The Eagle's Nest
4.24.24
Grout Family Newsletter
Looking Ahead...
April
April 24 - SUN Financial Literacy Class, 6-7:30 pm--CANCELLED
April 25 - Talent Show Auditions, 2:30-3:30 pm
April 26 - Talent Show Auditions, 2:30-4:30 pm
April 26 - Movie Night @ Grout, 5:45 pm-8:30 pm
April 30-May 2 - Scholastic Book Fair @ Grout, 2:15 pm-5:30 pm
May
April 29 - May 3 - Kindness Week!
- Tuesday = Students wear something that brings them joy (for Self Kindness Day)
- Thursday = Students wear workout gear (for Workout Problems with Kindness Day)
- Friday = Students wear something that represents an interest they have (Find a Friend Friday)
May 1 - First day of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
May 5 - Hosford Husky Hustle, 9 am
May 6-10 - Teacher / Staff Appreciation Week
May 8 - 5th Grade Fly Up at Hosford, 9:30-11 am (corrected date)
May 15 - Free! Ice Cream Social and PTA General Meeting @ Grout, 5-7pm
May 15 - 5th Grade Family Night at Hosford
Message from Principal Self
Dear Grout Families,
I am looking forward to seeing you all at Movie Night on Friday, April 26. Please join us for the movie. We also want you to provide input for Grout Elementary School’s Vision and Mission. We will have some guiding questions displayed in the hallway for you to share your thoughts and ideas. This feedback will help us focus our thoughts and add to the ideas that staff has developed. The final vision and mission will be completed by the end of the school year and shared with the community.
I need to correct an omission that was made in our last newsletter that talked about the budget and staffing cuts for next year. I neglected to mention that the library assistant position was eliminated. We have also made some programming changes that have resulted in our Behavior Intervention Specialist position being cut. We will share more specific details about staff assignments later this spring.
Denise
Next Week = KINDNESS Week!
Next week will be Kindness Week at Grout! We have a special theme for each day, and students are invited to dress up for the themes if they would like to.
Monday = Nice vs. Kind Day - Teachers will be handing out "Caught you being kind" cards to students exhibiting kind behaviors.
Tuesday = Kind to Self Day - Students are invited to dress up in something that brings them joy. Also, studnets will share... "Something I love about myself is ___________________"
Wednesday = Stan Day! - We will have a special guest, Stan Tucker, spending the day with us at Grout! Please see the message from Librarian Lynn for more information on Stan.
Thursday = Grout's Friendship Bracelet - Students will work together to make a giant friendship bracelet!
Friday = Find a New Friend Day! - Students are invited to wear somthing that illustrates an interest or a hobby. They will then look for other students who have similar interests.
More information will be coming soon.
Message from Librarian Lynn:
Next Wednesday we will be hosting author Stan Tucker as part of our Kindness Week at Grout. Stanley Tucker, also known as Stan The Man, has a mission to spread kindness through literacy. To learn more about Stan, click on the links to see his YouTube Channel, and preview his books which will be available for purchase next week.
The Very Airy Library - YouTube
Health Exclusion Guidelines
Please remember to follow these guidelines outlined below. It's important to remember that hand washing with soap and water for 20 seconds eliminates all kinds of bugs, especially those that can cause vomiting and diarrhea. There has been a GI bug going around the community and we ask that if any of these symptoms appear in your child you keep them home and call the office to report their absence.
Hosford Husky Hustle
Sign up for the annual Hosford Husky Hustle coming up on May 5th. Please use the QR code in this flyer to register and support Hosford Middle School. Event starts at 9 am and the run starts at 10 am.
PTA News!
Upcoming Events:
April 26, 5:45pm-8:00pm, Free! Family Movie Night @ Grout (The Peanuts Movie)
April 27, 9am -12pm, Spring Garden Clean up @ Grout Garden
April 30-May 2, 2:15pm-5:30pm, Scholastic Book Fair @ Grout
April 29 – May 12, Scholastic Book Fair online (www.scholastic.com/bf/grout)
May 6-10: Teacher / Staff Appreciation Week
May 15, 5-7pm, Free! Ice Cream Social and PTA General Meeting @ Grout
Want to Help?
We will need volunteers for most of the above events.
-Family Movie Night: Help to set up, pop popcorn, and run the concession stand. Sign up on Konstella.
-Spring Garden Clean up: Help fix the fence and clean up the garden at the Spring Garden Clean up. No sign up needed, you can just show up.
-Scholastic Book Fair: Help set up, run the fair, check out customers, clean up the fair. Many opportunities over multiple days. See Konstella now for sign-ups.
-Teacher Appreciation: Help plan, procure, and execute the plan for teacher appreciation week. Email groutpta@gmail.com to find out more. Some sign ups will be available on Konstella starting April 29.
Scholastic Book Fair
Get ready, the Scholastic Book Fair is coming our way (YAY!). Choosing their own books empowers kids and inspires them on their journey to becoming lifelong readers. AND, as always, every purchase at the Fair benefits our school.
The Spring event will take place from 2:15-5:30 on April 30-May 2 at Grout room 105.
Before the Fair, you can set up eWallet, a digital payment account for your child, for cash-free purchases. Anyone can contribute! Share each child’s eWallet so friends and family can add funds and give your kids more books to enjoy. If you can’t make it to the Fair, then shop at our school’s Book Fair online.
Visit our Book Fair homepage to learn more and get started with eWallet and online shopping. Online book fair runs April 29 - May 12.
https://www.scholastic.com/bf/grout
Catch you at the Fair and happy reading!
Volunteers Needed for 2024-2025 Grout PTA Board
For the 2024-2025 school year, we will need to fill several positions both on the PTA Executive Board and positions that work with the board. Executive Board members meet once a month via Zoom (day and time TBD at August meeting). If you are interested in any of the following, please email groutpta@gmail.com.
Communications Chair- Make flyers in Canva for events. Post events on Facebook and Konstella. Not responsible for Dine Outs. Ability to attend month Executive Board meetings preferred.
Garden Chair- organize two garden clean ups, the Native Plant sale (very organized already), the summer watering (although it sounds like Trevor would be good to do this still), and possibly other garden needs as they arise. Apply for grants we have received regularly (once a year). Can be on the Executive Board or not, up to you.
Fundraising and Grants Chair- organize our granting process in the fall- sending out the info, collecting the grants, and sending out emails after decisions are made. Additionally, setting up the GoFundMe and possibly considering other fundraising options. Prefer this position is an Executive Board member and attends monthly board meetings.
Member At Large- Do you have something else you are passionate about and also want to be on the PTA Executive Board? Just email us with ideas or questions.
T-shirt/Merch Helper- This is a fall only need. The school helps to run a t-shirt design contest. Then this position works with teachers and our vendor to order the free t-shirts every student gets, and set up the community and staff merchandise stores. The Board decides on the shirt color and if we are going to increase prices as a fundraiser. Everything is usually finalized and orders are delivered (by us) before winter break. Does not have to be on the Executive Board.
Winter Festival Chair- Helps to coordinate and organize the other volunteers who put together the Winter Festival. We usually have 7-8 volunteers (several returnees) who help to organize, procure and run the Winter Festival activities. This job is really about corralling people, organizing ideas, keeping things on track, etc. Do not have to be on the Executive Board.