The Wildcat Week Ahead

Hey Wildcats!

This week, we had an eventful Tuesday, as you all know. The kind messages that came in meant a lot to everyone and we appreciate that support. We learned a lot that day and we're looking forward to making some minor adjustments to make it even more smooth, but we hope it doesn't happen again. Thank you to everyone for supporting our kiddos!

Last week we had our Open House and 80 kids and their families attended, it was awesome! Thank you for coming out to support your kids, they love showing you around and we love having bustling hallways.

At the start of Open House, we had our Title One night. From that conversation, we learned LOTS about what you want from GIS and I'm excited to start providing that information. Some ideas that came in were understanding current levels of academic expectancy, math and literacy games that can go home, how to take advantage of tutoring, social emotional needs, and many other wonderful ideas. This newsletter will have important information that you'll want to keep so you can access some very cool resources at home!

As always, thanks for all you do, and my door and inbox are always open,

Mrs. H

October 2 - 16: Kindergarten Universal Testing window

October 6: GIS Reads at Home Challenge Opens (more info below)

October 13: 3-4 Unified Friday

October 13: Little Caesars' Pizza Fundraiser Opens!

October 18: Our first options-based drill

October 20: 5-6 Unified Friday

October 19: Picture Retake Day

October 23-24: No School

November 20: Parent Teacher Conference

November 20- 24: Thanksgiving Break No School

November 30: Early Release

December 2- Craft Fair at GIS

December 20: CIUUSD Winter Concert

You might be familiar with Beanstack if you did any summer reading challenges through public libraries. Beanstack is an app that allows you to access reading challenges and track how much you read. GIS has a goal of reading 500,000 minutes this year! You can access your kiddo's account by logging into Clever (a single sign-on platform). Scan the QR code to get to the site. Your kids have laminated QR codes that are going home to log into Clever. Once in Clever, you can select Beanstack and start reading!

Some kids went home with their Clever QR codes, I'm happy to send codes to families via email if your kiddo did not come home with it yet. I will hand out the rest out on Monday.

We're starting to put together some math and literacy games for families to take home. These games will come in a pouch that you take which has an inventory list, instructions, and the game. You will be able to sign the games in and out in the front lobby. My hope is to have this up and running by November 1st!

If you're interested in a GIS book club, fill out the form! K-3 families and 4-6 families will be provided age-appropriate books to read. Read the books and then come to our book club for an activity!

There is a lot of information out there about what kids are learning in school. Each newsletter, I'll focus on an area of math or literacy for certain grades, so you know what skills kids need and how you can help!

Reading proficiently by the end of third grade is a crucial marker in a child’s educational development.

Skill #1 Needed to Become Proficient Readers:

1. Develop awareness of the segments of sound in speech and how they link to letters.

Segments of sound in words (also referred to as phonological awareness) and to link those sounds to letters is necessary to prepare them to read words and comprehend text.

To effectively decode (convert from print to speech) and encode (convert from speech to print) words, students must be able to:

1. Identify the individual sounds, or phonemes, that make up the words they hear in speech
2. Name the letters of the alphabet as they appear in print
3. Identify each letter’s corresponding sound(s)

mailto:ldrasler@gisu.org

Email Ms. Drasler to learn more!

Deliciousness is on its way! We are running a fundraiser from 10/13– 11/12 to raise money for our athletic programs! We need your help to make this happen. Stay tuned on how you can join in on the fun!

Please email our Athletic Director with questions.

Kindergarten students are learning their letters and letter sounds. Each class is creating a visual of their learning!

In Ms. Kendre's class, Creature Features are a big hit! Kids are learning about creatures and researching about them. They then take their learning and create a picture and facts.

In French, kids worked on making pages about them to hang on their class poster. It's a great way to incorporate French vocabulary!

The Dot, a book about the creativeness each child possesses. Kids made their own dots and they are making our hallways bright and lively!

Information regarding our GIS Ski and Ride Program will be available to families in the next month or so. In the past, all students K-6 were welcome to participate. Kindergarten students require parent chaperones. More information to come!

All meals are free to ALL students.

Email: ahanlon@gisu.org
Website: https://www.grandisleschool.org/
Location: 224 U.S. Rte 2, Grand Isle, VT, USA
Phone: 802-372-6913
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grandisleschool.org

Attendance Form: https://forms.gle/ABSvVURCxvqbMfXw7