First Semester Report Cards
Congratulations to all students (and their families) for successfully completing the first semester. Please note that Report Cards were mailed home today; we also released them online Monday as well. If you do not receive your copy by the end of the week, please contact Tracy Ahrens in our Main Office at tracyahrens@grauerschool.com or at (760) 944-6777. Thank you and welcome to the second semester!
Scheduling Changes and Honors Contracts
Please note that we will be making second semester elective scheduling changes through Friday, January 20. This deadline is especially pertinent for our 7th grade students enrolled in one of our World Language rotations—please let us know by this deadline if you would prefer to enroll in a Study Skills and Organization class during Period 3 for this academic quarter. After this date, students may withdraw from a class and enroll in Study Hall, but not a different elective course. Additionally, Friday, January 20 is the deadline for submitting completed Honors contracts for the second semester to Alicia Tembi. Students who successfully completed Honors in a year-long class during the first semester do not need to submit a new contract should they wish to continue with Honors for the second semester.
AI Club First Meeting: Thursday
We are excited to have another new club starting up this year: the AI (Artificial Intelligence) Club, with mentors Peter Mannisto and Morgan Brown. The club is open to all grades, and students who are interested are invited to come to the first club meeting this Thursday, January 5, at 12:00-12:30pm in Peter Manniso's classroom. This club is being formed due to a large amount of interest in the ChatGPT AI software that has become popular in the last few months. The purpose of the club is to learn more about AI and how machine learning algorithms work, use AI for fun projects that the students want to do, and create protocols around the ethics of using AI. The club also plans to involve students and faculty in the discussion to come to a general consensus on what will be allowed and what won't be allowed for using AI for school papers and projects.
Gala Planning Meeting: Friday
All parents are invited to join the Gala Planning Meeting this Friday, January 6, from 12:00-1:30pm in Meyer Hall. No experience necessary! Bring all of your groovy ideas and leave feeling excited about this parent-led event, which will take place on May 6, 2023. A light 70's-inspired lunch will be provided. Please email Lindsay Zickler with any questions.
Grauer Alumni Panel For Juniors & Seniors: January 10
We are excited to welcome some of our alumni back to campus next Tuesday, January 10, for an Alumni Panel for our students. The alumni panelists will share about their experiences at college, how Grauer helped prepare them, and any other questions students may have about college life and beyond. 11th and 12th Grade students will attend the panel during CVP Meetings from 12:30-1:25pm on Tuesday, and it will be moderated by Shelley Joslin and Alicia Tembi. Thank you to Sheila Wirick for organizing and to our Alumni for volunteering to be on the panel!
Parent Association Meeting: January 10
The next Parent Association meeting will take place on Tuesday, January 10 at 9:00am. Please note that this month we will plan to meet indoors in Meyer Hall. We encourage parents to plan accordingly and bring a mask if desired. Click here to view the agenda for the meeting. Contact PA Co-Presidents Julie Silvaor Diane Zeps for more information.
High School ASB Presents 2023 Grauer Pet Contest: January 9-13
The High School ASB will be presenting the 2023 Grauer Pet Contest next week, ending on Friday, January 13. Students and faculty/staff can sign up to enter the contest this Friday, January 6, in Meyer Hall. The entry fee will be $1, and participants will compete for a cash prize of $20 and a picture of the winning pet in the yearbook. The contest will take place online through Google Forms for the first round of competition, and on the field for the final round of competition. Contestants can dress up their pet as anything they want and submit video or photo submissions through a Google Form, and the Grauer school community will vote on all of the entries. Please note: you cannot vote for your own pet. Once the top 3 pets are chosen through the online voting process, those 3 pets are the ones that can come to school and judges will vote on the winner. Contact Sage S. '23 or Embry R. '23 if you have any questions.
Grauer Literary Society Meeting: January 13
The next Grauer Literary Society meeting will be on Friday, January 13, at Noon at the Hearst Tower, located on the rooftop of The Justice Center (weather permitting). The book that will be discussed is The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson. A haunting novel spanning several generations, The Seed Keeper follows a Dakhóta family’s struggle to preserve their way of life, and their sacrifices to protect what matters most. All Grauer parents, alumni parents, and community members are invited to join our group - just send an email to Sheila Wirick at sheilawirick@grauerschool.com to be added to the mailing list.
Parent Association Presents: Hike and New Years Intention-Setting: January 20
All parents are invited to join the Parent Association on Friday, January 20 at 9:00am for a New Years Hike! We will meet at Bird Rock Coffee in Del Mar for coffee and a brief intention-setting practice, led by a Grauer Parent. We will then hike Torrey Pines together afterwards. Contact PA Co-Presidents Julie Silvaor Diane Zeps for more information.
Lunch Service Changing to Ki's School Lunches: January 30
The Grauer School is happy to announce we will be switching hot lunch service from Choice Lunch back to Ki's School Lunches starting on Monday, January 30. Prior to COVID, The Grauer School had partnered with Ki’s for over ten years. As with many small businesses, Ki's had to put lunch delivery on hold during COVID. We are very happy to be back with Ki's and help support a local business. Ki's menu provides a healthy, natural and delicious lunch which will be delivered every day to the school. You'll find that the menu offers many selections for all dietary needs. Click here to find out how to sign up for Ki's lunches and a preview of the menu, and you can click here to learn more about Ki's lunch program on their website. If you have any questions, contact Tracy Ahrens.
Order Your Yearbook Now
Students and parents can click here to order your Grauer yearbook now for $70. The price will increase to $75 in February.
CALENDAR
View the 2022-2023 Grauer Academic Calendar Overview: Click here
View the Grauer Public Calendar on our website: Click here
Add the Grauer Public Google Calendar to your calendar system: Click here
Thursday, January 5
~ Discover Grauer Tour, 9:15-10:30am (FULL) Friday, January 6
~ Odd Week (1, 3, 7, 5)
~ Gala Planning Meeting, 12:00-1:30pm (Meyer Hall) Tuesday, January 10
~ Parent Association Meeting, 9:00am (Meyer Hall)
~ Alumni Association Presents: Grauer Alumni Panel, 12:30-1:25pm Wednesday, January 11
~ Discover Grauer Tour, 9:15-10:30am (please RSVP to attend) Friday, January 13
~ Grauer Literary Society Meeting, 12:00pm Sunday, January 15
~ Shockwave High School Robotics Team Meet #3, Chula Vista Monday, January 16
~ No School (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday) Thursday, January 19
~ Discover Grauer Tour, 9:15-10:30am (please RSVP to attend) Friday, January 20
~ Parent Association Presents: Torrey Pines Hike, 9:00am (Bird Rock Coffee)
~ Last Day for Scheduling Changes and Honors Contracts Friday, January 20-Saturday, January 21
~ Girl Rising Club Presents: Dance Marathon, 8:00pm to 8:00am (Meyer Hall) Wednesday, January 25
~ Discover Grauer Tour, 9:15-10:30am (please RSVP to attend) Thursday, January 26
~ Visual & Performing Arts Department presents: "Little Women", 7:00pm Friday, January 27
~ Visual & Performing Arts Department presents: "Little Women", 7:00pm Thursday, February 9
~ Discover Grauer Tour, 9:15-10:30am (please RSVP to attend) Saturday, May 6
~ Annual Grauer Gala Saturday, May 13
~ High School Prom (please save the date)
IMPORTANT LINKS
~ Attendance Office: Tracy Ahrens, tracyahrens@grauerschool.com, 760-944-6777 option 5 - refer to the Parent Portal on the school's website for detailed Attendance Policy information
~ Daily Lunch Program:ChoiceLunch through 1/27, Ki's School Lunches starting 1/30
~ Yearbook Orders:Jostens Store
Grauer parents are, by far, our best source of referrals for new families. We know you want your kids to be surrounded by other great kids, and we take your recommendations to heart. Do you know a friend or a family that would make a great addition to our Grauer community? Please invite them to sign up for one of our remaining Discover Grauer Tours on January 11,January 19, January 25, and February 9 from 9:15-10:30am.
Please ask your friends to RSVP for a campus tour at www.grauerschool.com. You can also use the "Welcome Your Friends to Grauer" page on our website to tell us about friends that you'd like to invite to a Discover Grauer Day event. Just fill out the brief referral form, and our Admissions team will contact your friend to start a conversation about their visit to Grauer. Thank you!
Visual Arts Department Presents: Winter Photography Contest - Due January 11
The Visual Arts Department invites students to enter the Winter Photography Contest. You can submit photos of anything relating to winter - for example, you can submit photos in the categories of nature/wildlife, people, and holiday-themed photos. Click here or use the QR code with your mobile device to submit your photos by next Wednesday, January 11. The person whose photo gets the most votes will win a prize! Contact Johnny King for any questions.
Girl Rising Club Presents 12-Hour Dance Marathon: January 20-21
The Girl Rising Club will be hosting a 12-hour Dance Marathon from Friday, January 20 at 8:00pm through Saturday, January 21, at 8:00am. Tickets for students will be $25 per person, and they will be sold at lunchtime - cash or Venmo is accepted. Each person will register with a dance partner, and the club members can help pair you with someone if you don't have a partner. Students can wear their pajamas.
We are looking for Parent Volunteers to be chaperones during the 12:00am-4:00am shift. If you are willing to chaperone, please reach out to club mentors Alicia Tembi, Shelley Boniwell, or Lindsay Zickler. This event will help the club raise money for Daraja Academy in Kenya, which is an all-girls school that provides education to girls who would otherwise not be able to go to school. The Girl Rising Club has already raised just over $2,000 of our $2,500 goal this year, and they hope to raise the rest during a fun night of dancing!
Weekly Columns
Principal's Desk
The Core Value Portfolio
In August of 2018, The Grauer School launched our Core Value Portfolio initiative. In surveying our students over the previous two years, many students shared that having to complete grade defenses and portfolios for each class each quarter—approximately 28 times over the course of a school year—was not as effective of an exercise in helping them truly reflect upon our core values as we had intended. Additionally, our faculty is committed to developing avenues to assess and report students’ development of our core values in addition to assessing and reporting a student’s mastery of academic course content. After many discussions with our students, faculty, Leadership Team, and Professional Development Team, the Core Value Portfolio was designed. We appreciate all of your support and ideas as we work to refine this capstone project.
The purpose of our Core Value Portfolio is two-fold:
To emphasize a student’s holistic growth and have a mechanism to track development of the school’s core values, and
To provide students with regular opportunities to reflect on their achievements, decision making, and learning opportunities within the framework of the core values.
We are excited to share that every student completed (or attempted to complete) a semester Core Value Portfolio, that our students are being challenged to become better at reflecting and practicing the core values/core competencies, and our organization is challenging itself to address the core values more effectively. With that said, we sincerely appreciate all of the student feedback that we have collected throughout the semester and are actively listening, working to refine this process to ensure that it is a meaningful experience for all of our students. As we continue with this process for the second semester, we encourage all of our students (and parents) to remember three important things that may make the reflections an easier process:
Students can use examples that show areas of improvement,
Students can use both academic and non-academic evidences (for example, a strong math quiz, an off-campus internship, participation in an outside activity such as a political march, starting a home garden based on information learned in a class, struggling to take organized notes in a class, a poor class exam, etc.) and,
Our structures are flexible. If you wish to share your growth and development in a different way, please self-advocate and share your ideas with your Core Value Portfolio Adviser.
We appreciate all of the time, energy, and honesty our students have invested in this process over the past semester and sincerely look forward to seeing their work culminate in both the 8th Grade Panel Presentation (8th grade capstone project) and 12th Grade Senior Graduation Defense Presentation (12th grade capstone project) this May. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to ask.
Best wishes to you all for a 2023 filled with love, health, and happiness.
Deans' View
New Year, New Opportunities!
We hope you enjoyed some quality family time over the holiday season and are feeling recharged and refreshed for the new year. We know we sure are feeling recharged! In fact, we're feeling so recharged that we wanted to send out this message to our entire Grauer family to spread the energy we are feeling and help direct it towards growth, personal development and new opportunities in this wonderful new year we are about to embark on.
New years are like new beginnings, bringing in fresh perspectives and opportunities to better ourselves. Like all great opportunities in life, these new beginnings do not happen without effort and intentional actions that produce the desired results we are seeking. Stay positive, stay disciplined and stay patient. These positive results are within our reach for each of us, if we are willing to do the work to achieve them!
Happy New Year, Grauer, and here's to fresh beginnings and new opportunities! Go, Grauer!
Click here if you'd like to subscribe to Dr. Grauer's weekly column!
Artificial Intelligence and Our Future School
The rapidly expanding reach of AI (Artificial Intelligence) has the potential to reshape many aspects of our lives, including how students create their academic work. Our teachers are grappling with how to know when students submit original work vs. work generated by AI, an issue that will be magnified in the near future when AI bots become even more prevalent and their output becomes more difficult to detect.
I’m sad to tell everyone in our Grauer community that Alumni Dad and school landscape architect Gary Stone died of complications from pneumonia in late November. Gary was legendary in the life and development of the school. When we lost our lease in 1998-1999, we were working around the clock to prepare our permanent campus. Gary, who was a world renowned landscape architect and just as good a Dad, prepared all our landscape architectural plans for approval. At our very first Gala that took place in the conference room at Rancho Valencia in 1998, Gary brought an inspiring rendering of our new property with design layouts—the first in existence for our school. Much of Gary’s plant palette is still in place all over the campus, and we still regularly call upon Gary’s incredibly talented business partner, the landscape architect Brian Grove at Stone Grove Landscape Architects (currently working with us on our recycled water vision). Our love goes out to Gary's wife, Diane, and his son, Cameron, class of 2002. The Grauer School honors and will never forget Alumni Dad, Gary Stone. — Stuart Grauer
Grauer Athletics
From Trevor Olson, Grauer Athletic Director:
Archery Program - Started This Week!
Archery Season started up this week, with High School signups on Tuesday and Middle School signups on Wednesday. Practices will be held every week on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 3:15-5:00pm on the Grauer archery range (weather permitting). Everyone is welcome to join the team and no prior experience is necessary. Feel free to contact Coach Trevor Olson if you want to join the team and weren't able to attend the signup meetings, or if you have any questions.
High School Soccer with Coach Morgan Brown
Coach Morgan Brown sent out a survey on Tuesday, January 3, to all High School students to find out how many students are interested in participating in the High School Co-ed Soccer program this year. The season will be starting later than usual this year, with practices starting in February and games in March. Games will take place at the Magdalena Ecke Family YMCA in Encinitas.
Upcoming CIF High School Basketball Games (Home Games will be played at Horizon Prep, located at 6233 El Apajo in Rancho Santa Fe. The teams love having Grauer students, families, and friends come to the Home Games to cheer them on!)
Thursday, January 5 - HOME GAMES vs. The Cambridge School: Girls Basketball at 5:00pm; Boys Basketball at 6:00pm
Tuesday, January 10 - Girls Basketball HOME GAME vs. Ocean View Christian at 5:00pm; Boys Basketball HOME GAME vs. Bayfront Charter at 7:00pm
Thursday, January 12 - Boys Basketball Away Game at Mountain Empire at 5:30pm
Middle School Winter Season Sports
Practices will be starting this week for Middle School Girls Soccer with Coach Paulina Davis-Fisher - click here to view the season schedule. Practices will be continuing this week for Middle SchoolBoys Basketball with Coach Johnny King - click here to view the season schedule. Both teams have their first games next Thursday, January 12 (weather permitting) - the Girls Soccer team will be playing their game at The Children's School at 3:45pm, and the Boys Basketball team's home game will be played vs. The Rhoades School at 3:30pm on our newly resurfaced basketball court. Go, Gorillas!
High School Surf Team Competes in Ocean Beach
From Surf Coach Billy Stern:Grauer’s High School Surf team competed in their third meet of the season on Saturday, December 17, at Avalanche in Ocean Beach. The ocean delivered fun 2-4’ waves for the morning team competition against Mission Bay and the afternoon's individual rounds. The Grauer surf team put in a strong performance against one of the best teams in our division, with Mission Bay winning in the end. In the individual competition, several Grauer surfers made the finals!
Mens Shortboard 1st place - Sage S. ’23
Mens Longboard 3rd place - Charlie T. ’25
Bodyboard 3rd place - Ronin M. ‘25
Womens Longboard 4th place - Mallory O.
In the team competition, Tate S. ’23, Embry R. ’23, Noe P. ’25 and Ty M. ’26 also put in good performances and added crucial points to our team. Thanks to all of the students and families who participated or were cheering us on! Also, we appreciate the excellent support and coaching from Grauer Assistant Surf Coach Daniel Bocater. Our next contest will take place on January 28 at Oceanside Harbor, South Jetty. We hope to see you there!
In The Garden Stephanie Murphy and Sally Grauer will be working in the garden on Wednesdays and Saturdaysfrom 8:00am to 11:00am, unless a garden event is happening at that time and if the weather permits. Volunteers are welcome to come on campus and join them in the garden on those days.
Important Reminder for Garden Volunteers: Garden visits through January will be sporadic based on the weather conditions. If you plan on volunteering, please email Stephanie to check with her before finalizing your volunteer plans. Even if it isn't raining, the soil may be too wet to work.
Thank you to all of the students and families who participated in our festive Drive-Through Cookie Exchange on December 14 before the Winter Break. We received some very delicious cookies which were enjoyed by all of the participants and their families! We would also like to thank everyone who helped hand out the cookies, including Dr. Stuart Grauer, Grauer Board Member and parent Mike Tanghe, Grauer parent Judy Tillyard, Stephanie Murphy, Shelley Boniwell, Trevor Olson, andour student helpers Abby E. '28, Payton L. '28, and Arabella T. '28.
Wow! How about all this rain! We have recorded over 2" of rain in the Greenhouse Garden so far and are looking forward to the forecasted continued rain through mid-January.
Before the storms arrived, we were fortunate to complete so many winter tasks with the help of two families. A big thank you to Carole Mariez-Pegulu for arranging an impromptu garden work day with her entire family, as well as Christian and Larissa Troy, on Saturday, December 24. Between us, we pruned the entire grape vine, dug rain runoff channels in the native habitat corridor to redirect all this rain into the plants in the habitat, instead of letting it run off into the storm waterways, brought down compost from the upper parking lot and added a thick layer around all the fruit trees so the nutrients could trickle into the soil with the rain, cleared out the drainage channel and picked up trash. Perfect timing all around! We sent home our helpers with a hefty load of freshly harvested mixed greens, lettuce, kale and mustard, which we hope they enjoyed.
We finished weeding and pruning the plants in the Native Verge Garden, and applied a fresh layer of pine needles in the walkway which will, hopefully, slow down some of this precious rainwater. We also pruned and sprayed the aprium, peach, cherry and pomegranate trees, as well as the native Western Redbud.
We spent time in the Butterfly garden, weeding and removing all the old annuals, and planting seeds for spring blooming. In the Greenhouse Garden, we are also preparing for spring. Rose expert and Grauer Board of Trustees Member Reggie Rowe, Sally, and Stephanie went shopping for rose bushes this week. We are transitioning the Greenhouse Garden into a Rose Garden so we can share more lovely bouquets with you! Reggie explained how to choose the healthiest plants, as well as how to coordinate color. We purchased several rose bushes, as well as two rose bush "trees", and two climbing roses for the bench arbor in the main garden. The rose bush shopping trip was the second of a 4-part series where we are learning about growing roses. In the next class, we will learn how to arrange and plant the rose bushes. We'll have to wait a few weeks until the ground dries out a little, but we are tentatively reserving Saturday, February 4, for planting.
In the Patch, we removed the spent marigolds and planted Uzbek Golden Carrots, Progress #9 Shelling Peas (in the places where the Wando variety has not come up), Japanese Minowase Daikon Radishes for Nick Scacco's class, and scattered seeds of "Endless Bouquets Cut Flower Garden". We also started numerous varieties of lettuce seeds and Zebrune shallots for the raised beds.
Events & Activities at The Grauer School
Grauer Middle School Theatre Students Present "Scrooge"
The Grauer Theatre Department helped everyone get into the holiday spirit by presenting "Scrooge" on December 14, performed by 8th Grade Theatre students. The talented cast included Davin S. '27 as Scrooge, Inder C. '27 as Tiny Tim and Marley, Chloe M. '27 as Cratchit, Lucy B. '27 as Holiday Past and Amy, Isabella M. '27 as Holiday Present and Sara, Charlotte J. '27 as Tim's Mother and Elizabeth, Evren M. '27 as Holiday Future and Ebeneezer, Nina as Ebby, and Wyatt as the Beggar Woman and Scrooge's Mother. The play was directed by Erin Langen, Grauer Theatre Teacher.
Families were also invited to view 7th and 8th grade student artwork in the Visual Arts Room with Johnny King, and on our new Grauer Art Wall. The 7th grade Multimedia presentations created by Dina Treibel's students were also displayed on the television in the Art Room. We enjoyed having our Grauer families on campus to watch the students perform and share this timeless holiday story, and to view the work created by our amazing Middle School students!
Basketball Court Upgrade & New Pickleball Courts
From Dr. Stuart Grauer, Head of School:
In 2019, generous parents at our gala created an amazing fund called “Get Outdoors.” I don’t think I have ever had so much fun with a fund! It has created our outdoor classrooms, our orchards and habitat area upgrades, and everyone is aware of our amazing gardening program not just for our students but for our parents, too. The final amortization of this fund went into an upgrade that will add a whole new unit of sports in our PE program in the nation’s fastest growing (and one of the most fun) sports: Pickleball. We hired a top notch tennis court builder to lay out new courts out and now state-of-the-art nets with rollers for portability. Our new courts will host whole classes of PE students plus allow for some great clubs and recreational opportunities. The highly anticipated Pickleball match between Trevor Olson and Dr. Stuart Grauer is expected to draw the crowds, and the oddsmakers have never been busier. On Wednesday, January 4, the basketball court got a workout at break time from the Seniors, and the 8th Grade PE class had a great time learning Pickleball with lessons from PE Coaches Trevor Olson and Clayton Payne.
Thank you to our school parents and patrons for making these incredible opportunities possible for outdoor teaching and learning! The "Get Outdoors" campaign was absolutely one of the most dynamic and educationally successful compaigns in our school history, and the Parent Association is ecstatic to announce we plan to refill it’s coffers at this year's Grauer Gala on May 6. We hope to see you all there!
Counselor's Corner
From Shelley Joslin, Director of Counseling:
Attention Junior Families: Please sign up for your Junior Family Meeting for post-secondary planning. Please email Shelley Joslin if you are not able to access the signup that was sent via email.
Summer Programs
Summer programs are open and accepting applicants - click here to learn about many offerings for the summer of 2023, from domestic programs in the United States to programs where you can travel abroad, and including both academic and service program options. This is a working list and will be edited and updated as needed throughout this semester. Please reach out to Shelley with any questions.
Community Service
From Jessi Brown, Humanitarian Service Coordinator:
Volunteering Opportunities For Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday: January 16
The Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service is a defining moment each year when Americans across the country step up to make our communities more equitable and take action to create the Beloved Community of Dr. King’s dream. While Dr. King believed the Beloved Community was possible, he acknowledged and fought for systemic change. His example is our call to action.
Observed each year on the third Monday in January (which is on January 16 this year), MLK Day is the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service to encourage all Americans to volunteer to improve their communities. Making time to volunteer for the MLK Day of Service is a great way to engage with your community while honoring the legacy of Dr. King. Whether you plan on cleaning up a public space, mentoring someone else, or assisting those who are food insecure, what you do makes a world of difference.
The Grauer School encourages you and your family to give back on MLK Day this year on Monday, January 16. Here are some local opportunities:
Several Grauer school students and teachers will be participating in the 15th Annual Interfaith Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service in Balboa Park from 9:00-11:30 am. This remarkable event brings people of different faiths and cultural backgrounds together for a wonderful morning of hands-on community service, fun and fellowship. Families are encouraged to participate together on this day of community work, suitable for all ages. "Let's make it a day on, not a day off."
MARA Rescue is a volunteer-powered organization that rescues a variety of farm animals such as horses, goats, and chickens that have been neglected and/or mistreated. They need volunteers to help with daily ranch chores and animal care so they can continue to care for the animals that live at their rescue sanctuary. Volunteers may help with cleaning/mucking (removing manure) corrals, cleaning and refilling animals' waters, feeding animals, raking, light construction, and other related tasks. Age Minimum (with Adult): 15, Minimum Age (without adult):18. Sign up here. There are 6 spots available for Monday, January 16.
The Lucky Duck Foundation is committed to raising awareness and funds to help alleviate the homelessness epidemic in San Diego County; and providing support and relief from harsh conditions to the thousands of homeless individuals and families living on our streets. Help distribute food and water to about 75 unsheltered homeless individuals in downtown San Diego. Volunteers will engage directly with unsheltered neighbors by walking the nearby streets and handing out food and water. Age Minimum (with Adult): 13, Minimum Age (without adult):16. Click here for more information.
Students & Parents: Volunteer In The Grauer Garden on Wednesdays or Saturdays!
Students are encouraged to volunteer in the Grauer Garden to earn service hours. Parents are also welcome to gather in the Garden Garden for horticultural learning and sharing, socializing with other parents, exercising, and enjoying the great outdoors. Come to the garden for an hour, a whole morning, or whatever fits your schedule, on any Wednesday and/or Saturday morning from 8:00am through 11:00am. Dr. Stuart Grauer, who often volunteers in the Grauer Garden himself, says, "Get involved in the Garden!" Jobs may include harvesting vegetables, cultivating the soil, pruning, planting seedlings, caring for the chickens, and more. Please be sure to email Stephanie Murphy if you plan on coming to volunteer, to make sure she will be in the garden that day.
Middle School Fridays
From Patricia Young, Expeditionary Learning Program Director:
Middle School Friday electives start this week, with our students busily engaging in our sports teams (Girls Soccer and Boys Basketball) and our winter mini-electives of Dungeons & Dragons, Pure Fun! activity rotations, and our brand-new program offering, Introduction to Design with Ryan Stevens. Stay tuned to our weekly schedule to help in arriving to campus with appropriate gear including clothes/shoes, a water bottle, and sunblock.
MS Friday Winter Elective Cycle
1/6 - Mini-elective session #1 and sports practices - ** This week's Pure Fun rotation is Felted Wool Soap with Patricia (see below).
1/13 -Mini-elective session #2 and sports practices
1/20 - Mini-elective session #3 and sports practices
1/27 - Mini-elective session #4 and sports practices
2/3 - Mini-elective session #5 and sports practices
2/10 - Mini-elective session #6 and sports practices
2/17 - No Middle School Friday activities (due to after school departures for ski week)
2/24 - Ski Week
3/3 - Mini-elective session #7 and sports practices
3/10 - Mastery Learning Day – MS Noon Dismissal, sports practices
3/17 - Mini-elective session #8 and sports practices
Felted Wool Soap with Patricia Young
Let's "learn by doing" as we come together to make dazzling bars of felted soap. This feel-good craft results in a product to bring home and share with family or friends. Wool, known for its antibacterial and antimicrobial properties, makes for great suds, exfoliation, and color when felted onto soap. The Pure Fun Mini-Elective students are asked to meet in Patricia's classroom (Room 322) this Friday from1:30-3:00pm to make their own mark on this craft project.
Student Spotlight
Parents, please let us know if your child is doing something newsworthy, so we can congratulate them in our Student Spotlight section! Please send submissions to newsletter@grauerschool.com.
Thank You From Conner's Cause
We would like to thank our generous Grauer community for sponsoring all 87 children on our Conner's Cause list this year! Thanks to all of you who made the holiday a lot brighter for a Conner's Cause child and their family this year, and to everyone who supports this program. It's important every year, but it seems especially important this year in light of how many families are struggling financially due to the pandemic.
For the past 17 years, The Grauer School has partnered with Conner’s Cause for the holidays. Sadly, after this year, Conner’s Cause will be closing their operations and Carol DelSignore, their Executive Director, will be retiring, so this was our last collaboration with their organization. Special thanks to Dana Abplanalp-Diggs, Jessi Brown,and Clayton Payne for their support of Conner's Cause over the last 17 years!
We would like to share a message below from Carol Del Signore, Executive Director of Conner's Cause for Children, where she expresses her gratitude to our generous Grauer families - "To our dear friends at The Grauer School: Thank you! Thank you for making it possible for our Conner's Cause kiddos and their families to know that there is an amazing and caring community of strangers that volunteers to make their lives more festive for the holidays year after year after year. And thank you for bringing happy tears to my eyes every year as I write my words of thanks that can never be enough to thank you all for all you do! On behalf of all of us at Conner's Cause for Children, I wish all of you a very happy and healthy 2023!" - Carol Del Signore, Conner's Cause For Children
Carol also shared a message of gratitude from from the family of Kirk Joseph Borja who received gifts from one of our Grauer families: "Hello and Merry Christmas to your family. I want to thank you so very much for the gifts you sent my kids. It means a lot, and I really appreciate it. Have a blessed holiday!"
Grauer Student Performers
Congratulations to Brandon D. '25 for playing his cello with the San Diego Youth Symphony at multiple performances of The Nutcracker ballet in December at the California Center for the Arts in Escondido. Brandon said it was a very fun experience to collaborate with all of the other students in the symphony on these performances. Congratulations as well to Charlotte R. '24 for performing the challenging role of the Arabian soloist ballet dancer in two performances of The Nutcracker at the California Center for the Arts. Charlotte said that she has wanted to perform this solo dance since she joined the San Elijo Dance and Music Academy in 3rd Grade, and she had the privilege of seeing other little girls inspired by her performance this year.
Happy Birthday!
Tommy R. '26 - January 5
Natalie R. '27 - January 5
Nina R. '27 - January 5
Makela R. '23 - January 9
