Congratulations to all our school nurses, including our very own, Keri Webber. Issaquah PTSA Council has awarded this wonderful group the Outstanding Advocate Award for this year!

Thank you to all of you who donated your time and hearts to Grand Ridge this year. Library support, Art Docents, lunch and recess volunteers, event helpers, and so much more. We could not do this without you! 

Please join us on Wednesday, June 8 from 9:30-11am at Blakely Hall for a Volunteer Appreciation event. Please RSVP here to help us plan.

Join your students on the the playground for Parent Playground! Parents and other special guests are invited to join us for Lunch Recess the first Friday of the month. You must have a valid Volunteer clearance on file to come on campus. Volunteer clearance is granted annually so please check that you are cleared through 6/30/22 before arriving. Volunteers will sign in at the PTSA-sponsored check-in table at the front of the school. One your volunteer clearance has been verified, you will receive a Visitor's Badge and be invited to our playground to

PLAY, PLAY, PLAY!!!

12:05-12:25pm (1st and 2nd Grade recess)

12:30-12:50pm (3rd and 5th Grade recess)

12:55-1:15pm (Kindergarten and 4th Grade recess)

Summerfest is one of the favorite events at Grand Ridge. We celebrate the end of the school year with fun and friends. Activities include bounce house, inflatable obstacle course, carnival games, a face painting artist, and a henna artist. There will also be food for purchase from Mami Tran, Jessica's Unique Bite Burgers, and Issaquah Ice Cream Trike. This event is fun for the whole family! Hope to see you there!

Tuesday, June 14 from 5:30-7:30pm

Drop in at any time and stay as long as you'd like.

Congratulations to our 5th Graders! We are going to miss you at Grand Ridge next year, but we are excited for you to continue your journey in middle school! 5th grade families are invited to join your student's classroom for a 5th Grade Promotion Ceremony on Wednesday, June 15.

Click here for more details and watch the Grand Ridge weekly e-news for any updates.

Grad Signs are available for pick up from 3-4pm on Friday, June 3 outside the front office area. If you are unable to make this time, please contact Toni Hunter at grptsa@gmail.com to make alternate arrangements.

We have a variety of opportunities available and we would be happy to speak with you about your interests. Please email grptsa@gmail.com if you're interested in taking on a board position next year. You can find descriptions of roles here. We also have program and event chair positions open if you'd like to take the lead on something smaller.

Open positions include, but are not limited to:

Communications Director

Grizzly Gear (spirit wear) Chair

Fundraising Director

Family & Community Engagement (FACE) Director

Advocacy Director

Get a head start on next school year and order your school supplies! Select the kit based on the grade your child will be starting on August 30, 2022. Boxes can be customized to include only the items you need. Items will ship directly to you. Free shipping on orders over $50.

Yearbooks will be delivered to your student in class during the last week of school.

Did you forget to order a yearbook?  Click here to be added to the waitlist. We will have a limited number of yearbooks available for purchase in June. Priority will be given to 5th graders. Please add your email address to be notified if a yearbook comes available.

Thank you to all the families who donated to the Gift-A-Book program this past fall. As a result of your generous donations, Mrs. Gekeler was able to purchase 108 books for our school library!

It's not too early to start working on your Reflections project for next school year. The theme is "Show Your Voice."

Check out our Reflections page for more information on the categories. Details will be added to this page as we learn more.

Ms. Rachel Tautfest has been with Grand Ridge for 5 years. She teaches 5th Grade.

Favorite children's book: My favorite children’s book is The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf. I love the story because it has the message that you can be whatever YOU want to be in life. Your looks never have to define who you are. You can be a big, scary looking bull and still be the sweet, peaceful and loving like Ferdinand. Ferdinand shows that at the end of the day, you get to decide what kind of person you are in this world and how you treat those around you.  

Favorite food: My favorite food is anything that has to do with potatoes! I love baked potatoes, French fries, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, au gratin potatoes, the list goes on.  

Favorite weekend activity: My favorite weekend activity is spending time with my husband Glen and my dog Barney. You can often find us at the dog park, Beaver Lake kayaking, at a farmers' market or on a local hiking trail. On the weekends when the weather is not so nice, I love to read books and binge-watch my favorite Netflix shows.  

Best thing about working at Grand Ridge: The best thing about working at Grand Ridge is the community. I love my students and their families; they always make me feel so welcome and supported. The PTSA and parent volunteers are amazing in every way. I have yet to see a school with a more tight-knit community than Grand Ridge. I love the school and the people that surround it.  

What one piece of advice would you give to Grand Ridge students? One piece of advice I would give to Grand Ridge students is to enjoy school as much as you can. As a 5^th grade teacher, I often tell my students to really enjoy their last year of elementary school in any ways that they can. Go out to recess, make new friends, play games, get to really know your teacher and just enjoy the classroom community that you are a part of. I loved elementary school and I hope that every child does as well!  

Ms. Sydney Fairbanks is new to Grand Ridge this year. She teaches 5th Grade.

Tell us a little about your life before coming to Grand Ridge: I have grown up in Washington my whole life and have been teaching in Issaquah for 5 years. I used to teach at Issaquah Valley Elementary and taught both 3^rd and 5^th grade 

Favorite children's book: "Corduroy" by Don Freeman

Favorite food: Chicken Pad Thai

Best thing about working at Grand Ridge: Definitely all the amazing staff, students, and parents at Grand Ridge! Everyone has been so welcoming.

What one piece of advice would you give to Grand Ridge students? Always believe that you can and always be yourself!

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. Unclaimed items will be donated at the end of the year.

If your student(s) will not be attending Grand Ridge next year, please let the office know as soon as possible. Also, please be sure to update the office if you have moved or changed your contact information so we have the correct information on file. Thank you.

Summer Lunch is our annual program to help fill the gap in the summer when kids aren't receiving lunch at school. School-age children (K-12) within the Issaquah School District will receive breakfast, lunch, and snack items, as well as a variety of produce and deli options, every other week beginning Thursday, June 16. If you need grocery assistance this summer or would like to donate to this program, please visit https://www.issaquahfoodbank.org/summer-lunch-program

The Issaquah Schools Foundation provides new backpacks filled with school supplies for Issaquah School District K-12 students who need financial support. They work with the Issaquah Food & Clothing bank to support this basic need for students in the district. 

Click here to learn more, including links to register for a backpack and supplies or donate to Tools4Schools.