Dear GRS Community,

The month of December is here and the year 2024 is right around the corner. During the month of December GRS will take the time to recognize many holiday traditions celebrated by our staff and students which include:

Hanukkah: Dec. 7th (Evening) - Dec. 15th

Las Posadas: Dec. 16th - Dec. 24th

Winter Solstice: December 22nd

Kwanzaa: December 26th - January 1st

Our next BIPOC caregiver meeting will be held on Thursday December 21st. There have been many caregivers that have reached out to me regarding the time of the meeting. In order to accommodate more families I would like to find a time that works best for those that would like to attend the BIPOC caregiver meeting each month. Please fill out the survey HERE to let me know your preferred meeting time and place.

We’ve also had caregivers within the BIPOC community express an interest in building a community within a community. For instance, Spanish speaking families would like to connect with other Spanish speaking families within the GRS community. This is a great way to build relationships with other families that share an identity. If this is something you are interested in, please contact Jordan Samejima directly at jsamejima@greatriverschool.org.

We will host a Lower Adolescent BIPOC Luncheon on Thursday December 14th. Our Elementary BIPOC Gathering was held on Wednesday December 6th. We will also have more information in the near future regarding BIPOC guest speakers that we plan to host beginning in the month of January. If you have suggestions for BIPOC guest speakers that we could host please reach out to Jordan Samejima at jsamejima@greatriverschool.org.

I hope you all have a restful and much needed break. The holidays can be a time of stress but please remember to show gratitude and take the necessary time to care for yourself and those closest to you.

Warm regards,

Jordan