Greetings Lower Campus Families,
I hope each of you is doing well and that you have enjoyed an amazing summer with family and friends. I can’t wait to see you all soon and to begin the new school year with your children!
Since you were last here, we have been hard at work preparing for the upcoming school year. Our amazing facilities crew has cleaned and shined every last inch of our building and brightened up the walls with fresh paint, as needed. They also transformed our dance room into a new classroom space for our sixth grade students, and they created an additional space for our LEAP students. Additionally, our Director of Safety and Security, Jaz Inserillo, has been busy helping us to fine-tune our School Safety Plan and upgrade our facilities with a few new safety features, including an improved visitor management system at the front desk and a Rhinoware locking mechanism in every classroom space throughout our building. We are so grateful for the individuals who have worked tirelessly to ensure that we are prepared for our students to return; and, we thank YOU for making these renovations and purchases possible through your charitable donations to our GRACE Fund!
While our teachers were away, they were also asked to do some professional reading strategically selected to help keep them informed about the latest trends in education. Each teacher read some literature on Artificial Intelligence (AI), and our upper grades faculty have been discussing AI and how it impacts our world and our schools in today’s society. Our Lower Campus Reading Teachers have also been studying the science of reading and have begun a series of intensive Professional Development sessions on the Orton Gillingham Approach to Reading that they will be continuing on a monthly basis this fall. (Please make a note of the following days during which we will not have school on the Lower Campus due to this important training: September 11, October 28 , November 20, and December 4.) Many of our teachers have also taken advantage of other professional development opportunities in the form of webinars, conferences, and workshops during their time away; and, they have all been busy with the usual planning and preparation of curriculum timelines and enhancements for the upcoming school year. Regardless of how they have spent their summer, we know that they have lots of valuable learning experiences planned for your children!
Summer is always a busy time for the leadership team, and one of the most important things we do during this time is to prayerfully consider staffing. The Lord has sent us some amazing new faculty and staff members for the coming school year, and He has made a way for some returning team members to utilize their gifts and talents in new ways at GRACE. A comprehensive list of new additions and changes on our campus is provided below.
Please welcome the following new individuals to GRACE:
- Amanda Marker - Transitional Kindergarten (TK) Teacher
- Chloe Mullan - First Grade Teacher
- Elizabeth Christoff - First Grade Instructional Assistant for Mrs. Leino
- Ashley McGuire - First Grade Instructional Assistant for Mrs. Stikeleather
- Tori Tichota - Third Grade Teacher
- Floranny Zambrano Castillo - Lower School Spanish Teacher
- Elizabeth Rhoads - TK-3rd Grade Library and 6th Grade Study Hall Teacher
- Ginger Teachey - Lower Campus Food Services Staff
- Kendall Withers - Accelerated Learning Resource Teacher
Please note the following individuals moving into new positions this year:
- Shanda Leino - First Grade Teacher (previously Third Grade Teacher)
- Maddie Thiess - Second Grade Teacher (previously First Grade Teacher)
- Lindsay Miller - Third Grade Instructional Assistant (previously First Grade Teacher)
- Stacy Green - Lower Campus Food Services Coordinator
Everyone returned to work this week, and we have already begun praying for each one of our students by name. The teachers are preparing their classrooms, and we all look forward to seeing you and your families soon!
Please be sure to mark your calendars now for the following events:
- Lower Campus Parent Orientation - Monday, August 12th, 4:30-6:00 pm
- Meet and Greet - Tuesday, August 13th, 4:00-6:00 pm
- First Day of School (Staggered Entry)
- Last names A-G only - Wednesday, August 14th - Early Release at 11:45 am
- Last names H-O only - Thursday, August 15th - Early Release at 11:45 am
- Last names P-Z only - Friday, August 16th - Early Release at 11:45 am
- First FULL day of school for everyone - Monday, August 19th
- Back-to-School Bash and Football Game - Friday, August 23rd
Thank you so much for the opportunity to partner with you in educating your children and equipping them for a life that will impact their world for Jesus Christ. What an honor and a blessing it is to work with you in this endeavor.
Looking forward to an amazing year ahead!
Warmest regards and blessings,
Lynnae Morris