Mustang Messenger
2019-2020 School Year: Volume 32: Week of April 26, 2020
Be the Best YOU at Grandview!!!
Spring Has Sprung
Dear Families,
Spring has arrived, but someone forgot to tell the weatherman! 60 degrees one day and snow the next.
We see some definite changes in our students during this time of year. We are noticing that some of our students are not engaging in our distance learning. We are noticing that some students are not participating in the learning that the teachers are spending hours upon hours creating for our students. We understand that this is an unprecedented time that calls for non-traditional teaching and learning for our students. Though we need your students to engage! We need your students to learn! We cannot expect our students to be ready for the fall and the next grade, if they do not engage and participate in this distance learning plan now.
Again, we are not asking for 7.5 hours of learning, like we did in brick and mortar, but we do want students learning AND reading each day. You will see that we built flexibility in our plans to accommodate the challenges that COVID-19 has caused for families. So take time to carve out a daily/weekly schedule for your family so that your students are aware of when they are to devote time learning each day!!
We also want students to be creative with their learning and have fun. Last week was Earth Day!! A week we want to honor the Earth and focus on Reuse-Recycle-Renew. As important as Earth Day is, at Grandview, we focus on the Earth every day. Grandview is classified as a Green School and in fact we have Evergreen Status, the highest status we can have. Parents have been working so hard to spring clean Grandview and to make it look beautiful. The Grandview Garden is getting planted and weeds are being pulled and mulch is being laid. ANYONE can come up and help. Please reach out to me if you want to head up to Grandview to help. It is a great activity that abides by all of the necessary social distancing rules. If you can't come up, then make an Earth Day poster and share it with me that talks about the importance of Reuse-Recycle-Renew or take a video of Grandview students joining in the Earth Day fun.
In the end, remember to time enjoying being together as a family and enjoying each other and staying healthy, but remember we also want time each day set aside for learning. Be that adult to help to make that happen for their child!!! We Miss You!!!
Your Proud Principal,
Melissa Carruth, Ed.S
Teacher Appreciation Video
Please send your pictures to gviewfamily@yahoo.com or you can always email them to me at melissa.carruth@clarencevilleschools.org and I will pass the pictures along.
Grandview Garden
Parents have been working hard on the school landscape and started the clean up, but there is a lot more to be done and we need help. If you have an hour or so over the next few weeks and want to take your family to school to do some clean up, we would greatly appreciate it.
The Grandview Veggie Garden in the back of school and all the Boxes has been weeded and the soil is in the process of being loosened. The parents have started laying ground cover and putting mulch between the boxes to eliminate the grass growth. At some point in the future we will have soil delivered to top up the boxes and we need to get the plants in and planted.
WHAT CAN YOU HELP WITH?
Reach out to me and ask to join the Facebook Group entitled Grandview Garden Guardians. That site as description in each picture to see what needs to be done in each area.
Disclaimer:
The parents are amazing helpers, but none of them are professionals nor getting paid. It is total volunteer project and we need lots of help. Therefore, the parents are up for suggestions and willing to do some hard work to make the school look awesome for when kids return.
Come help!!! It takes a Village!!! Grandview is just that, a Grand View. Come help to continue to make Grandview maintain their Grand View.
Think Green Grandview
Mr. Shepich Survey
On Friday, Mr. Shepich has sent a letter to families. In that letter, he asked for parent feedback and to say thank you. He wanted you to know that we couldn’t be more grateful for your support during our transition to distance learning. We all want to say thank you for all you are doing to support your children academically and emotionally, while you continue to work and manage the ever-changing information during the COVID-19 pandemic.
To help us better support you during this new experience please complete the Parent Survey to help us improve in our work (link below).
Here is the Parent Survey Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/B78D8CC. If you already filled one out, great. If you have not, please do. One survey per family.
Schools of Choice
- You do not have to fill out a Schools of Choice application each year. Once you are accepted, you are part of the Clarenceville Community.
- If your child is going up to the Middle School, you do not need to fill out a Schools of Choice application. Again, once you are accepted, you are part of our district, not just the school.
- I have been at Grandview and want to stay and I am afraid to fill out the application and not get accepted. Reach out to me and let me know that you are filling out an application. I will do everything to work with Mr. Shepich to have your application accepted.
- In the winter, they only accepted for some grade levels, but this window is open for ALL grade levels.
- If your child attended preschool or GSRP at Grandview and you live out of the district, you STILL need to fill out a Schools of Choice application. Attending those programs did not require you to fill out a Schools of Choice application.
- When do you "accept" Schools of Choice? It is unlimited, so you should not have a problem getting into the district and there should be space for your child. Just be timely in completing your registration.
- If I fill out my application, will I have to go to Botsford. We do not want to have to move students that are already established in a school community. So please specify on the form which school you want your child to attend.
In the end, DO NOT miss the deadline. If you do and you live outside of the district, you will not be able to attend Grandview.
Kindergarten Round-Up
Looking for new Kindergarteners or Junior Kindergarteners for this fall! You can STILL enroll online.
If you have a child who will be five years old by December 1, 2020, 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 or Botsford.
For Questions, contact the Grandview Office: 248-919-0404
Clarenceville Continuity of Learning 2.0 Plan
The Clarenceville School District has put together a Continuity of Learning plan to ensure that learning continues for our students. The plan aligns with the 17 page executive order that the Governor stated ensuring that all orders will be carried out for our students. I have included images below to hi-light key components that relate to elementary with this plan.
1). The first image below discusses how the teachers will be delivering information to your children, as well as, how your child can be supported. There is a table that also hi-lights how much time should be devoted to learning each day. Please note that enrichment time can be provided to children, but should not exceed 30 minutes beyond the maximum time for each grade level.
2). The second image is the elementary schedule of teacher availability. That table hi-lights when videos will be posted and live instruction will take place for each grade level. If you missed the live sessions, do not worry as all live sessions will be recorded. These sessions are very important for your child to view as they will provide you with necessary information, practice, tips and tricks for your child to learn to be successful with their new learning.
3). The third image hi-lights the elementary student schedule. Having your child read for at least 20 minutes each evening is the most important skill to do with your child and ask your child questions about their reading too!!
In the end, the plan asks for 100% of our students to be connected with a device and Internet. Again, we have resources to make this happen for every student, but we can't make it happen, unless you let us know that you need help.
This plan will be carried out with fidelity for our Grandview students, but the plan will only be as successful as the support is at home. We know that you all are parents and guardians, not teachers. Just know that we recognize that and the best thing you can do is support the plan. We will do the teaching with the teachers. We need parents and guardians to be the supporters and cheerleaders for our students.
Continue to check into Google Classroom and Seesaw daily to see the activities that are being posted for your children to enjoy and to keep the brain thinking, the body moving and the students learning.
Distance Learning Weekly Plan
2020-2021 Latchkey and Preschool Registration
To locate this registration, please visit the Clarenceville web site. Select Grandview. Then select either Preschool or Latchkey and right under Ms. Jackie's picture, on the right-hand column, is the pre-registration form. It is a google form so Ms. Jackie will receive the pre-registration forms during this closure. PLEASE DO NOT WAIT!! Both programs fill up quickly and will have a waiting list. These programs are licensed and needs to follow the guidelines of teacher-student ratio. So do not wait!!!
2020-2021 Friends of Grandview (FOG) Board Elections
The positions that are available are:
- President
- Co-Vice President
- Treasurer
If you are interested in any of these positions, please email Mrs. Carruth expressing your interest and which position you are interested in serving.
We hope you will join this rewarding and super important organization!
Still need a Computer or Internet
Please let us know if you need help getting connected. We want ALL of our Grandview students connected and learning digitally! Our continuous learning plan is for ALL students to be connected virtually.
How Do I Engage My Children?
Here are a list of creative ways to engage with children. Here is a list of Clever activities that parents can give to families wanting to stay connected at home and in the community.
Food distribution Schedule
Please remember that the food is for ALL of the Grandview students. We fed your children two meals during the school year and want to continue. If you need help getting to the school or the bus route to pick up the food, please let me know. I have wonderful parents who are delivering food, just please let me know!!
Looking for other areas for food?!?!
IEP and 504 Meetings
New IEP's or 504 meetings will not meet during this shutdown. These will be occur and conversations will resume in the fall.
Again, if you have a concern, please reach out. We are here to help you!!
Report Cards
Additionally, teachers will report on the fourth marking period based on participation and engagement and mastery of new learning. There will not be formal marks, but instead, teachers will make a comment on each student's report card about the level of participation and engagement during this time. Again, we want all students on-line learning and want to report on this accordingly.
Distribution of the report cards have yet to be finalized.
Getting supplies from the classrooms
Yearbooks
Missing Grandview Students
Classroom Code is.....3s2rma3
WE MISS YOU!!
Being Our Best Self During Challenging Times -- Use a Meta-Moment
Marc Brackett, the lead developer of RULER, put together another great BLOG that discusses the Meta-moment. Last week, we spoke of developing charters, this week, the Meta-moment. Here are some hi-lights to his blog....
Being cooped up is hard! Can you relate?
When we’re triggered, especially when we’re tired and stressed, we first need to bring down our emotional temperature –to lower our activation levels—and give ourselves the space required for rational thought. For me that means taking a few deep breaths, or a few steps back, or excusing myself for a minute, or even a walk around the block. I didn’t do any of these things that night a dinner. Arghh!
Many of us have to retrain ourselves – to go from our automatic, habitual reactions (saying something we’re likely going to regret) to more deliberate and helpful responses that preserve our well-being and relationships.
I was determined to create a tool that could help people see the benefit of using helpful strategies. A tool that would help us take responsibility for our lives.
So we developed the “meta-moment”. In simplest terms, it’s a pause. The meta-moment is you hitting the brakes and stepping out of time. We call it meta because it’s a moment about a moment.
It’s where we stop the action and say, “I need to take pause and a deep breath right now so I don’t blow my top or break down sobbing or otherwise react in a way I will probably regret.”
Instinctively, we sense that this will help, and biology proves us right. Pausing and taking a deep breath activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which reduces the release of cortisol, the stress hormone, and automatically lowers our emotional temperature.
It also gives us the chance to quickly ask a few questions that might be useful, such as: “What would my best self do right now?” That ideal, hypothetical person is comprised of attributes we would use to describe our best selves from our own perspective and from the perspective others –how we’d like to be experienced, seen, or talked about. For some people it’s a set of adjectives like compassionate, empathic, or conscientious; for others it can be an image or an object. A good friend who is a manager at Facebook has a photo on her desk that reminds her to be her best self.
Visualizing our best-self redirects our attention away from the “trigger.” This helps us to choose a helpful emotion regulation strategy, like positive self-talk or reappraisal, and then respond accordingly.
The meta-moment is not just for down-regulating emotions. Sometimes, our best selves help us to stand up for what’s right. Once, many years ago, one of my direct reports was bullying people on his team. I hate to admit it, but I can be conflict avoidant, and I didn’t address it as quickly as I should have. Fortunately for everyone involved, I activated my best self (courageous in this instance), regulated my feelings of anger and anxiety, and had the difficult conversation with this person. Channeling the Dog Whisperer, Cesar Millan, during my conversation with the manager, I was both calm and assertive making it clear that his behavior was unacceptable. He appreciated the feedback and changed his behavior. That was a meta-moment victory for me!
What about you? What are your go-to strategies when you are stressed or overwhelmed?
Do you ignore your feelings, act out, or meeting them head on? When a family member criticizes you and you feel annoyed or devastated or even resentful, how successful are you at taking a meta-moment?
Here are the steps to take so you can begin practicing the meta-moment.
- Sense the shift: You are activated, caught off guard or have an impulse to say or do something that you might regret. You notice a shift in your thinking or physiology.
- Stop or Pause! You create the space before you respond. Step back, breathe, breathe again.
- See your best self. You activate your best self. You think of adjectives or even an image that helps your best self appear. You might also think about your reputation: how do you want to be seen, talked about or experienced? What would you do if someone you respect were watching?
- Strategize and Act You reach into your toolkit and start closing the gap between you and your emerging best self. (Always the last step.)
Many of us were exposed to unhelpful or even harmful strategies, starting early in our childhoods – negative talk, yelling, blaming, and so on – strategies that we acquired and now use ourselves. These strategies require little cognitive effort, but are often effective at getting rid of the negative feeling and providing (temporary) gratification. In the moment, we fail to realize that these strategies also can damage our relationships, are anesthetizing, fail to take in longer term consequences, and derail us from achieving our goals.
Taking a meta-moment can help.
So the next time you’re about to snap or make a snide remark, try to activate your best self. Better yet, before entering into a situation with someone who might trigger you, remind yourself of the qualities of your best self. We call that a proactive meta-moment.
Tuesday Night Night
If you cannot view Live, no worries, it is published to the Grandview Facebook Page so that families can view it at their earliest convenience for your children and their evening schedule. The point of this activity is to foster the importance of 10-20 minutes of reading each night. Remember it is super easy to view.....just visit the Grandview Facebook Homepage. I will be taking suggestions for books, so post away in our site so that I know what my Grandview readers want to hear at night. Can't wait to do what I love most....reading to students!!!
Parent Walk-Up
If you child walks home, they may, but they will not be dismissed by adults.
Please do not express your displeasure by just picking your child up at 3:15. That misses excessive learning time. We are doing this for safety. Please support us.
Grandview Sports
All sports have been cancelled for the remainder of the school year. Therefore there will not be any Softball this year. We look forward to having sports to resume next school year.
Stacey Wittscheck, Grandview Sports Director, has a Grandview Sports website that has the documents linked. All of the information from schedules, rules, code of conduct, sign-up, forms, etc. will all be housed in one location. Check out this great communication piece for our families!!
Questions, reach out to Stacey at her email at GVSportsDirector@gmail.com.
Also be sure to follow the Grandview Sports Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/GrandviewSports/
School Store Fundraiser
This fundraiser is still open as you shop through this crisis. The teachers received some gift cards this past week at the mid-way point in this fundraiser and were so excited with what they received. Remember, this is a Win-Win fundraiser as the school earns money, as well as, the classroom teacher. This fundraiser helped to purchase the clay that is used for art, this spring's assembly, as well as, the supplies for March is Reading Month.
School Store is an online shopping mall with over 400 nationally-known merchants including Sears, Target, Oriental Trading Co., Office Depot, Toys"R"Us, Family Book Store 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.
All you need to do is going to www.schoolstore.net and enter Grandview Elementary School's code (0000009438) and then shop away.
Box Tops for Education
Please remember that Box Tops are moving away from clipping paper box tops and moving to scanning qualifying receipts to earn school money.
Last year, Grandview earned $757.50 with Box Tops and we do not want to lose that revenue.
There is a Grandview parent that is already earning box tops via apps. Please download the app and log in, it is easy. Questions, stop in the office!!!
The Importance of Sleep
Kroger and Grandview
Kroger and Grandview
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.
Volunteering at School
iChats are also needed to be filled out if you wish to be a WatchDOG dad or chaperone a field trip.
Job Opportunity
Important Dates and Upcoming Dates
All events have been cancelled. A refunding process will occur once we know when the Shelter in Place band has been lifted.