A Little Fall Harvet Dress-Up FUN!

In honor of our famous custodian Manny, today staff dressed as him!  What a treat!  He was very surprised!

The Giving Tree

During the month of November, Grainwood will be collecting items for the many children of need attending an elementary school in Brooklyn Center. In our foyer we have a Giving Tree that is strung with paper leaves that have needs written on them. These needs include mittens, tennis shoes, snowpants, boots, etc. New and gently used are accepted, and mainly younger ages are needed. Classrooms will choose a leaf and then are asked to bring in their donations by Nov. 23rd. Over Thanksgiving break, the items will be brought to the contact person at the school and distributed before December. Thank you ahead of time for any contributions you are able to make.

Chip Shoppe Delivery

Chip Shoppe delivery will be on Thursday, November 3rd from 3:00-7:00 p.m. in the gym.

CLIMB Theater

CLIMB Theater will be coming to Grainwood on Monday, November 7th. There will be two different plays being performed for the students:

(1) "The Huggertree" will be performed for K-2 students
(2) "Claudia Verses the Trashinator" will be performed for Gr. 3-5 students.

The plays concern the environment and examines the concepts of conservation, reducing, reusing, and recycling.

Click HERE to view "The Huggertree" flyer to learn more about the play.
Click HERE to view "Claudia Verses the Trashinator" flyer to learn more about the play.

Pumpkins Pumpkins EVERYWHERE!

The fifth grade annual "decorate a pumpkin" event is on at Grainwood again this year. All sorts of unique themed pumpkins line our main hallway for display to students and staff. Opinions and comments have been plentiful and very respectful. If you do not have a chance to see them in person, please enjoy the following attached pictures. What a simple way for students to show their creativity!

Grainwood Day at Edelweiss

Grainwood Elementary invites family members and friends to Edelweiss Bakery for year number two of "Grainwood Day at Edelweiss." 10% of all in-store sales of any menu items purchased on Saturday, October 29 will be donated to the Grainwood Elementary Activities Fund and Healthy Snack Program.

Come out and see classmates and Grainwood families while enjoying the delicious Edelweiss bakery goods. A big thank you to Mark and Julie Bowles, owners of Edelweiss, for their support!

REMINDER - Picture Retake Day on Wed., Oct. 26th

** REMINDER **

Picture retakes will be on Wednesday, October 26th. 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.

Raz-Kids

Hello Grainwood Families!

Students in 1st through 5th grade are excited to now have access to a wonderful world of books through www.raz-kids.com. Grainwood has subscribed to the online library of exciting reading materials so students can access these materials from school and from home. Raz-Kids helps students improve their reading skills as they listen to a book read for modeled fluency. Then, they can read the book to themselves or aloud for practice. Interactive quizzes at the end of each book help check for student’s understanding of the content. Completing each activity earns stars that students use in an animated Raz Rocket room of their own. Teachers whose students’ worked with Raz-Kids last year reported that students found it engaging and motivating.

After students have the opportunity to practice using this program at school, your child’s classroom teacher will send home an introductory letter and a copy of your child’s username and password. Many teachers may have done this at conferences. For those who have not, it should be coming home soon. We want to encourage families to log on and count time on www.raz-kids.com as independent reading minutes.

For individual questions about Raz-Kids please feel free to contact your child’s classroom teacher. Happy reading to all!

Family MATH Night

Family MATH Night at Grainwood is happening Thursday, November 3rd, from 5:00-7:00 p.m. 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 fundraising orders in the gym on the same night!

NO SCHOOL - REMINDER

This is just a reminder that there will be NO SCHOOL for K-5 from Wednesday, October 19th to Friday, October 21st for MEA break. Enjoy your time off!

Tuesday, October 18...Book Fair LAST DAY!

Just a reminder that the Grainwood Book Fair's last day is tomorrow, October 18. The Media Center will be open for sales from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Thanks!

Fall Harvest Activities - October 31st

As the end of the month approaches, classrooms will be preparing for their annual Fall Harvest Celebrations. We ask that District guidelines are followed regarding students who choose to wear costumes. Costumes are not allowed that depict violence, have weapons, blood, etc. Costumes also 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.

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 prepared for your child, please send a note to your child's classroom teacher ASAP. This will allow him/her to plan accordingly. Thank you!

Disability Awareness Day - October 25th

On Tuesday, October 25th, students at Grainwood Elementary will have the opportunity to meet and take part in a book reading and presentation by local author Barb Kavan. Barb is the Special Education Coordinator and currently on leave from Prior Lake Schools. Barb and Stefan's book is based on a true story and is an inspiring book for all. Trainman was awarded an Honorable Mention in the 2010 New England Book Festival contest.

Trainman can be purchased for $16.00. Barb and Stefan will happily sign the book for your child. Checks can be made out directly to Barb Kavan and turned in to the Grainwood office.

To view the Trainman flyer, please click HERE.

Kindergarten Live!...Grainwood Open House

A general Open House for all 2012-13 Kindergarteners and their families will be held at each district elementary school on Thursday, November 17th from 10:00-10:45 AM or 6:15-7:00 PM. Tours and information will be provided as well as an opportunity for children to experience story time and the Kindergarten classroom. Please help us spread the word to families of incoming Kindergartners who may be wondering what Grainwood or our other elementary schools have to offer. We look forward to seeing our future students and families.

For more information regarding Kindergarten Live, please click HERE.

Parent/Teacher Conferences

Parent/Teacher Conferences are scheduled for:

Thursday, October 13th - 3:30-7:30PM
Friday, October 14th - 7:30-11:30AM
Tuesday, October 18th - 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 http://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 13th
No School for K-5 - Friday, October 14th
No School for K-5 - October 19th - 21st (MEA Break)

Grainwood's Book Fair

The Book Fair dates and times are:

Thursday, October 13th (8:30 a.m. - 7:15 p.m)
Friday, October 14th (8:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.)
Monday, October 17th (8:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.)
Tuesday, October 18th (3:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.)

Students and families will also be able to purchase books through an Online Book Fair beginning September 28th and ending October 18th. To access the Online Book Fair please go to http://www.scholastic.com/schoolbookfairs/2882368. Check out Grainwood's new Book Fair homepage at http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/homepage/grainwood to learn more about it.

We are still in need of parent volunteers to help. If you would like to assist with the fair, please click on the Scholastic picture at the top of the Grainwood blog page to sign-up. Thank you to Becky Bartusek, Book Fair Coordinator, for making volunteering so easy!

REMINDER-Fundraising Orders are DUE!

Just a reminder that Chip Shoppe fundraising orders are due to the Grainwood office by Tuesday, October 4th. 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 fundraiser of the year and goes directly to students supporting activities, interventions and enrichments. Thank you for participating!

Watch School Board Meetings on the Web

Our webcasting technology provides parents with convenient access to live and archived streaming of school board meetings through its website. For more information: http://bit.ly/ergIf2