11/17: GRCDC Family Book Club, 6:30 - 8:00 PM
11/18: Early Release Tuesday, 2:30 Dismissal
- 2:30 -2:45 is for students with the last name A-I
- 2:45 - 3:00 is for students with the last name J- Z
11/20: School Picture Makeup/Retake Day
11/25: Half Day of School, 11:30 dismissal
11/26 - 11/28: No School, Thanksgiving Break
12/18: Winter Wonderland Event during the school day
12/19: Half Day of School, 11:30 dismissal
12/22 - 1/5: No School, Winter Break
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ICYMI: ENROLLMENT IS OPEN AND YARD SIGNS ARE IN!
Dear Families,
Every Family Belongs Here.
GRCDC's open enrollment period is here! The application for the 26-27 school year opened on November 1 and will stay open through February. Our school provides an "Education Based on Relationships" and because of that it grows through connection! Families sharing with other families who share our values of potential, connection, inspiration, and equity.
If you know a family who would thrive in a Reggio-inspired, relationship-centered, public school, please invite them to reach out to us. We need your help to make sure that every family in our community has heard about GRCDC, knows what we do, and knows that they are welcome to apply here! Please consider inviting families to considering GRCDC in some of the other ways offered below:
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Encourage families to sign up for a tour! We offer tours 2x per month and it is a great, personalized way to learn more about our school.
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Consider displaying a GRCDC NARWHAL YARD SIGN - If you are willing to place one in your yard, sign up here.
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Share/distribute this digital flyer (we have printed copies in the office for you to pick up in the morning or afternoon)- share with your church, your library branch, sports team, neighborhood group, etc.
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Share this "digital yard sign" on whatever social media you use
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Share our school website childdiscoverycenter.org with a little testimonial in a group chat or parent group you belong to
Every time a family shares GRCDC with another family, you help us continue to grow in the relationship-based, joyful, and creative place our children deserve. Thank you for helping other discovery what makes GRCDC so special!
In Partnership,
Lisa Nuyens
Executive Director
e. nuyensl@childdiscoverycenter.org
o.616-459-0330
c. 517.206.3868 (text or voice note/mail)
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New City Neighbors food resource: New City Neighbors will be offering 2 weeks of free food in their Cafe on November 13th and 20th. They are also collecting non-perishables and extra vegetables to have on their porch free of charge. There will also be a selection of free Thanksgiving sides on November 26th while supplies last. Location: 1115 Leonard St NE 49503
Facebook:
Instagram:
Need Food Assistance Now? If you, or anyone you know, wants access to food assistance, we encourage the use of these resources:
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Local Food Resources: We have compiled a list of local food pantries, free meal sites, and other programs that can provide support: Kent County Food Resources.
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Quick Help: You can dial 2-1-1- or visit mi211.org at any time to connect confidentially with thousands of local health and human services resources.
Able to Provide Resources? For those who want to contribute to local resources, you may consider the following actions:
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Donate Money: Local food banks can stretch financial resources much further by buying wholesale. Consider donating directly to Feeding America West Michigan.
Donate Food/Items: Many of the resources listed above accept monetary and item donations. We encourage you to visit their websites and/or contact the organization to inquire about their current needs.
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Health Update: Although the overall amount of illness has dropped, we are continuing to receive reports of various illnesses over the past 2 weeks. To help give you information about symptoms and when your child may return to school, please refer to these fact sheets from the Kent County Helath Department: Hand Foot and Mouth. Influenza B, Pneumonia, Strep Throat, Head Colds, Please make sure to report absences and types of illness to the office so we may track appropriately and are able to notify the community of things to watch out for. You may view GRCDC's illness protocol to help you know when your child may come back to school. |
School Picture Make-up/Retake Day - this coming Thursday, November 20th: If your child was absent on picture day, they will have their photo taken on November 20th. If you want to do photo retakes, please let your child's teacher know via email or ParentSquare direct message. If you don't let the teacher know you want retakes, your child will not be sent to the photographer. |
Dismissal Cards: Please use the dismissal cards every day at dismissal if you are using the walker line or the car line. In the car line, please display the cards until your child gets in the car. If you are sending another authorized adult to pick up your child, they should have a card as well. Texting a photo of the card will work on an unexpected or emergency basis, but it should not be the norm. These cards are an important part of getting your student safely to you and to help the process run efficiently. If you need more cards made, we are happy to do that. Please message Jessie Hammond to make that happen. |
ParentSquare Skill Corner: Changes to Notification Delivery: ParentSquare has announced an improvement to how you receive notifications for posts from our school, starting on November 19th. Currently, you might receive duplicate notifications for posts via both the app and text message. With this update:
- App-first delivery, with text as fallback: When a post is shared, you'll receive a notification through the app first, with a backup text notification only if needed. This applies to posts, post digests, and updates to posts.
- No change for time-sensitive messages: Direct Messages and alerts will continue to be delivered via your preferred methods.
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Lost and Found Weekly Post: Please see the lost and found post from earlier this week and claim your child's items by Tuesday, 11/18 |
Thank you for supporting Neurodiversity Spirit Week!
A few folks asked about the Neurodiversity shirts that the staff were wearing. Those can be found here with a few other narwhal designs. https://tee.pub/lic/kiyay
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Wreath Fundraiser Pickup
Thanks to everyone who supported the fall wreath sale. We surpassed our fundraising goal!
Wreaths will be delivered November 19 at 8:30am and families can pick up their wreaths at dismissal on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday November 19-21 from 3:30pm - 4:30pm. We will have pickup in the parking lot so look for signs.
Find Family Team on ParentSquare!
Family Team is moving communication off Facebook and onto ParentSquare. The GRCDC Narwhals - Families of Current Students Facebook group will be archived later this fall, so stay up to date through the Family Team GRCDC Narwhals Group on ParentSquare.
Upcoming Events
Thursday December 18 - Winter Wonderland. We'll celebrate the winter solstice with crafts, games and hot cocoa. This event takes place during the school day. If you're interested in planning this event and/or volunteering the day of, please connect with us!
Family Team Meetings
The next Family Team meeting is Thursday, December 10th at 6:00 PM. This meeting will be virtual.
- Dates for the year are: January 15, February 12, March 12, April 16, May 14
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Girls on the Run Volunteers Needed
It's time to start planning for our Girls On The Run (GOTR) Season! To get started, we first need coaches! We have so much fun at GOTR that coaches return every year. However, last year we had to turn some girls away because we didn't have enough coaches for 2 teams. We would love for all girls who want to participate to be able to this year. Coaches may be parents, grand parents, uncles or aunts, cousins that are 18 and older or close family friends. If you have someone in your circle who would enjoy coaching on our GOTR team please have them reach out to Aimee Ritsema at ritsemaa@childdiscoverycenter.org to learn more. |
Let's Connect
Join the Family Team GRCDC Narwhals Group on ParentSquare. The Facebook group “GRCDC Narwhals - Families of Current Students” will be archived later this fall. We want to hear from you! If you have an idea, question, or suggestion for the Family Team email us at grcdcfamilyteam@gmail.com.
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"10 Rules for Raising Kids in a High Tech World"
The second session of book club is Monday, November 17, 6:30-8pm. You can come to session 2 even if you missed session 1. Please RSVP here. Please reach out with any questions:
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Club meetings this week:
11/19: Girl Scouts, 3:45 - 6:00
11/20: Lego Club K-2, 3:45 - 5:00
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- If you are experiencing a housing crisis or issue, please contact us at 616-459-0330 and our Homeless Liaison will reach out to you.
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Families Supporting Families! We want to support our families. We are collecting the information for any family-owned businesses within our community. If you own a business, please fill out this survey. We will add you to the directory once we receive your information.
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OK2SAY: If you receive a threat or know of a threat of violence against your community, please contact your local law enforcement or call 9-1-1. Non-emergency tips can be submitted the following ways:
- Call: 8-555-OK2SAY, (855-565-2729 )
- Text: 652729 (OK2SAY)
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Email: OK2SAY
- Visit: OK2SAY website
- OK2SAY Mobile App: Available for download for Apple, Google and Android mobile devices.
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Absence Reporting: If your child will be absent from school, please contact us by 8:20 AM if possible. There are a few ways you can contact us about an absence:
- Email office@childdiscoverycenter.org
- Call the main office, 616-459-0330
- Send a ParentSquare message
If we do not hear from you, ParentSquare will send an automated message around 8:50 AM that you may also reply to. If you do not contact the office to excuse the absence, it will be marked unexcused.
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