Last Chance for Lost and Found Items! All items that remain in the lost and found after 4pm on Friday, October 25th will go to the Gear Swap at the annual Harvest Fest on Saturday, October 26th. Any items not claimed from the swap will be swept away and donated to charity.
Lost and Found locations are as follows:
Inside the foyer by the Cafe and inside the Elementary wing by the copy machine.
Join us for our end of the season Hat Tournament!
Our high school players are hosting a fundraiser “Ultimate Hat Tournament” for any and all GRS 5th-8th graders that would like to participate. This will be on Monday, October 14, after school until about 6:30pm at McMurray Fields.
Players will walk over to McMurray after school and put their name in a hat. Our high school players will run a short throwing clinic for the middle schoolers while we draw out random names to make teams. Each team will get assigned 1-2 high school players as coaches and the tournament will start at 5:00pm after warm ups and go until about 6:30pm. The number of games will be dependent on the number of players/teams. (probably 3 short games for all)
The money from this fundraiser will help pay for winter dome time for our high school teams. There is a recommended $5-$10 donation to participate, but we will accept any donation. You can either pay with cash at McMurray or you can prepay here through our PayPal Link. No need to have a login. If you plan to attend, please have your player bring a light and a dark shirt and a water bottle. Parents are invited to watch and cheer!
Harvest Fest is an annual tradition celebrating the work of our Lower Adolescents and the joy of the harvest. Come share soup, cider and singing with other GRS families. Buy works created by Great River students on their Key Experiences and in CAS (Creative, Active, Service) workshops. There will be games and music for all ages.
Want to help? Sign up to volunteer for this and many of GRS’s events at:
We are looking for coaches for our LIST basketball teams, one for grades 5-6 and one for grades 7-8. The season is late November to early February (10 weeks). The team will practice after school one-two days per week from 4-5:30 pm (flexible depending on your schedule). Games are Wednesdays for the 5-6 team and Fridays for the 7-8 team. We are able to offer a stipend for coaching duties. Please reach out to kanway@greatriverschool.org for more information about this opportunity.
Almost every family has contributed something to the cause. If 60 more people contribute $70 or more, we will cover school supply needs for all of Elementary for the whole year! We’ll even have the money to replace the Laminator!
Click here to donate. This money helps fund so many important materials for the work of the child and buys us a new laminator. When you donate, please leave a comment with your student’s name and note that it is for the supplies. You can also bring a cash or check to the front office of the school.
"Life shall be lived well. The end of the summer is not the end of the world. Here's to October…" — A.A. Milne, "A Word for Autumn"
Get ready for October smiles, sweater weather, harvest festing, and candy consumption! Don’t forget to add these dates to your calendar for October!
The first meeting of the SEAC (Special Education Advisory Council) committee will occur on Monday, September 30th at 6pm. Any caregivers or students associated with an IEP or 504 (established or pending) are encouraged to attend..
The first meeting is a meet and greet and to establish topics for the upcoming academic year.
The meeting will be in the media lab at Great River School. If you are unable to attend in person, you can join via the following Zoom link:
https://minnstate.zoom.us/j/98921953430
If you arrive late and can't get into the building on the day of the meeting, call or text Jeremy Sartain at 612-414-5224.
A SEAC (pronounced “seek”) is an acronym for Special Education Advisory Council, which is a group that provides input on special education issues to its local school district. Its purpose is to advise and advocate, not to decide policy. Minnesota law requires each school district in the state to have a SEAC although it does not specify how the groups should be organized or what duties they should perform. As a result, each SEAC may have a unique mission and structure.
(Source www.pacer.org)
Parents give many reasons for joining a SEAC, including these:
I may be able to help other families and children with disabilities in my school district.
I can share what I’ve learned since my child began his education.
I can support the school professionals in my district.
I will be a good role model for my child.
I feel good when I make a contribution to this community.
I will learn information and skills that may help me work more effectively with my school district.
I will meet others with similar goals, both parents and school professionals.
I may build positive relationships with others in my district.
I will become more knowledgeable about special education.
By sharing my unique perspective and insights as a parent, I may help the school district work more effectively with families and improve outcomes for children.
(Source www.pacer.org)
Some background information about Jeremy Sartain:
One reason I am part of SEAC is to assure special education (staff, caregivers and students) have representation. My wife, Jennie and I are organizing SEAC meetings this year (with help from Brad and Lindsey).
All Lost and Found Items from 7-12 Key Experiences are currently in the lobby by the main office and will be available for pick up until 4:30pm on Friday, September 27th.
BIPOC monthly events are spaces where BIPOC students from all levels, can connect, learn from each other, enliven their spirits, and cultivate a sense of community energy that can radiate throughout the whole school, so that every place feels like home to the 191 students who identify as BIPOC at GRS.
For September and October BIPOC Events, GRS has the honor of welcoming Mizz Mercedes, as she and her friends spread Spread love, peace, and unity to the GRS community, through her sharing of the Rondo Double Dutch and Broken Robots project.
This summit is open to all people who are actively working to ground Ethnic Studies education in MN. The Summit will gather over 250 students, educators, and community members to spend a day together to 1. connect, learn and grow together. 2. Examine how different identities experience Ethnic Studies across Minnesota 3. Explore ways to prepare and normalize Ethnic Studies instruction in K-12 classrooms.
The Summit is free for all youth. Registration fee for adults are $ 125. If you are an adult who is interested in attending, please email mknguyen@greatriverschool.org
BIPOC monthly events are spaces where BIPOC students from all levels, can connect, learn from each other, enliven their spirits, and cultivate a sense of community energy that can radiate throughout the whole school, so that every place feels like home to the 191 students who identify as BIPOC at GRS.
For September and October BIPOC Events, GRS has the honor of welcoming Mizz Mercedes, as she and her friends spread Spread love, peace, and unity to the GRS community, through her sharing of the Rondo Double Dutch and Broken Robots project.
This summit is open to all people who are actively working to ground Ethnic Studies education in MN. The Summit will gather over 250 students, educators, and community members to spend a day together to 1. connect, learn and grow together. 2. Examine how different identities experience Ethnic Studies across Minnesota 3. Explore ways to prepare and normalize Ethnic Studies instruction in K-12 classrooms.
The Summit is free for all youth. Registration fee for adults are $ 125. If you are an adult who is interested in attending, please email mknguyen@greatriverschool.org
Fall Archery Sessions for grades 1-8!
Grades 1-3, Tuesdays, September 24-October 22 (5 sessions) 4-5 pm
Grades 4-8, Tuesdays, October 29-November 26 4-5 pm (5 sessions) 4-5 pm
Lead coach: Hadley Musselman
Cost is $100.
All sessions will meet in the GRS gym, and parent pickup is at 5 pm at the south main door.
We are looking for parent volunteers to help out with the archery sessions (see form to sign up). A coaches’ meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 17 after school.
Space is limited Scholarships in case of need and discounts for current Big Canoe participants are available; contact bigcanoe@greatriverschool.org
Use this link to sign up. A payment link will be sent before the first meeting; registration is confirmed when payment is complete.
A Middle School camp for 3rd-8th graders will take place at Nova Classical Academy on three Saturdays:
September 21, 28 and October 5 from 11:00am - 12:30pm.
$75 fee.
For questions and to register, email Coach Lindholm slindholm@twincitiesacademy.org
Check out the new PEG newsletter by clicking on the image above or the following link: https://secure.smore.com/n/f2mqa
Did you know PEG has a parent volunteer-composed Monthly newsletter to keep you updated on all the events, volunteer opportunities and other ways to get involved in the GRS Community? Take a look! Thanks to the amazing work of parent volunteer, Ashley Beermann, a vibrant PEG Newsletter will be updated every month! Happy reading!
New updates, information, and PEG newsletters will also be available on the PEG website: https://www.greatriverschool.org/peg
For ongoing PEG news and more details on opportunities to volunteer and connect with other families, check out their monthly newsletter. Happy Reading! https://secure.smore.com/n/f2mqa
Join PEG for the Back to School Picnic on Friday, September 13th, 6 - 8pm at Great River School!
GRS is partnering with the Twin Cities Chess Club once again for a guided chess club.
The Twin Cities Chess Club will provide coaching for any students interested in developing their game. Any skill level is welcome! Open to grades 1-12.
Meetings: Wednesdays, 4-5 pm, September 25 - December 18 (10 sessions, only meets on school days)
Cost: $150
Space is limited. Scholarships in case of need and discounts for current Big Canoe participants are available; contact bigcanoe@greatriverschool.org
Registration: Sign up by filling out this form.
Please pay the fee at this link to complete registration.
This school year, our fundraising goal of $250,000 will help close the gap between our state funding and the cost of supporting the unique learning opportunities that define the Great River experience. As a charter school, Great River receives less than 87% percent of the funding allocated to traditional district schools, and the amount is designed to decrease over time. Financial support from families, grants, and corporations has always been critical to fully fund our school, and our strength in fundraising will need to grow alongside our charter.
Our goal this year is big. But we are a powerful community of almost 800 students and their families, and reaching our goal is achievable. There are several ways you can join in to support:
Sign up to become a monthly donor: $40 per month ($480 per year) per student achieves our goal
Check with your employer for matching gifts (matching for monetary gifts or your volunteer hours)
Share our mission and ways to give with others who value Montessori education
Did you know that you can buy GRS spirit wear from our online school store?
Check out the wide variety of options available here. And, we’ve arranged to have a special back to school discount for all families from August 30th - September 13th! Just enter the discount code of GRSBTS24 upon check-out for a 15% discount on anything you order.
Did you know that these two designs were made by GRS Students? Recent graduate, Elise Barros, designed the heron with the sunset background and current 5th grader, Axel Beermann, designed the constellation heron. These designs will only be available through this spring after we complete our design contest this year.
