Raptor Report

October is upon us; believe it or not, the first quarter of school is almost over. This month, we have some important dates coming up and some important information about attendance to share.

October 1st is an important day for schools across the State of Colorado. This is the day that the State uses to determine the number of students enrolled in a school for school funding. This funding is critical as it pays for staff and supplies to support our students learning. One way that Grand River Academy determines attendance on this day is through student logins to Edmentum (6th-12th) or K12 Learning Hub (k-5th). It is important that your student login everyday that they are schooling. However, we need every student to login on October 1st for at least 1 hour, even if you do schooling on the weekends instead of some weekdays. Your help with this is appreciated so that we have the funding needed to provide your students with a top notch education.

Our School Accountability Committee (SAC) meetings will be held on October 1st and 22nd from 4:30 PM- 5:30 PM. During these meetings, we will review our school's Unified Improvement Plan (UIP). This plan outlines how we will continue to improve, as measured by indicators such as our scores on standardized tests, dropout and graduation rates, and participation in testing. All parents are encouraged and invited to attend these meetings to provide feedback on our plan and to help us monitor progress on the plan.

Parent-teacher conferences for 6th-12th grade students will be on October 3rd from 4:00- 8:00 PM. Elementary parent-teacher conferences are October 9th and 16th from 4:00 PM-8:00 PM. Conferences are a great time to connect with teachers about your student's progress at school. Your student's teaching team should have been contacting you with times for conferences. If you need a conference for your student, don't hesitate to contact your student's teachers. With only 4 hours allocated this evening, we may be unable to conference with every student's parent. However, teachers are always very willing to make time to talk with parents at any point about their student's progress in school.

On Friday, October 18th, there will be a school-wide field trip to Studt's Pumpkin Patch at Studt's Farms. Parents must transport their students to the event and are encouraged to stick around for the fun! Studt's is located at 21 1/2 and I 1/2 Road in Grand Junction. The event will be from 1:00-3:30 PM. Permission slips (link below) are due October 4th and can be emailed to apiccill@d51schools.org or dropped off to Betsy Warner (6-12) or Megan Barnard (k-5) at the blended campus at 600 N. 14th Street in Grand Junction. The cost is $10 dollars per person.

A car wash fundraiser will be held on October 2nd from 3:00 to 4:00 PM. Our 6th graders will be hosting the event, and the funds raised will go to support students' attendance at the Outdoor Wilderness Lab (OWL) at Gateway School in Gateway. OWL is an outdoor experiential science learning lab where students have the opportunity to learn in the beautiful environment surrounding the Gateway School. OWL's unique learning environment invites students to explore the natural world around them with curiosity and critical thinking at every turn!

At this time of year, some students' attendance may be concerning. Because Grand River Academy is a virtual school, attendance means attending in-person or online and completing school work for at least 1 hour a day, five days per week, for a total of 30 hours per week. Missing 6 hours of coursework during the week constitutes one day of missed school. Attendance in school has been shown to be a powerful predictor of school success. This makes sense, as students cannot learn if they aren't present and completing school work. Research shows that missing 10 percent or more of school days due to absence can translate into students struggling to read by the third grade, achieving in middle school, and graduating from high school.

We know your student's success is important to you. We share your desire to see your students succeed. If you're having difficulty getting your student to attend or complete school work, reach out to your student's teachers or administration. We can help you brainstorm ways to improve attendance. Here are some attendance tips:

• Edmentum Family Sensei allows our 6th-12th grade learners' families to access their students' progress. We recently sent invitations to all families who have not yet signed up for Family Sensei. The invitation explains how to sign up for Family Sensei. The invite does expire, so sign up as soon as you can. If you need another invite sent, please let us know. Please be sure to check your email's spam folder for the invitation.
• Learning coaches should track their students' weekly schooling time to ensure they meet the attendance requirements. For attendance purposes, students should make about 6% of progress in each class weekly. At this point in the year, students should be about 43% of the way through their coursework. School attendance procedures(online or in person) are based on Policy JR-R.

Thank you for your continued partnership in providing students with the highest quality education possible.

Warm Regards,

Steve States

Principal.

October 1: Official October Count Day! Every student must log in to Edmentum or K12 for a

minimum of 1 hour to get our school funding

October 1: All parents are invited to attend our virtual School Advisory Committee 4:30 PM-5:30

PM

• Join with Google Meet

• Join by phone: 1 563-293-6713‬ PIN: ‪613 374 027‬#Oc

October 2: Car Wash Fundraiser 3:00 PM- 4:00 PM Support our 6th graders to attend OWL

October 3: Parent-Teacher Conferences 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM for 6th-12th grades

October 9 & 16: Parent-Teacher Conferences 4:00 PM- 8:00 PM for k-5th grades

October 4 and 18: Career Talk Presentations

October 10-14: No School due to Teacher Workday and In-services

October 18: K-12 Field trip to Studts Pumpkin Patch 1:00-3:30PM

October 22: All parents are invited to attend our virtual School Advisory Committee 4:30-5:30

• Join with Google Meet

• Join by phone: 1 515-890-5236‬ PIN: ‪375 834 953‬#

Oct 3: Parent-Teacher Conferences 4:00 - 8:00PM for 6th-12th Grades

Oct 9 and 16th: Parent-Teacher Conferences 4:00 - 8:00 PM for Elementary Students.

Looking for ways to help support your student better? Check out these suggestions from Edmentum!

Even though teens start to take on more responsibility for their schedule and routine as they get older, they still need guidance on setting a healthy routine. Students perform better in school when:

1. They have enough and regular sleep routines uninterrupted by technology.

1. “Sleep and Your Teen”

2. They eat nutritious meals and snacks.

1. “Snacks”

2. “Kids and Food: 10 Tips for Parents”

3. They have regular physical activity (daily and weekly).

1. “Motivating Kids to Be Active”

Lunch Lizard

• During the school year, the Lunch Lizard supports R-5, Summit, New Emerson, Mesa Valley Community School, GRA, Juniper Ridge, Career Center. Healthy meals are provided free of charge to all students. Lunch Lizard menus can be found here.

Kids Aid Backpack Program

• Scroll down to FAQ's and click on How to Sign Up

Mesa County Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

• Info on Food Banks in Mesa County

Smart Snack Calculator

• Healthy Eating for Families

• Eat Healthy on a Budget

• Grocery Shopping

• Healthy Snacking with MyPlate

September was Suicide Prevention Month. This month is meant to bring attention to the serious matter of suicide and focus on ways that this can be prevented. We want all of our students to be happy, healthy and safe. Check out this article to learn if your child has any risk factors.

Our SSN students have been having a great time building community and learning about various resources offered in the Grand Valley. Check out some of the fun activities they have been doing!

• Photos from Field trips

1.)Upcoming Fall Field Trips

• October 18th Studt's Pumpkin Patch, 1pm-3:30pm parents drop off or stay, pay at the door

Questions? Contact Alanna Piccillo

2.)Quarter One assignments for grading close on October 9th.

3.)Friday Study Lab hours (for Blended students only) are 9am to 12 noon with a 30 minute break for lunch before Clubs which take place from 12:30 to 3:30. Please pack a lunch!

4.)6th graders Collaborating!

Ms. Adams

Mr. Kuiken

Ms. Peterson

Mrs. Warner

This year we have received a Ninth Grade Success Grant (NGSG) from the State of Colorado. While every year in a child's education is important, researchers have found that ninth grade is a pivotal year. In high school there are big changes. Student's grades are based on percentages and the traditional A, B, C, D, F grading system. Students may not be used to the fact that if they receive an F, they have to retake that class they failed. Ninth grade students who fail one class, or more, may have big trouble ahead when it comes to graduation.

Extensive research on the importance of grades in ninth grade has been done. Being on track in 9th grade means that a student is 3 times more likely to graduate on time compared to peers who are off track in 9th grade. What does "on track" mean? This means students are passing their ninth grade classes and aren't failing any. In fact, 95% of students who have a "B" average in their ninth grade year graduate on time.

Ninth grade attendance is equally important. Eighty seven percent of 9th graders who miss 0-4 days of school graduate on-time. While only 41% of ninth graders who miss 10-14 days of school graduate on time. This number decrease dramatically as absences exceed 14 days of school.

The NGSG is meant to help students in this pivotal year. We have hosted 9th grade jumpstarts to get students use to the changes in high school. Teachers are emphasizing the importance of passing classes in order to graduate on time. We have hosted 9th grade family academies to share the importance of the 9th grade year.

There will also be tutoring available in math and science for 9th grade students who are falling behind. The Eureka Math and Science Center is our partner in this tutoring. If your student is in 9th grade, they may be contacted about tutoring to help them achieve in their math and science classes.

While we know that every year in a child's education matters, this grant will allow us to focus resources from the State on 9th grade. We hope to extend what we learn through this grant to every grade level. We know that students who attend and engage in their classes in the earlier grades are more likely to be successful in 9th grade.

Attendance Matters: Presence is Power: Every minute. Every Hour. Every Day

When kids are in school they . . .

• Build Self Esteem

• Reach Goals

• Make Friends

When a student misses 2 days a month:

• They miss 20 days of school a year

• They miss 20 hours of math in a year

• They miss 30 hours of Reading and Writing in a year

• They miss over 1 year of school by graduation

Attendance is a critical component of success at school. Important learning takes place in students’ classes. Since we only meet with students one day per week at Grand River Academy, this time is even more critical. If your student must be absent, please call the office, 970-254-6393, to get them excused.

Each year, parents and guardians are required to compete registration for their students at Grand River Academy. This allows you to complete updates for your students to make sure we have the most recent information on things like custody and emergency contacts. This also allows us to count your student for school funding so that we make sure we have the financial resources necessary to provide your students' educations.

If you haven't already completed this process, please do so as soon as possible. This can be done by logging in to ParentVUE and clicking on "online registration." You then select "Grand River Academy" from the list of possible places to register. Thank you for your help and cooperation.