Friday, September 24, 2021

September 24, 2021

 


Griffin Memorial School News
September 17, 2021

GMS Families,

It was wonderful to see so many parents over the last two nights at our Open Houses. Having families be able to be back in the building has added a new energy to the school. We look forward to conferences in a few weeks when you will be able to return.

We have a few events and activities that will be happening or beginning soon including our Scarecrow Jamboree/Pumpkin Fest, Chorus, and Lego League. We are in need of coaches for our Lego League and this year are extending this opportunity to parents. We will be looking to hire 2 to 3 parents to coach these teams. There is a stipend that goes along with this. If you are interested please reach out to Mr. Mitchell for more information.

Please keep reading for more information about Chorus, Pumpkin Fest, the return of the Griffy Store, Powerschool registration, and the First Student Bus App.

Be Well, Be Curious, Now What?, 
Dan Mitchell, Principal
Maura Clinton-Jones, Assistant Principal

Upcoming Dates
October 8, 2021No School - Professional Day
October 11, 2021No School - Holiday
October 19, 2021

School Picture Day

October 29, 2021

Scarecrow Jamboree/ Pumpkin Fest

November 10, 2021Parent Teacher Evening Conferences
November 11, 2021No School Veteran's Day
November 12, 2021No School- Parent Teacher Conferences

GMS News

COVID Update

At this time we are reporting TWO positive cases within our school community.

Powerschool Information Completion

The Powerschool information portal is now open for returning families to confirm their information, make changes, and grant permissions for this school year. This process must be completed for all students by October 1. Below there is a link with a helpful sheet with information for completing this registration process. Returning Students Registration

Chorus Is Back!!!

Welcome back to another year at GMS! I am thrilled to announce the RETURN of our GMS choral program!
Following the protocols of both the state and national music standards, I am excited to create a safe and fun opportunity for your child to participate in chorus this year.

Choral rehearsals will take place after school on Thursdays from 3:15 to 3:45pm outdoors - unmasked - 3 feet apart (WEATHER PERMITTING - indoor rehearsals will take place in the gymnasium - masked - 3 feet apart). Pick-up will take place at 3:45pm (more information to come on this).

OUR FIRST REHEARSAL WILL BE THURSDAY, SEPT 30TH.


Please fill out the form below if your child is interested (DUE NO LATER THAN FRIDAY 9/24) : https://forms.gle/ZF9T4UVYFj3pQV6D6


News from the SAU/ Superintendent

The Litchfield School District launched the First View Bus Tracker Parent App at the beginning of September 2021.  Unfortunately, driver shortages delayed the uploading of certain information into the bus tracker system that allows the buses to be tracked along the routes.   As of 9/24/2021, we are working with First View to address this issue and hope to have the parent app working accurately soon.  First View has received parent user feedback and they are working to determine and correct any issues.  Additionally, First View has added a new feature to their app.  First View recommends updating the Parent App on your phones to ensure you have the most up to date version.  

Thank you for your patience while we navigate through this issue.    Please check back periodically for updated information. 

App Use Instructions 

To access the bus tracker app, download the First View app, go through a short registration and you will be able to access information on your child's bus, such as live tracking, predictive stop times, and more.  Please read the guides provided and follow the registration guide that contains the code for your child's or children's school (found on page 2), which you will need to submit during the registration process.

To access the information, please click on the links provided:

  1. First View Parent Letter

  2. Registration Guide

  3. FAQs


News from the PTO

Save the Date: Pumpkin Festival on Friday, October 29th at 6-8pm! Come to the planning meeting on Wednesday, September 29th at 6:30pm on Zoom. Link available on the PTO Fb page!

The Griffy Store is back and open approximately once a month during recess (schedule attached). We will be open Friday, October 15, 2021 with a variety of items for the students to shop for (e.g. educational tools, classroom supplies, and more). Each month the store is open, a flyer will go home listing items available to purchase. Items range from $.25 - $1.00 with a 2 item limit for all students. Visit the GMS PTO Facebook page monthly where we will post updated photos of inventory. We encourage all money to be placed in a sealed envelope or bag.

If you have any questions about the store please don't hesitate to email us at: gmstigersden@gmail.com.

Jen Ireland and Trixy Gardner (Griffy Store Co-Coordinators)

Griffy Store Order Form                                        Griffy Store Dates           

News from the Community

The Litchfield Recreational Basketball League (LRBL) is excited to announce registration for the 2021-2022 season is now open for our three programs: Travel, Recreational and Instructional for students in grades 1 through 8.  Additionally, we are seeking interested Coach candidates to apply. For more information about each program and details about the schedules please visit www.lrbl.net. Register Today: https://tinyurl.com/yawjfddc

We also invite you to come warm up at our free open gym times. See the schedule attached.  Questions can be emailed to lrblboard@gmail.com

Repeated News/ Long Term Info to Know

Support Our Troops

Specialist Steven Moore-Miller (United States Army) is currently deployed overseas (his son Hayden is in Mrs. Allen's second grade class). He has been gone since March-April 2021 and is expected to return sometime in January 2022. In an effort to boost the morale of the soldiers and to let them know that we are thinking of them, we would like to collect some goodies/supplies to send over. The end of a deployment can be tough and the time can really go by slowly so we are hoping this will give them the boost that they need to finish strong. There are approximately 150 other soldiers with him (two women soldiers). We placed one box in the vestibule for your donations or you could send something into school with your child. Also, you could "Sponsor a Soldier Box" by sending cash in an envelope labeled, "Soldier Box". It costs approximately $13.00 to send one box and we are hoping to send several! We are hoping to send the boxes out at the beginning of October. - Thank You!

Below is a list of ideas for donations:

-Handmade cards

-Candy (no chocolate - it does not travel well)

-Slim Jims

-Mixed nuts

-Gum

-Sunflower seeds

-Granola bars

-Trail mix

-Tuna packets

-Powdered drink mixes

-Hot sauce 

-Bath Towels

-Baby powder/Foot powder

-Bars of soap

-Deodorant (non-aerosol)

-Razors

-Sunblock (lotion)

-Toothbrushes/Toothpaste/Floss

-Chapstick

-Hand warmers

-Dryer sheets

-Lens cleaning cloths

-Small nerf footballs (it's always fun to have different team logos on them)

-Holiday/Xmas Decorations/Santa Hats/Stockings

End 68 Hours of Hunger

End 68 Hours of Hunger and Litchfield Schools are pleased to inform you about a free, confidential food program which provides students with meals from Friday after school until they return to school on Monday morning.  If meeting the weekend nutritional needs of your child is challenging at this time, we would like to help meet that need.  All food is non-perishable and easy to prepare.  If your child has any food allergies, please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate this need.  Nut products are included for those who are not allergic, but children are informed that they are not to open the bags until a parent can review the contents.  The bags are delivered to schools and students will take the bags home with them on the bus or at parent pick-up.  If you would like to pick up the bags yourself, arrangements can be made for pick up at the front office.

If you are interested in joining the program or learning more, please contact Elin Pelland, School Social Worker, at 424-2133 x 2215 or at epelland@litchfieldsd.org.  

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

Bus Routes

Bus Routes for the upcoming year can be found here: Bus Routes

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 “2” 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.



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/


             

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