Principal's Letter

Hello Grant Families,

Spokane Public Schools subscribes to two results-based computer programs to meet elementary students where they are in their reading and mathematics journeys. Dreambox (math) and Lexia (reading) learn from your students’ successes and errors and adjusts the program to meet their individual needs.

Our Grant teachers are working on setting goals in Lexia and Dreambox with students. Right now, we are incentivizing students with rewards and prizes when they complete their goals in Lexia. Each time a child meets their goals their teacher gives them a red ticket. Red tickets are put in grade level baskets and Mr. Gessler draws tickets for prizes each week! Our students are working so hard to get their Lexia minutes in and are so excited to see their progress! Be sure to ask your student about their goals and progress in Lexia.

Love,

Mrs. Searcy

Principal, Grant Elementary

Calendar at a Glance

Dec 8 4:30 Choir Caroling through South Perry businesses

Dec 11 9:30 Late Start Monday (breakfast begins at 9:10)

Dec 11 3:00 Drummers & Dancers practice

Dec 12 Butter Braids Delivery day (NEW DATE!)

Dec 12 3:00 Choir practice

Dec 12 5:30 LC Community Event: Boys' Basketball Game

Dec 13 4:30 KSPS PBS Family Holiday Night

Dec 14 3:00 Indigenous After School Club

Dec 18 9:30 Late Start Monday (breakfast begins at 9:10)

Dec 18 1:00 Primary PBIS Carnival

Dec 18 2:00 Intermediate PBIS Carnival

Dec 18 Drummers & Dancers practice

Dec 19 3:00 Choir practice

Dec 21 First Day of Winter

Dec 21 6:00 Kindergarten Winter Concert

Dec 22 10:00 Citizen of the Month Assembly

Dec 25-Jan 5 Winter Break

Upcoming Events (more information to come)

Jan 9 Reading Challenge Calendars due

Jan 15 NO SCHOOL-Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Jan 25-26 NO SCHOOL-Elementary Progress Conferences

Caroling in South Perry

Our choir will be caroling through the South Perry businesses this afternoon (Friday, December 8) at 4:30 spreading holiday cheer for all to hear! If you happen to see them in the neighborhood, give them a jolly shout!

Kindergarten Winter Concert

Our Kindergarteners will be performing some of the music they have learned for family and friends on Thursday, December 7, at 6:00 PM.

December Reading Challenge

Winter is a wonderful time to snuggle up with a good book. Make sure your student is working toward their reading goal to earn a FREE Pizza Hut Book It pizza! Reading calendars will be due when we return from Winter Break.

Congratulations!

Congratulations to our Classes of the Month! These classrooms had the best attendance during the month of November. They earned a cheese quesadilla from Zack with the Good Dilla food truck!

Overall: Mrs. Cornmesser

Primary: Mrs. Williams

Intermediate: Ms. Kim

Congratulations to Ms. Kim and Mrs. Kestell's classrooms for earning 150 yellow paws! These classrooms get to have an extra PE for their awesome behavior. Yellow paws are given to classrooms when they are meeting ABC expectations.

Hello Grant families,

Our students are the BEST! It is such a joy to see them learn and grow throughout the year and to celebrate their accomplishments. Our amazing school PBIS team is currently working on exciting plans to celebrate as a whole school! 😊

The holidays are quickly approaching, and we recognize that this time of year can be challenging for families. While holiday support is not guaranteed, we will do our best to connect families who reach out to us for support with holiday resources as they are available.

Please complete the survey using the link or QR code to let us know the holiday supports that would be most beneficial for your family this year.

https://forms.office.com/r/Rw5K52km7m

This month we are finishing our final classroom counseling lessons for this trimester of the counseling program. These lessons focus on exploring different careers and dreaming about what students might like to do for work when they grow up! It is so fun to hear their ideas and to explore different careers that they may not have previously thought about. The future is bright with this amazing group!

Career exploration will continue for our 5th grade students in the spring when they have the opportunity to attend a district wide career fair! It will be so much fun for students to meet community organizations and learn about different careers paths through a fun hands-on learning experience! More information to come on this in the spring.

Please stay warm and be safe in the winter weather!

Proud to be a Husky!

Love,

Ms. Campbell & Mr. Pride

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 several ways to sign up: Scan the QR code, follow this link, or come to the office to get a hard copy.

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

Tuesdays: Choir

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

Upcoming Free Family Events

T.E.A.M. Grant Updates

Thank you to all of the students and staff who sold Butter Braids! We made just over $1000 because of your willingness to go out and support us through this fundraiser. These funds will go back to support our students and staff at Grant!

PLEASE NOTE DELIVERY DATE CHANGE: If you sold 8 or more Butter Braids, please remember to pick up your orders on Tuesday, December 12. If you sold 7 or less, they will be send home with your student.

Attendance Line

Whenever your student will be absent from school, we ask that you call our Attendance Line to report the absence. Remember to include your name, your student's name, and the reason for the absence. You can save the number in your phone for quick and easy access! The number is 509-354-2818 and is available 24 hours a day.

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.

What's For Breakfast or Lunch?

Breakfast and Lunch menus are always available online. All students eat free thanks to the Community Eligibility Provision Program.

Students who would like to have a second entree, known as a super, can put money on their Nutrition Services account. The cost of a super is $2.00. Your student can bring cash to the office or you can use your credit or debit card online or on the MySchoolBucks app.

Bussing Reminders

Zum is the new transportation company for Spokane Public Schools. Zum is committed to safe, reliable student transportation.

Students who qualify to ride the bus must be registered. Once registered, students will receive a bus pass to scan when they get on and off the bus. If a student loses their bus pass, parents can call the school office to order a new one. Register to ride the bus here . You must know your student's ID number and birthdate to register.

Parents are encouraged to download the Zum app on their phones which provides the following benefits:

view your student's upcoming rides
track your student's rides in real time and receive alerts when the bus is arriving
get notifies when your student gets on and off the bus
cancel your student's same-day and upcoming rides
view driver and vehicle information for your ride
chat with a live support agent
rate your ride and provide Zum feedback

For more information, please visit ridezum.com/getstarted.

Free Preschool Available at Grant

We have a few openings left in our preschool program for both morning and afternoon sessions. If you have a 3 or 4 year old and are interested in learning more, please contact our Family Support Specialist at 509-354-2774 or email her at CelinaH@spokaneschools.org.

Husky Highlights

Congratulations to November's Citizens of the Month! These students were selected for having displayed the Purposefull People character trait of Gratitude. Way to go, Huskies, we are so very proud of you!

Kindergarten: Amira, Tyliek, Victor, Samahir, Kristabella

1st Grade: Wyatt, Emilio, Nadine, Darren, Ian

2nd Grade: Scarlette, Emily, Adrian, Hayley, Miakoda, Casey

3rd Grade: Fabian, Tobias, Steven

4th Grade: Alyssa, Evelyn, Sophia, Rosie, Alinton, Esther, Kaidence

5th Grade: Kyler, Tian, Armanie, Traevion

Above and Beyond: Rahel

The first snowfall made for magical moments with rosy cheeks and happy hearts at recess.

Our preschool classrooms are enjoying our sensory room. Leaning is fun!

Ms. Kim's class had a fun time learning through hands on activities on their field trip to Mobius Discovery Center!

The first session of our EWU Reading clinic was a huge success. Our last time together for fall was December 6th. Students had fun while strengthening their reading and writing skills. Thank you to our Eastern Washington University pre-service teachers and their professor, Ashely Lepisi, for once again creating a fabulous learning experience for Grant students.

More information coming soon about our winter session!

Sacajawea Middle School brought their music program to Grant to share some festive cheer. It was so great to see some former Grant students and listen to some merry holiday sounds from the band, orchestra, and choir.