GRIMSRUD ELEMENTARY

Greetings Grizzly Families!

October brings beautiful fall colors, crisp air, and a sense of rhythm as our school routines settle into place. Our Grimsrud Grizzlies are growing as learners and building connections each day! We look forward to upcoming parent-teacher conferences—a chance to celebrate your child’s progress, discuss next steps, and strengthen our partnership.

Parents often ask us for some ideas to work with their child at home. I say- keep it simple, life can be busy! Try a little “fall talk” at home! On a walk, car ride, or over dinner with your and their full attention ask, “What changes have you noticed outside?” Follow up with, “Why do you think that happens?” and take turns sharing ideas, maybe add a memory you have when you were their age around fall time. These everyday conversations build vocabulary, listening, and confidence—skills that help children connect with other kids and support their academic growth. The colorful sunsets, leaves, and now frost certainly give us much to talk about!

Please note this month our PlayLab is opening for 3-6 year olds, new district bike, scooter and E-Bike/scooter protocols, and several upcoming events (book fair, trunk or treat, conferences). See you soon!

~Dr. Brittany Upton

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Fall Fest Evening on September 29th! What a great night filled with fun, laughter, and community!

We had approximately 77 families (52% of our school families!) attend, bringing us to an estimated 229 people in attendance—not including staff and their children! We are so excited to see such wonderful participation and support from our Grimsrud families!

The evening was filled with fun activities, including:

• Face painting
• Pumpkin painting
• Games
• A visit from the Traveling Library

A huge shout out of appreciation to our amazing Grimsrud PTO for hosting this event with our Title I Team. Thank you to everyone who attended, volunteered, and helped make the evening such a success. We are so grateful for our amazing Grimsrud community and the memories we continue to make together!

Thanks for a GREAT night! We can't wait for the next one!

THANK YOU to all of you who have sold and brought back your chocolate money this last month! We appreciate all of you. The money raised from this fundraiser pays for all of the field trips, fun treats, other extended learning and events hosted by PTO through the year. That said, we still have 42 boxes left to sell. If you are interested in helping us meet our goals, please stop by the office and pick up a box, or two, so we can fund all the fun and learning we have planned through the year! If you have already checked out some chocolate, please get your money in as soon as possible!

Thank you for your support!

Grimsrud PTO

Next meeting date October 7th @4:30

Please join us for this great opportunity to build our connections and team in supporting your child! Beyond joining us for conferences here are some great ways you can nurture your child’s emotional well-being and academic growth with three simple daily practices:

• Talk About Feelings: Ask open-ended questions like, "What was a challenge you faced today, and how did you handle it?" to help them build self-awareness and emotional resilience.

• Establish a Calm Learning Routine: Set up a consistent, distraction-free space for reading and homework to build self-management and focus.

• Encourage a Growth Mindset: Praise effort and problem-solving rather than just how they are doing academically—remind them that mistakes are simply opportunities to learn and grow.

If you would like more information on how to set these up in your home or problem solve please reach out to Mrs. Schmidkunz, school social worker. She would love to help! You can email or call her at Grimsrud.

elizabeth_schmidkunz@bismarckschools.org or (701)323-4150

The Grimsrud Scholastic Book Fair is a special time when our library turns into a bookstore!

All the latest books for kids will be for sale. Students can also buy goodies like stationary, finger pointers, mystery pens, novelties and so much more!

The Book Fair will be open for 6 days on Oct 14th, 15th, 16th and 19th, 20th, 21st. Students can shop with their parents during Parent Teacher Conference nights, or before and after school.

Hours:

Oct 14th, 15th, 16th and 19th, 20th, 21st:

Before school=7:20-7:40

Daily= 8:00-8:10

After school=2:30-2:40

Extended hours during Parent-Teacher Conferences:

Monday 10/19 and Tuesday 10/20 from 2:30-6:45pm

If you have a 3, 4, or 5 year old at home, we would like to share more information with you about this amazing opportunity coming to our school. Please click the form below and submit your name so we can make sure you don't miss out!

For the safety of students and staff walking into the building, please walk all e-bikes, e-scooters, and bicycles in the walk zones highlighted below in yellow. Thank you for helping to keep Grimsrud safe for everyone.

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