Griffin Gazette
Fall Newsletter 2019
"GRIFFIN GREATNESS EVERY DAY"
STUDENT ARRIVAL - Attention Needed
Recently we have had SEVERAL students arriving at school too early. Students are to arrive NO EARLIER than 8:15 a.m. If you are dropping your student off please make sure that you see adult supervision on the playground before having them get out of the car. If your child walks to school please assist them with timing their departure from home with the 8:15 a.m. arrival time in mind.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS SAFETY ISSUE!
NEW THIS YEAR - Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Program
Our school has been selected to participate in the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) for the 2019-20 school year. The FFVP is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and is administered by the Iowa Department of Education.
A fresh fruit or vegetable snack will be provided for students approximately 3 times per week. Snacks are generally served mid-morning or afternoon. The FFVP is an excellent way to enhance other wellness programs in the school that promote health, nutrition, and physical activity.
The main goal of the FFVP is to increase the fruit and vegetable consumption of elementary school children. In addition to providing fresh fruits and vegetables, another goal of this program is to provide nutrition education to the children. Please continue to talk with your children about the healthy choices they receive at school.
If you have any questions about this program, please contact Cindy Stock by email cstock@crschools.us or by calling the main office 319-558-2467.
Grant Wood Health Clinic Information
STUDENT HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
If a student experiences illness or injury during the school day they are sent to the clinic. Health office staff will attend to the student's need. This may include providing first aid, asking the student questions about how he/she feels, taking a temperature, making observations, talking to the teacher, and contacting the school nurse. After a period of observation a decision will be made to do one of the following: (1) Attempt to notify the parent/guardian (2) Allow the student to rest in the health office for a brief period.
If a student has a temperature of 100 degrees F or higher and/or illness related to vomiting or diarrhea, the parent/guardian will be called and the student will be sent home. Other symptoms that influence the decision to send the student home include general appearance and functioning in the classroom. Parents will also be notified of injuries that appear to be serious in nature or require medical attention. The student is to be fever-free without fever reducing medication before returning to school.
HEAD LICE
The Cedar Rapids Community School District head lice procedures follow recommendations from the Iowa Department of Public Health, Iowa Department of Education and Centers for Disease Control. The District’s role is to support parents by emphasizing prevention, early detection and education.
Students with signs and symptoms of head lice will be referred to the health office for assessment. Parents/guardians of students found to have live lice or nits (eggs) within 1⁄2 inch of the scalp, will be notified and provided with information regarding treatment and management. In the elementary schools, families with a child in the classroom will receive a note from the health office along with information regarding identification and management of head lice. Students are not excluded from school for live head lice or nits.
It is important that families check their child’s head for lice on a routine basis. Regular home screening is the most effective measure in preventing, identifying, and controlling head lice.
STUDENT ABSENCES
EARLY CHECKOUT..
Students will not be called out of class until a parent is present to sign them out. Please plan ahead for appointments, as we would like to minimize missed class time.
Grant Wood Fall Landscaping Day
Thank you to the following Grant Wood parents, students, and community members that supported with sprucing up our school grounds the weekend prior to the start of the school year.
Haley Barshis-Chairperson
Mike Barshis
Michelle Merschbrock
August and Samson Merschbrock
Rachel Kongshaug
Cael, Michah, and Nolan Kongshaug
Aline Houssin
Ben and Malo Houssin
Gina Turner
Melanie Jacobowitz
Eve Jacobowitz
Shawn Bergquist
Jackie Bergquist
Matthew Deutmeyer
*My apologies if I have forgotten to mention anyone who helped with this work
Outstanding Building Volunteers Recognized at Governor’s Award Ceremony
Grant Wood’s 2018-2019 Outstanding Building Volunteers, Richard and Ellen Hull were chosen by the Cedar Rapids Community School District as Outstanding District Volunteers and recognized at the April 2019 District Recognition Ceremony. As the Outstanding District Volunteers, Richard and Ellen were invited to attend the September 26, 2019 Governor’s Volunteer Award Ceremony where they were recognized as one of the state of Iowa’s most outstanding volunteers and received recognition and a photo opportunity with Governor Kim Reynolds and Lt. Governor Adam Gregg.
Richard and Ellen Hull are deserving of this prestigious award for their time and devotion to helping students at Grant Wood. The Hull’s work primarily with 3rd-5th grade students at Grant Wood in the area of Math. They are passionate not only about trying to get students to understand math concepts but also in memorizing all of their math facts. They will go above and beyond to get each student to reach their personal math goals.
Grant Wood students and staff are lucky to have Richard and Ellen represent the entire Grant Wood volunteer core. Grant Wood, once again led the district in 2018-2019 school year with the most logged volunteer hours for elementary schools with close to 7,000 volunteer hours. Thanks to all of our dedicated and generous volunteers for supporting our students and staff.
What is RAPTOR?
RAPTOR is the new Cedar Rapids Community School District’s electronic visitor and volunteer management system. RAPTOR allows each school to better control access to their buildings and provides enhanced protection for our students and staff.
ALL visitors and volunteers are required to sign into Raptor at main office during the school day to bell hours. If you do not have an electronic name tag; you will be asked to go back to the main office to obtain the name tag from our building secretary.
It is recommended that every parent or community member that would ever want to attend a field trip, attend classroom party, help in the classroom or at a school event register in RAPTOR. Please complete the online application by clicking on the green button below titled: Raptor Site - Volunteer Registration.
Once approved, the application will be valid for one year to the date of approval. The application will need to be completed annually.
September Spirit Day - Musical Monday
The last day of each month is designated as Grant Wood Spirit Day. Each Spirit Day has a fun theme. We also hold an all-school assembly to celebrate and encourage RESPECTFUL, RESPONSIBLE, and SAFE behaviors. Students who have received positive referrals throughout the month are recognized, we do a monthly Griffin Ticket drawing for prizes, and there are many fun student/staff participation games and skits throughout the year.
Grant Wood students and staff enjoyed Musical Monday on Monday, September 30. #griffingreatnesseveryday
Winners of the September Griffin Ticket Drawing
Our Second Annual PTA Griffin Fun Run was a HUGE Success!!
Top 4 Classroom Totals
#1 Vargas - $1,910 -- WINNER of the Bowling Field Trip
#2 Erickson - $882
#3 Hamby - $753
#4 Johnson - $662
Classrooms that had the most students bring in donations
#1 Tied Hamby & Vargas
#2 Stanford
#3 Tied Ross & Erickson
#4 Johnson
Students featured in this photo collected $100 or more in pledges for the Fun Run
Grant Wood Elementary School
Email: cstock@crschools.us
Website: http://grantwood.cr.k12.ia.us/
Location: 645 26th Street Southeast, Cedar Rapids, IA, USA
Phone: (319)558-2467
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CRCSDGrantWood/
Twitter: @GWGriffins