Grady Elementary was recently evaluated in the 2016 Teaching, Empowering, Learning and Leading (“TELL”) Survey administered by Hillsborough County Public Schools.  The TELL survey is an anonymous survey of instructional and professional staff in HCPS that assesses teaching conditions at the school and district level.  The survey asks participants to evaluate the culture of trust, the community support and involvement of parents, school leadership, overall student conduct, and the professional development of teachers.  Schools can receive scores from 1 to 100.  Grady received a 100 point rating on culture of trust, a 99.7 rating on community involvement and support, a 98.6 rating on managing student conduct, a 99.6 rating on teacher leadership, a 98.9 rating on school leadership and a 97.3 rating on professional development.  These are spectacular scores and reflect dedicated teaching and leadership and fantastic community and parent involvement.  Thank you, parents and teachers for helping to build a positive community for our students! 

For more information on the TELL Survey, click here:  http://www.tellhcps.org/faq

The Spring Musical is this Thursday.  Here is information about the event: Spring Musical.  We need volunteers to help set up the chairs for the Spring Musical.  Chair set up will take place from 7:45 am until 8:30 am under the Pavilion.  Please come by the Pavilion Thursday morning after drop off to help us set up chairs. 

There will be a silent auction and a raffle featuring wonderful items (theme park tickets, restaurant gift cards, wine and more) at the Spring Musical.  However, you need not be present to win any of these items! You can pre-purchase raffle ticketson Wednesday morning in front of school from 7:45 am until 8:15 am.  Tickets are $1 each or 7 tickets for $5. Cash, check and credit card accepted. On Thurseday morning from 7:45 am until 8:15 am, you can not only pre-purchase raffle tickets but you can place the tickets in the boxes of the items you want to win and pre-bid on silent auction items.  If you are not present at the end of the Spring Musical when the winner names are called, you will be contacted to pick up your prize from the front office.  To see a list of raffle and silent action items, please click here: Raffle and Silent Auction Items.  

Thank you to the families that came to Beef O’Brady’s family night last Wednesday.  It was our last Beef’s family night for the year and it was well attended.  We make about $100 or so per family night, so your participation really helps.  This week is Chick-fil-A Family Week.  That means you can order breakfast, lunch or dinner at Chick-fil-A at 609 S. Dale Mabry from Monday, May 16, to Friday, May 20, tell the cashier you are there for Grady, and a percentage of your purchase will be donated to Grady.  Every bit helps, and we appreciate when you take the time to help our school through family nights.

Grady's fourth grade students are now published poets!  

Our fourth graders worked on poetry for Poetry Month.  This year (for the first time) in addition to binding their own work, we selected their favorite poems and compiled those poems into a published (paperback) book. Each fourth grader has a poem in the book.  

Students also submitted artwork for the cover of our book.  The cover selected was illustrated by Sydney Nichols, fourth grade student at Grady.

We sold the books for $10.00.  The proceeds of the book are being donated to Camp Corral.  We are proud to say that we have collected $420.00 in profit that will be donated to Camp Corral! 

Camp Corral is a non-profit organization dedicated to transforming the lives of children of wounded, disabled and fallen military heroes by providing a unique summer camp experience with peers who share similar experiences.

We are so PROUD of our Fourth Grade!!!

The Grady Elementary Spring Book Fair starts May 12 (preview day) and ends May 20.  The Book Fair is a great way to get kids excited about reading and to buy some great summer reads!  Also you have the opportunity to donate books to your child's teachers' classroom and to children seeking treatment at St. Joseph's Hospital.

For more information about volunteering for the Book Fair, please click here: Spring Book Fair.

Shop Online at the Grady Elementary Spring Book Fair: http://onlinebookfairs.scholastic.com/default.aspx?f=3542685.

Thank you for supporting our school Book Fair and developing a love of reading in your child.

Ms. Reyher's team won the 4th Grade 2016 Grady Battle of the Books competition! The team will now move on to compete in the District competition on June 2nd at the Tampa Convention Center. Congratulations and best wishes to Team Reyher!! Click Read More to see pictures of the event.
Fifth Grade Parents whose children are starting at Coleman in August are invited to state whether they have an interest or willingness to serve on the Coleman PTSA Board of Directors. PTSA service is so important and Coleman has a wonderful PTSA with great leadership. Please click "Read More," and then click on the Related File at the bottom of the post, to learn about serving on the Coleman PTSA Board.

Thank you to the many Grady Families who donated gift cards for our Morning Show Gift Card Drawing that took place on May 5, 2016.  Each of the 67 teachers, as well as aides and administrative staff won a gift card in the drawing.  Each teacher will also receive a surprise gift on Friday May 6. Teachers were also treated to a delicious lunch today provided by all of you, the PTA. 

The PTA continues to fund classroom projects including materials for science projects, and new books for each classroom (to be distributed shortly by Mr. Tsourakis).  The new books were purchased with the money raised during the Barnes & Noble Family Night of Reading, which took place on December 4, 2015.  Moreover, the PTA recently approved the purchase of additional classroom technology in the form of the Touch Chat app for iPads in the ASD program.  This funding is in addition to the $10,000 that the PTA recently paid for laptop upgrades.  Through both appreciation and donations to the PTA, Grady Parents are making our school a fantastic place for the best teachers to work, and we are helping to purchase the technology and educational enhancements that will ensure our children are best prepared for life.

THANKS AGAIN TO OUR GENEROUS GRADY FAMILIES FOR MAKING TEACHER AND STAFF APPRECIATION WEEK GREAT!!

The Grady PTA is pleased to announce that we are bringing back our popular garden project. We placed beautiful, multi-colored snowflakes in the grounds at the front of the school in December. Now, to bring some colorful happiness to the end of the school year, we will be placing multi-colored flowers in the grounds during the month of May. Each flower is $5, and will include either the first name of your child or your family's last name.


Flowers must be purchased in advance. Order forms can be found in your child's folder or in the front office.  A printable PDF copy of the Order Form is also attached to this post as a "Related File."  To open the order form, please click on Related File and print. The order deadline for the flowers is Friday, April 29th. All proceeds will be used for school enrichment programs, new classroom technology, teacher mini-grants, and student supplies and enrichment. Please show your school spirit and Tiger Pride by purchasing a flower today!

Please volunteer for the Spring Book Fair, which takes place from May 12-20 at the Katheryn Hance Media Center on campus.  There will be a planning meeting on Monday, May 2 at 1:15 pm in the Media Center.  It will be a short meeting to let everyone know what to expect while volunteering. If you are able to attend the planning meeting  please email Media Specialist Nick Tsourakis at [email protected] or use the Volunteer Spot link below.  

You can use the Voluteer Spot link below to sign up for specific shifts.  Here's how it works in 3 easy steps:

1) Click this link to see our Sign-up on VolunteerSpot: http://vols.pt/BzgHAK

2) Review the options listed and choose the spot(s) you like.

3) Sign up! It's Easy - you will NOT need to register an account or keep a password on VolunteerSpot.

Note: VolunteerSpot does not share your email address with anyone. If you prefer not to use your email address, please contact me and I can sign you up manually.

The book fair will run late one evening, when we will be hosting author Augusta Scattergood and the students will be performing in the Spring Musical. 

For any questions, please call or email Nick Tsourakis at [email protected] or (813) 872-5325.

THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO FOR GRADY!  Our book fair raises substantial funds for new books and your volunteering makes it possible for our students to enjoy new books each year!