Principal's Letter

Hello Grant Families,

What a great start to the school year! It has been wonderful having our students back in school. This past week I have made it to every single classroom and have seen some really amazing lessons and activities to build relationships and classroom community. Our students and staff are working hard to create strong routines and foundational skills as we start this new school year. We have set high expectations this year and our students are exceeding them each day!

As we move forward in this school year, I want to express the importance of strong attendance habits again. Please help your student come to school on time each day. Let’s continue to partner together and get all our students to school each day of September. This helps get kids in the habit of school, be ready for instruction and learning and develop strong friendships and relationships at school.

If you are having any challenges getting your child up and to school each day, please reach out. Your child’s teacher, one of our counselors or any other trusted school adult is here for you!

With love,

Brittney Searcy

Principal, Grant Elementary

Important Announcement

Starting Monday, September 18th, we ask that all parents say goodbye to their students on the blacktop. We would like to start building students confidence in their morning routines. If you are interested in spending more time in our school, please consider filling out the volunteer clearance forms and we would be happy to have your support in other areas of the school.

Coffee & Connect

Something new we are starting this year at Grant is Coffee and Connect!

Please come and enjoy refreshments and light appetizers with us, as our counselors and administrators share resources and information on ways to support your student’(s) success at school.

Afterschool Activities

Grant offers many afterschool activities for students to be involved in. Most activities run from 3:00-4:15. There is an activity bus for students who are eligible to ride the bus and have registered to ride.

Mondays: Drummers & Dancers (for 3rd-5th grades, begins September 18), Cross Country

Tuesdays: Choir (for 3rd-5th grades, begins September 19), Cross Country

Thursdays: Indigenous Afterschool Club (for American Indian or Alaska Native students, 3rd Thursday of the month, starting October 19)

Coming Soon: Hooptown Basketball Youth League (There is a no-cost option! Must register online, the deadline has been extended.)

Drop Off & Pick Up Reminders

Welcome to Grant!

We are so excited to have some new staff members joining the team at Grant this year!

Linda Capetillo, Attendance Secretary

Kate Haase, Art Teacher

Celina Hernandez, Family Support Specialist

Emma Janzen, Primary DI Teacher

Hannah Morgan, Preschool-CIP Teacher

Cara Owen, Science Teacher

Tommi Palm, ELD Teacher

Nicholle Parker, Preschool-CIP Para

Abby Points, Speech Language Pathologist

Jordan Pride, Counselor

Amanda Reilly, Kitchen

Madison Smith, 4th Grade Teacher

Staci Solberg, Preschool-CIP Teacher

Rika Stokes, Preschool-CIP Para

Hello Grant families,

Welcome back Husky families! It was so wonderful seeing each of you at launch conferences! It is going to be a GREAT year! 😊 We are so excited to partner with you to support your students.

Welcome, Mr. Pride!!

Many of you may have already met Mr. Pride, our second school counselor. He is a wonderful addition to our staff this year! He and I will be working together to support your students through our comprehensive counseling program.

Family Assistance Survey

If you haven’t already and would like to sign up for supports throughout the year, please take a moment to fill out the Family Assistance Survey to sign up for programs such as mentoring, food or clothing supports, mental health and parenting resources, and/or volunteer opportunities. 😊 There are two ways to sign up: Scan the QR code or come to the office to get a hard copy.

Purposeful People:

In addition to the counseling lessons we teach, your students will also build essential life skills in their classrooms as teachers implement an amazing program called Purposeful People. Each month will feature lessons about a specific character trait. Students will practice skills that exhibit this character trait and may be selected to receive a “Citizen of the Month” award! They will be honored at a monthly assembly. If your student is selected to receive an award you will receive an invitation to join us at the assembly!

The character trait for September is Respect. One way to think about Respect is “seeing value in all people and things & treating them with care.” Many people feel Respected in different ways, and we hope this month inspires discussions with your family about what Respect means to you and how you can practice it together! Respect is 1 of 3 traits we will focus on throughout the year that helps students Be Kind. Throughout school, students will be developing skills like perspective-taking, conflict resolution, and leadership.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if there is anything we can do to help support you and your family this year!

Proud to be a Husky!

Love,

Ms. Campbell & Mr. Pride

What's on the Menu?

Breakfast and Lunch menus are always available online. All students eat free thanks to the Community Eligibility Provision Program. Students should have also brought home a magnet at the start of school with a QR code to scan and see the menus online.

Free Breakfast & Lunch

All students in Spokane Public Schools receive free breakfast and lunch. Although meals are free to all students this school year, filling out the Family Income Survey helps ensure school funding is maintained for essential programs. Students who qualify can get added benefits like waived sports and testing fees, community discounts, and many others.

All information on your application is confidential and will only be used for the meal program, unless you request to release the information. We respect your privacy.

Helpful hints to make sure your application can be processed quickly:

Only one form per household.
Providing food stamp or TANF numbers simplifies the process.
The form must be signed by the parent/guardian before processing is complete.
Please make sure to see the Application Instructions and the Frequently Asked Questions before you fill out your application.

If you have questions that are not answered on the Frequently Asked Questions page, please contact CEP@spokaneschools.org.

Click Here to Complete the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) Family Income Survey

When to Keep A Child Home From School

It is important for the health of all students, staff and families that your child not attend school when they are sick. The following guidelines are appropriate reasons to keep your child home from school:

A fever of 100 degrees F or higher in the last 24 hours. Your child should be fever free (without the use of fever reducing medicines) for 24 hours before returning to school.
A consistently goopy, runny nose.
Drainage from the eye and/or redness of the eyelid or skin around the eye.
A bad cough-one that you wouldn't want your well child to be around.
A sore throat, especially with fever or swollen glands in the neck.
Shortness of breath or other problems with normal breathing.
A child that seems ill-unusually tired, pale, or difficult to awaken, headache or body aches; seems confused or irritable, and/or lacks normal appetite.
A rash that is associated with fever or severe itching.
Vomiting with/without diarrhea within the last 24 hours. Your child should be free of vomiting or diarrhea for 24 hours before returning to school. NOTE: A child who has one episode of bloody diarrhea or two episodes of diarrhea at school must be sent home and cannot return until the diarrhea has resolved. Some diarrhea may be associated with bacteria or virus. If your child has severe diarrhea you should contact your health care provider.
Your child needs to remain at home 24 hours after starting an antibiotic.
Any contagious disease such as chicken pox, influenza, whooping cough or gastroenteritis.
As directed by your health care provider.

If you have any questions, please contact Nurse Heidi Hash at 509-354-2785.

SPS Seeks Your Help

The Spokane Public Schools Board of Directors is considering two options for a February 2024 school bond put before voters to ensure our schools remain safe, modern and ready for growth.

Spokane Public Schools has developed a ThoughtExchange survey for citizens to provide input and help determine which projects should be prioritized for the 2024 bond. Both options are for a $200 million bond, significantly less than the $500 million bond passed by voters in 2018. Given increased assessed property values, SPS is developing a bond that will minimize the impact on property taxes for schools.

Both options continue the district's approach to modernizing or replacing a few old schools while making smaller improvements to keep all schools well maintained and updated with the latest security and technology.

ThoughtExchange Survey

T.E.A.M. Grant Updates

T.E.A.M. Grant is the parent-teacher group for Grant Elementary. We support the students and staff through various requests presented to the group. You can follow us on Facebook and Instagram. If you have any questions, please email teamgrant81@outlook.com.

The next T.E.A.M. Grant meeting is Tuesday, October 3, at 6:30 in the library. We would love to have you join us! Free childcare is available.

Husky Highlights

We have had a great start to the school year! Thank you to all of the parents who participated in Launch Conferences.

The Kindergarteners are settling in and learning every day!

Mrs. Cornmesser's classroom is looking forward to the new phonics curriculum. They are so excited they helped her separate the letters in preparation!

We are so happy with the new "flooring" on our playground.

Ms. Lipsker's class is all smiles as they return as big 1st graders this year!