Friday, September 13, 2024

September 13, 2024

 





Griffin Memorial School News

At GMS, We THRIVE

September 13, 2024

GMS Families,  

             The first, full, five day week is in the books. While it takes a little getting used to, everyone did great. The learning and progress is already apparent as we walk through the halls. Hopefully you will have a chance to attend our Open Houses this week to see for yourself. Students are invited to come and show families around the school and their classrooms. Teachers and staff will be there to answer any questions you may have. These nights are always a great way to start off the year. We hope to see you all there. Specifics of each night are listed below. Remember we will also be running Volunteer trainings and reauthorizations both evenings in the Gym starting at 5:45. Additionally, we will have some CHS students here for anyone who may need assistance completing their required school year paperwork.  

           The District Facilities Improvement Committee is looking for input from the Litchfield community in regards to the school facilities in the district.  I encourage you to take a few moments and complete the survey found HERE.  Responses from this survey will greatly help the committee determine the right steps for the schools and the community. Paper copies are also available at each school and Town Hall. Thank you in advance for your input and help.

          School Picture Day is coming up on Tuesday. Information about ordering has been sent home or you can click HERE for more information or to get the process started. 

            Have a great weekend and we will see you all on either Tuesday or Thursday evening. 

Be Well, Be Curious, and THRIVE,

Dan Mitchell, Principal

Maura Clinton-Jones, Assistant Principal

Upcoming Dates

September 17, 2024Picture 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

September 27, 2024

Griffy Store at Recesses


GMS News

We will once again offer volunteer orientation during our Open House evenings on Sept. 17 and 19. If you have never attended a volunteer orientation but anticipate volunteering at GMS this year as a room parent, classroom volunteer, field trip chaperone, etc., please plan to attend one of the orientations. You will need to complete the online reading, print and fill out 4 forms and bring the completed forms with you to the volunteer orientation (please click the link below for full directions).

        On both nights, Sept. 17 and 19, we will offer orientation sessions for new volunteers at 5:45pm and 6:30pm in the GMS gym. Please attend the day and time that works best for your schedule.

         If you are a returning volunteer and you would like to update your paperwork for the 24-25 school year, please stop by the gym anytime between 5:45 - 7:00pm on either Open House night. We will have copies of the necessary paperwork for returning volunteers to complete.

Volunteer Orientation Directions

GMS Chorus Info

Chorus begins NEXT Thursday, September 19th.  Chorus is a group of 3rd and 4th grade students who meet after school on Thursdays in the gymnasium until 3:40pm with Miss Magoon to sing and prepare for their three big concerts throughout the year.  If your child is interested in joining chorus this year, and you have not yet filled out the form, please do so by Tuesday, September 17th at the latest.  Thank you!

Form: https://forms.gle/ZsHVY2vN91gZTZZh

Back to School Paperwork

  • 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

News from the PTO

Pumpkin Festival Planning Meeting

The 7th annual Pumpkin Festival is scheduled for Friday, October 25th from 6pm - 8pm. Join us for our next planning meeting on Monday, September 23rd at 7pm via Zoom. We'd love your help as we plan a fun night for the GMS community!

Griffy Store

The first Griffy Store of the year is right around the corner on Friday, 9/27. The store will open outside during recess with a variety of items for the students to shop for 2 items (e.g.  educational tools, classroom supplies, and more). Inventory forms will be sent home with students prior to the store opening, but can also be found here. To keep the store running we need VOLUNTEERS during recess times. Please consider volunteering for one of the slots. You can sign-up here!

October PTO Meeting

Please join us for our next meeting on Tuesday, October 8th at 6:30pm IN PERSON at GMS. We have two planned in person meetings this school year and this is the first one. We hope you will join us as we hear updates from Mr. Mitchell and Mrs. Clinton-Jones as well as updates about the PTO events and happenings! Looking forward to seeing you there!

Monthly Newsletters - September

Be sure to read our monthly newsletters where we will highlight important dates and upcoming events, and we'll introduce you to our Executive Board and Coordinators. 

**All of this information and more may be found on our Facebook Page: GMS PTO NH 2024-2025.*

News from the Community

Daisy Troop Info

1st grade Daisy Troop looking for new members meets every other Wednesday starting in October after school. Please reach out to Sarah Vasil with any questions sarah_willis01338@yahoo.com or 207-615-6921

Daisy Troop Info

9/14 is CHS Football's Crucial Catch game (11am vs Sanborn), in which they honor individuals living with cancer, those lost to cancer and raise money to support the American Cancer Society and their cancer prevention efforts. There are two ways GMS and LMS families can participate:

  1. Halftime Contest: Elementary and Middle School students (1st-8th grades) are invited to participate in a fun half-time Punt, Pass, Kick competition with prizes from Mel’s Funway! Signup up beforehand is recommended since space is limited. Here’s the signup for the Punt, Pass, Kick Contest
  2. Honoring Cancer Survivors: Cancer survivors in our community will be honored by inviting them to be on the field for the playing of the national anthem. If GMS or LMS families/staff have a relative, friend or neighbor that you would like to recognize please fill out the brief form to be added to our honoree list. (The National Cancer Institute defines a cancer survivor as a person from the time of diagnosis through the balance of life.)

There will also be a memorial football wall and a bakesale to add to the fundraising efforts. Crucial Catch is a partnership with the NFL and the American Cancer Society. Crucial Catch's mission is to fight cancer through early detection and risk reduction. https://crucialcatch.cancer.org/



Repeated News/ Long Term Info to Know

The bus routes were updated on Aug. 23. Please make sure you recheck your child's bus route on the GMS website for any changes.

From Nurse Alexa

Hello GMS families!

Back to school is a wonderful time of year, but it also means sharing more than just stories from our summer time vacations. Your students, and the staff, also begin sharing germs! And as we enter the cooler months, the more germs we begin to share. So I wanted to share a few friendly reminders to try and keep everyone healthy;

·         Please do not send your child to school if they are experiencing

o    a fever (>100.4°)They must be fever free for 24 hours without fever reducing medications

o   Vomiting or diarrhea within the past 24 hours

o   Continuous coughing not relieved by cough medicine

o   Are overall not feeling well (headache, stomach ache, fatigue, etc.)

·         Practice hand washing

·         Practice covering a cough and sneeze

·         Drink lots of fluids

·         Get plenty of rest

Linked below is a resource for helping prevent the spread of respiratory viruses. As always, you can reach out to the school nurse with any questions or concerns.

https://www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/prevention/precautions-when-sick.html

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

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 


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:

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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




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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September 13, 2024

  Griffin Memorial School News At GMS, We THRIVE September 13, 2024 GMS Families,                The first, full, five day week is in the bo...