GECKO GAZETTE
GRANT SCHOOL - SANTA MONICA
WEEK OF NOVEMBER 7 - 13, 2022
~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!
Visit the following website to learn how you can learn about and celebrate Native American history and culture:
~ IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER ~
Please review these important dates:
- Tuesday, November 8th: ELECTION DAY - GRANT IS A PUBLIC POLLING CENTER
- Wednesday, November 10th: Dr. Drati to meet with Muir ES families. Invitations will be sent directly to families that moved to Grant and other schools from Muir Elementary.
- Friday, November 11th: VETERANS' DAY - NO SCHOOL
- Wednesday, November 16th: PTA General Meeting @ 6:30 PM in the Auditorium
- Thursday, November 17th: School Board Meeting: Grant recognized for its extraordinary effort for Bike it! Walk it! Week over the last few years. 6:00 PM online.
- Thursday & Friday November 17th & 18th: Reflections Art Gallery in the Auditorium
- Friday, November 18th: OLWEUS Anti-Bullying All-School Assembly @ 8:40 AM on the Big Field.
- Monday, November 21st: Grant School Site Council Meeting @ 3:15 in the Sky Room
- Wednesday, November 23rd - Friday, November 25th: THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY BREAK
- Monday, December 5th: 5th-Grade Music Informance @ 10:45 AM
- Wednesday, December 7th: Grant ELAC Meeting #4 @ 8:45 AM in the Sky Room
- Wednesday, December 7th: 4th-Grade Music Informance @ 11:35 PM
- Wednesday, December 7th: PTA General Meeting & ELAC Combined @ 6:30 PM in the Auditorium
- Thursday, December 8th: Gecko Academy Choir Concert @ 7:00 PM in the Auditorium
- Tuesday, December 13th: 5th-Grade SMC Dance Culminating Performance (Cordes, Kim) @ 8:45 AM; (Smith) @ 9:30 AM
- Friday, December 16th: Minimum Day Schedule: Dismissal times: PreK/TK/Kinder @ 12:15 PM; Grades 1-5 @ 1:15 PM
- December 19th, 2022 - January 2nd, 2023: Winter Break
- Tuesday, January 3rd, 2023: Classes Resume
~ WEEKLY REMINDERS ~
~ANTIGEN TEST KIT INFORMATION~
PLEASE REMEMBER TO ADMINISTER AN ANTIGEN COVID TEST TO YOUR CHILD(REN) EITHER TONIGHT OR TOMORROW MORNING.
WE SENT HOME ONE TEST KIT PER STUDENT LAST WEEK. PLEASE CHECK YOUR CHILD'S BACKPACK. IF YOU HAVE NOT YET PICKED UP A TEST KIT YOU MAY DO SO IN THE MAIN OFFICE.
UPDATED LACDPH COVID PROTOCOLS: Updated T-1 and T-2 Exposure Management Protocols as of 8.10.22
~GRANT PTA MEMBERSHIP DRIVE 2022-2023~
- $10 to join and financial help is available.
- Our goal is to have 100% participation.
- The top three classes will get an ice cream party!
- Membership gives people the opportunity to vote in the PTA.
We have membership envelopes in the office and one will be sent home in your child's backpack, as well.
~ PTA REFLECTIONS ART CONTEST WINNERS! ~
Thank you to all students who “Showed Your Voice!” by creating art for Reflections 2022.
A big Gecko CONGRATULATIONS to our award-winning student artists listed below!
All artwork will be displayed at the Reflections Art Show, November 17-18 from
3-5 pm in the Grant School auditorium.
Primary Division Award Winners (TK - 2nd grade)
Photography:
3rd Place: Erin W., 2nd grader in Ms. Murcia’s class, for her photo titled “Green Leaves”
2nd Place: Annabelle A., 2nd grader in Ms. Meshel’s class, for her photo, “Crow on a Tree”
1st Place: Genevieve G., 2nd grader in Ms. Meshel’s class, for her photo, “Helping Insects”
Film Production:
1st Place: 2nd graders Lila B. (in Ms. Neumann’s class) and Liv O. (Ms. Murcia’s class) for their film, “Coco the Hamster”
Music Composition:
3rd Place: Halle G., 1st grader in Ms. Spanos’ class, for her song, “Mommy Made Me Mash My M&Ms”
2nd Place: Oscar Ge V., 1st grader in Ms. Martinez’s class, for his song, “Dreamy Afternoon"
1st Place: Sosina M., TK student in Ms. Cedillo’s class, for her song, “Rhyming in the Sky”
Literature:
3rd Place: Ada S., 2nd grader in Ms. Meshel’s class, for her poem, “Help Nature”
2nd Place: Ellie D., 2nd grader in Ms. Murcia’s class, for her poem “Show Your Voice”
1st Place: Blake B., 2nd grader in Ms. Meshel’s class, for her poem titled “Express Your Emotions”
Visual Art:
3rd Place: Rose P., 2nd grader in Mr. Ramirez’s class, for her painting, “Voice of Nature”
2nd Place: Stella S., 1st grader in Ms. Martinez’s class, for her painting titled “Art is Everything”
1st Place: Luca Z., 2nd grader in Mr. Ramirez’s class, for his sculpture, “Fantasy Forest Orchestra”
Intermediate Division Award Winners (3rd - 5th grade)
Dance Choreography:
3rd Place: Katherine R., 4th grader in Ms. Ware’s class, for her dance, “Rose Glow”
2nd Place: Athena N., 3rd grader in Ms. Subin’s class, for her dance titled “My Voice”
1st Place: Simona C., 4th grader in Ms. Ware’s class, for her dance titled “This Is Me”
Music Composition:
1st place: 4th graders Dylan F. and Lily E. in Ms. Blair’s class for their song titled “Beach Cleanup”.
Film Production:
3rd Place: 4th graders Dylan F. and Lily E. in Ms. Blair’s class for their lm, “Beach Cleanup”.
2nd Place: Lavinia A., 4th grader in Ms. Ware’s class, for her film titled, “A Dance Life for a 9-Year-Old”
1st Place: Griffin R., 4th grader in Ms. Croft’s class, for his film, “Ten Tips to Show Your Voice”
Photography:
3rd Place: Scarlett, 3rd grader in Ms. Mauck’s class, for her photo titled “Flowers"
2nd Place: Brikena B., 5th grader in Ms. Cordes’ class, for her photo titled “Not Protecting Our Earth"
1st Place: Will J., 4th grader in Ms. Ware’s class, for his photo, “I Play Baseball”
Literature:
3rd Place: Kate W., 3rd grader in Ms. Ripley’s class, for her poem titled, “Is It There?”
2nd Place: Evie G., 3rd grader in Ms. Ripley’s class, for her poem, “Where I’m From”
1st Place: Andia B., 5th grader in Ms. Kim’s class, for her poem, “Homeless, Not Hopeless”
Visual Art:
3rd Place: Sammy, 5th grader in Ms. Cordes’ class, for his painting, “Blues"
2nd Place: Nico L., 5th grader in Ms. Kim’s class, for his sculpture titled “Everyone Has a Voice”
1st Place: Sophie L., 3rd grader in Ms. Subin’s class, for her drawing titled “Lion"
ALL FIRST-PLACE WINNERS WILL ADVANCE TO THE DISTRICT-LEVEL COMPETITION! GOUGH GECKOS!
A Ginormous Gecko Thank You to Jill Jurenka for all of her creativity and hard work coordinating this year's contest!
To view Grant’s Reflections art gallery online, visit grantpta.org/reflections2022.
~A MESSAGE FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT~
Message also sent via District email.
~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
~AFTER SCHOOL SPORTS PROGRAM!~
~CRITICAL CONVERSATIONS WITH LISA LING~
We are excited to partner with New Roads Schools for an upcoming Critical Conversations event on November 17th featuring award-winning journalist, Lisa Ling.
This event will allow for reflective discussion and deeper dialogue. Following each conversation interested community members reconvene for smaller breakout group discussions around prompts following established protocols.
The Reflective Discussion and Deeper Dialogue for Lisa Ling will occur on December 1st at 5:00 p.m. This event will take place on Zoom. Please see the flyer below for more details.
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
~ JOIN THE GRANT PTA ~
Click to enlarge image below.
~FAMILY CHROMEBOOK GUIDE - PLEASE REVIEW WITH YOUR CHILDREN~
~EASY WAYS TO HELP GRANT SCHOOL~
~DROP OFF AND PICK UP PROCEDURES~
Safe Campus drop-off and pick-up procedures outlined below began last Monday, August 22nd. After observing drop-off and pick-up for a week we have had the opportunity to refine them so we can provide a more effective and streamlined experience.
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 at the Pearl Street Kinder gate at dismissal at 1:45 PM. Teachers will be there 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 from 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~
For future updates or more information visit: https://calkids.org/.
~WEEKEND FOOD BAGS~
Grant families wishing to enroll their students should contact our school’s Bilingual Community Liaison, Florencia Rams at frams@smmusd.org, 310 450-7651, and fill out a Program opt-in form.
Las familias que desean inscribir a sus estudiantes deben contactar a la comunitaria de la escuela, Florencia Rams frams@smmusd.org, 310 4507651 x63110 y llenar un formulario para apuntarse en el programa.
~FREE MEALS FOR STUDENTS FOR THE 2022-23 SCHOOL YEAR~
~ AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM OPTIONS ~
*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