Welcome to the website for Grant Street Elementary School!
Read Around the World in 80 Books!
Summer is here (except for the weather), and it is a great time for reading. We are encouraging all students to read 80 books (or 80 chapters) in the 80 days of summer. The Port Townsend Public Library has a number of opportunities for kids there, and teachers from Grant Street will be dropping by throughout the summer to visit with students. Our concluding activity will be the Back-to-School kick-off barbecue on August 29th from 6:00-7:30 PM. (Bring a salad or dessert to share.) Have a great summer, and KEEP READING!
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Mary Wilson's students prepare for kindergarten graduation at Chetzemoka. |
The Grant Street Kindergarten teachers are (from left to right) Molly O'Brien, Mary Wilson, Connie Lander, and Dawn Braden. |
Art teacher Wanda LeClerc demonstrates an art technique with charcoal to students. |
To view our most recent school newsletter, click here.
Reading Instruction At Grant Street
Grant Street School is in its second year of a new school-wide reading program that we call the Eagle Reading Room. During the fall of 2007 a film crew from Reel Life Productions created a 20-minute show on reading instruction at Grant Street. This film has appeared on our local access Port Townsend Television (PTTV). To see the film, click here. (Give it a few moments to begin to run.) |
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Register for Fall, 2008
Registration is now open for the 2008-2009 school year. We are accepting registrations for students in preschool through second grade, as well as for our preschool. We encourage all parents considering registering for kindergarten to do so early. We will again be offering all-day kindergarten in addition to the half-day program. Tuition for the second half of the all day kindergarten is $200 per month, but lower tuition prices are available on a sliding scale.
We invite prospective parents to come and visit Grant Street School. To make an appointment for a tour, contact the school office at 379-4535.
For more information about registering for 2008-2009, call the school office, or click here.
To view our kindergarten orientation video, click here. |
Preschool students bring their
teddy bears to the library to listen to a story during Teddy Bear Week.
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Culminating a writing unit of study, students meet in the library for an Author's Celebration. |
Author's Celebration
In writing instruction, all Grant Street teachers are using Lucy Calkins' (2005) Units of Study for Primary Writing as our guide. On Friday, January 11, second grade students from Ms. Shaw and Ms. Stenehjem's classes met in the library to share their finished writings in an Author's Celebration. Students from one class paired off with students from from the other class for an exchange of readings and feedback. Then the teachers expressed their pride and appreciation of the quality of the work the students had done, and toasted their success. |
To view the calendar of events for June, click here.
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Winter Music Concert
All first grade classes participated in our winter music concert under the direction of music teacher Cynthia Parsons on Tuesday, December 4. Nearly 200 parents, other family members, neighbors, and friends attended to hear and support the music performance. Music and visual arts are essential elements of learning at Grant Street School.
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Singing along with physical movement
enhances and supports learning in
other academic areas. |
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Parent Conference Feedback
Teachers in Kindergarten through 2nd grade piloted our new standards-based progress reports in November. We asked parents for feedback at their conferences, and 64% of our parents took the time to complete the survey.
The results of the survey were very positive:
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94% of the parents said the new progress report was clear and easy to understand.
• 97% said that as a result of the progress report and conference they understood how their child was learning in school.
You may view the report card templates for each grade level by clicking on the links below.
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Reading Specialist Mary Sepler teaches Phonographix instruction to teachers at a Wednesday afternoon training. |
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Reading Tutoring
On Tuesday, October 2, Grant Street School began a community reading tutoring program. Twice a week trained community members individually tutor second grade readers under the direction of Reading Specialist Mary Sepler and Paraeducator Toni Walker.
Through the Eagle Reading Program, teachers identify students who can benefit from additional reading practice. These students come to school as much as 50 minutes early for their reading time with their tutors.
We are grateful to these local community members and to the Kiwanis Club of Port Townsend for their commitment to Grant Street School and early literacy!
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Grant Street reading tutors with teachers Mary Sepler (far left) and Toni Walker (2nd from right). |
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Eagle Reading
In September, 2008, we will begin our third full year of operation under our school-wide Title One reading program: The Eagle Reading Plan. Grant Street School supports classroom teachers reading instruction with additional focused, small-group reading instruction for all students.
To learn more about our reading instructional program, come and visit us at the school. We love to show parents, volunteers, and community members how we are enhancing learning for each and every student in grades K-2 through the Eagle Plan.
For information about our Eagle Reading staff, click here. |
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Second Grade Marine Science Field Trips
On Tuesday, March 27, second grade teachers took their classes to the Port Townsend Marine Science Center as part of a science curriculum unit. Each of the classes participated in two 60-minutes lessons.
"World of a Barnacle" taught students about the inter-tidal environment through observation and discussion. In "Sink or Float", students hypothesized about whether objects would sink or float in fresh and salt water, and tested and recorded their results.
Two of the classes also stayed to have lunch on the beach at Fort Worden State Park. These learning activitives were provided at no cost to the school through the contributions of First Federal Savings and Loan, and the Marine Science Center.
Grant Street's Science curriculum includes the F.O.S.S. Science Kit program, as well as activities at our local Marine Science Center through community groups and the PTA.
On the evening of Thursday, April 26, students will share science experiments that they have created at PTA's annual Science Fair and Art Gallery Walk. |
Students observe barnacles and other inter-tidal life at the learning laboratory.
Teachers, students, and parents enjoy lunch on the beach as part of their field trip to the Marine Science Center at Fort Worden. |
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Teacher Bonnie and first-grader Tristan share a book.
| Read Across America Day
March 2
Grant Street School celebrated Read Across America Day on Friday, March 2nd to commemorate the birthday of Dr. Seuss. Classes conducted read-ins, kids (and teachers) wore pajamas to school, kindergarten classes made “Cat in the Hat” hats, and Mrs. Morris’s class had a number of guest authors visiting the school.
Click here to view some of the pictures from our day of reading celebration.
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