GECKO GAZETTE
GRANT SCHOOL - SANTA MONICA
WEEK OF NOVEMBER 2 - 8, 2020
VOTE. YOUR VOICE MATTERS.
~NEW 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!
~ IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER ~
Please review these important dates:
- Sunday, November 1st: Virtual Book Fair Begins - See details below!
- Tuesday, November 3rd: National Election Day >>> Exercise your right to VOTE!
- Monday, November 2nd: Student Workday: Students will meet with their teachers at 8:30 for Morning Meeting and then the rest of the day will be asynchronous.
- Tuesday, November 3rd: Minimum Day for Parent Conferences: Dismissal at 12:15 PM for TK/K; 1:15 PM for grades 1-5. Live instruction ends at 12:00 for teacher prep time. Asynchronous work may be required after lunch. See teachers' class schedules for details.
- Wednesday, November 4th: Materials/Supplies Pickup Day: 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM >>>Cafeteria
- Wednesday, November 4th: ELAC Meeting #2: 8:45 AM >>> Join meeting here: Zoom Link
- Wednesday, November 4th: Minimum Day for Parent Conferences: Dismissal at 12:15 PM for TK/K; 1:15 PM for grades 1-5. Live instruction ends at 12:00 for teacher prep time. Asynchronous work may be required after lunch. See teachers' class schedules for details.
- Wednesday, November 4th: Coffee with the Principal: Reopening Discussion: Hybrid Options: 5:00 PM >>> Join Meeting here: Zoom Link Meeting ID: 847 4996 2709 Passcode: 848698
- Wednesday, November 4th: PTA Executive Board Meeting: 6:30 - 8:00 PM
- Thursday, November 5th: Pupil-free day. NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS.
- Friday, November 6th: Minimum Day for Parent Conferences: Dismissal at 12:15 PM for TK/K; 1:15 PM for grades 1-5. Live instruction ends at 12:00 for teacher prep time. Asynchronous work may be required after lunch. See teachers' class schedules for details.
- Tuesday, November 10th: NEW DATE: Grant School Remodeling Community: 6:00 PM >>> See below for meeting information
- Wednesday, November 11th: NO SCHOOL - VETERANS' DAY HOLIDAY
- Monday, November 16th: School Site Council Meeting: 3:00 PM >>> Meeting Zoom Link
- Wednesday, November 18th: PTA General Meeting: 6:30 PM
- Sunday, November 22nd: Virtual Book Fair Ends
- November 25, 26, 27: NO SCHOOL FOR THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY
- Wednesday, December 2nd: PTA Executive Board Meeting
- Sunday, December 6th: Grant Voices of Diversity Dialogue Series #2 - See below for info
- Wednesday, December 16th: PTA General Meeting: 8:30 AM
- December 21st- January 3rd, 2021: NO SCHOOL >>> WINTER BREAK
~DIA DE LOS MUERTOS~
~REFLECTIONS GALLERY IS OPEN!~
A HUGE GECKO THANK YOU TO PARENT MARY BETH O'DONOVAN FOR ONCE AGAIN COORDINATING THIS IMPORTANT AND FUN ACTIVITY FOR OUR STUDENTS!
~HALLOWEEN COSTUME CONTEST~
~It's NOT a trick, it's a TREAT~
Halloween was definitely different this year but we hope your kids all had fun dressing up in costumes with their classmates. Visit Ms. Kooy and the Student Council's gallery of photos from last week by clicking the link below:
GRANT BOOK SWAP! 📚 🦎
Then, pick-up “recycled” books at the next Supplies Pick-up Day on 11/4. Look for the carts outside the auditorium. A BIG thanks to our school librarian Petra Wolfe for keeping our kids reading!
~GRANT LIBRARY CURBSIDE PICKUP BEGINS WEEK OF NOVEMBER 9th~
Library Book Curbside pick up starts the week of Nov. 9th. Instructions for placing holds, accessing the library catalog, and the library website are all in the PDF attached. Students will be notified when holds are ready for pickup. Contact Ms. Wolfe if you have any questions. pwolfe@smmusd.org
Pick up days will be:
Monday - 9:00 - 11:00
Wednesday - 9:00 - 11:00 and 2:00 - 4:00
Friday - 9:00 - 11:00
CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE BELOW INTERACTIVE DOCUMENT:
>>> CURBSIDE PICKUP INFO AND DIRECTIONS <<<
More Library News:
On materials pick-up day, November 4th Book Fair Flyers and bookmarks will be available for pick up in front of the school along with discard and donated books. Feel free to come by and grab a few books and a book fair flyer even if you have no materials to pick up.
~ GRANT SCHOOL BOOK VIRTUAL BOOK FAIR IS HERE! ~!
~SHOP FOR THE HOLIDAYS~
We are having an online Book Fair! Browse now, you can purchase books from Nov. 1 - Nov. 22. All orders will be shipped to the school and a pickup day will be arranged. For every purchase made, our school earns 25% back in rewards to help support our literacy mission.
https://efairs.follettbookfairs.com/
School code: ZR8K6
~WORLD KINDNESS WEEK COMING SOON: SHOW YOUR APPRECIATION FOR OUR TEACHERS~
~ THE FUTURE OF GRANT SCHOOL ~
~ National Poll Ranks SMMUSD Among California's Best Districts ~
~ GRANT SCHOOL RANKED #2 FOR SMMUSD ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND EARNED AN "A+" RANKING ~
The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District is pleased to announce its high ranking in the 2021 Best School Districts in California by national academic ranking service, Niche. SMMUSD is ranked seventh in Los Angeles County and 19th in California of 440 school districts included. The ranking is based on rigorous analysis of key statistics and millions of reviews from students and parents using data from the U.S. Department of Education.
Niche ranking factors include state test scores, college readiness, graduation rates, SAT and ACT scores, teacher quality, public school district ratings and more. See the Niche 2021 report.
“We are honored to be recognized for the extraordinary achievements of our students and teachers,” Superintendent Dr. Ben Drati said. “We are dedicated to providing the education and support all students need for success as they embark on college and career, in order to lead meaningful, engaged lives beyond our halls.”
Additionally, Niche awarded Santa Monica High School an A+ and Malibu High School an A for their educational outcomes, a category that includes academic data such as SAT and ACT scores with special consideration given to schools whose students matriculate to high-ranked colleges and universities. The schools also received an A in academics, which includes proficiency in math and reading, and graduation and college enrollment rates. The ranking formula also includes facilities, safety, clubs, sports and other factors.
Both SMMUSD comprehensive high schools boast proficiency rates that are well above county and state averages, along with graduation rates in the 90-percentile range. Samohi and Malibu High School offer comprehensive college and career counseling, maintain acclaimed visual and performing arts programs, boast high student participation in clubs and extracurricular activities, and support diverse academic curriculum such as Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (STEAM); Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID); Career Technical Education (CTE) and Advanced Placement (AP).
John Adams Middle School, Lincoln Middle School and SMASH middle school, all received an A or A+ grade, while all SMMUSD elementary schools earned an A+, A or A-. Niche also ranked the best places to teach in California and SMMUSD ranked 10th of 690, and ranked best teachers in the state, with SMMUSD placing 19th of 699.
“I am so proud of our entire Santa Monica-Malibu community – the students, parents, faculty, and staff for this honorable recognition,” Dr. Drati said.
# # #
Community & Public Relations Department
Superintendent's Office, SMMUSD
~ A MESSAGE FROM THE GRANT SCHOOL PTA ~
~HELP WITH DISTRICT ISSUED LAPTOPS~
- Your child's laptop is not working
- You are moving out of the school district
- Troubleshooting issues
If your child is currently using a district-issued laptop to engage in distance learning and you require technical assistance, please email our technology specialist at:
If you require translation services for this assistance, please contact Bilingual Community Liaison Florencia Rams at frams@smmusd.org.
~ DONATE TO THE GRANT PTA AND SANTA MONICA EDUCATION FOUNDATION TODAY! ~
~COMMUNITY RESOURCES for FAMILIES~
*Some events and resources not sponsored by or affiliated with the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District.
~PARENT PROJECT ONLINE~
The Parent Project Online is a FREE program that helps teach parents the skills necessary to handle their chid's behavioral challenges:
English PeachJar: https://share.peachjar.com/flyers/1033393/districts/5758
Spanish PeachJar: https://share.peachjar.com/flyers/1033414/districts/5758
~ CITY OF SANTA MONICA - CREST ~
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE APPLICATION IS HAPPENING NOW!
This fall, the City of Santa Monica's after-school programs will continue to reopen with limited capacity to ensure community safety. City staff are working to make the necessary changes to the schedule due to modified hours of operation, staff reductions, social distancing, and infection control guidance. The City of Santa Monica offers financial assistance to qualifying moderate to low-income Santa Monica Residents and non-residents attending an SMMUSD school. Financial assistance is available and can be applied to City youth program fees such as: CREST Club, CREST Enrichment, Santa Monica Swim Center classes, community classes, and seasonal day camps. A completed application for financial assistance is required annually. We are currently accepting applications for fiscal year 2020-2021. Incomplete applications will not be accepted.
You may email completed applications (which must include the necessary income, address and identification information) to our office at crest@smgov.net or by drop-off through the mail slot at the CREST Youth Office at Reed Park 1133 7th St.
Did you know that CREST Club is running in-person camp from 12:00PM to 5:15PM at Reed Park for youth ages 8-14?
The health and safety of all participants, staff and parents is of the utmost importance. We would like to share that CREST Club will run and look differently. CREST will still be devoted to having fun-filled and engaging activities that you expect from our CREST Program.
We are taking guidance from the CDC and LA County Public Health Guidelines for programs providing Day Care for School-Age children, additional Safety Protocols and Procedures are being implemented to keep everyone safe while in programming.
Visit smgov.net/crest for more information