
GECKO GAZETTE
GRANT SCHOOL - SANTA MONICA
October 9 - 15, 2023
~ IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER ~
Please review these important dates:
- Wednesday, October 11th: Hispanic Heritage Month Assemblies: LA Music Center "We Tell Stories"
- Thursday, October 12th: Volunteer Training on Zoom @ 3:00 PM: Link to Training here.
- Saturday, October 14th: Grant Family Beautification Day #1
- Monday, October 16th: School Site Council Meeting @ 3:15 PM in the Sky Room
- Tuesday, October 17th: 3rd GRADE ASSEMBLY: McCARTHY CONSTRUCTION (FOCUS: STEM, CTE, SEL, PBL, Storytelling)
- Wednesday, October 18th: PTA General Meeting @ 6:30 PM in the Library
- Thursday, October 19th: Emergency Drill: The Great California ShakeOut
- Saturday, October 28th: SAVE THE DATE: Grant Fall Festival and Movie Night!
- Tuesday, October 31st: Halloween Parade @ 8:40 AM. Parents are invited to attend!
- Wednesday, November 1st: PTA General Meeting @ 6:30 PM in the Library
- Thursday, November 2nd - Thursday, November 9th: Literati Book Fair in the Library: Library Closed during the book fair.
- Monday, November 6th: Pupil-Free Day for Parent Conferences
- Tuesday, November 7th - Thursday, November 9th: Minimum Days for Parent Conferences
- Friday, November 9th: NO SCHOOL - VETERANS DAY HOLIDAY
- Monday, November 13th - Friday, November 17th: Reflections Art Contest Art Gallery Open
- Tuesday, November 14th: Fire Drill #3 @ 2:00 PM
- Wednesday, November 15th: PTA General Meeting @ 6:30 PM in the Library
- Saturday, November 18th: Grant Family Beautification Day #2
- Saturday, November 18th: Grant Parent Gala & Fundraiser: Stay tuned for all of the details of our annual gala!
- Monday, November 20th: School Site Council Meeting @ 3:15 PM
- Wednesday, November 22nd - Friday, November 24th: NO SCHOOL - THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY
- Wednesday, November 29th: Grant - Draft Environmental Impact Report Review Community Meeting @ 5:30 PM in the Auditorium
~DAILY REMINDERS - LET'S BE PREPARED~
Please do not forget to send with your child every day:
- School materials including books, homework, projects, etc.
- Water bottle
- Snack and/or lunch (lunch available to all students free of charge for the 2023-24 school year.)
- Sunscreen (put on prior to arriving at school)
- Hat
- Layers of clothing (sweatshirt, windbreaker, etc.) Keep an eye on the weather.
- A growth mindset for a successful day!
~A MESSAGE FROM PRINCIPAL FUHRER~
I hope you all are enjoying this lovely weekend. As Hispanic Heritage Month comes to a close, we are pleased to provide our students with an engaging and meaningful assembly this Wednesday from the Music Center of Los Angeles titled "Cuentos de la Familia" (Stories of the Family), a Latino Folk Tales program performed bilingually. The actors will share with our students folktales from different countries in Latin America and each story will have a lesson about what it means to live in a "family". Please have a discussion with your children about what they may have learned from this show.
You may have noticed that on Friday, fencing was set up around four of the bungalow classrooms. This is the next phase of the replacement and remodel project that we have been engaged in since last Spring. As a reminder, Room 70 will be refurbished and Rooms 71, 72, and 75 are being replaced. Rooms 73 and 74 were refurbished in the summer and are currently being used as classrooms. This project is slated to be completed by January 2024, just a few short months from now. A detailed project timeline will be provided shortly and I will make that available to our community when it is. Safety precautions are being implemented by the District's Facilities Improvement Projects Division and the contractor hired to complete the work. Should you have any questions about the project please contact me. We are excited to get this project finished so that we can use these rooms again!
Please join us for a Grant Family Beautification Day next Saturday, October 14th. There are many tasks involved in keeping our campus clean and our gardens healthy for our students. Thank you to our VP of Sustainability Jennifer Saul for organizing this event!
Thank you to Boris Suchkov and Dorothy Le Suchkova for coordinating the Bike it! Walk it! event this year! We are still waiting to hear the results of the contest.
A huge "Gecko Thank You" to Jill Jurenka for coordinating this year's PTA Reflections Art Contest! Her dedication to ensuring our students have a fun outlet for their artistic abilities is definitely noted each day she stands in front of the school dressed as the Art Fairy! She will be assembling the Reflections Art Gallery showcasing all of our students' art entries in November so please look out for that!
Last Wednesday at the Grant English Learners Advisory Council (ELAC) meeting, the following individuals were elected to serve as officers for the next two years. Our deepest appreciation to each of them for volunteering for these important positions!:
- Yhesei Alfaro - President
- Nancy Orozco - Vice President
- Perla Garcia - Secretary
- Perla Garcia - DELAC Representative
- Nancy Orozco - Alternate DELAC Representative
Finally, I hope you will read an article in this week's Gazette dedicated to the topic of Neurodiversity and Neurodivergence. As 20% of Grant School's students participate in some form of special education intervention, it is critical that we all have a general understanding of the different learning abilities that are represented in each of our classrooms. Soon, our Grant Neurodiversity Resource and Support Group will be holding its first meeting of the year. I hope that you will join us whether your child has special abilities or is neurotypical.
Have an awesome week, families!
GO GECKOS!
Christian Fuhrer
Principal
Grant School
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District
The Grant Learning Community will be paying tribute to Hispanic Heritage Month through classroom and community activities, morning all-school announcements highlighting famous individuals who have had an impact on society, and assemblies.
“Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures, and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.
“The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988.
“The day of September 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September 18, respectively. Also, Columbus Day or Día de la Raza, which is October 12, falls within this 30-day period.”
-source: https://www.census.gov/newsroom/stories/hispanic-heritage-month.html
~ GRANT NEURODIVERSITY NEWS ~
Neurodiversity, or ND, refers to variations in the human brain and cognition, for instance in sociability, learning, attention, mood, and other mental functions.
Grant School is an inclusive learning community. Our student body represents many types of learners and it is our philosophy that we meet all students "where they are" academically, socially, and emotionally.
Over the last few years, the Grant School staff has been trained to incorporate into the instructional day various strategies to reach all of our students and ensure they can access the curriculum, feel included in the overall school community, and thrive by identifying their unique learning styles and celebrating their many talents.
I am pleased to announce that our Grant Parents of Neurodiverse Students Resource and Support Group will be holding its first meeting of the year soon! This group was created in 2019 and was designed to serve as a space where parents and guardians can share experiences of raising neurodiverse children, access resources, and learn from others including professionals in various specialties. Please contact Principal Fuhrer for details on how you can participate in this group.
This Gazette column is designed to share information with our entire school community so that we can continue to make Grant the most inclusive learning community we possibly can.
This week, we take a closer look at the definition and examples of neurodiversity. Please watch the short clip below.
~ PTA REFLECTIONS CONTEST ~
Link to website for details: https://sites.google.com/grantpta.org/reflections2023/home
~SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL~
~SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER FOR 5TH GRADE ACTIVITIES!~
Help make your child's last year at Grant memorable! Use the QR Code above to volunteer!
GO GECKOS!
~GRANT GALA 2023~
~STUDENT SERVICE LEARNING PROJECT~
Prince Africa Track Foundation
Calling all used athletic shoes! Youth Ambassadors Mary Gubbins, Rebe Hall, and Leila Nord are working with the Prince Africa Track Foundation and collecting used shoes that you or anyone in your family no longer needs. The leader of the foundation whose name is Prince Mumba takes them to Zambia and gifts them to youth athletes. See the photos below from his last mission.
There will be a bin at the front of the school for shoe donations. The bins will be there for two months. Our goal is to collect 100 pairs - Let's Go Geckos!
We thank you in advance for helping us and will report back on how many pairs of shoes the Geckos have donated.
To review the Grant School policies and the SMMUSD Annual Notice Handbook please click the following links:
It is important that all students attend school every day. Exceptions may include if your child is ill. Please plan all family vacations during school vacation days. It is important to set your child up for success by ensuring they are in school. For a detailed look at the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District's attendance policies, please click this link > https://www.smmusd.org/Attendance
We realize some absences are for health or other reasons. But, when students are absent they can fall far behind in what they learn. Whether the absence is excused or unexcused It means your child is missing important classroom learning time.
Some Attendance Tips:
- Please notify the office within 72 hours to report your child's absence and the reason they were not in school.
- Illness, bereavement, and court hearings are the only reason for an "Excused" absence.
- Make sure your students keep a regular bedtime and establish a morning routine.
- Turn off all electronics including TVs, phones, and tablets at bedtime.
- Make sure clothes and pack backpacks are ready the night before.
- Check with our school nurse or office staff if you are not sure about when to keep your child at home due to illness.
- Avoid scheduling vacations or doctor’s appointments when school is in session.
- Talk to teachers and counselors for advice if your student feels anxious about going to school.
- Develop backup plans for getting to school if something comes up. Call on a family member, neighbor, or another parent to take your student to school.
Please let us know how we can best support you and your student so that they can show up for school on time every day.
~ LCAP PARENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE REPS FOR GRANT NEEDED ~
LCAP Parent Advisory Committee (LCAP PAC)
2023 - 2024 Meeting Dates
GRANT SCHOOL IS SEEKING TWO (2) PARENT VOLUNTEERS TO SERVE ON THE SMMUSD LOCAL CONTROL ACCOUNTABILITY PLAN (LCAP) PARENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE (PAC). IT IS IMPORTANT THAT GRANT IS REPRESENTED ON THIS CRITICAL COMMITTEE. PLEASE READ BELOW.
The passage of the legislation implementing the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) establishes a role for parent advisory committees in the development of the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP). Education code 52063 requires that districts establish two distinct parent advisory committees to review and comment on the LCAP prior to submission to the local board: the Parent Advisory Committee and the English Learner Parent Advisory Committee.
The Parent Advisory Committee must be composed of a majority of parents or guardians of pupils and include parents of pupils to whom the definitions of education code 42238.01 apply. These include parents or guardians of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, English learners, and foster youth. Sites can also include other subgroups, such as Latinx, Black/African-American, Students with Disabilities.
MEETINGS ARE FROM 4:00 – 6:00 PM (Virtual Meetings)
PLEASE CONTACT PRINCIPAL FUHRER IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN REPRESENTING GRANT SCHOOL. cfuhrer@smmusd.org
~DROP OFF AND PICK UP PROCEDURES~
Grant School is known for being a “neighborhood school” and for its close-knit community. Our goal now is to maintain these special characteristics of our wonderful school. It is important to understand that with these procedures, we are not trying to remove our parents' and guardians’ access; we are merely trying to control who is accessing our campus and when they are visiting.
With this in mind, we will begin the drop-off and pick-up procedures outlined below beginning Monday, August 28th.
During the first two days of school, all parents were permitted to walk their children to their classrooms. Beginning Monday, August 28th, all students will be dropped off at the Pearl Street Gate (Main Gate) and the 24th Street Gate (rear of school) with the exception of our Preschool and Transitional Kindergarten students. See below.
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.
Ms. Herman's TK parents will enter the Kindergarten playground from the Pearl Street entrance at dismissal time and students will be returned to their parents by Ms. Herman. Ms. Cedillo's TK class will be released at the Pearl Street Gate (Main Gate) at dismissal time.
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 Mon - Fri. 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, caregiver, 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 Pearl Street 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 at the following times: Grade 1 at 2:40; Grade 2 at 2:45; and Grade 3 at 2:50. 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. Parents are not to enter the campus until after 3:00 PM and only if they have a Main Gate key card.
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 Pearl Stree Main Gate 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. Parents are not to enter the campus until after 3:00 PM and only if they have a Main Gate key card.
After-Care Program Pickup Procedures: Parents of students in after-school care programs will receive or have already received a key card that will give them access to the Pearl Street Main Gate only. Please see the office if you have questions about this procedure or if you are having difficulty with your key card.
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 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. Please use your Pearl Street Main Gate key card for entrance.
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.
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.
~GRANT SCHOOL SPIRIT WEAR AVAILABLE NOW!~
Show your Grant school spirit with Gecko Wear! Spirit Day is every Friday.
Purchase your spirit wear here and you will be notified when items are available for pickup in the front office.
GO GECKOS!
~BE A VOLUNTEER AT GRANT SCHOOL~
Volunteer Training Dates
Volunteer Training dates:
- Thursday, October 12th @ 3:00 PM on Zoom
~JOIN THE CUB SCOUT PACK 12 AT GRANT!~
~ DONATE TO THE GRANT PTA AND SANTA MONICA EDUCATION FOUNDATION TODAY! ~
Your donation does so much for Grant!
Please consider donating to the two organizations that enhance education for all Grant students: the Santa Monica Education Foundation and Grant PTA. Your donations are so important. Check out the crucial staff, programs, technology, and materials funded by your donations in this chart!
Our goal is for 100% of Grant families to give to PTA and the Ed Foundation. ANY amount makes a difference to our kids. If you have already donated, thank you!
¡Su donación hace mucho por Grant!
Considere hacer una donación a las dos organizaciones que mejoran la educación de todos los estudiantes de Grant: la Fundación Educativa de Santa Mónica y la PTA de Grant. Sus donaciones siguen siendo muy importantes. ¡Consulte el personal, los programas, la tecnología y los materiales fundamentales financiados con sus donaciones en esta gráfica!
Nuestra meta es que el 100% de las familias de Grant den a la PTA y a la Fundación Ed. CUALQUIER cantidad hace la diferencia para nuestros hijos. Si ya ha donado, ¡gracias!
~COMMUNITY RESOURCES for FAMILIES~
*Some events and resources not sponsored by or affiliated with the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District.
~SMMUSD's WEEKEND BAGS PROGRAM~
The Weekend Bag Program (WeB) will provide SMMUSD students with nutritious, easy-to- prepare bags of food containing 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches and 2 snacks for the weekends. The Fall 2023 startup date is Friday, September 29th. The Weekend Bag Program will serve students whose families have special situations which may result in food insecurity in the home. Student names are not identified to Weekend Bag Program volunteers to ensure participant privacy. Bags are packed by volunteers with enough shelf-stable food (including UHT milk) for breakfast, lunch and snacks for two days, and then brought to the schools. Participating students pick up the food bags, usually from the school office, and stick them in their backpacks after school on Fridays. The menus have been evaluated by a dietitian to meet federal school nutrition standards and provide a balance of healthy, nutritious non-perishable foods. Grant families wishing to enroll their students should contact our school’s Bilingual Community Liaison, Florencia Rams at frams@smmusd.org, 310 450-7651 x 63110, and fill out a Program opt-in form.
El Programa Bolsa de Fin de Semana (WeB) proporcionará a los estudiantes de SMMUSD que sufren inseguridad alimentaria los fines de semana, bolsas de comida nutritiva y fácil de prepar para los fines de semana, a partir del 29 del Septiembre, 2023. El Programa WeB está dirigido a estudiantes cuyas familias tienen dificultades para poner comida en la mesa. Los alumnos participantes se identifican por medio de un formulario de interés para apuntarse o por las Intermediarias Bilingües de la Comunidad (BCLs). Los nombres de los estudiantes no compartirán con los voluntarios del Programa WeB para asegurar la privacidad de los participantes. Las bolsas plásticas reutilizables son empacadas por voluntarios con alimentos de larga duración (incluyendo la leche UHT) suficientes para dos días de desayuno, almuerzo y merienda, y después las llevan a la oficina de la escuela o al espacio designado para su distribución. Los alumnos participantes recogen las bolsas de comida y las meten en sus mochilas. Los menús han sido evaluados por un dietista para asegurar que cumplen con los estándares federales de nutrición escolar y proporcionan un balance adecuado de alimentos no perecederos, nutritivos y saludables. Las familias que desean inscribir a sus estudiantes deben contactar a Florencia Rams frams@smmusd.org, 310 4507651 x 63110 y llenar un formulario para apuntarse en el programa.
CLICK THIS QR CODE TO JOIN THE GRANT SCHOOL PTA
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~EASY WAYS TO HELP GRANT SCHOOL~
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 IN THE TOP 10% OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN AMERICA~
~ 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!