Friday, March 25, 2022

March 25, 2022

 


Griffin Memorial School News
March 25, 2022
GMS Families,
        Though it was a short week, much was still accomplished. In a kindergarten class this week we were able to witness as they determined the school day by counting by tens and fives. In that moment we remembered back just a short time ago when they were counting by ones. These moments of growth are incredible to witness and are always good for the spirit. 
        Today our staff was able to get together for the first time in a while to focus on some professional development and growth. We were privileged enough to have some fourth graders give up their time to help teach us about one of the exciting tools we have to address programming, problem solving, story telling, and so much more. They truly were the experts.












Please keep reading for more information regarding our upcoming Child Find, Girls on the Run, PTO updates, and a state education survey.
We hope this long weekend provides you the rest and quality time that you all so truly deserve.

Be Well, Be Curious, 

Dan Mitchell, Principal
Maura Clinton-Jones, Assistant Principal

Upcoming Dates
April 5, 2022End of Third Quarter
April 25 - April 29, 2022April Vacation

COVID Update

At this time we are reporting  2 positive cases within our school community.  To track daily numbers you can always check HERE where the district lists our daily impact. Additional information about updated protocols will be coming soon from the Superintendent's Office.

Pre K

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Kindergarten

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First Grade

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Second Grade

2

Third Grade

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Fourth Grade

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Other/ Non Grade Specific

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GMS News

Upcoming Child Find

Litchfield School District will be hosting our annual Spring Child Find Program on Friday May 6th 2022 from 12:00-2:00 PM.

If your child is between the ages of 2 1/2 and 5 years 11 months, and you have concerns in the area of vision, hearing, speech, coordination/ motor or development, please contact Courtney Beach at cbeach@litchfieldsd.org or 603-424-5931 x 1120  to set up an appointment for screening. No child will be seen without an appointment.

From the Health Office

Spring is approaching and with that comes allergies for some of us. You may already know many of these symptoms crossover with COVID. If your child has been previously diagnosed with seasonal allergies by their medical provider, please make sure that you get a letter from them to document this and send it in to the school for us to have on record. While we still need you to keep your children home when they are sick, our goal is not to exclude them if we don’t have to. That is why this documentation is important for us to have here at school.

Thank you to those of you who have donated water bottles for the kids, it is appreciated. I hope the warmth of today is here to stay and we can all enjoy a little more fresh air!

Girls on The Run

The Spring session of Girls on the Run will begin soon. Sign Ups start on February 21st. For more information about the program or signing up please check out THIS FLYER. The Spring Session begins on April 4th.

News from the SAU/ Superintendent

CHS Principal

We are pleased to announce that Mr. Jacob Hess has agreed to serve as the new principal at Campbell HS starting in the 2022-23 school year.  Thank you to all community members who participated in the selection process!  We look forward to welcoming him to our leadership team on July 1st.

Bright Futures Survey

The New Hampshire Department of Education wants to hear from staff, families, and community members in your school community! The 603 Bright Futures Survey is available  now through April 29th. 

The 603 Bright Futures Survey is also how schools will gather their Special Education Family data in support of the NHDOE's federal reporting for Indicator 8. This year, all schools and families are eligible to participate.

Survey Links: To access the surveys, please visit the appropriate link(s) beginning Monday, March 14, through Friday, April 29, 2022

* Please note that "Community Members" are those who do not have students enrolled in New Hampshire public schools. Those who do should complete the family surveys instead..

News from the PTO

Upcoming Spring Events!! More information on these events will soon follow! If you are interested in helping out, please email Jenny Eisenbeis at JEisenbeis@gmail.com. We would love to have your help!!

  • Sweetheart Dance: Friday, May 6th

  • Boys Night Out: Friday, May 13th

4th Grade Yearbook  INFORMATION

We are working hard on the 4th grade yearbook!

Important reminders: Only current 4th grade students can be included in photos submitted for the yearbook. These will NOT be shared online and will only be used for the 4th grade yearbook. If you have not already given permission for your child to appear in the yearbook, individual forms will come home to those families to confirm or deny their child's appearance in the yearbook. If you have difficulty with the forms or have any questions, you can email: gmsyearbook2022@gmail.com. 

• BABY ADS - DUE TODAY!

Please use this form to submit a baby ad for your 4th grader! Choose a photo of your little cutie and leave a brief message.. We will not share these online. Baby Ads are FREE and OPTIONAL. Kids love to read these sweet messages! If you want to leave a message only, and no picture, please fill out the form and we will feature your message. Please, only parents/guardians submit an "ad" (not intended for extended family members).

• 4th grade Photos - DUE Friday, May 13!

Please only submit photos (from this year) using this form. You can include sports and activities from outside of GMS if you would like.

• "Through the Years" Photos - DUE Friday, May 13!

Please use this form to submit pictures of your 4th grader from their earlier years at GMS!

4th Grade Yearbook & T-Shirts!! T-shirt forms are due on Monday, March 28th! 

https://bit.ly/3qjCb9v  

The return window is very short as vendors need more lead time.  

The next Griffy Store is scheduled for April 8th, 2022. Inventory forms will go home next week.

News from the Community

We are happy to announce Healthy Kids Running Series is returning to Litchfield this spring! 5 fun races to shake off the winter blues and get your child up and moving, for children ages 2-14. Sign up today at  https://healthykidsrunningseries.org/race-locations/litchfield-nh/


The Litchfield Lacrosse Association is happy to announce that registration for the Spring 2022 season is now open for girls and boys grade 1-8. Please see the attached flyer for more details.

Lacrosse Registration

Repeated News/ Long Term Info to Know

Kindergarten Registration Has Begun!

Please register your child as early as possible. It is very important for our planning for appropriate class sizes and staffing needs. To attend Kindergarten, your child must be 5 years old on or before September 31, 2022.

All Student registrations are a 3 part process. 

To Begin, click on the following link: https://ecollect.accelaschool.com/litchfield 

1) After you complete and submit the preregistration information, it will need to be verified. Once verified, an email with further instructions will be sent to the address included in the preregistration. If you don’t receive the email within 3 school days, please check your spam or junk mail. 

2) Follow the instructions from this email and complete the information on several additional registration forms. 

3.) Bring Proof of Residence, an Original Birth Certificate, Proof of immunizations and a recent physical to the school. These items will be photocopied and your original paperwork returned to you. A list of acceptable items can be found here: Required Documents .Registration is not complete until all forms and documents have been verified. You will be notified via the email you provide when registering if there is missing or additional information needed.

Children who already attend Griffin Memorial do not need to re-register for the next school year.

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

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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