Has your student signed up for the Spelling Bee yet?  It's not too late! Registration closes February 1. The Spelling Bee will take place by grade level from February 8-10. If your 1st-5th grade student is interested in showing off their spelling skills in a grade-level bee, visit our spelling bee page to see the details and register to receive the study list. 

Join us on Tuesday, January 25 at 7pm for our next PTSA Meeting followed by Community Connections with Ms. Ravenscraft. This event will take place over Zoom. Materials and link will be posted to our PTSA Meetings page in the days before the meeting. This is a great opportunity to hear updates and ask questions.

The Grand Ridge PTSA recognizes volunteers, educators and community members who go above and beyond for the sake of our kids through the Golden Acorn, Outstanding Educator, and Outstanding Advocate awards for the previous calendar year (January - December 2021). Please take a moment to recognize the extraordinary teachers, staff, volunteers and advocates in our community by submitting a nomination.

Any parent, staff, student or community member can make a confidential nomination. The Awards Committee will review all nominations and announce winners in the Spring. The committee can also recommend if any special awards should be given beyond our three annual awards.

Click here to learn more about the awards and submit your nominations.

Our students continue to have fun with art lessons provided by the Art Docents each month. They have made some very creative pieces! Check out our Art Docent page for photos of projects. We will also be rotating an artwork display in the windows at the end of the hallway that faces Park Drive. Stop by outside of school hours to see all the cool things our students are creating! 

Thank you to our Art Docent volunteers for bringing art into our classrooms this year. Thank you to all who have joined and/or donated to the PTSA this year. Your support allows us to fund programs like this!

Yearbook orders are still open. Every year we receive many requests for extras and we don't often have enough. To ensure your student(s) receive a yearbook this year, place your order here. Please note that if you've already ordered one for your student, you won't see the form available for them. Reach out to grptsa@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Grand Ridge is hosting a Kindergarten Parent Information Meeting on January 26 at 5:30pm in the Grand Ridge Commons. This is an in-person event with Covid Mitigation Protocols in place. Masks are required. There will be 6 feet distance between attendees, and there is a limit of 1 parent/guardian per kindergartener. See the Grand Ridge website for details.

Please share with your friends who have an incoming Kindergarten student for the 2022-23 school year.

Come and gain a better understanding of the subtle differences between stress, anxiety and depression. You will learn practical tools to implement at home to manage and decrease levels of stress and anxiety and will be taught how to identify when and how to get help.

January 20, 2022 - 7-8:15pm - Zoom

Register here

There are so many way to PTA - join us for our meetings, fill out the volunteer interest form so we can contact you when volunteer opportunities arise, and join the PTSA. Your support means so much to our Grand Ridge community!

Ms. Pearl Doherty (or Ms. Pearl as her class calls her) has been with Grand Ridge for 7 years and teaches Kindergarten.

Tell us a little about your life before coming to Grand Ridge: I grew up in Issaquah and went through the Issaquah School District from kindergarten through high school graduation. I worked as a Para at Issaquah Valley Elementary for 5 years while I was in school to become a teacher. I also student taught at IVE.

Favorite children's book: "We Are in a Book" by Mo Willems

Favorite food: Chocolate

Favorite weekend activity: Watching movies

Best thing about working at Grand Ridge: The people! The staff, students and families that make up the Grand Ridge Community are the BEST and what keep me coming back year after year!

What one piece of advice would you give to Grand Ridge students? Approach life with an open mind, listening ears, and an empathetic heart.

Mr. Jay Knowles is new to Grand Ridge this year and teaches Kindergarten.

Tell us a little about your life before coming to Grand Ridge: Before coming to Grand Ridge Elementary I taught at Kindergarten at Challenger Elementary for 2 years. Prior to that I taught 4th grade in North Bend. I attended Central Washington University where I met my wife and we got married in 2018.

Favorite children's book: Favorite Chapter book is the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling; Favorite Picture book is Finding Winnie by Lindsay Mattick

Favorite food: Hamburgers

Favorite weekend activity: Currently my weekends are filled with completing my master degree, but for fun I love to go fishing and hiking with my dogs.

Best thing about working at Grand Ridge: There are so many amazing things about this school it is hard to pick just one. The teachers here are amazing, caring and supportive. The families we work with are kind, collaborative and helpful. But I think the best thing is the students who amaze me with their persistence, hard work and kindness.

What one piece of advice would you give to Grand Ridge students? Be you. Don’t be fearful of what other people think. The best learning and fun happens when you are able to just be yourself.

The Levy Development Committee has begin meeting to discuss the 2022 levy package. Agendas and materials are available on the ISD website. You are welcome to attend the public meetings and may contact the committee to provide feedback at Levy2022@issaquah.wednet.edu

If you are looking for an impactful and fulfilling volunteer experience, the Issaquah School District needs people who can support students by meeting with them, at school, during school hours, for 30-60 minutes each week. Mentors are needed at all grade levels, at all schools in the Issaquah School District. Mostly due to the pandemic, over 100 mentors have withdrawn at a time when the need is greater than ever. There are currently over 250 students on the waiting list.

Mentoring differs from tutoring in that mentoring focuses on fostering positive, supportive relationships which help students develop skills and attitudes (such as resilience, self-advocacy, self-confidence, etc.) to promote academic achievement and success in life. Here is a youtube video that the district put together of current mentors talking about their mentoring experience.

You can learn more about the VOICE (Volunteers of Issaquah Changing Education) Mentor Program and submit an application from the Issaquah School District’s VOICE Mentor page. Because mentoring is in-person, proof of vaccination is required. Also, you must be cleared with a background check and attend a 2 hour training. Email voice@issaquah.wednet.edu if you have any questions.

Are you interested in being a Site Council Rep? We are looking for Parent Reps at the following levels: K/1 and a 2/3 rep to serve on our Site Council for the 2021-2022 school year. We have 5 meetings/year (October, November, January, March and May) from 8:00-8:45 AM on a Tuesday morning. Calendar of dates will be provided to new members.

If you are interested, please send me a paragraph (ravenscraftj@issaquah.wednet.edu) explaining how you feel you could contribute to this council, made up of community members, PTSA members, other parents and staff members. We are a site-based collaborative team that works as a partnership to discuss issues that are timely in our community and in our school. We would LOVE to have you join our team. One rep will be chosen and all who apply will be notified of the decision.

Thank you,

Jill Ravenscraft

Principal

Grand Ridge

ravenscraftj@issaquah.wednet.edu

Just a reminder that the office has a confidential email: GrandRidgeResources@gmail.com that any student or family member is encouraged to use if they need some additional resources at a time when they don’t have additional money. Don’t hesitate to reach out if there is a need – from an outdoor jacket to supplies for school, a birthday gift to rain boots, a yearbook to Grizzly Gear. Privacy of any requests will be respected.

The Lost & Found fills up quickly. If your student is missing something, please direct them to check the Lost & Found. The Lost & Found will also be made available at Grand Central on Wednesday afternoons for families to check. Unclaimed items are typically donated twice a year (December and June).

As we enter the winter weather season, it's important to be prepared for school delays or closures. Learn about the schedule changes ISD may use in these scenarios. One of the fastest ways to learn if ISD is on an emergency schedule is to sign up for FlashAlert. Also, it's a good time to verify your emergency contact information in Family Access.