GECKO GAZETTE
GRANT SCHOOL - SANTA MONICA
WEEK OF MARCH 20 - 26, 2023
Why is Women's History Month celebrated?
Women's History Month is a dedicated month to reflect on the often-overlooked contributions of women to United States history. From Abigail Adams to Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth to Rosa Parks, the timeline of women's history milestones stretches back to the founding of the United States.
~ IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER ~
Please review these important dates:
- Monday, March 20th: TK-5 SPRING STAR ELA & MATH ASSESSMENT WINDOW OPENS
- Monday, March 20th: Grant School Site Council Meeting @ 3:15 PM: JOIN MEETING;
- Tuesday, March 21st: FIELD TRIP: 2nd Grade to Morgan Wixon Theater
- Thursday, March 23rd: FIELD TRIP: 5th Grade to tour JAMS
- Thursday, March 23rd: FIELD TRIP: 4th Grade to La Brea Tar Pits
- Saturday, March 25th: GRANT STEAM EXPO! More info is coming soon!
- Monday, March 27th: NO SCHOOL - CESAR CHAVEZ HOLIDAY
- Friday, March 31st: MINIMUM DAY DISMISSAL: PRE-K/TK/KINDER @ 12:15 PM; Grades 1-5 @ 1:15 PM (DISTRICT DISCRETIONARY DAY)
- SPRING BREAK FROM MONDAY, APRIL 3RD - SUNDAY, APRIL 16TH
- Monday, April 17th: Classes Resume
- Wednesday, April 19th: FIELD TRIP: 2nd Grade: Topanga Canyon State Park: Murcia/Neumann
- Saturday, April 29th: Grant Parent Gala/Party: 6:00 - 11:00 PM - More info coming soon
- Saturday, May 20th: Grant Comedy Night Benefitting Grant School; 7:30 PM @ the Crow at Bergamot Station.
- Thursday, May 25th: MINIMUM DAY DISMISSAL: PRE-K/TK/KINDER @ 12:15 PM; Grades 1-5 @ 1:15 PM (DISTRICT DAY)
- Thursday, May 25th: Grant School Open House - Open House from 6:00 - 7:30 PM
- Monday, June 12th: LAST DAY OF SCHOOL! Minimum Day for all Grades: PRE-K/TK/KINDER @ 12:15 PM; Grades 1-5 @ 1:15 PM
~A MESSAGE FROM PRINCIPAL FUHRER~
Dear Grant Families,
I hope you are enjoying the dry weekend!
This was another busy week in the Gecko Nation! Last Wednesday was Grant Career Day! Thank you to all of the parents and community members who devoted their morning to educating our students about the various careers that are possible for them in the future. A huge Gecko Thank You to parent Kelly Naylor who put together a very expansive roster of parents, civic and municipal workers, and community members to showcase their talent, and skills. I hope you had a conversation with your child about what they learned that day!
The Grant STEAM Expo is on Saturday, March 25th! This event is a favorite of our students every year! Our STEAM Expo committee has been working overtime planning a fun and engaging event for everyone! You can see more details about this event below.
This Monday, March 20th, our Spring Assessment window opens. Our students will be assessed in Reading and Math. We will use this data to identify any progress and adjust each student's instructional plan accordingly. Remember that this information is only a snapshot of how your child is doing in school. Please contact your child's teacher for a fuller picture of your child's academic growth.
During the week of March 27-31, our students in Grades 3-5 will be taking the yearly OLWEUS anti-bullying survey. We use this information to gauge the effectiveness of our anti-bullying efforts this year and over time and make appropriate shifts in our focus on student safety and connectedness. I sent a message home this week that describes this assessment.
Finally, on Saturday, May 20th at the Crow in Bergamot Station, the first Grant Comedy Night benefitting our school will be held! There will be six real-life comedians performing and one completely out-of-his-league newbie making his comedy debut. (If you haven't guessed it yet, I'm braving the hecklers for the benefit of our students!) ;) Read this week's Gazette to see how you can attend! Thank you to the Verk and Cohn Families for sponsoring this charity fundraiser!
Have a great week, Geckos!
Best regards,
Christian Fuhrer
Principal
Grant School
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District
~STEAM EXPO SATURDAY, MARCH 25TH~
STEAM Expo, March 25th, 1:00-4:00 PM
Our 2023 STEAM Expo is next Saturday, March 25th from 1:00-4:00 PM. This is a free, family-friendly event with hands-on experiments and activities that features bubbles, hydrogen cars, nitrogen ice cream, animals, and more! Come check out neat experiments with Science Made Fun, make creative art projects with reDiscover Center and The Magical Atelier, see our local SMPD and LA Lifeguards demonstrate their newest technology, & learn coding with Digital Dragons and DEVCON Kids. Grant students can also win great prizes for participating!
Also, this event would not be possible without our parent and community volunteers. WE NEED VOLUNTEERS to support our parent-led Science Projects (12:50-2:30 or 2:20-4:00) -- please sign up for a volunteer slot here. If you have any questions, please email STEAMExpo@grantpta.org.
~THE GRANT PARENT GALA IS COMING SOON!~
~GRANT CAREER DAY!~
~GRANT COMEDY NIGHT AT THE CROW~
Join us for a great night of comedians and laughs featuring Principal Fuhrer in his comedy debut!
6 Comics + Our Principal + Grant Parents = A Night You Won't Want To Miss
SATURDAY MAY 20TH
The Crow - Bergamot Station
Doors: 7:30 pm
Cost: $50/ticket
Beer and Wine included
First come first serve - tickets are limited
Benefiting Grant Elementary School
Hosted by: The Verk & Cohn Families
Tickets on sale Monday at 6 pm here
Acompáñenos en una gran noche de comediantes y risas con el director Fuhrer en su debut en la comedia.
6 Cómicos + Nuestro director + Padres de Grant = Una Noche Que No Te Querrás Perder
SABADO 20 DE MAYO
Lugar: The Crow - Bergamot Station
Las puertas abren a las: 7:30pm
Valor: $50/ticket
Cerveza y vino incluído
Por orden de llegada - entradas limitadas
Beneficiando a la Escuela Primaria Grant
Presentado por Las familias Verk and Cohn
Entradas a la venta Lunes a las 6:00pm aqui
~5TH GRADE MEMORY BOOK INFO~
~GRANT READ-A-THON~
Read-A-Thon, 2/27/23 - 3/24/23
This is the last week of our Read-a-Thon! Reading logs need to be turned in by Friday, March 24th to be considered for our grade-level prize drawings. Winners will be announced next week. We are in the home stretch -- keep up the great work, Geckos!
**Email on behalf of the SMMUSD Board of Education**
Superintendent Search – Spring 2023
The SMMUSD Board of Education is in the process of conducting an Executive Search for the District’s next Superintendent. Leadership Associates, an executive search firm, was selected to advise the school board in this important process.
Updates will be provided on this webpage throughout this process:
https://www.smmusd.org/SuperintendentSearch
Community Input Survey
The SMMUSD school board is asking for your help in selecting our next superintendent. To ensure this is a collaborative and inclusive process, the board is providing an anonymous online survey and encourages your participation. This is an opportunity to receive input from students, staff, parents, and community. Please follow the link below to provide your input.
This survey will be open from: March 6, 2023 to March 16, 2023, at 4 p.m.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How does the search process work?
The school board is working with Leadership Associates to conduct a rigorous, nationwide search. The board will seek, receive, consider and review all input from the community, review all candidate applications, interview those candidates determined by the board and select the new Superintendent.
2. When will the new Superintendent be hired?
The board approved and published a timeline reflecting these details. The timeline is linked below. These dates are subject to change as the search process continues.
3. How and when do parents and other stakeholders weigh-in?
The board will be soliciting input on the characteristics, experience, and skills desired in the next Superintendent via an online survey and stakeholder conference sessions.
4. When will the District share the collected input with the public?
All information gathered will be presented to the board and then compiled, summarized, and incorporated into the Superintendent Position Profile / Description, which will be published here following Board review.
5. Who will make the final selection?
By law, the Board is solely responsible for hiring the new Superintendent. The Board will seek, receive, and consider all input from the community, review all applications, interview those candidates determined by the Board, and select the new Superintendent.
6. How can the public follow this process?
Updates regarding the Superintendent search process will be posted here. The board will also provide updates at its regularly scheduled board meetings and future press releases.
7. Can we find out who is applying?
All application materials, including the names of applicants and any other personally identifiable information, are confidential under law.
~SMMUSD LCAP COMMUNITY MEETING~
~OVER THE COUNTER MEDICATION CONSENT~
YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THESE FORMS BELOW OR GET A COPY IN THE MAIN OFFICE.
~COMMUNITY EVENTS~
~CALKIDS STUDENT SAVINGS ACCOUNTS~
~ALL NEW GECKO WEAR AVAILABLE NOW!~
Show your Grant school spirit every Friday with ALL NEW Gecko Wear. Check out the new designs and items including hats, shirts, sweatshirts, and canvas tote bags!
These products are available for purchase by pre-ordering online: https://my.cheddarup.com/c/grant-gecko-wear
To review the Grant School policies and the SMMUSD Annual Notice Handbook please click the following links:
Please click the image to see a full-size schedule
Click to enlarge image below.
~EASY WAYS TO HELP GRANT SCHOOL~
~DROP OFF AND PICK UP PROCEDURES~
Safe Campus drop-off and pick-up procedures are outlined below.
As a reminder, all students in Grades Kindergarten through 5th grade will be dropped off at the main gate at the front of the school in the morning or at the pedestrian gate in the rear of the school and will be picked up at either the main gate or the Kindergarten yard. Your teacher will let you know where their specific pickup location is. If you are unsure, please ask.
*Please do not drive into the staff parking lot at either the front or the rear of the school to either drop off or pick up your child.
DROP-OFF and PICK-UP PROCEDURES
Preschool and TK Drop-off: Due to State law, all Preschool and Transitional Kindergarten students must be dropped off to their teacher. Preschool parents will continue to enter the campus at the main gates after checking in with the Campus Monitor, proceed to Room 59, and sign their child in with Ms. Reed. TK parents will walk their children to the Transitional Kindergarten yard where Ms. Herman and Ms. Cedillo will greet them each day.
Preschool and TK Pick-up: All Preschool parents will meet Ms. Reed at the main gates for dismissal. Students whose parents have not picked up their child at dismissal will check into the main office and then proceed to Room 59 to check their child out from Ms. Reed. All TK parents will enter the Kindergarten playground from the Pearl Street entrance at dismissal time and students will be checked out by Ms. Herman and Ms. Cedillo.
Kindergarten Drop-off: Kindergarten students will be dropped off by their parent or guardian at the gate next to Room 2 beginning at 8:00 AM M-F. Students will walk to the Kindergarten playground where they will be met by a teacher or Campus Monitor. Students enrolled in SAP will be walked to their classrooms by SAP personnel.
Kindergarten Pick-up: Kindergarten students will be picked up by going through the Pearl Street Kinder gate at dismissal at 1:45 PM. Teachers will be at their classroom doors to greet parents and guardians. No Kinder student will be released to anyone other than a parent/guardian or emergency contact. Students enrolled in SAP will be picked up by SAP personnel in their classrooms.
Grades 1 – 5 Drop-off: All students in grades 1 – 5 will be dropped off by their parent or guardian at the main gate in front of the school or at the 24th Street gate each morning. Students will enter the school and walk to the playground where they will be supervised by a Grant School Teacher, Campus Monitor, or Administrator. Drop-off will begin at 8:00 AM every day.
The start-of-school warning bell will sound at 8:25 AM. The final bell will sound at 8:30 AM. Students in grade 1 will walk to their lineup on the big map on the playground where their teacher will meet them and walk them to the classroom. Students in Grade 2 will walk to their lineup behind their classroom where their teacher will meet them. Students in grades 3 – 5 will line up in front of their classroom where their teacher will meet them.
Grades 1 – 3 Pick-up: Students in Grades 1 – 3 will be dismissed each day according to the bell schedule above. Teachers will walk students to the main gate at the front of the school where parents will meet their children at this time. Students in Grades 1 – 3 who are enrolled in an afterschool program, such as CREST or PTA enrichment classes, or Playground Club, will walk or be walked to the lunch tables where their program teacher will meet them.
Grades 4 – 5 Pick-up: Students in Grades 4 and 5 will be dismissed each day at 2:55 PM. Students will exit the campus either from the main gates or the 24th Street gate at the rear of the school. Students who are enrolled in an afterschool program, such as CREST or PTA enrichment classes, or Playground Club, will walk to the lunch tables where their program teacher will meet them.
Early Dismissal Procedures: Wednesday drop-off and pick-up procedures are the same as those during regular school days but will follow the Wednesday bell schedule. Please see the new bell schedule ABOVE.
SAP Drop-off: All students enrolled in SAP before-school care will be dropped off in Room 4. Drop-off begins at 7:00 AM.
Breakfast Club: Students who participate in the Grant Breakfast Club will still arrive at school under the same procedures as all students. Parents will drop their children off at the main gates by 8:00 AM so that there is ample time to eat and walk to their classrooms by 8:30 AM. Preschool, TK, and Kinder students will continue to be accompanied by a parent or guardian to Breakfast Club if the parent so chooses.
New Security System
Grant is very fortunate to have had new security systems installed over the last couple of years. In addition to new security cameras around the entire perimeter and interior of the school, we now have a new secure fence in the front courtyard equipped with a camera and buzzer. All visitors during and after school hours must be buzzed into the school by pushing the button on the panel. Once permitted entrance, all visitors must go immediately to the main office to receive a visitors' badge.
Raptor Security System
The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District will use the Raptor visitor management system to strengthen our campus safety programs for students and staff. All schools currently have this system installed.
An important aspect of keeping students and staff safe is for site staff to know who is on our campuses at all times. The Raptor system achieves this interest as it allows office staff to screen visitors, contractors, and volunteers, in our schools and provides us with a safer environment for students, staff, and approved volunteers.
Upon entering campus, visitors will be asked to present identification such as a driver’s license, which can either be scanned or manually entered into the system. If a parent or guardian does not have a US government-issued identification, for any reason, the visitor may submit an alternative form of identification for school staff to enter into the Raptor system.
The Raptor system checks the visitor's name and date of birth for comparison with a national database of registered sex offenders. The registered sex offender database is the only official database checked by the Raptor system. No other data from the identification is gathered or recorded and the information is not shared with any outside agency. The Raptor system will check to ensure that registered sexual offenders are not allowed on our campuses. Once entry is approved, Raptor will issue a badge that identifies the visitor, the date, and the purpose of his/her visit. A visitor’s badge will not be necessary for those who visit our schools simply to drop off an item at the front gate.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND COOPERATION IN KEEPING OUR STUDENTS AND STAFF SAFE!
~COMMUNITY RESOURCES for FAMILIES~
*Some events and resources not sponsored by or affiliated with the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District.
+Algunos eventos no están patrocinados o afiliados al Distrito Escolar Unificado de Santa Monica-Malibu
GRANT SCHOOL ~ A CALIFORNIA DISTINGUISHED SCHOOL
~GRANT SCHOOL NAMED A 2020 TOP LA COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL FOR CLOSING THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP FOR LOW-INCOME AFRICAN-AMERICAN STUDENTS~
~GRANT RANKED AS A TOP TWO SANTA MONICA SCHOOL~
~ GRANT SCHOOL IS A CERTIFIED COMMON SENSE MEDIA SCHOOL ~
~TRANSLATION OPTION INTO 100 LANGUAGES!~
~ ¡NUEVA OPCIÓN DE TRADUCCIÓN A 100 IDIOMAS! ~
Para leer la Gaceta Gecko en otro idioma, mire a la derecha del boletín y haga clic en "TRADUCIR EL BOLETÍN". ¡Ahora puede elegir entre 100 idiomas!
~ በ 100 ቋንቋዎች ውስጥ አዲስ የትርጓሜ ምርጫ! ~
የጌኮ ጋዜጣ በሌላ ቋንቋ ለማንበብ እባክዎን በራሪ ወረቀቱ በስተቀኝ በኩል ይመልከቱ እና “የትርጉም ጽሑፍ” ን ጠቅ ያድርጉ ፡፡ አሁን ከ 100 ቋንቋዎች መምረጥ ይችላሉ!