It was so nice to welcome everyone back after a restful vacation. We look forward to seeing what 2022 will bring. As we enter this new year we are hopeful and filled with a sense of optimism, growth, and prosperity.
In just a few short weeks, we will end our second quarter. Report Cards will be available on the 1st of February. As a reminder, report cards will no longer be sent home in paper form, but are rather available on the Parent Portal. If you have yet to set up your Parent Portal, please follow the instructions listed below in the Repeated News/ Long Term Information section of this blog.
As you will see below, our COVID numbers are not where we would hoped they would be. We will continue with our efforts to mitigate the spread of this virus with increased mask wearing, distancing and other measures. We continue to look towards the state and other agencies for guidance and then make the best decisions for Litchfield and GMS. Any changes will be communicated by me or Dr. Jette, so that you are all informed.
Finally, I want to let you know that for a few month staff and some parents have been working on creating a new Mission and Vision for GMS. We hope that this work will result in a mission and vision that everyone can believe in to allow GMS to continue to grow, thrive, and serve in the interest of the amazing families of Litchfield. More to Come...
Now What will 2022 bring?,
GMS News
FIRST Lego League Applications are due by 1/20/2022
Lego League is an opportunity for students to learn about problem solving and team work through hands on building opportunities, research and coding. Applications are open to students in grades 2-4. Teams are limited to 6 members, because there are limited spots available team members will be chosen by lottery. Families will be notified by 1/24/2022. Incomplete applications will not be accepted. Meetings will start 1/27/2022.
Please direct all questions to Kristin Starrett at kstarrett@litchfiendsd.org
COVID Update
At this time we are reporting 26 positive cases within our school community. Many of these positives happened over vacation or the members did not return to school after vacation, so individual classrooms have not been notified about many of these cases since there was no risk to exposure. To track daily numbers you can always check HERE where the district lists our daily impact. Please continue to be extra vigilant when it comes to mitigation strategies such as distancing, hand washing, and masking. With our current high number of positivity, we feel it is helpful to show the breakdown in terms of grade impact:
Pre K | 2 |
Kindergarten | 6 |
First Grade | 3 |
Second Grade | 5 |
Third Grade | 3 |
Fourth Grade | 4 |
Other/ Non Grade Specific | 3 |
COVID Planning ~ As most people know through media reports, the CDC and NH-DHHS have recently adopted new COVID protocols related to isolation and vaccines. These protocols are quite nuanced, and we have not yet received an updated School Toolkit on how to apply these updates in the educational setting. Therefore, we continue to operate under the protocols we have been following this fall.
Once the School Toolkit is released and we better understand the new protocols, we will update our local plan accordingly. Please remember, we are short nursing staff and doing our best to protect the health and safety of our students, families and staff. We want to make the right changes in a clear and consistent manner.
Please consult our COVID Resource Page for the most up to date details.
School Budget ~ The School Board has prepared a very responsible and lean budget for next year ('22-23), and the budget committee will be holding a hearing on Thursday, January 13th at 7:00 PM at Campbell High School. Please attend this meeting to learn about our operating budget, contracts for our teachers, professionals and support staff, our renovation project at LMS and our plans for ReImagining GMS.
We also need community involvement on Saturday, February 5th (10:00 AM at Campbell HS) when the budget and warrant are deliberated and finalized by the public. Voting will take place on Tuesday, March 8th (7:00 - 7:00) at Campbell HS.
Text Messaging - With recent events and winter weather, we are relying more on texts for quick communication with our families. To receive text messages from our schools, text Y or Yes to 57587.
News from the PTO
Our Next Meeting
We look forward to seeing you at our next meeting on Tuesday, January 11th at 6:30pm on Zoom. Please look on our Facebook page for a link!
4th Grade Yearbook
Only current 4th grade students can be included in the photos submitted for the yearbook. These will NOT be shared online and will only be used for the 4th grade yearbook. Please only submit photos from this year using this form.
https://forms.gle/8G4oDWrPixEAufzY9
News from the Community
No News at This Time
Repeated News/ Long Term Info to Know
New COVID-19 Resource - To help ensure clear and consistent communication, our three school nurses, Ms. Vail-Naylor (GMS), Ms. Chambers (LMS) and Ms. Boucher (CHS), have created a new web resource for students, families and staff. This resource contains up to date information about preventing the spread of COVID-19 in our school community. It also offers guidance on testing including a list of current testing centers. This resource is linked on the district website, and the website of each school.
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
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.
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