UA and LA Spirit Week: May 12th thru 16th! Get in the Spirit!

10th grade through 12th grade Spirit Week:

Monday, 5/12: Matt McElrath Monday- grab your tie and dress as Director of Student Services Matt McElrath!

Tuesday, 5/13: Swap Clothes Tuesday- Have a friend with a distinctive style? An outfit you've never had the courage to try? This is your chance- swap clothes with someone to show your school spirit!

Wednesday, 5/14: 80's Wednesday- get ready for the 80s show in the evening by basing your outfit on the titular decade.

Thursday, 5/15: Tropical Thursday- get ready for warmer weather, and channel your vacation self!

Friday, 5/16: Pajama Friday- get ready for a good night's sleep before prom, and wear your pajamas all day!

7th through 9th Grade Spirit Week:

Monday, 5/12: Anything but a backpack. Carry all your things in anything but a backpack! Get creative.

Tuesday, 5/13: Rhyme without reason

Wednesday, 5/14: Advisory colors day

• Michael - Purple

• Johnny - Pink

• Laura - Yellow

• Ken - Orange

• Alexis- Red

• Sarah - Light Blue

• Chad -  Green

• Scott - White

• Libby - Black

• Elizabeth - Teal

• Lisa - Dark Blue

• Ava - Grey

Thursday, 5/15: Decades by grade:
7th: 70’s

8th: 80’s 

9th: 90’s 

Friday, 5/16: Teachers dress like students and students dress like teachers!

End of the Year Picnic, Big Canoe, and Teacher Appreciation Gifts!

Join us at the End of Year Picnic on Thursday, May 29th!

We need your help to make it happen.  Volunteer Here!

You can also sign up for a Great Gathering to stamp your own shirt at the picnic with GRS Art Guide extraordinaire Randi bit.ly/GRSBHBTickets25

BIG CANOE BEFORE THE PICNIC

Do you want your elementary-aged child to stay after school until you can pick them up for the picnic?

Big Canoe is offering childcare from 3:50 - 5:00 pm on our picnic afternoon at a cost of $10 for one child, $14 for two children. (There is no extra charge for students who already attend Big Canoe on Tuesday Afternoons) Proceeds from childcare will be used to support programming at Great River School! Children will enjoy a supervised recess playtime with our staff until the picnic begins at 5 pm. To register, use one of the links below to pay the fee and reserve a spot.

Spots are limited. Scholarships are available in case of financial need; Email bigcanoe@greatriverschool.org to inquire.

TEACHER APPRECIATION GIFTS

We are still collecting funds for Teacher Appreciation through the End of Year Picnic on May 29. Last year we raised $7000 to give each staff member a $50 gift. Please donate your gift by dropping off cash or check (payable to Great River School Foundation), in a sealed envelope with PEG written on it, at the front office

OR Venmo to GRSPEG https://account.venmo.com/u/GRSPEG

OR PayPal to GRSPEG https://www.paypal.me/GRSPEG?locale.x=en_US

Reminder! 2024-25 Yearbook orders! Order yours today!

Hello Great River Community! The Yearbook Club which only met 20 minutes a week pushed really hard to get a yearbook created and delivered before the end of the school year so students can have it and get it signed by friends before summer.

Pre-sale is going on now. Only $30 for yearbook covering all grades 1-12. Order on our website!

They are set to be delivered Thursday, May 29th.

Please buy now so we know if we need to order more:)

Yearbook Club 2024-2025

Donate to our Period Product Drive for National Tampon Day!

Hello GRS Community,

We are a group of 7th and 8th graders who have created the WaM. Club! (WaM. stands for Wellness and Menstruation) We are organizing a Period Product Donation Drive to raise awareness for National Tampon Day on May 12.

Please donate boxes of pads and tampons to the Front Office of Great River School. We will be accepting donations from now until May 31.  We plan to give half of the products to a women’s shelter and save half for our Great River School students who menstruate.

We have recently learned about the impacts of disposable products on our environment and health benefits from using reusable products and would welcome any reusable products to be donated as well!

Thank you for your support!

Thank you for making the Blue Heron Bash a success!

Donors, sponsors, volunteers, those who attended, and others who bid online…

Thank you for participating in the 2025 Blue Heron Bash!

Together we sold 1911 raffle tickets and raised almost $33,000 for our school!

Important Reminders

Great Gatherings with openings are now available online until they sell out or their date has happened. bit.ly/GRSBHBTickets25

It’s not too late to participate! The Goats & Grounds Fund A Need is still open if you missed the auction.

There are a few items that didn’t sell that will be available to purchase through this week. And don't forget to pick up your  items!  Reach out to blueheronbash@greatriverschool.org with any questions.

2024 - 2025 Yearbook orders! Order yours today!

Interested in treasuring your GRS school memories in a beautiful keepsake? Want a great way to leave your lasting legacy on the pages of a book that will live on through your friends? Yearbooks are on sale right now and we want to make sure that everyone who wants a yearbook can order one! Everyone from Elementary to the Adolescent are highlighted in these pages so order today!

If you are interested in a yearbook, visit our yearbook website to order a yearbook for yourself for just $30! Order on our website!

The first 250 pre-orders will receive their yearbook by the last week of school. Late orders will have to pick theirs up over the summer. (instead of the last sentence)

Teacher Appreciation Week!

Last week, Teacher Appreciation Week!  This national celebration is a meaningful opportunity to honor the best of the best at GRS.

Please join us in showing tangible gratitude for the INCREDIBLE Guides and Support Staff at GRS.  Your contribution, of any amount, will make a significant difference – we are asking for donations of at least $15 per child to reach our goal of gifting $50 to each staff member.  Not every family will be able to contribute monetarily, so please consider doubling your donation to help us reach our goal!

Donate by May 20 to Venmo @GRSPEG or Paypal

Thanks to all of you for making our community so special.

REMINDER: Great River School Board Elections 2025 - 2026, Vote now thru May 7th!

It's time to vote in the Board Election for the 2025-2026 school year! Thank you to all of our candidates for being willing to serve on the board! We have a great group of candidates. Caregivers and Faculty, please check them out here!

Voting will close at 11:59pm CT on Friday, May 7th.

If you have questions, feel free to reach out to executive@greatriverschool.org.

All parents, faculty, and board members are able to vote. Voting is open digitally from Monday through Thursday this week! cast your vote here! Election results will be shared the following week after voting closes.

Questions? Email executive@greatriverschool.org.

Thank you for participating in the 2025 Blue Heron Bash!

Thank you for participating in the 2025 Blue Heron Bash!
Together we sold 1911 raffle tickets and raised almost $33,000 for our school!

Important Reminders:

Great Gatherings with openings are now available online until they sell out or their date has happened. bit.ly/GRSBHBTickets25

It’s not too late to participate! The Goats & Grounds Fund A Need is still open if you missed the auction.

There are a few items that didn’t sell that will be available to purchase through the Blue Heron bash link above all this week.

Auction item pick up is Friday, May 2 from 4-6pm & Saturday, May 3 from 10am-2pm.

***Volunteering - We will be organizing auction items and doing pick up this week. There’s still time to help.

If you have questions, email blueheronbash@greatriverschool.org

GRS Annual Blood Drive, Wed., May 14th! Give blood, save a life!

Hello all,

The National Honor Society will be hosting our Annual Blood Drive on Wednesday, May 14th from 8:00am - 2:00pm in rooms 251/253. We are inviting all caregivers, Faculty, and staff and eligible students to donate as there is a national blood shortage. The Red Cross is offering gift card incentives to volunteers who are able to donate blood.

Here's the Link for more information and to make an appointment.

BLOOD DONOR APP: Download the blood donor app to make appointments, track personal health statistics and more! https://www.redcrossblood.org/blood-donor-app.html

If you have questions or would like to help volunteer for the event, please reach out to Director of Student Services, Matt McElrath at mmcelrath@greatriverschool.org.

Best - Matt and NHS Students

"80s Extravaganza"! Purchase your concert tickets today!

The GRS 80's Extravaganza at the Amsterdam is almost 2 weeks away! Get your tickets for Great River School's 80s Extravaganza at the Amsterdam Bar and Hall on Wed May 14, 2025! Students have been hard at work since October putting together over two hours of 80s classics by Guns n Roses, Michael Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, and many more (33 more to be exact!)!

This is our ninth themed show and our third one at the Amsterdam. The Amsterdam has fantastic food as well as a wide variety of adult beverages. Students get discounted tickets!

Doors open at 5:30 with music at 7:00.

Link to GRS 80s Extravaganza Tickets.

See you there!

Reminder: Elementary Math Club

Calling all elementary math lovers in grades 3-6!

We have a group of 10th graders who want to share their love of math with students in grades 3-6 in a club trial this spring. Join our own GRS adolescents to talk about games, puzzles, problems, patterns, and other math interests. The club will meet for 4 sessions, weekly on Thursdays, with the hope of continuing next year. Dan Myers, a parent of elementary students, will provide adult supervision and support for the club.

Cost: Free of charge

Meets: Thursdays, May 8-May 29, 4-5 pm

Location: Room 270

Signup: Please fill out this brief form to sign up for the club

REMINDER: Great River School Board Elections 2025 - 2026, Vote now thru May 7th!

It's time to vote in the Board Election for the 2025-2026 school year! Thank you to all of our candidates for being willing to serve on the board! We have a great group of candidates. Caregivers and Faculty, please check them out here! 

Voting will close at 11:59pm CT on Friday, May 7th.

If you have questions, feel free to reach out to executive@greatriverschool.org.

All parents, faculty, and board members are able to vote. Voting is open digitally from Monday through Thursday this week! cast your vote here! Election results will be shared the following week after voting closes. 

Questions? Email executive@greatriverschool.org. 

"80s Extravaganza"! Purchase your concert tickets today!

The GRS 80's Extravaganza at the Amsterdam is almost 2 weeks away! Get your tickets for Great River School's 80s Extravaganza at the Amsterdam Bar and Hall on Wed May 14, 2025! Students have been hard at work since October putting together over two hours of 80s classics by Guns n Roses, Michael Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, and many more (33 more to be exact!)!

This is our ninth themed show and our third one at the Amsterdam. The Amsterdam has fantastic food as well as a wide variety of adult beverages. Students get discounted tickets!

Doors open at 5:30 with music at 7:00.

Link to GRS 80s Extravaganza Tickets.

See you there!

Congrats to NoMythic!

NoMythic just returned from the Robotics World Championship in Houston, Texas! Even after some bumpy turbulence, we landed in Houston with tons of excitement and enough energy to charge a robot. We spent three days at the championship not only competing with our robot, but also meeting and bonding with other robotics teams from 59 countries around the world! We made friends with students from Mexico, Taiwan, Israel, Germany, and many more places. We also got to hang out and watch younger students from FIRST Lego League showcase their work! Overall, we had an amazing time. NoMythic was given the magical opportunity to fly across the country and share our love of STEM and robotics with more than 40,000 other people, and we adored every second of it. We came home with beautiful silver medals, proudly sharing the title of division finalists with our alliance partners, teams 1153 Timberwolves, 2200 BCR Blackout, and 3339 BumbleB. Sponsors and schools, thank you so much for your support, and Houston, we can’t wait to see you next year.

REMINDER: Great River School Board Elections 2025 - 2026, Vote now thru May 7th!

It's time to vote in the Board Election for the 2025-2026 school year! Thank you to all of our candidates for being willing to serve on the board! We have a great group of candidates. Caregivers and Faculty, please check them out here! 

Voting will close at 11:59pm CT on Friday, May 7th.

If you have questions, feel free to reach out to executive@greatriverschool.org.

All parents, faculty, and board members are able to vote. Voting is open digitally from Monday through Thursday this week! cast your vote here! Election results will be shared the following week after voting closes. 

Questions? Email executive@greatriverschool.org. 

Improving the practice Rooms, Instrument donations wanted

Hello GRS Families,

We are a group of 10th graders working on a community project to restore and improve the music practice rooms. We are looking for people to donate instruments such as bass, guitars, drum set or electric drum set, full size keyboards, synthesizers, bass amps, guitar amps, and working cables. This would give more students the resources they need to play music. If anyone has used or old instruments and amps in good working condition, donations would be greatly appreciated. Organs, acoustic pianos, and other large instruments will not be accepted at this time. If you have any possible donations please email jglaeserallen@greatriverschool.org. Donations are Due by May 7th.

Sincerely,

Javier F, Julian GA, Teo R, Griffin B and Leo T.

Congratulations! All-State ensemble acceptances!

Congratulations to our students who auditioned for All-State ensembles this year! All three were accepted into an ensemble for this very prestigious and competitive honor. James Pumphrey (11th) and Emma Williams (10th) have been invited to sing in All-State Choir and Henry Fetsch (11th) has been invited to play in the All-State Orchestra for a second year. These students will spend a week in an intensive music camp in August and perform at Orchestra Hall next February. Please congratulate these students on this major accomplishment!!

Prom 2025 - Searching for Volunteers!

Prom is on Saturday, May 17th this year, from 7–10 pm at Station 10 Gatherings in St. Paul! We are currently looking for volunteers to donate snacks (please bring to GRS by Wednesday, 5/14), help set up and clean up the space, and help run ticket and concession stands during the event. Please use this to sign up to volunteer!

Prom tickets are $35 from now until May 11th! 11-12th graders can purchase tickets here. Remember to do so before the price increases on May 12th! 

For more information, email: amclements@greatriverschool.org

The Blue Heron Bash Auction goes live Monday at 5:00 PM

Get your tickets and register to bid at https://bit.ly/GRSBHBTickets25