GECKO GAZETTE
GRANT SCHOOL - SANTA MONICA
WEEK OF MARCH 28 - APRIL 1, 2022
~ IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER ~
Please review these important dates:
- Monday, March 28th: Parent Volunteer Training - 4:30 PM on Zoom: ZOOM MEETING LINK; Meeting ID: 819 9069 5228; Passcode: 385264
- Thursday, March 31st: 5th Grade Students Tour JAMS - 8:30 - 12:00 - More info below. Field Trip permission slips coming home soon.
- Friday, April 1st: Talent Show Group B Rehearsal - 3:00 - 6:00 PM
- Friday, April 1st: Minimum Day - All Grades - OFFICE CLOSED AT 3:00 PM
- APRIL 4TH - 15TH: SPRING BREAK - NO SCHOOL
- Tuesday, April 19th: School Tour for Prospective Grant Families - 4:00 PM in person
- Friday, April 22nd: 5th Grade Panoramic Picture - Please make sure your child is in attendance so they don't miss out!
- Saturday, April 23rd: Grant STEAM Expo - 1:00 - 4:00 PM on the Grant Big Yard - See below
- Monday, April 25th: Earthquake Drill #2 @ 10:45 AM
- Tuesday, April 26th: CAASPP Testing begins. See Principal Fuhrer's letter regarding testing dates and times.
- Friday, April 29th: Jogathon Kickoff Assembly
- Tuesday, May 17th: JOGATHON! - DETAILS COMING SOON!
- Tuesday, May, May 24th: School Tour for Prospective Grant Families - 4:00 PM in person
- Thursday, May 26th: Open House ~ Details coming soon~
~SMMUSD CLIMATE & CULTURE SURVEY~
Dear SMMUSD Parents, Guardians, Staff and Secondary Students,
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District has partnered with Hanover Research to conduct a short survey to understand your perspective of the district’s culture and climate. Your responses will help the district ensure that it meets the needs of students, parents, and staff, consistent with the district’s goals.
Hanover Research is an independent research firm based in Washington, D.C., and is in no way affiliated with any other entity or organization. Your responses are anonymous and will be kept confidential, so please be as open and honest as possible. The survey should take approximately 10 minutes to complete.
Please use the following link to take the survey: https://bit.ly/ClimateSurvey22
If you have any questions about the survey, please feel free to contact Victoria Ledford of Hanover Research at vledford@hanoverresearch.com.
We appreciate your participation! Please click the link to begin the survey.
Thank you,
Dr. Ben Drati, Superintendent
Hanover Research takes protecting your personal information seriously. We use your data for research and analysis purposes. A full disclosure of our Privacy Policy is at https://www.hanoverresearch.com/privacy-policy/ where you may learn how we collect and process your data.
______________________________Encuesta del ambiente y la cultura de SMMUSD
Estimados padres, tutores legales, personal y estudiantes de nivel secundario de SMMUSD:
El Distrito Escolar Unificado de Santa Mónica-Malibú se ha asociado con la compañía de investigación Hanover Research para realizar una encuesta corta para conocer su perspectiva en torno a la cultura y el ambiente del distrito. Sus respuestas ayudarán a que el distrito se asegure de que está cumpliendo con las necesidades de los estudiantes, los padres y el personal, de una manera consistente con las metas del distrito.
Hanover Research es una compañía de investigación independiente de Washington D.C. y de ninguna manera está asociada con ninguna entidad u organización. Sus respuestas son anónimas y completamente confidenciales, por lo que le pedimos que no tenga reservas y sea lo más honesto posible. Esta encuesta tomará aproximadamente 10 minutos en completarse.
Favor de utilizar el enlace a continuación para responder a la encuesta: https://bit.ly/ClimateSurvey22 Si tiene alguna pregunta acerca de la encuesta, no dude en comunicarse con Victoria Ledford de la compañía Hanover Research al vledford@hanoverresearch.com
¡Agradecemos su participación! Favor de hacer clic en el enlace para empezar la encuesta.
Atentamente,
Dr. Ben Drati, Superintendente
Hanover Research toma muy en serio la protección de su información personal. Utilizamos sus datos para propósitos de investigación y análisis. En el siguiente enlace https://www.hanoverresearch.com/privacy-policy/ está disponible nuestra Política de Privacidad completa, donde se puede informar acerca de la manera en que se recopilan y procesan sus datos.
~PARENT VOLUNTEER TRAINING MONDAY, MARCH 28TH~
When: Monday, March 28th at 4:00 PM
Where: Zoom:
- ZOOM MEETING LINK; Meeting ID: 819 9069 5228; Passcode: 385264
We hope to see you there!
~GRANT STEAM EXPO 2022~
~STEAM Expo Additional Information~
- Student Science Fair - start your projects or design an egg drop and submit your videos (2 min less) Due by April 22nd (DOWNLOAD THE STUDENT & PARENT GUIDE BELOW)
- FREE on-campus community event
- STEAM exhibits
- Science lab - hands-on activities!
- Raffle prizes
- Let us know if you're coming! https://bit.ly/3wERL3w
- Volunteers Needed! (set up, tear down, play with exhibits!) email STEAMexpo@grantpta.org
~GRANT SCIENCE FAIR STUDENT & PARENT GUIDE~
~IMPORTANT: ANTIGEN TEST REQUIRED TO RETURN TO CAMPUS ON MONDAY, APRIL 18TH~
We will be distributing these antigen tests to all students on Monday, March 28th. Please look in your child's backpack for the test box and put it in a safe place until the morning of Monday, April 18th. Please let us know if you have any questions.
~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
~SERVICE LEARNING~
~MS. BLAIR'S CLASS RAISING AWARENESS AND FUNDS FOR BEST FRIENDS ANIMAL SOCIETY~
~MS. KOOY'S CLASS RAISING AWARENESS AND SHOES FOR SOLES4SOULS~
Here is the link to the non-profit:
~5TH GRADE WALKING TRIP TO JAMS~
~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.
~FARELESS GOPASS PROGRAM FOR ALL SMMUSD STUDENTS~
~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!
~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
~SPECIAL NOTES~
~Student Well-Being - “Talking About War”~
Talking to Children About Violence: Tips for Parents and Teachers Helping Children Cope with Terrorism: Tips for Families and Educators
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 OFF-CAMPUS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION.
~ASSISTING OUR COMMUNITY~
~GRANT RANKED #2 SCHOOL IN SANTA MONICA BY US NEWS & WORLD REPORT~
GRANT ALSO RANKED #343 OUT OF 5,887 ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS IN CALIFORNIA.
CALIFORNIA — More than 7,850 elementary and middle schools in the Golden State have been ranked among the best in California, according to a brand-new ranking released Tuesday by U.S. News & World Report.
Nationally, California has 5,534 ranked elementary schools — the most of any state — followed by Texas at 4,446; New York at 2,211; Florida at 2,128; and Illinois at 2,038 schools. California also has the most ranked middle schools with 2,319, followed by Texas at 1,942; Illinois at 1,243; New York at 1,219; and Florida at 997.
For the inaugural list, U.S. News published rankings and data on more than 80,000 public elementary and middle schools across the United States.
See the full list here.
To determine the rankings, U.S. News used data from the U.S. Department of Education to analyze two areas at each school:
- Math and reading proficiency — or how well students perform on state assessments.
- Math and reading performance — or how well they perform compared with expectations.
~Parenting Workshop - Emotional Intelligence~
~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~
~CREST INFORMATION~
Good Afternoon CREST Parents,
I wanted to inform you that on Tuesday 3/15/22, the City of Santa Monica City Council approved the addition of 2 new official City holidays. Beginning this year, City offices and programs will be closed in observance of two significant days in our country’s history: Cesar Chavez Day and Juneteenth.
Cesar Chavez was one of our nation’s leading labor and civil rights leaders, forming the organization that is now the United Farm Worker labor union.
Juneteenth – June 19, 1865 – marks the emancipation of slaves after the Civil War and is a day centered around the celebration of African American culture. The dates that these holidays will be observed in 2022 are:
Cesar Chavez Day: Monday, March 28, 2022
Juneteenth: Monday, June 20, 2022 (since June 19 falls on a Sunday)- Does not affect CREST programming
On Monday, March 28, 2022 CREST Club and CREST Enrichment will be CLOSED. Please make arrangements to have your child picked up at their school bell dismissal. (Exception: enrichment kids enrolled in SAP, can attend SMMUSD’s childcare program)
Although school is in session, city facilities and programs will be closed in recognition and observance of Cesar Chavez Day. If your child has enrichment on this day, the make-up date is now scheduled for June 6th and all contractors have been notified.
Below is information and notice the city has posted regarding the new holidays:
Please make arrangements to have your child picked up at their school bell dismissal and thank you for your understanding.
~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/