Mastery Learning Day: Friday
Please note that this Friday, March 10 is our third Mastery Learning Day of this academic year. On Mastery Learning Days, students must stay at school until all owed work and upgrades have been submitted—or 4:00pm. High School students that do not owe any work in any class may get signatures from all teachers and be released from school on Friday, March 10; Middle School students that do not owe any owed work or upgrades may be released at noon. If you would like more explanation of our Mastery Learning program and how this might work best for your child, please feel free to contact Dana at dana@grauerschool.com or Alicia at aliciatembi@grauerschool.com. We sincerely enjoy talking with you to develop the best individualized program for your child so that they can achieve their goals.
No School: Monday, March 13
Please note that there are no classes for students next Monday, March 13. We will be hosting an all faculty workshop day here on campus. Hopefully, this will also be a great opportunity for our students to sleep in, rest, and recover from wrapping up the third academic quarter. Classes will resume on Tuesday, March 14, with a 7-Period Day.
Parent Surveys: Due Wednesday
Student and faculty surveys were completed last week. Grauer Parents - we distributed surveys to you via an email blast on February 28. Please check your email for the message, and take a few minutes to complete your survey by this Wednesday, March 8. We take all of your feedback very seriously. If you have any questions about our survey process, feel free to contact Dr. Tricia Valeski.
ASB Presents Dodgeball Tournament: Next Week
The High School ASB/Leadership Class will be presenting a Dodgeball Tournament next week (March 14-17). Students, faculty, and staff will be competing in 5-person teams at lunchtime this week. Please reach out to Adrien C. ('23) if you are interested in participating.
Gala Committee Meetings - Join Us!
Our annual Spring Gala will be held on-campus on Saturday, May 6, and we welcome all parents to join us in planning the grooviest celebration ever. Please mark your calendars for the final two committee meetings and reach out to Lindsay Zickler with questions or ideas.
Friday, March 24 - 12:00pm-1:30pm
Friday, April 14 - 12:00pm-1:30pm
Auction Items For The Gala: Do you have a vacation home, unique experience or physical item that you would be willing to offer as a part of our auction? Examples: winter vacation home, monthly CSA subscriptions, private cooking class, sports outing, etc. Click here to fill out the online auction donation form. We appreciate your support and look forward to sharing more details about this upcoming event.
Grauer Literary Society Meeting: Friday
The next Grauer Literary Society meeting will be this Friday, March 10, at Noon at the Hearst Tower, located on the rooftop of The Justice Center (weather permitting). The book that will be discussed is Barracoon by Zora Neale Hurston, which tells the true story of one of the last-known survivors of the Atlantic slave trade. 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.
Graduation 2023: Friday, June 9
It is hard to believe that we are finished with our first semester and thinking about how we will be celebrating the incredible accomplishments of this year’s Class of 2023. Graduation will be held at the Seaside Center for Spiritual Living on Friday, June 9. Our 8th grade ceremony will be held at 11:00am and our 12th grade ceremony will be held at 2:00pm. We have never limited the number of attendees each graduate can invite (which is why we host our ceremonies off campus); please note that we do not offer any reserved seating for these ceremonies.
Order Your Yearbook Now
Students and parents can click here to order your Grauer yearbook for $75 per copy.
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
Friday, March 10
~ Literary Society Meeting, Noon (Hearst Tower)
~ End of Third Quarter/Mastery Learning Day Monday, March 13
~ Faculty Workshop and Grading Day (No Classes for Students) Tuesday, March 14-Friday, March 17
~ The High School ASB Presents: Intramural Dodgeball Tournament, Lunch Tuesday, March 14
~ Fourth Quarter Begins (7-Period Day) Friday, March 24
~ Gala Committee Meeting, 12:00-1:30pm (Grauer campus) Wednesday, March 29
~ Challenge Success presents: A Healthy Approach to College Admissions, 6:00pm (Meyer Hall) Monday, April 3-Monday, April 10
~ Spring Break (No School) Saturday, May 6
~ Annual Grauer Gala Saturday, May 13
~ High School Prom (please save the date) Friday, June 9
~ Graduation 2023: 8th Grade at 11:00am, 12th Grade at 2:00pm (Seaside Center for Spiritual Living)
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:Ki's School Lunches
~ Yearbook Orders:Jostens Store
Courage. Creativity. Joy. Learn By Discovery® this summer at The Grauer School! Summer programs at The Grauer School are engaging, educational, and fun! Our summer camps and courses are led by dedicated Grauer teachers, who are masters at building compassionate, authentic relationships with every student.
Grauer's Enrichment Camps focus on exploring creativity and new interests, fine-tuning specific skill sets, and building confidence for the upcoming academic year. This summer's Enrichment Camp lineup is shown below:
Mystery Camp: The Grauer Gang Crime Solving Unit (Middle School) - 6/26-6/30
Culinary Camp: Adventures in Cultures of the World (Middle & High School) - 7/10-7/14
STEM Camp: Introduction to 3D Design and Electronics (Middle School) - 7/17-7/21
Math Camp: Middle School Math Boot Camp (Middle School) - 7/24-7/28
STEM Camp: Fun with Robots & Drones (Middle School) - 7/31-8/4
We also offer For-Credit Academic Classes for Grauer students who want to get ahead or get caught up during the summer. We are excited to announce that, in addition to our Grauer camps, we will be hosting the Loly Lutti Pottery Camp and Snapology Technology Camps for younger campers this summer.
We invite you to take some time to browse through all of our exciting and enriching Summer School programs on The Grauer School's website. Tell your family and friends - Grauer's Enrichment Camps are open to all Middle School & High School students throughout San Diego county. Click on the button below to start browsing!
The Grauer School is a proud member of WeCare San Diego, a non-profit consortium of independent schools in San Diego County whose mission is to serve the community by providing parent education events. The next WeCare parent education talk features Cyber Safety Consultants and will take place on Wednesday, March 15at 6:00pm at The Bishops School. If you missed our parent talk on Cyber Safety with Jon Moffat earlier this year, this could be a great resource. Click here or use the QR code to register via Eventbrite for this free event.
You're Invited: Peace, Love & Pickleball on Sunday, March 26
Calling all parents! We are thrilled to announce the first annual Grauer Pickleball Tournament, which will be held on-campus using our brand new Pickleball courts on Sunday, March 26 from 11:00am-1:00pm.
These pickleball courts are courtesy of funds raised from our 2019 Gala, and this May, we once again will come together to raise our paddle for the "Great Outdoors." Nature is our greatest classroom and the winner of this pickleball tournament will receive a free ticket to the Spring Gala! Be sure to click on the button below to RSVP and secure your spot.
New to Pickleball? Not to worry! The Lukens Family and the Williams Family are graciously offering practice time at their homes for any to learn or simply to practice before the big event. Drop by to learn to play or just play with other Grauer parents.
Try Pickleball!
Tomorrow, Wednesday, March 8 at 10:00am (Encinitas)
Thursday, March 9 at 12:00pm (Encinitas)
Tuesday, March 14 at 10:00am (Del Mar)
Wednesday, March 15 at 2:00pm (Del Mar)
Stop by and play for as long as you can. No pressure! Please sign up for the practice play so that we can share contact information and the home address with you ahead of time.
Challenge Success Event For Students & Families: March 29
The Grauer School is thrilled to invite all High School parents to attend Challenge Success' popular workshop “A Healthy Approach to College Admissions” on Wednesday, March 29 from 6:00-7:30pm. Students and families in grades 9-12 are encouraged to attend - click here to view the event flyer. Some of the topics they will be covering include:
What is “fit” and why does it matter?
Are students who attend higher-ranked colleges better off later in life?
What do college rankings really measure?
We are excited to share this program with our Grauer community, and we hope that many of our Grauer families will join us! Click on the button below to RSVP for this event.
Ki's School Lunches is now providing hot lunch service at The Grauer School. Ki's menu provides a healthy, natural and delicious lunch which will be delivered every day to the school. Their 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, set up an account, and order lunches for your student on their website. If you have any questions, contact Tracy Ahrens.
Weekly Columns
Principal's Desk
We recognize that this ran last week too, but we wanted to run it again to encourage any students and/or parents that have not yet responded to complete our surveys. Surveys will close this Friday, March 10. We sincerely value your input. Thank you!
Challenge Success Surveys
Challenge Success is a non-profit affiliated with the Stanford University Graduate School of Education. They partner with school communities to elevate student voice and implement research-based, equity centered strategies that improve student well-being, engagement, and belonging. According to Challenge Success’s Research, far too many secondary student are struggling with their well-being and experience a lack of belonging and engagement with school.
In their surveys of over 100,000 high school students across the nation, Challenge Success has found that:
90% are sleep deprived
75% report exhaustion, difficulty sleeping, and headaches because of stress
77% report engaging in at least one academically dishonest behavior in the last month
63% report workload is a major sources of stress
Nearly 50% put forth effort but rarely or never find school interesting or enjoyable
Nearly 30% report that almost none of their homework is useful to their learning
Only 42% feel they can really be themselves at their schools and only 40% feel like a part of the school community
The Grauer School is committed to having a healthy, enriched, engaging school community where students feel an authentic sense of belonging. We believe in giving our students a voice in what and how they learn and recognize that it’s essential that we check-in with our students and families regularly to assess the degree to which we are achieving our mission: to teach and encourage students to become resourceful, intellectually curious, intrinsically motivated, self-advocating, and accountable in a compassionate, college preparatory environment.
Last week, our students took surveys during their Core Value Portfolio Advisory periods. Our Leadership and Dean teams will analyze the data collected from our school surveys as well as findings from our talented faculty and staff to identify insights and patterns about our students’ well-being, belonging, and engagement with learning. Dr. Tricia Valeski in our Research and Evaluation Office also sent out the Parent Survey to all of our school families by e-blast; we recognize that your time is incredibly valuable, but we would sincerely appreciate your taking 5-10 minutes to share your thoughts and opinions so that we can further refine our programs.
Additionally, for our high school families, please mark your calendars for Wednesday, March 29 from 6:00-7:30pm. A representative from Challenge Success will be coming to The Grauer School’s campus to present their popular workshop “A Healthy Approach to College Admissions” for our students and families in grades 9-12 - click here to view the event flyer. I have participated in this workshop previously and am excited to share it with our Grauer community. You will receive more information soon, but some of the topics they will be covering include:
What is “fit” and why does it matter?
Are students who attend higher-ranked colleges better off later in life?
What do college rankings really measure?
Please come out to learn strategies to help reduce pressure around the college admissions process and ways to support students’ well-being and readiness for life in college and beyond. With the pandemic still inserting more uncertainty into this process, we will also include a question and answer session at the end to answer some of your questions. This workshop is designed for both students and their parents.
Like Challenge Success, The Grauer School values student voice and implements research-based, equity centered strategies designed to improve student well-being, engaging, and belonging. We are excited to partner with them this year to learn more through their surveys and College Approach workshop. Thank you and we look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Deans' View
Respect and Compassion
As a Grauer Community, it is really important to act appropriately and treat others with respect and compassion. We obviously expect this to be shown on our campus during the school day, and we encourage and hope that this extends off of our campus as well.
In today’s world, the ability to promote ourselves in a positive light, to communicate and connect with others, and to support or uplift our peers is at our fingertips, with our phones and other devices. Unfortunately, it is just as easy to abuse these tools and hurt someone with a comment, a picture, or some other way of disrespect or non-empathetic nature.
We should all think about how we want to be perceived by others. It’s not above any of us to initiate a personal reset.
Act with kindness and respect for others on and off our Grauer campus.
Promote acceptance and support for everyone around you, whether you are part of their same circle of friends or not.
Reach out to someone you haven’t seen or talked to in a while, or someone that you don’t know.
This world is already an uphill battle at times, so let's all try to be on the same team in person, as well as off campus or on social media. It’s up to all of us (students, teachers, and staff) to create a compassionate school environment that we are all proud of.
Click here if you'd like to subscribe to Dr. Grauer's weekly column!
Guardrails
Growing numbers of students in our country are afraid to express their ideas in the classroom. Can we restore freedom and the confidence to speak up by removing some of the guardrails that are keeping them quiet?
Archery Program: Gearing Up for the San Diego Championships!
Congratulations on a fantastic weekend of shooting at our Archery competition on the Grauer range last Saturday, March 4! It was so much fun watching everyone compete and have fun in the process.
The Grauer School Middle School and High School (shown in the photos below) put forth an amazing showing, and Coach Eric and I were very proud of the shared accomplishments earned by all on the range. Great work, everyone! The next two weeks will be spent gearing up for the San Diego Conference Championships which will be held on Saturday, March 18, at Grauer. We've got a lot of work to do, team, so let's get out on the range and get after it!
High School CIF-Spring Sports: Starting Strong! Big shout-out and congratulations to our student-athletes that have joined the Spring Sports rosters through our CIF-Sanctioned partnership with Horizon Prep. All sports teams have started up and are underway to achieving high levels of success, personal growth and enjoyment! Here are the CIF-Sports we are participating in this Spring Season:
Coed Golf
Girls Beach Volleyball
Coed Track & Field
High School Coed Soccer
High School Coed Soccer with Coach Morgan Brown has practices on Mondays at 3:15-4:30pm and Fridays at 1:30-3:00pm (unless there is a game). The team's first game of the season is this Friday, March 10, at 5:00-6:00pm. Family and friends are invited to come and cheer for the Grauer team at the Magdalena Ecke Family YMCA in Encinitas!
Middle School Spring Sports
Our Middle School Spring Sports started last week. Typically, games will either be on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school, and practices will be held on Fridays from 1:30-3:00pm. Here are the Middle School sports we are planning on offering this Spring season:
Girls Basketball with Coach Johnny King - click here to view the season schedule
Boys Soccer with Coach Paulina Davis-Fisher - click here to view the season schedule
Coed Basketball Club with Johnny King: Wednesdays at 3:00pm
“Basketball Club” with Johnny King is Coed, and open to Middle School students, High School Students, teachers, and staff. Basketball Club is held on Wednesdays after school starting at 3:00pm, and continues for however long people can stay, even if it's only for 30 minutes. The group will decide what games to play depending on the amount of players who show up, including multiple half-court games or full-court games. Knock Out and Around the World are also some favorites of Basketball Club. This is a great opportunity for the younger players to get more experience playing against older players. Contact Johnny King for any questions.
Grauer High School Surf Team Members Achieve Top Results
From Surf Coach Billy Stern: The Grauer Surf Team celebrated the completion of a fun-filled season of surfing competition last Thursday, March 2. Several of the Surf team members achieved outstanding results in the overall season individual rankings and were honored with trophies from the Scholastic Surfing Series. This is the first time Grauer Surf Team members have achieved being in the top 6 individual rankings for the overall season in every division:
Sage S. ’23 - Mens Shortboard - 1st place
Charlie T. ’25 - Mens Longboard - 3rd place and Mens Shortboard - 6th place
Ronin M. ’25 - Bodyboard - 2nd place
Mallory O. - Womens Shortboard - 3rd place and Womens Longboard - 4th place
Thanks to all of the team members that participated in the competition season, and congratulations for doing their best! Also gratitude for the superb support and coaching from Grauer assistant surf coach Daniel Bocater.
Award-Winning Documentary “Waterman” About Duke Kahanamoku
Following the Surf Team celebration, the Grauer School hosted a screening of the award-winning documentary “Waterman”, about Duke Kahanamoku - the surfing legend, Olympic swimming champion and pioneering ocean lifesaver. Many people from the community attended along with the Surf Team to watch this inspiring documentary on the Meyer Hall big screen. For those who missed it, “Waterman” is now available for streaming rental on Amazon Video, and it’s well worth watching!
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 join them in the garden, but please be sure to contact Stephanie if you're planning on joining them.
Last Friday, March 3, we met up to weed and prune the beautiful path of natives along Tennis Club Drive as you enter the school. We were led by alumni parent and native plant expert, Jesse Giessow, original planter of the natives, who helped us avoid weeding out California Poppies that are emerging and to leave the Torrey Pine needles that are forming a natural mulch bed for the plants which preserves the moisture. She also taught us a method of “chop and drop” pruning, where you cut back the branches in small pieces and leave them on the ground to add organic material (natural fertilizer) to the soil as they decompose. Thank you to our small troop of gardeners that included Carolyn Whitehouse, Dr. Stuart Grauer, and Sally Grauer! While we worked on the native garden area, Molly Halterman was in the garden cleaning out the pond for resident turtle, Michaelagelary, who will be emerging more as the weather warms. Thank you, Molly! The garden is bursting with new growth from all the rains. It should be an amazing Spring!
Events & Activities at The Grauer School
High School Teams Compete At San Diego Science Olympiad
From Paulina Davis-Fisher, Peggy Gardner, andRyan Stevens, Science Olympiad Team Coaches:
The Grauer School had two High School teams competing at the San Diego Science Olympiad (SDSO) competition at San Diego Miramar College on Saturday, March 4. There were 56 teams competing from all over the San Diego region. Our teams competed in a variety of events across the STEAM spectrum, including traditional laboratory science events; events testing general knowledge in different science topics; using historic and modern cryptanalysis techniques to decode encrypted messages; building machines or structures that were tested during the event; and much more.
Some members of the team were not able to compete due to illness, which meant we weren't able to compete in all of the events that were planned. However, we still had some great team results. It’s a huge accomplishment for a team to place in the top 20 of any events, so it was very exciting that some of our teams were able to accomplish that. We also want to acknowledge the students who competed by themselves because their partner was sick, finishing ahead of other teams even though they were at a disadvantage, as well as the students who prepared for the event but were unable to compete, including Andi W. '23, Kendall B. '24, Carson B. '24, and Ezri R. '25.
Here are our final team placements (out of 56 teams competing):
Anatomy & Physiology - Cooper B. '24 and Nicholas H. '24 - 18th place
Astronomy - Kate Z. '25 and Nicholas H. '24 - 14th place
Bridge - Aviya A. '24 and Mycah A. '26 - 25th place
Cell Biology - Anthony B. '25 and Kate Z. '25 - 42nd place
Chemistry Lab - Cooper B. '24 and Nicholas H. '24 - 37th place
Codebusters - Maya P. '25 and Anthony B. '25 - 29th place
Codebusters - Aviya A. '24, Mycah A. '26, and Erin W. '25 - 42nd place
Experimental Design - Juna M. '23, Skye S. '23, and Noah P. '23 - 26th place
Fermi Questions - Luke L. '26 - 39th place
Flight - Milan B. '25 and Brandon D. '25 - 16th place
Forestry - Juna M. '23 and Skye S. '23 - 26th place
Scrambler - Milan B. '25 and Brandon D. '25 - 10th place ** Medal Winner
Congratulations to all of our students who represented The Grauer School at the San Diego Science Olympiad this year - we're so proud of all of you! We had quite a few new students this year, and this was a great experience for the new team members to try the events this year so they know what the competition is like. All High School students are welcome to join the Science Olympiad team next year!
Battle Of The Bands
From Isaac Langen and Tom Hopper, Music Teachers:
The Music Department presented our 4th annual Battle of the Bands semi-final competition at lunch on Friday, March 3. There were 7 bands that performed, with a total of 28 students participating in the bands. After the semi-finals, Grauer students, teachers, and staff voted on the best of the bands and musicians. Congratulations to these award-winning students:
Outstanding Vocalist - Mel
Outstanding Guitarist - Ty
Outstanding Bassist - Will
Outstanding Keyboardist - Victoria
Outstanding Percussionist - Kendall
Best Band Name -Daddies With the Fatties (sorry everyone) featuring the Senior Boys
Best Stage Presence - Ecstasy ("Misery Business" by Paramore)
The top three bands listed below performed for the finals on Tuesday, March 7, at the school's assembly.
Ecstasy ("Misery Business" by Paramore) with Mel, Charlotte, Ty, Kendall, Gavin, and Victoria
Daddies With the Fatties ("Cheerleader" by Omi) with Sean, Tate, Embry, Sage, Devon, Adrien, and Arthur
Boy Smell ("Mr. Brownstone" by Guns N Roses) with Makela, Shaun, Ty, Andre and Kendall
The Grauer faculty and staff voted to choose the winner, which was "Ecstasy"! Congratulations to all of the musicians and bands who performed at the semi-finals and finals, and thanks to our audience for your support of our Grauer musicians. Go, Grauer Arts!
Carnival Games Presented By Pre-Calculus Class
From Clayton Payne, Pre-Calculus Teacher:
On Tuesday, March 7, the Pre-Calculus class presented their annual Carnival Games during lunchtime, where Grauer students and teachers could play some fun games of chance using Grauer Bucks. In Pre-Calculus, students are tasked with demonstrating an understanding of the notion of discrete random variables by using them to solve for the probabilities of outcomes expressed as multivariable functions. An application of this understanding is in calculating the mathematical expectation of a combination of events, important work in both the insurance industry as well as in games of chance. Each year as a project, students design, build, and test their own carnival games. Using the average probability of success from their testing phase, students then calculate the mathematical expectation - the average they expect to make per player - of their game. During lunch, students run their games and collect data. Afterwards, they are asked to compare and contrast their results with their predictions, reflecting on any similarities and/or discrepancies. It's quite the exciting way to end the Probability and Statistics unit!
Japanese American Internment Speaker Visits 11th Grade US History Class
From Alicia Tembi, U.S. History Teacher:
Last week, the 11th grade US History class welcomed Mr. Jack Kubota, who was forced to live at age 13 in the Poston 1 internment camp for Japanese Americans located in Arizona. Mr. Kubota spoke to the 11th graders about life in the camp, how his family was impacted by internment, and how he acclimated to society afterwards. Mr. Kubota was accompanied by Ms. Linda Canada, a former archivist and educational outreach coordinator at the Japanese American Historical Society in San Diego. She provided information about how the San Diego region was impacted by internment. Their stories illuminated the resiliency of the human spirit and the power of hope. We greatly appreciate Mr. Kubota's willingness to speak candidly about a difficult time and we thank him for his service in the US Navy following internment.
In response to this powerful experience, 11th graders offered the following reflections:
~ Emerson M. '24 - "Hearing from Mr. Jack was super meaningful. Even despite the horrible things he and his family had to go through, he has continued to live a very happy life. His stories taught us all a life lesson that things are only bad if you look at them in a negative light."
~ Gavin M. '24 - "Having the opportunity to talk to Mr. Jack was incredible. Listening to his life experiences in the Japanese camps and learning his perspective on a crucial moment in the United States‘ history not only provided me with a new outlook, but taught me an important lesson about positive perception in difficult times."
Physics Class: "Egg Drop" Momentum & Energy Project
From Morgan Brown, Physics Teacher:
Last week, Physics students finished their unit on momentum and energy by designing and building devices in the classic "Egg Drop" experiment. This experiment required them to build a contraption to hold an egg while it was dropped from a large height, with the goal of having the egg stay intact after impacting the ground. Students were allowed to be creative and use anything they could find at the Dollar Tree store within a $5 budget. Some of the materials used for construction included balloons, foam, bubble wrap, sponges, cotton balls, plastic bags, small parachutes, paper towels, straws, and cardboard.
The students learned about the relationship between drop height and impact velocity, the relationship between impact duration and distance with the force experienced by the egg, and the various ways to improve the chances of survival. Most students designed an apparatus which both slowed the descent of the egg as well as cushioned the impact. The best designs incorporated both elements. Congratulations to all of the students who built successful devices that kept their egg from breaking after being dropped at over 5 meters high from The Justice Center's upstairs walkway on Wednesday, March 1. For the first year ever, 100% of the students built a successful device that kept their egg safe from breaking!
8th Grade Physical Science: Exothermic Experiment
From Patricia Young, Science Teacher:
In recent weeks, 8th Grade Physical Science students have been applying their understanding of thermal energy and exothermic chemical reactions to an engineering design challenge to make portable heat packs. Students are working their way through the Engineering Design process by first identifying a problem with its criteria and constraints, then brainstorming and researching reactions, and planning appropriate tests. The pictures show students running trials to assess optimal ratios of reactants and then jumping into the design (and redesign) of their products. The culminating aspect of this project will be project presentations with peer reviews and critiques.
Faculty & Staff Appreciation Luncheon: 8th Grade
The Grauer School faculty and staff would like to extend our deepest gratitude to our wonderful 8th grade parents! On Thursday, March 2, the 8th grade families treated us to a delicious Italian lunch featuring different types of lasagna and ravioli, along with salad, bread and yummy desserts. Thank you to all of the Grauer 8th Grade families who were involved, and special thanks to Room Parents Sara Johnson and Jennifer Moores for organizing, as well as Ann Chokkar for helping to clean up.
Our faculty and staff thoroughly enjoyed it and felt sincerely appreciated:
~ "Such a delicious lunch! Thank you, wonderful 8th grade families."
~ "So grateful for another delicious lunch ~ many thanks!"
~ "The lunch was amazing, thank you!"
~ "Thank you so much to the 8th grade parents for such a lovely lunch. It was delicious!"
Counselor's Corner
From Shelley Joslin, Director of Counseling:
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, including both academic and service program options. Many of the programs have deadlines for applications and financial aid in the March/April timeframe. 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:
Solana Center Store Volunteers Needed: Saturdays
You can help the Solana Center for Environmental Innovation run their store in Encinitas and deliver their great programs to the public. Each week, you can volunteer for a shift on Saturdays between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm. You will assist staff with setup and/or breakdown of staging areas for their programs: e-waste collection, rain barrel distribution, Food Cycle bucket exchange, and curbside pickup of composting supplies. Wear clothes that can get dirty and closed-toe shoes, and bring a reusable water bottle. All levels of experience are welcome! Age Requirements: Must be at least 15 years of age. (Waiver needed for volunteers under the age of 18.) Click here to sign up.
Hygiene Kit Collection For Third Avenue Charitable Organization: March 14-24
Homelessness is on the rise across the nation. It’s estimated that there are around 2,000 unsheltered people just in downtown San Diego. The Grauer Community Service Club invites you to help those in need by donating hygiene items. We're working with the Third Avenue Charitable Organization (TACO), whose mission is “a community drawn together to support the dignity, health and well-being of people among us experiencing homelessness and poverty." Collection bins will be located in Meyer Hall from March 14-24. Items needed include toothbrushes, toothpaste, bars of soap, shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, shave gel, deodorant, combs, razors, lip balm, facecloths, bandages, hand sanitizer, tissues, nail clippers, hair ties, and feminine hygiene products (tampons and pads). Please note that students do not earn community service hours for donating items.
Upcoming related events where students can earn community service hours: There will be a Hygiene Kit Assembly activity on Tuesday, March 28, at lunchtime in Jessi's room, and an opportunity to volunteer at TACO serving meals. More info to come.
Middle School Fridays
From Patricia Young, Expeditionary Learning Program Director:
There will be no Middle School Friday activities this week, due to Mastery Learning Day.
MS Friday Spring Elective Cycle
3/10 - Mastery Learning Day – MS Noon Dismissal. Sports practices TBD by coaches.
3/17 - Mini-elective session #2 and sports practices
3/24 - Mini-elective session #3 and sports practices
3/31 - No Middle School Friday electives (due to after school departures for Spring Break). Sports practices TBD by coaches.
4/7 - Ski Week
4/14 - Mini-elective session #4 and sports practices
4/21 - Mini-elective session #5 and sports practices
4/28 - Spring Expeditions
5/5 - Mini-elective session #6 and sports practices
5/12 - Mini-elective session #7 and sports practices
Teacher Spotlight
Grauer Ambassador At Community Event
Pastor Bill Harman, World Religions Teacher and Grauer Ambassador, posed with Encinitas Mayor Tony Krantz at a San Dieguito Interfaith Ministerial Association meeting on issues facing our city. The Mayor emphasized the importance of schools and faith communities sharing in future planning, and how the many non-profit organizations in Encinitas can help solve issues we face. The Grauer School has always worked closely with Encinitas city officials, and Bill is often out at community events such as this, representing The Grauer School to a wider community around Encinitas and San Diego.
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.
College Signing Ceremony For Senior Athletes
Two of The Grauer School's Senior athletes were recognized by Grauer Athletic Director Trevor Olson at the school assembly on Tuesday, March 7, during an informal Signing Ceremony, celebrating their intent to attend college and participate in their sport of choice.
Congratulations to Makela R. '23 for signing to attend Oberlin College, an NCAA Division III institution, and committing to participate in Women's Volleyball during the 2023-2024 academic year. Trevor spoke about the arc of Makela's athletic career at Grauer and Horizon Prep. Makela first found her love for sports when she started as an archer on the Grauer Middle School Archery team. After she tried volleyball, however, that quickly became her favorite sport, which she played at Horizon Prep during all 4 years of High School. Makela said, "I want to thank my family, friends, mentors, and all of my coaches who have pushed me to be the best volleyball player and person I can be. This sport has given me so much and I am so grateful for the opportunity to play at the next level. I can't wait to be an Obie next fall!" Makela's proud parents, Joe and Molly Reid, posed with her at the ceremony.
Congratulations to Devon O. '23 for being recruited by Tufts University to pursue his passion for sailing on the Tufts Varsity Sailing Team. Trevor shared a summary of Devon's sailing career: "For Devon, it all began at age 7 when his parents enrolled him in the Junior sailing program at the San Diego Yacht Club. As he progressed, he started racing his 8-foot sabot sailboat in the local junior fleet, and soon became addicted to the sport. Devon proved to be a natural, winning a podium position in his first Sabot Nationals at age 12. Devon then started racing the Laser, an Olympic class single-handled sailboat. After much success, he has since graduated to training with US Sailing coaches alongside other Olympic hopefuls in the US Olympic Development Program for men. You just might see Devon representing the United States at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, carrying with him, as always, his Grauer spirit." Devon's proud parents, Scott Owen and Cathy Santone, posed with him at the ceremony.
Happy Birthday!
Tyler O. '26 - March 8
Brahm J. '25 - March 9
Alana M. '26 - March 11
