Report Cards

The Prior-Lake Savage report cards will be paperless beginning with the 2nd trimester. Grainwood report cards will be delivered through Family Access and available online beginning March 9th. If you need assistance with your Family Access log-in information, please contact the Grainwood Elementary office at 952-226-0300. Parents who are unable to access the report card information online can request a paper copy from the school. This new system will be an efficient way to deliver important grading information to your family.

Parents, the week of February 28th, your student will be coming home with their assigned conference time. Please check your students backpack.

Camp Invention®

CLEVER KIDS WANTED! Camp Invention® will be at Twin Oaks this summer. Camp needs your sleuthing powers to find out who is sending mysterious coded messages to the Curious Cypher Club. Then, explore intriguing information about the inventors of the animal kingdom, and experiment with chemistry as you discover the science behind bouncy balls!

You’ll find lots more fun things to do at Camp Invention. Camp will be held on July 11-15th from 9:00am to 3:30pm, and will be presented by local teachers for girls and boys entering grades 1-6. This national, non-profit science and creativity enrichment program is offered by Prior Lake-Savage Community Education in collaboration with Invent Now Kids and the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Register by March 30th or with a friend and save $25! For more information or to register, call 800-968-4332 or go to www.campinvention.org. Camp director, Melanie Anderson, can also be reached at melanieanderson@priorlake-savage.k12.mn.us.

Community Education March News

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

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

Parent/Teacher Conferences

Spring Parent/Teacher Conferences at Grainwood are scheduled for:

Thursday, March 10th (3:30PM-7:30PM)
Thursday, March 17th (3:30PM-7:30PM)
Friday, March 18th (7:30AM-11:30AM)

Your child's conference schedule will be sent home listing your conference time. This is an important opportunity to discuss your child's academic and social progress during the 2nd trimester. We look forward to seeing you at conferences in March.

There will be NO SCHOOL for Kindergarten ONLY on Thursday, March 17th and NO SCHOOL for K-5 on Friday, March 18th.

From the Office of the Principal... (Concert Links)

Welcome Back to WINTER! (Obviously, the ground hog was wrong!)
1)  As promised, below are links to the Grades 1-3 Music Concerts, in their entirety, that were performed last Friday, February 18, in the Grainwood Gym.  For those family members who were unable to attend, or who live miles away, we hope you enjoy this new viewing option.  Special thanks to Denise Brantl, Bonnie Stein, Christine Dahlquist, and Kristi Mussman (at the District Service Center) for their help making this possible! Click here for the Morning Concert or Afternoon Concert.

2)  As I reported earlier this month, we had a tremendous turn-out at our Family Fun and Literacy Night.  Being just a bit curious for a more exact number, teachers polled their students and specifically asked who attended.  I am happy to report that 242 of our 390 students joined us that evening. WOW!  With moms and dads, relatives and siblings (including past GW students), we had well over 400 people attend!

3)  I also recently spoke with Kelly Thormodsgard, our Birthday Book Club volunteer coordinator, and she reported that 76 books have been added to the GW library so far this year through our new Birthday Book Club.  All 76 books have a dedication sticker on the inside in honor of their Grainwood student.  For those students who have summer birthdays...do not worry.  Kelly will be inviting summer birthdays to participate throughout late winter and the spring!     

4)  Lastly...Just a reminder that our Healthy Snack Program will begin Monday, February 28th.  Families can still register their students now and throughout the remainder of the school year.

THANK YOU families for your time and commitment to Grainwood!

Butter Braids for Sale!

Grainwood PTC is excited to kick-off our 3rd annual Butter Braid Spring Fundraiser. The fundraiser will run from February 22nd - March 10th. Proceeds will go toward classroom activities, school assemblies and special events. It's a quick and easy way to treat your family, friends and relatives to a fresh, "homemade" out-of-the-oven pastry in just minutes! You can order this frozen Butter Braid pastry in 6 different flavors: Apple, Blueberry/Cream Cheese, Cinnamon, Cream Cheese, Raspberry, Strawberry/Cream Cheese. Caramel Rolls are also available!

To ensure timely delivery, all orders must be turned in by Thursday, March 10th. Orders can be picked up in the Grainwood gym April 6th from 3:00-6:00PM.

Due to the nature of the product being frozen, any orders not picked up will be donated to charity. Feel free to contact Heather Doll @ 952-440-5884 or Nancy Sost @ 952-447-5377 with any questions.

THANK YOU in advance for helping make this year's sale another success!

Click HERE to watch a video on how to bake the Butter Braids.

Science Fair Results

Last Thursday, Grainwood held its building-wide Science Fair.  Congratulations to all participants, grades K-5, and their families for the time and resources dedicated to your projects.  Six projects, four of which were completed by teams of two students, were designated by the judges as "Honorable Mention" and now have the option of competing at the Regional Science Fair in Mankato this April.  Congratulations! 

Box Top

**ATTENTION**

All Box Top Labels need to be turned in to your classroom by Friday, February 25th!

Thank you for helping our school!

NO SCHOOL

Just a reminder...
There will be NO SCHOOL on Monday, February 21st for President's Day.

There will also be NO SCHOOL on the following days:
Monday, March 7th (No School K-5) - Staff Day
Thursday, March 17th (No School KINDERGARTEN ONLY)
Friday, March 18th (No School for K-5)
Monday, March 21st - Friday, March 25th (No School K-5) - Spring Break

Emergency Alert Drill

As part of making sure Grainwood Elementary is prepared for an emergency, our Medical Emergency Response Team  (or MERT) participated in a drill Wednesday morning.  The team, consisting of teachers, support staff and office staff, participated in medical emergency scenarios involving an adult and a child.  District nurses were on-hand to provide guidance and feedback to make sure our response practices were delivered appropriately.  We value safety-for-all and are commited to practicing our response in case an actual emergency would take place.

PTC Carnival

It's that time of year again! The PTC Carnival is right around the corner. The PTC Carnival will be held on Saturday, April 9, 2011 from 11:00AM - 4:00PM at the Prior Lake High School. Set-up for the carnival will be on Friday, April 8, 2011.

This year's carnival will include games and prizes, a silent auction, inflatables, haunted house and Wizard of Oz attractions, tons of fun and much more.

Stay tuned for more details. Teacher/staff/parent sign ups coming soon. If you have any questions, please contact one of this year's carnival co-chairs:

Jen Laurienzo, Grainwood (jennifer.laurienzo@genmills.com)
Corrinna Harris, Grainwood (michael.harris@mchsi.com)
Terri Burns, Jeffers Pond (terriburns8@aol.com)

Grainwood Science Fair

** REMINDER**

Grainwood's Science Fair is tomorrow (2/17/11). Public is welcome to come view the Science Fair projects from 4:00PM-6:30PM.

Grainwood's Science Fair will be held on Thursday, February 17th in the Grainwood Music Room. Below is the schedule for the day:

7:00AM-8:20AM Student set-up
8:30AM-3:00PM Classrooms can view the Science projects
1:00PM-3:00PM Judging of the Science projects
4:00PM-6:30PM Open to public to view
6:30PM-7:00PM Clean up

We hope to see you at the Science Fair!

Pennies for Patients

Grainwood's Pennies for Patients drive was a HUGE success! Our school collected $1,787.74 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. With Leukemia being the most common form of cancer in children and young adults less than 20 years old, our school wanted to give to the youth in need. Thank you families, students and staff for giving to this service learning collection. A special congratulations to Ms. Kufrin's 3rd/4th grade class for collecting the most coins, totaling $182.78.

Thank You For Your Donation!

The students and staff from Room 262 are sending out a big THANK YOU for purchasing our YUMMY TUMMY Doggie Biscuits during the month of December. We hope that your furry friends enjoyed them down to the last crumb.

With your purchases, we were able to donate $90.00 to help support our furry friends. We decided to donate the money to Mrs. Karol Rockler's rescue group, the Minnesota Sheltie Rescue. Mrs. Rockler is one of our third grade teachers.

Mrs. Rockler was kind enough to match our donation and come into our classroom with Evie, one of her rescued dogs. She spoke to the students and staff about the mission of the Minnesota Sheltie Rescue group. She told us that the money we collected would be used to help the dogs that are currently in foster care. Mrs. Rockler talked about the recent closing of a puppy mill in North Dakota. The Minnesota Sheltie Rescue group helped to rescue 14 shelties from this place. Over 90 dogs were rescued by 11 different organizations. These organizations came to the rescue to make sure that the dogs were immediately taken care of and put into temporary foster care. Many of these dogs will be up for adoption in the future.

For more information about the rescue and adopting a pet, visit: http://www.pawsforthecause.webs.com/. You can also visit: http://www.mnsheltierescue.org/ to find out more information about the 14 shelties that were rescued by Karol's group. Maybe there could be a new furry friend just waiting for someone like you to give them lots of love and a place called home.

Focus on the Future

What does the future hold for your public elementary schools (Technology, S.T.E.M., World Language)?

Share your ideas with Superintendent, Dr. Sue Ann Gruver on Wednesday, February 23rd at 6:30PM at the District Services Center.

If you are planning to attend, please RSVP to: kmussman@priorlake-savage.k12.mn.us.

High School Jazz Band

Last Friday morning, the Junior Varsity Jazz Band (9th and 10th Graders) from Prior Lake High School visited Grainwood and performed a short concert.  Ms. Knoble, their director, spent time educating our students about the three different types of Jazz music and showcasing instruments throughout the performance.  For fifth graders interested in band at the sixth grade level, please be on the lookout this spring for information from the Middle Schools.  Summer band lessons are also an option for students entering sixth grade next fall.

March 2011 Nurse's Notes

With the increased time spent indoors during cold weather, we tend to see more illnesses. To help make the season more enjoyable for all, if your child is not feeling well, please keep them home for the following:

* If the student has had a fever of 100 degrees or more, the student should stay home for 24 hours after the temperature returns to normal without medication.

* If the student has vomited or had diarrhea, he/she should stay home until 24 hours after the last episode.

* If the student has any rash that may be disease-related or the cause is unknown, check with your health care provider before sending him/her to school.

* If the student has open/draining skin sores, or inflamed/draining eyes or ears the student should stay home until seen by your health care provider.

For information on additional childhood conditions, please check "Is My Child Ill?" on the Health Services website.

Thank you,
Health Services

Family Fun and Literacy Night

A huge THANK YOU to the coordinator, volunteers (staff and parents) and families who helped out at Family Fun and Literacy Night last week!  What a NIGHT!  The evening was festive, full of smiles and extremely well attended.  Check out this short video, shot by a Grainwood student, of the evening's events. 

Pennies for Patients

Just a reminder....
Grainwood will be sponsoring a "Pennies for Patients" campaign February 7th-11th to support a cure for childhood cancer. Our school goal is to raise $1,170.00. The top classroom will receive a pizza party!

Below are the themes for each day:
Monday - Penny Day
Tuesday - Nickel Day
Wednesday - Dime Day
Thursday - Quarter Day
Friday - Bring a $1 bill to wear a bill (hat/cap day)

Let's help cure childhood cancer!

Family Fun Night - THURSDAY NIGHT!

Just a reminder that Grainwood's Family Fun and Literacy Night is this Thursday evening from 5:00-7:00PM. It will be a Beach Party Theme again this year with inflatables in the gym, games, prize drawings, face painting, pictures, pizza, cookie and drink ($3.00 a person), a visit by our C.A.R.E.S. Heros, and much more! The NEW Grainwood t-shirts will also be on sale for $5.00 per shirt.  Hope to see you all there and do not forget to wear your Hawaiian clothing to school during the day!

February Physical Education News

Our students at Grainwood completed the basketball unit in January. Skills and lead up games were the main focus of the classes.

Our 5th grade ski trip to Hyland Hills was a success. The kids were ready for the weather and were able to have a lot of fun on the slopes. Thanks to all for your efforts with this; it was a great experience for the students.

The Physical Education department at Grainwood will be working on their rope jumping. On February 15th the kick-off for the American Heart Association's "Jump Rope for Heart" with the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th graders doing a community service activity raising funds to donate to the American Heart Association. We will be jumping the entire periods for the grades involved at the finale on March 11th. A big thank you in advance to those that helped or will help in one way or another. Please look for information coming home with your student if you have a student in one of the grades participating that would like to participate. We will be trying to encourage the kids, if possible, to do this online if they choose to join in the project. The information provided has simple (even for me) steps to follow to get this going and make a nice web page for helping to do this service project.

Floor hockey will be a major part of February with games for all ages and a tournament for grades 4 and 5 at the end. The tournament is on the schedule for the end of the month. In Physical Education we will also be talking about the Spring Fitness Test, which will be coming up in April.

In February there will be a grade 1, 2, 3 Music program that you won't want to miss! Because of the program, we will be taking our Physical Education classes outdoors on February 7th, 16th, 17th and 18th. Please have your students ready for the weather with the proper clothing so we can have our classes outside as planned. Please mark these dates on the calendar so the kids are ready.

Looking ahead to March we will be doing some climbing activities and work on some recreational games, some juggling and other individual activities to get us to spring break.

April will start with Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) and continue with outdoor activities as weather permits.

K-2 will be jumping and even get a chance to get some sliding in on the hills behind Grainwood. They will also be playing floor hockey and doing some climbing. In April they will be involved with DDR and other throwing, catching, and movement activities.

Check out the Physical Education's web page to find information that may be helpful to you if you have any questions. Pictures are also posted, along with a calendar for activities happening in Physical Education. Calendar activities are subject to change at a moment's notice. Just a reminder to have the tennis shoes for Physical Education classes.

From,
Mr. Larson, Your Physical Education Teacher

February is "I Love to Read" Month!

February is "I Love to Read" Month. Grainwood's theme this year is "Catch the Reading Bug." Grainwood is celebrating by setting a combined reading goal of 100 reading minutes per week for the month of February for all Kindergarten through 5th grade students. Reading minutes can be counted if you read to your child, if your child reads to you, or if your child reads alone or to a younger child.

February 3rd - Hawaiian Day
February 10th - Red, White and Read Day
February 16th - Meet with your buddy classroom and read.
February 25th - Choose a room to go to within your grade level pod K-1, 2-3, 4-5 and listen to a story (read aloud from another teacher).