Growth and Change are Constants for Grain Valley Schools

Dr. Marc Snow Superintendent of Schools

The start of a new school year is always an exciting time. Whether it is simply an advancement in grade levels within the same building, moving up to a new school, starting a senior year in high school, becoming a brand new Grain Valley student, or beginning in kindergarten or preschool, there is a lot of anticipation about the 2018- 2019 school year.

There are some exciting things ahead for Grain Valley Schools as we work to provide an outstanding learning experience for every student, every day.

This summer, the district completed an addition to our Early Childhood Center, adding four additional classroom spaces and some much-needed restrooms and storage.

The high school also started to look different as we began our $11.5 million in additions to that building. The new front drive will be completed to start the school year, and the building additions will be completed during the year.

In addition to the growth and change in facilities, the district will also see many new staff members and students. We welcome them all to the Grain Valley School District.

Growth and change seem to be constants for the Grain Valley School District. As I start my 18 th year in the district, I am reminded of all of the changes just during my time in the district.

During those years, the district

opened many new facilities, including: South Middle School, North Middle School, Prairie Branch Elementary, Stony Point Elementary, Early Childhood Center, Transportation Center, and a maintenance building. That doesn’t even start to recognize the other additions made to each of these facilities and more. In that time, the district has also grown from a 1,700 student population to nearly 4,500 students; and the budget has grown to just over $43.1 million.

As a growing district, we tend to look ahead, but this year we will take time look back and reflect as we recognize a special anniversary. Matthews Elementary School celebrates 40 years of excellence this year!

The school first welcomed students in 1978. The school has been added on to and updated along the way, and serves as a proud icon for the thousands of Grain Valley children who have been students there over the years. We will host a special reception to celebrate 40 years of Matthews Elementary later

this year. Communication is important to our schools and district. We intend to share as much information as possible this school year.

We have recently remade our website to make it easier for families to find the information that is most important to them. We have also added a new app to give families easy access to school supply lists, district calendar, and other relevant information.

Other topics we look forward to sharing as the year progresses include: personalized learning for all students, safety and security in our buildings, managing our student population growth, technology in the classroom, and many others.

As always, we look forward to the start of a new school year and to serving the children and families of our community.

We are proud of our district and the opportunities we can provide to our children. Please contact your school building or our district office if you need anything.