While the recent snow storms brought joy and excitement to many, they also brought significant challenges!
We know that some of our staff and community members are still impacted by power outages as well as tree and property damages. We also know that despite these challenges, our staff and community continue to show up to maintain their commitment and dedication to the Grass Valley School District learning community.
These storms and our school closures disrupted everyone’s daily lives and we appreciate the patience and flexibility we received. Overall our district was closed for seven full days in February and March, along with two other days with adjusted instructional schedules. We know that everyone made extra efforts to adjust their schedules and we are truly fortunate to have such an incredible group of staff, families, and students!
The GVSD would like to express our extreme gratitude and appreciation to the greater Grass Valley community for their support throughout the recent storms. We especially acknowledge our staff, families, and students for their patience so we could ensure everyone’s safety. Special appreciation also goes out to our District Custodial and Maintenance Crews who worked tirelessly during our district closures to maintain each of our facilities. Not only did they shovel and plow for days and days and days, they also monitored and assessed each school and district area to ensure we could reopen as swiftly as possible.
We are grateful for their dedication and hard work!
Winter time is full of fun activities in GVSD. Students at Lyman Gilmore Middle School recently participated in one of the school’s Ski Days. These events are a tradition at Lyman Gilmore and they are a great opportunity to provide new learning experiences especially for students who are new to skiing. We work hard to plan and schedule engaging activities for our middle school students! A large group of our students were able to attend the Sacramento Kings Game this week as well. We have great school spirit at Gilmore!
Students at Grass Valley Charter School also continue their commitment to Expeditionary Learning as well! Some of the recent school events and excursions have been rescheduled due to the weather challenges, however the commitment to hands-on learning continues. Inside the classroom this week, GVCS fourth graders presented classroom speeches about their bird projects that they created from their own research. The students did a fabulous job and they continue to show their commitment to the art of public speaking.
Spring Break is just a few weeks away and we will soon be inundated with end of the school year events and activities. We are committed to our GVSD community and encourage families to start thinking about the 2023-2024 school year now. We are holding a District Transitional Kindergarten (TK) and Kindergarten (K) Round Up event at Lyman Gilmore from 5:30-6:45 p.m. on Wednesday, March 22. This will include information about our programs at Margaret Scotten and Bell Hill Academy. If you have students who are eligible for TK or K, please stop by to pick up a registration packet and to learn about what we have to offer. We will accept TK students as long as they are 4 years old and will turn 5 between September 2 and June 2, 2023. We value the opportunity to serve your family. Please contact us anytime if you have questions (kboswell@gvsd.us or (530) 273 — 4483).
Andrew Withers is superintendent of the Grass Valley School District.
