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Weekly Update: May 7, 2021

Weekly Update: May 7, 2021

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

I hope that this weekly update finds you well. Yesterday, we sent a message to our middle school families about an incident that occurred at the middle school. You may have heard about a situation involving a small group of students making racist comments via Tik Tok related to another student. First and foremost, we want you to know that maintaining a respectful and inclusive school climate for students is our number one priority. As leaders, we will take all necessary steps to ensure that students feel they have an advocate at school. Aggressions of any type toward other students will not be tolerated and will be dealt with immediately. To that end, the middle school administration worked swiftly and appropriately with students and families involved. School Board Policy 104 covers all aspects of our harassment and equity policies. Those directly involved will be disciplined in accordance with our policy.

In addition, this begs a larger conversation both within the school walls and in our homes and communities about bullying, harassment, and respect for others. I ask that our families monitor their students' social media, have discussions about posts that may cause harm to others, and be an advocate to stop this behavior. At school, we want all to feel welcome, free from harassment or racial comments, and to enjoy learning together.   

As a district, we will continue to focus on educating our students about cultural awareness and being respectful to others. Our REDI committee teams will meet to discuss how we can further support our families who have experienced such hatred.  

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Mr. Harrold, Mrs. James, or Dr. Stutz. I would like to thank the Grinnell Police Department for their collaboration and guidance as we work together to resolve this incident.  

Teacher Appreciation Week:

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! We want to thank all of our teachers for your continued dedication to our students and families. This year more than ever, our teachers have been at the forefront working through many challenges, digging deep to be creative, and doing all that they can to ensure that students have enriching experiences in the classroom or online.  We all recognize that it has not been easy. Please be sure to reach out to your teacher and thank them for all that they do every day to help our students to learn and grow.   You Rock Tigers!

Bailey Park Staff

Fairview Staff

Middle School

GHS 

Davis:

Principal’s Day:  May 1, 2021, was Principal Recognition Day. We want to thank our principals for their dedication to our staff, students, and families!  Be sure to thank your building principals.  

Nurse’s Day: May 6, 2021

Thank you, Kim Weber and Lisa Leris for taking care of our students each and every day. Happy Nurse’s Day.

School Lunch Hero Day!  
 

Please take a moment to acknowledge the lunch heroes in your building today! They work hard every day to provide the best meals they can for the students while still following the guidelines set forth for them. They have served meals throughout the pandemic with a smile on their face behind the mask! Way to Go Team!

Listening Tours this May: 

We are scheduling staff listening tours with a twist this May! I look forward to having discussions with our staff and engaging in an activity that will assist me to find ways to support you better!   I hope that all staff will join me during your building day.  Here is the schedule for your session!   

May 12 Davis Elementary 2:45

May 17th Fairview 2:30

May 18 GHS 7:15

May 19 GMS 3:00

May 24 Bailey Park Elementary 2:25

Track Team Makes a Difference:

Taking pride in what we do includes taking pride in our school.  Last Friday, the girl's track and field team cleaned up trash around school grounds.  Thank you, team!   Thank you to coach McDermott for sharing this story!  

Elementary Art Highlights:

K- 4 art show at the Stewart Gallery that opened yesterday. It will stay up through the 22nd. I have attached the flier for you. Please stop by to check it out!   

Also, a guest speaker from Grinnell College visited our elementary classrooms! Jivyaa zoomed in with 2nd and 4th-grade classes this week. She taught about Diwali, a festival of lights celebrated in India. This holiday is celebrated with lots of food, dancing, candles, lanterns, lights, and rangoli designs. Rangolis are created out of brightly colored sand or flowers. These are used to decorate houses, doorways, and all over India for Diwali. Students decorated their own rangoli designs while Jivyaa told us about Diwali and India. 

Middle School Jazz Band Performs in Central Park!   

The music returns to our outdoor performance stage in Grinnell!   

Don't forget to check out the Virtual Backpack!

Upcoming Events:

Have a great weekend!

Janet