Dear MJT Families,

The winter months can be challenging to find engaging activities for children to do at home. 

Often, students fall into the "screen time routine" when they can't get outside to play as much. 

Too much screen time can affect their sleep and behavior patterns in many ways. 

Screens provide instant gratification, which children then expect in all aspects of their lives. 

As a result, this can create challenges at both home and school. 

Here are some alternative ideas to consider that can increase your family time while helping them to practice how to share and take turns.

- Board games: Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, Trouble, etc

- I spy: Try playing it different ways such as "I spy something that starts with the letter__"

- Card games: Go fish, War

- Sight word or letter hunt: write students trick/sight words on post-it notes and put them all around the house for students to find and practice.  This can also be done with individual letters.

- Reading books: Bedtime stories are a calm, soothing way for children to unwind before going to sleep.

Below are two links to help teach your student how to tie their shoes.  This is a skill for students to begin working on in first grade:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/A3P4aM3MlT0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2KcPbhSfBo

Don't forget to spread the word about the new Bus of the Month contest! Details below. 

And as a reminder, there is no school on Monday, January 19th in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend,

Mrs. Taylor
Principal, Mary J. Tanner School
518-642-1051 Ext. 4201

btaylor@granvillecsd.org

Every month, one bus will win a Free School Snack Coupon for every student on board!

Here’s how to win:

Be respectful, be kind, and be a role model for younger students.

Which bus will win in January? 

Good luck!

To learn more about the Bus of the Month contest, visit this blog post.

Kindergarten students will be able to purchase snacks on Thursdays, and Ice Cream on Fridays. 

We've had to adjust this because recently due to the fact that we are finding out that a large number of students are throwing their entire/most lunch away and then going to purchase snacks. 

We are working with them to encourage healthy habits to eat more of their lunch rather than rushing for snacks. 

Winter Gear Reminder:

Please be sure to send your student with boots, warm jacket, hat, and mittens daily, as most classes go outside to play in the snow at recess and label all items with their name. 

If they don't have these items, they won't be able to play in the snow at recess.  

If you need help obtaining any of these items, please contact Nurse Blais: jblais@granvillecsd.org 

Here is the link to all event details in the district calendar.

January

1/19 - NO SCHOOL: Martin Luther King, Jr Day Observance

1/19 - PTO Sponsored Bowling at Slate Valley Lanes

1/23 - PTO Free Movie Night at GES 6 pm - 8 pm 

1/23 - Marketing Period 2 Ends

1/27 - Community Resource: Free Parenting Class from the Comfort of Your Own Home

Here is the link to all event details in the district calendar.

February 

2/3 - Community Resource: Free Parenting Class from the Comfort of Your Own Home

2/4 - Athletic Booster Meeting - All school families welcome to join 6pm, JSHS

2/6 - PTO Snowflake Shake, Free Family Fun Dance and Activities for Pre-K and Kindergarten, 6pm at MJT, Wear fun colors! Dress up if you choose!

2/7 - Community Resource: Free Winterfest Day at Lake Lauderdale Hosted by Washington County - All Day

2/9 - Board of Education Meeting, 6pm, JSHS Library

2/10 - Community Resource: Free Parenting Class from the Comfort of Your Own Home

2/11 - PTO Meeting - All staff and families welcome! Volunteer whenever you can on this new PTO Volunteer sign up sheet. 

2/13 - Jr/Sr High Jazz Band Tour at MJT with a free concert during school day

2/14 - 2/22 - PTO Sponsored Bowling at Slate Valley Lanes - $5 for two games and shoe rental, PTO pays the rest. 

2/16 - 2/20 - NO SCHOOL: Mid-Winter Recess

2/24 - Community Resource: Free Parenting Class from the Comfort of Your Own Home

Here is the link to all event details in the district calendar.

Families: who remembers this parachute game from elementary school? Still so fun!

Did you know that excessive screen time directly links to concerns with attention, behavior, and proper sleep patterns?

Where to start?

Visit this page and look for the "Better Screen Time" tips to learn about low-stimulation vs high-stimulation screen time ideas.

Second graders in Mrs. Dickinson’s room were writing about their “invented” currency.

Please pack a healthy, filling snack each day!

Here are some great ideas. 

Reading with your child makes a huge difference in their ability to understand new words, improves speech and helps children feel calm and confident about learning new things. 

Start with 10 minutes per day.

Here is a link to winter book ideas to read with your child. 

Here is the link to the Pember Library and Museum - they are open from 10am - 1pm on Saturdays and library cards are free.

Thank you for showing up on time, every day! We love seeing your students in school and appreciate your efforts.

Here are tips for deciding when to keep your student home and when to send them to school. 

You can now subscribe to all of the Board of Education updates and they will arrive in your email inbox. 

The Board of Education has a new, online platform (formerly called Board Docs) for sharing meeting agendas, policies, upcoming meetings and more in an easy-to-access manner.

This will ensure the school community - parents, community members, staff, and more can keep up to date with the Board of Education happenings. 

This is a direct result of listening to the community's request!

Here is the direct link to the subscribe with an email address.

And here is the link to the general overview of the Granville CSD Board of Education website.

Get the App! Search "Granville CSD" on any App store and download today.

All Family Resources - Visit the A-Z communications page here.

Who to contact? Try our District Contact Guide.

eSchool Parent Portal - Check your child's grades, attendance, and tardies.

Snacks! Please pack a healthy, filling snack everyday for your student to help them focus and feel good. Twice per week, students are introduced to new fresh fruit or vegetable.

Parent Rooms - Family-Teacher chat and classroom updates all in the mobile Granville CSD App. Learn more about Parent Rooms at this link.

Free Breakfast and Lunch Each Day - Arrive 15 minutes early to school and come enjoy breakfast before school starts. No registration needed.

Come Cheer On Our Teams - Attend a Jr/Sr High Home Game with your family for a fun, free outing. Here is the link to the game schedule.

Educational Resources - Try our community school page here.

PTO Newsletter - Here is the link to the current newsletter.

Cub Scouts - Looking for new parent-leaders for Cub Scouts. Contact Ashlee Zinn: azinn@granvillecsd.org

Discover Granville NY.com

Youth Programs - This Granville CSD Athletics webpage includes local Youth Program Information for grades K - 6.

The Pember Library in Granville - Get a free library card, free books, movies, free wi-fi and computer use and more. Here is a link to the library to learn more. Here is the link to the Libby app (free with a library card).

Volunteer - Here are Granville organizations looking for volunteers. To add additional details to this list, please contact krozell@granvillecsd.org

Clothing and More - Kid's Korner Consignment Shop, Granville NY, 67 Church St, Granville

Mary J. Tanner Primary School

9593 State Route 22

Granville, NY 12832

Phone: 518-642-1051

Fax: 518-642-9594

District Contact Guide

School Nurse: Jennifer Blais 518-642-1051 Ext. 4204

School Social Worker: Andrea Smith 518-642-1051Ext. 4205

School Psychologist: Renee Forbes 518-642-1051 Ext. 4147

Here is the link to the District Calendar on our website.

Here is the link to the District App.

A-Z Everything Granville CSD