Dear Graden Families,

As we move into November, it is very important for me to thank each of you for always supporting Graden and myself. Our students have shown amazing growth in each academic area. I am so proud to walk the halls of Graden and see our students highly engaged in learning opportunities, and I feel very fortunate to be a small part in their educational journeys. Thank you for sharing your students with us each and every day.

We completed our Fun Run on Friday, October 14th!!! Thank you for all of the support we received during the week. Each and every single day we had students come into school excited to learn about the new character trait, and they were even more excited for each of the themed days and all of the fun celebrations.

Thank you so much for all of your donations. We raised $10,000. I am very excited to continue to bring in amazing cultural arts assemblies for our Interest Group days.

It was so much fun having families join us for our Fall parties on Friday, October 28th, during the day. I also loved seeing all of our students dressed up during our 2nd annual Trunk or Treat. Our amazing Student Leadership Team worked hard to put on such a fun event. Thank you for joining us. I hope you had a wonderful time!

We are so excited to see each of you for Parent/Teacher Conferences on Wednesday, November 2nd, and Thursday, November 3rd. Our teachers cannot wait to share information regarding your child's growth and development over that past few months of school. Our goal is to have 100% attendance at Parent/Teacher Conferences. If you are not able to make your scheduled time or if you cannot find a time that works with your schedule, please reach out to your classroom teacher to reschedule or select a different date and time. As a reminder, we will not have school on Thursday, November 3rd, as teachers will be in conferences all day, and we will not have school Friday, November 4th. Mark these dates on your calendar.

Our November PTA meeting is tonight, Tuesday, November 1st, at 6:00 pm in the Graden library. These nights are times for parents and family members to come together and learn more about the school as well as create opportunities for families to become more involved. If you are interested in participating in a PTA meeting, please join us.

Students will be out of school Wednesday, November 23rd, through Friday, November 25th, in observance of Thanksgiving. I hope you are able to cherish these days off with your family.

Upcoming Dates:

Tuesday, November 1st: PTA Meeting - 6:00 pm

Wednesday, November 2nd: 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm Parent/Teacher Conferences

Thursday, November 3rd: NO SCHOOL - Parent/Teacher Conferences 12:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Friday, November 4th: No School

Wednesday, November 9th: Early Release - 2:00 pm

Wednesday, November 9th - Minsky's Pizza Night

Wednesday, November 23rd - Friday, November 25th: NO SCHOOL

*** The Scholastic Book Fair will be open each day of conferences. As a reminder, students must be accompanied by an adult at the book fair.

As the weather changes, we will continue to have outdoor recess. Please send student to school prepared to be outside for recess with a jacket.

Early release days will be on Wednesdays for the 2022-23 school year. Dismissal on early release days begins at 2:00 pm.

Every early release day will be Interest Group Day at Graden. All students will engage in a cultural arts assembly and students will join interest groups to participate in an activity of high interest to them. I am thrilled to share that ALL assemblies and interest groups will be in-person this year.

Below you will find the early release schedule and the assembly themes:

2022-23 Early Release Days:

Wednesday, November 9th - Stand up to Bullying

Wednesday, December 7th - Sonnet Man

Wednesday, January 4th

Wednesday, February 1st

Wednesday, March 1st

Wednesday, April 5th

Wednesday, May 3rd

Please communicate with your classroom teacher and the office if you have alternate transportation on early release days.

We have a Graden Buzz Book with student contact information that you can receive if you sign up for PTA. Sign up for PTA online today. Once you sign up, a Buzz Book will be provided to you.

It’s been a wonderful quarter of learning and happiness in our hive! I hope your start to Fall has been nothing short of wonderful. I am really looking forward to seeing you all at conferences and Parent Education Night! Visit the Graden Counseling Website for monthly counseling newsletters, community resources, and parent referral forms, as well as several other fun resources to cultivate social and emotional development. I have also attached a direct link to the November Counseling Newsletter below. As always, I am available to chat via email, phone, or in person. (YAY!) You can reach me by email at cetolac@parkhill.k12.mo.us or via phone at 816-359-5647. Happy Fall to you and yours!

We are so excited for our 2nd annual Merry Mart! If you are interested in being a vendor or know of someone who sells a “must have” item for the holiday season, please feel free to share the link. Mark your calendar for this event and be watching for more information in the coming weeks!

PTA loved getting to support the teachers & staff with the October Fall Parties and Pop-Up treats! It has also been so fun seeing students have a blast with the Silent Auction winner events, like Movie Night and classroom Popcorn Parties! Our River Run Roller Skating and Chipotle Fundraiser Nights were a huge success- thank you to all who participated!

We have a busy November coming up with Conference Meals and Thanksgiving Treats to show our teachers and staff how thankful we are for them! We value your feedback- please help us learn and grow by taking this 2 min PTA Parent Survey!

Important Dates:

· Nov. 1 – PTA Meeting at 6 p.m. in the Graden library, childcare provided!

· Nov. 2 – PTA Conference Meal Teachers & Staff 4:00-5:00 p.m. in the Gym!

· Nov. 2/3 – Conferences!

· Nov. 9 – Minsky's Night! 20% of all proceeds go back to Graden!

· Nov. 16 – "Pop-up" snack cart for Graden staff!

· Nov. 22 – THANKFUL Coffee Bar/Pastries for teachers and staff 8:00-9:00 a.m.

· Dec. 7 – Culver's Night! Come eat, hang with friends, and give back to Graden! Volunteers Needed - Sign up here!

Connect with us on Facebook to see our upcoming events and learn how you can get involved with PTA.

Graden PTA Board Members:

Hayley Cooper, President

Emily Miller, Vice President

Lindsay Ramon, Secretary

Maggie Wright, Treasurer

Jessica Freels, Parliamentarian

2022-23 PTA Meeting Dates

Tuesday, November 1st, 2022

Tuesday, December 6th, 2022- Dr. Kimbrel, Superintendent visit

Tuesday, January 10th, 2023

Tuesday, February 7th, 2023

Tuesday, March 7th, 2023

Tuesday, April 4th, 2023

Tuesday, May 2nd, 2023