The Grainwood Galaxy Newspaper

The students at Grainwood Elementary school, along with Mrs. Retzer, Ms. Hanson, and Mrs. Russell, have published the Grainwood Galaxy Newspaper. The newspaper will be published and posted on the Grainwood Elementary school webpage at the end of each month. To access the newspaper, just click on the School News picture link.

Food Drive

Mrs. Kennedy and Mrs. Worm's classes are working together to sponsor a food drive the week of November 1st. A yellow flyer is being sent home today with more information. Non-perishable donations can be brought to school in grocery bags and placed on the table outside the office.

Book Fair

Thank you to all of the volunteers and shoppers who helped make our fall book fair a success! This is an important fundraiser for our media center and allows us to buy many books and materials that are used by students and staff every day. Thank you for your support!

Everyone Needs a Flu Vaccine!

This year for the first time ever, there is a universal flu vaccination recommendation for everyone 6 months of age and older! While children most often receive their vaccines at a medical clinic, the influenza vaccine is the one vaccine where a school or other public venue is a better fit because it is a yearly vaccination. Scott County Public Health will be offering a school-located clinic in our district as follows:

Thursday, November 4th

5 - 8 pm

Prior Lake High School

_________

FREE Vaccine to all children & uninsured adults

$10 donation suggested

Insured adults - $25 for injection - $35 for FluMist (Cash or Check Only)

__________

Pre-register online at

http://www.co.scott.mn.us/communityservices/vaccineregistration

Register each person who will attend.

Walk-in registration at clinic will be available.

This year's flu vaccine protects against 3 strains: the same H1N1 strain and the same B strain as last year, a new type A strain. Due to this formulation, certain children between 6 months and through 8 years should receive two doses of 2010-11 vaccine spaced at least 4 weeks apart:

- Who did not receive at least one dose of H1N1 2009 vaccine,

- Who have never received a seasonal flu vaccine before,
- Who were vaccinated for the first time with the 2009-10 seasonal vaccine, but received only one dose, or
- Whose previous season's vaccine history is unclear

If a child falls into one of these categories, parents could time the doses so that one dose is given at the school-located clinic.

Questions? Call Scott County Public Health at 952-496-8555.

CLIMB Theatre

CLIMB Theatre will be coming to Grainwood on Monday, November 8th. The play the children will be seeing is "Trash". The play concerns the environment and examines the concepts of conservation, reducing, reusing, and recycling. For more information on CLIMB Theatre and the play "Trash", view their informational flyer HERE

Family MATH Night

Family MATH Night at Grainwood is happening Thursday, November 4th, from 5:30-7:00 PM. Come spend time playing math games with family members or other students. The games, an important component of our Everyday Math curriculum, help sustain and enrich math skill development for your child. Prizes, popcorn and take-home materials will be available. Join the fun and pick-up your fund-raising orders in the gym on the same night!

Tuesday, Oct. 19...Book Fair LAST DAY!

Just a reminder that the Grainwood Book Fair's last day is tomorrow, October 19. The Media Center will be open for sales from 8:30 AM to 6:00 PM. Thanks!

Fall Harvest Activities - October 29th

As the end of the month approaches, classrooms will be preparing for their annual Fall Harvest Celebrations. In grades K-4, students are invited to wear appropriate costumes. Costumes are not allowed that depict violence, have weapons, blood, etc. and need to be culturally sensitive. Please no hair dye or face paint too!

Specific information regarding costumes and classroom activities will be communicated by each classroom teacher near the end of the month.

Alternative activities will be provided for students if parents find any of the Fall Harvest Celebration events to be objectionable. If you wish to have alternative activities provided for your child, please send a note to your child's classroom teacher ASAP. This will allow him/her to plan accordingly. Thank you!

Community Ed Classes & Events for Adults & Youth

Visit http://www.priorlakesavagece.com/ for information and to register. You can also call Community Education at 952.226.0080 or the Family Center at 952.226.0950.

Make Your Own Paper: Recycling Can Be Fun! (Adult/child ages 5-10)
Have fun learning how to reduce waste by recycling! Supply fee included in tuition.
Thursday, November 11th (6-8pm)
McColl Pond Environmental Learning Center, 13550 Dakota Ave., Savage
Instructor: Rita Hussman - 1 session $7; family $19

NetSmartz: An Internet Safety Program Presented by Officer Maureen O'Hehir
Educate, engage and empower children and youth to prevent victimization and increase self confidence when online. This program is relevant and important to all parents and other adults who interact with youth that use computers. It's a great compliment to the 7th grade DARE program as well.
Thursday, November 18th (7-8:30pm)
Twin Oaks Middle School Media Center
$5/person or $7/couple

Reading, Writing, and Recalling Facts (1st-5th grade)
This class is jam-packed with strategies that will increase your child's skills in reading, spelling, writing, and recalling information. Please bring 10 pennies to class, which wil be used to make a memorable book. Parents are strongly encouraged to attend the class at no additional cost.
Tuesday, November 23rd (6:30-8:00pm)
PLHS Lecture Hall; Instructor: Nancy Kodelka
1 Session: $25

Deck the Halls & Visit with Santa
Come spend an exciting morning getting into the spirit of the holiday season. Be sure to bring your camera! No pre-registration required.
Saturday, December 4th (10-12:00pm)
Edgewood
$4/person or $12/family

Benefits of Physical Education For Our Students

Physical education exposes students to lifetime activities and teaches students how to integrate exercise into their lives.

The increased blood flowing to the brain during aerobic exercise stimulates brain activity. Source: Hillman CH, Erickson KI, Kramer AF, "Be smart, exercise your heart: Exercise effects on brain and cognition," Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 2008.

Researchers have found that students who receive physical activity during the school day pay better attention in class. Sibley BA, Etnier JL. The relationship between physical activity and cognition in children: a meta-analysis. Pediat Ex Sci 2003; 15: 243-256.

A high quality physical education program enhances the physical, mental and social/emotional development of every child and helps them understand, improve and maintain physical well-being into adulthood. Learning for Life: Physical Education in Public Schools, American Heart Association Fact Sheet 2008

Benefits extend beyond improvement in health status, studies suggest that children who are more physically fit perform better on Math and Reading test scores. Active Living Research, A National Program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Active Education: Physical Education, Physical Activity and Academic Performance. Research Brief, Fall 2007.

For the first time in history, children's life spans are predicted to be less than their parents because of the obesity epidemic. We are committed to changing that. Your help and support are critical to keep kids moving, eating healthy and having your students get enough rest.

Additional educational resources for a healthy and active family:
http://www.americanheart.org/healthierkids
http://www.healthychoices.org/
http://www.kidsnutrition.org/
http://www.kidshealth.org/
http://www.bam.gov/
http://www.healthyfridge.org/

Book Fair

The Book Fair is coming THIS WEEK! and we are still in need of parent volunteers to help. If you would like to assist with the fair, please click and sign-up. Thank you to Becky Bartusek, Book Fair Coordinator, for making volunteering so easy! Dates and times are:

Thursday, October 14th (8:30am - 7:00pm)
Friday, October 15th (8:00am - 11:30am)
Monday, October 18th (8:30am - 3:00pm)
Tuesday, October 19th (8:30am - 6:00pm)

Physical Education News

Congratulations to all GW students for working so hard on their fall fitness tests. There are some very good scores, and each student should be proud of the effort they put into their tests to this point. We look forward to the spring testing to see how we've improved and grown through the year. Working at home as well as what we do at school will help build confidence, skills, strength and endurance.

The 4th and 5th graders will be having a volleyball tournament with their volleyball unit coming up in November-December this year. This is always a highlight of the year, along with a floor hockey tournament that will be completed the first couple of months of 2011. Fifth grade will also be looking forward to a ski date at Hyland Hills in Bloomington after the start of the new year. The 5th graders will be bringing home a permission slip with more information and the amount needed for the field trip as we get closer to the date.

Some Physical Education reminders:
1. Dress for the weather. We will be outside when we can for the next few weeks with our soccer unit.
2. Clean tennis shoes for inside gym days is very important, along with being tied tightly (a request that gets repeated many times).
3. Illness notes will work for 1 or 2 days from mom or dad, but a doctor's note is asked for extended injuries or illnesses. With that, please have the doctor put a return to Physical Education date on the note as well, if possible.

Looking ahead: Activities for the next couple of months (weather and gymnasium permitting)
1. October & November: Finish up with fitness testing, football, soccer and work on volleyball.
2. December: Finish up volleyball with a 4th and 5th grade tournament, try to get some scooter work in and possibly some bowling.

Picture Retake Day

Picture retakes will be on Wedneday, October 27th. The student's packet of unwanted pictures must be returned on retake day if you would like new pictures taken.

If your student was absent on our first picture day, please let your child's teacher know, so a packet of picture options can be sent home for you.

The photos taken will also be used in our annual yearbook.

Fund-raising Orders are DUE!

Just a reminder that Chip Shoppe fund-raising orders are due to the Grainwood Office no later than Wednesday, October 13. This is the final return date, for orders will be placed that afternoon. Thanks a million to the parent volunteers who have been here already preparing the orders! This is Grainwood's largest fund-raiser of the year and goes directly to students supporting activities, interventions and enrichments. Thank you for participating!

Parent/Teacher Conferences

Parent/Teacher Conferences are scheduled for:

Thursday, October 14th - 3:30-7:30PM
Friday, October 15th - 7:30-11:30AM
Tuesday, October 19th - 3:30-7:30PM

A reminder notice indicating the time of your conference will be sent home.

The purpose of this fall conference is to gather information regarding your child's educational strengths, interests and needs. Then, appropriate goals will be identified for your child so he/she can have the best year possible.

Frequently Dialed Extensions

Attendance (24 Hrs)...................... 226-0301
Main Number ................................ 226-0300
Health Office .................................. 226-0306
Community Ed .............................. 226-0080
Kids Company................................ 226-0090
P.L.A.Y. .......................................... 220-6055
or www.playinfo.org
District Office................................. 226-0000
Transportation............................... 226-0050
Bus Dispatch.................................. 440-1166

You may access the Grainwood website at: http://www.priorlake-savage.k12.mn.us/
Go to: Schools then Grainwood
Information includes, Teacher Web Pages, e-mail addresses, lunch menus, and much more.

October School Breaks

There will be no school on the following days in October:

No School for Kindergarten ONLY - Thursday, October 14th
No School for K-5 - Friday, October 15th
No School for K-5 - October 20th - 22nd (MEA Break)

Grainwood C.A.R.E.S. - Updated!

Grainwood Elementary students and staff are embarking on an initiative to strengthen behavorial expectations building-wide. Our Problem-Solving Team is participating in two years of training in Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) through the Minnesota Department of Education. While Repsonsive Classroom practices govern most of the behavioral expectations and successfully provide social skills instruction in the classrooms, PBIS will become the larger behavioral umbrella encompassing the entire school.

As an over-arching theme, Grainwood will be using its C.A.R.E.S. (Cooperation, Assertion, Responsibility, Empathy and Self-Control) identity more extensively throughout the school, becoming a larger presence in the building. To launch C.A.R.E.S. with some pizazz, the C.A.R.E.S. Heroes were created this summer and star as Grainwood's school-wide behavioral role-models. They will be making frequent visits to Grainwood this year promoting C.A.R.E.S. Check them out in their first, of many, video appearances.

Meet the C.A.R.E.S. Heroes! (Video now with sound!)

October 2010 Nurse's Note

Domestic Violence Awareness
October is Domestic Violence Awareness month. Domestic violence and abuse can occur within all age ranges and in any ethnic background. Both women and men can be victims of abuse. No abuse, whether physical, emotional or verbal is acceptable. Domestic abuse often starts with verbal abuse and threats, leading up to violence. A person deserves to be respected, appreciated and safe. The first step is to recognize the abuse, acknowledge it as real and get the assistance you need. If you are in danger, please call the MN Domestic Violence Crisis Line at 1-866-223-1111 or the National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 or TTY 1-800-787-3224.

(Domestic Violence and Abuse at HelpGuide.org/NCADV.org/files/Minnesota.pdf)

School-Located Flu Vaccinations
This year for the first time ever, there is a universal flu vaccination recommendation for everyone 6 months of age and older to get the flu vaccine. In support of this change, Scott County Public Health will be offering a school-located clinic in the Prior Lake District on Thursday, November 4th from 5 – 8 pm at the High School. For more information go to the Health Services website: http://www.priorlake-savage.k12.mn.us/, click on Services, click on Health Services, click on School Located Flu Vaccinations 2010.

Head Lice Information
As always please remember to check your student for head lice periodically throughout the year. Information about head lice is available on the Health Services website: http://www.priorlake-savage.k12.mn.us/, click on Services, click on Health Services, click on “Is my child ill…” or “head lice”.

We encourage you to review these websites with current evidence based practices. If you do not have access to a computer, please call the Health office for a hard copy. Harvard’s information was recently moved to http://identify.us.com/head-lice/head-lice-FAQS/

http://www.cdc.gov/lice/head/index.html
http://www.cdc.gov/lice/head/parents.html
http://www.cdc.gov/lice/head/factsheet.html