The Nonviolent Communication for Parents introduction and practice group is meeting 7-9pm the remaining Thursdays in March, and 2nd and 4th Thursdays starting in April. Join us, practice seeing inside distress and fear, practice recognizing the universal needs that motivate everyone, see if it helps you find more compassion and trust in your family.
RSVP for further info, and so we bring more materials, or just come and we'll have some extras: greg@whitleymott.net
if you arrive after 7, text 651-646-2007 to be let in (from the north-eastern-most lot just before the traffic light). We're in the science lab, just past the restrooms.
Blue Heron Bash Wine Collection - Tuesday, March 19 - Last Curbside Pickup
We have almost made it to 100 bottles of wine! Can you help us get there? Curbside service in the drop-off line Tuesday morning. You can also drop it in the office any time! Thank you!
Blue Heron Bash - Buy Your Advance Tickets Now!
Deadline for advance tickets to the Blue Heron Bash is quickly approaching. Get your tickets by Wednesday, March 20 to get the advance price of $30 each. Save $10 over the at the door price of $40. Get your tickets here!
Need a spot for your kiddos so you can enjoy the bash? We are offering childcare from 5:30 to 9:30. A donation of $10 per hour is requested with all of the funds going to the GRS annual fund. Another way to help us raise money for this fabulous place that tirelessly educates our children! Reserve spots here.
As the date approaches, our volunteer needs are ever evolving (as does our delicious menu). Check out the sign up and see if something speaks to you.
Please help us be good neighbors!
We've had reoccurring problems with families dropping off and parking in our neighboring lots. This puts strain on our Energy Park relationships and causes liability issues. Pick-up & drop-off can happen ONLY on Energy Lane, to the south of the school. If you need more time or space than the line allows, there is a large public parking lot across Energy Park Drive where your student could meet you. GRS employees will begin supervising our neighboring lots during peak pickup/dropoff times and asking parents to go around to Energy Lane instead. Thank you for helping us make this right!
Blue Heron Bash Update
The Blue Heron Bash is fast approaching. Get your tickets here! The sooner you get your tickets, the better we can plan all of the delicious food and drink!
The Blue Heron Bash wine collection is happening tomorrow (Wednesday) morning in the drop-off line! You give us a bottle or three of wine, then come to the bash and win it back! It’s a fun and easy way to raise money for our fabulous school!!
Ultimate Frisbee 2019 Spring Season Kickoff Meeting!
Join us for our kickoff meeting for the 2019 Ultimate Frisbee season. Prospective and returning players (and those interested in learning about Ultimate Frisbee at Great River) and their families should plan to attend
WHEN: 03/12/2019 6:30 PM
WHERE: GRS Gymnasium
WHO: Ultimate Frisbee players (leagues are open to grades 5-12) and their parents or guardians - including prospective players and families that are interested in learning about participating. Ultimate is a fun and inclusive sport that is open to ALL skill and experience levels, and we encourage those "on the fence" or simply interested in ultimate to join the meeting!
Show up to the meeting and learn more! If players or families are unable to attend, check the website for information or contact Kate Indrelie, Ultimate Program Coordinator, at ultimate@greatriverschool.org
School Nutrition Volunteers Needed
As our school nutrition program rolls out, we’re finding ourselves in need of parent volunteers to support us as we grow! We’re asking parent volunteers to commit to a weekly shift through the end of the year and are offering different scheduled shifts to work with all schedules. This is a great opportunity to get involved in the GRS community!
Current Volunteer Needs:
Elementary Meal Maestro
Help organize the elementary meal carts and deliver meals to classrooms daily. Tasks would include - sanitizing bins and bags, portioning utensils and dishware, assembling sandwich orders, loading up carts, and delivering to classrooms.
Dish Director
Help dishwashing the trays, silverware, plates, and kitchen equipment used for school lunches.
Point of Sale Powerhouse
Help get students through the lunch line. Tasks would include utilizing our POS system EZSchool to enter in student information as they receive lunch.
Waste Management Wizard
At the end of lunch periods help students, parents, faculty, staff, and visitors put waste in the appropriate receptacle and inform them about what can be recycled, composted, or what needs to be sent to the landfill. Help with other tasks in between.
End of Day Zero-Waste Wizard Spend time outside near the dumpsters for recycling, compost, and landfill near the north main entrance on Energy Park Drive. Your job is to help GRS staff supervise and divert items to appropriate waste stream containers based on whether it’s recycling, compost, or landfill.
Click here to sign up for kitchen shifts and here to volunteer to help our zero-waste initiative!
Email any questions to lunch@greatriverschool.org.
PEG Meeting This Monday!
YOU'RE INVITED!
The next Parent Engagement Group (PEG) meeting is this Monday, March 11, from 6:30-8 pm. Childcare will be available!
Please join us to hear updates on school events and volunteer opportunities, along with an engaging talk by Head of School Sam O'Brien. Sam will answer questions that community members have submitted about Montessori practices and GRS policies and procedures. There's still time to submit questions--see the link below.
We'll also be joined by school nutritionist Jenny Breen for an update about the hot lunch program, and we'll have the chance to taste the delicious food coming from Chef Leah's kitchen!
Bring your questions and your appetites--along with any spare bottles of wine you'd like to donate to the Blue Heron Bash. Hope to see you there!
***
"Why can’t I walk my child into school? Why doesn’t my child bring work home? How is my child’s progress being measured by their teacher? What are the curricular goals at my child’s level?"
Montessori education takes an approach that is nontraditional in many ways and can at times feel unfamiliar (or even uncomfortable), even to seasoned Montessori parents! If you’ve found yourself asking "Is this normal?", here’s your chance to share your question and have it answered. Submit your questions about Montessori philosophy and methods, or about GRS policy and approach by filling out this form. Then, attend the upcoming PEG meeting, where head of school Sam O’Brien will speak to the questions that have been submitted.
Blue Heron Bash Needs Your Help
Beer connoisseurs! The Blue Heron Bash is in need of three kegerators to make sure the fabulous craft beer we are pouring tastes as fantastic as it should. Might you have a kegerator, or know someone who does? You can donate the “rental" of your kegerator. Please let us know at blueheronbash@greatriverschool.org.
Everyone! We are collecting wine for the wine pull at the Blue Heron Bash on Friday morning - March 8 - in the drop off line. Remember that cold Monday last week when you dropped off your kids and saw the two crazy people standing out there collecting bottles of wine? Remember how easy it would’ve been to simply roll down a window and hand us a bottle or five of wine? Here’s another chance! We’ll be out Friday morning, March 8!
And don’t forget to get your tickets to the Bash!
Top Ten Things You Can Do to Help with the Blue Heron Bash
10. Have a giftcard to someplace that you won’t use? Donate it!
9. Donate tickets to a sporting event.
8. Donate a weekend at a cabin or a timeshare.
7. Donate a bottle (or more) of wine (curbside pickup at Friday morning dropoff March 8!)
6. Host a Great Gathering (we’ll help you figure it out!) Sign up here
5. Donate a frame for elementary art projects (See the signup genius link under item 2 for what we need).
4. Donate anything you can think of that you know someone else would love to bid on!
3. Give us some of your time. There are lots of fun things to do to make this happen. We’d love to use your talents. Volunteer signup is here
2. Buy your tickets and come hang out with new and old friends! Get your tickets here
1. Sign up for Great Gatherings and bid on awesome things at the Bash!
School Nutrition Volunteers Needed
As our school nutrition program rolls out, we’re finding ourselves in need of parent volunteers to support us as we grow! We’re asking parent volunteers to commit to a weekly shift through the end of the year and are offering different scheduled shifts to work with all schedules. This is a great opportunity to get involved in the GRS community!
Current Volunteer Needs:
Elementary Meal Maestro
Help organize the elementary meal carts and deliver meals to classrooms daily. Tasks would include - sanitizing bins and bags, portioning utensils and dishware, assembling sandwich orders, loading up carts, and delivering to classrooms.
Dish Director
Help dishwashing the trays, silverware, plates, and kitchen equipment used for school lunches.
Point of Sale Powerhouse
Help get students through the lunch line. Tasks would include utilizing our POS system EZSchool to enter in student information as they receive lunch.
Waste Management Wizard
At the end of lunch periods help students, parents, faculty, staff, and visitors put waste in the appropriate receptacle and inform them about what can be recycled, composted, or what needs to be sent to the landfill. Help with other tasks in between.
End of Day Zero-Waste Wizard Spend time outside near the dumpsters for recycling, compost, and landfill near the north main entrance on Energy Park Drive. Your job is to help GRS staff supervise and divert items to appropriate waste stream containers based on whether it’s recycling, compost, or landfill.
Click here to sign up for kitchen shifts and here to volunteer to help our zero-waste initiative!
Email any questions to lunch@greatriverschool.org.
Elementary Traffic: Snow Edition
Hello Winter Weather Warriors!
Here are a few bullet points regarding this crazy weather we've had an how it affects pickup and drop off at GRS Elementary. Everything is slowing down and taking longer, and we want to accommodate for that to ensure everyone's safe, timely arrival!
- There is only one line. Please pull up to the rear of the line and proceed forward as it begins to move. Skipping the line and cutting in at the front can create congestion and confusion during drop off.
Please avoid doing this :)
- While in line, pull forward as far as you're able (follow the car in front of you!)
- If staff on the sidewalk are waving you onward, please continue rolling forward.
- When you stop, please let your student(s) out immediately (they should be ready to hop out by the time you've arrived at GRS!)
- If you see staff on the sidewalk motioning for students to get out, ensure that your passengers do exactly that.
- Feel free to leave a few feet of room between your car and the pile of snow lining the sidewalk for safety purposes when students exit. This gives some space for car doors to open and students to more easily traverse the snow.
- The green flag will remain flying a bit longer than usual to account for the extra slow conditions.
- If you no longer see the green flag flying outside the Elementary, this means you should drop your student at the main GRS entrance on Energy Park Drive to check in with the front office. Students are not admitted through the Elementary entrance at that point. This is for attendance purposes and your attention to this detail is highly appreciated.
Finally, thank you all for all the progress we've made in this process this year!! We have a ton of families and not much time or space, and I really think we've come a long way thanks to YOU! If you have specific questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out!
Safe travels!
The Elementary Cold Car Crew
Want to Make a Real Difference? We Need Your Help!
The Great River School Board is seeking faculty, guardians, and community members to help guide and steward the policy and vision of our school. Skills and experience that the board is looking for: raising families, working with limited resources to solve problems, building cooperation among people with different opinions, speaking multiple languages, and making decisions based on the values of peace education and justice. These experiences can be formal or informal.
We are actively recruiting members - especially those with life experience as a person of color and/or LGBTQ+ folks living in Minnesota. We recognize the importance of seeking to reflect the experiences and backgrounds of our neighborhoods and the students we serve.
Click here for more information and to apply.
Blue Heron Bash Reminder
What: The biggest fundraiser - and “friendraiser” - of the year!
It’s a new year, new school, and a new old name! The Blue Heron Bash (formerly the Soirée) is a fun, adults-only evening of good conversation, games, Great Gathering sign-ups, friendly bidding competition, appetizers, and drinks.
When: Saturday, March 23, 6-10 PM
Where: Great River School Peace Hall (Gymnacafetorium)
Who: Adult (21+) friends of Great River School (You!) Fancy or casual attire are equally welcome.
Cost: $30 in advance, $40 at the door (general admission); more ticket levels & sponsorship packages available.
What is a Great Gathering?
Great Gatherings are events hosted by GRS families. The host sets the event, date, time, and location. Each event has a set number of participants–some are adults-only, some are for families, and others geared for specific age groups. Some past Gatherings have been brewery tours, theme dinners, jewelry making, game nights, and cooking classes. Hosting a Gathering is a fantastic and fun way to support GRS! You don't have to attend the Extravaganza to sign up for Great Gatherings, but it is your first chance to sign up and many sell out quickly. Click here to see previous Great Gatherings from 2018.
"Inside Montessori" Documentary Screening!
There’s an amazing new documentary being released! This film documents effective and innovative Montessori classrooms across the country - and shows how Montessori works for students of all backgrounds. Come see the screening on March 2nd at 12:30pm at The Heights theater - 3951 Central Ave NE, Columbia Heights, MN 55421
Get your tickets here:
St Paul NAACP Event - Community Conversation
Great River School Board encourages all Great River families to consider attending this event hosted by the St Paul chapter of the NAACP:
Title: Community Conversation Building Safe Communities - Combating Colonized Minds
Location: Eastside Freedom Library, 1105 Greenbrier Street, St. Paul, MN 55106
Time: 6:30-8pm
Eventbrite Invite
Facebook Page
Black Men’s Early Childhood Project - Bringing individual and collective leadership and presence to the fiscal, social and policy discourse and decision making about the impact of early childhood education and development for African American families and the broader community.
NAACP Economic Development Committee - To Build a Movement for Economic Justice. Building a stable community economy by creating a network of knowledgeable activists in the interworking’s of America economic system, (the economic industrial complex), for the sustainability of community economic development.
GRS Summer Camps
Great River will be hosting camps again this summer! Expect the first round of camps to be announced 3/8, with registration opening on 3/15. Our summer camps have been wildly popular in the past and we’re excited to be bringing them to our new building.
GRS School Calendar Reminder
A reminder that because of the unscheduled snow days, the GRS school calendar has changed to include a full day of school this Thursday, February 28th and a half day on Friday, March 1st.
Curbside Wine Donation Pick Up Reminder
The Blue Heron Bash School Fundraiser needs your help tomorrow morning at pick-up!
Volunteers will be curbside at drop off on Energy Lane on Monday morning to collect bottles of wine to be used in the wine pull at the event. Our goal is to get 100 bottles. This service will be offered a couple more times before the event on March 23.
If you are unable to drop off at this time you can always make your donation to Holly at the front desk. Thanks for your support & we hope to see you at the Bash!
GRS Summer Camp
Great River will be hosting camps again this summer! Expect the first round of camps to be announced 3/8, with registration opening on 3/15