Geography Bee

The Grainwood Geography Bee is quickly approaching! All 4th and 5th grade students are currently completing written qualifying tests in their classrooms. Top scorers will advance to the school-wide Bee which will be held the week of January 9-13. This event is an oral Bee, which is completed in the same style as a Spelling Bee. The questions cover many areas including physical and cultural geography of the United States and the World. The winner will have the opportunity to advance to the Minnesota competition later in the spring. Good luck students!

Building Security

At Grainwood, security and safety are very important. All staff members are required to wear name badges provided by the school district. Please remember that all visitors and volunteers that come into the building must first report to the office, sign in and wear a Visitor or Volunteer sticker. Our staff have been asked to stop any unidentified adult walking in the building and, if necessary, accompany him/her to the office to state his/her reason for being in the building.

All doors to our building remain locked throughout the school day, except for two of the doors at the main entrance, which are monitored by our office staff. Parents who remove students from school are reminded to come to the office to identify themselves and sign their child out on the Student Sign-Out by Parent sheet.

Turkeys Turkeys Everywhere!

Grainwood students and staff participated in our annual all-school TURKEY BINGO event yesterday. As Mrs. Wendt and Mrs. Buck called bingo over the school intercom system, students "gobbled" down the hall to get their prize in the office! Kindergarten students also participated in their annual "Thanksgiving Feast" (traditions are a part Kindergarten Social Studies curriculum). Students made and wore pilgrim or Native America hats, produced butter, sampled a variety of traditional Thanksgiving foods and hosted a feast in their grade level hallway. A big thank you to parents who helped prepare and manage the feast! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Getting to School On Time

Please make sure that if you are dropping your child off at school that you do everything to make sure they are on time. Students arriving late are missing out on important learning opportunities. The beginning of the day is an important time when the teachers are setting the stage for learning. It is understood that occasionally there will be times a student may be late. However, please support school expectations by scheduling other activities for your child outside of these hours. According to our elementary attendance procedures, five unexcused tardies are equal to one day unexcused absence.

Please note that your child should not be dropped off at school in the morning before 8:20 a.m. Our staff have meetings and classroom preparations and are not available to supervise students who arrive before this time, unless previous arrangements have been made with the staff member.

Toys for Tots

Grainwood Elementary is joining the Prior Lake High School Junior Optimist Club in the annual Toys for Tots drive. The drive will be held at Grainwood Elementary the week of December 5th-9th. Your donations of new, unwrapped toys and games can be dropped off any day during the drive. Toys for all ages will be appreciated. Thank you for your generosity!

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.

Follow the GRAINWOOD GAB via EMAIL!

As I stated in an earlier post, if you would like to receive all blog information via email, just enter your email address into the field in the upper left corner of the blog homepage titled, "FOLLOW BY EMAIL." Every time an article is posted from school, it will send you an email of that article to keep you most up-to-date on Grainwood information.  (I have been using it for a few weeks now as a test pilot on my own email and it works wonderfully!)  When you sign up, a confirmation email will be sent to you.  Within that email, you must accept and activate the service with one simple click...Easy!

Patrick Glynn
Principal

Teaming Up Against Substance Abuse

In honor of Chemical Health Week, Grainwood students and staff celebrated "Team Jersey Day."  Here's a picture of our weekly C.A.R.E.S. hero ticket winners with their jerseys (and gobbling for the picture)! 

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 at http://www.priorlakesavagece.com/ or call 952-226-0080.

Winter and the Playground

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

Students must have snowpants and boots on in order to play in the snow at school. Students without snowpants and boots are limited to playing on the blacktop area.

Keeping track of hats, gloves, boots and even coats can be challenging for our students. It would be very helpful if you could please write your child's name on their outdoor clothing.

If you are missing any items, please remember to check the "Lost and Found" benches in the entryway at school. There are many items in the Lost and Found, so please take a look when you are in the school and claim your lost items.

No School

There will be NO SCHOOL on Wednesday, November 23rd, Thursday, November 24th and Friday, November 25th for the Thanksgiving Break. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Parent's Night Out

The winter holidays are just around the corner and many of us still have things to do. Still looking to go out and buy a few presents? Or simply want a Friday night out? National Honors Society will be hosting a Parent’s Night Out at Prior Lake High School on December 9th at 6pm to 10pm. Parent’s Night Out is open to children in kindergarten and up. Pre-registered, your first child’s care will cost $15 and each additional child’s care will cost $10. Pre-registration is due to your child’s school by December 1st. If you miss the pre-registration date, you can sign up at the door. The price will be elevated to $20 for the first child and $15 for each additional child. Have students bring permission slips and money into school. Permission slips can be found on the Prior Lake Website, through emails, and are going home with each child. Happy Holidays!

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.

Grainwood School Lunches Go Homemade & International

Grainwood food service staff has been spicing up the lunch menu to familiarize students with ethnic foods and homemade meals. We make a variety of ethnic meals throughout the month. For the past two years, we have rolled out new meals using Indian, Thai, Persian, Mexican, Italian, Greek and many other recipes. In addition to all the recipes above, we are very excited to introduce our students to Russian food in the month of November. Please join us for lunch Friday, November 18, for Russian Borscht Soup and Piroshky Potato Bread. We also encourage parents to come join their students for lunch anytime. Keep checking the menu for new and old favorites!

Report Cards

The first quarter ended on Thursday, November 10th. Teachers will complete report card work on Friday, November 11th, which is not a school day for students. Student Report Cards will be posted to Family Access on Wednesday, November 16th.

1. To access the report cards, go to the District or Grainwood web-site, click on Family Resources and then click on Family/Student Access. You must have your username and password to log in and view the report card for your child. If you are new to the system or have forgotten your username and password, there is a link to assist you.

2. Select Report Cards from the left-hand column under General Information.

3. You can open or save the report card as a PDF for viewing or printing.

Any families who do not have access to e-mail or internet will get a paper copy sent home with their child on November 16th.

Please call the school with any questions or concerns at 952-226-0300.

Notes from the Office...

ATTENDANCE
If your student is absent or going to be late, please be sure to call our 24-hour 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 degrees Fahrenheit, calculated using the Windchill Temperature Index.

PTC Update #2

The Grainwood PTC had its 2nd meeting of the year last month. There was a Fall fundraiser update, coordinator reports, and the third grade teachers were present to share an update on what had been going on in classrooms.


The Chip Shoppe fundraiser was again a success and the funds raised will go to benefit the students, staff, and activities at Grainwood. Thank you to all who participated and picked up your items during Math Night on November 3rd.

As reported earlier, a few of the other elementary schools were in discussions about the possibility of organizing a “mini” version of the PTC Carnival. A decision was made by the Grainwood PTC to explore other ideas for a spring fundraiser for this year and revisit the carnival idea for next school year. A possible idea is to have a Walk-a-Thon and more discussion will occur over the next few months on this possible fundraiser.

Our next meeting will be held Tuesday, November 15th from 6:30-8pm in the Grainwood Conference Room. We invite you to join us to hear about what is happening at Grainwood from the principal, the teachers and the parents, as we all strive to meet the needs of Grainwood's students.

Erin Penne
Grainwood PTC Vice-President

Minnesota Chemical Health Week

The week of November 14th-18th 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..."Team Up Against Drugs."

Below are happenings for the week:

Wednesday, November 16th is Wear Red Day. Students and staff are encouraged to wear red on this day.

Friday, November 18th is Team Jersey Day. In honor of Teaming Up Against Drugs, everyone is encouraged to wear their favorite sports jersey.

American Education Week

American Education Week is the week of November 14th-18th. 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!

From the Office of the Principal...

Greetings Grainwood Families,

I want to thank the 73 students and the additional family members who participated in Math Night last Thurday evening.  (The pictures are from the event.) There were primary games in the cafeteria (with Mr. Larson at the helm of the popcorn machine), intermediate level games in the conference room and bingo in the art room.  Thanks also to the teaching staff for coordinating this event and collecting take-home bags for all participants.  We hope you found it convenient to participate and pick-up your student's fundraising products for delivery too!  (A big thanks goes out to Kim Frantz, GW parent, for coordinating the fundraiser this year!  Thanks Kim!)  Both events were purposely planned together to make things easier for everyone.  Lastly, congrats to our student raffle winners.  25+ math games were given away for prizes to student attendees Friday Morning! 

There was also a tremendous turnout of Grainwood families at Davanni's this past Monday night.  Thanks to those families who found time in their busy schedules for a dinner night-out.  A special thanks to the GW students who helped clear tables, deliver food, put together pizza boxes and even make announcements.  With the recent "Grainwood Day at Edelweiss" raising $200 (Thank you Mark Bowles for all your support), all proceeds from both events will go towards the GW Healthy Snack Program! 

One last thing...As you shop this holiday season or regularly throughout the year, I wanted to pass along an another opportunity for families to contribute to GW.  Check out the link www.btfe.com/marketplace to earn eBoxTops as part of the BoxTops for Education program.  It is another way to collect and dedicate BoxTops to Grainwood!  Sign-up is easy.  Just follow the directions on by clicking on the link!  Thank you for your support of Grainwood! 

 

P.S.  If you would like to receive blog posts via your email, just enter it in the field in the upper left corner of the blog page titled, "FOLLOW BY EMAIL."  What an easy way for families to receive blog posts via email the moment they are posted!

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 5th -9th. All 5th 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 Tuesday, November 22nd at 952-226-0367.

NO SCHOOL - FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11th

This is just a friendly reminder that there is NO SCHOOL for K-5 students on Friday, November 11th as it is a Staff Day for teachers to prepare report cards. Enjoy your day off!

The Limo Ride!

Students Grades K-5 who sold 25 or more items for the school fund raiser qualified for a limo ride and pizza lunch today. The limo transported three different groups of students around town.  Here are few pictures of students enjoying the ride!

Daylight Savings Time

Don't forget to "Fall Back" your clocks on November 6th - Daylight Savings Time Ends!

Synergy/SAGE Parent Action Network (SPAN)

SPAN (Synergy/SAGE Parent Action Network) will hold its next meeting on Tuesday, November 29th at 7:00 p.m. in the WestWood Media Center. Middle school principals Dan Edwards and Sasha Kuznetsov will be in attendance to discuss and hear feedback about Middle School Advanced Programming. Please contact Apryl at span@mchsi.com for more information or to be put on the SPAN email list.

REMINDER - 2-Hour Early Release

** REMINDER **

Wednesday, November 2nd is a 2-HOUR EARLY RELEASE for K-5 students. All students will be released at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 2nd.

November 2011 Nurses Note

In June of 2011 the federal government revealed its new food icon MyPlate. It was designed to help consumers make healthier food choices. The MyPlate logo emphasizes the vegetables, fruit, protein, grains and dairy food groups. The Obesity Task Force identified that consumers needed simple, actionable advice. MyPlate replaces the old Food Pyramid with an easy to understand visual symbol. You can go to http://www.choosemyplate.gov/ for some more practical, user-friendly nutrition information.

Another great Nutrition resource for parents is Parenting A-Z. Check out this website for “Trusted parenting resources and activities to help your child grow, develop and learn from birth through high school.” http://parentsknow.state.mn.us/parentsknow/gradeK_8/topicsAZ/PKDEV_000471

(Sources http://www.choosemyplate.gov/, http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/MyPlate/PressRelease.pdf, http://parentsknow.state.mn.us/parentsknow/index.html)

Reminder - If your child is not feeling well, please keep them home for the following:

1. 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.
2. If the student has vomited or had diarrhea, he/she should stay home until 24 hours after the last episode.
3. 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.
4. 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.