The Lion Pride Press
#LionPride
Hello from Mr. Hoheisel
Hello Lewis & Clark Lions,
Happy April to everyone! And just like that, the snow is 'mostly' gone and we're already rolling into the final months of the 2021-2022 school year. April is a busy month with our North Dakota State Assessments, Panorama Surveys, ongoing progress monitoring, new learning, and spring activities.
We're excited to have our incoming kindergarten students and families visit the school on Thursday, April 7th from 4:00 - 6:00 pm. We look forward to meeting students and families are they embark on their educational journey.
On Tuesday, April 26th, Bunny Bingo is BACK!!! Stay tuned for more details, but expect a night out with your families to socialize with other families, play some bingo, eat some snacks, and have a good time. Mrs. Paintner has also secured the Scholastic Book Fair that week, so you'll have to make sure you stop by to visit the display. Families will be able to purchase tickets to enter drawings for Gifts from the Heart to support Ms. Muus, one of our teachers courageously battling cancer.
Please remember that you cannot park on the school-side of 13th Avenue South. This has come up numerous times when talking safety of our students. It is important that you do your part in following the traffic rules for the sake of safety for our students!
We so appreciate your help with all the things that keep us constantly improving our practices for kids and for you! Thank you so much for your partnership as we strive to ensure we're a place for all. Happy Spring!
Mr. Loren Hoheisel - Principal
2022-2023 Registration
Online enrollment for the 2022-2023 school year is once again available for Grand Forks Public School students. This process replaces the paper forms sent home at the beginning of each school year. You will use the PowerSchool Parent Portal to access the Registration 22-23 link. If you have not already completed the online registration process, please follow the directions below to complete the online enrollment. Thank you.
How do I get started?
If you have not already done so, you will need to create a PowerSchool Single Sign-On Account that links all your school-age children to the same account. If you need the information to set up your account, please contact the school office.
Visit https://grand-forks.ps.state.nd.us/public/ and log into the PowerSchool Parent Portal. From the Parent Portal:
Select the student you wish to register at the top.
Select the Registration (22-23) link on the left side of the screen.
Agree to the terms and conditions
Click Begin Forms
For schools that have bus routes, parent(s)/guardian(s) will be able to sign up for regular route busing for the 2022-2023 school year while completing registration in PowerSchool. There is an August 10, 5 p.m. deadline for registration for transportation. Dietrich Bus Service will contact those who sign up in mid-August with specific information. Those who miss the deadline will not be guaranteed immediate ridership. If you complete the signup and require a change to your information at a later date, please contact your respective schools’ administration staff to update any information.
Individuals requesting transportation beyond August 10 will be required to utilize the signup on the Grand Forks Public Schools website, which will be active on August 11. Registration using that process will not guarantee immediate ridership.
Frequently Asked Questions
I can’t remember my login for the PowerSchool Parent Portal.
If you aren’t able to retrieve your login credentials using the “Having trouble signing in?” link on the Sign In page, please contact your school directly for assistance logging into the Parent Portal.
Do I have to answer all the questions?
Mandatory questions are marked as "required".
What if I make a mistake?
If you would like to make a change prior to submitting the form, you can either navigate back to the page using the “Prev” and “Next” buttons or if you are on the Review page, click on the underlined field. If you have already submitted the form, you will need to contact your student’s school so they can make the changes for you.
I’ve completed the form, now what?
Once you have finished entering your information, click “Submit.” This will send all of the information you’ve entered to the school. If you cannot click on this button, you will need to make sure that you have answered all of the required questions.
What if I have more than one student in the district? Do I need to do this for each student?
Yes, you will need to provide information that is specific to each student. We recommend that you complete and submit one form and then start another. This will allow you to “snap” (or share) selected family information, which saves you time.
Help! I’m on the form and I’m having technical difficulties.
For technical support, visit our PowerSchool Community (LINK: https://help.powerschool.com/t5/Enrollment-Family-Support/ct-p/PowerSchoolRegistration) or click “Help” from any form page.
School Supply Lists
Grand Forks Public Schools will once again use Teacher Lists to share 2022-2023 school supply lists information with our families! This free tool allows families to find and shop their student's supply list easily with the convenience of one-click shopping or in-store pickup from several national retailers, including Target and Walmart. If you'd rather complete your shopping in person, just visit the Teacher Lists website to view/print your student's supply list.
Summer School
Grand Forks Public Schools will offer a Summer School Reading/Math Class for students in grades K-5. Students will receive child-centered instruction in reading and math from certified teachers in the Grand Forks Public School District. This class is open to all K-5 students currently enrolled in Grand Forks Public Schools.
Classes will be held June 6 - 30, 2022 (Monday through Friday) from 8:00 am to 12:00 noon at Lewis & Clark Elementary School.
We encourage anyone who's considering it, please sign up. It is a little more of a flexible schedule, so if you student has summer activities, they can do both. Missing a little bit of the summer school session is completely ok. Any additional time focusing on reading and math is beneficial. There is no fee for this program. The deadline to complete this registration is Friday, April 29, 2022.
Reading/Math Link
https://bit.ly/LCESSummer2022
If you have any questions, please reach out to the main office at 701.746.2285.
GFPS Parent and Family Engagement Policy
April Safe Kids
KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION
Online Kindergarten Pre-Registration Now Open at Grand Forks Public Schools. Grand Forks Public Schools has opened kindergarten online pre-registration for families.
Children who will reach the age of five before August 1, 2022 are eligible to enter kindergarten.
For links to required forms and additional information that will be needed at registration, please visit https://bit.ly/2022KClass.
The online pre-registration, available at https://bit.ly/2022KPreRegistration, captures student information so the school can begin student enrollment processes. This will minimize waiting time at registration, which will be held later this spring.
The elementary school boundary line map can be found at https://www.gfschools.org/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=10181&dataid=16384&FileName=Elem_School_Boundaries_2021.pdf
PTO Meeting - April 12th via Zoom
Hop online to join the conversation!
Monday, April 12th @ 6:30 pm
Meeting ID: 970 7110 8440
Passcode: j9J9ed
Lewis and Clark PTO is seeking Fifth Grade Parent Volunteers to lead Fifth Grade End of Year Celebration - contact Mr. Hoheisel if you are interested in learning more.
Be sure to fill out the Free & Reduced Lunch Application!
Due to recent USDA waiver extensions, all students will continue to receive free breakfast and lunch through the end of the 2021-2022 school year.
What is included in the free meals provided?
Every meal includes a main entree, fruit, vegetable sides, grain, and milk. Menus for each school can be found online at https://schools.mealviewer.com/.
Can my student still purchase a la carte items?
Absolutely! A la carte items are still available for purchase in our high school cafeterias.
Do I need to submit an application for meal benefits?
You do not need to apply for meal benefits for your student to receive their free meal. However, qualified students and families may receive additional benefits.
Federal Income Chart for School Year 2021-2022
Breakfast & Arrival Info
Morning Options:
- Breakfast: 7:40-8:20
- Waiting Outside: supervision will be provided at 8:00 am for students waiting outside their assigned arrival doors.
Breakfast:
Students eating breakfast may arrive no earlier than 7:40 AM and can enter through the main entrance, Door #1 (if walking or biking), or if you will be dropping your children off in a vehicle, please use our drive-through lane and drop them off at Door #4 in the parking lot.
If your child will not be eating breakfast at school, plan to arrive as close to 8:20 as possible. We will have designated spaces for students to line up outside of their assigned doors:
- Door 1: Storbakken, Hagadorn, Gierszewski, Lovelace, & Muus
- Door 5: Barandi, Mattice, Torgerson, Eriksmoen, & Ellingson
Outside:
With such a large number of students coming for breakfast and the nice weather, we've allowed all students to go outside after 8:00am. It's great to see our students are getting their bellies full before the start of the day, but supervision has been a little tricky. We will begin with a rotation of which grade-levels can be on different parts of the outside area week by week.
Safe Kids Information
Dismissal Info
Dismissal Doors:
- Door 1: Storbakken, Hagadorn, Gierszewski, Lovelace, & Muus
- Door 5: Barandi, Mattice, Torgerson, Eriksmoen, & Ellingson
Parking Options: Safety is always our first priority, which means the safest option may not be the most convenient!
Our parking lot has two lanes of traffic. Lane 1, closest to the building on the right, is for drop off and pick up only. The left lane, Lane 2, is a lane for continuous drive-through traffic; vehicles in Lane 2 are not allowed to stop. Lane 1 is for curbside pickup, not parking and waiting for your student to come to the vehicle.
Families CANNOT stop curbside (by our main entrance) on 13th Avenue South to drop off or pick up students. Stopping on 13th blocks the crosswalk, causes congestion, and puts our students, families, and staff in danger. If you choose to park on 13th, you must park on the south side of the street, remain in your vehicle, and have your child utilize the crosswalk with the flashing beacon.
Siblings:
- Older siblings will not be able to walk through the building to meet younger siblings at their classroom doors. Please arrange and discuss an outdoor meeting spot for your family prior to the first day of school.
- If you would like to drive through our parking lot to pick up your child, please plan to use our pick-up lane along the north wing of the building. School staff will be on hand to assist our students to safely get into their cars at the end of each school day.
Signing a Student In/Out
- Please call the office at 701.746.2285 or buzz at door #1 (flagpole).
- In the office, please sign your child out and check the box if they will be returning for the day.
- When arriving late, you will sign your child in and the office will provide your student with a late slip to give to their teacher, as well as may be marked tardy (dependent on the reason for being late).
- When informing a teacher about an absence, please also check in with the office to ensure your child is coded correctly in PowerSchool. (Attendance Line: 701.746.2287 or Main Office 701.746.2285)
Snacks & Allergies
School Snacks:
Some teachers schedule a snack time during the school day. You are not required to provide a snack for your child. However, if you do, please send snacks in accordance with the following Nutrition Standards outlined in the Grand Forks Public School District Wellness Policy.
Snacks should include a nutrition label
Sugar is not the first ingredient (Different names for sugar: brown sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, glucose, honey, fruit juice concentrate, high fructose corn syrup, invert sugar, lactose maltose, malt syrup, molasses, raw sugar, sucrose, syrup)
- Candy is not allowed
All snacks are peanut and nut free
Any fruit or vegetable is allowable
Yogurt and cheese are allowable (with freezer pack to keep cool)
Plain water in any size is allowable
Snacks that contain or may contain peanuts or other nuts (for peanut and tree nut restricted schools), do not fall within the nutrition standards listed above, and/or do not have a nutrition label, will be sent home with your child.
Peanut/Nut Free School:
- When sending a snack or packing a lunch, please remember to check labels to make sure it does not contain or have traces of peanuts/nuts.
Birthday Treats & Invitations:
Due to food allergies, we no longer celebrate student birthdays with a “birthday snack” in our schools. Parents are welcome to find other non-food items to send to school if they wish. Please discuss with your child’s classroom teacher for ideas or preferences.
Teachers will not assist in the distribution of birthday invitations in the event that a student would be left out. If the classroom teacher creates a classroom directory, please utilize that for sending invitations through the mail.
Family Supports
- School Social Worker: Mrs. Logan Kassa (lkassa100@mygfschools.org)
- School Counselor: Mrs. Tracy Lawler (tlawler010@mygfschools.org)
FINDING THEIR PASSION
Research shows that when youth are engaged in healthy activities, they are less likely to abuse alcohol and other drugs. Being involved in and having a passion for something fosters skills such as communication, relationship-building, self-control, and problem-solving (among others).
When youth have something they enjoy, look forward to, and are proud of, they are less likely to turn to drugs and alcohol. Encourage your child to find their passion and to "live their no". Ask them what their interests are and do what you can to encourage and support these interests.
For more information, visit http://www.parentslead.org/.
Dates to Remember
April:
- April 6th Early Release 1:30
- April 7th Kindergarten Round Up
- April 12th PTO Meeting
- April 15th No School
- April 18th No School
- April 20th Early Release
- April 22nd Book Character Day & RED Event
- April 26th Bunny Bingo
May:
- May 4th Early Release 1:30
- May 6th Dress like a Teacher Day
- May 9th PTO Meeting
- May 18th Early Release 1:30
- May 30th No School
June:
- June 2nd Last day of School
- June 6th - 30th Summer School Starts 8:00 am - 12:00 pm