Maple Grove Charter School - One Town. One Team. One Dream.

🐝🍯 From Our Hives to Honey — Part 2! 🍯🐝 Before our honey could make its way into the extractor, our 5th graders had an important job to do—visit the hives and carefully collect the honey-filled frames! 🙌🐝 Suiting up in their protective gear, our learners headed outside for an unforgettable hands-on experience. With guidance from our beekeeping experts, they learned how to use a smoker to help keep the bees calm and how to work safely and respectfully around the hives. They carefully removed the honey-filled frames that would soon be part of our schoolwide honey-extraction demonstration. 🍯 Every step gave our learners a closer look at the teamwork, patience, and care involved in beekeeping. Our 5th graders weren’t just learning about pollinators, honey bees, or the journey from hive to jar—they were actively participating in the process themselves. 🌱 Now that the frames have made their way from the hives to the extractor, there’s only one thing left to do… ✨🍯 Stay tuned for a look at our final golden product! #MapleGroveCharterSchool #MGCSFoxes #HandsOnLearning #EnvironmentalEducation #Agriscience #HoneyBees #FromHiveToHoney #GrowingBetterTogether

🍯🐝 From Our Hives to Honey — Part 1! 🐝🍯 There was definitely a BUZZ around MGCS as our learners got to experience one of the sweetest parts of having our very own beehives—extracting our own honey! 🍯💛 Learners got a front-row seat to the entire extraction process. They watched as the wax caps were carefully removed from the honey-filled frames before the frames were placed into a centrifuge honey extractor and spun to release the honey. 🐝🍯 Of course, you can’t learn about honey without a little taste testing! 😋 Every learner, who wanted, had the chance to try some of the freshly uncapped wax with the sweet honey still tucked inside. It was sticky, sweet, and definitely a memorable experience! A HUGE thank you to RJ Mengal, Dr. Carla, Jenny Kearns, and Betinna for the time, knowledge, care, and expertise you continue to share with our learners and our MGCS honey bees. 🐝💛 Having people willing to share their talents with our kids makes experiences like this possible! But there’s another part to this honey story… 🐝 Those frames didn’t get out of the hives by themselves! Stay tuned for Part 2, when our 5th graders suit up, fire up the smoker, and head straight to the hives! 🍯🐝

The MGCS kindergarteners had a fun and fresh start to their day! 🥬 Learners harvested kale from the school garden and helped prepare it properly to make smoothies during outdoor labs. It was a super fun (and delicious) hands-on lesson filled with gathering, measuring, blending, and tasting! 😋

Maple Grove 3rd graders enjoyed a fun day at the Food and Farm Exploration Center in Plover thanks to the Athens FFA Alumni! Students had the opportunity to explore the Experience Center, check out the greenhouse, make their own mini greenhouse, and learn about agriculture. I was proud of how our students used their CRISP traits and represented our school.

🤠 RECESS… RODEO STYLE! 🐎 There’s recess… and then there’s MGCS Recess Rodeo! 🤠 Our Fox Den families saddled up and traveled through 8 different rotations around our school grounds—exploring, playing, working together, and getting to know all the amazing spaces we have for recess. And because it wouldn’t be a rodeo without a little western flair, there were plenty of cowboy hats, lassos, and even some “training calves!” 🐮😂 Beyond the fun, Recess Rodeo helps our learners practice how to safely and respectfully use each area while using their CRISP traits while building relationships with learners from different grade levels in their Fox Den families. 🦊❤️ Learning the ropes… literally! 🤠🪢

🍁🦊 A little more Maple Grove personality around every corner! We are loving the new additions that are brightening up our school! Swaggg created these one-of-a-kind signs for our Birthday Spotlight, Fox Den Staff Café, and CRISP welcome—and they turned out even better than we imagined! 🤩 These beautiful pieces were made possible by our amazing Maple Grove PTO, whose support helps us add those extra touches that make our school such a special place for learners and staff. ❤️ Our learners were also greeted this year by the bright and colorful Welcome to Maple Grove sign created by Seasons by M. 🌈📚 What a fun way to walk through the doors and start a new school year! Creative, colorful, and uniquely Maple Grove—these additions are already bringing plenty of smiles to our halls. ❤️🦊 Thank you to everyone who helps make our little school feel so special!

There is something pretty special about watching our older learners simply PLAY at recess. 🌳🦊❤️ Creativity, imagination, teamwork, and friendships were in full force at Maple Grove! From digging, building, and creating in the woods to climbing, swinging, exploring, and inventing their own games, our learners were busy turning the outdoors into whatever their imaginations could dream up. As kids get older, opportunities for unstructured play can become fewer—but these moments remind us just how important it still is. They’re problem solving, negotiating, cooperating, taking risks, creating, laughing, and building friendships…all while just thinking they’re having fun. 😊 This is childhood. This is learning.

🍎🦊 TWO DAYS DOWN… AND OUR FOX FAMILY IS BACK! 🦊🍎 What a way to begin a new school year at Maple Grove! ❤️ Yesterday, we welcomed our 1st–5th grade learners back through the doors, and today our littlest foxes officially joined us for their very first day of kindergarten! 🦊 They learned new routines, met new friends, explored their school, tackled that all-important first school lunch…and by dismissal, I think it’s safe to say we had some tired little foxes! We’re hoping they went home with plenty of stories to tell and are excited to come back tomorrow! These first two days have also been such a reminder of how fortunate we are at Maple Grove Charter School. We have a staff who genuinely couldn’t wait for our learners to return and spent countless hours preparing classrooms, planning, organizing and finding little ways to make those first days special. We have a district and community that support our school and appreciate the work happening inside these walls. From flowers and welcome-back surprises to treats for staff and cookies for our learners, there have been so many thoughtful reminders this week that people are cheering us on. 🌻🍪❤️ And most importantly, we have hallways, classrooms, playgrounds and lunch tables filled with kids again. The conversations, laughter, hugs, nervous smiles and excitement are back—and that is what makes this building a school. Two days in. Lots of smiles. A few tired kiddos (and maybe a few tired adults 😉). And one happy Fox Family.

🦊🍎 Maple is ready… ARE YOU?! Maple has been making the rounds at MGCS—checking out the playground, visiting the chickens, testing out the Buddy Bench, and making sure everything is ready for our learners! 🌳🐔❤️ And now there’s only ONE thing missing… YOU! 🫵🦊 We cannot wait to fill Maple Grove with laughter, learning, exploring, creating, growing, and all the energy that comes with having our learners back together again. ❤️ 📚 FIRST DAY REMINDER 🍎 Grades 1–5: Your first day is TOMORROW, Tuesday, September 1! 🦊 Kindergarten: Tomorrow is your special one-on-one meeting day with your teacher. Then we can’t wait to officially welcome our kindergarten learners for their first day on Wednesday, September 2! Our classrooms are ready. Our teachers are ready. Maple is DEFINITELY ready. 🦊 MGCS learners… we’ll see you soon! ❤️🌳

School might be out for the summer, but Maple Grove Charter School is still buzzing with life! 🌞🐝🌱 Our honey bees have been hard at work pollinating and producing honey, our vegetable and pollinator gardens are growing more every day, and our baby chicks are getting so big! It’s amazing to see how much life continues to thrive, even while our classrooms are quiet. One of the things we love most about Maple Grove is that learning doesn’t stop when the school year ends. Nature keeps teaching, growing, and reminding us that every season has something special to offer. We can’t wait for our students to come back and see all that’s changed!

These photos speak volumes about the hands-on learning, friendships, engagement, and CRISP traits demonstrated throughout our two weeks of Summer Learning.

Part 3 of 4 of Summer Learning...

More pictures of Summer Learning action...Part 2 of 4

☀️ What a wonderful two weeks of Summer Learning at Maple Grove! ☀️ We wrapped up our summer adventure today with a splash as learners enjoyed a variety of games, activities, and a slip-and-slide to celebrate all they accomplished over the past two weeks. 💦😄 Before the afternoon fun began, our 3rd-5th grade actors and actresses took center stage and performed the plays they have been practicing. Complete with props, costumes, and plenty of enthusiasm, they did a fabulous job! 🎭👏 We were so proud of the confidence, teamwork, and creativity they showcased. Over the last two weeks, our learners explored STEM activities, jewelry making, archery, swimming lessons, cooking and food projects, stories, and countries from around the world. They learned new skills, discovered new interests, built friendships, and created memories that will last long after summer ends. A huge shout-out to our amazing staff who made these two weeks such a success: Ms. Riehle, Mrs. Jacoby, Mrs. Zarins, Mrs. Kohlmoos, Mrs. Haines, Mrs. Dake, Mrs. Cyrtmus, Mrs. Plisch, Mr. Langenhahn, Mrs. Thurs, Ms. Ann, Mrs. Hartmann, and our wonderful bus driver, Ms. Karen! ❤️ Thank you for sharing your talents, energy, patience, and enthusiasm with our learners each day. We hope all of our students head home with a little more knowledge, new friendships, wonderful memories, and maybe a few stories they’ll be sharing all summer long. Have a safe, fun, and relaxing summer! ☀️🦊💚 Part 1 of 3

☀️ Summer Learning Field Day! 💦

Tomorrow, Friday, June 19th, our summer learners at Maple Grove will celebrate the last day of Summer Learning with an exciting Field Day during the second half of the day!

Some activities will involve water, so please send your learner with:
👙 A swimsuit or change of clothes
🧺 A towel (optional)
💧 A water bottle
☀️ Sunscreen (learners may self-apply before activities begin)

We are looking forward to an afternoon filled with games, laughter, friendship, and fun as we celebrate a wonderful Summer Learning session. We can't wait to make some great memories together!

🦊 Let's finish Summer Learning strong!

☀️ As we head into the final days of Summer Learning at MGCS, I’m feeling incredibly grateful for the many people who have helped make this experience so special for our students. Over the past two weeks, our learners have stepped into the roles of junior chefs, world travelers, actors and actresses, scientists, and explorers. Along the way, they’ve learned from some amazing guest speakers and community experts who brought real-world experiences and passion. A special thank you to Mike Fasse, Lynn Wilson, Kelly Steidinger, Ashley Lange, and Regi Education for sharing your knowledge, stories, and encouragement with our students. From raptors and forestry to travels across Europe and Kenya, tree identification, and lessons in perseverance, you helped spark curiosity and inspire learning in ways that will last far beyond summer school. Our students are lucky to be part of a community that is so willing to invest in them. Thank you for helping make Summer Learning at Maple Grove such a memorable experience! 🦊💚🌲

🦊 The June Maple Grove Fox Report is here! Check out the latest news, events, and happenings from our school this month. Click the link to read all about it!​
https://app.smore.com/n/spm80x

Our 5th graders wrapped up the school year with an unforgettable field trip to Camp Birch Trails. During their adventure, learners paddled canoes and kayaks, discovered turtles and a floating island, and even learned how to create a raft using their canoes. It was a day filled with exploration, teamwork, and hands-on learning in the outdoors. This trip was especially meaningful because it was also the final class led by Mr. Noland, Director of the Merrill School Forest. Mr. Noland has a special connection to Maple Grove Charter School. He was the first lead teacher when MGCS became a charter school with the Merrill School District. After leaving MGCS, he went on to serve as Director of the Merrill School Forest, where he continued to inspire countless learners through outdoor education. When MGCS joined the School District of Athens, our PTO made it a priority to continue providing School Forest experiences for our learners because of how closely they align with our environmental agriscience curriculum. Thanks to that commitment, generations of Maple Grove learners have benefited from these unique opportunities. Mr. Noland has always held a special place in his heart for Maple Grove, and we are grateful for the impact he has had on our school and students over the years. You will be missed, Mr. Noland. We wish you many exciting adventures and wonderful memories in your retirement!