October 2023

Principal NEWS

Happy Fall Granite Ridge Families,

Fall conferences allow us to clearly see how connected our community is to Granite Ridge School, and we appreciate that we are in this together. It’s wonderful to learn from you about your children so we can best support them together at school! Thank you to those families that participated in conferences on September 28, and we look forward to seeing folks on October 4. We believe in having a fresh start at Granite Ridge each day and continue building great relationships with all our students and families. One goal we are working on at school is using bathrooms appropriately and making sure we are showing care and responsibility by keeping that area clean for everyone’s use in our school community. Another goal is to make sure we are being safe and responsible on the bus, as it is an extension of our school day. We hope you will review these messages with your children at home to ensure we are working together to maintain a safe and healthy space at Granite Ridge School.

This month at Granite Ridge School, we are focusing on staff wellness and kindness.

Enjoy the gorgeous fall days with your friends and family! Never hesitate to reach out to us with any questions or concerns.

Reed Foster

October’s Safety Drill

Granite Ridge School will hold a classroom hold drill on October 12th for all students and staff. During the month we will also hold a student safety training to inform and prepare students for the potential of a threat or hazard (i.e. hazardous material) inside or outside the building.

The safety of our students is a top priority which is why it’s important for students to be present for monthly drills. This hold drill is designed to help students understand what they can do to protect themselves in the unlikely case of a critical event. A classroom hold is called when students would be in the way of staff or emergency responders responding to a crisis, such as a medical or behavioral incident. We follow best practices to use trauma sensitive language and exercises to mitigate fear and anxiety during the drill.

What your student will experience: Staff will prepare students by explaining the purpose of the drill, what they can expect and what they will need to do during the drill. The drill will begin when an announcement is made over the speakers that a building hold has started. Staff will clear students from the hallways and collaboration areas as needed, and then remain in their classrooms until the classroom hold is lifted. Instruction will continue as normal until an announcement has been made that the drill has ended. Staff will use trauma sensitive language to help students process the experience. For the student safety training, staff will talk through scenarios and classrooms may plan and generate ideas together for action plans on potential threatening situations that could happen while at school.

Students with sensory and other special considerations will be accommodated according to their needs.

We encourage families to communicate with your student(s) about the importance of safety drills. You can find resources on our website to help guide those conversations.

Read the full message on safety communication practices on our website.

OFFICE HOURS:

7:15 a.m.–3:45 p.m.

CONTACT:

Main Office: (608) 839-8980

Attendance: contact via email

UPCOMING EVENTS:

October 3

Picture Day

October 4

Parent/Teacher

Conferences

3:45pm - 7:45pm

October 20

No School -

Vacation Day

October 23

No School -

Staff Professional Day

October 25

3rd Grade Music Fieldtrip

November 3

No School -

Staff Professional Day

November 7

Picture Retake Day

November 22-26

Thanksgiving Break

Dec 25 - Jan 1

Winter Break

Attendance

Dear Parents and Students,

The staff at Granite Ridge School are excited to partner with you in this new school year filled with opportunities to learn and engage!

Getting into the habit of daily attendance is more important than ever. It helps to:

reduce stress
make it easier to connect with friends and teachers
support learning
Please call us if you need help with attendance.

We are working to make our school environment a place where everyone can be safe, healthy, and learning. We will do our best to listen and partner with you so that our children have a successful year. Do not hesitate to reach out to me with questions or concerns.

Please see the link to Building the Habit of Good Attendance Early for more helpful tips and information.

Sincerely,

Reed Foster

Principal Reed Foster

Bus Expectations

Please review the bus expectations with your children to ensure a safe, respectful and responsible bus ride. The bus is an extension of the school day, and SAFETY is the primary focus of GRS. Everyone deserves to ride comfortably on the bus, and GRS students need to do their part!

Notes from the Office

Infinite Campus

Please keep your information in Infinite Campus up to date.

Please review your phone numbers, emergency contacts and the Emergency Closing Plan.

Click here to begin

Student Fees

Student Fees (Consumable Fee) this year are $37.00 for students in grades K-5. Student fees have been assigned and can be paid online in the Parent Portal, by check, or exact cash in the office. If you have any questions, please call the school office at 608-839-8980.

Attendance Communication

If your child needs to miss school, please call the attendance line at 608-839-8980 or email us at GRS.attendance@mgschools.net. For extended absences, please contact the office at 839-8980.

Student Calendars/New School Hour

Please click here to view the 2023-2024 school year calendar.

GRS student hours for the 2023-24 school year will be

8 am - 3:05 pm. Supervision will begin at 7:35 am.

Medication at School

Does your child need to take medication here at school?

Medication forms can be found here. If you need to speak to the school nurse, you can reach Ms. Koch at 839-2117.

Moving?

If you plan on moving, please click here to fill out a withdrawal form that will assist us in forwarding your child's records to the next school. Email your withdrawal form to: kristen.halverson@mgschools.net.

Most current students are eligible to continue attending Monona Grove schools even if you move out of district boundaries. If you have moved or are planning a move that takes you out of the district, you need to apply for Open Enrollment through Wisconsin DPI: https://dpi.wi.gov/open-enrollment. Application deadline is April 28. If you have questions, please email openenrollment@mgschools.net.

School Nutrition

School breakfast and lunch will no longer be free of charge for all students this school year. The prices are: Breakfast - $1.60, Lunch - $2.85, Milk Only - $0.40.

Breakfast will be offered to students upon entering the building. Your child can sign up for lunch each day in their classroom. A lunch menu for the month can be found on our district website.

Granite Ridge School information about free and reduced lunch can also be found on the the web. Please click here for the School Nutrition site

The Village Fall/Winter guide is now out! Check out community events, programs, and fitness offerings. All registration is now open!

Fall/Winter Cottage Grove Village Guide

Friends of the CG Library

Here is a link to the Friends of the CG Library

https://libraryfriendscgwi.org/

Bridging Brighter Smiles

Receive Dental Care Right At School! Click HERE for enrollment information. Click HERE for Spanish

From the School Counselor:

Dear GRS Families,

We are thankful that you are a part of our school community! The world is changing quickly and we want to do everything we can to help students be successful in school and life. We are excited to tell you that we will be using a program called PurposeFull People again this year. This program teaches skills that will help students be successful in school and in life. We believe that students should have safe, predictable places to learn where they feel included. Students should have healthy and helpful connections with teachers and classmates. They should also experience learning that will help them tackle challenges inside and outside of school.

PurposeFull People is more than a set of lessons - it is a partnership between schools and families to create a place where students feel like they belong and learn skills that will help them be the best they can be! PurposeFull People has three main goals for students: Be Kind, Be Strong, and Be Well.

● Be Kind: Social skills like listening, friendship, solving conflicts, and leadership.

○ These skills are taught alongside Empathy, Respect, & Cooperation

● Be Strong: Skills that help students focus, stay organized, and set goals.

○ These skills are taught alongside Responsibility, Courage, & Perseverance

● Be Well: Skills that help students handle their emotions and deal with stress.

○ These skills are taught alongside Gratitude, Honesty, & Creativity

Each month, I'll share a little about what we're doing in this newsletter--so stay tuned!

With Gratitude,

Emily McKee

School Counselor, Granite Ridge School

October 9 - 13 is Homecoming Week!

We want to celebrate with a few dress up days! These days are the same for Taylor Prairie, Cottage Grove School, and Granite Ridge School!

Monday, October 9 - Pajama/Comfy clothes day - wear your favorite pajamas or comfy clothes!

Tuesday, October 10 - Rainbow or Tie-Dye Day - wear your most colorful clothes!

Wednesday, October 11 - Class Color Day! - wear the colors of your Habitat!

3rd Grade - wear YELLOW

4th Grade - wear BLUE

5th Grade - wear GREEN

Thursday, October 12 - Fitness Day - wear workout/dance/yoga or sports apparel!

Friday, October 13 - Monona Grove/Granite Ridge Spirit Day - wear blue, white, or silver!

Health Guidelines for Attendance

As we enter cold and flu season, it’s timely to review the guidelines for school attendance. We encourage families to send students to school each day as long as injury or illness does not significantly compromise the student’s health & there is no risk of illness transmission to the school community. A phone call or email to the attendance line at your student’s school is required to explain an absence on days they will remain home.

Students should remain home & will be sent home from school if they:

Have been experiencing episodes of vomiting or diarrhea in the last 24 hours
Have a temperature of 100°F or higher. Students must be fever free for 24 hours without fever reducing medication before returning to school.
Are experiencing any symptoms severe enough to hinder participation in class & school activities (i.e., headache, body aches, fatigue, pain).
Have cold symptoms that are not well contained (i.e. coughs, sneezes, runny noses).
Possibly have an untreated communicable illness (i.e. strep throat, impetigo, scabies, draining pink eye).
Rashes or patches of broken, itchy skin need to be examined by a physician if they appear to be spreading or not improving. Some rashes may need to be covered while your child is at school.
Tested positive for Covid-19 (please remain home for five days from symptom onset or positive test). Free tests are now available for ordering at covid.gov/tests & a limited number of rapid tests are available in our schools upon request.

Students may attend / return to school:

When symptoms are improving
Vomiting and/or diarrhea free for 24 hours
Fever free (100 degrees F or greater) for 24 hours without fever reducing medication
If evaluated and cleared by a health care provider

MononaGo App

There’s a new, convenient way to watch Monona Grove school concerts, sports, and other school and community events while you need to be mobile. The MononaGo app can be downloaded free from the App Store or Google Play for iOS and Android phones and other mobile devices.

MGEF

The Monona Grove Education Foundation (MGEF) is the non-profit foundation that supports educational excellence in MGSD. We expand educational opportunities for our students of all ages through scholarships and grants, & we fund projects that benefit students & teachers both inside & out of the classroom. We do this through the following five programs:

The Pay It Forward Program (PIF) provides financial assistance to MG students struggling with food stability or clothing; & those needing additional educational support.
The Monona Grove Weekend Snack Pack Program strives to support district students who are struggling with food insecurity on the weekends.
The Summer Scholarship Program is designed to help support summer educational & enrichment opportunities for students in the district that may otherwise be out of reach.
The MGEF Teacher Innovation Grants support efforts to bring innovative new ideas & programs into the district that fall outside of traditional funding.
The Starting Line Fund was established in 2023 by private donors & supports the idea that every student should have an equal opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities or clubs, & that access to equipment or needed items should not be a barrier.

As a 501c3, we fund our efforts through tax-deductible donations from families, community members, & businesses from Monona and Cottage Grove. As a volunteer organization 100% of donations are used to support our mission. Our next event will support the Weekend Snack Pack program via a Cribbage Tournament on October 21st – 7pm @ Oakstone Recreational in Cottage Grove. To support the Foundation, or learn how to get involved in delivering these programs to our students and educators, please visit our website & be sure to follow us on Facebook!

From the Reading Corner!

Our new literacy curriculum, CKLA, is based on the Science of Reading. The Science of Reading (SoR) is the collection of research from multiple disciplines (e.g., psychology, neuroscience, education) that provides scientific evidence for how children learn to read and write, and how to best support literacy development for all readers. The evidence supports the importance of using a structured literacy approach, which teaches literacy skills through systematic and explicit instruction. A structured literacy approach in foundational grades, uses decodable books and passages to teach beginning readers phonics skills. This creates a skilled reader who can independently use word recognition strategies and language comprehension knowledge to comprehend text (hopefully by the end of third grade.) These skilled readers are then able to tackle complex text to deepen their understanding of content without having to struggle through unknown words. (third grade and beyond.)

SoR outlines 5 components of effective foundational reading instruction:

As always, I’m available by email at erin.verhagen@mgschools.net

Erin Verhagen

Reading Specialist

Granite Ridge School

PTO NEWS

Support the Cottage Grove PTO and our schools! SCRIP is one of the biggest (and EASIEST) fundraisers we have! Click here for an order form! Click here for more information.

Click here for more PTO Information.

5301 Monona Drive, Monona, WI 53716 Phone: (608) 221-7660 Fax: (608) 221-7688