(written by PEG ambassadors Rachel Damiani & Jessica Knight)
It has been a pleasure to get to know many of you at the Parent Engagement Group (PEG) meetings and work with you as volunteers. Thank you to everyone who has donated their time and energy so far this year!
This last PEG meeting was a great success! Donna and Ricardo described the goal of making GRS a zero-waste school! We're still far from that goal, but one important step is educating students and the GRS community about proper waste stream management. The school is being equipped with waste stations that include bins for compost, recycling, and landfill, and at the end of the day, students bring waste from those bins out to sort into the appropriate dumpsters. Donna and Ricardo have been supervising that process (with some heroic dumpster diving antics to entertain and educate students) and will looking for some parent volunteers to lend a hand with both end-of-day and lunchtime waste stream management going forward.
New school chef Leah Korger and School Nutritionist Jenny Breen answered questions about the new school lunch program and offered a tour of the gorgeous new kitchen, including food prep, cooking, and warming stations, as well as the walk-in refrigeration units. Sourcing, recipes and menus, and serving logistics are being finalized, and the new program will be rolled out gradually starting next month.
As we head into the second half of the school year, we'll be reaching out even more to make sure families feel welcomed, connected and engaged in our community. We also encourage you to reach out to your PEG classroom or level ambassador or email peg@greatriverschool.org anytime!
Blue Heron Bash March 23rd!
Great River’s biggest friendraiser of the year, the Blue Heron Bash, is coming up on March 23. This is a great time to meet other families & check out the new building all while raising money for exciting projects at school. Check out our webpage for more information. Blue Heron Bash — Great River School
Cook or Donate for the GRS Staff of Color affinity group
Please help the Parent Engagement Group support GRS’s staff of color affinity group by providing delicious food for their monthly meetings! We are looking for donations of main dishes, side dishes, beverages, and dessert on the first Tuesday of every month. Cooking not your thing? Cash donations and gift cards are also welcome! SignUp Genius coming soon, or contact Karen Solas at ksolas@gmail.com.
Be a Volunteer Judge for History Day Competition
Sarah Garton, our intrepid UA Social Studies guide, is seeking volunteers to judge our tenth grade History Day competition on Tuesday, Feb 12th from 8-11am. This year's theme is Triumph and Tragedy. Students are working on their exhibits, websites, research papers, documentaries and performances on a wide range of topics, and we'd love your help giving them critical feedback. Judges would need to arrive around 8am for orientation and will judge at least five different entries with 1-2 other judges between 8:45-10:30. Debriefing and conferring for who to recommend to regional competition should take until 11am. If you know anyone else in the community who might be interested, please pass this along + thanks for your support! Questions? Email Sarah Garton: sgarton@greatriverschool.org
Volunteers Needed For GRS Green Initiatives
The school is seeking volunteers to help with various green initiatives on campus including: help with sorting trash, compost and recycling during adolescent advisories, supervise sorting at lunchtime, research plastic bag recycling, write grant for recycling and plastic occupations, design and build 3 compartment stations for waste stream stations. Email peg@greatriverschool.org to get started!
Take the Bike/Walk to School Survey
The Parent Engagement Group (PEG) would like to know your thoughts about biking and walking to school! Even if your kids already bike or walk to/from school or if you would never consider it - we want to hear from everybody! Fill out this short survey and be entered to win a $25 gift card for Now Bikes & Fitness: https://tinyurl.com/GRSbikewalk
Find a Carpool Buddy!
Wouldn’t it be great to have a shorter drop off/pick up line, not have to drive to school every day, AND reduce the amount of carbon being emitted into the air? You can do all of this - and get to know more people - by carpooling! If you are interested in receiving a link to the ‘GRS family map’ to find other families who live near you and set up a carpool, email Laurie Sovell at -lasovell@yahoo.com
Elementary Book Fair Success!
The elementary classrooms have been enjoying their newly expanded libraries, thanks to the generosity of the GRS community. So far this year, families have gifted almost $1700 worth of books from elementary teachers' wish lists, and have earned another $1400 in free books from Usborne Books purchases. Our next in-person book fair will take place during spring conferences.
And don't forget, you can purchase books any time via our Usborne representative's website, and 50% of sales will go to GRS through the end of the year! Just follow this link to browse and purchase: https://b6900.myubam.com/Event/1113756
Used Book Sale Volunteers Needed
PEG has heard some community interest in a used book sale. If you're interested in helping to organize these initiatives, contact us at peg@greatriverschool.org.
View our Sign Up Genius Page for additional opportunities!