9/28: No School for Students, Staff Professional Development Day
9/29: Early Release Day, 2:30 Dismissal
- 2:30 - 2:45 for last names A - I
- 2:45 - 3:00 for last names J - Z
10/2: School Picture Day, details below
10/3: Fall Fest Family Team Event @ GRCDC, 1:00 - 3:00 PM
10/8 & 10/9: Parent/Teacher Conferences, No School for Students
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What's for Breakfast and Lunch? Click Here, then click on Grand Rapids Child Discovery.
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Dear Families,
On Monday, we have our first Professional Learning Day of this school year. We know that any time during the week that children are not in school can be a hardship for families and even require extra resources. We do not take that lightly and we are so thankful to you for supporting the work of the school in this way throughout the year.
What Do Teachers and Staff DO During Professional Learning Days?
We engage in a variety of experiences and tasks, depending on the time of year. GRCDC is a fully independent school. This means that we do not have a central office, and we do not have a management company or educational service provider that provides support or direction to our school. We like it that way- that allows us autonomy, choice, and the ability to make decisions in community with one another. That also means all the work that happens to make GRCDC what it is is done by the teachers and staff who work in this building. Sometimes, we need a little extra time to do that work.
This coming Monday, we will:
- Gather as a full staff (teachers, interventionists, leadership, and paras) to analyze the schoolwide data from the September diagnostics in Reading, Math, and Social-Emotional Learning. We will look at schoolwide trends and identify necessary actions for cycle 2 for each classroom and each staff member.
- In the afternoon, classroom teachers and interventionists meet together to plan for the children who are showing the most need for additional or different support in any of the three areas (reading, math or social-emotional learning). This focused time together is the bedrock of our team approach, allowing professionals to give full focus to the needs of the students and plan for that accordingly.
Professional Learning is an essential part of any school's calendar. For GRCDC, it is as customized and community-centered as the work we do each day that children are in the building. Thank you for your support!
Sincerely,
Lisa
Lisa Nuyens
Executive Director, GRCDC
o. 616-459-0330
c. 517-206-3868
e. nuyensl@childdiscoverycenter.org
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Family/Teacher Conferences October 8th & 9th: On October 8 & 9, students do not have school, and teachers will meet with each family for conferences. Conferences are a special time for teachers and families to come together and focus on your child. We’ll celebrate strengths, discuss areas for growth, and share what we’re each noticing. Together, we’ll make a plan to support your child’s progress, using both your insights and our observations of how they are approaching grade-level skills.
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Families will schedule the conference via ParentSquare from the teacher’s post. Please reserve your child's conference time before Monday, October 5th. These conference slots are available on a first come, first served basis. If you do not schedule by October 5th, a time will be picked for you by your child's teacher.
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Please note: There will be one slot per child during conferences. Families with 2 households, please coordinate together to figure out the conference time. If you have questions or issues about scheduling, please contact Mrs. Rachel.
- Students who receive special education services with Ms. Elly or Ms. Cheyenne will schedule a conference time with them in addition to the classroom teacher conference. Look for the post from Ms. Elly or Ms. Cheyenne to book that conference.
- Parents have the opportunity to book a 15 minute conference with Ms. G (Studio), Ms. Jaclyn (Music), and Mr. G (Movement). Additionally, students who see Ms. Tonya for intervention will also be able to book a conference with her. These are optional, and conference spots will be filled on a first come, first served basis. Look for the post from Ms. G, Ms. Jaclyn, Mr. G and Ms. Tonya to schedule with them.
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Conference sign ups will go live in ParentSquare at 4:00 PM today (9/25). If you are on a phone, the sign up is located at the top of your screen. If you are on a computer, the sign up will show up below.
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School Pictures on Friday, 10/2: All students will have their picture taken for school records. Families may order school pictures in two ways: online or using the paper form. For online ordering, check your email for a message from HR Imaging from earlier this week to set up your account and place an order. For paper form ordering, check your child's home/school folder today after school for the form. Fill out the form, include the exact payment amount and return the order envelope to school. Cash or check is accepted. Additionally, all students will receive a class picture at the end of the year for free! Please contact the office if you have any questions. |
Volunteer Opportunity: We would love to have volunteers to support 3 shifts on school picture day on Friday, October 2nd. The sign-up can be found here.
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Part of the role of the Family Team is to work with the school to provide extracurricular after-school clubs for GRCDC students. |
Club Meetings this week:
- Drama Club: 9/29, 3:00 - 4:15 PM
- Girl Scouts: 9/30, 4:00 - 5:45 PM
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Fall Fest
Join other GRCDC families for an afternoon of festivities as we enter the autumnal season. Volunteers are needed to set up, run stations, and clean up. Sign up on ParentSquare today!
We are hosting a food drive for the Grand Rapids Pride Center at Fall Fest. Donations of non-perishables and/or grab & go meals are welcome. Items like powdered milk, soup, easy mac, canned meat, ramen, peanut butter are requested.
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Narwhal Nation Merch Delivery
Thank you for supporting the Narwhal Nation merch sale. Merch will be distributed in early October. Specific date TBD, but we are aiming for conferences.
Upcoming Events & Opportunities
- Our monthly meetings are held on Thursdays after the K-2 Community Meetings: Oct 29, Nov 12, Dec 3, Jan 14, Feb 11, Mar 11, Apr 15, Apr 29, May 13
- Book Swap at Fall Conferences: Oct 8-9. Leave a book, take a book! Don't have a book to leave? Take one anyway! Volunteers are needed to sort books ahead of time. Signup on ParentSquare starting September 30.
- Winter Gear Drive: Launching October 9. Help Family Team collect cold weather essentials to ensure every student stays warm and comfortable through the winter season. Volunteers are needed to sort donations. Signup on ParentSquare coming in October.
- Winter Wreath Sale: Launching October 9. Orders due October 30.
Let's Connect
Family Team regularly shares information through the weekly Link Letter, Friday Folders, and on the Family Team GRCDC Narwhals group on ParentSquare.
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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.
- Want to support GRCDC family owned businesses in the local community? Check out the GRCDC Business Directory
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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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GRCDC Threat Reporting Form: It takes everybody in the school community to keep a school safe! In short, if you see or hear something, say something! GRCDC has a team of staff that have been trained to assess and respond to any threats to the school community. Please use this form to make a report.
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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 and include Jessie Hammond + Rachel Harth
- If you contact a teacher only regarding attendance, please know that they do not always have time to inform the office about your child's attendance. Your first contact should always be the school office. If you want to include the teacher and inform them as well, go for it!
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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Lunch Count FYI: Did you know that the GRCDC lunches are ordered by 8:30 AM from the central kitchen at the Aviation High School? Once the order is in, the food is prepped and delivered to GRCDC. It is very important that all lunch orders are in at arrival time so that we can provide the lunch that is on the menu for the day. If your child is late, we will do our best to ensure they receive a lunch; often, we may have to provide a different lunch than the menu in these instances. It would really help us out if you contact the office by 8:30 AM if your child will be late or out for the day, so we can have an accurate count. |
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