Big Canoe Childcare Offered March 1

The official word is that GRS will have school on February 28 and not on March 1. So Big Canoe will be offering childcare on March 1:

Time: 8 am- 5 pm

Cost: $50 (usual discounts/scholarships apply; inquire for details) 

Students will visit the Science Museum of Minnesota for the day, including time to explore the exhibits and the movie "Cuba" in the Omnitheater.

Please send a bagged lunch with your child (free/reduced student lunches will be provided)

To register, please click on this link. Payment will be billed and is due on or before March 1. 

Want to Make a Real Difference? We Need Your Help!

The Great River School Board is seeking faculty, guardians, and community members to help guide and steward the policy and vision of our school. Skills and experience that the board is looking for: raising families, working with limited resources to solve problems, building cooperation among people with different opinions, speaking multiple languages, and making decisions based on the values of peace education and justice. These experiences can be formal or informal.

We are actively recruiting members - especially those with life experience as a person of color and/or LGBTQ+ folks living in Minnesota. We recognize the importance of seeking to reflect the experiences and backgrounds of our neighborhoods and the students we serve.

For more information and to apply, read the complete communication here.

Big Canoe Childcare Offered February 15!

We are offering childcare on the upcoming grading (no school) day on February 15:

Time: 8 am- 5 pm

Cost: $50 (usual discounts apply)

Students will visit Green Acres tubing park for a snow tubing session, then return to Great River for activities in the afternoon. 

Please send a bagged lunch with your child (free/reduced student lunches will be provided)

To register, please click on this link. Payment will be billed and is due on or before February 15.

Volunteer Opportunity - Support the GRS Staff of Color Affinity Group!

Help support GRS’s staff of color affinity group by providing delicious food for their monthly meetings! Donations of main dishes, side dishes, beverages, and dessert are needed once a month, to serve 12 people. Cooking not your thing? Cash donations and gift cards are also welcome! Food can be dropped off at school the morning of the meeting, but other arrangements can also be made. Click here for the SignUp Genius or contact Karen Solas at ksolas@gmail.com.

Minnesota River & Rice Creek Field Trip

Dear Lower Elementary Families,

On Wednesday, February 20th, the Minnesota River and Rice Creek classrooms will be taking an all-day field trip to Dodge Nature Center.  Classes plan to leave GRS at approximately 8:45 am and will arrive back to school by approximately 2:30pm.  We will spend the majority of the day outdoors, learning about a variety of environmental topics. First years will learn about Reptiles and Amphibians and Animal Tracks and Signs.  Second Years will learn about Life in the Cold (adaptations) and Milk Makers (mammals). Third Years will go on a Season’s Hike and learn about Bones (owl pellet dissection). If weather allows, there will be time for kicksledding on the pond, as well.

It is imperative that your child is dressed for prolonged outdoor weather on this day.  Please send your child to school with the following:

  • A hearty lunch/beverage that does not require heating (school lunches will be sent along if pre-ordered).

  • Snowpants (even if there is no snow), mittens or gloves, hat, scarf and a warm jacket.

  • Thick, long, warm socks and winter boots to protect feet from snow, mud and/or cold.

To cover the expense of this trip, we are asking for a voluntary donation of $15 or more per student. Checks can be made out to Great River School and should be returned to your child’s guide with this slip by Friday, February 1st.  No child will be turned away due to insufficient funds. Thanks so much for making this experience a reality for our students!

Thank you, but chaperones are not needed for this trip.

Sincerely,

Minnesota River (Jenna and Sonja) and Rice Creek (Nadine and Jennifer)


Call for Pencil & Tissue Donations!

If you see pencils on sale, or have high quality pencils at home....

and you’d like to contribute something to Great River School, consider pencils (aka Ticonderoga) or facial tissue (aka Kleenex). No brand names endorsed here though! 

As a Montessori environment, we practice care for our materials, and students take great measures engaging independently in their work. Sometimes, this means that we are learning to do this. This year, it’s a need for pencils and tissue for noses!

Donations can be dropped off at the front office! Thank you all!

Book fair success! Interested used book fair Volunteers needed!

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.

Cook or Donate for the GRS Staff of Color affinity group!

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.

Second Semester Elementary Observation

Hello Elementary Families,

Next week we will be opening our classrooms for parent observation. Please sign up for a time to come and observe!  Observations will be for 30 minutes unless otherwise arranged.  If you are not able to observe during scheduled times, please reach out to set up an alternate time.  Scheduling ahead of time helps us maintain the learning environment and limit the number of observers at any one time.  Each spot is for one adult -- please do not bring anyone else with you to observe.  

When you come for an observation, please sign in at the main office, located on the north side of the school on Energy Park Drive.  You will be greeted and shown to your classroom and the observation chair.  Please review the list of general guidelines and read about some specific items to look for in a classroom before you arrive. Teachers are not available during your observation to answer questions. If you have any questions about our curriculum or your observations, please reach out to me or your child’s classroom guide - we love to talk Montessori! 

The children are aware that parents will come and go without disturbing their daily routines. If you are the parent of a child in the classroom, you may or may not observe a normal day of activity for your child. It is difficult for some children to manage their emotional attachment to you and sustain their independence in the classroom simultaneously.  It is helpful with younger children to talk about how you are coming to observe and that you will leave and they will carry on with their regular day.  

Students might approach you and introduce themselves or offer you a refreshment.  Feel free to say hello and let them know you are here to see their work.  It is appropriate to accept or decline any offer of refreshment.

Distractions can disrupt the natural rhythm and flow of children’s work, so we ask you to review and observe the following guidelines:

  • Please turn off your cell phone!

  • You will be shown to an observer’s chair.  Please stay seated in the observer’s chair for the duration of your observation. 

  • Children may come up to you.  Please do not try to engage them in conversation.  A polite “hello” and a direct response to who you are is sufficient (“I am a parent observing your work!”). Montessori children realize and understand that observers come to watch them work.  If they approach, let them know that you are here to watch them do their work.  You can ask them to return to their work. 

  • Avoid distracting the teacher or assistant. 

Thank you and please reach out with any questions!

Derek Damon
Elementary Program Assistant
ddamron@greatriverschool.org 

Copy of Email Sent to UE Families

Hello UE Parents! 

We look forward to seeing you today and tomorrow for the UE workshare. 

Upon reflection, we've decided to ONLY have families park on Energy Lane and enter through the Elementary entrance. All other information in previous announcements regarding Elementary work share is accurate.

You can read the previous announcements about work share here and here. 

Please reach out immediately if you have any questions!

(LE families, we look forward to welcoming you next week)


Sheridan Story Resources Available!

This year GRS is continuing a partnership with The Sheridan Story.  The Sheridan Story is a local non-profit with a goal of addressing and ending childhood hunger.  We are able to provide a bag of non-perishable food items once a week to a student (Friday distribution) and their families. 

There are no eligibility requirements for a family to receive food. 

If you are interested in this weekly food donation or have questions about it, we invite families to contact our social workers:
-Saleha Erdmann for elementary students at serdmann@greatriverschool.org 
-Seth Tupper for adolescent and 6th Bridge students at stupper@greatriverschool.org.

Elementary Work Share Parent Information

Hello families!

Work share weeks in Elementary are rapidly approaching and we wanted to ensure that everyone know the "ins and outs" of arriving and departing during that time!

Work share begins at 1:30 and lasts one hour. This puts us close to the end of the day, but with enough time that students are expected to stay and finish the day with their classrooms. Students may not leave early after work share. Thank you for understanding their need to complete their normal work day.

As for parking, please know that if you choose to park on Energy Lane on the school side (north side) of the road (specifically along the sidewalk where our 5 busses and 2 vans line up) you absolutely must move your vehicle from there immediately following work share. This benefits everyone and ensures that our afternoon continues to flow smoothly! If you are parked past the sidewalk east of the school, you can wait in your vehicle for your child if you typically do parent pickup, or depart right after work share. Any remaining parked vehicles in the pickup line will cause delays. 

Feel free to park in our visitor lot on the north side of the school, in the Bandana Square lot, or anywhere on the south side of Energy Lane (with the exception of the space in front of Powermation, directly across from us. They have no parking signs posted already.)

If you need clarification on any of these points, please reach out so we can get things sorted out.
Thanks so much, and we look forward to seeing you all!

-the Elementary team 

PEG Meeting this Monday 6:30PM!

Please join us for the upcoming Parent Engagement Group meeting this Monday, January 14th 6:30-8:00PM. Come to meet some new faces, get to know your PEG classroom ambassador, and learn about upcoming
volunteer opportunities.

We are excited to welcome Coffee Shop Coordinator Donna Goodlaxon for a tour of the new kitchen and waste management system. You will also hear from staff and parents about the student Green Team and other green initiatives on campus. Childcare is available in the Clear Lake classroom for ages 5 and up, or bring your children right into the meeting. Looking forward to seeing new and returning faces! 


A Message from the Goats:

Hello and happy new year!

The goats would love any conifer trees, garland, wreaths, etc that you may have had for the Christmas traditions. If you’re able, please drop off in the garden or by the goat pen and we’ll put them to use.

Please no flocked trees - they’re not good for the goats’ bellies.

Contact tlimberg@greatriverschool.org with questions.

Technovation 2019!

What: Technovation 2019 Season!

What details: Technovation offers girls around the world the opportunity to learn the skills they need to emerge as tech entrepreneurs and leaders. 
Every year we invite girls to identify a problem in their community, and then challenge them to solve it.
Girls work in teams to build both a mobile app and a business plan to launch that app, supported by mentors and guided by curriculum. It's sponsored by Technovation and free to all participants!

When: Wednesdays after school starting on January 16 and ending around May 8 - 3:30 - 5:00pm

Who: Students between the ages of 10 to 18 as of August 1, 2019 who identify as female. No tech experience necessary!

How do people participate? Fill out this interest form OR just show up to one of our first meetings and we'll get you started

Where people should meet? Upper Science Lab, Rm 275

To whom people should direct questions by email:
Kate Indrelie - former GRS guide and 5 season Technovation mentor - kateindrelie@gmail.com. Mentors Fred and Ashley will return this year, and we'll have new U of M students mentoring as well.