Friday, October 15 was the end of SFN's first community service project to collect food and monetary donations for our local food bank, FISH.  There were 713 food items and $227.00 collected!  Way to go GHA! Parent volunteers, the fifth grade students, and class representatives from kindergarten through fourth grade proudly delivered these items to the food bank Friday afternoon and stayed for a quick tour of the facility to learn how FISH helps our local residents in need.  Each class representative came back to school and reported to their classmates on what they learned.  Thank you to our School Family Network Community Service Representatives (Debbie Dean, Kim Golden, and Imka Lavinder), Cristina McDougall (SFN President), the fifth grade class, and YOU for making this project a huge success! 

To learn more about FISH, and how you can continue to support them, please click on the above image.  Look for information coming soon regarding SFN's next community service project that will launch during the holiday season.      

Jeff Funk is not only the best fifth grade teacher, but is also a marathon runner!  He took up running 8 years ago for excercise and hasn't stopped since.  He has participated in countless half marathons, 8 full marathons, and 2 Ultra Marathons (beyond 26 miles!).  This past weekend Mr. Funk ran the 50K race that took place at Pt. Defiance.  He has shared his love for running with the GHA Cross Country Team by helping with practices and cheering them on at their events.  If you are a runner, or are interested in getting started, Jeff always has great advice and words of wisdom.  

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Last spring, the Our School Childcare children planted seeds given to them from the first grade classroom.  All summer long, childcare tended to the garden by making sure that it was adequately watered and free from debris and weeds.  To their amazement, a beautiful garden full of flowers, squash, pumpkins, and tomatillos grew where there was once just soil and seeds.  The childcare picked flowers that they enjoyed in their classroom and picked squash and pumpkins to study.

On Tuesday, the first grade class with assistance from the fifth grade class harvested the bountiful crops that grew over this summer and prepared the soil to get ready for a new planting.  For the winter, first grade will plant ground cover and root vegetables such as, carrots, parsnips, and turnips.  They will cover the garden with plastic to protect it from the elements.  In the spring, they will harvest the winter crops and replant again!

One of the most delightful things about a garden is the anticipation it provides ~

W.E. Johns   

Last Thursday, the second and third grade students learned about Mycology.....the study of fungi.  Two parents very knowledgeable in this area, Lara Cooper and John Hagmann, took the two classes on a mushroom hunt near the campus.  The students discovered many different varieties of mushrooms, carefullly picked them, and brought them back to their classes.  They are currently in the process of identifying and examing the specimens with microscopes.

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Monday, October 25 - Friday, October 29
Fall Book Fair will be here next week!  The fair will be open every day including before and after school and we will have special hours the night of Pumpkin Carve (Friday, October 29th).  Thank you for your support.  Reading is fun and sharing a good book with your child is always a great experience. 

Click on the image for all the details including information on volunteering.

Thursday, October 28 - After School

Enjoy an after school treat of popcorn and lemonade provided by the kindergarten class for only $1!  Proceeds from their popcorn sales help support GHA.  Last year, they raised enough money to purchase four Flip Video Cameras for the faculty to share and then some of the proceeds helped finance the rental of a scanner from Renaissance Learning. The scanner enables the school to label the classroom and library books with the Accelerated Reader points and reading levels.  The kindergarten class plans to hopefully raise enough money this year to purchase some web cams for the faculty.  GHA certainly appreciates everyone's support in this project.  THANK YOU!

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Friday, October 29
6:00-8:00 PM
Enjoy an evening of carving pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns, pizza, face painting, bake sale, book fair, and fun with the entire school.  Adults and children alike are encouraged to dress up in costume.  Please, no scary outfits or masks.  Special entertainment for the evening includes more than just your carving skills!  Kindergarten will sing their right of passage and Mrs. J. will read a magical story.  The Scholastic Book Fair will be open to purchase items and the Book Fair Raffle Winner will be announced that evening. 

Schedule of Events:

6:00 - 6:45 Pizza and pumpkin carving in the rooms. It is recommended for those of you with more than one child in the school to carve your pumpkins in the oldest child's classroom.  Hint: Pre-gutting your pumpkin will give your child more time to carve. Please no wandering children.

6:45 - 7:15 Pumpkin lighting, bake sale, face painting and book sale. 

(Face painting will end at 7:30 and the Bake Sale will continue until 8:00 or until out of treats.) 

7:15 - 8:00 Entertainment from Kindergarten, Mrs. J and Book Sale Raffle. 

Monday, November 1st &

Tuesday, November 2nd

Parent/Teacher Conferences

Want to be part of coordinating the party of the year?!? We are looking for people that are interested in helping plan the Annual Auction set to take place on Saturday, March 19, 2011.  We need core people to join the planning committee and behind the scenes people that are interested in committing their time to one designated project.  There are job positions ranging from committe chairs to clean up!  If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Niki Vanderford by email or phone at 253-265-2150. 

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Celebrate the Power of Play in the Children's Museum of Tacoma's newest exhibit: Zing!  The Power of Play. 

 For more information click on the image to the right.

Sunday, October 31

4:00 PM 

Little ghosts and goblins come from all around town for a safe "Trick or Treat" event.  Downtown merchants give out treats, while families have a Happy Halloween. 

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Each name is a link to that person's email.

Bruce Shoup

Head of School

Paul Hoover

Business Officer

Niki Vanderford

Director of Admissions & Marketing

Donna Hanenburg

Adminstrative Assistant

Diana Nold & Mary Hagey

 Preschool

Carolyn Von Zimmerman & Kim Dickens

Pre-Kindergarten

Pat Felton & Sheila Walther

Kindergarten

JoAnn Johnson

First Grade
 

Amber Holland

Second Grade

Eileen Perry
Third Grade

Kallie Grochowski

Fourth Grade 
 

Jeff Funk

Fifth Grade

Xinia Agee & Ilene Wider

Spanish 

Jenny Buys

Technology

Megan Johnson

Physical Education

Lisa Mellinger

Art

Lynn Swanson

Music

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