Give to the MAX is almost here!

Dear Grainwood Families,

This Thursday, November 14, is the statewide event known as Give to the MAX Day (#GTMD13)!  As presented in an earlier post, Give to the MAX is a one-day fundraiser for individuals, businesses and their employees to donate to their favorite, charitable organizations.  (Over $16 million dollars was raised in 2012 by over 53 thousand donors.)  We appreciate you thinking of Grainwood on this day and all donations can be collected at the following link, hosted on our NEW Grainwood PTC Blog page.  Check it out here:

http://grainwoodptc.blogspot.com/2013/10/welcome-to-grainwood-ptc-website.html

All funds raised from this event will be dedicated to the purchase and installation of a smart board for our media center!  Check out the video here of two Grainwood students promoting the event:

Oct/Nov CARES Update

In October, the CARES Heroes and classroom teachers recognized students throughout Grainwood who demonstrated the essence of "Take a Stand, Lend a Hand!"  These students earned the October "Students of the Month" recognition and their pictures, like all other Students of the Month, are placed on a bulletin board outside the gym and on the blog as a slideshow. Students of the Month also receive a certificate and are recognized at our all school meetings.  For October and November, our focus is on the Bystander.  When incidents of bullying or poor choices arise, the CARES Heroes goal is to empower the bystander to show assertion and make a difference!

Veterans Day at Grainwood

On Veterans Day, Monday November 11th Grainwood Students will be honoring those who have served our Country.

Fourth grade students will be putting together a "Remembrance Table" in our hallway as a way to honor Veterans.  Teachers will be reading "America's White Table" to their class and having a discussion after which will help students to further understand the meaning of the Remembrance Table.  The 4th graders will also be making an all-school announcement over the PA system in which they will share more information about Veterans Day.  Finally, all students will receive a yellow ribbon sticker to commemorate and remember all those people who have fought for our freedoms.

We are inviting any student who can to bring a picture of a Veteran that they would like to share with their class as well.

Limo Ride and Pizza Lunch Winners!

Congratulations to the Grainwood students who sold 25 items or more in the Chip Shoppe Fundraiser!  They were treated to a Hummer Limo Ride and pizza lunch yesterday and had a fun time!

CARES Students of the Week

Grainwood's CARES Students of the Week for November 4-8

Minnesota Chemical Health Week

Chemical Health Week is November 11th-15th, and once again Grainwood has activities planned to help students understand how to make positive and healthy choices for their bodies and friendships.  Our theme this year is "Friends don't let friends bully or do drugs."  Students will be learning and talking about how we can demonstrate C.A.R.E.S when it comes to drug use prevention and bullying prevention.  We have students that will be making a daily announcement, and classroom activities throughout the week that will focus on saying no to drugs and bullying and what healthy habits look like.  We appreciate your support as we raise awareness on these important topics!

Tuesday, November 12th - Wear a Grainwood CARES T-Shirt if you have one

Wednesday, November 13th - Wear red today

Friday, November 15th - Dress up like a friend today

MCGT (SPAN) "Beyond Ability: What it Really Takes to Be Successful" Presentation

The Prior Lake-Savage chapter of MCGT (SPAN) will host Dr. Richard Cash at our Monday Nov. 11 meeting.  The talk is described below and will take place at 7pm in the WestWood Elementary Media Center (5370 WestWood Dr. SE; Prior Lake, MN  55372). 
No childcare will be provided, but we will have teacher CEU certificates available.

Questions?  Contact Apryl at wlmailhtml:span.priorlake@gmail.com .

Beyond Ability: What it Really Takes to Be Successful
Many people believe that being smart is a critical component of success.  However, while aptitude and strong content knowledge may be requirements for advanced level courses in high school and in post-secondary, the new world of the 21st century places less emphasis on "books smarts" and more emphasis the skills of creativity, critical reasoning, collaboration and communication.  This shift in direction toward the encouraging student's drive, passion and fortitude is of extreme importance for our gifted learners.  The more our children apply themselves in difficult situations the more likely there are to become successful in the 21st century.  Join Dr. Richard Cash, an internationally recognized expert in gifted education, as he shares real and practical strategies that can assist you in enhancing your child's schooling and life experiences to prepare them for their future.

Dr. Cash is the past Director of Gifted Programs for the Bloomington Public Schools.  During his 13 years with the Bloomington schools, he realigned the serves for gifted students as well as developed the Dimensions Academy and Elements program for highly gifted students, in grades 2-8.  Dimensions Academy and Elements have become a model for gifted programming around the state and nation.  After 25 years in the field of education, Richard recently transitioned to a private consultant for school districts around the US and internationally.  His passion is in developing educational systems that nurture and encourage students to advanced levels of thinking and learning.  He is the author of Advancing Differentiation: Thinking and Learning for the 21st Century, and the co-author with Dr. Diane Heacox, a widely respected expert on differentiation and gifted education, on the newly released book Differentiation for Gifted Learners: Going Beyond the Basics. Richard may be contacted through his website at: www.nrichconsulting.com <http://www.nrichconsulting.com/