Grove Student Newspaper Publication - October 2023 Edition 

Please check out the first publication of the 2023-2024 school year of our Grove 4th & 5th Grade Newspaper!! The mission of the Grove Newspaper Club is to strive to nurture a passion for writing, promote creativity and collaboration, and foster a sense of belonging. Most of all, it seeks to hear the voices of our students. The club will be publishing one edition each month throughout the school year. We will be sharing publications with our students, staff, and parents each month! Enjoy!

Grove Halloween Celebration Plans 

We are looking forward to having a great Halloween this year at Grove! Below is information regarding our Halloween festivities; please read the section about costumes carefully. 

Lunch – October 31st  

• If your child is staying at school for lunch, please send your child's costume to school. Lunch and recess times for students will remain the same and students will change into their costumes following lunch and recess. Please be sure to communicate if your child is staying at school by indicating this option by clicking on the link to the Halloween Google Form.

• At 11:15 a.m., students may be picked up if it is easier for them to dress and eat lunch at home.  Please do not expect your child to leave before 11:15 a.m. 

• Students do not need to be signed out, but if you plan on picking your child up for lunch, be sure that you have indicated this option by clicking on the link to the Halloween Google Form. 

• There will be adults supervising the parking lot during the 11:15 pick-up and by the Grove entrance. Please focus on safety! 

• Students should return to school by 12:55 p.m. 

 

Parade – October 31st   

• Our parade will begin at 1:15 p.m. and will follow the route below:

• Leave from the Grove door and travel north to Wisconsin.

• Travel east on Wisconsin to Summit.

• Travel south on Summit to Yale.

• Travel west on Yale to Cook.

• Travel north on Cook to our parking lot entrance.

• We love parents and guests cheering us on. 

• We will be back at school at about 1:45 PM

•  If it rains, we will parade in the school hallways, Gym, and MPR.

 

Room Parties – October 31st

• After the parade, students will return to classrooms for our fabulous room parties organized by our PTO room parents.

• Parties will conclude at 2:30 p.m. 

• AM Kindergarten students are invited to stay for the entire school day in order to participate in all festivities.

Costumes

Please review the following guidelines when selecting a school Halloween costume for this year: 

• Students should not wear costumes to school, as they will change at school after lunch and recess or go home to change into costumes. 

• Consider safety and the appropriateness of a costume for an elementary school.

• Costumes involving fake blood or violent attributes are not allowed.

• Look-alike weapons are prohibited on school grounds as noted in the student handbook.

• Masks are a safety concern, and therefore, will not be allowed. 

• Please keep face paint to a minimum as students need to be easily recognized and often become uncomfortable. Examples of appropriate face paint include: cat whiskers, Harry Potter’s scar, “eye black” on an athlete, etc. 

 

We hope to create a safe and fun event for our students, so thank you for your cooperation! 

Bully Prevention Month 

October is Bully Prevention Month. We will be highlighting this throughout the month in our morning announcements and with lessons and activities with students. Concepts in regards to bullying that will be covered with students may include recognizing, reporting, and refusing bullying. 

One of our daily routines in the morning with each homeroom is to say the “Power of One Pledge” together as a class. I have included the pledge below for your knowledge. The purpose of this is to remind students of their ability to be an upstander and help prevent bullying in our school by standing up for what they know is right. We will spend time this month reviewing the pledge and recommitting to it by signing a Bully Prevention Oath poster that we will display in our school. 

Grove’s Power of One 

I will not bully others. 

I will not stand by while others are bullied. 

I will report bullying whenever I see it. 

I have the POWER OF ONE!! 

On October 18th, we will celebrate Unity Day as a school by wearing orange to show unity for kindness, acceptance, and inclusion and to send a visible message that no child should ever experience bullying. Please join us in these efforts in order to continue the dialogue with your child at home to make the commitment to live out our “Grove Power of One Pledge.” We hope to have a sea of orange throughout the school on October 18th!! 

Fall Parent/Teacher Conference Sign-Up 

The sign-up for our fall Parent/Teacher Conference is open to parents. Please click on the link below for directions to our sign-up platform “Meet the Teacher” in order to sign-up. When signing up, parents will need to indicate whether they plan to attend the conference in person or would prefer a conference via Zoom. Conferences will be scheduled for 20 minutes. 

Grove “Meet the Teacher” Parent Guide in English 

Grove “Meet the Teacher” Parent Guide in Spanish 

When parents log on to Meet the Teacher, they will be able to sign-up for conferences for multiple children and for any staff member that works with their child. Conferences with specials teachers are not required but are an option we are offering to parents. In addition, all related services staff members will be available to meet with parents. As a result, parents can also schedule conference times with our Social Worker, Speech and Language Pathologist, Reading Resource Teachers, English Learner Teacher, Special Education Resource Teachers, and our Extended Teacher. It is highly recommended that parents meet with any related service staff member who works with their child. 

 

Conferences are being held on Wednesday, October 18th from 4-8 p.m. and Thursday, October 19th from 1-7 p.m. Please be sure to plan accordingly in order to attend conferences during the days that have been designated by the district for teachers to meet with parents. This is valuable time to discuss the individual growth and skills of your child, as well as, work together with the teacher to plan and set goals toward your child’s individual progress.

Erin’s Law Presentations

Our School Psychologist, Tonya Tompkins-Wisz, will be starting our Erin’s Law presentations with classes in October. There will be one lesson per class and it might take into November for her to go into each classroom in the school. Erin’s Law requires schools to teach children, at age appropriate levels, about personal body safety. Please be sure to click on the link to our official letter regarding Erin’s Law to learn more about the Law and what will be covered in the lessons. Please feel free to reach out to Mrs. Tompkins-Wisz or Mrs. Matthews directly if you have questions after reading the letter. Classroom teachers will communicate with parents as to when exactly the lesson will take place in each individual classroom. 

Upcoming Dates

Thursday, October 12th - Choir Practice, 2:40-3:20 p.m. 

Monday, October 16th - District 220 Elementary Fun Run and 5th Grade Mile Race @ Beese Park 

Tuesday, October 17th - Picture Retakes 

Tuesday, October 17th - October PTO Meeting, 6:30 p.m. via Zoom 

Wednesday, October 18th - Parent Teacher Conferences, 4-8 p.m., Book Fair 

Thursday, October 19th - Parent Teacher Conferences, 1-7 p.m., Book Fair 

Friday, October 20th - NO SCHOOL 

Tuesday, October 24th - 5th Grade Outdoor Education Field Trip to Camp Timber-lee

Tuesday, October 31st - Halloween Parade, 1:15 p.m. followed by Halloween Parties  

PTO FALL BOOK FAIR 

The Scholastic Book Fair is a few weeks away! You can find out more information and preview some of the books and watch book trailers by following the link in the flier below. Students will be making their wish lists during the school day walkthrough on Wednesday, October 18th and will bring them home to share later that day. If you are unable to attend the Book Fair in person, students will have the opportunity to purchase books during the school day walkthrough by using their E-Wallet. E-Wallet's must be set-up ahead of October 18th in order for them to be used. Please use the links in the flier below to find out more about setting up your E-Wallet.

We are also looking for parent volunteers to help with set-up, assisting students with their wish lists, and check out/cashier duty the evening of the event. Please use this sign-up link if you are interested: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090945A9AD23A5FB6-44650673-fall#/

Grove Yearbooks

The Grove Avenue community has the opportunity to save 10% off Yearbooks through TreeRing this year if you purchase books by October 31st! Yearbooks can still be ordered later in the year, but they will be at the regular price of $22. Please see the flier below for more information on how to make your purchase early!