Currently we have over 150 responses to our survey about how best to spend our new finances if Amendment 73 passes. If you haven’t had the chance, please take a few minutes to fill out the survey. How this money will be spent is a local decision and your input is valuable. The link to the survey is on the district and each schools website as well as right here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdKahVhIpiePvdxchoJ0560CKhgh8iYsIhciey5SASq7Z1t_A/viewform

For information about the impact Amendment 73 may have on your taxes please use the tax calculator link that is on the homepage of our websites. This link will ask a few questions about your wages, business, and property ownership and will calculate the change, if any, on your taxes if Amendment 73 passes.

This year for the first time in many years, Middle Park High School is offering concurrent enrollment classes where students can receive both high school and college credits through Colorado Northwest Community College. We are proud that we have 69 students taking advantage of this opportunity this semester.

The preschool program at FVE held a Family Fall Picnic this past Saturday. Thank you to those families that could attend! Despite the wind, it was nice to have some informal time with parents and their children to share lunch, socialize and run around in the grass!

The MPHS Band will play for the last two home football games. They will also play for the Volleyball game Oct. 11 against Bennett.

Two MPHS Band members auditioned for and got in Northwest Colorado Honor Band. The concert will be in Aspen in November. Senior Connor Life is first chair, and Junior Dawson Grabner is second chair! This is out of the top 12 trumpet players in District 8. Congrats to Connor and Dawson.

Also, MPHS will be hosting internationally known Jazz saxophonist Javon Jackson on Thursday, Oct. 25. He will clinic the MPHS Concert Band and Jazz Band, and he will present a concert that is open to the public. The free concert will be at 3:45 p.m. The support of Winter Park-Fraser Lions, Granby Rotary, Grand County Blues Society, Azteca Restaurant and Brickhouse 40 make this possible.

EGMS sixth grade science is meeting with the conservation district on current water allocation laws and future needs. We had community people come in for a round table discussion, Justin Fosha Ag/ranch, Mr. Holinka business and industry, Katlin Miller recreation, and Josh Broady municipal. The students are currently coming up with what they believe should be future water allocations along with justifications.

GES kindergarteners completed their first STEM challenge of the school year. We read the book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and students used common materials to build their own coconut tree. Once their tree was constructed, they were challenged to balance as many letters on their “leaves” as possible. While doing this activity, students were using mathematical thinking and language as they discussed how best to balance letters, as well as one to one correspondence to determine how many letters successfully “climbed” their coconut tree.

WATCHDOGS are at Granby Elementary… WATCH D.O.G.S. is one of the nation’s largest and most respected school-based, family, and community engagement, organizations in the country. Since the program’s creation in 1998, more than 6,450 schools across the country have launched a WATCH D.O.G.S. program of their own. Each school year hundreds of thousands of fathers and father-figures make a positive impact on millions of children by volunteering millions of hours in their local schools through this amazing one-of-a-kind program. Who are WatchDOGS? Fathers, grandfathers, step-fathers, uncles, and other father figures who volunteer to serve at least one day a year in a variety of school activities as assigned by the school principal or other administrator. Join us Monday, Oct. 29 from 6-7 p.m., in the GES Cafeteria for a Pizza Party and get information on how you can be a WatchDog for our students and staff here at Granby Elementary. Call the school at 970-887-3312 for more information. Spread the word and see you Oct. 29!

There was a large number of staff and students who participated in the “Taking Steps to End All Cancer” event in Grand Lake last Saturday. Great work to all who walked.

The MPHS Panthers soccer team is on four-game winning streak. Homecoming games are this Saturday; JV at 11:30 and varsity at 1:30.

In eighth grade social studies, students are studying civil and criminal law. We are doing various class simulations with real cases from other states. Next week we will culminate with a mock trial, where students will play all roles in a criminal proceeding.

The Middle Park High School Art Club assisted artist Pat Milbery of the So Gnar Creative Division in painting a mural in downtown Granby. The mural is located next to Seven Eleven on the east side of the building that was formerly Sunset Flooring.

Jaime Polonowski, of JK Poole Architects, met with MPHS CAD students to talk about CAD, Architecture, and related career fields that utilize CAD and Vector based programming.

Fourth and fifth graders at F.V.E. are stepping into leadership roles this week. Students who are interested in leading our F.V.E. community signed up for student council. Our first meeting was kicked off with a STEAM (science, tech, engineering, arts, and math) challenge. We have 32 students who are excited to share their ideas about making Fraser Valley Elementary a SOARing place to be. Some of the ideas include the annual Mountain Family Center food drive, spirit wear, giving shout outs to our peers and classmates, and going green.

EGMS Football had their last home game Wednesday night against SOROCO. The Cubs got the win with a score of 32-14. The cubs will finish up the season on the road against Craig. The Team did a great job this year as they are probably one of the only teams in the state to play 11 man, eight-man and six-man football.

Frank Reeves is the superintendent of East Grand School District.