Grand View Times: October 2026

Grand View Families,

I want to emphasize the importance of regular attendance for your child's academic success and overall well-being. Being present at school helps students build strong relationships with their peers, develop essential skills, and fully engage in their learning. We understand that there may be times when your child cannot attend school, and we want to ensure you are aware of the reasons that are considered excused absences according to the new Grandville School Board Policy.

Excused absences include:

• Illness: When your child is too sick to attend school.
• Recovery from an accident: Time needed to recover from injuries.
• Required court attendance: When your child must be present for legal matters.
• Professional appointments: Necessary medical or dental appointments that cannot be scheduled outside of school hours.
• Death of an immediate family member: Time to grieve and attend services.
• Observation or celebration of a bona fide religious holiday: Recognizing important religious observances.
• Other good causes: As deemed acceptable by the Superintendent.
• 
  

We encourage you to communicate with the Main Office if your child needs to be absent for any of these reasons. Together, we can ensure that your child receives the support they need to succeed both academically and personally.

Remember, students should arrive at school between 8:20 and 8:28 a.m. Our instructional day begins promptly at 8:28 a.m. Thank you for helping your child start each school day on time and ready to learn!

Attendance Matters from the Very Start!

• Every school day matters, especially in the early years. Regular attendance gives students the consistency they need to build strong academic, social, and emotional foundations.

  Research shows:

  • Fewer than 50% of students who missed 10 or more days of kindergarten and first grade were reading at grade level by the end of third grade.
  • Among students who missed 18 or more days of kindergarten and first grade, only 17% were reading at grade level by the end of third grade.
  • Chronic absenteeism is missing approximately 2 days per month, 18 days per school year, or 10% of school days to date.

  At Grand View, we want every student here, every day, ready to learn. Attendance matters from the very start!

We know that showing up to school every day makes a big difference in your child’s success. To encourage great attendance, we’re excited to continue our Bulldog Attendance Award! Each morning, I will visit classrooms with outstanding attendance to celebrate their commitment to being present and ready to learn. This fun recognition helps motivate students to come to school each day—especially during times when attendance can be a challenge.

1. Collaboration & PLCs
What is one way your first grade team collaborates through your PLCs to support student learning and help each other grow professionally?

Our team collaborates well through our PLCs and every day work by sharing everything. We always try to share resources, tips and tricks, and even our students to help ensure each child is getting exactly what they need.

2. Beyond the Classroom
When you’re not teaching first grade, what is something fun, unique, or unexpected we might find you doing outside of school?

Our team loves to spend time together outside of the classroom. Part of what helps us be so connected at school is the fact that we are friends too. We play pickleball together, visit each other on school breaks, and find time to grab a good dinner!

3. 1st Grade Goals
What is one big goal your first grade team has for students this school year, and what are you excited to see them accomplish?

We hope our students all learn to love school and form a love of reading. We want them to feel connectedness to one another, safe, supported, and loved.

BE GRAND Tickets: Teachers and staff will distribute Be GRAND tickets daily. Each week, one student from every classroom will be recognized as a Monday Be GRAND Champ for demonstrating a Growth Mindset, Respect, Achievement toward goals, Nobility, and Kindness.

Teachers will have a pouch in their classrooms where tickets are kept. Please send this pouch with Be GRAND tickets down to the office on Monday mornings. Mr. Scotto will draw one winner from each classroom on Monday mornings. The winners will be recognized over the announcements and then complete an activity with Mr. Scotto on Monday mornings.

PBIS Celebrations: The PBIS Team will plan these celebrations. All students will participate in these celebrations. Students who have 2 or more Administrative-Managed Office Referral or 5 or more Staff-Managed Referral will participate in a Restorative Conversation the day prior to the celebration.

Be GRAND Monthly Breakfasts: Each grade level team will nominate two students per grade who have gone above and beyond and demonstrate the Be GRAND expectations. Classroom teachers will write a paragraph about the student to be shared at the breakfast. Office Staff will call parents and we will keep this recognition a surprise from the students.

Be GRAND Breakfast celebrations will take place from 8:45-9:15 a.m. in the cafeteria, followed by the breakfast at 9:15 a.m. in the library. This will still be a surprise to the students selected.

Be GRAND Breakfast Dates:

Tuesday, October 20, 2026

Monday, November 23, 2026

Thursday, January 28, 2027

Friday, February 26, 2027

Tuesday, March 23 2027

Friday, April 23, 2027

Thursday, May 20, 2027

September 28-October 2 Spirit Week

October 2 Grandville Public Schools Homecoming

October 5 Make Up Picture Day

October 6 Fire Drill

October 6 PTC Meeting, 7 p.m.

October 8 Andiamo's Restaurant Night

October 9 Hallway Art, 9 a.m.

October 12-16 Book Fair Week

October 14 Grand Fam Event, 2:50 p.m.

October 16 Be Our Guest Luncheon (During grade level lunches)

October 20 Be Grand Breakfast, 8:45 a.m.

October 20 PTC Meeting, 7 p.m.

October 22 Fire Drill

October 27 Parent Teacher Conferences, 4-7 p.m.

October 29 Parent Teacher Conferences, 4-7 p.m.

October 30 Halloween Parade, 10:45-11:15 a.m.

October 30 Early Release for Students, 11:36 a.m.

Shop online here: https://literati.com/a/store?school=grand-view-elementary-school-grandville-mi

Volunteer to help with the book fair: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084BADAA2FA0F9C34-66067569-grand#/

This school year, Grand View will be hosting special events that bring together our parents and families. We will be creating special events to both enhance student learning and to foster a sense of community. Check out our current events! More events will be added and shared with families in the fall.

Grand View Elementary School's Community Events Calendar

Arrival and Dismissal Procedures for the 2026-2027 School Year:

In collaboration with the district’s Safety Director and Transportation Administrator, we have developed an arrival and dismissal plan to prioritize student safety and help reduce traffic congestion on 52nd Street SW.

*Please note that the City of Wyoming Department of Public Safety and City of Wyoming Police Department will be strictly enforcing the no-standing rule for vehicles on 52nd Street SW waiting to turn right into Grand View Elementary. We appreciate your patience and cooperation during the first days of school.

Morning Bus Arrival:

Our buses will drop students off in the front of the building in the bus loop. At 8:20 a.m. students will unload the buses and enter the school through Door A. If students will be eating breakfast provided by the school, they will go directly to the cafeteria to get their breakfast and bring it back to their classroom to eat.

Morning Parent Drop-Off at Arrival:

Please drop your child off in the Parent Drop-Off parking lot, located directly across from the gym. This is the first parking lot on the right as you enter the school campus. Students will enter through Door I. Doors open at 8:20 a.m. and lock at 8:28 a.m. After 8:28 a.m., students must enter through the main entrance and stop by the office to receive a tardy pass.

Thank you for helping ensure a smooth and safe start to the school day!

Afternoon Bus Dismissal:

All Bus Riders will exit through Door A with their classroom teacher and load their bus. Buses will leave Grand View at approximately 3:45 p.m.

Afternoon Parent Pick-Up at Dismissal:

Students will exit through Door I with their classroom teacher. Parents will stay in their vehicle to pick up their child in the Parent Pick-Up parking lot across from the gym. This is the first parking lot on the right-hand side when you pull into the school. It is the same parking lot as Parent Drop-Off in the morning. Students will arrive in this area a few minutes before 3:41 p.m. We ask parents to not arrive at the afternoon pick-up line until 3:30 p.m.

*To ensure the safety of all students, we are implementing a new dismissal routine that will be strictly enforced by the school. Parents are no longer permitted to park and walk up to pick up their child from the Parent Pick-Up area. All families must use the Parent Pick-Up line to retrieve their child. To help reduce traffic congestion on 52nd Street SW, we will be placing cones to form two lanes as cars turn right into the Parent Pick-Up area. Drivers will choose a lane and then merge into a single line as they approach the pick-up zone. We will have staff outside at dismissal to assist with the new routine. These changes are designed to keep students safe and minimize traffic backups.

Kindergarten Parent Pick-Up at Dismissal:

It is required that all Kindergarten students who do not ride a bus be picked up hand to hand by a parent/guardian at the Reading Garden. Parents should park in the parking lot and use the crosswalk to get to the Reading Garden (if you are facing the front of the building the Reading Garden is on the left side of the building in the back corner).

Instructional Hours

Regular Days: 8:28 a.m.-3:41 p.m.

Half Days: 8:28-11:36 a.m.

The Grand View Behavior Management Flowchart outlines our commitment to creating a safe, positive, and supportive learning environment for all students by establishing clear, consistent standards for addressing student behavior. The chart clearly defines the boundary between Staff Managed Behaviors—such as minor disruptions, minor peer conflict, or off-task behavior—and Administrator Managed Behaviors like bullying, physical aggression, or safety concerns. For lower-level incidents, classroom teachers address behavior through reteaching expectations, implementing classroom interventions, and partnering with parents. When behaviors require administrative involvement, a formal process ensures appropriate interventions, parent notification, and collaborative support to help the student succeed. Overall, this framework guarantees that disciplinary responses are fair, transparent, and focused on keeping students safe while minimizing out-of-school suspensions whenever possible.

Visit our school website for a calendar of events, quick links to popular elementary resources, and our staff directory: https://ge.gpsbulldogs.org/

• School Newsletter: Our monthly newsletter, The Grand View Times, will be emailed the first Monday of each month.

• TalkingPoints: Regular communication will be sent out via email, phone calls, or text messages to keep parents informed of what is happening at Grand View Elementary School!

• Social Media: Follow our teaching and learning on X (Twitter) and Facebook

Twitter: @GrandViewES_GPS

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gvelementaryschool