Dear GMS Families, Welcome to Griffin Memorial News. This weekly newsletter will be sent out each Friday at 5:00 PM. For the time being it will come by email only. However, in the near future we also hope to be able to send it as a link in a text message. We will use this newsletter to convey important information as well as share special tidbits from the week. We want to be able to share the joy that an elementary school can bring with all of you. We have been working very hard to create a safe and welcoming school for the students to come back to very shortly. Teachers have been putting in the time to create classrooms that have 6 feet of space between desks. This will allow students to remove their masks if they choose. I have been thoroughly impressed by the hard work and ingenuity showed by the entire staff to this reality. After the parent surveys were completed we are able to say that every family's choice between remote and in person is being honored. In the end, GMS came out as almost exactly 80% in person across all grade levels. We have had to make some changes to class assignments, but at this point those families have already been notified. In other words, if you haven't heard from us, your child will most likely be in the class they were assigned in the Spring. Finally, while much work has been done and decisions have been made, we still have more to do. You can expect guidance and decisions very soon regarding recess, parent pick up, and other specifics. Further while the remote model will be considered synchronous and follow a school day schedule, further specifics will be coming once teams are able to get together and plan out how this will look at each specific grade level. This year is certainly unlike any that we have experienced. It is not how I imagined taking over as Principal of a school. However, I have been overwhelmed by the support, well wishes, patience, and understanding shown to me. I am so lucky to have landed in this great town of Litchfield. Please reach out if you have questions and concerns. I may not have the specific answer you may need or like, but together I am sure we can achieve something. I've been saying for a while that we are all in this together. I've felt that more here than anywhere else I have been.
Be Well,
Dan Mitchell, Principal
Upcoming Dates | Tuesday, September 1 | Remote Learning Information Day 8:00- 11:00 | | Wednesday, September 2 | Grades K & 1 In person Day 1/2 Day 8:30 - 11:50 | | Thursday, September 3 | Grades 2, 3, & 4 In person Day 1/2 Day 8:30 - 11:50 | | Wednesday, September 9 | First Day of School for All Learners |
GMS News
School Calendar Please follow this LINK to an update 2020-2021 Litchfield School District Calendar. Please note the first full day of school is Wednesday, September 9th. September 1,2,&3 will be used as half days to target certain groups (Please see above). The purpose of these three days is to acclimate the students to what the school year may look like. More information will be coming out to the remote families about scheduling a time for a visit, virtual meeting, or outdoor meeting on September 1.
For those students that will be in person and riding the bus, on September 1st the buses will be running their usual routes. We encourage families to go out and "wait for the bus", while no students will be getting on that day, we thought it would be a nice opportunity to introduce your bus driver to you, get used to the bus stop and times, and see how our drivers are implementing the safety guidelines.
Pick Up and Drop Off Drop Off For students arriving by bus, the buses will enter the large loop along with the parent drop off cars. Students will exit the bus and enter the school at the appropriate doors, while maintaining social distancing. For students arriving by car, parents will pull into the large loop (former bus loop) and drop students off at the curb. Duty teachers will be there to receive the students both from cars and uses and guide them into the appropriate entrance while maintaining social distancing. Pick Up For those using parent pick up, parents will be assigned a pick up group time. Colored cards will be distributed indicating this group. At the appropriate time, cars in the group may enter the large loop (former bus loop) and park. Parents are asked to exit their vehicle and stand by the driver’s side door of their vehicle holding their pick up card. Students will be dismissed by group. Duty teachers will reunite students with their parents at their vehicle. NO CAR WILL MOVE forward until all students are reunited and safely secured in their vehicle. This will be repeated for each pick up group. We are working on determining these groups and will be communicating this out shortly. For students using the bus, the buses will be parked on the blacktop section of the school yard. Buses will be called in groups as they arrive and the students will be led to their corresponding bus. When all students are secure, all buses will exit at the same time. Masks and Other PPE When it comes to wearing masks the scientific evidence is clear and decisive: Masks prevent individual droplets expelled by breathing from being spread to others. The purpose of masks is not to filter out droplets for the wearer, but rather to prevent a wearer’s breath droplets from being spread to others. Therefore, we will require masks to be worn on each school campus when six feet of distance cannot be maintained. This includes entry and exit from the building, in hallways, and during passing periods. While lines will be spaced out during passing, we cannot confirm that 6 feet will be able to be maintained. While desks will be 6 feet apart to allow for mask removal, there may also be times in the classroom where masks will need to be worn (i.e. small group work, morning meeting, etc.) Some parents have inquired about their child wearing other PPE, mainly face shields. Face shields can be worn but only with a mask as well. A face shield alone does not provide the protection or mitigation that a mask does. If you choose to send your child with a face shield as well as a mask that is more than acceptable. News from the SAU/ Superintendent No news to share at this time
News from the PTO No news to share at this time
News from the Community No news to share at this time
Repeated News and Announcements | 
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