Great Expectations School Newsletter

Friday, February 17, 2012

Photo of the Week: 

The entire school trekked over to the Community Center to share a program conducted by McInnis’ Kitchen, a musical group that tells stories and carries on traditions through song.  This built upon work we have done to celebrate culture and history as represented in storytelling, music, and song.  We continue to benefit from our community and the connections to resources that enrich learning!

Thank You for Your Help!

Thank you to Kate Fitzgerald from the North Shore Music Association and Diane Booth from the County Extension for helping to arrange our program with McInnis’ Kitchen!  Thanks to Dave Mills and Jeanne Wright for their volunteer efforts, as well!  Regular volunteers Chris Callender, Lisa Walton, Kevin Kager, and Phyllis Olson all shared their time again this week.  Our Food Committee volunteers continued their fine work, with Fawn Smith, Megan Heikes, Kristin Blomberg, Myra Theimer, and Sue Abrahamsen helping out in a great way!   Thank you, all!

What’s Happening at GES

Fall 2012 Commitment Letters Distributed  It seems hard to imagine that it’s that time of the year already, but we are attaching letters to this newsletter asking families to consider their plans for next fall and let us know their intentions for their students.  We need to have a sense of how many current students will be returning to help us determine how many openings are available for other students.  As many of you know, we are at capacity in almost all our grades, so any new applications will be on a waiting list unless current families make a change.  Please complete and return your letter as soon as possible, but not later than March 16^th.  If you need a form or have any questions regarding this, please contact the school office.  Thank you for your cooperation!

Parent Education Night and Survey Reminder  A quick reminder about our Parent Education Night on Thursday, March 1^st from 6:30 - 7:30. We’ll be taking a look at “model drawing”, an important part of our math curriculum, as well as sharing some desserts!  If you'd like to bring a dessert to share, please do. If you'd like to know more about model drawing but can't make the event, please contact the school.  We are also asking all families, whether you can attend or not, to complete a brief survey at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/K6SK5WV. Thank you!

Great Lunches Premieres New Soup When School Resumes A hearty ham and bean soup will be served with cornbread every other Wednesday, beginning February 29^th.  Alternate weeks will still have the popular chicken soup and bagel combination.   Fresh fruit and veggie options will accompany both entrées.  Come give it a try if you can!

Help Needed for Greenhouse Prep  There are opportunities for people to volunteer in big or small ways as we prepare for another fabulous Greenhouse Sale in May. Please contact Karina Roth at 387-1876 if you are interested.

Mission to Method: Why we do What we do

Since the school’s founding, we have connected with a wide variety of community and regional partners to provide a broad spectrum of experiences for our students.  What might traditionally be considered “extra-curricular” activities are coordinated by our educators and local volunteers to ensure good integration with the educational elements presented in the classrooms.  The combination becomes an expanded and enriched curriculum, which engages the students through exciting, fun, and interesting activities, while continuing to address state learning standards.  This approach involves an on-going effort to identify, develop, and maintain opportunities that support our educational goals, as well as reflection on those goals and complementary methods of instruction.  The relationships we’ve developed with community organizations are important to us and need the same kind of nurturing, commitment, and support as any other relationship.   As a result, this approach takes a large commitment of time and energy.  The benefits, however, are worth it, as students experience the joy of discovery and develop a passion for learning.

Important Calendar Reminders (please call the school with any questions):

NO SCHOOL 2/20 - 2/24:  Enjoy your mid-winter break!  School resumes as normal on Monday, 2/27.

February School Board Meeting Rescheduled: Due to the mid-winter break, it is Mon, 2/27 at 4:00 at GES.

Parent Education Night March 1^st:  Share desserts and learn about model drawing on 3/1 from 6:30 – 7:30.

Enrollment for 2011 - 2012

Please contact GES for an application 218-387-9359 or learn@greatexpectationsschool.com.  You can also download a form by using this application link.

Community Lunches on Fridays

Please feel free to join us each Friday at 11:30 for an opportunity to share lunch with the students.  GES friends and families are all welcome.  The cost is just $2.50 for students and $3.50 for adults.  For a schedule of the menu, visit our Great Lunch page.  R.S.V.P.'s are appreciated, but not required.  We hope to see you here!