Box Tops

Recently the collection of box tops gathered from our front entryway
were submitted for redemption and Grainwood received over $400!!
Thank you families, for sharing your collections with us.

Click HERE for printable collection sheets and more information on collecting box tops.

Please pre-group your box tops in groups of 10, this is how they need to be organized when redeemed.  Also, don't forget to put your child's teacher's name on all donations.

Keep those collections going!

Getting Home Safely

Winter road conditions will be here before we know it!  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.

From the Office of the Principal...

A HUGE thank you to those Grainwood families that participated in "Give to the Max" Day last Thursday!  Grainwood raised over $300, all of which will be dedicated to the purchase and installation of a smart board for our media center.  This is the first year our school has promoted #GTMD13, which is Minnesota's largest one day fundraiser for non-profits.

Secondly, our PTC has recently launched their own blog, which can be found at the link below.  Instead of hosting PTC items on our home webpage, families can check for updates and receive information directly from our PTC by adding their email to the blog database in the upper lefthand corner.  (Make sure to put the link your favorites too!) The next PTC meeting is Tuesday, December 3 from 6:30-8:00 PM in the Grainwood Conference Room.  Please join us!

http://www.grainwoodptc.blogspot.com

P.S.  New morning parking restrictions and a student directory are on their way. Stay Tuned!

Patrick Glynn
Grainwood Principal

 

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 "Feels Like" temperature falls below a -5 degrees or it is steadily raining. All elementary schools will use the KARE 11 website to determine the "Feels Like" temperature.

CARES Students of the Week

Grainwood's CARES Students of the Week 

Safe Spaces

Dear Parent/Guardian,

We will be having a guest speaker from Safe Spaces, a non-profit agency, in each classroom next week on the 18th, 19th and 21st.  She will be speaking to our students about personal safety and violence prevention.  This will involve discussion around making appropriate choices and understanding personal safety issues.  It is important that each child feels emotionally and physically safe when he/she comes to school.  It is also helpful for all children to be taught a basic awareness of personal boundaries and appropriate behaviors related to good/bad touch.

As the parent/guardian, you can play a key role in talking to your child in a supportive, encouraging atmosphere and answering any questions he/she may have.

These presentations have been well received and are very age appropriate for K-3 graders.  The presentations for 4th and 5th grade classrooms are a bit more involved, and the discussion time is longer since these students are nearing adolescence and there are many issues that come up for that age group.

Safe Spaces classroom visits are paid for through a grant and are presented in all District 719 elementary schools.  If you have questions, please feel free to contact the Safe Spaces presenter (Claire Neuman) at 612-210-2179, visit their website at www.safespacesmn.org, or you may contact Patrick Glynn (Principal) or Cheryl Wendt (School Social Worker) at Grainwood.

Building Security

At Grainwood, safety and security are very important.  All staff members are required to wear name badges provided by the school district.  Please remember, all visitors and volunteers that visit Grainwood must enter through the office, check in, put a visitor badge on and sign out when they leave.  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 the building remain locked throughout the school day, except for one front door and the door leading into the office.
Parents who remove students from school early are reminded to check them out in the office.

Thank you for your cooperation!