11/25: Half Day of School, 11:30 dismissal
- 11:30 - 11:45 is for students with the last name A - I
- 11:45 - 12:00 is for students with the last name J - Z
11/26 - 11/28: No School, Thanksgiving Break
12/1: 6th Grade Information Night for current 5th grade families - virtual
12/3: Community Meeting for 3rd - 5th feat. Moush's class, 8:30 - 8:45 AM
12/3: Town Hall: State of the School, Investing in our Community, 6:15 - 7:15 PM, Location: GRCDC Gym
12/4: Community Meeting for K - 2nd feat. Swartz's class, 8:30 - 8:45 AM
12/8: Board Meeting, 6:00 - 7:30 PM
12/10: Family Team Meeting - Virtual, 6:00 - 7:00 PM
12/18: Winter Wonderland Event during the school day
12/19: Half Day of School, 11:30 dismissal
12/22 - 1/5: No School, Winter Break
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You are invited! See info below: |
In Partnership,
Lisa Nuyens
Executive Director
e. nuyensl@childdiscoverycenter.org
o.616-459-0330
c. 517.206.3868 (text or voice note/mail)
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A Heartfelt Thank You to Our Amazing Family Team!
This year, our Family Team has truly exemplified what it means to be a community. Your tireless dedication—from organizing engaging events for our students to providing thoughtful teacher appreciation meals, to your creative fundraising efforts—has made an incredible difference in our school.
Your exceptional organization and enthusiasm have not only enriched our students' experiences and supported our staff, but have also enabled the Board of Directors to focus our energy on long-term strategic initiatives. This partnership is exactly what makes our school special.
From the bottom of our hearts: thank you for everything you do for our narwhal family!
—The GRCDC Board of Directors
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Kids Have Rights: The Children’s Advocacy Center of Kent County will present The Kids Have Rights curriculum to students in Kindergarten - 4th grade on Tuesday, December 2nd. The curriculum incorporates information on:
- The body safety rights that all children have
- Identification of Safe Adults in a child’s life they can go to if they need help
- Recognition of touches and situations that may be/are unsafe
- Reporting unsafe/potentially unsafe touches and situations to a Safe Adult
Kids Have Rights classroom lessons are led by staff of the Children’s Advocacy Center. These lessons provide engaging, child-centered, and age-appropriate body safety knowledge for children.
- Kindergarten and 1st -grade students participate in an engaging 30-minute program that combines movement with learning. Students identify safe adults in their lives, start exploring how to differentiate touches that are “Not Safe” from those that are “Safe”, and learn about (and practice) an important rule: “Tell a Safe Adult!”
- 2nd graders participate in a 45-minute lesson. Students watch a 3-minute video about their body safety rights, and identify their “network” of Safe Adults. Students gain a deeper understanding of the three different kinds of touch, as well as the importance of seeking help from a Safe Adult when needed.
- 3rd grade students begin their hour-long lesson with a review of the Body Safety Rights video, and identification of those making up their Safe Adult Network. Students watch two short vignettes, which provide a model on how to have important conversations surrounding feelings and body safety with Safe Adults. KHR Educators facilitate follow-up discussion with the students, highlighting key concepts and skills in the stories they viewed.
- 4th grade students begin to explore the responsibilities they have in helping ensure that they act in ways that respect the rights of others. The hour-long lesson by watching a 3-minute video on the “Rights and Responsibilities” they have as 4th graders. Students review Safe Adults and expand their Safe Adult network further. Participants review different types of touch, and begin applying their learning and practicing their skills using role playing and navigating hypothetical situations. Students watch a 5-minute vignette, followed by a discussion highlighting the key concepts observed in the story viewed.
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ParentSquare Skill Corner: Changes to Notification Delivery: ParentSquare has announced an improvement to how you receive notifications for posts from our school, starting on November 19th. Currently, you might receive duplicate notifications for posts via both the app and text message. With this update:
- App-first delivery, with text as fallback: When a post is shared, you'll receive a notification through the app first, with a backup text notification only if needed. This applies to posts, post digests, and updates to posts.
- No change for time-sensitive messages: Direct Messages and alerts will continue to be delivered via your preferred methods.
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Lost and Found Weekly Post: Please see the lost and found post from earlier this week and claim your child's items by Tuesday, 11/25 |
Wreath Fundraiser Pickup
Wreaths have arrived! If you were unable to pick up your wreath at dismissal this week, please come by the school this weekend to get your order. Wreaths are located in the same area mums were (blacktop next to the school at the top of the staff parking lot).
Upcoming Events
Winter Gear Drive: Family Team is collecting cold-weather essentials to ensure every student stays warm and comfortable throughout the winter season.
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If your child is in need of winter gear, please fill out this form by Sunday November 30th.
- On December 1st, specific donation requests will be shared in a post on ParentSquare where families can sign up to provide gear donations. No identifying information will be shared - only items, sizes, etc.
- Donations will be accepted Monday December 1st - Thursday December 11th. Volunteers will be needed on Friday December 12th to sort donations. Sign up for this will also be on ParentSquare on December 1st.
Winter Wonderland, Thursday December 18th: Students will journey through seasonal stations to celebrate the wonder of the new season over hot chocolate, songs, crafts, story-time and a bit of “snowy” fun. While our students are getting their pre-break energy out, our hardworking teachers and staff will get an extra break in their day.
- Volunteers are necessary for this school day event to help spread some joy. We are looking for help throughout the day and across multiple stations. Sign up for this on ParentSquare starting today!
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Family Team Meetings
- The next Family Team meeting is a virtual meeting on Wednesday December 10 at 6:00pm (link forthcoming).
- Dates for the year are: January 15, February 12, March 12, April 16, May 14
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Girls on the Run: Student Registration OPENS DEC. 1st!! The lottery will take place on Dec. 16th, and then registration is first come first served for any remaining openings. Register Here Dec. 1!
In the meantime, it's time to start planning for our Girls On The Run (GOTR) Season! To get started, we first need coaches! We have so much fun at GOTR that coaches return every year. However, last year we had to turn some girls away because we didn't have enough coaches for 2 teams. We would love for all girls who want to participate to be able to this year. Coaches may be parents, grand parents, uncles or aunts, cousins that are 18 and older or close family friends. If you have someone in your circle who would enjoy coaching on our GOTR team please have them reach out to Aimee Ritsema at ritsemaa@childdiscoverycenter.org to learn more. |
Let's Connect
Find Family Team on ParentSquare!
Family Team is moving communication off Facebook and onto ParentSquare. The GRCDC Narwhals - Families of Current Students Facebook group will be archived later this fall, so stay up to date through the Family Team GRCDC Narwhals Group on ParentSquare.
We want to hear from you! If you have an idea, question, or suggestion for the Family Team email us at grcdcfamilyteam@gmail.com. |
Club meeting schedule:
12/3: Girl Scouts, 3:45 - 6:00
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- If you are experiencing a housing crisis or issue, please contact us at 616-459-0330 and our Homeless Liaison will reach out to you.
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Families Supporting Families! We want to support our families. We are collecting the information for any family-owned businesses within our community. If you own a business, please fill out this survey. We will add you to the directory once we receive your information.
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OK2SAY: If you receive a threat or know of a threat of violence against your community, please contact your local law enforcement or call 9-1-1. Non-emergency tips can be submitted the following ways:
- Call: 8-555-OK2SAY, (855-565-2729 )
- Text: 652729 (OK2SAY)
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Email: OK2SAY
- Visit: OK2SAY website
- OK2SAY Mobile App: Available for download for Apple, Google and Android mobile devices.
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Absence Reporting: If your child will be absent from school, please contact us by 8:20 AM if possible. There are a few ways you can contact us about an absence:
- Email office@childdiscoverycenter.org
- Call the main office, 616-459-0330
- Send a ParentSquare message
- If you contact a teacher only regarding attendance, please know that they do not always have time to inform the office about your child's attendance. Your first contact should always be the school office. If you want to include the teacher and inform them as well, go for it!
If we do not hear from you, ParentSquare will send an automated message around 8:50 AM that you may also reply to. If you do not contact the office to excuse the absence, it will be marked unexcused.
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New City Neighbors food resource: New City Neighbors will be offering 2 weeks of free food in their Cafe on November 13th and 20th. They are also collecting non-perishables and extra vegetables to have on their porch free of charge. There will also be a selection of free Thanksgiving sides on November 26th while supplies last. Location: 1115 Leonard St NE 49503
Facebook:
Instagram:
Need Food Assistance Now? If you, or anyone you know, wants access to food assistance, we encourage the use of these resources:
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Local Food Resources: We have compiled a list of local food pantries, free meal sites, and other programs that can provide support: Kent County Food Resources.
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Quick Help: You can dial 2-1-1- or visit mi211.org at any time to connect confidentially with thousands of local health and human services resources.
Able to Provide Resources? For those who want to contribute to local resources, you may consider the following actions:
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Donate Money: Local food banks can stretch financial resources much further by buying wholesale. Consider donating directly to Feeding America West Michigan.
Donate Food/Items: Many of the resources listed above accept monetary and item donations. We encourage you to visit their websites and/or contact the organization to inquire about their current needs.
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