Thank you to everyone who contributed to Great River School during our Fall Fund Drive!
We met our goal of 150 donations - and exceeded it by at least 25 more! (We’re still receiving checks in the mail!) With more than 80 gifts made on our Give to the Match Days, we were able to fully utilize all $10,000 pledged by our generous donors!
Together, we raised more than $30,000. Your generosity is outstanding, and it will go a long way. Thank you for being part of the Great River community!
Tis the season! In just a few more days it will be Thanksgiving weekend, the unofficial kick-off to Holiday shopping!
CORRECTION: Great River School Spirit Wear Store, run through The Branding Wearhouse, is offering a seasonal promotion this year to all of our GRS Community!. This sale will run all weekend long starting Thanksgiving Day (11/23/23) through Cyber Monday (11/27/23)! The Black Friday Weekend Sale will be 20% off all orders $50 or more. The code you can use at checkout is: BFW20OFF50 and it is valid ONLY on new orders placed from 11/23/23 - 11/27/23.
Orders placed during this sale will be delivered to Great River no later than Friday, December 8th. If the order is shipping directly to your home through either UPS or USPS we cannot guarantee delivery dates provided through 3rd party carrier tracking services. We do not have control over carrier delays or untimely updates given in tracking details, which we are expecting to happen once again this year. If you would like to purchase spirit wear for someone in your family for the holiday, this is the perfect opportunity to do so! The last day to order is December 7, 2023 in order to get it by the Christmas Holiday.
Did you donate to the Fall Fund Drive? Volunteer your time? There are employer match programs that will match the money you donated and donate money based on your volunteer hours! Make the most of your contributions: check with your employer for more information. Haven’t donated yet? It’s not too late! greatriverschool.org/give
Girls on the Run will be returning to GRS this spring! In order to make that happen, we need coaches! Coaches are community volunteers. They commit to one day a week and help lead lessons on social emotional learning. Practices will be Tues/Thurs from 4:00 - 5:30. It's a great way to get involved in the GRS community. It ends with a celebratory 5k in June and it is the coolest event. Interested? Email Delia Koolick at dkoolick@greatriverschool.org
We're also looking for junior coaches ages 16 - 18 who help run our program, make connections with the runners, and score some great volunteer hours. If you know a teen that would be interested, direct them to Delia Koolick as well For More information about the Girls on the Run program, visit www.gotrmn.org
If you have a child or children to enter into Great River School's Enrollment Lottery, please fill out the 2024-25 application before February 9, 2024. Please note that we do not save waitlist information from one year to the next. If you are interested in being included in the enrollment lottery for SY 2024-25, you must submit a new application. The enrollment lottery will be held at 10:30 am on February 16, 2024. Applications are due on February 9.
If your child already attends Great River, you do not need to reapply for continued enrollment.
It’s Give to the MATCH days at GRS! Today and tomorrow (November 15-16) are matching gift days for the Fall Fund Drive. A group of Great River families have generously pledged matching gifts up to $10,000! Double your impact! greatriverschool.org/give
Families that give monthly make the biggest impact on GRS fundraising by offering a consistent and reliable source of funds. Consider joining our community of sustainers today! greatriverschool.org/give
The BIPOC Caregiver meeting will be held this Thursday, November 16th from 4:30-5:30pm in the Media Lab at GRS. If you have questions please contact Jordan Samejima at jsamejima@greatriverschool.org
Archery for Adolescents (grades 7-12)
4-4:45 pm Mondays, November 20-December 18 (5 sessions)
Coach: Hadley Musselmann
Cost: $75. Students who have participated in archery in the past can volunteer to help coach and participate at no extra cost. Scholarships are available in case of need; Email bigcanoe@greatriverschool.org for more information.
Sign up here; you’ll be contacted with the payment link to confirm your signup.
Slow Road Photo will be at Great River School for Retakes on November 16th. If you'd like retakes, please click the button below to fill out the form so we can make sure you love your photos.
Key Experiences are a hallmark of the Great River education—and they are provided free of charge for all students. An important student bonding and learning experience during the school year, students embark on trips where they learn to work together as a community, develop trust in each other, try new experiences, and gain independence. As many of you heard at the start of the school year, the trips are a big expense for the school. Depending on the trip, it costs between $300-$400 per student. This cost includes transportation, food, community camping gear, campground fees, and experiences like museum admissions. Donations from families help provide these unique learning opportunities and life-changing experiences that define the Great River education. No amount is too big or too small—give at a level that is comfortable for your family. greatriverschool.org/give
Did you know PEG has a parent volunteer-composed Bi-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 if more events are added throughout November and come out again in December! Happy reading!
New updates, information, and PEG newsletters will also be available on the PEG website: https://www.greatriverschool.org/peg
Who: Any current GRS student
What: Design a fresh logo for Great River School that reflects community themes such as the heron, our animals, our neighborhood, or our experiences
Why: To use on limited-edition spiritwear to raise funds for Great River
How: To enter, please submit your entry to Karen Anway (kanway@greatriverschool.org) by December 8, 2023 in one of the following formats:
A vector, EPS, or high-resolution picture format; Procreate app is one recommended option for online drawing
OR
A freehand drawing on plain white cardstock with marker or acrylic paint colors or dark colored pencil with clearly defined lines
Winner will receive a free T-shirt featuring YOUR LOGO!
Please gather with us Wednesday, November 15th from 5-7pm in the LA Space for an evening celebrating the completion of our first Trimester! The evening kicks off with a performance by Musicianships at 5pm. Odyssey project presentations run from 5:30-6:30. Our LA Choir will close out the evening! LA Students have been working on research projects connected to the odyssey. Expect a variety of podcasts, zines, posterboards, and slide shows as well as some hot Odyssey food to sample!
Overview of the Schedule:
Odyssey Night, Wednesday, November 15th, 2023
5-5:20 Musicianship Performance
5:30-6:00 Presentation Group A
6-6:30 Presentation Group B
6:40 -7:00 Choir Performance
The 2023 Fall Fund Drive is on now! Help us reach our goal of 150 donations from November 2-17. Great River is a unique school—a tuition-free public Montessori institution, open to all students, and community-supported! However, as a charter school, Great River receives 87 cents to every dollar received by district public schools. It is up to all of us to make up that difference so we can continue to provide the education that makes Great River such a special place. All Fall Fund Drive gifts support the GRS general operating budget. Your contribution helps provide the unique learning opportunities and life-changing experiences that define the Great River education, from Montessori educational materials and athletic equipment, to food for classroom pets and camping gear. Your gift also supports the everyday needs to run a successful school: buses, utilities, our nutrition program, and paying faculty a fair wage. If you are able, now is a great time to give: greatriverschool.org/give
LIST League basketball coach wanted
Are you interested in coaching basketball for grades 5-6?. The season is mid-November to mid-February. The team will practice after school one day per week from 4-5:30 pm (Mondays or Tuesdays) and have games on Wednesdays at 4:30 or 5:30.. We are able to offer a stipend for coaching duties. Please reach out tokanway@greatriverschool.orgfor more information about this opportunity.
LIST League basketball signup for grades 5-8
LIST co-ed basketball will run from mid-November through mid-February. We anticipate offering one 5-6 team and one 7-8 team.
We need a coach for the 5-6 team, so please reach out to kanway@greatriverschool.org for more information.
5-6 team: Practices Mondays or Tuesdays (TBD) and games on Wednesdays.
7-8 team: Practices Wednesdays and Thursdays and games on Fridays.
Coaches: Brent Cummins (7-8 team) and TBD (5-6 team)
Cost is $150 (jersey, league and coach fee)
Sign up here to indicate your interest, and you'll be contacted with team and payment information.
*Shed pictured is not the shed being built*
We are getting a bigger and better shed to replace our broken plastic one by the garden. Brent and Todd could use 1-3 skilled volunteers to help build this wooden shed during the week of November 6. The plan is to start this on Tuesday, November 7. Any number of hours between 10:00am and 3:00pm from November 7-9 would be very helpful. Please email Brent Cummins at bcummins@greatriverschool.org if you are able to help and list your availability.
IB Collaborative Theatre Night is upon us! Come enjoy a night of theatre at 6pm on Wednesday, November 1st in the Performance Space.
Each fall, our IB Theatre students are tasked with creating original short play using collaborative methods. As part of the assessment, students are expected to perform for a public audience and gather feedback on how well they met their intentions through their piece. This event is free and open to the public, but recommended for adolescents and above.
Please note that there will be explicit language as well as (comedic) murders occurring during some of the shows. Audience members are welcome to come and go from the performance space between plays as needed.
Sign-up today to join other GRS families for a night of Bowling on November 18th!
Bowling Sign-up Genius
Monday, October 30th from 6 - 8pm the Parent Engagement Group will hold a Community Bonfire at the Como Fire Pits. If you are feeling the Fall chill in the air, join PEG at the Como Fire Pits on Monday!
