GECKO GAZETTE
GRANT SCHOOL - SANTA MONICA
WEEK OF NOVEMBER 23 - 29, 2020
To all of our families,
In a year of great challenges, we hold high hopes for strength, health, and resiliency for every member of the Grant Learning Community.
Stronger together.
With deep gratitude,
Christian Fuhrer
Principal
Grant School
~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 22nd: Virtual Book Fair Ends - See below for information
- November 25, 26, 27: NO SCHOOL FOR THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY
- Wednesday, December 2nd: Materials and Supplies Pickup Day - Check with your teacher about anything being sent home.
- Wednesday, December 2nd: PTA Executive Board Meeting
- Sunday, December 6th: Grant Voices of Diversity Dialogue Series #2
- Wednesday, December 16th: PTA General Meeting: 8:30 AM
- December 21st- January 3rd, 2021: NO SCHOOL >>> WINTER BREAK
~FALL BOOK FAIR ENDS TONIGHT!~
Remember to shop our FANTASTIC fall book fair!
- Buy holiday gifts!!
- Teacher's wish list for their classroom!!
- Support our school!!
To see MORE buying options use the SEARCH option at the top or bottom and type in titles or subjects you are interested in.
https://efairs.follettbookfairs.com/guest/home?classCode=ZR8K6
~SEND A MESSAGE OF THANKSGIVING TO THE GRANT COMMUNITY~
We are thankful for you and your family!
https://padlet.com/tkooy/ooxtvsafj9t9ihlp
Thank you to the Grant Student Council for creating this wonderful way to share gratitude!
~WORLD KINDNESS DAY - STUDENT COUNCIL ACTIVITY~
~GREENLEAF & GRANT THANKSGIVING FUNDRAISER~
We are partnering with Greenleaf Kitchen & Cocktails on their Thanksgiving “Give Back” program! We will earn 10% back on pre-tax sales on any Thanksgiving menu order through November 29. All you have to do is enter our unique promotional code at checkout - GRANT. It’s as easy as that!
Greenleaf Kitchen & Cocktails has all of your Thanksgiving favorites in one easy-to-order feast, including chef recommended wine bundles, seasonal cocktails, DIY decorating cookie kits, and more! There are also individually packaged feasts, great for any virtual events. Plus, orders received before Tuesday, November 17 will receive a
complimentary premium bottle of wine.
Pick-up and delivery is available! Need help ordering? Reach out to
Dear Grant Families,
Congratulations to all of the Grant students who took the time and energy to reflect this year on what was a very timely and important theme: "I Matter Because ..." and thank you to all of the caretakers who made it a priority.
What an amazing collection of art! If you haven't checked it out yet - spend some time looking at our wonderful gallery - https://www.grantpta.org/reflections2020 - created by Eric Canale, Grant's talented webmaster!
This year, Grant students created more Reflections pieces than any other school in our district! We have an extremely creative group of Geckos!
The pieces that have progressed on to the district level competition are:
Literature:
Primary - Dylan Fried 2nd grade - Ms. Neumann
Intermediate - Alexandra Bellanger 4th grade - Ms. Cordes
Dance Choreography:
Primary - Simona Cipresso 2nd grade Ms. Chen
Intermediate - Norah Moldanado 3rd grade Ms. Rattan
Film:
Intermediate- Aspen Penaloza 5th grade Ms. Kim
Music Composition:
Primary- Elodie Barker 2nd grade Ms. Neumann
Intermediate-Lucia Evangelho 3rd grade Ms. Ripley
Visual Arts:
Primary- Henry Harris 2nd grade Ms. Murcia
Intermediate- Quinlyn Kirtly 5th grade Ms. Kooy
Photography:
Intermediate- Ellowyn Searles 3rd grade Ms. Martinez
National PTA's Reflections program provides opportunities for recognition and access to the arts which boost student confidence and success in the arts and in life.
Each year, over 300,000 students in Pre-K through Grade 12 create original works of art in response to a student-selected theme. This 50+-year-old program helps them explore their own thoughts, feelings, and ideas, develop artistic literacy, increase confidence and find a love for learning that will help them become more successful in school and in life.
Join us in congratulating all of our talented students!
Best regards,
Christian Fuhrer
Principal
Grant School
~ GECKO WEAR SHOP VIRTUAL SALE🦎 - SHOP FOR THE HOLIDAYS! ~
Thank you Grant families for sporting your Gecko Wear gear throughout Santa Monica! It’s been fun and a comfort to see fellow Geckos showing their school pride around town, especially now that we’re not physically at school. If you are in need of Gecko Wear...not to worry! We will be holding one virtual sale a month starting in September. In order to have contactless payment, we are only doing online sales at this time. You will have a specific week (Monday-Thursday) to place your orders. They will be processed that Friday and ready for pick up the following week. You will receive an alert when your order is ready for pick up at school. Any orders placed outside of the sale dates will not be processed till the next sale date. If you have any questions please feel free to reach out and thank you for your continued support!
CONTACT:
VIRTUAL GWS SALE DATES 2020:
December- 14-17
~GRANT STUDENT COUNCIL TEAMS UP WITH FEEDING FAMILIES SANTA MONICA FOR THANKSGIVING FOOD DRIVE~
~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.
~MEAL PROGRAM APPLICATION REMINDER~
~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.
~ A MESSAGE FROM THE GRANT SCHOOL PTA ~
~ 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 still so important, even during distance learning. 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!
¡Su donación hace mucho por Grant!
Considere hacer una donación a las dos organizaciones que mejoran la educación de todos los estudiantes de Grant: la Fundación Educativa de Santa Mónica y la PTA de Grant. Sus donaciones siguen siendo muy importantes, incluso durante el aprendizaje a distancia. ¡Consulte el personal, los programas, la tecnología y los materiales fundamentales financiados con sus donaciones en esta gráfica!
Nuestra meta es que el 100% de las familias de Grant den a la PTA y a la Fundación Ed. CUALQUIER cantidad hace la diferencia para nuestros hijos. Si ya ha donado, ¡gracias!
~COMMUNITY RESOURCES for FAMILIES~
*Some events and resources not sponsored by or affiliated with the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District.
St. Monica ~Catholic Community 41st Annual Thanksgiving Dinner & Boutique Event Please spread the word!~
Here is what will be different:
Guests will receive a pre-packed Thanksgiving meal, along with a pre-packed set of brand-new warm clothes and toiletries on November 25 between the hours of 1pm to 5pm.
Please note that we are not able to have guests enjoy their meals on-site this year.
Guests may begin to line up at 11:30 a.m. Please share with your clients that this is the earliest that guests should arrive. Due to COVID-19 precautions, we cannot have anyone waiting in line before 11:30 a.m. No onsite parking. Park on the street or consider carpooling, bikes or rideshares.
We will not be handing out tickets this year.
One meal and one set of clothing and toiletries per person. Everyone gets the same thing!
As no meals will be cooked onsite and there is no Boutique we will not be in need of the number of volunteers or in-kind donations of food and clothing of past years. Cash donations are welcome at www.stmonica.net/thanksgiving
Please find attached flyers you may copy and distribute to your clients or patients.
For more info: www.stmonica.net/thanksgiving
~ 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