April 16, 2021

 

Griffin Memorial School News

April 16, 2021 Dear GMS Families,                                                                                           Well this snow was unexpected and unfortunate. The kids really didn't know what to do with the fact that it was snowing in April. It added to level of confusion and excitement to the day to say the least. As we have been able to welcome so many students back to in person learning from remote, we thought it would be a good time to remind everyone of our early dismissal procedures. If you need to pick up your child early for an appointment, first we ask that you do it prior to 2:30. Secondly, we ask that you come and ring the buzzer in the vestibule and we will get your child for you. Since masks are still required on school property, we will be asking for id from every person who comes to pick up. Though you may be a familiar face, we will apply this rule consistently in order to provide the safest scenario for the children. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation with these procedures.  The end of the school year is near! Can you believe it?! As you can imagine, this has been a challenging year for teachers and staff members, so let's celebrate them during Teacher Appreciation Week! This year, Teacher Appreciation Week will be on May 3rd - 7th (following Spring Break). GMS PTO is super excited to share with you Destination: Appreciation! Our teachers will be flying through a week of fun activities and events planned for them. And we need YOUR help! To help and sign up, please follow this link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d49a4a829abface9-gmsteacher As you may have heard, one of our students has been dealing with some major medical issues. She is a fighter and we are so proud of her. To support Kylie and the Patten Family in their fight, we are selling #KyliesAngels silicone bracelets. We invite you to share an outward sign of your support by purchasing and wearing your #KyliesAngels bracelet. Money raised from the sales will be given to the Patten family to help them in the ongoing costs that they are incurring for diagnostic testing and potential further treatment. Let’s rally around Kylie and her family through these trying times. #KyliesAngels bracelet can be purchased for $5.00 per bracelet.  The first order is expected to arrive on 04/20 and additional orders will be placed as needed. To purchase, please use THIS FORM and select quantity and sizing. Payment can be made by sending  cash or check with your student to GMS in an envelope with your child’s/family name and order clearly marked. Please make checks payable to “Griffin Memorial School.” Thank you so much for you support as we "band" together in support of this family who gives back to our wonderful community. Be Well, Be Safe, and Be Curious, Dan Mitchell, Principal Maura Clinton- Jones, Assistant Principal Upcoming Dates April 16, 2021  Report Cards Sent Home and Available June 17, 2021 Current Last Day of School GMS News Weekly COVID Numbers Currently we have 2 positive cases associated with the school community. We continue to monitor the situation and will communicate out when necessary.  Field Day Planning Planning is well underway for this year's Field Day. While the event will look a bit different, we are committed to holding an event that is fun, creative, and safe. This year has forced us to think a bit differently, but we are up for the challenge. We know that you, our dedicated families, are always looking to help. To start we have created this WEB PAGE to give more information on ways that you can donate or help out. We look forward to this event and know we cannot do it without you. A Note from Mrs. Seabrook I am aware that many students have seasonal allergies and our pollen counts are beginning to rise. If your child has seasonal allergies, it should be documented by their medical provider. Unfortunately many seasonal allergy symptoms are also symptoms of COVID 19. Your child will need a COVID test to return to school unless their allergies are documented by their provider.  I am asking parents to be proactive and obtain a note from their child's provider stating that they have seasonal allergies to hopefully prevent a COVID test in the future. If you have any questions or concerns please contact me @ 424-5931 ext 1108 or email me @ sseabrook@litchfieldsd.org. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. News from the SAU/ Superintendent Update on Masks - We have received a few questions about how the Litchfield School District is responding to the expiration of NH’s mask mandate.  It is important to remember that the mandate went into effect just before Thanksgiving.  Our school reopening plan established masks as a critical component of success back in August.  Again, we were ahead of the curve and have been successful delivering in-person learning 5 days a week thanks in part to masking. Therefore, we will continue to require staff, students and visitors to wear masks on campus for the duration of the school year.  This summer, we will evaluate our reopening plan for next school year and determine the role of masking in that future plan. For student athletes and athletic spectators, we will continue to follow NHIAA mask rules and honor our commitments to our local team cohort.  If the NHIAA is requiring masks as part of tournament play, we will train and compete accordingly to ensure any athlete fortunate enough to compete in a tournament is fully prepared for the competitive experience. News from the PTO No news at this time News from the Community No news at this time Repeated News and Announcements A Note from Mrs. Seabrook I am aware that many students have seasonal allergies and our pollen counts are beginning to rise. If your child has seasonal allergies, it should be documented by their medical provider. Unfortunately many seasonal allergy symptoms are also symptoms of COVID 19. Your child will need a COVID test to return to school unless their allergies are documented by their provider.  I am asking parents to be proactive and obtain a note from their child's provider stating that they have seasonal allergies to hopefully prevent a COVID test in the future. If you have any questions or concerns please contact me @ 424-5931 ext 1108 or email me @ sseabrook@litchfieldsd.org. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. From the Learning Commons I am excited to announce that the Litchfield School District now has the SORA app available to all students.  This is a library of ebooks and audiobooks that can be borrowed from any computer, tablet or Smartphone. I have included a couple of videos to get you started. SORA overview Parent Information If you search using Litchfield's zip code (03052), you can add two collections to the Litchfield School District one:  NH State Library and NH Schools Shared Digital Collection.  Please help your children to be able to take advantage of these book borrowing opportunities.  They could find the SORA app in their Google apps as well and will need to log on using their Litchfield School District Google account.  If you have any questions, please let me know by contacting me at mprevelturmel@litchfieldsd.org. Enjoy! Melina Prevel-Turmel Absence Reporting Email The GMS office now has a dedicated email address to use to report your child tardy or absent:  GMSabsences@litchfieldsd.org. You can also find it on the Griffin Memorial School homepage, on the top, left side under “ABSENCES”. When you send an email please include the following information:                 *Child’s first and last name                 *Teacher                 *Reason for absence If you would prefer to leave a voicemail message when your child is absent or tardy you are still welcome to call 424-5931 and then hit “6” when you hear the automated message. Please remember to include the above information in the voice message. Please note that when you email or leave a voice message saying that your child “will be out” then the absence is recorded as unexcused. Please tell us the reason for the absence so it is documented correctly. Don't forget to join the GMS SEL classroom with Mrs. Hayes and Ms. Poli.  Click the link  to join  https://classroom.google.com/c/MTQyODg4MjYzNDIy?cjc=333dr33 Powerschool Parent Portal This summer we switched our Student Information System to Powerschool. As part of Powerschool, you are able to access the Parent Portal in the Unified Classroom feature of this system. Please follow the link below to set up you parent portal account. Please contact the main office if you have an issues creating an account. For Parents - Directions for Parent Access

229 Charles Bancroft Hwy. Litchfield, NH 03052 (603) 424-5931 Past Editions of the GMS School News can be found at: https://griffinnhnews.blogspot.com/