The Grant Gazette

#MyChoiceWilloughbyEastlake

Hello Rebel Families!

September has been filled with engaging learning experiences, meaningful connections, and so many moments to celebrate at Grant! From our fourth-grade field trip to Chagrin River Park, to an exciting Earth Rangers assembly, and the fun and learning of our Nursery Rhyme Olympics, our students have had countless opportunities to learn beyond the classroom and bring their learning to life.

Each day also brings new challenges that push our students to become critical thinkers, problem-solvers, and resilient learners. We remind our students that learning doesn't always go perfectly the first time and that's okay! Mistakes, challenges, and even moments when things don't go as planned are opportunities to learn, grow, and try again.

As always, if you have any questions, please reach out. We are always happy to help!

2838 Lost Nation Road

Main Office Phone 440-942-5944

24 Hour Attendance Line: 855-612-7207

Transportation Department: 440-975-3736

YMCA Child Care 440-975-3727

Courtney Lausin- Principal- courtney.lausin@weschools.org

Carla Keidel- Assistant Principal- carla.keidel@weschools.org

Teri Menn - Principal's Secretary - teri.menn@weschools.org

Christine Valaitis- Administrative Secretary- christine.valaitis@weschools.org

Diana Zaverl - Family Liaison - Diana.zaverl@weschools.org

Nicole Bowser- School Nurse- nicole.bowser@weschools.org

September 28th- House Huddle- wear your house shirts/ colors

October 1st- Popcorn Day

October 8th- Rebel Run

October 9th- No School NEOEA Day

October 15th- Popcorn Day

October 16th- No School for students/ End of the first quarter

Student Toys/Balls/Electronics: Note this includes squishy toys!

Students should not bring their own toys, balls, or electronics to school and may not bring them out to recess. If they do bring them to school (for before/after school use), this is at their own risk, and they need to be kept in the student backpack. The school is NOT responsible for lost or stolen items.

Grant families - Cirino Photography just released the 26-27 School portrait images from photo day into your gallery. Please click on the link below to view and order your student(s) portraits from this year. Please note that if you order under the bulk ship option, your order will be shipped to the school and sent home with your student within 4 weeks. The deadline to order school day portraits for the free shipping is September 26th. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out directly to Cirino Photography they are here and happy to help at 440 953-8200 or cuyla.cirino@gmail.com

https://my.photoday.com/gallery/grant-elementary-school-25-2

On October 15th we will be conducting vision and hearing screenings at Grant Elementary. If you wish to have vision and/or hearing screening completed for your child, you must complete the corresponding consent form below. You may also decline the screenings. If consent is not obtained, no screening will be completed.

Consent/Decline Form:
Consent Form: District Health Screenings

Our next House Huddle is coming up on Monday, September 28! Huddles are a time when all members of our house gather together to build relationships and strengthen our Grant family. During this huddle, we will be talking about ways we can be Respectful, Responsible, and Ready to Learn Rebels throughout our building. Be sure to wear your House Spirit gear on Monday to show your House pride! We often say that we have 8 Houses but 1 Family here at Grant. Did you know that each House has a sister House, just like a real family?! Our sister Houses are Altruismo (black) and Sollevare (gold), Amistad (red) and Nukumori (purple), Isibindi (green) and Onraka (orange), and Reveur (blue) and Protos (teal). We all can celebrate and encourage each other no matter which House we are in!

REBEL RUN FUNDRAISER LAUNCHES TODAY!!

We are SO excited to kick off this event! SAVE THE DATE- October 8th- and come cheer on your student(s) as they run for those pledges. New playground equipment, here we come!

Information will be coming home today. The day-of schedule and volunteer sign ups are coming soon!

Last day to order Rebel Run shirts is Friday, September 25!

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/2027-rebel-fun-run-shirt

Mum Sale

Thank you to all of our Grant Families who participated in our first fall fundraiser! We were just short of our goal, but were able to raise $3,224! This will make a great impact on our ability to support our school and students throughout the year. Shout out to our parents and volunteers who helped us make delivery day run as smoothly as ever before!

Popcorn: September classroom winner to host Poppy was Mr. Schulte's class!

Halloween Class Parties

Friday, October 30 | 1:45-2:45pm

Keep an eye out for an email or message from Teachers and Room Parents for the party volunteer sign ups!

Not able to volunteer but still want to help? Donations are always welcome to help PTO make sure each classroom has a successful and fun party.

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/classroom-holiday-parties-2025--2026

WHAT'S GOIN' ON:

9/28: Chic-Fil-A Fundraiser Night from 6-8pm

10/1: Popcorn (*Look for Surprise Rebel Run Incentives!)

10/6: PTO Meeting at 6:30 in the flex space

10/8: REBEL RUN!

10/13: Marco's Pizza Night

10/14: Skating Party

10/30: Halloween Class Parties

http://grantspiritstore.com/

This site will be open year round and available for anyone to place orders to ship or be picked up from their local warehouse. We will be adding house shirts to the options soon!

FUTURE READY FINANCES

The Willoughby-Eastlake City Schools Board of Education has placed a proposed 0.75%

earned income tax on the November 3, 2026, ballot. The outcome will determine whether the

district continues operating two comprehensive high schools or transitions to one.

The proposed 0.75% earned income tax would generate about $14 million a year on a

continuing basis, with roughly $9.6 million for operations and $4.4 million dedicated to

permanent improvements such as buildings, technology, security, and buses. A resident with

$50,000 in active income would pay approximately $375 per year.

An earned income tax is applied to the active income of district residents and does not apply to

passive income, such as Social Security benefits, pensions, capital gains, interest, dividends, or

other investment income.

If the proposed tax is approved, under the district's current plan:

● North and South would continue operating as two comprehensive high schools.

● Other reductions would happen on a more measured timeline.

● We would have more time to evaluate enrollment, building use, and long-term facility

needs.

What happens if the earned income tax levy fails? Beginning in the 28-29 school year, the

Board would need to implement the following cost-savings measures:

● Reduction in district staffing to match new footprint

● Consolidation to one high school and one middle school

Full details are available at www.weschools.org/futurereadyfinances.

Are you looking for activities for your children? Interested in family programs in the community? There are so many options for Willoughby-Eastlake families, such as city departments of recreation, sports teams, scouting, camps and special events in all of our surrounding communities, plus so much more!

Information from approved organizations who host activities for Willoughby-Eastlake youth and the community are posted electronically. Paper flyers from organizations are not sent home with students. To access the flyers, visit the COMMUNITY link on the district and building website pages https://www.weschools.org/families/community-activities

For specific information about the events, you need to contact the sponsoring organization. Flyers are updated periodically during the month so remember to visit often to check for new postings.

Enjoy what our community has to offer!--

SafeArrival!

All absences, whether your child is staying home sick, arriving late, or leaving early, can be reported quickly and easily.

2 Simple Ways to Report an Absence:

• Use the MyPowerHub Parent Portal
  

• Call Toll-Free – 855-612-7207 and follow the prompts

Absences You Can Report: Full-day absences, Late arrivals, Early pick-ups
You can even upload doctor’s notes directly through the app!

Why Families Love SafeArrival:

• Available 24/7 — report absences in advance or on the same day
  
  

• Instant confirmation once your report is submitted
  
  

• Information goes directly into PowerSchool — no need to call the office
  
  

• Still using the old attendance line? It now forwards to SafeArrival automatically
  
  

We’re confident this system will make attendance reporting easier and help keep our school safe and efficient.

To improve efficiency and provide consistent service for the more than 4,000 students who ride a bus every day, our district has streamlined school start and end times and implemented a new transportation routing system.

• Tuesday, August 11th , bus information will be available in PowerSchools parent portal, MyPowerHub.
• On Thursday, August 13th, you will see our bus fleet out in the community completing their annual Simulation Day. Our drivers will perform their morning and afternoon routes before providing feedback that will help us make any final adjustments. Please be patient, as they provide support for over 60 bus routes and 5,000 bus stops.
• Bus route information will continue to be accessible through the PowerSchool Parent Portal. You can also download the BusZoneTracker App. BusZone allows you to track your child’s bus in real time.
• Our Transportation Webpage is the best place to start if you have questions concerning transportation. There, you'll find an FAQ guide, resources, and contact information. If you have a question concerning bus information, please reach out to our transportation department at 440-975-3736. You can also ask questions or leave a comment using our Transportation Feedback Form.
• Families of students who receive specialized transportation as part of their IEP will receive transportation information based on the type of vehicle assigned. If your child is transported by school bus, route information will be available through the PowerSchool Parent Portal, as described above. If your child is transported by van, the transportation company will contact you directly with your child's pickup and drop-off times.

• It is very important that the school is aware of your child’s daily dismissal plan. Please communicate with the teacher or front office, if there will be changes to their dismissal for the day. Please try to communicate any changes before 2:15.

• Our Grant School hours are 8:15 AM.– 3:00 PM. First bell to enter the building is 8:05 AM. During inclement weather, students will be allowed to wait indoors. Buses will arrive between 8:05-8:15 AM for morning drop-off,

• To help ensure a safe and efficient dismissal process, families are encouraged to arrive at or near the designated dismissal time. Arriving significantly before dismissal can create traffic congestion around the school and does not expedite student pickup.

School safety is our top priority.

*Please remember when picking up your child during the school day, you will scan your ID in our vestibule (picture to the right). You will remain in the vestibule until your child is released to you.

*When visiting the school, you will scan your ID in our vestibule and then be granted access to our office area.

In the event of a viable school threat, we would activate our blue illuminating lights at our main entrance which would indicate that no visitor or students should enter the building. We will conduct safety drills throughout the school year for students and staff.

All entrances are locked throughout the school day.

Attention Grant Families:

Please make sure you are NOT pulling into parking spots and waiting for your child. It is important for all parents to follow the flow of the pick up line to ensure safety for all students.

As the map outlines, the route is as follows:

• turning right on Reeves Rd. or left onto Gale Rd.

• then turning onto Hurricane Rd.

• and then turning into the school drop-off/pick-up area

Gale Rd. is much wider than Hurricane Rd., so this allows our emergency vehicles to pass through much easier than blocking Hurricane. As the hydrants are on the right side of the road, if your vehicle is in front of a fire hydrant, you will need to move accordingly in an emergency situation so the fire department can access the hydrants. Finally, please remember that when moving up, do NOT block our neighbors’ driveways as this presents a safety hazard for them.

If there are any questions you may email our District Resource Officer Liaison, Chuck Popik at

South.SRO@weschools.org

Parents/Visitors Must Present Identification:

To ensure safety and security, and for the sake of consistency, ALL parents/family members who are coming into the building to pick up a student or visit a classroom must show proper state-issued photo identification.

Student Cell Phones, Smart Watches, and Earbuds:

Student cell phones must be turned off and stored in student backpacks. Students may not have their cell phones in their pockets (pants, sweatshirts, jackets etc). Some bus drivers allow kids to use their phones on the bus, but they should not be walking in or out of school with them in their hands/pockets.

• Offense #1 - Staff Member reminds the student to turn the phone off and put it in their backpack (notify classroom teacher for tracking purposes).

• Classroom teacher discretion whether to notify parents or not.

• Offense #2 - Staff Member takes the student’s phone and keeps it in their possession (or gives it to the classroom teacher to keep in their possession) until the end of the school day.

• Classroom teacher will notify parents of the 2nd offense and warn about the consequences of a third offense.

• Offense #3 - Staff Member notifies the classroom teacher and brings the student’s cell phone to the office.

• Principal or Assistant Principal calls home and informs parents that the phone will remain in the office until picked up by the parent.

Smart watches may only be used to tell time. If students are using them for communication or gaming purposes, they will follow the same rules above stated for cell phones.

Students are not allowed to have their personal headphones (airpods, earbuds) during class time (unless approved by teacher for use), recess, or during ENCORE classes. Unauthorized use of these items will result in the above stated processes for cell phones and smart watches.

Student Toys/Balls/Electronics:

Students should not bring their own toys, balls, or electronics to school and may not bring them out to recess. If they do bring them to school (for before/after school use), this is at their own risk, and they need to be kept in the student backpack. The school is NOT responsible for lost or stolen items.

Student Hoodies/Hats:

Students may wear hoodies inside the school, but they must keep their hoods down at all times. Having hoods up makes it difficult to identify students and their actions, and often leads to academic disengagement. Hats are not permitted inside the school unless it is a designated “hat day”.

Birthdays/Invitations:

Students may not pass out birthday invitations. If the family is having a party and wants to invite the entire class, the parent may contact the teacher and request for the teacher to pass the invitations out to all students in the class. NO FOOD BIRTHDAY TREATS MAY BE SENT IN TO SCHOOL THROUGH THE STUDENT OR DROPPED OFF IN THE OFFICE. We will contact the family to pick these up. Thank you for your cooperation!

Lunch:

Outside Food Deliveries are Prohibited (Uber Eats, GrubHub, etc). If a student forgets a lunch, and the family can’t drop one off prior to the student lunch period, we will provide them with a school lunch.