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Weekly Update: June 11, 2021

Weekly Update: June 11, 2021

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

Happy Summer! As we enter our first week of summer break, the principals, staff, and district office are busy preparing for next year by working on curriculum, organizing classrooms, teaching summer school classes, and preparing for our August return to school. The month of June is a busy time of the year, but soon we will enter into the quiet days of summer too.   

Our summer SLICK and Enrichment programs are up and running and we have approximately 90 students enrolled in the SLICK program. Our partnership with AmeriCorp and the LINK programs this year will benefit our students and families to support learning and meet childcare needs.  Thank you to all who are participating in our free enrichment classes too. Many classes have been offered. If you have any questions please feel free to contact Lisa York at lisa.york@grinnell-k12.org or Brian Conway at brian.conway@grinnell-k12.org. They are co-leading these programs in partnership with Chad Nath and the AmeriCorp team as well as our Grinnell Teachers! Enjoy your summer fun! 

Weekly Updates will resume July 16th:

This will be the last weekly update until mid-July. We are taking a little break from the weekly update and will keep you posted on our return to school beginning July 16, 2021. If you have any questions please feel free to email me, or contact the district office at 641-236-2700 for information. Our team is here ready to assist our families over the summer. Our office hours are Monday through Thursday 8:00-3:30 and Friday 8:00-12:00 PM.  

Knock Your Socks Off!   We have four honorees this week for this recognition.  

Chelsey Kolpin, Grinnell Middle School, and Grinnell High School’s Media Specialist knocked her socks off! Her nomination read, “I had a student who fought and fought against reading. When I went to Chelsey for help she asked me about his interests and in less than an hour had a list of books from our library at GMS to show him AND a list of books for him to evaluate that she would purchase for our library based on his recommendation! He might never love to read but because of Chelsey he knows that people value him and will take him seriously”. Chelsey finds joy in working with her students daily. She commented, “first and foremost I enjoy working with my students to find books they love and like to be their reading advisor. I enjoy helping them to find books, asking them to assist me in selecting books that will bring passion and love for reading”. Chelsey worked with our buildings and Grounds crew to give the media center a makeover! See the photo below!  Way to go Chelsey.  

Jerica Latcham you too have knocked your socks off!   

Jerica Latcham is our Human Resource/Payroll coordinator. She is the behind-the-scenes worker who keeps track of all employee insurance, workman’s comp, onboarding and offboarding of employees, and advocates and assists employees daily. Jerica’s nomination read, “I don't have an occasion to call her very often but when I do she is so delightful. She asks about my family and I can hear the smile in her voice. She makes everything to do with insurance so easy I never worry about calling her. She is clear in her instructions and so patient when I ask her to stay on the line while I navigate the program. She enjoys her job and takes care of all of us”. Jerica enjoys the challenge of the position as it is never the same every day! She enjoys helping people and problem solving to assist our employees. Way to go Jerica!  

Renee Deitrich, you too have knocked your socks off! Renee is our Library Para Assistant at the middle school. Her nomination read, “Renee goes above and beyond to help my students. I was going to mention one specific instance but then I started to remember ALL the times she has been patient with their wandering in the library because they don't want to read but know they have to find a book. She doesn't make them feel like they are being watched because she doesn't trust them. She is genuinely motivated to inspire them to find a book with which they will connect”. Renee enjoys finding the right fit of a book for students in the media center. She works hard to connect reluctant readers to something that will engage them to find a love for reading!  Way to go Renee!

Sara Nielsen, you have knocked your socks off! Sara is pictured below with her father! I bet our readers recognize him! Sara’s nomination read, “Sara has had a rough couple years and even still there is no one in the building that "mamas" these kids better. She has the exact right mix of support and push which is what they need preparing for high school - even if it might not be what they want at times! She has so much initiative and loves the job she makes me love my job even more. She's organized and detailed about each assignment so the kids have an excellent example of what to STRIVE for. She really is sunshine on a cloudy day”! Her smile is catchy and Sara serves many students at the middle school and she enjoys, “seeing kids succeed even if it is the littlest thing. The look on their faces when an assignment that was hard is turned in on time, or they found success in understanding a difficult concept in math”.  Sara made it clear, “I need them as much as they need me”! She shared with me how hard it is to let them go at the end of 8th grade and hopes that she sees her students out in the community so that she can see how they are doing! Way to go Sara!

Registration 2021-2022 

Just a reminder to please be sure to register for next school year.  

It's that time of year again to register your student(s) for the next school year!

Log into your parent portal to register.

If you have questions about your parent portal please contact Katie Osborn at katie.osborn@grinnell-k12.org or 236-2676.

Our registrar Katie Osborn will be available this summer every Monday and Wednesday from 7:45 to 4:15 beginning the week of June 14th.  If you have any questions about registering your student please feel free to call (641-236-2677) or email her at katie.osborn@grinnell-k12.org.

FREE Summer Meals information: Any child 1-18 can participate

Davis Elementary 

Dates: June 7th to August 6th (Monday through Friday)

Breakfast: 7:30 am to 8:15 am

Lunch: 11:00 am to 12:30 pm

**Option to take to-go or eat in the cafeteria**

OR

Pick-up at the High School (weekly sign-up required)

High school pick-up sign-up form: https://forms.gle/ND7CFM9E1wehvZSM7.

If a child is eating from the Davis location they can't pick up meals at the high school for that same day.  

** Pick-up days are Mondays and Wednesdays.  Mondays will get (two breakfast meals and two lunch meals). Wednesdays will get (three breakfast meals and three lunch meals). 

Dates: Wednesday, June 9th to Wednesday, July 28th

Pick up time: 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM

End of the Year Celebration and Service Year Awards:

On June 4, we had an opportunity to celebrate years of service and our retirees!  Here are a few photos from that event!  

SLICK started this week!   We have approximately 90 students participating in summer fun!   Many enrichment classes begin next week!   I hope that students have a wonderful time with summer learning activities!  

Check out the Virtual Backpack!!!!

Enjoy your summer!   Best of luck to our girls' softball teams and our boys' baseball teams!   Please be sure to check out a game as our Tigers continue to play well!   

Upcoming events: 

Sincerely,

Janet