GRIMSRUD ELEMENTARY -March 2026-

Greetings Grizzly Families!

Please take a moment to complete the very short parent engagement survey linked below so we can reflect on our communication and engagement efforts.

Second, our school is one of several in need of some updates and upgrades. BPS is in the preliminary stages of informing and advocating for these items within the long range facility plan to happen in the near future. Please review the Grimsrud one pager below regarding these needed upgrades as well as the details surrounding it.

Take Care,

~Dr. Brittany Upton

Over the past several months, the district has been engaged in a comprehensive Long-Range Facilities Planning process focused on identifying needs across all schools. This work looks at both deferred maintenance, which are the essential repairs and system replacements that naturally accumulate as buildings age, as well as programmatic needs that support how students learn and how schools function today.

This planning effort is designed to ensure BPS facilities remain safe, functional, and equipped to serve students well into the future. Community input is a critical part of the process. This past fall, BPS held several community forums to discuss the needs at our different sites and gather community feedback.

Grimsrud was build in 1964 and remodeled in 1985. Like many buildings of its era, Grimsrud continues to serve students well; however, after six decades of use, several systems and spaces are reaching the end of their expected lifespan.

As part of the facilities planning process, the district has identified both deferred maintenance needs and programmatic improvements for Grimsrud. Some examples of the deferred maintenance needs include the building’s air handling system and ductwork, roofing, lighting, and restrooms.

In addition, several programmatic improvements have been identified to better support daily school operations and student experiences. These include:

• A kitchen expansion to improve meal preparation and distribution

• A multi-purpose room to provide flexible space for a variety of learning and activity needs

Together, our school’s total facility needs are estimated at $5,945,195

Learn More About Facility Needs Across the District

The district has developed school-by-school summaries, along with the full Long-Range Facilities Plan, to provide transparency and context around this work. Families are encouraged to explore these materials to better understand both Grimsrud’s needs and the broader picture across BPS: www.bismarckschools.org/facilities

Thank you for taking the time to stay informed and engaged in the future of our schools.

Camp Edventure is a free, four-week, elementary, summer school program that is offered at Bismarck Public schools. Children whose parents live in the Bismarck Public School District and are entering grades 1-5 for fall of 2026 are eligible to attend Camp Edventure. The goal of CampED is for children to maintain or improve their academic skills in reading and math.

DATES: June 1st – June 26th, 2026 (4 weeks)

TIME: 8:00am - 1:00pm

REGISTRATION WINDOW: February 2nd – March 31st, 2026

TRANSPORTATION: Busing service is not provided for Camp Edventure. Parents/Guardians will need to provide transportation.

BREAKFAST/LUNCH: CampED meal options will be communicated in May.

ATTENDANCE: Registration is for the entire 4-week session, if your family has attendance conflicts, please contact your CampED school principal to share conflicts.

Keep Reading All Month Long and join us NEXT WEEK for March Madness Dress Up Days!

Did you know that the Ronald McDonald House soda tab program has raised millions of dollars nationally? It's one of the simplest ways to make a real impact — no cash required! Here's how it works: save the small aluminum pull tabs from any canned beverage — soda, sparkling water, energy drinks, bottle caps, anything with a can. Send them in with your student, and they can drop them into our special collection containers. We have foldable cardboard "house" containers provided directly by our local Ronald McDonald House. Tabs are then collected and donated to Ronald McDonald House to be recycled into direct funding for families in need.To make it even more exciting, we'll be running a classroom competition!

Is there an Amazing Grimsrud Staff member you would like to recognize? Please use the button below to give them a "Shout Out." Your words will be printed and their picture is hung in our hallway for all to see and celebrate!

Friendships are a big part of your child’s growth. They’re learning how to share, solve problems, and be a kind friend—all important skills that take practice!

💬 1. Talk About Friendship Skills

• What makes a good friend? Kindness, listening, including others.
• Practice phrases like:
• “Can I play with you?”
• “I didn’t like that—can we try again?”
• “I’m sorry, want to be friends again?”

🧘 2. Teach Calm Conflict Solving

• Use our calm down steps: STOP, Name our feeling, calm down
• Use “I feel…” statements (e.g., “I feel sad when you leave me out.”)
• Encourage taking turns talking and listening
• Role-play what to say and do with stuffed animals or action figures

🤝 3. Model Friendship at Home

• Let your child see you resolving conflicts calmly
• Talk through disagreements respectfully
• Share when you made a mistake and how you fixed it

🛑 4. When to Step In

• Support from the side—but let them try first
• If there's name-calling, exclusion, or repeated hurt feelings, talk to the teacher
• Use it as a chance to grow their empathy and problem-solving skills

💞 5. Celebrate Friend Wins

• Catch them being a kind friend and praise it!
• Ask questions like:
• “Who did you help today?”
• “How did you make someone smile?”

If you need help with one of the following please click the button for more information or a way to reach out for help. If you would rather call or text you can reach Mrs. Schmidkunz about one of the following at (701)934-0826.

Thank you all so much for everyone who helped make our second annual Multicultural Festival work. From all of the wonderful families who came to showcase their culture to all of you who showed up to learn, I think we all had a blast! We can't wait to use what we learned and grow an even better event for next year. If you have feedback for us, please attend the March 10th PTO meeting at 3pm! We will also be discussing an upcoming raffle, Bingo for Books and end of year celebrations.

Also, we would like to share our gratitude with all of you who so generously donated to the teacher meals over parent teacher conferences! We truly appreciate all of your help in providing these meals for them.

If you are interested in signing up to receive a free tree, you can do so before March 15th here:https://tinyurl.com/2e6xmthr

PTO will hand them out during Earth Day!

Thanks for all of your help! We can't do any of this without your support!

Grimsrud PTO

The PTO has purchased the school a STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) cart to promote extended learning for all students. Teachers and students are excited to use it but we need some fun supplies in the cart first. Would you look around your house for some interesting trash to get the “cart rolling”? You can send any items to school with your student.

We recently welcomed a special guest to our Career Café, a local architect who visited to share about his career and experiences in the field of architecture. During his visit, he talked with students about the education and training he completed to become an architect and what a typical day at work looks like. He also shared some of the aspects of his job that he enjoys most, along with examples of projects he has helped design and bring to life.

One highlight of the visit was a virtual video tour of a large-scale project he worked on. Students were able to see how architects plan and design complex buildings, which sparked great conversation about how structures are built and what helps them stay standing.

Many students were especially excited to make connections between architecture and things they already enjoy. Some students who play Minecraft quickly noticed similarities between designing buildings in the game and the planning and creativity involved in real-world architecture. This helped make the conversation even more engaging and relatable.

Our students were incredibly engaged throughout the presentation. They asked thoughtful questions, showed great curiosity about the field of architecture.

Continuous Blending (Don’t Stop the Sound!)
When reading a word, stretch the sounds smoothly without long pauses.
Example: mmmmaaap → map
Keep the sounds connected and slide them together.

Break It & Flex It (For Longer Words)
If a word is long:

1. Break it into parts (bas/ket, nap/kin).

2. Blend each part.

3. If it doesn’t sound right, flex the vowel sound and try it another way.

Example: ro-bot → try short o, then long o if needed.

Looking for fun ways to make reading part of your family routine? Try one of these this month!

📖 Flashlight Friday

Turn off the lights and read with flashlights. Everything feels more exciting in the dark!

🎭 Silly Voice Storytime

Take turns reading in funny voices — robot, pirate, baby, grandma — the sillier, the better!

🚗 On-the-Go Reading

Read signs, menus, grocery lists, or billboards together. Reading is everywhere!

Email: grimsrud_secretary@bismarckschools.org
Website: https://www.bismarckschools.org/grimsrud
Phone: 701-323-4150