GECKO GAZETTE
GRANT SCHOOL - SANTA MONICA
WEEK OF MARCH 13 - 19, 2023
Why is Women's History Month celebrated?
Women's History Month is a dedicated month to reflect on the often-overlooked contributions of women to United States history. From Abigail Adams to Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth to Rosa Parks, the timeline of women's history milestones stretches back to the founding of the United States.
~ IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER ~
Please review these important dates:
- Tuesday, March 14th: Volunteer Training on Zoom at 4:00 PM: click this link to join the training; Meeting ID: 844 8296 7574; Passcode: 588077; Please note that the COVID vaccine remains a requirement to volunteer in SMMUSD schools.
- Wednesday, March 15th: Grant Career Day
- Thursday, March 16th: Fire Drill #7 @ 9:00 AM
- Thursday, March 16th: 5th-Grade Parent Info Night at JAMS @ 6:00 - 7:30 PM
- Saturday, March 18th: Stairway of the Stars Concert @ Samohi: 4:00 PM
- Monday, March 20th: TK-5 SPRING STAR ELA & MATH ASSESSMENT WINDOW OPENS
- Monday, March 20th: Grant School Site Council Meeting @ 3:15 PM
- Tuesday, March 21st: FIELD TRIP: 2nd Grade to Morgan Wixon Theater
- Thursday, March 23rd: FIELD TRIP: 5th Grade to tour JAMS
- Thursday, March 23rd: FIELD TRIP: 4th Grade to La Brea Tar Pits
- Saturday, March 25th: GRANT STEAM EXPO! More info is coming soon!
- Monday, March 27th: NO SCHOOL - CESAR CHAVEZ HOLIDAY
- Friday, March 31st: MINIMUM DAY DISMISSAL: PRE-K/TK/KINDER @ 12:15 PM; Grades 1-5 @ 1:15 PM (DISTRICT DISCRETIONARY DAY)
- SPRING BREAK FROM MONDAY, APRIL 3RD - SUNDAY, APRIL 16TH
- Monday, April 17th: Classes Resume
- Wednesday, April 19th: FIELD TRIP: 2nd Grade: Topanga Canyon State Park: Murcia/Neumann
- Thursday, May 25th: Grant School Open House - Open House from 6:00 - 7:30 PM
- Thursday, May 25th: MINIMUM DAY DISMISSAL: PRE-K/TK/KINDER @ 12:15 PM; Grades 1-5 @ 1:15 PM (DISTRICT DAY)
~A MESSAGE FROM PRINCIPAL FUHRER~
Dear Grant Families,
I hope you are enjoying the weekend!
Last week was extremely busy in the Gecko Nation! On Tuesday, students participated in our annual Jogathon. We also held the first of, we hope, many Holi celebrations which is a holiday celebrated in India and many parts of Asia the coming of Spring and the triumph of good over evil. Both of these events demonstrated the incredible spirit of our Grant community. You can read more information about both of these events below. Special thanks to Samantha Sugar and Rachel Zucker for leading Jogathon! And a very special thanks to Nisha Mendelsohn and Aarti Porwal for introducing the Grant community to Holi and for coordinating the event!
The Grant Talent Show was also held this weekend and what a showcase of talent for our students! There were 60 acts in this year's show from our students in TK through 5th grade. This was a two-night event and both shows were sold out! A huge thank you to all of the parents who have spent countless hours coordinating this show for our students! Special thanks to a group of parents who have led the talent show for many years and are graduating from Grant this year. Kevin O'Donovan, Sarah Jane Barney, Mary Beth O'Donovan, Julie Hoskin, and David Sirh! These parents shared their hearts, souls, and labor to ensure the arts were supported at Grant! They will have our appreciation forever for what they have provided for the Grant community!
A couple of weeks ago I shared with you that March was a busy month! Well, March isn't done and neither are our events! This Wednesday is Grant Career Day! This is a beloved and traditional event that exposes our students to various careers they can strive to have one day. Parent Kelly Naylor has put together a very expansive roster of parents, civic and municipal workers, and community members to showcase their talent, skills, and the impact they have on society.
Also, our last big event of March is the STEAM Expo which will take place on Saturday, March 25th. Details of this fun and engaging event are below!
This week we will be implementing our updated security protocols. Between the hours of 7:00 and 8:00 AM and 3:00 and 6:10 PM, parents of students enrolled in childcare and after-school programs will have access to the front gate using a key card that is being issued to them. We started distributing these cards last week. We cannot implement the protocol until a majority of the cards have been issued. Please go to the main office as soon as possible to pick up your key card if you are eligible. I am scheduling Wednesday, March 15th as the first day of locking the front gate during the hours mentioned above. If you have any questions about how to get your card, please call or email the office immediately. Your cooperation with this is appreciated!
Finally, I would like to address a subject that is affecting school children across the nation, including students at Grant School. Regular attendance. Prior to the pandemic, Grant School students had an outstanding attendance record. Our chronic absentee rate was just 4% of the student population. While the challenges of the pandemic hindered student participation and attendance, we are finding that the chronic absentee rate has risen to an unacceptable level post-pandemic. Currently, Grant's chronic attendance rate is 25%! Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 10% or more of the total student instructional days. We know that there is a direct correlation between good attendance and success for children academically, socially, and emotionally. I cannot stress enough how important it is to have your child in school every day. When children are out of school they miss important foundational academic content and it becomes difficult to "catch up" with the class when they return. Even if a child is on an Independent Study contract and his or her teacher sends work to be completed on a trip, the instruction that is being delivered in person in the classroom is unmatched. On a side note, very few Independent Study contracts are approved in our secondary schools.
So what can you do? Please be sure to schedule any family trips during scheduled school district vacations. You can view the District's calendars here: SMMUSD CALENDARS. Also, remember to try and schedule any appointments after school, if possible. We understand that "life happens" but it is a collective responsibility to ensure that our students are engaged and learning and ready for the next level of their education. I do want to remind you that if your child is ill then we, of course, want them to stay home, rest, and get healthy. You can learn more about the importance of attendance here: THE IMPORTANCE OF ATTENDANCE. Finally, I want to give appreciation to Assistant Principal DW whom I have tasked with attendance this year. She has been doing a wonderful job of working with our families to provide them with strategies on how to improve attendance.
Have a great week, Geckos!
Best regards,
Christian Fuhrer
Principal
Grant School
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District
~JOGATHON WAS AMAZING!~
This year's Jogathon was amazing! This year we coupled Jogathon with the Holi holiday. Not only was the event healthy and fun but it was also educational!
THIS YEAR THE GRANT STUDENTS SHATTERED OUR ALL-TIME EVENT FUNDRAISING GOAL! THIS YEAR WE RAISED OVER $86,000!
LOOKS LIKE PRINCIPAL FUHRER AND ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS IPINA AND DW ARE GETTING SLIMED! THE SLIMING WILL TAKE PLACE ON THURSDAY, MARCH 30TH!
AND...for a limited time, we will be selling additional Jogathon t-shirts in youth and adult sizes. The deadline to order is Friday, March 17 and they will be delivered in April. Visit the PTA site below to order:
Thank you to Samantha Sugar and Rachel Zucker for coordinating this event. Event volunteers Anitia Sabine, Yvonne Kawano, Caitlin Moore, Kristin Flaxman, Mariah Kalmin, and Erika Bell. Also, a huge thank you to Amanda and William Robertson of DBL for sponsoring the event and donating the shirts for all students and staff. And certainly not last, DJs David Sirh and Vince Perata for providing the sound and music for the day.
~FIRST EVER HOLI CELEBRATION AT GRANT~
A very special Gecko Thank You to Aarti Porwal and Nisha Mendelsohn, for joining the Grant Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee and bringing this event to our community! Thank you to volunteers Erika Bell, Roksana Badkoubei, Olivia Donaldson, Connie Cohn, Ann Kelly, and Steve Atamian for working so hard on the day of the event!
And, of course, to David Sirh and Vince Perata for providing the beautiful traditional Indian music that all of the participants danced to during the celebration!
~TALENT SHOW~
~5TH GRADE MEMORY BOOK INFO~
~EXPLORING RESTORATIVE JUSTICE SEMINAR FOR PARENTS~
~GRANT READ-A-THON~
Read-A-Thon, 2/27/23 - 3/24/23
Our Read-a-Thon is underway and our Geckos have already logged over 730 hours! Students receive recognition and prizes for each reading log completed and turned in, with a chance to win grade-level prizes at the end of the event. Keep reading and turning in your logs!
~STEAM EXPO MARCH 25TH~
STEAM Expo, March 25th, 1:00-4:00 PM
SAVE THE DATE for Grant's STEAM Expo on Saturday, March 25th from 1:00-4:00 PM. This is a free, family-friendly event with hands-on experiments and activities that features bubbles, NASA, nitrogen ice cream, animals, and more! Come check out neat experiments with Science Made Fun, make creative art projects with reDiscover Center and The Magical Atelier, see our local SMPD and LA Lifeguards demonstrate their newest technology, & learn coding with Digital Dragons and DEVCON Kids.
Also, this event would not be possible without our parent and community volunteers. We have some stellar volunteer science projects this year -- please sign up for a volunteer slot here. If you have any questions, please email STEAMExpo@grantpta.org.
**Email on behalf of the SMMUSD Board of Education**
Superintendent Search – Spring 2023
The SMMUSD Board of Education is in the process of conducting an Executive Search for the District’s next Superintendent. Leadership Associates, an executive search firm, was selected to advise the school board in this important process.
Updates will be provided on this webpage throughout this process:
https://www.smmusd.org/SuperintendentSearch
Community Input Survey
The SMMUSD school board is asking for your help in selecting our next superintendent. To ensure this is a collaborative and inclusive process, the board is providing an anonymous online survey and encourages your participation. This is an opportunity to receive input from students, staff, parents, and community. Please follow the link below to provide your input.
This survey will be open from: March 6, 2023 to March 16, 2023, at 4 p.m.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How does the search process work?
The school board is working with Leadership Associates to conduct a rigorous, nationwide search. The board will seek, receive, consider and review all input from the community, review all candidate applications, interview those candidates determined by the board and select the new Superintendent.
2. When will the new Superintendent be hired?
The board approved and published a timeline reflecting these details. The timeline is linked below. These dates are subject to change as the search process continues.
3. How and when do parents and other stakeholders weigh-in?
The board will be soliciting input on the characteristics, experience, and skills desired in the next Superintendent via an online survey and stakeholder conference sessions.
4. When will the District share the collected input with the public?
All information gathered will be presented to the board and then compiled, summarized, and incorporated into the Superintendent Position Profile / Description, which will be published here following Board review.
5. Who will make the final selection?
By law, the Board is solely responsible for hiring the new Superintendent. The Board will seek, receive, and consider all input from the community, review all applications, interview those candidates determined by the Board, and select the new Superintendent.
6. How can the public follow this process?
Updates regarding the Superintendent search process will be posted here. The board will also provide updates at its regularly scheduled board meetings and future press releases.
7. Can we find out who is applying?
All application materials, including the names of applicants and any other personally identifiable information, are confidential under law.
~OVER THE COUNTER MEDICATION CONSENT~
YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THESE FORMS BELOW OR GET A COPY IN THE MAIN OFFICE.
~COMMUNITY EVENTS~
~ALL NEW GECKO WEAR AVAILABLE NOW!~
Show your Grant school spirit every Friday with ALL NEW Gecko Wear. Check out the new designs and items including hats, shirts, sweatshirts, and canvas tote bags!
These products are available for purchase by pre-ordering online: https://my.cheddarup.com/c/grant-gecko-wear
To review the Grant School policies and the SMMUSD Annual Notice Handbook please click the following links:
Please click the image to see a full-size schedule
Click to enlarge image below.
~EASY WAYS TO HELP GRANT SCHOOL~
~DROP OFF AND PICK UP PROCEDURES~
Safe Campus drop-off and pick-up procedures are outlined below.
As a reminder, all students in Grades Kindergarten through 5th grade will be dropped off at the main gate at the front of the school in the morning or at the pedestrian gate in the rear of the school and will be picked up at either the main gate or the Kindergarten yard. Your teacher will let you know where their specific pickup location is. If you are unsure, please ask.
*Please do not drive into the staff parking lot at either the front or the rear of the school to either drop off or pick up your child.
DROP-OFF and PICK-UP PROCEDURES
Preschool and TK Drop-off: Due to State law, all Preschool and Transitional Kindergarten students must be dropped off to their teacher. Preschool parents will continue to enter the campus at the main gates after checking in with the Campus Monitor, proceed to Room 59, and sign their child in with Ms. Reed. TK parents will walk their children to the Transitional Kindergarten yard where Ms. Herman and Ms. Cedillo will greet them each day.
Preschool and TK Pick-up: All Preschool parents will meet Ms. Reed at the main gates for dismissal. Students whose parents have not picked up their child at dismissal will check into the main office and then proceed to Room 59 to check their child out from Ms. Reed. All TK parents will enter the Kindergarten playground from the Pearl Street entrance at dismissal time and students will be checked out by Ms. Herman and Ms. Cedillo.
Kindergarten Drop-off: Kindergarten students will be dropped off by their parent or guardian at the gate next to Room 2 beginning at 8:00 AM M-F. Students will walk to the Kindergarten playground where they will be met by a teacher or Campus Monitor. Students enrolled in SAP will be walked to their classrooms by SAP personnel.
Kindergarten Pick-up: Kindergarten students will be picked up by going through the Pearl Street Kinder gate at dismissal at 1:45 PM. Teachers will be at their classroom doors to greet parents and guardians. No Kinder student will be released to anyone other than a parent/guardian or emergency contact. Students enrolled in SAP will be picked up by SAP personnel in their classrooms.
Grades 1 – 5 Drop-off: All students in grades 1 – 5 will be dropped off by their parent or guardian at the main gate in front of the school or at the 24th Street gate each morning. Students will enter the school and walk to the playground where they will be supervised by a Grant School Teacher, Campus Monitor, or Administrator. Drop-off will begin at 8:00 AM every day.
The start-of-school warning bell will sound at 8:25 AM. The final bell will sound at 8:30 AM. Students in grade 1 will walk to their lineup on the big map on the playground where their teacher will meet them and walk them to the classroom. Students in Grade 2 will walk to their lineup behind their classroom where their teacher will meet them. Students in grades 3 – 5 will line up in front of their classroom where their teacher will meet them.
Grades 1 – 3 Pick-up: Students in Grades 1 – 3 will be dismissed each day according to the bell schedule above. Teachers will walk students to the main gate at the front of the school where parents will meet their children at this time. Students in Grades 1 – 3 who are enrolled in an afterschool program, such as CREST or PTA enrichment classes, or Playground Club, will walk or be walked to the lunch tables where their program teacher will meet them.
Grades 4 – 5 Pick-up: Students in Grades 4 and 5 will be dismissed each day at 2:55 PM. Students will exit the campus either from the main gates or the 24th Street gate at the rear of the school. Students who are enrolled in an afterschool program, such as CREST or PTA enrichment classes, or Playground Club, will walk to the lunch tables where their program teacher will meet them.
Early Dismissal Procedures: Wednesday drop-off and pick-up procedures are the same as those during regular school days but will follow the Wednesday bell schedule. Please see the new bell schedule ABOVE.
SAP Drop-off: All students enrolled in SAP before-school care will be dropped off in Room 4. Drop-off begins at 7:00 AM.
Breakfast Club: Students who participate in the Grant Breakfast Club will still arrive at school under the same procedures as all students. Parents will drop their children off at the main gates by 8:00 AM so that there is ample time to eat and walk to their classrooms by 8:30 AM. Preschool, TK, and Kinder students will continue to be accompanied by a parent or guardian to Breakfast Club if the parent so chooses.
New Security System
Grant is very fortunate to have had new security systems installed over the last couple of years. In addition to new security cameras around the entire perimeter and interior of the school, we now have a new secure fence in the front courtyard equipped with a camera and buzzer. All visitors during and after school hours must be buzzed into the school by pushing the button on the panel. Once permitted entrance, all visitors must go immediately to the main office to receive a visitors' badge.
Raptor Security System
The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District will use the Raptor visitor management system to strengthen our campus safety programs for students and staff. All schools currently have this system installed.
An important aspect of keeping students and staff safe is for site staff to know who is on our campuses at all times. The Raptor system achieves this interest as it allows office staff to screen visitors, contractors, and volunteers, in our schools and provides us with a safer environment for students, staff, and approved volunteers.
Upon entering campus, visitors will be asked to present identification such as a driver’s license, which can either be scanned or manually entered into the system. If a parent or guardian does not have a US government-issued identification, for any reason, the visitor may submit an alternative form of identification for school staff to enter into the Raptor system.
The Raptor system checks the visitor's name and date of birth for comparison with a national database of registered sex offenders. The registered sex offender database is the only official database checked by the Raptor system. No other data from the identification is gathered or recorded and the information is not shared with any outside agency. The Raptor system will check to ensure that registered sexual offenders are not allowed on our campuses. Once entry is approved, Raptor will issue a badge that identifies the visitor, the date, and the purpose of his/her visit. A visitor’s badge will not be necessary for those who visit our schools simply to drop off an item at the front gate.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND COOPERATION IN KEEPING OUR STUDENTS AND STAFF SAFE!
~COMMUNITY RESOURCES for FAMILIES~
*Some events and resources not sponsored by or affiliated with the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District.
+Algunos eventos no están patrocinados o afiliados al Distrito Escolar Unificado de Santa Monica-Malibu
GRANT SCHOOL ~ A CALIFORNIA DISTINGUISHED SCHOOL
~GRANT SCHOOL NAMED A 2020 TOP LA COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL FOR CLOSING THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP FOR LOW-INCOME AFRICAN-AMERICAN STUDENTS~
~GRANT RANKED AS A TOP TWO SANTA MONICA SCHOOL~
~ GRANT SCHOOL IS A CERTIFIED COMMON SENSE MEDIA SCHOOL ~
~TRANSLATION OPTION INTO 100 LANGUAGES!~
~ ¡NUEVA OPCIÓN DE TRADUCCIÓN A 100 IDIOMAS! ~
Para leer la Gaceta Gecko en otro idioma, mire a la derecha del boletín y haga clic en "TRADUCIR EL BOLETÍN". ¡Ahora puede elegir entre 100 idiomas!
~ በ 100 ቋንቋዎች ውስጥ አዲስ የትርጓሜ ምርጫ! ~
የጌኮ ጋዜጣ በሌላ ቋንቋ ለማንበብ እባክዎን በራሪ ወረቀቱ በስተቀኝ በኩል ይመልከቱ እና “የትርጉም ጽሑፍ” ን ጠቅ ያድርጉ ፡፡ አሁን ከ 100 ቋንቋዎች መምረጥ ይችላሉ!