Hey, GIS Families!

It sure is beautiful outside! With the beautiful colors comes the need for warmer clothes, at least in the mornings. We are seeing kids shed layers which is leading to our lost and found already filling up! Please stop in and look at the sweatshirts and other items we have collected. Put kids' initials on tags to help us return items to their owners.

This batch of lost and found will be bagged up and stored on 10/31, and while families will still be encouraged to look through the bags, we hope you find missing articles of clothing before we bag them up.

Our fundraiser officially starts on Tuesday, and the kids will be coming home with their t-shirts on Monday afternoon. Signing up for the fundraiser is quick and easy; you can share your student's link through social media and text. We already have several kids going home with tons of prizes!

Trimester one has about one month left, so student and family conferences are also around the corner. Please look closely at home-school folders and backpacks for more information.

As part of my role in our learning community, I prepare videos for the first day of the school week. Last week, I started a small series on understanding our brain and emotions. I've included my video below. This week, we will learn about our Hippocampus! Stay tuned! The reason for sharing this resource is that sometimes, even as parents and caregivers, having a deeper understanding of what is happening when there is an emotional moment can help everyone navigate it a little easier.

I appreciate everything you do for your kiddos and our school!

If you need anything, my door and inbox are always open!

Mrs. H

They are flat-topped, step pyramids used to worship each city-state's god/goddess in ancient Mesopotamia. Building a historically accurate artifact is one of the targets in 5th grade social studies.

Oct 15: Fundraiser Starts

Oct 16: Open House 5:30-6:30 PM

Oct 16: Grand Isle Farm to Table 4-6 PM in the cafeteria

Oct 24: Fun Run at GIS 1:30-2:30

Octo 30: Halloween Parade

Nov 14: 11:30 AM dismissal for PD

Nov 25-29: No School

You can find the GISU calendar below in the Links section

Provide activities that enrich and relate mathematics to daily life:

• Talk about how many bowls to put out for dinner
• Fold napkins in different shapes
• Have your child count similar items as you put away groceries
• Have your child help measure ingredients for recipes
• Give your child change to count out to pay for small purchases at the store; have older children calculate the change
• Ask your child to compare prices of items by asking things like, “Which can of beans costs more?”
• Allow your child to weigh the fresh produce; have older children calculate the price by multiplying the price per pound by the number of pounds
• Read the days and dates on a calendar, talk about the number of days in the month, the number of days remaining until a special event, etc.
• Draw a scale map of your home and determine the best escape route in case of an emergency
• When traveling, write numbers on a grid and have your child color in the box as they see the numbers on signs or license plates

Computation

• Count orally by twos, fives, or tens
• Complete connect-the-dot pictures
• Have your child make a number book which contains a page for each numeral from one to ten. On each page, have your child glue clippings from newspapers and magazines illustrating that number concept (two dogs, three ducks, or four horses). As your child progresses with number recognition, they can add to the book and add numerical figures used in various ways
• Count and pair objects found around the house and determine whether there’s an odd or even number of items
• Review math facts at home, in the car, waiting in line, or during other downtime
• Provide your child with verbal math problems. “Take the number five; add six; multiply by three; subtract three; divide by five. What’s your answer?” Speak slowly at first until your child gets better at solving these mental problems
• Help your child identify percentages in signs, newspapers, and magazines
• Encourage your child to read nutrition labels. Have them calculate the percent of a specific nutrient in each item

One family thought it would be fun to know which students' houses would be doing something for Halloween so they get some increased foot traffic.

If you will be passing out candy on Halloween at your house, can you please email Mrs. H with a simple subject line of "passing out candy". I will send a list of households participating so families can connect!

As is typical at the start of school and the Fall season, we have a fair amount of illness circulating in our school. We are primarily seeing respiratory illnesses like common cold viruses, COVID, and strep throat. Please review the GISU illness guidance below. It is important to keep students home when ill and potentially contagious to prevent the spread of illness and to also help them recover more quickly.

We ask students and staff to stay home with any potentially contagious illnesses or symptoms including the following:

1. Vomiting/diarrhea-must be 24 hours symptom free before returning to school

2. Fever 100.0 or greater -home until fever free without use of medication for 24 hours

3. Any infection requiring antibiotic-keep your student home until they have been on antibiotics for 24 hours

4. Persistent cough that disrupts normal activity other than an asthma related cough

5. Unexplained rash-may return once evaluated by a healthcare provider and rash is not contagious or no longer contagious

6. Influenza, colds, COVID-stay home until fever free without medication for 24 hours feeling well enough to be at school

7. Any other symptoms or illness that impedes a student’s ability to learn.

You may return once feeling well enough to be at school and fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medications. There is no longer any isolation/quarantine requirement for COVID. If you suspect your student has COVID, please follow the guidelines above for all illnesses.

Your student should see a healthcare provider for a cough that is not improving, shortness of breath, wheezing or other abnormal breathing, sore throat that does not improve, fever 105 or higher or a fever of 100.0 or higher that lasts more than 3 days.

The read-a-thon is underway! You can send the names of books that your kiddo has read at home and they will add those titles to their bookmarks!

Please email Mrs. Lovejoy with questions: alovejoy@gisu.org

Our Fall fundraiser is through Boosters, an organization that aligned with our goal of building character traits (such as cooperation and respect) and continuing to prioritize health, fitness, and team building.

Sign up today and share your kiddo's link with friends and family near and far. We're hoping to get a donation from every state!

65% = School wide PJ day

80% = Evening fire and S'mores at school with families

The green states represent states we have received a donation from!

The Fun Run is the culminating event of our fundraiser. Here are the event's details:

• It will be held at Grand Isle School
• The date is 10/24
• The time is 1:30-2:30
• Kids do not need to run, but are encouraged to participate (walking is fine)
• The event has music and fun challenges for kids to complete on different laps.
• The course will not be lengthy, the whole "track" will fit inside of the soccer field.
• Parents and families are encouraged to join and cheer on kids.

At GIS we have a yearly Halloween parade first thing in the morning on Halloween. We parade through the school before going to homeroom and teachers clap and cheer in the hallways. Families are welcome to join us this year. Please arrive at 7:50 to take a place in the hallways of GIS. We do have some rules in place, mostly because we want Halloween to be fun, still allow the kids to attend to learning, and keep costumes safe.

• We do not hand out candy- there are too many allergies.
• No blood or gore
• No weapons
• No masks
• No face paint
• It is helpful if you send kids in with a bag to store their costume in for transport home.
• Please remember to pack sneakers for PE and recess.

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