Principal's Letter

Hello Grant Families,

I had such a great time connecting with so many of you at student conferences these past couple of days. We have seen so much growth in our students these past few months, getting to celebrate with kids and their families is always so cool. 98% of our families scheduled a conference and over 90% of you actually attended conferences. Thank you so much for investing in your student’s education and partnering with us at Grant.

We love you!

Love,

Mrs. Searcy

Principal, Grant Elementary

Bond & Levy Information

Spokane Public Schools is running a bond and levy this winter. The bond includes replacements for Madison and Adams elementary schools, modernizations for North Central High School and Garry Middle School, upgrades to Chase Middle School, design work for Balboa and Indian Trail elementary schools, upgrades to some of our option programs, safety and technology improvements and updates to buildings and facilities district-wide. The levy supports programs and positions not fully funded by the state, including teachers for lower class size, AP classes and highly capable programs, special education services, nursing services, library services, schools support staff, all extracurricular activities including sports, clubs, and the arts, and more. Learn more at spokaneschools.org/bondlevy2024 and remember to vote by February 13.

Calendar at a Glance

Jan 29 9:30 Late Start Monday (breakfast begins at 9:10)

Jan 29 3:00 Drummers & Dancers practice

Jan 30 3:00 Choir practice

Jan 31 1:00 Citizen of the Month assembly

Jan 31 3:00 EWU Reading Club begins

Feb 1 Reading Challenge Calendars due

Feb 2 NO SCHOOL-Semester Break Day

Feb 5 9:30 Late Start Monday (breakfast begins at 9:10)

Feb 5 3:00 Drummers & Dancers practice

Feb 6 3:00 Choir practice

Feb 6 6:30 T.E.A.M. Grant meeting

Feb 7-15 ASB Valentine's Fundraiser

Feb 7 3:00 EWU Reading Club

Feb 7 3:00 Ceramics Club begins

Feb 8 4:30 KSPS PBS Family Night

Feb 10 10:00 PBS Future Day at On Track Academy 4091 N Regal St)

Upcoming Events (more information to come)

Feb 11-17 Random Acts of Kindness Week

Feb 12 100th Day of School (1000th Day of School for 5th Graders)

Feb 13 Election Day-Remember to vote!

Feb 19 NO SCHOOL-Presidents Day

Don't Forget: Wear your PE Shoes!

We are seeing an increase in the number of students who are forgetting to bring their PE shoes on PE days. Shoes with laces make for a fun time in PE! Please talk with your student about responsibility and putting those PE shoes on or putting them in their backpack before coming to school. Thank you for your support!

No School

There will be no school on Friday, February 2. It is Semester Break day. Enjoy your 3 day weekend!

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Mrs. Smith's classroom, they have earned 150 Yellow Paws!

January Reading Challenge

We currently have 2 Reading Challenges for your student to participate in! Our January Reading Challenge is in full swing! Make sure to read daily and to fill out your January calendar. Calendars are due Thursday, February 1.

Grant has also been selected to participate in Silverwood Theme Park's Read 2 Ride challenge! If students read 600 minutes by March 22, they will earn a FREE ticket to Silverwood Theme Park to use this summer. Parents, please make sure to sign the reading log and mark whether you want your ticket emailed or printed.

Hello Grant families,

It was great to see all of you for conferences! We love celebrating all of the amazing learning your student has done so far this year!

Purposeful People: Tier 2 Groups

If your student was nominated to participate in a small group, you should have received a permission form with more information during your child’s conference. If you were unable to attend, we will send the form home with your student.

Our MTSS and Counseling teams are currently working to build and schedule group times. The first round of groups is set to begin in February. A second round of group sessions may be implemented, if needed. During group students will learn and practice important life skills that focus on one of four areas: coping skills, emotional regulation, self-management, or relationship skills. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Mr. Pride or myself via email at sierraca@spokaneschools.org and jordanpr@spokaneschools.org or you can call (509) 354-2798 and (509) 354-2777.

February is upon us! Our Purposeful People Character Trait for the month of February is Honesty. One way to think about Honesty is “being truthful in what you say and do.” Practicing Honesty helps strengthen our relationships and reduce stress. Honesty is 1 of 3 traits we will focus on throughout the year that helps students Be Well. Throughout the school, students will be developing skills like emotion regulation, positive self-talk, and stress-management.

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

Wednesdays: EWU Reading Club (starting January 31), Ceramics (starting February 7)

Thursdays: Indigenous Afterschool Club (for American Indian or Alaska Native students, 3rd Thursday of the month), Young Kids Club (starting February 8)

Upcoming Free Family Event

Sign-up for the PBS Family Night Here

T.E.A.M. Grant Updates

Our next T.E.A.M. Grant meeting is Tuesday, February 6, at 6:30 pm. There is free childcare available and we would love you have you join us!

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 notifications 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

Our 4th & 5th grade students recently enjoyed a field trip to Eastern Washington University to watch a women's basketball game. Grant had a special connection to one of the players, Jacinta Buckley. Jacinta attended Grant in elementary school. It was so fun to watch our students celebrate the Lady Eagles!

Learning the months of the year is fun! Ms. Allison's class loves their time with Ms. Owen, our Science Specialist!

Mrs. Kestell's class had GREAT behavior at Library and earned an extra recess in the snow!

Mrs. Porche's class celebrated their yellow paws by reading with stuffies and then some hot chocolate!

4th and 5th grade students participated in the early rounds of the 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee. All fourth and fifth graders were given a spelling test to earn their place in the School Spelling Bee. The top 20 spellers competed in the School Spelling Bee in front of an audience of their classmates and family members.

Congratulations to Grant's top spellers: Lotte - third place, Sella - second place, and Violet - first place.

Violet will now complete an online spelling and vocabulary test in the hopes of qualifying for the Regional Spelling Bee.