Below is a list of the PTA services, programs, projects, events and fund raising activities that make our school a wonderful learning environment for our students.

5K Gator Run: A GV tradition, the PTA organizes this event to raise funds to support the Manhattan Beach school district. All funds raised are donated directly to the Manhattan Beach Education Foundation, which supports all schools in the district.

The gator 5k is a beautiful course through picturesque Manhattan Beach. It begins and ends at Grand View Elementary School. It follows rolling hills toward the center of town and through the tree section and back up the hill to the school.

Advocacy: PTAs can and must participate actively in the process through which public policy decisions are made. Taking action on local issues affecting our children’s education is a priority.  This PTA service aims to educate and recommend action to our parent members.

Ambassador Playground Program: A playground recess program in which the 4th grade students help the 1st and 2nd graders become familiar with the “big” playground in campus. The 4th grade students, or Ambassadors, play various school yard games, like handball and jump rope with the younger ones. The Ambassadors also put away all equipment used at the end of recess, giving them another opportunity to model for the younger students. The younger students thrive on having older Gators play with them, easing the transition especially at the beginning of the year.

Blood Drive: An annual blood donation drive in coordination with the National Red Cross.

Book Fair: An annual opportunity to restock our libraries (home, class and school) with fabulous books at great prices. A “Family Night” featuring an author reading and book signing is a highlight of the week.

Box Tops for Education: Clipping Box Tops from participating brands (look for the logo on the lid) throughout the school year is another source of funds.

Family Fun & Movie Night: A Gator tradition to welcome new and returning students and their families. Held in the Fall, this family event invites all to come and enjoy great food, music and entertainment.

Family Portraits: Plan for your Holiday photo greeting cards in September.

Gator Afterschool Programs (GAP): The Manhattan Beach Athletic Foundation offers an after school program, the goal of which is to provide our children the opportunity to supplement and enrich their current educational experiences in a familiar and safe environment. All classes are held at Grand View and are available to Grand View students in grades K-5. A Program Coordinator and Program Assistants are on-site to supervise all aspects of the enrichment program. Classes include Art, Chess, Lego Building, Drama, Basketball, Science, Musical Theater, Spanish, Music, Golf and Dance. Registration for each session is held during the Fall, Winter and Spring.

Gator Gazette: Published online weekly on Tuesdays, the Gator Gazette contains all the important announcements form the front office and the PTA.  Page 2, a whole page dedicated only to the Calendar, is a must have to keep up with all school happenings.  The Gazette is delivered by email weekly.  It can also be found on the GV PTA website;  www.gvpta.com.

Grades of Green: Pioneered by Grand View parents, this award-winning program aims to raise environmental awareness at school. Reduce, reuse and recycle everyday! “Trash Free Tuesdays,”  “Walk to School Wednesdays” and assemblies showcasing local environmental organizations are just some of the many activities under this initiative.

Growing Great Nutrition: A three-pronged approach to teaching healthy eating habits.

• School Garden (Grades PEP-5) Students grow, harvest, eat and sell their own food from gardens located on campus. Students experience new foods in their organic school gardens while learning about seasonality, life cycles and sustainable food production.

• Harvest-of-the-Month (Grades 1-5) Harvest-of-the-Month tastings provide a seasonal fresh fruit or vegetable to be sampled by the students in the cafeteria during lunch. This produce is supplied by local farmers. Harvest-of-the-Month demonstrates the farm to table food cycle with displays of live plants, seeds and different varieties of the sample produce. Nutrition facts are also included.

• Classroom Nutrition Lessons (Grades 3-5) Trained volunteer docents deliver five fun and interactive classroom nutrition lessons that teach children why and how to make healthy food choices. Each lesson includes a high quality food sample and take home a “Grill Me” flyer.

Hometown Fair Tri-Tip Booth: The PTA prepares and sells delicious tri-tip sandwiches for 2 days during the Manhattan Beach Home Town Fair. It is a Gator tradition to sign up with friends and spend a few hours at the booth.

Innisbrook Wrapping Paper: This is a low-key Fall fund raising event that has consistently made a big difference. Although the actual school sales drive is in the Fall, families can continue to purchase wrapping paper online, earning the PTA more dollars.

Pancake Breakfast: This GV tradition is a great way to spend one Sunday morning in October.

Parent Party:  Usually held towards the end of the school year.

Pride Days: Sweeping, cleaning, planting to help maintain and beautify our school at Fall and Spring Pride Days. Watering and weeding year round.

Reading Enrichment:

• Grand View Elementary is very fortunate to have a well-organized library bursting with wonderful book titles under the tutelage of our Library Media Specialist, Mrs. Heidi Snively. Visiting the library as a class on a weekly basis, our students are regaled with her entertaining reading, get a chance to browse and borrow some books.

Mrs. Snively maintains her own GV Library Website. Click here to visit the site.

• Book Clubs now available for 4th and 5th graders.  Look for book club announcements via the gazette.

• Doing some research? Visit World Book on-line, a subscription sponsored by the PTA. E-mail Mrs. Snively to get log-in information.

Reflections: This National PTA arts program allows students to express themselves through musical composition, photography, visual arts, and literature.

Safety and Health

School Supply Drive: This service, available at the beginning of the year, provides for the necessary student school supplies for a fee. The PTA is able to buy in bulk, passing on the savings to its members.
Science Enrichment Activities: GV’s Science Lab is now on it’s 5th year with a stellar record of not only improving student’s Science test scores, but more importantly significantly contributing to our children’s love of science. Activities included under this umbrella are: Science Lab Volunteer Support, the annual hands-on Science Expo, 5th Grade Science Fair, and providing a listing of Science Family Resources/activities/events available in the area.

SCRIP: Scrip is the PTA’s largest year-round fundraiser. It is easy to use and costs you nothing extra. This is how it works: you shop or dine at your favorite participating merchant, and the merchant passes on a donation directly to the PTA, earning the PTA 3 to 26% of what you spent. Several ways to participate in this program are: purchasing “paper” Scrip (gift cards), registering your Vons Club, Visa, MasterCard and Macy’s cards at www.eScrip.com, and registering your Ralphs Club Card at www.ralphs.com.

Spring Fair and Fiesta: A popular one-day yearly fund-raiser extravaganza for the whole family: Games, Arts and Crafts, Bounce Houses, Talent Show, Bake Sale, Book Sale, Pier to School Relay, Silent Auction…

Student Directory: This yearly publication is a “must have” for our GV PTA families. Makes arranging play dates a snap!  This very important book is only available to families that join the PTA so sign up today!

Student Store: Open every Friday from 2:15 to 3:30, it is the only place to purchase your Gator Wear. It’s a great place to find interesting items for everyone. The Student Store is located next to the cafeteria, near the lunch tables. Look for the Gator Green canopy.

Visual and Performing Arts: “Walk Through California” and “Walk Through the American Revolution,” presented by California Weekly Explorer Inc., are favorites among our 4th and 5th Graders. These two and a half hour presentations, known as “Walk Through Programs,” bring out life social studies using role play, vocabulary words, music and active participation of all students.  All kinds of art-related activities are arranged and provided for our gators.

Website: The PTA website (gvpta.com) has become an integral part of school communications. Grand View families rely on it for up-to-date information on events, school procedures, contact information and District links. It is maintained by PTA volunteers.

Yearbook Publication: The PTA staffs and produces this annual project. It’s all about the memories.

Young at Art: Young At Art is an enrichment program through which children in grades K – 8 have the opportunity to create six rich and meaningful art projects over the course of each school year. During each approximately one-hour session, students learn about different artists, the associated art history, and a wide variety of media and techniques. Students are taught by trained, parent volunteer art docents and assisted by other volunteers, who direct students in the process of creating their own, original works based on the artistic styles presented.

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