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Page 14 — Shelton-Mason County Journal — Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023
Grapeview seeks to make parents part of education team
By Kirk Boxleitner
kboxle/‘menéjmasoncounty com
Grapeview School District Superintendent Gerry
Gruhbs noted the changes students and families can
expect as they start the new school year, beginning
with a new administrative team, which he said is
“working toward unity in leadership and vision.”
Cynthia Breeze is the district’s director of student
services and athletics, while Hannah Nelsen is its
new principal. Gruhbs touted their efforts to bring
back the “robust volunteer program” the district had
prior to COVID.
Grubbs promised students and families that they
can expect STEAM (science, technology, engineer-
ing, art, math) activities throughout the elementary
and middle school grades, thanks to a newly devel—
oped schedule designed to create “more purposeful
opportunit ”
The disti ts middle school science teacher now
has opportunities to work with elementary school
teachers and students built into his scheduled col—
laboration time to provide hands—on science lessons
up to the eighth-grade level.
“Inclusionary practices are also a priority for our
school, as we train for and implement Universal De—
sign for Learning strategic '5 well as Character
Strong curricula,” Grubbs said. “UDL helps teach-
ers ensure diverSe learners can succeed in the class—
room. It’s so much easier to include students with
disab ties in general education classrooms when
teachers can plan lessons that afford those students
diverse methods of taking in, then demonstrating
the information they’ve learned.”
Grubbs said he aims to foster team-building be-
tween teachers and parents to yield “healthy, happy
learning environments, with strong communication
and collaboration,” and hopes parents will incor-
porate the vocabulary of Character Strong in their
home.
“The Character Strong curriculum addresses so-
cial and emot onal issues that students face in the
course of life,” Grubbs said. “It seeks to teach the
nine characteristics ofrespect, empathy, cooperation,
Satu rd
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Above, a sign at Grapevuew School. Right,
school employees talk to students in the school
cafeteria. Photos courtesy of Grapeview Schoo/
District
responsibility, perseverance, courage, gratitude,
honesty and creativity, which even us adults need to
be reminded of occasionally.”
Grubbs asked that parents stress the importance
of school attendance by scheduling their appoint-
ments and vacation times in ways that allow the dis—
trict to return to its pre-COVID attendance rates,
which he estimated were in the upper 90%.
“Yes, every year comes with its own set of surpris—
es that are hard to anticipate, but we have such a
supportive community that, with clear communica-
tion, most of our issues are easily worked through,”
Grubbs said.
Grubbs reported on tl $1.6 million Small School
Modernization grant the district received to upgrade
its HVAC systems in its elemental” school in its
main building and in its middle school classrooms.
“Having a new, more efficient system will be well
worth any inconveniences we experience,” Grubbs
said. “The previous superintendent applied for this
grant almost five years ago. We got onto the list by
being ; all and rural, but we had to wait our turn
for the state to provide enough money.”
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Last year, the Grapeview School District secured
grants totaling ,000 to improve its gardens, out-
door learning trail and interpretive stations as part
of an ongoing project set to be expanded over the
next two years.
“Being surrounded by forests made having an
outdoor learning trail a very natural thing to em-
brace,” Grubbs said. “I believe We qualified for these
grants because we could show how we would utilize
these resources to get students outside, where they
would learn experientially.”
Grubbs said the district intends to work with nat-
uralists to create stations around its trail, using QR
codes and iPads to “merge technology and outdoor
learning,” through stations describing flora and fau-
na along the trail, with their digital devices enabling
students to access more in-depth information.
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