Mustang Messenger
2020-2021 School Year: Volume 22: Week of February 22nd
Be the Best YOU at Grandview!!!
PRIDE in our Students and our GV Families too!!
Dear Families,
In looking at our PRIDE model, I thought how powerful it is to have our parents model the PRIDE characteristics with their children, just like we ask our students to do at Grandview each day. I bring this up because we are entering another change in the next couple of weeks, please note that I will do all that I can to make interruptions as few as possible, but I have to put safety as our #1 priority. The school board has charged Mr. DeCaire and myself to ensure that our class sizes to be 16-18 students in each room before going to 5-days a week face-to-face instruction. Most of our grade levels are not, so that means that there will be hiring and some shifting of students and teachers. We know that students have made amazing relationships in the first three quarters of the year and there is nothing like a relationship between a teacher and a student, but unfortunately, there will be some shifts. No one wants to have their child be the one that has to shift or move, but please know that we are doing all we can to ensure safety first, so I need the Grandview community to come together and be respectful of the tough decisions that have to be made.
For the last three weeks, we have been focusing on the P and R in the PRIDE model. That stands for being Polite and Respectful. I hope that our families carry it out too. The comments on social media come to me. The comments and looks that are made to one another at drop off and pick up are seen and heard. I understand that these situations can be frustrating, but we need to remember that students are around that are our future. We want these students to be raised to be polite and respectful people for our community. Please help me to be that positive role model.
This week we are bringing the I into our conversations. The "I" stands for Integrity. In sum, it is doing the right thing without no one looking. If the adults are not out at drop off and pick up, how would it go? Would our families do the right thing? Are our students doing their on-line learning when the teachers are not on-line all day encouraging them.
In the end, be that role model for your student.
Remember the last selection survey is out and is due THIS EVENING!!!! You have been given the choice to keep your child in their current learning model or move into a different learning model. Whatever is selected is the decision for the remainder of the school year, we will be here to support you. We also will be firm with not allowing students movement after the deadline as we need to have proper staffing in place to allow for safety and the 6 foot social distance. The link is below.
Remember with all of the transitions from this school year, we will continue to support the students and the families. Change is always challenging, but I hope you see the support that we will offer you every step of the way.
Please join us for Tuesday's Parent Virtual Meeting. Mrs. Gauthier, Grandview 1st grade teacher, is presenting on literacy and some easy reading comprehension strategies to do with your child and it will be at 6 pm and Tuesday Night Night will be at 8 pm.
Your Proud Principal,
Mrs. Melissa Carruth, Ed.S
Another Week of Learning!!
Fun in the Snow
Kinder Reader & Writer Leader
Sequencing Super Stars
Important Info to support your children at home
This Week's Specials Content Introduction Video
Final Selection Survey is DUE TONIGHT!!!
The survey will close at midnight tonight and we want to hear from all families. If we do not hear from your, you will stay in the same model you are currently enrolled in.
Spirit Wear!!!
Below is the link. All items will be picked up at Grandview.
The promo code for free shipping, as the inventory will be delivered to school, is GRANDVIEW. Be sure to put it in so that you are not charged for shipping.
If you only want to purchase a mask. The office is selling the masks too. They are $10 a mask. You can call the office so that Ms. Tammy can hold one for you until you can get up to Grandview to pick up a mask.
There is super cute apparel!!!! Purchase some GV apparel to support FOG and Grandview and to share your Grandview pride!!!! Below are a few pics of the attire.
March is Reading Month -- starts FRIDAY!!!!
March is Reading Month is right around the corner. The kick off is on Friday, February 26th. The teachers will launch the theme and the month of fun on the 26th. Look for the family letter, calendar, bookmark contest, and at-home reading guidelines being sent home with your children on Friday, the 26th or Monday, March 1srt. If you are a CVA student, your materials will be emailed to you, as well as, a hard copy coming home on Friday, March 5th. Botsford is doing the same theme to make it easy for the classrooms that have both Botsford and Grandview students. A couple of events to plan for and to get excited for a month of reading are:
February 28: Kick-off anouncement!! The students and the teachers will be getting excited to launch a month of fun!!!
March 2nd: Wear red and white or dress up as your favorite Dr. Seuss character.
March 1-5: Virtual Book Fair Week
March 24: Virtual Milk and Bookies Night -- 6-8:00 pm
Fun days at GV will be a fun activity to do in honor of reading -- look at the flyer!!!
- 2nd and 5th -- Hats off to Reading!!!
- 9-12th - Crazy Hair Day!!
- 19th - Flashlight Friday with PJs
- 26th - Wear a shirt or jersey of your Favorite Sports Team
March 19th: Bookmark Contest deadline
Friday, March 27th - Virtual Closing Assembly to celebrate our month of Reading and name the reading MVP in each class!!
NOTE: We are asking the kids to read each evening. When you read the grade level appropriate amount, remember to fill out a slip (paper or virtual) for each evening read and have the parent sign or acknowledge the slip and return to the classroom. These slips will come home with the letters on Friday/Monday! Drawings will happen on all Friday's in March to win prizes!! Again, your child cannot win without a signed slip!!
When should I keep my student home??
Thank you to everyone for getting the signed COVID-19 School Health Screening Acknowledgment Form in on time. We appreciate that. By signing that form, that means that you will screen your child each day upon having them return to school and enter the bus or the school building. I have included the form for your review.
The form was sent home with your second semester mailing, as well as, attached below.
Picture Day
If you are a CVA student and you wish to have your picture taken, please reach out to Tammy Smith, at the Grandview office to sign-up for a picture slot. The time for our CVA students are 9:45-11:30 on March 1st or March 4th. Do not just show up at the school. We need to ensure that all students are spaced from each other.
Picture packets and yearbook purchasing forms will be sent home last week and the beginning of this week.
Questions about picture day, please contact the Grandview office.
WIDA
All students who have a language other than English spoken at home and are identified as English Learners must take a state test called WIDA ACCESS for ELLs (Accessing Comprehension and Communication in English State to State for English Language Learners). The Enrollment Office form that was completed when your son/daughter enrolled in Clarenceville Schools tells us this information. Students will take the test even if they are not attending ESL/EL classes. The test is for Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking and Comprehension in English. Even though we are in a pandemic, we still have to test your child. Even if your child is a virtual learner, we still have to test your child. We will bring our health risk compromised students in on Wednesday, when there are no other students in the building. We did not receive an exemption from the State of Michigan, therefore, we are testing. We will mail your child's test results to you when we receive them from the Michigan Department of Education. If you have any questions, please contact Karen Morrison at 248-919-0404.
School Store Fundraiser
A school fundraiser is underway and we are so excited with how much has been sold in the 1st week. It is 100% online so there is no selling or handling of money or products. This is a Win-Win fundraiser as the school earns money, as well as, the classroom teacher and the students can earn some really cute prizes. This fundraiser helped to purchase the clay that is used for art, paint for the playground, as well as, the supplies for March is Reading Month.
School Store is an online shopping mall.
All you need to do is going to www.schoolstore.net and enter Grandview Elementary School's code (9438) and then shop away.
Here are three ways your family, friends, and co-workers can help our school.
1. Make a 100% tax-deductible donation to your child's classroom with the purchase of a CaringFor Classrooms.org gift card for your child's teacher to use for classroom supplies and equipment.
2. Renew or purchase magazine subscriptions, DVD's, cookbooks and more. We earn up to 50% of their purchase.
3. Shop online with over 400 major merchants including Walmart, Kohl's, Best Buy, Disney, and many more. When your family and friends make everyday purchases from their favorite merchants through SchoolStore.com, your school, and classroom teacher earns money.
Grandview Virtual Parent Cafe -- Literacy
This Tuesday, the 23rd, at 6:00 pm, is our next VIRTUAL PARENT CAFE!!! This session is our monthly literacy meeting. Mrs. Gauthier, Grandview 1st grade teacher, will be joining us to lead us in more knowledge, discussion and information on how to better support your child with literacy and reading comprehension.
Below is the link and calendar of dates around the big 4 topics. The subtopics will be featured each week in the Mustang Messenger.
Kindergarten Round-Up
Looking for new Kindergarteners or Junior Kindergarteners for this fall!
Grandview's Round-Up is Tuesday, March 23rd at 6:00 P.M. This meeting will be virtual.
Botsford's Round-Up is Wednesday, March 24th at 6:00 P.M. This meeting will be virtual.
If you have a child who will be five years old by December 1, 2021, he/she may be eligible for Kindergarten or Junior Kindergarten next fall. Please complete the Round Up Registration form online by visiting this link https://forms.gle/cTJPR8cuwUFmsxPR7. Please pass this link along to friends and neighbors who have a future Kindergarten student but do not have siblings at Grandview.
For Questions, contact the Grandview Office: 248-919-0404
Hybrid Schedule both in person and at home
Free Breakfast and Lunch
On Tuesday, the red cohort will have a choice to bring five breakfast and lunch meals home with them from school and on Friday, the grey cohort will have a choice to bring five breakfast and lunch meals. Your child can bring the meals home on the bus. Milk will be sent home too. This is a choice, but strongly encouraged as meals will be made for all parents. If you do not wish to have the food be brought home, please contact your student's teacher or contact the office so that we can put your child's name on the do not send list.
On Thursday, 7-day meal distributions will still happen at the High School. This is a great way for our CVA students to receive meals. Please remember if you cannot get up to school to pick-up your meals, please reach out to Grandview and we will deliver the meals to your home.
Meals for this week:
Monday: No School
Tuesday: Breakfast: Twix Cereal Bar, Pear, and Milk
Lunch: Pepperoni Pizza, Broccoli, Diced Strawberry Cup and Milk
Thursday: Breakfast: Mini Strawberry Cream Cheese Bagel, Apple and Milk
Lunch: Sweet and Sour Chicken with brown rice, carrots, celery, apple and milk
Friday: Breakfast: Twix Cereal Bar, Pear, and Milk
Lunch: Pepperoni Pizza, Broccoli, Diced Strawberry Cup and Milk
Remember to also visit Food Service Website for up-to-date menu changes and to help with planning ahead.
Arrival and Dismissal
Please remember to stay in your car when you drop off and have your child sitting on the right side of the car so that it is easy for them to get out of the car and for the staff to assist the students.
If your child is a car rider, you should have a tag by now to hang in your car. If you have not received one, please reach out to the office or the classroom teacher. Displaying these in your car makes the process go by faster.
If your child is a walker, please put it in writing and send it in an email to myself and/or the teacher or a written note. Your child will be dismissed from the back with the car riders.
Remember that in the back, please form three lines to help us to get more cars through quicker and more efficient. Do not get out of the car, there will be staff on site to help get your child out of the car.
Bus Schedule
If your child is not riding the bus, they have to be dropped off and picked up in the back of the school. We will NOT allow for parent drop off before or after school. We need to monitor social distancing and that not occur if parent walk up is happening amongst our bussers.
School Attendance
For the students that are returning to school, attendance is taking two times a day. Students are marked tardy starting at 9:35. Please be timely so that absences do not add up. You are only at school two days a week, so attendance should be upheld.
On virtual days, two-way interactions are monitored. Attendance at your two times a day virtual Google Meets, turning in assignments and responding to feedback are all ways to achieve your two-way interactions.
Truancy laws will be upheld. Under State of Michigan legislation, truancy is defined as a child who has 10 or more unexcused absences per school year. If you are option 1 - hybrid remote, teachers will take a morning and afternoon attendance, just like in brick and mortar. If you are in option 2 - virtual academy. You have a little more flexibility, but daily contact with the teacher is still expected. You can still call into the attendance line to excuse your child, but please do not get yourself into trouble with attendance. Attendance is mandatory.
Winter Weather is here.....Dress Appropriately
At Grandview, we go outside as long as it is above 10 degrees Fahrenheit. We combine the temperature and wind chill in making this decision. Therefore, we need the children to come prepared with hats, gloves, mittens, snow pants, winter coat and boots. If you have trouble providing your child with this necessary and essential winter gear, please reach out to us and we will help to support your child. If your child is not dressed appropriately, we will not be sending them outside.
Please help remind your child to leave their coats on, no matter how warm they are. The temperature is cold and you all sent them with jackets and we do not want our students to get sick because they are not wearing their coat outside for recess.
Additionally, if your child medical conditions restricts them to be outside, please do not just send a note in from you. We need to have a medical note. Our office is becoming packed with kids that say, "my parents told me to stay in." We welcome them to stay in, but we need the medical note as we have kids that have medical restrictions and they do not have anywhere to sit due to the kids that do not have the medical note.
2020-2021 Annual School Survey
Please help Grandview to continue to improve! We ask for ALL parents to complete our annual survey to help to drive our instruction, conversation, and improvement. This was the same survey that was in the lobby of Grandview during conferences. Thank you to the families that already completed it and I so appreciate all the families that will complete it. I would love to hear all of your voices as we strive to make Grandview the very best school!!!!
Looking for employment and want to join the Clarenceville and Grandview Family.......
1). Officer Rebandt with LPD's traffic division is in charge of Botsford's two crossing guards. Currently there is one available position for the crossing guard on Angling at the stop sign. He asked for our help to find a replacement by notifying our parents to see if there is anyone out there who would be interested or knows of someone who might be interested in the crossing guard position. (He also has other openings for crossing guard positions in Livonia and is finding it impossible to find candidates to fill any of the positions.)
The position is for the Botsford/Angling Road crossing guard. Hours are: Monday - Friday the 1/2 hour prior to Botsford's starting bell and the 1/2 hour following their dismissal bell. The pay is for 2 hours a day, on school days. He is asking that interested candidates contact him (Officer Rebandt) directly at 734 466-2683 for further information about the position and/or to apply. Please leave a message if he is not available.
Grandview Parent Website
- Have you attended a Virtual Session and wanted resources from the session?
- Were you unable to attend a parent session, but wanted to gain some new learning?
If you answered yes to either, I would encourage you to check our Grandview Virtual Website. It is a website created just for Grandview families filled with a ton of resources for Grandview students. It is updated with each session that is held on Tuesday nights. So be sure to visit often.
Parent Support Learning Sessions
There are a ton of amazing sessions on super relevant and impactful session!!! I encourage you to take time out of your schedule to support yourself to support your children.
Take a look and let me know if you attend and what you learn!!!
Special Event - Parents, learn how to unleash passion and performance in your student!
Dear Oakland County parents, Oakland Schools is excited to announce bestselling author and generational expert, Mark C. Perna, will be hosting a special virtual presentation “Answering Why: Unleashing Passion, Purpose, and Performance in Younger Generations” from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 24. This one-night only program is open to all Oakland County parents of K-12 students. Learn how to motivate your child and encourage their passion for learning. Perna, who has appeared on over 2,000 television, radio and podcast shows, is an expert in helping educators, employers and parents understand and connect with the millennial and Z generations. Read more about the event.
Event Info: Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2021 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Virtual presentation via Zoom
Zoom ID: 848 7826 2795
Passcode: 277383
Please join us for this unique opportunity to listen to a nationally-renowned speaker discuss important topics related to our youth. If you have any questions about this event, please contact us at PernaEvent@oakland.k12.mi.us.
Clarenceville District and Elementary Calendar
Yearbook Pictures
First Day of School, Grandview FOG Facebook Page, Constitution Day, Virtual Spirit Week has all brought in some great pictures for our yearbook committee, but we need more. Thank you to those families that have sent me pictures, but we still need more. If you have some great pictures of your child learning virtually, please email them to the following address.....gviewyearbook@gmail.com. It will take a village for us to ensure that we have enough pictures to mark this historical year.
Still Not In the Special's Google Classroom, here are some tips to help you.....
Junior Kindergarten through Second Grade students who have not yet enrolled in their Specials Google Classroom have been added to the classrooms. You will not need to follow instructions for joining with a code. Instead, go to classroom.google.com and you'll see the Specials class automatically listed. Click the "Join" button and then the classroom will open. Look at the image below to help guide you.
Third through fifth grade students who have not yet enrolled in their Specials Google Classroom should follow the instructions to join with the code provided. Each of your classroom teachers have the codes listed.
FOG Positions and FOG News -- JOIN OUR TEAM!!!
The following positions are still available:
FOG President:
FOG Co-VP with Nick Dorst:
If you are interested, please reach out to myself or Nick Dorst at fogvp2020@gmail.com
Tech Support this School Year
Click here for Google Meet Support Link
Click her to access Google Meet for Tech support
Tuesday Night Night
I will read this Tuesday and next Tuesday and then will take a break until January 5th where we will continue reading great stories in 2021!!
Grandview and Kroger
We get money from Kroger if you add Grandview to your profile. Thank you to all of you who have already added Grandview to your account. Though know that it is never too late to sign-up and join!!! So shop away, Grandview is benefitting from your grocery shopping!
Simply encourage your participants to visit http://www.kroger.com. Once logged into their Kroger account they can search for Friends of Grandview either by name or TH003 and then click Enroll. New users will need to create an account which requires some basic information, a valid email address and a rewards card.
*Customers must have a registered Kroger rewards card account to link to your organization.
*If a member does not yet have a Kroger rewards card, please let them know they are available at the customer service desk at any Kroger
REMEMBER, purchases will not count for your organization until after your participants register their rewards card.
Participants must swipe their registered Kroger rewards card or use the phone number that is related to their registered Kroger rewards card when shopping for each purchase to count.
Interested in Cub Scouts
Grandview Sports
In the meantime, check out this great communication piece for our families!!
Important Dates and Upcoming Dates
February
22: 100% Asynchronous Day for GV -- No Google Meets, No on-line or face-to-face sessions
23: Hearing Screening - GSRP, K, 2nd and 4th grade
25: Board of Education Meeting - Virtual @ 6:30 pm
26: March is Reading Month Kick-off
March
1: Kick of to March is Reading Month
Red Cohort or CVA Students Picture Day
Virtual Spring Book Fair Start
2: Dr. Seuss' Bday
Hats off to Reading
4: Grey Cohort or CVA Students Picture Day
Oakland County Health Department Vision Screening
5: Oakland County Health Department Vision Screening
Virtual Spring Book Fair Ends
Hats off to Reading
CVA Supply Distribution
8: Oakland County Health Department Vision Screening
9: Crazy Hair Day
11: Board of Education Meeting - Virtual @ 6:30 pm
12: Crazy Hair Day
End of the 3rd Marking Period
19: Bookmark Contest Deadline
23: Kinder Round-up
24: Virtual Milk and Bookies Event 6-8:00
25: Board of Education Meeting - Virtual @ 6:30 pm
26: Favorite Sports Team
29-April 2nd: Spring Break