Dear GMS Families, Well here we are... the last Blog of the year. This year has been like no other and we are so grateful for all of the support we've been shown. To make it this far is an accomplishment in and of itself, but to see what else has been done and achieved is nothing short of amazing. Thank you all for what you have done to make this year possible. In this last blog, we want to take a moment to highlight a special group of all-stars who have gone above and beyond in our efforts to make GMS awesome. I am talking of course of our substitutes. We literally would not have been able to open most days without their tireless work and selfless devotion to our school and students. Thank You: Kathy Dyer, Deb Breton, Melissa Rakiey, April Webber, Karen Roman, Lilly Law, Julia Siperek, Tara Coakley, Dawn Kepple, Jenni Goodman, Mindy McComas, Caitlyn Callinan, Amber Flindt, Melissa Castonguay, Lisa Oberto, Katie O'Brien, Jessica Rouleau, Michelle Nowroski, James Cote This Thursday is our Last Day of School, but it is also when we do Step Up Day. Between 9:10 and 9:40, students will be able to gather as their next year's class and meet their teacher for the 21-22 school year. Remote students are invited. We ask that remote students be dropped off at 9:00 and picked up at 9:45. Please let Mr. Mitchell know if you will be attending. Please read below for a message from Dr. Jette and an important link to a Survey being conducted by the State Department of Education. Finally, for our last day of school we will be following the same schedule as our Wednesday Early Releases. Please remember that this Wednesday will be a Full day of school.
Be Well, Be Safe, and Be Curious,
Dan Mitchell, Principal Maura Clinton- Jones, Assistant Principal
Upcoming Dates
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| | June 14, 2021 | Relay Recess- More information below | | June 15, 2021 | Fourth Grade Recognition | | June 16, 2021 | Field Day- No Early Release | June 17, 2021 | Current Last Day of School- Step Up Time 9:10 - 9:40 Early Release Dismissal starts at 12:15 |
GMS NewsWeekly COVID Numbers I am glad to report that we have 0 positive case associated with the school community. We continue to monitor the situation and will communicate out when necessary. Relay Recess Our school is participating in our 9th annual Relay Recess health awareness and fundraising event on June 14th! We are helping to raise money to support the American Cancer Society’s efforts to provide resources to cancer patients and help find a cure. Your child should have received a fundraising packet with information about how to sign up to fundraise online and about our Relay Recess event. This information is also on the GMS website. Please turn in all envelopes, suns/moons, and luminary bags by June 10th to your child’s teacher. There will be prizes for highest fundraisers at each grade level and drawings for participants. Thank you for all of your support as we work together to teach your children how to be responsible citizens and play an active role in their community! Please email Mrs. Quimby at squimby@litchfieldsd.org if you have any questions about the GMS Relay Recess. From the Learning Commons It isn't too late to purchase books from the GMS Scholastic Book Fair! If you would like to, here is the link: GMS Scholastic Book Fair News from the SAU/ Superintendent NH Department of Education Survey - After a most unusual school year, the State DOE has developed a survey to collect information from families on how the year went. It is important to share your Litchfield experience with them, as I believe our experience during the pandemic was much better for our students and families than that in many other districts. The 603 Bright Futures Survey will take about 15 minutes to complete (survey FAQs). There are 57 questions, unless you have a special needs student: Answering ‘yes’ on question 1 will add 33 questions that replace the annual paper survey mailed to families. Please note that we need to obtain a good response rate from all families to help validate the data, but this is particularly important for families with an IEP or 504. You are asked to take the survey for each child in your household. Also, you will choose your child’s school from a list that includes every school in the state. Please ensure you have selected the correct school in Litchfield. Here is the link to the parent and family survey: bit.ly/nhdoefamily News from the PTO No News At This Time News from the Community
Note from the Cutler Library: Summer Reading is happening at the Cutler Library! From June 22nd – July 30th We have exciting plans scheduled for kids ages 0-12 including storytimes, and STEAM activities, and make & take crafts! All of this will be happening, in person, safely and socially distanced, under our tent -- here at the Library! Earn prizes and treats just for reading too!!!! Registration begins June 8th Contact Alexis Britton, Children’s Librarian, at acml_childrenslibrarian@comcast.net about registration and more information. See the brochure attached. Cutler Library Summer Reading Challenge
Repeated News and Announcements 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
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