be made fresh, kept refrigerated, and bagged with heating instructions included. Soups will come frozen.

Heron To Go is open to anyone, Great River family or not. Please share widely with your networks, especially if they enjoyed our HTG meals during our last round of distance learning!

Ordering will be open until midnight Sunday, January 23rd! Thank you for choosing to support our team! Any questions? Email lunch@greatriverschool.org.

Special Edition of Heron To Go

Heron To Go was our kitchen's response project to the COVID-19 pandemic. By preparing our high-standard meals for community members, we were able to keep our kitchen staff employed and our collective belly full.

We are offering one week of a special edition of Heron To Go for this round of distance learning.
Families can order their meals using this form. Meals will be made fresh, kept refrigerated, and bagged with heating instructions included. Soups may come frozen.

Heron To Go is open to anyone, Great River family or not. Please share widely with your networks, especially if they enjoyed our HTG meals during our last round of distance learning!

Ordering will be open until midnight Sunday, January 23rd! Thank you for choosing to support our team! Any questions? Email lunch@greatriverschool.org.