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Weekly Update: January 22, 2021

Weekly Update: January 22, 2021

Dear Grinnell Newburg Board of Education, Staff, Families, and Friends:

Happy Friday! I hope that this email finds you well as we head into the last week of January 2021. We are gearing up with anticipation for the PK-12 staff to receive the COVID-19 Vaccination. PK-12 Staff has been identified on the 1B tier list that will go first as well as first responders and those who are 65 and older. (IDPH letter, When Will I Get My COVID-19 Vaccination? ) Due to the number of vaccines available, it is possible that we will have to have the vaccine disseminated in shifts during this tier. I hope to know more next week about the number of vaccines available in this first round. Keep a close watch for further information.

Next week’s schedule:  It is my hope that Families have made arrangements to discuss their child’s academic progress.  This is just a reminder that conferences are coming up next week: 

January 28th: 1:00 Early dismissal for Conferences

January 29th: No School for Conferences

February 1st: No School for Professional Development

COVID Update:  

We are currently seeing a downward trend in quarantine and positivity rates in our district.  Please continue to wear your mask, socially distance at a minimum of 6ft, wash your hands, do not attend large gatherings especially while eating. Stay safe! We can do this!   

FREE Dental clinic

Poweshiek County Dental Coalition is offering FREE dental appointments for students up to 18 years old throughout February and March 2021! The clinic appointments are for those who have Medicaid/Title 19 or no insurance. An appointment needs to be made prior to February 1st. The number of available appointments will be limited and will be scheduled on a first-come-first-served basis. This is a great opportunity to get a dental exam and services at no cost for those who need it! 

Housing Assistance:  

Are you in need of housing assistance?  Check out what is going on this January 28th from 11:00-12:00 with a Grab and Go lunch at the Drake Library.  Information is provided here.

Knocked Your Socks Off:

My favorite part of the day is when I have the opportunity to talk with employees who have been nominated for the Knocked Your Socks off Award!   Sharing their stories with our community and families has brought so much joy to me personally.   I know that there are many more stories to share so I encourage you to send me an email nominating any employee in the district who has made a difference in your child’s life, as a colleague, mentor, coach, teacher, or staff member.   It is easy, email me at janet.stutz@grinnell-k12.org.  

Jordan Paulson, Preschool Teacher at Fairview, you have knocked your socks off!  Jordan is new to the Grinnell-Newburg School district, but not new to teaching. She has six years of experience under her wings. She describes how preschooler’s curiosity, trying new things, and the excitement they show when they learn something new brings the most joy to her day. Miss Jordan’s nomination read, “ I was a little leary of sending my child to a brand new preschool teacher. Not anymore! My child loves Miss Jordan. She has learned more in just three short months than in her previous school.  My child does not stop talking about school! She is always excited about what she learned when she comes home. Miss Jordan made online learning fun!” Way to Go Jordan! 

Andrea Zhorne, you too have knocked your socks off! Andrea is a preschool teacher at Fairview and what brings her joy as a teacher is having the ability to watch students grow over the two years in which many attend the program. She loves watching “the light go off” when they learn something new.  She shared, “watching the pride on their faces when they have made great progress brings me joy”. 

Andrea’s nomination read “ First of all, we recently moved to the area about 2-3 years ago. Our child was diagnosed with Autism at 2 years old. As our only child, it made us worry a lot more about him since he was developing mentally different than most kids his age. I worried about when he started school and what the teachers would be like. The first day I met Andrea Zhorne that worry went out the door. She and her paras welcomed my child like family. They reassured me that my child was in good hands. Even though his 3-year-old school year was cut short due to COVID, I was so happy knowing he would be going back to her again for his 4-year-old preschool. One thing Andrea did when our child came back for his 4-year-old preschool open house will always stick in my mind. Over the summer, my child was talking and being more social. When Andrea saw him for the first time since then she was so amazed and proud of him that she started to tear up a little bit. That touched my heart because you know she truly cares about her students. I’ll forever be grateful for Andrea and her paras. My child loves all of them and is very excited to go to school every day. I wouldn’t want him to be anywhere else”.

Karen Robbins you have knocked your socks off! This week when I entered Karen's 5th-grade classroom to take a photo, I had the opportunity to witness one of her students share a poem she authored about Martin Luther King Jr. This student not only wrote a beautiful poem, but she also put it to music and then sang it in front of her peers. Wow, we have a lyricist in the making!   It is obvious that Mrs. Robbins affords students amazing opportunities to share what they have learned in a variety of ways. 

Highlights from Karen’s nomination read, “First off, my daughter has never had an interest in social studies in the slightest; this year it’s her favorite subject. Mrs. Robbins does a great job creating various lesson plans to keep her students engaged. Even when my student had surgery and was out of school for an extended period of time, she continued to do all of the teachings online. Her communication was amazing even given those circumstances. On Veteran’s Day, Mrs. Robbins opened her Zoom up to talk to the online students about Veterans they knew. My daughter was so excited by this that she called her great-grandpa to learn everything she could to share with her teacher. This discussion went beyond the regular class time, but Karen kept chatting with the kids in an amazing discussion. This was something my daughter talked about for a week if not more. I couldn’t be more grateful. You can tell she is someone that cares deeply about her students and the material she is teaching”.  Way to Go Karen!

Boys Swimming: This year has been quite the challenge to be able to attend events. As many of you know, I was a swimmer and enjoy being a timer at our home swim meets. COVID has put a halt for me to be close to the sport that I grew up and participated in so many years ago. I am grateful to our parents for sharing photos so that I can share them with all of you! I can’t wait to get back on the deck next year and watch our swimmers’ times continue to improve!    

Upcoming Events:

1/28- Makeup with Pella (Boys only main gym) / Wrestling in Kriegel Gym (senior night)

2/5- Norwalk (Boys & Girls) - Senior Night

Have a wonderful weekend!

Janet