Weekly Update: December 4, 2020
Weekly Update: December 4, 2020
Dear Grinnell-Newburg Board of Education, Staff, Families, and Friends:
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.
GHS & GMS Activities Update:
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
Knocked Your Socks Off:
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!
Coach Dunne Headed to Coaches Hall of Fame:
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!
Upcoming Events will be streamed online.
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.
Go Tigers!
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