Weekly Update: May 5th, 2023
Weekly Update: May 5th, 2023
Dear Grinnell-Newburg Board of Education, Staff, Families, and Friends:
Happy Friday! This week we celebrate many of our Spring Sport athletes! The wind has finally calmed down and action on the fields has seen Tiger Pride! Congratulations to all of our athletes and coaches on your accomplishments this Spring.
There are only a few weeks left of school! Please encourage your student to stay focused and finish the year strong! We will congratulate and celebrate our seniors in just a few short weeks and wish them well on their next journey.
Reconsideration of Instructional Materials Committee Meeting proposes the following to the superintendent regarding the “Glass Castle”.
The Reconsideration Committee appreciates the time, effort, and thoughtfulness given by members of the community who shared their views regarding the instructional materials in question. After careful consideration, the committee believes The Glass Castle does have literary value when taken as a whole, as stated in the Iowa Code. The committee also recognizes that parents reserve the right to request that their student(s) not participate in certain aspects of the public school curriculum, but the committee believes those choices should not impede all other students from access to that approved curriculum. The Grinnell Newburg School District will modify any recommendations pending guidance from the Department of Education as a result of new legislation. With these points in mind, the committee's decision is as follows:
The Glass Castle will remain in the curriculum with alteration
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A permission letter will be sent home two weeks prior to the beginning of the unit via hard copy and email to the parents to allow opportunity for review
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Counselors will provide resources ahead of time for the classroom to be used during the unit on the topics of sexual assault, poverty, abuse, neglect
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Alternate materials will adhere to the unit template in order to provide an inclusive classroom environment
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The curriculum director will insure compliance with Iowa code, state law, and board policy
I want to thank the committee, community members who shared information regarding the book and curriculum and members of the community for participating in the process. Below is the committee's decision that was sent to me regarding the "Glass Castle."
I support this decision pending legislation and Department of Education Guidance and Rules, which will likely be coming over the next few months. Until the guidance has been received, this decision will be in place. The board does not vote on the recommendation. They have been informed. I will also share the process at the upcoming Board Meeting. Only if there is an appeal on the decision, will the board hear and deliberate and then vote on a decision regarding the material.
Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!
I would like to thank all of our teachers for their continued dedication to our students and families. This past week we celebrated all of you!
Thank you image.
Grinnell-Newburg School District Foundation Special Video Celebrates Teachers!
Happy Teacher Appreciation Week to all Grinnell Newburg School District educators from Grinnell Newburg School Foundation! We've been posting videos on our Facebook page all week highlighting all of the amazing things happening in Grinnell schools, and we wanted to end the week with a special video letting you all know just how much you mean to students. We appreciate all of the ways our wonderful staff members support our students every day. Thank you educators for the difference you make for our kids and our community!
GMS Math Bee Competition
On Monday, 10 of our 6th grade students attended the annual Central Rivers AEA 6th Grade Math Bee. All of the students performed well and did a wonderful job representing Grinnell. Out of the 194 students that competed, Liam Johnson got 5th Place and both Lucas Dressler & Jacob Copeland placed in the top 20. Out of the 40 teams that competed, the team of Liam Johnson, Lucas Dressler, Jacob Copeland, and Aiden Vance came in 5th place. Congratulations and wonderful job to these students! Way to STRIVE!!!
The teams were:
The Algebros - Liam Johnson, Lucas Dressler, Jacob Copeland, Aiden Vance
The Four Matheteers - Acadia Robinson, Emma Gnau, Garret Pirlk, Easton Phelps
Alternates/Individuals - Annie Lindberg, Nora Pedersen
6th Graders who attended the Math Bee.
Little Hawkeye Conference Highlights
LHC Champion in the 200 M Dash, Runner up in 100 M Dash - Evan
LHC 3rd Place High Jump - Carson
LHC Shot Put Champion, 3rd Place in Discus - Hannah
LHC Long Jump runner up - Aiden
Evan and Carson give a thumbs-up for a job well done.
Shot put Conference champion and long jump runner-up
Girls Varsity Tennis finishes 3rd at Conference
Grinnell High School Boys & Girls Soccer Highlights
Girls soccer team pose for a picture.
Boys soccer team in action.
Grinnell Farmers Market Poster Winners
Elementary students have been selected as winners for their creative posters for the Grinnell Farmers Market.
Enjoy all their posters below:
Summer Food Service Program
Join us for a FREE breakfast and lunch throughout summer! This program will be held at the Davis Elementary Cafeteria and will begin June 5th.
For more information, see the flyer here.
2023 Iowa Medicaid Message
Families that are currently on Medicaid or eligible for Medicaid will be receiving renewal packets for the first time since the 2020 shutdown. These packets must be completed within 60 days of receiving them; otherwise, they may become ineligible. Please direct questions to DHS and watch for a mailing.
For more information, see the flyer here.
Grinnell Elementary Art Show
Grinnell Elementary schools will showcase their art at the Grinnell Arts Center located at 926 Broad Street, Downtown Grinnell. The opening reception is scheduled for Thursday, May 4th, from 5:00 - 6:30 p.m.
For more information, see the flyer here.
LINK Summer 2023 Registration
Summer registration is officially open! This program collaborates with our summer SLICK program. Our cooperation to support student learning over the summer is valuable, and we hope that you consider participating. It is held at Davis Elementary School.
For more information, check out the flyer here.
24-Hour Attendance Line:
Parents, please feel free to call the district’s attendance line, 641-236-1414, to report your student’s absences. You do not have to wait until the office is open.
23-24 School Registration
The 2023- 2024 Online Registration is now open. Every student needs to complete online registration each year. This ensures that all information in Infinite Campus is up to date, especially in case of an emergency.
For current families, please log in to your parent portal account, select the 2023-2024 year, and follow the prompts. If you are having issues logging into your account, please reach out to me at katie.osborn@grinnell.k12.org.
For New Families or students who are not currently enrolled in the district, click HERE.
Parents will want to select New Student Registration and then select 2023-2024. The first series of questions will ask for the parent's first name, last name, email, confirm email, enter the "I'm not a robot code," and a separate link will be sent to the email provided. That link is the Infinite Campus link and official registration. Parents will not need an activation code. If asked for one before starting, they selected the incorrect area and will need to select NEW STUDENT REGISTRATION.
The virtual Backpack can be found here:
The activities Calendar can be found here:
Have a wonderful weekend!
Janet