GECKO GAZETTE
GRANT SCHOOL - SANTA MONICA
WEEK OF MAY 2 - 8, 2022
- Monday - Bring a flower 🌻
- Tuesday - Morning beverage for your teacher ☕
- Wednesday - Replenish School Supplies ✏
- Thursday - Lunch for your Teacher 🌮
- Friday - Make a homemade Thank You Card or video for your teacher! 💝
~ IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER ~
Please review these important dates:
- MAY 2 - 5: STAFF APPRECIATION WEEK!
- Monday, 2/5 - Thursday, 5/5: CAASPP Testing: English/Language Arts: Grades 3, 4, 5
- Wednesday, May 4th: ELAC Meeting at 8:45 AM in the Auditorium
- Thursday, May 5th: *Rescheduled from 4/18* School Site Council Meeting - 3:15 PM - Zoom Link to Meeting; Meeting ID: 836 7550 8240; Passcode: 749448
- Saturday, May 7th: Grant Parent Spring Gala Event!
- Monday, 5/9 - Thursday, 5/12: CAASPP Testing: Mathematics: Grades 3, 4, 5
- Thursday, May 12th: 5th Grade Parent/Student Transition Meeting with JAMS Principal Dr. Richardson - 6:00 PM in the Grant Auditorium
- Santa Monica Education Foundation Wine Auction is May 15th at the Fairmont! Buy tickets here >>>>> https://e.givesmart.com/events/nKe/
- MONDAY, MAY 16 - FRIDAY, MAY 20: BIKE IT! WALK IT! WEEK! LET'S GET THAT GOLDEN SNEAKER BACK TO GRANT!
- Tuesday, May 17th: JOGATHON! A flyer went home with the students on Friday.
- Wednesday, May 18th: Grant PTA General Meeting at 6:30 PM - Last PTA meeting of the year!
- MAY 20 - 27: SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR!
- Wednesday, May, May 25th: School Tour for Prospective Grant Families - 9:00 AM in person
- Thursday, May 26th: Open House ~ Details coming soon~
- Thursday, May 26th: Minimum Day for Open House - All Grades
- Monday, May 30th: MEMORIAL DAY - NO SCHOOL
- Thursday, June 9th: LAST DAY OF THE SCHOOL YEAR ~ MINIMUM DAY
~GRANT SPRING 2022 GALA!~
~Grant’s 2022 Heavy “Metal” Gala!~
THERE IS STILL TIME TO PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS TO THIS FUN ANNUAL EVENT!
THIS VENUE IS ALL OUTDOORS~
Metallic and Heavy Metal Outfits… all kinds of music from our amazing DJ.
NEW LOCATION —> FULLY OUTDOOR VENUE!
Date: May 7, 2022
Time: 6-10 pm
Location: 2121 S Lincoln Boulevard, Venice, CA 90291
We encourage you to Uber/Lyft or metro. Limited street parking is available near the venue.
Price: $60 per person (adults only)
Please consider making an extra donation or covering the cost for a Grant teacher or staff member.
Event Details
About the event: Fun, eclectic picture-worthy outdoor venue. Full open bar for the duration of the event. Enjoy your favorite mixed drinks, wine, beer, and non-alcoholic beverages. This will be a catered event with food by Casablanca Restaurant. Round out the evening with an amazing DJ plus a silent auction.
This is a chance to meet your Grant community of parents and staff and enjoy a much-needed night out.
*Event will follow all current Los Angeles COVID protocols.
Silent Auction:
If you have an item for our silent auction please reach out to Stephanie Covington at hospitality@grantpta.org.
Event Questions:
Please reach out to Samantha Sugar at execvp@grantpta.org
Check out our event page here: https://www.grantpta.org/grantgala
~SMMUSD State of Our Schools Livestream Event “Emerging Stronger” May 2, 2022~
Parents, staff, students and community members are invited to attend the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District’s State of Our Schools event, Emerging Stronger, on Monday, May 2, 2022 at 5:30 p.m. via livestream: https://bit.ly/SMMUSDsosEvent050222
Join Superintendent Dr. Ben Drati, Board of Education, district leadership, teachers, parents and students to celebrate the accomplishments of this school year, plus get a sneak peak at what is in store for the 2022-23 school year.
“The past two years have been a challenge and our teachers and staff have risen to the occasion and continued to provide a high-quality education to our students, while also minding the social-emotional wellbeing of our students,” said Dr. Drati. “We have continued to see successful student outcomes as we focus on all aspects of the whole child, with additional attention provided to our most vulnerable and at-promise students.”
We celebrate our students, staff, and parents who have persevered and built resilience as we emerge stronger from the pandemic that changed our lives and changed our daily school routines.
SMMUSD officials will share updates on academics, mental health and wellness, facility improvements, sustainability, COVID response, visual and performing arts, athletics, early learning, special education, American cultures and ethnic studies, social justice, project-based learning, career technical education, science, technology, engineering, art, math (STEAM) and other programs.
“We have a lot to be thankful for and much to celebrate,” said Dr. Drati. “We are emerging stronger together.”
The event will be recorded and posted on www.smmusd.org a few days following the event.
Spanish interpretation live: https://bit.ly/SMMUSDElEstadoEscuelas050222
~GRANT MATH OLYMPIAD TEAMS COMPETED THIS WEEKEND~
Congratulations to Grant’s Math Olympiad participants! On Saturday, April 30th, our 4th-grade team and our two 5th-grade teams met at Grant and competed against 27 other teams in a Zoom tournament hosted by Culver City’s Linwood Howe Elementary School.
The Grant team members were Emily Canale, Nathan Pust, Chloe Beekman, Liam Gillespie-Breslo, David Ong, Lorenzo Borgia, Sofia Ugarteche, Anara Sabine, Irene Lee, Jade Martinez, Arjun Srivastava, Sean Kagiwada, Josh Weil, Matteo Davila, Jack Stewart, and Bryce Gross, and alternates ready to fill in if needed, Emi Moriyama, Josie Cho, and Ruby O’Donovan.
A special acknowledgment goes to Lorenzo Borgia for winning Silver and to Irene Lee for winning Bronze in the Individual Event!
Thank you to our students for all of your hard work, and to the parents for getting your children to school for those early morning practice sessions and for joining us for the tournament results!
A special GECKO THANK YOU to our Math Olympiad Coaches, Ms.Croft, Ms. Ware, and Ms. Kooy!! Our students are lucky to have these amazing educators and mentors!
~JOGATHON 2022: GECKOS TAKE FLIGHT! HELP US SOAR!!~
PLEDGESTAR IS OPEN NOW!
Date: May 17, 2022 - Parents WILL be invited to attend this year
Time: Timing will be distributed by end of the week and will align with grade PE times.
Goal: Our goal is to raise $85,000 for our school. Together, as a team, we can achieve this goal!
Top Prizes: iFly indoor skydiving, Universal Studios, Knott's Berry Farm plus many more!!
Top Fundraising Grade wins a field trip to Clover Park.
When we hit $65,000 we get to slime Principal Fuhrer!
If you would like to sponsor or get involved or have questions please reach out to Samantha Sugar at execvp@grantpta.org
~THE GRANT TALENT SHOW WAS A SUCCESS!~
There was such an amazing show of talent and the students and families all had a great time!
A HUGE GECKO THANK YOU TO ALL OF THE COORDINATORS AND VOLUNTEERS WHO SPENT COUNTLESS HOURS CREATING THIS YEAR'S EVENT!
Kevin O’Donovan
Julie Hoskin
Sarah Jane Barney
David Sirh
Sarah Ge
Emily Dawe
Reem Al-Zahawi
Lauren Coroy
Emily Dawe
Elysia Lippman
Susan Kucera
Jenna Guggenheim
Rachel Ketai
Dika Chartoff
Calum Hurwitz
Jill Cipresso
Katie Stanton
Leona Mason
Annie Maldonada
Kiran Srivastava
Soledad Ugarteche
Jordan Allen-Dutton
Michelle Martinez
Sarah Gallagher
Kelly Naylor
Joanna Carroll
Anita Famili
Jamie Levy
Nisha Mendelsohn
Amber Staples
Laura Kachergus
Danelle Piippo
Sarah Gallagher
Amanda Robertson
Adam Cohen
Michal Oberlander
Tiffany Espinosa
Veronica Morena
Amy Chapman
Brian Morena
~Seeking Volunteers for Our Book Fair Committee!~
Dear Parents and Families,
The Scholastic Book Fair will be at our school from May 20 – May 27 and we will have special evening hours during Open House.
Volunteers are the motivators to help any Book Fair become a success. We hope that you share with us your skills to help students discover the power of reading by joining the Book Fair Committee.
If you have some time to help us plan or conduct our next Book Fair, please complete the form below and circle the areas where you would like to help out. Send the form back to Ms. Wolfe. You can email it or leave it in the office.
This book fair funds the purchase of Scholastic News Magazines for all Grant students.
Sincerely,
Ms. Wolfe
Elementary Library Coordinator and Book Fair Co-Chairperson
pwolfe@smmusd.org 310-450-7651 x63152
~GRANT SCHOOL RANKED #2 IN SANTA MONICA AND #56 IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA!~
~SMMUSD Registration for Preschool, Transitional Kindergarten and Kindergarten Now Available~
If you missed the TK/Kindergarten Roundup last week the link will be posted on the Grant School website under "About Us" and then "Presentations". The link to the video will be posted on Monday, January 31st.
~HELP NEEDED IN THE LIBRARY~
The library needs volunteers to assist with shelving, book repair, book processing and other tasks. If you have a few minutes at drop off/pick up or larger chunks of time please email or call Ms. Wolfe and let her know when you are available. There are no restrictions anymore you just need to be up to date with your volunteer training. The next Volunteer Training is on Monday, March 28th at 4:30 PM. See the information above.
Book Fair Committee Needed! I am looking for a few parents to run the book fair in May. Our spring fair is scheduled from May 20 - May 27. We will need a crew to handle set up, volunteer recruitment and schedule, daily operations, class previews, breakdown and decorations. Contact Ms. Wolfe 310-450-7651 x63152 or pwolfe@smmusd.org
~PARENT VOLUNTEERS NOW PERMITTED TO WORK IN THE CLASSROOMS!~
Great news! We are now at the point where we can have our parents volunteer in the classroom again! It's been two years since we have benefited from our parents' helpful participation in the classroom. The District has now cleared us to proceed.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
Parent volunteers must be fully vaccinated and boosted just like as are District staff. We consider regular volunteers to be like employees (unpaid unfortunately!).
- Parents must prove vaccination at the office prior to volunteering. Parents may not skip this step.
- Parent volunteers must have their volunteer clearance. If you are unsure of their volunteer clearance status then you can contact Roshanak Ighani in the main office (righani@smmusd.org).
- All parents must follow all the rules of the school and District.
- Volunteers must always check into the office before their "shift".
- Teachers and parents will be responsible for arranging volunteer days and times in classes.
Please note that not all teachers are ready to have parent volunteers in the classroom at this time. Contact your child's teacher to see if she is ready.
The next volunteer training Principal Fuhrer will be offering will be Monday, March 28th at 4:30 PM on Zoom. Please share this date and time with any parent that may need this training.
Let us know if you have any questions about volunteering! Thank you in advance for your efforts!
GO GECKOS!
~Additional Important Information re: COVID Protocols~
Community Vaccine Clinics: Our community partner, City of Santa Monica, is offering three upcoming vaccine clinics in Santa Monica. Everyone, regardless of your office/site location, may register. Adults and youth aged 5+ are encouraged to be up to date on COVID-19 vaccines. Here is the direct link: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=rirpx2Xf30ueH4az8jOuskFOW02eODtKjWjkGxrgT7VUMzlNOTZMSlNKQzM1WkRZOUw4Uko0U1FCOC4u
Masks may still be required for the below situations:
LAC DPH is expected to update isolation and quarantine protocols by this weekend. A student may still be required to wear a mask when returning early from Isolation on Day 6 (pending LAC DPH update). Our illness protocols will remain the same. Students with symptoms of illness at school may be asked to wear a mask while awaiting pick up from parent/guardian to protect others from contagious illness.
Illness Protocols-Notify Attendance & the Health Office
PCR Test* required to return to campus for the following symptoms: cold symptoms, congestion, runny nose, shortness of breath, new cough, fever >100 or chills, body aches, vomiting, diarrhea or sore throat.
* A testing facility verified antigen is acceptable for those who were COVID+ in the past 90 days.
Instructions for COVID in the Household-Notify the Health Office
-Fully vaccinated students living with a COVID+ household member are STRONGLY recommended to STAY HOME for the duration of the positive case’s isolation. This is due to the high likelihood of spread within a home despite vaccination status.
-Students who are not yet fully vaccinated and living with a COVID+ household member is required quarantine at home. Day 0 is the last day of the positive case’s isolation. These students must stay home while the positive case is on isolation and quarantine for an additional 5-10 days after that.
Free at-home COVID tests: www.COVIDtests.gov
SMMUSD Health Services Webpage Resources: https://www.smmusd.org/Page/3733
~SPECIAL NOTES~
SAFETY REMINDER: PLEASE DO NOT WALK STUDENTS THROUGH STAFF PARKING LOTS. IT CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS AND WE WANT TO KEEP EVERYONE SAFE.
ADDITIONALLY, PLEASE DO NOT BLOCK OUR NEIGHBORS' DRIVEWAYS WITH YOUR CARS. THE SCHOOL CANNOT CONTROL WHETHER THE POLICE WILL TICKET OR TOW A CAR THAT IS OFF-CAMPUS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION.
~GECKO WEAR SCHOOL SPIRIT FRIDAYS~
~ DONATE TO THE GRANT PTA AND SANTA MONICA EDUCATION FOUNDATION TODAY! ~
Your donation does so much for Grant!
Please consider donating to the two organizations that enhance education for all Grant students: the Santa Monica Education Foundation and Grant PTA. Your donations are so important. Check out the crucial staff, programs, technology, and materials funded by your donations in this chart!
Our goal is for 100% of Grant families to give to PTA and the Ed Foundation. ANY amount makes a difference to our kids. If you have already donated, thank you!
~COMMUNITY RESOURCES for FAMILIES~
~ELEMENTAL MUSIC PROGRAM~
Looking for your new favorite after-school activity? Try Elemental Music! This music program gives young people the chance to meet new friends, work as a team, and have FUN through music! More than 2,700 students have made music with us and now it's your turn.
Whether your child is a total beginner or an advanced musician, our programs for guitar, band, choir, strings, full orchestra, and chamber music offer something for everyone!
Tuition reduction is available for qualified families. Ensemble placements are being held on May 14. For more info or to sign up, visit www.elementalmusic.org or espanol.elementalmusic.org!
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¿Estás buscando una nueva actividad favorita para después de la escuela? ¡Prueba Elemental Music! ¡Este programa de música brinda a los jóvenes la oportunidad de hacer nuevos amigos, trabajar en equipo y divertirse a través de la música! Más de 2.700 alumnos han tocado música con nosotros y ahora te toca a ti.
¡Ya sea que tu hijo sea principiante o un músico avanzado, nuestros programas para guitarra, banda, coro, cuerdas, orquesta y música de cámara ofrecen algo para todos!
Tenemos descuentos disponibles para el costo de la matrícula para familias calificadas. Las asignaciones para los conjuntos se llevarán a cabo el 14 de mayo. Para obtener más información o registrarte, visita www.elementalmusic.org o para ver la página en español, visita espanol.elementalmusic.org!
~FARELESS GOPASS PROGRAM FOR ALL SMMUSD STUDENTS~
~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!
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 ELEMENTARY SCHOOL~
https://www.niche.com/k12/grant-elementary-school-santa-monica-ca/