Lost and Found
Any unclaimed items will be donated to charity at 6pm on Wednesday, December 20th. The two lost and found locations are as follows:
1)The foyer inside the entrance to the Cafe
2) The hallway by the copy machine near the main elementary entrance.
Join our second annual staff gifting opportunity! As a community we were able to give $50 gift cards to all 135 faculty and staff last year. Help us match or exceed this year. You can donate cash or check (payable to Great River School Foundation), in a sealed envelope with GRGG written on it, at the front office.
Venmo to GRSPEG https://account.venmo.com/u/GRSPEG
PayPal to GRSPEG https://www.paypal.me/GRSPEG?locale.x=en_US
A donation of $10 per student reaches our goal of $50 per staff.
Lost and Found
Any unclaimed items will be donated to charity at 6pm on Wednesday, December 20th. The two lost and found locations are as follows:
1)The foyer inside the entrance to the Cafe
2) The hallway by the copy machine near the main elementary entrance.
Do you have music-related items that are just collecting dust somewhere? If so, consider donating them to the GRS Elementary Music Department. Items you could consider donating:
Instruments of all kinds (especially acoustic/classical guitars and ukuleles!)
Instrument accessories (tuners, capos, picks, guitar stands/wall hooks, mallets, extra strings, cleaning supplies)
CDs/cassettes/records and their players
MP3 players
Headphones
Headphone splitters/adapters
Speakers
Cables/power cords
Batteries
Sheet music/songbooks
Music learning resources
Music-themed artwork/decorations and anything else you can think of!
Donations may be brought to the front desk, or placed outside of Room 130 Silver Creek (across the hallway from Shingobee under the guitars). If you have any questions feel free to email Marty List-Tesdell at mltesdell@greatriverschool.org. Thank you!
Join our second annual staff gifting opportunity! As a community we were able to give $50 gift cards to all 135 faculty and staff last year. Help us match or exceed this year. You can donate cash or check (payable to Great River School Foundation), in a sealed envelope with GRGG written on it, at the front office.
Venmo to GRSPEG https://account.venmo.com/u/GRSPEG
PayPal to GRSPEG https://www.paypal.me/GRSPEG?locale.x=en_US
A donation of $10 per student reaches our goal of $50 per staff.
Do you have music-related items that are just collecting dust somewhere? If so, consider donating them to the GRS Elementary Music Department. Items you could consider donating:
Instruments of all kinds (especially acoustic/classical guitars and ukuleles!)
Instrument accessories (tuners, capos, picks, guitar stands/wall hooks, mallets, extra strings, cleaning supplies)
CDs/cassettes/records and their players
MP3 players
Headphones
Headphone splitters/adapters
Speakers
Cables/power cords
Batteries
Sheet music/songbooks
Music learning resources
Music-themed artwork/decorations and anything else you can think of!
Donations may be brought to the front desk, or placed outside of Room 130 Silver Creek (across the hallway from Shingobee under the guitars). If you have any questions feel free to email Marty List-Tesdell at mltesdell@greatriverschool.org. Thank you!
Are you already playing or interested in trying High School Ultimate? Curious to see if it’s for you?
Come to indoor dome practices once a week, January-March. All are welcome! Practice will be located at the West St. Paul Dome, 1655 Livingston Ave, West St Paul, MN 55118. St. Paul Girls practice will take place Tuesdays 6:45am-8:15am and Boys/Open practice, Wednesdays 6am-8am. All must sign up HERE. Responses to the sign-up will help us in creating carpools.
Embrace the early morning and come try GRS ultimate!
Email Brent Cummins with questions: bcummins@greatriverschool.org
* Dome practices are free and start on 1/23/24*
*Donations for Dome time are accepted here: PAYPAL - paypal.me/StarsUltimate (include student name in note)--Checks and cash are accepted at the front desk as well*
*Official season signups with registration fees coming later in February*
ITS OPENING WEEKEND!!!
Fall 2023 Musical: Guys and Dolls | December 8th - December 16th
Guys and Dolls is a musical romantic comedy involving the unlikeliest of Manhattan pairings: a high-rolling gambler and a puritanical missionary, a showgirl dreaming of the straight-and-narrow and a crap game manager who is anything but.
Set in the Manhattan of Damon Runyon’s short stories, Guys and Dolls tells of con-man Nathan Detroit’s efforts to find new life for his illegal, but notorious, crap game. When their trusty venue is found out by the police, Nathan has to find a new home for his crap game quickly - but he doesn’t have the dough to secure the one location he finds. Enter Sky Masterson, a high-rolling gambler willing to take on any honest bet with a high enough reward attached. .
Get your tickets for the opening weekend today! Buy tickets in advance or at the door. We accept Cash, Check & all major Credit Cards
Saturday’s matinee is a “Pay what you want” performance. You choose the ticket price that best meets your needs and values. It’s a great way to show extra support for GRS Theater.
Want to do even more to support our young designers, makers, and actors?
Donate to the GRS Theater Program!
GRS is now incorporating students in all aspects of the production process. Through our IB Theatre, Theatre Tech, and Construction Math classes, students are participating in iterative design and academic processes to support our theatre programs.
Your contributions directly support our adolescent productions and give students more tools and materials to make their designs a reality! Thank you!
To keep up with the Upcoming GRS Performing Arts, visit:
www.greatriverschool.org/shows
Dear Families! You should have received an email with the first Adolescent Family Bulletin! I'm hoping to make a habit of sending out a communication like this twice a month, but Im also going to post it here. As I get into the flow, it may shift to different weeks within a month, but I hope to land on something that works relatively quickly. This does not replace the GRS newsletter or the announcement blog, so please continue to read those too, but just offers some reminders from upcoming things to track in our Adolescent Program. Happy Reading!
Nick Beermann, Adolescent Program Director
As many families prepare for the holidays and and high costs of food and other basic needs, the social work team is seeking donations of gift cards that can be distributed to GRS families who need them.
We are requesting gift cards for:
-gas
-grocery stores
-large retail chains like Target
Contact one of our social workers to coordinate drop off of gift cards.
Delia Koolick (Lower Elementary) dkoolick@greatriverschool.org
Angela Gaitas (Upper Elementary) agaitas@greatriverschool.org
Gina Carveth (Lower Adolescent) gcarveth@greatriverschool.org
Seth Tupper (Upper Adolescent) stupper@greatriverschool.org
Saleha Erdmann (SEL Coordinator) serdmann@greatriverschool.org
GRS all-ages Chess Club–Winter session
GRS is partnering with the Twin Cities Chess Club 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, January 10 - March 6 (9 sessions, only meets on school days)
Cost: $125
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 linkto complete registration.
Our next BIPOC caregiver meeting will be held on Thursday December 21st. There have been many caregivers that have reached out to me regarding the time of the meeting. In order to accommodate more families I would like to find a time that works best for those that would like to attend the BIPOC caregiver meeting each month. Please fill out the survey HERE to let me know your preferred meeting time and place.
Are you already playing or interested in trying High School Ultimate? Curious to see if it’s for you?
Come to indoor dome practices once a week, January-March. All are welcome! Practice will be located at the West St. Paul Dome, 1655 Livingston Ave, West St Paul, MN 55118. St. Paul Girls practice will take place Tuesdays 6:45am-8:15am and Boys/Open practice, Wednesdays 6am-8am. All must sign up HERE. Responses to the sign-up will help us in creating carpools.
Embrace the early morning and come try GRS ultimate!
Email Brent Cummins with questions: bcummins@greatriverschool.org
* Dome practices are free and start on 1/23/24*
*Donations for Dome time are accepted here: PAYPAL - paypal.me/StarsUltimate (include student name in note)--Checks and cash are accepted at the front desk as well*
*Official season signups with registration fees coming later in February*
PEG’s parent volunteer-composed newsletter is now monthly!! To stay updated on all the events, volunteer opportunities and other ways to get involved in the GRS Community, check out the newsletter below!
Thanks to the amazing work of Parent volunteer, Ashley Beermann, a vibrant PEG Newsletter will be updated if more events are added throughout the month and come out again in January! Happy reading!
New updates, information, and PEG newsletters will also be available on the PEG website: https://www.greatriverschool.org/peg
On December 9th, join the Youth Book Fair at Flava Coffee & Cafe. All books will be FREE! Sponsored by Black Garnet Books and Free Little Library.
DRIVER’S EDUCATION (Students who are 14 years of age and older)
This 30-hour program will be conducted by a certified instructor from the A+ Driving School and will fulfill the state driver’s education requirement. The course will address the “how to” and “whys” of safe driving. The format of the class will be lecture and active discussion.
After completion of the program, students will be able to set up and participate in behind the wheel sessions to meet the six hour state requirement.
Great River partners with A+ Driving School to host driver's ed on site. UA Guide, Abby Mesnik, will teach these classes. We have scheduled a winter session in February 2024. Class dates will be on February 13,14,15,16, 20,21,22,23, 27,28 from 4pm-7pm in room 274.
Sign Up Here through A+ Driving.
Link not working? From the A+ Driving Home Page [https://aplusdrivingschool.net/], go to In-Person and then select St. Paul Area.
Check out the new season of Performing Arts at GRS!
Fall 2023 Musical: Guys and Dolls | December 8th - December 16th
Guys and Dolls is a musical romantic comedy involving the unlikeliest of Manhattan pairings: a high-rolling gambler and a puritanical missionary, a showgirl dreaming of the straight-and-narrow and a crap game manager who is anything but.
Set in the Manhattan of Damon Runyon’s short stories, Guys and Dolls tells of con-man Nathan Detroit’s efforts to find new life for his illegal, but notorious, crap game. When their trusty venue is found out by the police, Nathan has to find a new home for his crap game quickly - but he doesn’t have the dough to secure the one location he finds. Enter Sky Masterson, a high-rolling gambler willing to take on any honest bet with a high enough reward attached. .
For more Information on The Guys and Dolls and to purchase tickets:
https://www.greatriverschool.org/guys-and-dolls-2023
To keep up with the Upcoming GRS Performing Arts, visit:
www.greatriverschool.org/shows
Breakfast news! We are introducing a hot breakfast sandwich on Friday morning: English muffin with egg, cheese and a veggie patty. Best way to start the day? Grab a freshly made brekkie sammie.
Even more breakfast news: We offer Cheerios every day as an option. It’s a great choice if you need a gluten free breakfast. Regular milk and a non-dairy alternative are always available.
Have you checked out the Quarter 2 menu? Click the image below, or visit the Great River Nutrition page by clicking here → https://www.greatriverschool.org/nutrition.
Friendly reminder to please remember to add money to your students and/or staff lunch accounts and keep an eye on your lunch balance. Thank you so much for eating with us.
School Payment Portal Direct Link
School Payment Portal How-To Guide- how to make a lunch account using the school payment portal
Get ready for more sauce: Bang Bang sauce is back! This popular house-made condiment went away for a few years but is now available during lunch.
Crunching the numbers: In Quarter 1 we served over 11,000 meals to our students and staff! Also, we were able to provide 483 frozen meals to Feeding Frogtown since the beginning of the school year. We are proud to serve our community.
Now for a fun fact. Did you know that Chef Dan doesn’t like many sweets except for ice cream? You can’t pin him down to just one flavor, but his favorite places to get ice cream are Baby Zito’s and the Pumphouse Creamery. Yum!
We look forward to seeing you in the lunch line,
Your friends in the Great River kitchen, Dan, Tess, Julie and Mel
images and Information adapted from the Visit Saint Paul Website
Happy New Year! Happy Hmong New Year that is! A big celebration happens after Thanksgiving at the St. River Centre and you are encouraged to participate in this beautiful series of events! Please check out the Visit Saint Paul Website for more information on this amazing annual celebration!
Each year, Saint Paul is home to Minnesota's Hmong New Year Celebration. Here's what you need to know about this lively event held at RiverCentre.
All are welcome to join in the celebration of the Annual Minnesota Hmong New Year. Thousands of attendees, local and from around the world, attend this amazing annual event hosted by United Hmong Family, Inc.
The two-day celebration of the Hmong New Year highlights traditional Hmong dance, music, crafts, vendors and more.
Traditionally held during the weekend after Thanksgiving.
Saint Paul RiverCentre
An annual celebration taking place in the fall, Hmong New Year is a time to honor ancestors and gives thanks for the completion of the harvest. With the largest urban Hmong population in the world, Saint Paul is the perfect place to celebrate this vibrant culture with family and friends, Hmong and non-Hmong alike.
Tickets are available in advance and can be purchased online or at the Xcel Energy Center Box Office Monday, Nov. 21 – Wednesday, Nov. 23 from noon - 5 p.m. for $10.35 (credit card only).
Tickets are available at the door on Saturday, Nov. 25 and Sunday, Nov. 26 for $12 (cash) or $12.42 (credit card).
Kids 42” and below are free and measured at the door.
Seniors 65+ must present ID at the box office for free ticket.
When it comes to parking, there are a variety of ramps and lots in the downtown Saint Paul area. For a map to all parking options, click here.
Most ramps will charge a daily event rate and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Metro Transit's light rail (green line) and MTC buses are also highly recommended over the busy holiday weekend. Visit metrotransit.org for more information.
https://www.visitsaintpaul.com/blog/guide-to-hmong-new-year/
