No pots of Gold were found, but still plenty of fun and innocent shenanigans were had. St. Patrick's Day is always a fun day in an elementary school...
This week was our Penny Wars put together by our Student Council and GMS Helpers groups. We are excited to say that we raised $3,769.67. This will go towards the installation of a Buddy Bench on our School Yard, an idea from our students. Congratulations to our winning class, Mrs. Cohen's fourth grade class. It was a hard fought competition that came right down to the wire.
Speaking of winning, after a long campaign "Mr. Mitchell should dress as a Sumo Wrestler" was the winner of our Kids' Vote. This will take place sometime soon (when Mr. Mitchell procures a Sumo Suit and has a day that it's OK to be a Sumo Wrestler all day). This will be announced beforehand.
Our GMS Helpers have been preparing for grade level appropriate surveys which will be coming out soon for all stakeholders to share what is working and how to make GMS a better place for all. We encourage students to share ideas for change they think would be helpful. This group has been working hard in preparing for this next task and has already had great ideas including the Buddy Bench which we will now purchase thanks to our Penny Wars.
A special thank you to our Custodial and Grounds crew who have done a tremendous job clearing the snow this Winter and making our schools safe to return to. These past two storms were particularly heavy and we appreciate their hard work and dedication.
You may have seen that in the past few months blue lights have been installed both inside and outside of all three schools in the Litchfield School District. These lights are designed to flash in an emergency, offering a visual alert that there is an emergency situation going on. When you are in the building and see the blue light flashing you should listen for information given over the intercom. If you are outside of a school building and you see the blue light flashing you should not enter the building.
UA Flex Week Volunteers Needed
Later this Spring we will be holding an exploration week for our students as part of their UA Flex week. The GMS Unified Arts Team is looking for business owners, hobbyists, or entrepreneurs whose profession or hobby could connect to our students and would be willing to present a 40-minute presentation to elementary level students. Some possible topics could include:
Music, Visual Arts, Film, Theatre/Dance, Physical Education, Science & Technology, Library Sciences, Culinary Arts, or any other arts related topics
Your presentation can be hands-on or simply demonstrative, and should be age appropriate for 6-10 year olds. We hope to show our students how these unified arts skills are used in everyday careers and hobbies. If you are interested in learning more information, please fill out the form below to the best of your ability, and we will be in touch soon!
Form Link: https://forms.gle/wAekY4cCuu8XKf9d6
Tech Tips
Balanced use of technology can help us navigate so many pieces our lives. Explore your family's use of tech by exploring these Tech Family planners and consider the ways it can enrich everyday activities. Our week 2 infographic
News from the SAU/ Superintendent
With winter weather around the corner, a message has gone out reminding parents and staff of the procedures we will follow to delay or cancel school due to inclement weather. Our goal is to make a decision based upon current safety conditions the morning of the event no later than 5:00 AM. The school district will provide 6 methods of notification of school cancellation or delay: Facebook, email, text, website, and WMUR followed by a final phone message. We will not be contacting any other media outlets, so please be sure to monitor these 6 methods.
News from the PTO
March PTO meeting: Please note due to several scheduling conflicts, the March PTO meeting has been cancelled. We look forward to seeing everyone on Tuesday, April 11th at 6:30pm via Zoom.
Boys Night Out "Let's Glow Crazy" is scheduled for next Friday, March 24th from 6pm - 8pm. To help make this event a success, please consider donating an item. Don't forget to wear a white t-shirt to decorate. We're excited for a fun night!
The Sweetheart Dance is scheduled for Friday, May 12th from 6pm - 8pm. Join us for the next planning meeting on Wednesday, March 22nd. Please contact Katie LaBrie or Erika Charbonneau if you'd like to attend the meeting as it will be at a committee members home.
Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week: Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week is scheduled for May 1st - May 5th. Preparations are underway for this special week celebrating our amazing GMS staff. At this time, we are collecting flower vases large enough to hold 20 cut flowers. If anyone has extra vases that you do not need back, please contact Sarah Vasil. Additionally, if anyone is interested in donating a gift basket that staff could win throughout the week, please let Sarah know. More information about additional ways to help make the week a success will follow soon.
Attention all 4th Grade Families: Here are some links to submit photos for this year's yearbook!
You can send current pictures of this year using this form. Pictures from sports, playdates, performances, scouting, and class parties are great additions to the yearbook!
It is a GMS tradition to feature Baby Ads in the 4th grade yearbook! Please use this form to submit a baby ad for your 4th grader! Choose a photo, leave a brief message (we cap the number of characters for space) and your little cutie will be featured in the yearbook.
Do you have pictures of your child through their years at GMS? Please share them on this form!
Baby Ads and Through the Years Pictures are due on Friday, March 31st.
Only current 4th grade students can be included in the photos submitted for the yearbook. No siblings/friends from other grades. These will NOT be shared online and will only be used for the 4th grade yearbook.
Newsletter: Our March Newsletter includes PTO news as well as fun ideas for home!
Attention all GMS Volunteers: GMS would like to apply for a Blue Ribbon Award this year and in order to do so, we need to keep track of volunteer hours. We are currently using a Google form to track. Please be sure to enter any time you may have spent volunteering this school year. Some examples include baking for the back to school breakfast bash, volunteering in the library, planning/coordinating an event, etc. Thank you to our volunteers for all that you do!
PTO March Newsletter
News from the Community
Litchfield Baseball
Registration for the spring baseball season is now open! To register, please visit www.litchfieldbaseball.org and sign up today. Due to the new system, you will have to create a new account through sports engine. Deadline to register is March 15th. Please contact Andy Ruggles at aruggles17@gmail.com with any questions.
Litchfield Spring Soccer
Litchfield Spring Soccer registration is now open until April 2nd, 2023. We have Travel and Recreational Leagues. To register, visit us at https://litchfieldyouthsoccer.com.
Repeated News/ Long Term Info to Know
Registration for Kindergarten for this fall has begun.
You must use a laptop or desktop computer. Please use Chrome or Safari as your browser, not Internet Explorer.
Please go to the Litchfield School District website (litchfieldsd.org) and click on the Orange tab on the top, left-side of the page.
After completing this short form you will receive an email with further instructions on setting up an account. Please note that it may take several business days before your account becomes active.
You will need to provide the following documents in addition to completing the registration forms:
1. Child's birth certificate
2. Proofs (3) of residency
3. Proof of guardianship
4. Proof of immunizations and most recent physical
All forms and document submissions should be completed as soon as possible.
Please call Griffin Memorial School @ 603-424-5931 if you have questions about registering for Kindergarten.
Spring Child Find Screenings
Litchfield School District will be hosting a Free Child Find Screening Event
Thursday March 30th, 2023
12:00-2:00 PM By Appointment Only
If your child is between the ages of 2.5 and 5 years 11 months, and you have developmental concerns in the areas of hearing, vision, motor coordination, speech/ language or cognitive development, please contact Courtney Beach at cbeach@litchfieldsd.org to learn more or to schedule an appointment for screening.
Free Summer Camp Opportunity
Please see the flyer below for opportunities for free summer camp sponsored by the State.
Summer Camp Opportunities
From Food Services
All schools offer breakfast every morning to our students! The cost of breakfast is $1.75, and is open a half hour before school begins! If you have any questions regarding the school breakfast program please reach out to Food Service Director lcrowley@litchfieldsd.org for more information!" For Kindergarten families, please use THIS LINK to place a daily order for breakfast.
Hannaford Helps
Do you shop at Hannaford? If you do then please help Hannaford support GMS by just doing your regular grocery shopping!!
Shopping In-Store
SHOP – Look for shelf tags on over 1,500 participating products.
CHECK OUT – Collect your School Dollars from an associate at checkout.
DEPOSIT – Drop your School Dollars in the Hannaford Helps Schools collection tower in-store.
Hannaford To Go
SHOP – Look for the apple icon on over 1,500 products online.
CHECK OUT – Receive your School Dollars with your receipt.
DEPOSIT – Drop your School Dollars in the Hannaford Helps Schools collection tower in-store, or send them to school with your child.
End 68 Hours of Hunger and the Litchfield School District 2022-2023
The End 68 Hours of Hunger Program 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.
Each week, bags containing food will be provided to students at school. Students will bring the bag home on the bus or by whatever mode of transportation they have at the end of the day. If you prefer, parents may pick up the bag at school. Please contact your GMS School Social Worker Jada Tessier for further information jtessier@litchfieldsd.org.
End 68 Hours of Hunger Sign Up
Pick Up Procedures
Those utilizing parent pick up are asked to fill in the large loop at the designated time. Please have the colored pick up slips that were sent home, as these act as verification for our staff. If you arrive early for your designated time, you will be directed to a waiting line in the parking lot until your group time.
Pink Group (Last Names A-G): 2:45
Yellow Group (Last Names H-O) 2:52
Blue Group (Last Names P-Z) 3:00
Buses: 3:10 targeted departure
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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