The Lion's Share Newsletter
March 2022
From the Desk of Mr. Miller:
Grant Families,
Welcome to the March newsletter! The year, in typical fashion, seems to be flying by with spring already on the horizon! As we head into the final stretch of the year, our calendar seems to start filling up with numerous school events including field trips, track days, and one of my favorites, Night of 1,000 Stars! Be sure to keep an eye out for all the details!
We are excited to finally announce that we will have all new Grant gear up for purchase starting today! We will have both long-sleeve and short-sleeve tee shirts, pullover hoodies, and zipper hoodies. Also, some of our gear will have a new design (see below)! Don't worry, if you like our current design, we will also have those for sale. All items will be available in both student and adult sizes! Finally, all orders will be made online! You will have the option, once you order online, to pay with a credit card or bring in cash or check to the school. We are expecting delivery of the new gear to come in after spring break! Open the link below to find the QR code to order yours today! Please use the code 2022 to sign in.
How familiar are you with Capturing Kids' Hearts? Did you know that there are weekly lessons based on a monthly theme? This month, as you can see below, we will focus on courage! Along with our lessons, students are greeted warmly each and every day upon arrival, students begin the day sharing out their "good things," and every class has a student developed social contract for which the students ensure everyone follows. Did you also know that last year, we were recognized as a Capturing Kids' Hearts National Showcase School? That is something to celebrate! We are currently in the process of working to retain our National Showcase School designation. The next step in this process is having you, our parents & guardians, taking a quick survey about Capturing Kids' Hearts! I will be sending out a link to your emails very soon. I hope that I can ask for your help in supporting our efforts by taking the CKH survey!
This coming Friday, March 4th, we will be celebrating Read Across America Day! It's such a fun day for all. Our staff are decorating doors and picking out costumes. We would like to encourage your student(s) to also dress up on Friday as their favorite Dr. Seuss character!
Finally, we hope that your butter braid fundraiser is going well! The last day to get your orders in is March 14th and we are planning on the butter braids to be delivered for pick up on April 7. We would like to thank our wonderful PTA for putting together this fundraiser. As a friendly reminder, the money received from this fundraiser will help PTA to purchase track day tee-shirts for each student and to help support our Lion students.
I want to thank you for all that you do for your student! We really couldn't do it without you! Let's keep up the hard work the next few weeks as our upcoming spring break will offer us some time to relax and catch our breath!
Have a great one,
Ryan Miller
Principal, Grant Elementary
Capturing Kids' Hearts Focus for March: Courage
For the month of March, our students will be learning about what it means to be courageous! The first week's lessons have some pretty outstanding things to consider, such as, the words "easy" and "courage" really never go together. It's not easy to be courageous. We will look at what courage means when trying to do the right thing both here at school and at home. Robert Schuller once said, "The truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it." We hope you will join us this month to help our Lions be courageous!
What is Courage?
Courage is the ability and strength to face something that may be difficult or challenging. Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather perseverance in the presence of fear and the willingness to stand up for what is right or to try something new even though it may be uncomfortable or uncertain.
Why focus on Courage?
- Courage encourages engagement. Courage helps students raise their hand, participate, try new things, and voice their opinions.
- Courage builds self-confidence. Courage is the choice to act. By doing something, students increase their belief in themselves and their ability to do difficult or challenging things.
- Courage can help reframe a negative. When something does not go as planned or a student gets upset about a mistake or failure, courage can help reframe the event in a positive light.
Courage in Action:
- Provide leadership opportunities. Students can learn and demonstrate leadership by teaching and mentoring others, classroom roles and responsibilities, or community outreach.
- Encourage discussion and debate. Foster curiosity and empower students to formulate ideas and engage in respectful discourse and conversations.
- Celebrate failures. Create opportunities to reduce fear of failure and celebrate when students try something new, even if they are not successful the first time.
Order Your Grant Gear Today!
Exciting Changes at Grant
Student Feature
What do you love most about Grant? I love that I get to do Lion Time and I get to learn. I get to have a great time. Math is my favorite. I'm learning addition and multiplication...it's just my thing!
What do you love about being a 2nd grader this year? My teacher, Mrs. Veneris, is very kind. I love that I have a good time with my friends. Once I started coming to this school, I learned that I am popular because other kids know that I am helpful, kind, and nice.
What do you think about Capturing Kids’ Hearts: It helps kids by having them do the right thing. It also helps them to be kid-mature. It helps kids focus on the right things at schools.
What do you want to be when you grow up? I would like to be a pastor.
What’s your favorite subject: I would say math and reading, but I think I love reading the most. When I was little, I didn't know that I wanted to be a reader, but I love it!
What does it mean to you to be a Grant Lion? To use the ROAR behavior and to be a good student. To help others do the right thing and to do the right thing yourself, even if others aren't. It means you should always try and show perseverance.
Fun Pictures from February!
Important March Events:
Tuesday, Mar 1: English/Language Arts ADB Testing for 3rd, 4th, and 5th begins, Motor Mouth Here, Boys Floor Hockey 2:30-3:30
Wednesday, Mar 2: ELA ADB Testing continues, NEHS 2:30-3:45, Girls Floor Hockey 2:30-3:30
Thursday, Mar 3: Math ADB Testing for 3rd, 4th, and 5th begins
Friday, Mar 4: Read Across America Day, Math ADB Testing continues, End of 3rd Quarter
Monday, Mar 7: NO SCHOOL for Teacher Work Day
Tuesday, Mar 8: NO SCHOOL for Data Collaboration Day, PTA Meeting 6:00
Thursday Mar 10: 2nd Cup of Coffee at Grant 8:15-9:00, Boys Floor Hockey 2:30-3:30
Monday, Mar 14: Last day for Butter Braid Orders, Girls Floor Hockey 2:30-3:30
Tuesday, Mar 15: Student Council 2:30-3:30, Boys Floor Hockey 2:30-3:30
Wednesday, Mar 16: NEHS 2:30-3:45, Girls Floor Hockey 2:30-3:30
Thursday, Mar 17: St. Patrick's Day - wear your green!
Friday, Mar 18: Fifth Grade Overnight Field Trip Money Due
Monday, Mar 21 - Friday, Mar 25: NO SCHOOL for Spring Break! Enjoy the time off!
Tuesday, Mar 29: Student Council visit Care & Share 2:30-4:00, 5th Grade Overnight Field Trip Parent Meeting 5:30-6:30
Wednesday, Mar 30: NEHS 2:30-3:45
Contact Information:
Email: Ryan.miller@d11.org
Website: https://www.d11.org/Domain/35
Location: 3215 Westwood Boulevard, Colorado Springs, CO, USA
Phone: 719.328.5700
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grantelementarylions