The Book Fair is open late until 6 pm tonight.

School Pictures are tomorrow.

The Moms' Night Out is October 4, from 5:30 pm until 8 pm at Carmel Kitchen.  We've received a number of RSVPs, and we appreciate them.  However, RSVPs are not necessary, just appreciated.  We hope to see many Grady Moms tomorrow night. 

Congratulations to Ms. Trupp, Mr. Bruce and Ms. Taylor, each of whom are being awarded for their commitment to excellence in education.

Ms. Hillary Trupp, fifth grade teacher, has been named Grady Teacher of the Year 2016-17. Mr. Michael Bruce, Academically Gifted Program teacher, has been named Ida S. Baker Diversity Educator of the Year.   And, Ms. Karen Taylor, Front Office, has been named Non-Instructional Support Person of the Year.  Each winner has brought their best efforts and utilized their talents to serve the students at Grady.  A hearty congratulations to each of them.  To see a picture of them and to read a bit about the Ida S. Baker Diversity Educator of the Year Award, please click here:  Congratulations.

Monday is the last day of the Book Fair.  The Book Fair is going amazingly well and we are so close to meeting the financial goal that will let some lucky students slime Mr. Tsourakis during the Fall Festival on October 21.  To ensure we meet our financial goal, Mr. Tsourakis is opening the Book Fair up LATE on Monday. The Book Fair will be open LATE on Monday until 6 pm!   Any YMCA parents who want to shop after picking up their children can proceed right to the Media Center.  Any non-YMCA parents who want to shop, please go to the school gate on Church Street, where Mr. Tsourakis will have his cell phone number posted.  Call the number, and Mr. Tsourakis will let you in to shop.   Mr. Tsourakis also gives a huge “THANK YOU” to all of the wonderful volunteers who have given so much of their time this week to help ensure the success of the Book Fair. 

As you plan your next week, remember that we are having a Moms’ Night Out on Tuesday, October 4 from 5:30 pm until 8 pm at Carmel Kitchen.  There will be drink and food specials, see here:  Food & Drink Specials.  It is not necessary to RSVP, but it is appreciated.  If you have questions or want to RSVP, please email Krista Harvie at [email protected].   

Also next week is student pictures on October 4.  It is a voluntary non-uniform day.  If would like to order pictures and don’t have an order form, there are plenty of additional order forms in the front office.  

Please keep sending in Box Tops.  The deadline is October 21.  Please click here for more information:  Box Tops.   

Congratulations y felicidades to the Grady students who have won the Hispanic Heritage Bookmark Contest.  To see the complete list of winners, please click here:  Congratulations to the Hispanic Heritage Bookmark Winners!

Today Grady PTA has made the purchase of $318 in art supplies to pay for Grady students to participate in the Reflections Art Program.  The Reflections Program encourages and celebrates student artists.  This year, students will be reflecting on the theme “What’s Your Story?” to develop a piece of art that expresses a narrative about who they are as a person.  The program will be overseen by Grady Art Teacher, Ms. Debonique Grigsby, and the art work will be completed by student artists in grades 1-5 in Art Class.  There will be a professionally-judged art contest at the end of the program, complete with award ribbons for the top three art pieces in each grade, honorable mention ribbons, and an awards party that will double as an ice-cream social.  

Grady PTA invites mothers to a Moms’ Night Out on Tuesday, October 4 from 5:30 pm until 8 pm, at Carmel Kitchen, 3601 W. Swann Ave.  Moms' Night Out is an opportunity for moms to get to know one another while our spouses, partners or grandparents take care of the kids!  To see pictures of the Moms’ Nights Out from last year click here:  MNO October 2015 and here: MNO February 2016.  To see the fantastic $4, $5, and $6 food and drink specials that will be available until 7 pm, click here:   Moms' Night Out Information.

We have a new Bengal-level Tiger Family Partner, The Griffin Family - Drew, Jennifer, Roman & Cort!  Thank you so much to the Griffin Family for their generous donation to our school.  Because of donors like you, the PTA is preparing to fund and bring the Reflections Art Program to Grady for a second year.  

Grady PTA is again planning to bring the Scripps National Spelling Bee to our school in December.  We are in need of a Spelling Bee Chair to help coordinate the event.  The position involves ensuring the school’s registration is completed (the PTA pays all of the registration fees, copying and distributing the spelling words list to the third, fourth and fifth grades (the lists may not be posted online), ordering trophies and certificates for the winners, organizing the event, and finding the moderator, timekeeper and judge (we hope the people who served in those capacities last year will again volunteer for those positions).  The Spelling Bee occurs in early December during the school day in the cafeteria and is watched by most of the students in the school.  If you are interested, or want to contribute in any way, please email President Kris House at [email protected], for more details.  

We are just 35 memberships away from being, once again, a 100% membership PTA.  If you know someone who has not yet joined, or you think your child’s grandparents or other relatives would benefit from membership, please send them this link:  PTA Membership Information, with information about membership; and this link:  Online Membership Sign Up,  to join and pay online. 

We thank you for your membership and remind you that you can get discounts at Legoland through the Florida PTA’s website, http://www.floridapta.org/, and that you can designate Grady PTA as the recipient of a portion of your Amazon purchases on  Amazon Smile.  Follow this link: https://smile.amazon.com/ch/23-7102322 to get started.