Spring Dress Code

We take pride in the appearance of our students at Grainwood. Most likely, the school's standards for acceptable attire are nearly identical to parents. Therefore, we only have problems when students come to school wearing clothing that their parents would also find unacceptable or inappropriate. With the Spring approaching, please be aware of what your son or daughter is wearing to school each day. If you would like to review our specific guidelines, please view our Family and Student Handbook found on the Grainwood website (just click the Grainwood symbol on the blog; it is a link to our website). Students who come to school dressed inappropriately will be asked to call a parent for a change of clothing. Thanks for your help in this matter.

Grainwood School Store - CHANGE

Our school store has been attracting a lot of students! With the increase in students, we have decided to implement the following changes for the rest of the school year. These changes will begin on Tuesday, April 5th. The new schedule is as follows:

On TUESDAYS the school store will be open ONLY for Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grades
On THURSDAYS the school store will be open ONLY for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades

Just a reminder that students should always check in with their teacher before going to the school store.

Prepackaged School Supplies

As a service to our Grainwood families, prepackaged school supplies will be made available for purchase for the 2011-2012 school year. A flier announcing the prepackaged school supply sale will be sent home with students in April. We will be partnering with Innisbrook once again this year. This company will deliver the supplies to your home address over the summer.

5 Point Scale for Voice Volume

Just recently, all the classrooms at Grainwood added new, uniformed 5 Point Scale posters to their work environments.  The scale, used throughout the building, helps provide a visual connection between student behavior expectations and their voice volume.  Teachers have instructed students about the different levels and provided examples, which supports a common language for all staff members to remind and enforce appropriate volume throughout the building.  This initiative is another component of Grainwood's PBIS (Positive Behavorial Intervention Systems) Initiative.

Spring Picture Day

Spring pictures will be taken at Grainwood on Wednesday, April 6th. Prepayment is not required for spring pictures. Instead, all students will be photographed and a proof sheet with order information will be sent home. Families may pick and choose which pictures they would like to purchase and order pictures online or call Herff Jones to place an order.

Kindergarten students will be photographed for graduation in a cap and gown. If your child is absent on that day, we will not be offering a retake day.

April 2011 Nurse's Notes - Magnet Danger

There have been recent incidents in the Metro area, including Prior Lake-Savage, involving students swallowing tiny magnetic balls. (Some students have placed these in their mouths' to simulate a piercing.) These magnetic balls are sold as Buckyballs, Neo Blocks, Rare Earth Magnets or Neo Cubes. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the magnets "can attract inside the body and twist or pinch the intestines, causing holes, blockages, infection, and death, if not treated properly and promptly."

Pictures and more information regarding these magnetic balls are available on the links below:

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml07/07164.html

http://www.recallowl.com/Consumer+Recalls/Toys/Buckyballs+High+Powered+Magnets+Sets+Recalled+by+Maxfield+and+Oberton+Due+to+Violation+of+Federal+Toy+Standard

Too see examples of the toy magnets, please click HERE.

Thank you,
Health Services

Spring Testing Schedule

** REMINDER **

Students at Grainwood Elementary will be taking the required Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCAs) on the following dates:

April 11 through April 14 - Grade 5 - Science Testing
Monday, April 18 - Grade 5 - Reading Testing
Tuesday, April 19 - Grade 5 - Reading Testing
Wednesday, April 20 - Grades 3 and 4 - Reading Testing
Thursday, April 21 - Grades 3 and 4 - Reading Testing
Monday, April 25 - Friday, May 6 - Grades 3 through 5 - Math Testing Window

Please arrange appointments so your student is present for testing on these dates.  THANK YOU!

Summer School

We are pleased to announce that Westwood Elementary will be hosting an academic summer school program for Westwood, Grainwood, and students attending Kids' Company at Westwood and Edgewood this summer. The summer school curriculum will serve students who have completed Kindergarten through 5th grade, and will focus on providing additional instruction for students needing a boost in reading, writing, and math.

Dates: Monday-Thursday, July 6th to August 4th (No class Monday, July 4th or Tuesday, July 5th)

Time: 8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

The summer school programming is free and eligibility is based on student need. Participation in summer school is determined by the following criteria: teacher recommendation, test scores, or participation in special programs at Grainwood, such as Title I, English Language Learners, and/or Special Education.

Letters and summer school registration forms have been sent to students who have met initial criteria. If you have received the letter and would like your child to attend, please return the completed registration by Thursday, April 21st. If you have not received the summer school information letter but would like to inquire about your child attending, please call your child's classroom teacher.

This is an opportunity to extend your child's learning with additional days of instruction focused on your child's learning needs. Summer school attendance will also help eliminate the loss of learning that occurs during the summer.

Limited transportation IS AVAILABLE to and from Westwood from collection stops in the Westwood and Grainwood attendance areas.

If you have questions regarding the summer school program, please speak with your child's classroom teacher or call the Grainwood school office at (952) 226-0300. We look forward to the opportunity to work with your child through our summer school program!

Kindergarten Early Entrance

Applications for early entrance to Kindergarten are due on or before April 30th. Forms are available in the elementary school offices as well as the district office.

PTC March Meeting Highlights

The Grainwood PTC mission is simple; 'To work together to promote a school community encouraging involvement and support. To enhance the quality of education provided to our children through our support, volunteering and financial assistance.' Each month, parents and staff meet together to connect with each other on events, programs and other topics of interest to Grainwood's students and families. Here are some of the highlights from this month's meeting:

*The Healthy Snack Cart was launched at the end of February. Students love the snack choices and parents and staff are excited about providing healthy snack options for the kids at a minimal daily cost.

*Students and staff will be celebrating "Diversity Awareness Week" the first full week of April. Students will have the opportunity to be involved in a variety of activities to help encourage uniqueness and embrace diversity in our school and world.

*Spring testing begins April 11th and the staff and students are preparing! Make sure your student(s) get a good night sleep and eat a healthy breakfast!

*Butter Braids will be delivered April 6th from 3-6pm.

*Join us at the Art and Book Fair on Monday, May 2 at Five Hawks Elementary school. This is a great opportunity to see works of art from our budding artists and also purchase books for 1/2 off!

*PTC CARNIVAL! Help needed! Grainwood is in charge of a variety of stations from games to food to ticket sales. Please go online to http://www.signupgenius.com/go/carnival112 to sign up. Thank you for volunteering and supporting our school!

*To find out more information about the Grainwood PTC and the activities that we support, please visit us online at the Grainwood website under the "General Info" tab.

Please join us for our next meeting, APRIL 12, 2011 from 6:30-8:00pm in the conference room at Grainwood school. PLEASE NOTE: Childcare is provided! All parents, guardians, teachers, staff and children are welcome and encouraged to attend and find out how you can help make Grainwood a great place to learn!

2011 Jump Rope for Heart

Grainwood's gymnasium was busy with jumpers finishing up the jump rope unit with the finale of Jump Rope for Heart. On March 11th grades 2-5 jumped rope for their entire Specialist period and finished the two-week jumping unit with great effort, which included a community service project to raise funds to be donated to the American Heart Association. Thanks to all that helped with the project and those that were able to donate to the cause. The American Heart Association uses the donated funds to do research on and educate people on the importance of keeping a healthy heart and gives suggestions of how to do that. Almost $2,500 was raised for the cause!

Thank you, again, if you were able to take part in this cause, from the American Heart Association and the Grainwood Physical Education staff.

From,
Mr. Larson, Your Physical Education Teacher

No School

** REMINDER **

NO SCHOOL for KINDERGARTEN ONLY on Thursday, March 17th and NO SCHOOL for K-5 on Friday, March 18th.

There is also NO SCHOOL for K-5 March 21-25 for Spring Break! Enjoy your break!

Title 1 Zoo Night

Grainwood's Title 1 Zoo Night will be held on Thursday, March 31st at 7:00PM. Title 1 Zoo Night is for all Title 1 students and their parents.

Nature Photo Contest

Grainwood is holding a Nature Photo Contest. Students may take a photo of anything in nature (animal, plant/tree, scenery, landform, sky, etc.) and print off a 3 X 5 or 4 X 6 picture. Pictures are due by April 15th. On the back of the photo put the student's full name, classroom number and grade. During Earth Month - April - the photos will be displayed.

Have fun capturing wonderful nature through the lens!

Watch School Board Meetings on the Web

Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools is pleased to announce the launch of its new webcasting technology, providing parents and area residents with convenient access to live and archived streaming of school board meetings through its website.

Residents can review board agendas posted alongside the video player for live and archived meetings. Archived meetings are indexed, allowing viewers to select agenda items that interest them instead of watching a meeting in its entirety.

Archived meetings are key-word searchable and available as MP3 (audio) and MP4 (video) downloads.

Anyone with access to the internet can view live and archived meetings by visiting the district's home page at http://www.priorlake-savage.k12.mn.us/ and clicking on "School Board Meeting Videos" under the "Quick Guide." If a meeting is in progress you can click the "in progress" link to view an event live. You can click "View Meeting" to view an archived event.

The school district has been broadcasting its board meetings through local cable channel 17 in Prior Lake and Savage and will continue to air meetings each Tuesday and Saturday.

PTC Carnival Time!

It's Prior Lake-Savage PTC CARNIVAL TIME! To go to the GRAINWOOD sign up list, please click on the link below and help us make this 30th year a success! Please note Friday is set up. The more the merrier! Thank you for supporting Grainwood!

To sign up, go to: www.SignUpGenius.com/go/carnival112/393316

Community Education April News

To access the Community Education April 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://priorlakesavagece.com/ or call 952-226-0800.

MCA Math ONLINE!

This year, for the first time ever, the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA) Math Test will be given online. In preparation for this assessment, which takes place between April 25 and May 6, classroom teachers have/will be working with your student on a Tutorial and Practice Test version of this assessment. Much like MAP, students will take the assessment in the computer lab. There will most likely be two testing sessions, on different days, to make sure students have ample amount of time to complete the test (it is not timed). In fact, the test can be stopped at any point if a student needs a break and can be resumed at a later time or date. (The flexibility of the online assessment is remarkable!)

To make sure your child is prepared for the format of the test and for you to learn about it too, I encourage families to view the tutorial portion online HERE.  Because of the new format, we want our students to be best prepared for this assessment and your involvement can help your child’s investment. Feel free to contact me with questions.

As testing approaches, we are preparing Grainwood students for their best testing experience. Thank you for your support!

Principal Glynn

Spring Ahead

Remember to set your clocks ahead one hour on Sunday, March 13th Daylight Savings Time begins!

Student Placement Form

A Student Placement Form is available for parents who wish to inform the school as to how they view the learning styles and issues for their child in preparation for the 2011-2012 school year. The form does not allow for the request of a specific teacher. You can pick up the forms in the Grainwood office. The deadline for submitting the form is Friday, April 15th.

In-District Transfers

For those families whose children attend Grainwood through an In-District Transfer Request, please be aware that you do not have to fill out a new request for the coming year. Requests in place will be honored through the 2011-2012 school year. Families that might be requesting a change for next year, possible due to a daycare change, will have to fill out a new In-District Transfer Request form. These forms are available in the Grainwood office. Please call 952-226-0300 for assistance. All new requests are due by April 1 in any of the Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools.

No School on Monday, March 7th

** REMINDER **

There is NO SCHOOL on Monday, March 7th. This is a Staff Day for teachers to work on student's report cards.

Floor Hockey Fun at Grainwood

February 24th was hockey time in the Grainwood gymnasium. Teams, students, staff and some parents enjoyed time in the gym as games were played to find champions in the 4th and 5th grades. Thanks to those that attended and filled the bleachers with cheers for their favorite team and enjoyed the popcorn. The 5th grade champions were from room 265, Sophie's Vultures. The 4th grade champions were from room 263, Swanson's Hawks.

For more floor hockey pictures, please visit Mr. Larson's web page.