P.B.I.S. and C.A.R.E.S.

With Grainwood's adoption of P.B.I.S. (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports), you may see a change in communication home to families pertaining to behavior. While Responsive Classroom functions as our social skills curriculum and classroom behavior model, P.B.I.S. establishes school-wide behavorial norms for all students in all other areas of the building. Within P.B.I.S., it is the C.A.R.E.S. components (Cooperation, Assertion, Responsibility, Empathy and Self-Control) that function as our school norms. We have started to increase signage throughout our building, including the addition of the 5-Point scale (a self-regulation visual tool), and have recently launched "HERO Tickets" to reward students who show good behavior throughout the school day.

While students are learning in great detail about these attributes, we are well aware it will take time, maybe up to a year or two, to embed C.A.R.E.S. to be our behavior identity. Thank you for your support and patience as we "tighten-the-ship" with behavior expectations at Grainwood. Please check out the following links below for the newest videos we have been using with the students. (The Assertion and Responsibility clips are now live!) Also, check out the new written communication forms we will be using if C.A.R.E.S. are not being followed. Our fix-it plans have been eliminated and we are now using a "Better Choices" sheet and one "Office Referral" form school-wide. If you have questions about either of these documents, please contact me at your convenience. Thanks! Patrick Glynn

C.A.R.E.S. Video - Assertion (Has Arrived!)

C.A.R.E.S. Video - Responsibility (New This Week!)

Better Choices Sheet

Office Referral Form

Thanksgiving Feast

Last Wednesday, Grainwood Kindergarten students celebrated their annual Thanksgiving Feast. Kindergartners spent the week learning about the purpose of Thanksgiving, decorating for the event (including costumes) and making butter. During the feast, students also had the opportunity to taste many of the traditional foods that would be served on Thanksgiving Day. Thank you to all the parents and volunteers who helped make this special event complete. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Report Cards

The first trimester ends on Thursday, December 2nd. Teachers will complete report card work on Friday, December 3rd, which is not a school day for students. Student Report Cards will then be sent home with students on Friday, December 10th. ELC students' report cards will be sent home with 5th graders on Monday, December 13th. If you do not receive your child's report card, please contact the school at 226-0300. You can also view your child's report card online through Family Access. Report Cards at the end of second and third trimesters will only be posted via Family Access. No hard copies will be sent with students for the remainder of the school year. Here's to going paperless!

Early Childhood Family Center News

To access the Early Childhood Family Center News Brochure, please click on the brochure picture link to the right.

No School

There will be NO SCHOOL on Thursday, November 25th and Friday, November 26th for the Thanksgiving Break. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

There will also be NO SCHOOL on Friday, December 3rd.

Community Education December News

To access the Community Education December News brochure, please click on the brochure picture link to the right.

For information or to register please visit the Community Education website http://www.priorlakesavagece.com/ or call 952-226-0800.

Safe Spaces

Dear Parent/Guardian,

We will be having a guest speaker from Safe Spaces, a non-profit agency, in each classroom during the last week of November. She will be speaking to our students about personal safety and violence prevention. This will involve discussion around making appropriate choices and understanding personal safety issues. It is important that each child feels emotionally and physically safe when he/she comes to school. It is also helpful for all children to be taught a basic awareness of personal boundaries and appropriate behaviors related to good/bad touch.

As the parent/guardian, you can play a key role in talking to your child in a supportive, encouraging atmosphere and answering any questions he/she may have.

These presentations have been well received and are very age appropriate for K-3 graders. The presentations for 4th and 5th grade classrooms are a bit more involved, and the discussion time is longer since these students are nearing adolescence and there are many issues that come up for that age group.

Safe Spaces classroom visits are paid for through a grant and are presented in all District 719 elementary schools. If you have questions, please feel free to contact the Safe Spaces presenter (Claire Newman) at 612-210-2179, visit their website at www.safespacesmn.org, or you may contact Patrick Glynn (Principal) or Cheryl Wendt (School Social Worker) at Grainwood.

Grainwood has SEE!

Click on the icon below for information on Grainwood's SEE Team!

Parent's Night Out

Spend the night out and drop your school-aged child/children off at the Prior Lake High School!

The Prior Lake High School National Honor Society is sponsoring a Parent's Night Out on Friday, December 17th from 6:00 to 10:00PM for kids in grades K-5. The cost for this event is: pre-registration: $15 for the first child and $10 for each additional child; at the door: $20 for the first child and $15 for each additional child.

Crafts, games, fun and healthy snacks will be provided.

Please return the Permission Slip to your teacher by Friday, December 3, 2010 for pre-registration. Make checks payable to "Prior Lake National Honor Society." Please fill out separate forms for each child, but you can staple them together and write out one check.

For questions, please contact Kaitlyn Aragon at zipposrevelation@mchsi.com or 612-636-0544 outside of school hours.

For a copy of the Parent's Night Out Permission Slip, click HERE

School Closing

For information on emergency school closings or delayed starts, tune into WCCO radio (830 AM) & TV (channel 4), KARE 11 TV (channel 11), KSTP-TV (channel 5), KMSP/FOX TV (channel 9) and also KCHK Radio (1350 AM).

The announcement would indicate that all Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools are closed or beginning late. If for any reason school would need to close early, the message would be similar. Officials attempt to make this decision as early as possible in the morning. The message will also run on the school district website, http://www.priorlake-savage.k12.mn.us/, parent emails are sent and phone calls are made to parents via our rapid-dial phone system.

Optimist Club

Two of our 5th grade students were recently recognized by the Optimist Club of Prior Lake for their efforts in upholding the dignity of youth, as well as showing sincere devotion to the welfare of others.

Way to go Dalton and Allison!

Getting Home Safely

Winter road conditions are here! As the icy roads make driving the buses more of a challenge to the drivers, it's time to review the bus safety procedures.

Each student received training from their classroom teacher and the drivers themselves. Each student took a bus safety test (which State Law requires each to pass). The test and their lessons demonstrate that they understand:

1. Transportation is a privilege and not a right.
2. Danger zones surrounding a school bus.
3. Procedures for safely boarding and leaving the bus.
4. Procedures for safe street and road crossing.
5. School bus evacuation and emergency procedures.

Also with the winter road conditions, it becomes even more important that students monitor themselves so that everyone can have a safe and timely ride to and from school. Thank you for your support and reinforcement of these procedures with your child.

American Education Week

November 15th-19th is American Education Week. We have wonderful teachers here at Grainwood! Celebrate their dedication to your child/children by sending them a note letting them know they are appreciated! Thank you teachers for all of your hard work!

Tyson Project A+

Like collecting Box Tops for Education, milk tops, Campbell Soup labels, Coke Rewards, pop tabs, and ink cartridges, Grainwood is also collecting Tyson Project A+™ labels to help raise additional funds for our Student Activities Budget. Here's how you can help...1)Clip and save Tyson Project A+™ labels from participating Tyson products (I imagine there are a few chicken nuggets eaten out there), 2)Turn in the labels to Grainwood at our collection site (near all the others), 3)Grainwood redeems them for cash. Each label is worth 24¢. Now, I have promised the students I would do the "Chicken Dance" at an All School Meeting when 50 labels have been collected and Grainwood is 2 labels short. So, I need your help! Be saving and turning in those labels! Thanks! Mr. Glynn

Calendar Sales are Here!

Minnesota's favorite calendar goes on sale!

Starting November 15th, students will be selling the 2011 MN Weatherguide Environment Calendars to help raise money for our school's environmental program. These calendars are more than just a way to keep track of the days and appointments. They have educational value and are full of pictures and rich data. Ask your child how they are used in their classroom. Purchasing a calendar allows for you to extend this learning into your home. The wall and desktop calendars are available for $16.95 each. We profit $8.50 of every calendar sold! All proceeds will help to fund the purchase of items such as binoculars, snowshoes, field guides and more. All of this equipment helps us to better investigate and explore our natural environment, allowing students to become stronger and more knowledgeable in all core curricular areas. Please watch for more information as it comes home.

Food Drive Results

Congratulations to Mrs. Kennedy and Mrs. Worm's classes on their successful Food Drive! The goal of the Food Drive was to bring in 200 food items. The final count was 252 food items! WAY TO GO, STUDENTS!

The two classes will be sorting the items on November 15th and then loading the truck for the CAP Agency on November 19th.

Minnesota Chemical Health Week

The week of November 15th-19th we will be recognizing Minnesota Chemical Health Week (MCHW). This is an annual event that focuses on the effects of using drugs and alcohol. Throughout the district, different schools will be participating in various activities related to this event in order to heighten the awareness of substance abuse. At Grainwood, students will have the opportunity to participate in short classroom activities related to chemical health. The theme for Grainwood's Chemical Health Week is..."I Have the Power to be Drug Free!" The theme for this year goes along with our CARES for the month: Assertion. On Wednesday, November 17th, schools across the nation will be wearing red as a way of showing they are chemical free. Students and staff at Grainwood are also encouraged to wear red on this day, so mark your calendars!

Ski Club

Elementary Ski Club is open to 5th grade skiers and snowboarders. Ski Club dates are all Mondays after school on Dec. 20th, Jan. 3rd, 10th, 24th and 31st. Parents pick up students at 7:30pm at Buck Hill Ski Area.

For more information, please contact Martha Walz at 952-226-0010.

Wolf Ridge ELC

For those of you who have 5th graders, it is no surprise that they are headed north for a terrific week long field trip from December 6th-10th. All fifth graders, their teachers and parent chaperones will head north along the beautiful North Shore to Finland, MN to Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center for a week long experience.

As the 5th graders are busy getting ready for their exciting trip to ELC, if you have any items you wish to donate such as winter boots, long underwear, sweatpants, sleeping bags or other items for those who do not have the supplies needed, please contact Cheryl Wendt, our Social Worker, by Wednesday, November 24th at 952-226-0367.

Grainwood Family Math Night

Thanks to all families and staff who participated in Grainwood's Family Math Night last Thursday evening. There was a great crowd, some healthy math competition between family members, popcorn snacking and prize winning going on. Congratulations also to the 25 students who walked away with a game from our prize drawing. I hope the coordination with the Chip Shoppe fund-raiser pick-up made the evening more convenient for families. Enjoy the video!

Baby News....

Congratulations to Mrs. Anderson and her husband, Jeff, on the birth of their new baby girl, Jocelyn Rae. Jocelyn was born on September 14, 2010. She weighed 7lbs. 3oz. and was 21 inches long.

Congratulations to Mrs. McGraw and her husband, Matt, on the birth of their new baby girl, Olivia Kathryn. Olivia was born on October 21, 2010. She weighed 8lbs. 6.4oz. and was 21 3/4 inches long.

Daylight Savings Time

Don't forget to "Fall Back" your clocks on November 7th - Daylight Savings Time Ends!

Early Release Day

Students in grades K-5 are scheduled for an early release day on Wednesday, November 10th. Classes will be released 2 hours early - for Grainwood that means the students will be dismissed at 1:00PM. Please remember to work this day into your family's schedule in order to provide for your daycare needs.

One of the things teachers will focus on that afternoon will be looking at test data and making plans to provide specific instruction to help your child be even more successful. The most recent testing, the MAP test and AIMS data, provides us with a snapshot of where your child is at this point in school. That information is vital to our programming, and we will take time on the 10th to plan some of the upcoming year's instruction, interventions and enrichments.

Notes from the Office....

ATTENDANCE
If your student is absent or going to be late - please be sure to call our 24hour Attendance Line in the morning: 952-226-0301.

STUDENT PICK UP
When students are not getting picked up in a timely manner at the end of the school day (3:00PM), they will be taken to Kid's Company for supervision. Our work day ends at 3:30PM and the office staff and teachers end their day at that time. The child's parent/guardian will need to sign them out at Kid's Company and will be responsible to pay a fee for their child's attendance.

WINTER IS COMING...
Please talk with your child about the importance of coats, hats and mittens to stay warm in this frozen tundra that we live in. You would be surprised how many attempt to go without their outerwear at recess and when heading to the buses.

Students will be going outside for recess unless the temperature drops below zero degress Fahrenheit, calculated using the Windchill Temperature Index.

Please make sure that your child's lunch box, coat, hat and mittens are labeled. This will make it much easier to return lost items to the right student.

We have MANY items in our Lost & Found at this time. Please have your child check for lost items. All remaining items will be donated at the end of the trimester - December 2nd.

Target and some staff FUN!

Last Friday, many Grainwood staff participated in their own dress-up and spent the day as Target employees. While appropriate for the day, due to the students and their costume parties that afternoon, it was two-fold in nature. Target is a huge supporter of schools and each year Grainwood receives thousands of dollars in donated funds due to families using their REDcards. 72 Grainwood families, or families affiliated with Grainwood, have linked their REDcard to our school through their "Take Charge of Education" Program. Therefore, Target donates 1% of all REDcard purchases at Target or Target.com to Grainwood. Thank you to everyone who has made the commitment to link their REDcard to our school. If you have not, but would like to, please click the following Target picture link and follow the simple directions. Thanks again for your support.