Dear Families,

February is Black History Month, and as you know, Groves Elementary takes great pride in how we acknowledge and celebrate our beautifully diverse population. We are planning a school-wide opportunity to share their knowledge of African American history on Monday, February 13. On that day, students will record a video presentation. These recorded presentations will be shared in classrooms throughout the month of February.

This opportunity is available to all Groves students. This is a project to be completed at home. WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND parent participation to guide your student through both areas of the project requirements.

SignUpGenius to choose an African American with your student.

Please sign up by Friday, February 3, 2023.

Project guidelines:

1. Research that person and create a poster. This poster can include pictures, dates, contributions, and interesting facts.

2. Prepare and rehearse a quick 30 seconds-1 minute speech with key points about your African American historical figure.

3. On Monday, February 13, bring your poster, your smile, and dress up as your famous African American figure (if you’d like) and be ready to have fun while sharing your research!

we can’t wait to see you in action!

We are quickly approaching our Friendship Parties! Groves Elementary will have Friendship Parties on February 13 and 14. See the dates and times below for each grade level.

Monday, February 13
Kindergarten - 11am-12pm
1st Grade - 12pm-1pm
2nd Grade - 1pm-2pm

Tuesday, February 14
4th Grade - 10am-11am
3rd Grade - 11:15am-12:15pm
5th Grade - 1pm-2pm at Insperity

A few important things to note:

• You may start checking in at the front office 15 minutes before party time.
• You will receive a check in sticker at the front office.
• Students will be allowed 2 adult guests to their parties. School-aged children are not allowed at the parties.
• All guests need to be listed as guardians or contacts for the child in Home Access Center. For assistance with this contact Deirdre Hemsing.
• Siblings in other grades can be checked out after parties at the front office.
• If checking out your student after their party, you will check out with the classroom teacher before leaving the classroom.

Make your check in time faster by pre-registering for your child's party at this link. The form may be filled out or edited until 8:00pm on Tuesday, January 31. Once the form is turned off, no new preregistrations will be accepted, you may check in at the front office through our usual procedures.

We want to make sure all students get their full learning experiences each and every day. Reminder that the school day begins at 7:55, and tardies begin at 8:00.

Attendance is extremely important to success in school! Please see more information here and here about why attendance matters and what you can do to help.

A few safety reminders:

-Student drop-offs are not allowed in the staff parking lot/bus and daycare lane in the mornings.

-School doors open at 7:30, prior to this time there is no supervision for students.

-Cell phone use while driving is not allowed on school property per Texas Transportation Code (unless you are using a handsfree device).

Our students have enjoyed earning their Grizzly Gold this year and cannot wait for our next Grizzly Gold Away coming up! Grizzly Gold Away is our campus Positive Behavior Incentive Raffle. In addition to their classroom reward menu, students will have an opportunity to use their Grizzly Gold in a drawing for specific rewards. We have chosen the most sought after rewards for our Grizzlies. If you would like to help us with this PBIS incentive, please visit our Amazon Wish List

Monday, January 30th - 4th & 5th grade

Tuesday, January 31st - 2nd & 3rd grade

Thursday, February 2nd - K & 1st grade

We are excited to announce this year's Groves Theatre Productions!

K & 1st will be doing Winnie the Pooh Kids

2nd & 3rd will be doing 101 Dalmations Kids

4th & 5th will be doing Lion King Jr

We need your help to raise money for sets, costumes, and props! There are two ways you can help:

1) Become a Groves Theatre sponsor!

2) Buy some yummy popcorn!

See the flyers below for more information

If your student was referred for GT Testing, G/T Decision Letters to Parents will be sent home on February 24th.

Humble ISD Livestock Show and Auction Bid donation

Parents,

We need your help! During the 4th 9 weeks, your student will be learning about careers in the field of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math or STEM. If you have a career in STEM, please record a 1-2 minute video that includes your name, your student's name, a description of your career, and any props, vehicles, or uniforms associated with your career. Videos must be recorded by March 19,2023 to be shown during Den Time. You may record the video clip on your phone then upload it to Flipgrid or in the Flipgrid App. You will login using your google, Microsoft account or you can create a Flipgrid login. Please visit this link https://flip.com/ecbb47b7 to upload your video. If you need any help, please reach out to Ashley Frutos at axsmith@humbleisd.net

Just a reminder that students are not allowed food deliveries by outside vendors (Door Dash, Uber Eats, etc.) or directly from a restaurant. We welcome parents to drop off lunch in the front atrium. Thank you!

See below for a link to the lunch schedule. This staggered lunch schedule will allow students to have more time to eat their meals without rushing.

Below please find information regarding the Fall 2022 Credit By Exam for Acceleration registration and testing dates/deadlines. Additional communication will be sent out in January for spring testing registration.

Registration:
Parents complete Credit By Examination Registration Form and give it to your student's Counselor before the desired testing window deadline.

Spring Testing

March 6-10, 2023
Registration Deadline February 14, 2023

Summer Testing
June 5-8, 2023
July 10-13, 2023
Registration Deadline May 5, 2023

2022-2023 Yearbook - We are so excited to announce that the 2022-2023 Yearbook will be in collaboration with our first ever Groves Elementary Yearbook Club. Students will help design, take pictures, and create layouts. You may order your yearbooks now at balfour.com (search Groves Elementary in 77346) for an early bird price of $30 (ends 2/1/23). We will have a summer delivery to be able to include all parties, spring events and 5th grade of year activities, but we will be selling inserts at the end of year for students to collect autographs, so you don't need to purchase an insert now. 5th grade only dedications available for purchase now, but the design isn't due until next Spring. Order now because we have a limited number of books that will sell out!!

We're teaming up with Stacey's Sweets for a Cookie Bomb Spirit Sale. Preorder at grovespto.com until February 7th at 10 pm and we'll deliver to your student Valentine's Day. If you'd like to purchase cookies to treat some of the staff and teachers, we'll deliver those too!

Save the date for one of our favorite Spirit Nights of the Year - Spring Creek Barbeque! 20% of proceeds will be donated to Groves Elementary on Thursday, February 16th from 5 to 9 pm.

Please mark your calendars for "A Night in the Groves," our second annual spring gala benefiting Groves Elementary. There will be food, drinks, music, dancing, silent and live auctions, and raffle prizes! This fundraising event will be for adults only. Dress is cocktail attire.

For information on sponsorship and donation opportunities, please email Susan Morrow-Mueller (grovesptovp2@gmail.com) or Amanda Vasquez (avasquez1106@gmail.com).

Per Groves tradition, a big part of our fundraising comes from our classroom baskets. Room parents will be communicating soon about how to gather donations and items for the baskets.

Iwinski/Gaspard/VanSchoubroek – Explore Your City

Faerber/Collier – Lego

Vandergraaf/Boyd – Game Night

Barragan/Nafegar – BBQ/Kitchen

Kubichek/Heineman/McAnaney – Astros

Cummins/Trevino – Nerf

Bennett/A. Rodriguez/Gonzales – American Girl

Nerio/Viana/Moreno – Date Night

Howard/Lindsey/Booker – Spa

Burke/Nazari/V. Rodriguez – Vinyl Craft

Cyprus/Hunt – Dynamo

Dabao/Gomez/Daigle – Night of Mystery

Sundarum/Martin/Clarke – Texans

Farias/Chesney/Carte/Avery/Laygan – Gift Card Tree

Moreau/Tegnander/Larralde – Golf

Beatty/Doucet/Jackson – Gamer

Lewis/Schimmels/Jeter/Finley – HEB/Costco Gift Cards

Castro/Meneses/S. Rodriguez – Rockets

Swain/Waters/Kopp – Home Library

We are still collecting membership dues as well. The simple act of joining the PTO provides instant financial support for our students! It's also a great way to stay informed about what's happening at school while connecting with other parents in meaningful ways. Dues can be paid at grovespto.com

Thank you to the Goddard School of Lake Houston & Smile Big Pediatric Dentistry for continuing to support our school! We appreciate you!!