September 2024

Student Fees (Consumable Fee) this year are $37.00 for students in grades K-5. Student fees have been assigned and can be paid online in the Parent Portal, or by check or exact cash in the office. If you have any questions, please call the school office at 608-839-8980.

Does your child need to take medication here at school? Medication forms can be found here. If you need to speak to the school nurse, your can reach Ms. Koch at 839-2117.

GRS Library



We could use your help! The GRS library is missing over 700 books that were checked out last year and were not returned. It would be greatly appreciated if you could look around at home for any GRS books. Please drop them off in the school office!

Attendance

The staff at Granite Ridge School are excited to welcome you to a new school year filled with opportunities to learn and engage! As we enter the 2024-25 school year, we want to remind families of the importance of attending school.    

Getting into the habit of daily attendance is a great way to start off the school year strong! It helps to:  

• Reduce stress
• Make it easier to connect with friends and teachers
• Support learning   

Visit Monona Grove’s attendance website for more information. 

Please contact Elizabeth Caucutt if you need help with attendance. We are always working to make our school environment a place where everyone can be safe, healthy, and learning. We aim to partner with you so your children have a successful school year. Do not hesitate to reach out to me with questions or concerns.  

Elizabeth Caucutt

School Social Worker

elizabeth.caucutt@mgschools.net

September's Safety Drill - Fire (evacuation) Drill

Granite Ridge School will hold a fire (evacuation) drill on September 10 for all students and staff.

Are you moving?

If you plan on moving, please click here to fill out a withdrawal form that will assist us in forwarding your child's records to the next school. Email your withdrawal form to: kristen.halverson@mgschools.net. 

Most current students are eligible to continue attending Monona Grove schools even if you move out of district boundaries. If you have moved or are planning a move that takes you out of the district, you need to apply for Open Enrollment through Wisconsin DPI: https://dpi.wi.gov/open-enrollment.  Application deadline is April 30. If you plan on moving after that date and wish to attend next year, you will need to fill out a tuition waiver for the 24-25 school year.

From the School Counselor

This year, we’ll begin Second Step® Elementary, a research-based social-emotional learning program designed to improve children’s social-emotional skills. Second Step skills and concepts are designed to help children both in and out of school. 

Four units will cover the following: 

• Growth Mindset & Goal-Setting: Children learn how to pay attention and manage distractions, develop a growth mindset, and apply goal-setting strategies to their social and academic lives. 
• Emotion Management: Children learn how to identify and label emotions and use emotion management strategies—including stress management for older students—to calm strong feelings. 
• Empathy & Kindness: Children learn how to recognize kindness and act kindly, have empathy for others and take others’ perspectives, and recognize kind acts and empathy as important elements of building and maintaining relationships. 
• Problem-Solving: Children learn how to identify and state a problem, recognize if a problem is an accident, and use the STEP problem-solving process: 
• S: Say the problem 
• T: Think of solutions 
• E: Explore the outcomes 
• P: Pick a solution 

Thank you for your support as we work to build a safe and supportive school community.

Emily McKee (she/her)

emily.mckee@mgschools.net

Health Room News

Once again, the Dane County Public Health Department is partnering with local health entities to provide Free Vaccination Clinics for students who may be behind on their vaccinations or are needing their regularly scheduled vaccinations. They are recommending parents/guardians bring a copy of their child's immunization record and highly encouraging parents/guardians to make an appointment using the QR code or going to publichealthmdc.com/schoolclinics. 

The Cottage Grove PTO is changing names!

Please join us in embracing our organization as the Cottage Grove School Family Organization (CGSFO). 

We recognize that family and caregiver compositions look different across our community, and it’s important that we reflect this in our name. If you have a child in your family, or in your care, who attends Cottage Grove elementary schools, we welcome you as a member of the CGSFO.

You’ll likely see us refer to the “CGSFO, formerly known as the PTO” for a while yet, to ensure that people can still find us if they are searching different words. The CGSFO intends to carry forth event traditions of years past, while welcoming new and innovative ideas to best support our schools, children, and families across our community. We welcome you to get involved! In name and in spirit, the Cottage Grove School Family Organization aims to promote an inclusive partnership between all families and our schools.

2024-25 Meetings Dates and Fall Festival Info Flyer"

5301 Monona Drive, Monona, WI 53716  Phone: (608) 221-7660  Fax: (608) 221-7688