GMS Families, As Green Day once said "Summer has come and past..." While we still have a few days left to enjoy, rest, relax, and prepare, we also turn our eyes to the next school year. We are excited for the opportunities and possibilities that the 24-25 school year has in store for us and we look forward to this journey with you. For our new families, this newsletter will be sent every Friday at 5:00 PM. Please be sure to read it as it contains important information about the school and community. As a quick tutorial or reminder, this newsletter is broken down into a few sections. The first is this message from admin, followed by Upcoming Dates, then School Information, the PTO, Community News, and Finally a Repeated Information section where important "need to know" items can be found all year long.
As you read on you will find information regarding Bus Routes this year, Powerschool registration, Drop Off and Pick Up Procedures, Girls on the Run, and a message from the PTO. Please give extra attention to the Bus Routes, with the reduction from 9 to 8 buses, it has resulted in a number of changes to Routes. DO NOT ASSUME IT IS THE SAME AS LAST YEAR.
Finally, as we begin this school year we thank you for the trust that you place is in us. Your child's growth, learning, and safety is a responsibility that we hold sacred. We are fortunate to be working with you in partnership towards the success of all. Together we will grow, learn, and THRIVE.
Dan Mitchell, Principal Maura Clinton-Jones, Assistant Principal
Upcoming Dates | August 23, 2024 | Meet the Teacher for K and New Families 1:30 Last Names L-Z Visits Class; A-K Building Tours 2:00 Last Names A-K Visits Class; L-Z Building Tours
| | August 26, 2024 | First Day of School | | August 30 and September 2, 2024 | No School- Labor Day Weekend | | September 17, 2024 | Picture Day | | September 17, 2024 | Open House PreK, K & 1 6:00- 7:00 PM | | September 19, 2024 | Open House 2,3, & 4 6:00 - 7:00 PM |
GMS News
24-25 Bus Routes Bus routes for the 24-25 school year can be found HERE. Powerschool Registration
Back to School forms are available and need to be completed on the portal. These forms MUST be filled out EVERY YEAR Here is a link to the PowerSchool Parent Portal Here is a link to the Portal Quick Reference Guide Chromebook insurance can now be paid through Titan (same for lunch) or by check (Please add student name and "CB Fee" on check memo so that it is applied to proper student) Gr 1-4 Chromebook usage fee is $5 Gr 5-12 Chromebook insurance fee is $20 and free/reduced is $10
Morning Drop Off Procedures During the morning drop off, both buses and cars will utilize the big loop. As vehicles pull in please pull as far forward until all cars have stopped. Then you can let your child out of the car. Please then wait until the cars in front of you move before pulling forward. Please DO NOT pass a stopped car or stop at the front door if there is space in front to pull forward. We also ask that you avoid parking in the parking lot and walking your child to the door, this adds pedestrian traffic to car traffic. Our attempt is to make this a safe and fluid process. We understand that some back ups do occur, but this procedure ensures safety of all and limits the length of any delay. 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-E): 2:45 Yellow Group (Last Names F-N) 2:52 Blue Group (Last Names O-Z) 3:00 Buses: 3:10 targeted departure Girls on the Run at GMS
We believe that every girl is inherently full of power and potential. As the leaders of their lives, these are the girls that will change the world. At Girls on the Run, we inspire girls to recognize their inner strength and celebrate what makes them one of a kind. Each session is led by trained volunteer coaches who guide and mentor the girls through dynamic discussions, activities and running games. Lessons are fun and engaging and teach specific skills and strategies such as how to manage emotions, help others, make intentional decisions, and resolve conflict. Girls can then use these strategies at home, at school and with friends. The program culminates with all participants walking or running a celebratory 5K event, which gives them a tangible sense of accomplishment, as well as a framework for setting and achieving life goals. The 8-week program is for girls in 3rd, 4th and 5th grades of all fitness abilities. Practice Times: Mondays and Wednesdays 3:00 - 4:30 PM Start Date: September 16 Location: Griffin Memorial School 5K Celebration Event: November 16 (Concord, NH) To learn more about Girls on the Run, registration or financial assistance, please visit our website: https://www.girlsontherunnh.org/ No girl will be turned away for financial reasons. GOTR-NH is a 501© 3 organization. Contact Rachel Maynard: 603-778-1389
News from the PTO First PTO Meeting of the School Year Please join us for our first meeting on Tuesday, September 10th at 6:30pm via Zoom. Come meet the board and learn about the PTO! At this meeting we will be reviewing the dates for the upcoming year and voting on the proposed budget. A link will be provided on the PTO FB page as we get closer to the date (GMS PTO NH 2024-2025). We look forward to seeing you!
News from the Community
Repeated News/ Long Term Info to Know
End 68 Hours of Hunger and the Litchfield School District 2023-2024 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. If you’d like to sign up for the program or need additional information, please contact Taryn Staples, School Social Worker, at tstaples@litchfieldsd.org. Absence Reporting At Litchfield School District, one of our greatest priorities is ensuring that all our students arrive safely at school each and every day. To enhance our existing absence-checking procedure, we are introducing a new, more efficient student absence reporting system called SafeArrival. This new system will reduce the time it takes to verify student attendance, make it easy for you to report your child’s absence and easy for staff to respond to unexplained student absences. With SafeArrival, you are asked to report your child’s absence in advance using any of these 3 convenient methods: Using your mobile device, download and install the SchoolMessenger app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store (or from the links at https://go.schoolmessenger.com). The first time you use the app, select Sign Up to create your account. Select Attendance then Report an Absence. Use the SafeArrival website, https://go.schoolmessenger.com. The first time you use the website, select Sign Up to create your account. Select Attendance then Report an Absence. Call the toll-free number 1-833-516-0370 to report an absence using the automated phone system.
These options are available 24 hours/day, 7 days a week. Future absences can be reported at any time. In addition, we will use the SchoolMessenger Communicate automated notification system to contact parents whose child is absent when the absence was not reported in advance. The automated notification system will attempt to contact parents at multiple contact points until a reason is submitted for the absence. If our system is unable to reach the designated contacts, office staff will follow up. If you report your child’s absence in advance using the SafeArrival toll-free number, website or mobile app, you will NOT receive these notifications. Starting March 4, when we return from Vacation, please report absences in advance using SafeArrival instead of sending notes or calling/emailing the school. Starting March 4, staff will begin using the SafeArrival notifications to let you know if your student is absent (when you haven’t reported the absence in advance). Thank you for your patience and cooperation as we implement this new system. ***Please Note that Sign Up may not be available until early next week*** SafeArrival Sign Up SafeArrival FAQs SafeArrival Report an Absence
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Griffin Memorial School News At GMS, We THRIVE August 15, 2024 GMS Families, As Green Day once said "Summer has come and p...
Griffin Memorial School News At GMS, We THRIVE August 23, 2024 GMS Families, Monday brings the beginning of the 24-25 school year...
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