Amazing GRACE | February 23, 2021 | GRACE Christian School

Celebrate GRACE Auction

GRACE families are invited to donate items for the Celebrate GRACE Auction taking place online from April 13-24, 2021 at www.BiddingForGood.com/GRACEChristian. Each TK-6th classroom and 7th-12th grade level has been assigned a theme in which to purchase and donate items. Auction baskets will be created with these donations and place up for bidding to raise funds for the Annual Fund. Funds raised will be used for Lower Campus classroom remodels and new roofing, and Upper Campus weight room, PE changing rooms, and new roofing. Donations can be dropped off in TK-6th Grade classrooms or at the front desk on the Upper Campus no later than March 18th. Or, if you'd like to donate auction items, experiences, vacation homes for a weekend or a week's stay, services, or more, please fill out this auction donor form to donate and participate.

Thank you for your support and see you at the auction!

Sign Up to Host a Home for Celebrate GRACE

The sixth annual Celebrate GRACE, an adults-only virtual gala to benefit the GCS Annual Fund, will be taking place on April 24, 2021. Due to the current circumstances surrounding COVID, this year's fundraising event will be held virtually. Individual families can view the gala at home or small groups can participate together at an outdoor porch-patio-style small group gathering at individual homes. Host homes are needed to make this fundraising event a success, and we invite you to consider opening your home to the community in this way. For more information about serving as a host home, or to sign-up to host, click here.

2021-2022 Academic Calendar

Our Executive Leadership Team has released the 2021-2022 GRACE Academic Calendar. Please note, as always, these dates may be subject to change. You can always find our Calendar and Bell Schedules online using the "quick links" feature from the homepage.

TK-3rd Literacy Night

Parents of TK-3rd graders: please mark your calendars for Monday, March 8th, from 6:30-8:00 p.m. for our GCS Virtual Literacy Night. This will be a fun night of learning about what your child does during their literacy block at school and how you can help them with reading at home. To register, please click here.

March Virtual Learning Sign-Up

Registration for March Virtual Learning is open! For those who plan to be off-site starting Monday, March 1st to Friday, March 26th, please be sure to complete this Registration Form by Wednesday, February 24th.

Lower Campus Read Across America 2021

Read Across America (in honor of Dr. Seuss's birthday) takes place next week, and like so many other things this year, we will not be able to do ALL the same activities. However, we would like to have some special spirit days to celebrate.

+ Monday, March 1 - Oh the Places You’ll Go! Day: Wear a shirt or clothing from a place you’ve traveled or would like to visit.

+ Tuesday, March 2 - On Beyond Zebra Day: Wear animal print or a shirt with an animal on it.
+ Wednesday, March 3 -.Green Eggs and Ham Day: Wear green today!
+ Thursday, March 4 - Fox in Socks Day: Wear silly or mismatched socks.
+ Friday, March 5 - The Cat in the Hat Day: Wear a fun or favorite hat.

Drivers Education

GRACE will be offering a "virtual" Driver Education class June 7-11 from 8 am - 2 pm. Students must be 14 1/2 years old by the first day of class and actively enrolled for the 2021/2022 school year to participate. Registration forms are available at the front desk. Please complete and return the form along with a copy of your student's birth certificate. No payment is required at this time. Class is limited to 35 students.

Last Call: Yearbook Shout Outs

A shout out is a line you can purchase to be printed in the yearbook. It is a great way to send a special message to your child. It is a great way for your child to let that special teacher or coach know how they feel. It is a fun way to put your favorite song lyrics or movie quotes in the yearbook. It is only $5, and your word will be immortalized. Note: Miss Hawks is the judge of whether or not your Shout Out is appropriate. If you attempt to put in something inappropriate for school, she will give you a disapproving gaze and keep your money as punishment. You can print out your Shout Out form here and bring to Miss. Hawks.

Celebrating Black History Month

Throughout the month of February, GRACE Christian teachers will be incorporating a variety of lessons and activities to celebrate black culture and black history - check out this neat lesson sent to us by Lower Campus art teacher, Mrs. Boyd:

In February, kindergarten students learned about African-American artists Elba Lightfoot and Alma Woodsey Thomas.

Elba Lightfoot was an artist who worked on the WPA murals in a hospital in Harlem in 1938. These murals were important not only because they were painted by Black artists but also because they showed diversity within the artwork. Lightfoot painted a mural called "Toy Parade" in a children's room in the hospital. Kindergarten students brought in a toy from home and practiced observational drawing by looking at and drawing their toy. We then created our own "Toy Parade" marching down our hallway, inspired by the murals of Elba Lightfoot.

Alma Woodsey Thomas was an art teacher for 35 years, and her abstract paintings incorporate order, color, and movement. She was the first graduate of her university's Fine Arts program and was the first African-American woman to have a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1972, when she was 80. One of her paintings was chosen to hang in the White House dining room in 2015. Students created their own artwork in the style of Alma Woodsey Thomas by filling concentric shapes with dots and dashes of color to imitate the mosaic-like effect of Thomas's paintings.