Weekly Parent Update

• Feb 8th Eight of our 4th grade students were selected to attend the Youth Leadership Conference in Kearney.
• Feb 8th, NO After School Game club due to Family Literacy Night
• Feb 8th Family Literacy Night 4-5:00 pm
• Feb 9th NO SCHOOL -teacher plan and prep day
• Feb 12 and 13th Parent Teacher Conferences 3:30 -7:15 pm
• Feb 15th -Parent Teacher Conferences 8 -11:30 am
• Feb 15th and 16th No school for students due to parent/teacher conferences
• Feb 19th 4th graders participate in NAEP assessment

We had 11 Taste Testers from our 2nd grade classes volunteer to provide feedback on new menu options. Thank you for being brave!

Our 4th graders will participate in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) on Monday, Feb 19th. Here are some important pieces of information for you to know:

• The information collected is for statistical purposes only
• Your child will be assessed in both reading and mathematics.

• The assessment takes about 120 minutes for most students and this includes transition time, directions, and completion of survey questions.
• Students may be excused for any reason, are not required to complete the assessment, and may skip any question.
• While the assessment is voluntary, NAEP depends on student participation to help policymakers improve education. However, if you do not want your child to participate, please notify me in writing by Thursday, Feb 8th.
• The selection process for which schools participate is random. I am excited we were chosen and know that West Lawn's 4th graders will show what our nation's students know and can do.

Website for Parents: https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/parents/

Grand Island Public Schools is excited to partner with the Cook Center for Human Connection and their website ParentGuidance.org. This is a mental health resource for parents and provides parents a trusted place to go for real answers, to find support and real help for their children.

GIPS Families are invited to attend a FREE online webinar on February 6th, 2024 at 6:30 p.m. The session will cover Grief: The Healing Power After Loss.

You may register on the GIPS website HERE.

If you have any questions, please reach out to our School Counselor, Sarah Grigsby sgrigsby@gips.org and Regina Juhl rjuhl@gips.org or our School Social Worker Anabel Gonzalez agonzalez2@gips.org

Winter weather is here to stay for a while. Please send your child with appropriate clothing for outdoor recess. Please ensure your child has a warm coat, hat, gloves, and shoes appropriate for outdoor weather. The GIPS district has the following guidelines regarding outdoor recess:

• When the temperature or wind chill is between 20 and 29 degrees Fahrenheit, recess will be limited to 15 min. Special consideration will be given to the length of time outside for kindergarten students.

• Indoor Recess will happen when the temperature or wind chill is 20 degrees Fahrenheit or colder or when precipitation or playground conditions warrant staying inside.

• Students will be permitted to use playground equipment, fields, and asphalt play areas when conditions are suitable for safe play. Safety considerations include: equipment is dry and ice free, fields are dry, asphalt area is free of ice.

• Students need to stay out of snow and snow needs to stay on the ground.

We will stop serving breakfast at 7:55 am and the cafeteria will be cleared of students at 8:00 am. Family emergencies do come up: if your child is late and needs a quick breakfast please give us a call. Thank you for understanding the importance of our work and sharing your child(ren) with us each day.

We are conducting an Attendance Challenge in our classrooms. Each day a room has all students present they earn a letter. The first word we chose is PRIDE. We take PRIDE in showing up. Once the class completes the full word their class will earn a reward. It has been great to see them cheer wildly as they hit their daily goal.

School attendance is very important for your child's success --today, tomorrow and their future. We are here to assist you with your child's attendance. Please reach out if you have questions or are in need of support.

Ms. Anabel Gonzalez -School Social Worker agonzalez2@gips.org

Mrs. Sarah Grigsby -school counselor sgrigsby@gips.org

Ms. Regina Juhl -school counselor rjuhl@gips.org

Thank you for being safe as you drop off and pick up your children. An important thing to remember is to not stop in the drive through lane. I would encourage you to drive up as far west as possible to drop your children off. Do not stop in the drive-through lane...this causes the traffic to back up. We all want to get to work on time and it is okay if your child walks a few extra steps. Finally, at pick up time do not park in the drive-through lane. This makes it unsafe for our students to use the crosswalk and causes the traffic to back up.