Dear Grinnell Staff, Families, and Friends:
More than half a century ago, Black Americans, putting their lives on the line, pushed our country to be better, to work toward an America where they enjoy the same rights as white citizens. Today, as we look around, demonstrations across the country calling for racial equality make it very clear that Black Americans are experiencing the very same pain that motivated earlier generations to lead a multiracial movement for an America that embodies ideals we hold.
Sometimes in Grinnell, a community where we celebrate being good neighbors, and pride ourselves on looking out for each other, it can feel like we live apart from problems that people in other parts of the country are experiencing. However, people right here in Grinnell have experienced and are experiencing the same pain as Americans across the country. This is not okay. It’s not okay when Black students in our district feel pain as a result of experiences they have at school. Our public school buildings must feel like home for everyone.
Our schools must also prepare all students to live in our racially diverse United States. I have heard from numerous graduates of our district over the past couple of weeks that they are unprepared to understand what we see unfolding as a country. This is not okay. We must do better.
Earlier this week, we were honored to gather a small group of people from across our community—teachers, elected officials, business leaders, parents, students—to brainstorm together and to create partnerships that will help us move forward. In the coming weeks, this small group will grow larger, leading to initiatives in the curriculum, district training, and community-wide social engagement. We are excited about sharing plans with you as they develop.
Change will not happen overnight. But we will change and grow together. We must do this as one community.
Sincerely,
The Grinnell-Newburg Board of Directors
Dr. Janet M. Stutz, Superintendent
Online Registration for the 2020-21 School Year is open, and we encourage parents to register early!
Existing Students: Accessing Online Registration from your Parent PortalFor parents of existing students, online registration can be accessed from your parent portal. (If you have not set up your parent portal account, please find the directions at the end of this article.) |
|
New Students:Online registration can be handled in the convenience of your home. Please click on the following link to begin the registration process: New Student Registration (Students are considered "new" if there is no family information in our information database. If you are a parent of a returning student, please access Online Registration through your Parent Portal, so as to avoid having to re-enter your information. See directions below.)
We welcome families who have recently moved to the Grinnell-Newburg School District, and encourage parents to contact the building your student will be attending. Parents are invited to schedule a tour of the building, and to meet your student's building principal and administrative staff. Appointments are not necessary but are recommended. Welcome to the Grinnell-Newburg Community School District! Please note: If you do not have access to a computer, kiosks will be available over the summer at each building for you to fill out your registration application. If you plan to register at a building, please plan to arrive no later than 2:30 p.m. (Buildings are closed for the month of July.) The District will also be hosting a registration night August 1. |
|
|
In the bottom left hand corner of the page you see more. Clicking on more will open the screen to Online Registration in a new window.
|
|
Handy Hints as you are going through the registration module:
When you begin you will be given a Confirmation Number. Please save this number. If you need to stop and return to the application, this will be needed to access your saved application.
To move through each section use the “Next” button. To move from section to section, click on the “Save and Continue” button. Please ensure all information is entered correctly before moving on to a new section.
|
|
|
|
Fee Payment and Lunch Accounts |
|
|
After submitting your registration application, please return to your portal account to submit payment for your student’s instructional fees.
Once in your portal account, click on the “Fees” tab to submit your online payment.
**Can be completed after July 1, 2020
**Families applying for Free and Reduced: Please submit all forms before beginning the payment process.
|
|
Directions to set up your parent portal for the first time
To set up an account you will need a key code. Key codes can be obtained from your building administrative assistant. Please enter your key code and follow the steps to set up your Campus Portal account. You will be able to create your own username and password.
You will only need to do this once.
Please call 641-236-2700 during regular business hours if you have any questions regarding any of these processes.
Welcome back to school! We are so happy to see you back in the classrooms and learning on-site. I am grateful to all of you for your flexibility and support during these challenging days. We will continue to monitor the COVID trends and we hope that we can continue on-site with our students through winter break.
I have requested that all staff and students wear a mask unless there is a medical concern or for our youngest learners in K-2, who may need more breaks or flexibility while learning to wear the face shield. Thank you for your cooperation to ensure that we limit the spread of the virus.
Grinnell High School Activities will begin practices on Thursday, December 3rd. All coaches have been in contact with athletes about specific practice details. On the night of an event, all participating athletes will be given two vouchers to distribute to parents. These vouchers allow the holder to purchase a ticket. We are asking those with the vouchers to purchase their tickets for HOME events online using the QR code printed on the voucher. More specific instructions will be shared with parents from their respective coaches.
Also, unless the two spectators have a child playing in a different game, they are required to leave the gymnasium at the conclusion of the contest. The two spectators of a girls' varsity player and a boys' varsity player, playing on the same night in the same gym, are not required to leave the gym.
In addition, we want to emphasize to spectators to not arrive early as they will not be permitted into the gym until the conclusion of the previous game. All spectators will be required to wear a mask to enter and during the contest.
Grinnell Middle School Activities will begin open gyms on Monday, December 7th. Teams will be allowed to shoot and condition, but not perform any drills where physical contact and social distancing can not take place. All coaches have been in contact with athletes about specific details.
Per Governor's proclamation, middle school contests and regular practices can begin on Friday, December 11th. All middle school contests before the 11th have been canceled. The girl’s basketball team will resume their schedule with games on Dec. 15th with Pella. The middle school wrestlers will kick-off their schedule with a meet at DCG on Dec. 15th. All participating athletes will receive two vouchers to give to their parents for each contest. These vouchers will allow the holder to purchase a ticket to enter the contest. All spectators will be required to wear a mask to enter and during the contest.
Any questions please reach out to your respective coach or Activities Director, Chris Coffman at chris.coffman@grinnell-k12.org
We celebrate two more staff members each week who has “Knocked Their Socks Off”! It has been a joy to speak with our staff members who have been nominated by parents, peers, or administrators! Keep those nominations rolling into me at janet.stutz@grinnell-k12.org. Next watch for a future weekly update where your selection has been featured here. Please know that your nominations my not be seen for a few weeks! They are rolling in fast and this is wonderful! Keep them coming! If your teacher was nominated previously, I will let you know and we will forward them an email letting them know that they were nominated again! Thank you to everyone who is sending in wonderful stories!
Farrah Deppe is a fourth-grade teacher at Davis Elementary School who has Knocked her Socks Off! Thank goodness those socks have arrived to keep her feet warm!
I had the opportunity to visit with Mrs. Deppe this week as she was nominated by a parent of a student in her classroom. The parent explained that she has assisted her child in staying focused and maintains the ability to concentrate. This has been a struggle for her child in the past. She expressed, “It’s obvious she cares about each student in her classroom and wants the best for them all”.
I asked Mrs. Deppe to share how online learning was going. She explained, “This time around went so much better. I had the opportunity to prepare students utilizing the technology and we were able to hit the ground running. I have learned how to save students some time by placing passages in SeeSaw. My ability to confer with students on their writing online has demonstrated excellent growth and without interruption”. Mrs. Deppe shared with me how much she missed her students during these last few weeks. She shared, “students bring such wonderful energy to my room. I have a special connection, with each student, that is unique and I look forward to seeing them back in the classroom”. Way to Go Mrs. Deppe!
Jill Scheck, Special Education teacher at the High School, has “Knocked her Socks off too”. Jill was nominated by a parent of a student in her classroom! Jill shared with me how grateful she is for her parents and the administration at the High School for the support she is provided for meeting the needs of her students. She shared “I come up with some crazy ideas to ensure that my students are exposed to real-life skills and activities. Everyone works together to provide unique experiences for our students”.
During these last few weeks, Mrs. Scheck has been able to connect with students online personally and students were able to read to her son, Otto! She said, “It is important that students see her as a teacher and a mom. I care about my students so much”.
In her nomination, a parent expressed, “Jill has gone above and beyond for our son and continues to do so with remote learning. Remote learning is challenging, and when you work with a child who has special needs, it is even more challenging. Jill has done so well with planning and keeping his attention while in Zoom classes”. Jill recently planned an activity for students to travel around the world on a virtual vacation! What a great activity! Thank you Jill for knocking your socks off for our students who have special needs!
Watch for next week’s highlights and keep those nominations coming in! I greatly appreciate it!
Congratulations to Jim Dunne for being selected into the Iowa Football Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame! The Board of Education will recognize him at the January 13th Board Meeting! Way to go Coach!
Oh, how we missed our students! As I headed into the buildings this morning, energy and excitement filled the hallways! It was obvious that students and staff missed each other during our remote learning time. It is so wonderful to have everyone back on campus!
Livestream Links
12-8 G/B Bball vs Newton
Radio: www.myiowainfo.com
Livestream: www.tigerslsn.com
12-10 G/B BBall @ CCA
Youtube link will be posted closer to the date of the game.
12-11 G/B BBall @ DCG
Livestream: www.dcgtv.com
12-12 Boys 9th and JV BBall @ CCA
Youtube link will be posted closer to the date of the game.
Please be sure to check out the virtual backpack! There are new flyers on the update that will benefit our school district and community! Take a look….
Have a wonderful weekend!
Janet
Interested in volunteering for the Grinnell-Newburg Schools? There are many ways that you can help to enrich the educational experiences of our students through volunteering. From reading to a class, to volunteer coaching, to helping out with activities, there is something for everyone.
Applicants would need to submit a volunteer application and a background check. Please download the documents and email them to Judy Smith at judy.smith@grinnell-k12.org. Please call 641-236-2700 with questions.
Thank you for your interest in volunteering!
