written by members of The GRS Board, Foundation, and Parent Engagement Group
The school runs on the leadership of our administration, the amazing skills of each and every faculty and staff member, and the strong support of volunteers. Three major ways volunteers help GRS are serving on our Board of Directors, Foundation, and our Parent Engagement Group.
The current Board is made up of 11 individuals representing parents, community members, guides and a student. The current group is extremely cohesive, brings loads of institutional knowledge and are extremely passionate about all aspects of Great River School. We are charged with many ‘standard’ annual tasks but are always up to more. Highlights from the past year are the ratification of the first ever union contract for staff and guides, solidifying an annual review process for the Head of School and creating more robust communication and partnerships with the Foundation and PEG. Recently we have begun to put effort into financial stability and just approved the development of a sub-committee to look into feasibility of a second school site. There is a LOT of behind the scenes work many people never know about. Please consider reviewing meeting minutes to see all the amazing work that has occurred published on the ‘board’ page of the GRS website. Interested in joining a committee? Reach out to Jeremy Sartain at jsartain@greatrivershool.org.
For more information about the Great River School Board, visit our website: https://www.greatriverschool.org/board
Parent Engagement Group (PEG) members can be seen daily at GRS helping in a wide variety of capacities. From organizing volunteers for Key Experience trips to solidifying classroom ambassadors to hosting several annual events including Harvest Fest – this group stays busy! Events can be found in the calendar tab of the school website. PEG is still looking for classroom ambassadors in Swan River and Blue Earth & both adolescent levels.
Harvest Fest is coming up quickly on Saturday, October 14th and your help is needed.
Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0D49A4A62BABF94-44696384-2023
Volunteering is a staple of GRS. Not only is it fun, It bolsters community among caregivers and gives people a greater connection to the school. Interested in being a classroom ambassador and/or being more involved with organizing events? Reach out to peg@greatriverschool.org or attend our monthly meetings in person or via zoom typically the first Monday of each month.
You can also read up on PEG news by reading their bi-monthly newsletter: https://www.smore.com/jd6yb
For more information about P.E.G, visit our website:
https://www.greatriverschool.org/peg
The Great River Foundation is the fundraising arm of GRS, helping to fund programs like Key Experiences, classroom materials, and more. Like all charter schools, GRS receives 87 cents to every dollar given to district public schools. GRS has additional expenses beyond traditional public schools with Key Experience trips, Odyssey trips, animal care and more – all things that make GRS unique and build a massive foundation of community. The costs of these things have gone up so your help is imperative. The Foundation works collaboratively with the GRS Board to help fill in funding gaps. There are lots of opportunities for involvement: smaller, short term tasks like editing or updating the webpage to longer term commitments like serving on the board or chairing a committee, and everything in between.
The large annual (and very social) Great Heron Bash will be on Saturday, April 20th, so please save that date! Take a look at this form to see available tasks and sign up to help: https://forms.gle/38QuU4UYU3E31hsz8
Questions? Email foundation@greatriverschool.org
To learn more about our Great River Foundation:
https://www.greatriverschool.org/give