Griffin Memorial School News

At GMS, We THRIVE

September 6, 2024

GMS Families,

Another week down and the school year is getting into full swing. The ease in is now over and next week will be our first full week. We are working on our Spirit Day calendar to once again send home to families. Our hope is that with this calendar you will have plenty of time to prepare and make the spirit days a success. With that said, Monday will be our first Spirit Day, but don't worry its an easy one. Monday is National Teddy Bear Day, so we invite everyone to bring in their favorite stuffy to spend the day at school with them. We can't wait to meet all of your stuffed friends.

School Picture Day is coming up in just a few weeks. Keep an eye out for ordering information to come home with your child or you can click HERE for more information or to get the process started.

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

Again, please please please please remember to complete your back to school paperwork. The information and directions for how to do this is found below. The middle school is almost done and we really want to beat them in this made up competition. Let's show the district who is the best school.....

We hope to see you all tomorrow night at the PTO Night at the Fisher Cats Game. It is always a good time, so we hope you can join us.

Be Well, Be Curious, and THRIVE,

Dan Mitchell, Principal

Maura Clinton-Jones, Assistant Principal

Upcoming Dates

September 7, 2024	PTO Night at the Fisher Cats
September 9, 2024	Teddy Bear Day - Bring your favorite Stuffy to School.
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

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

It’s time once again for the GMS Musical! This year’s show is “Beauty and the Beast Jr.”. Shows will take place on January 31st and February 1st. Auditions take place on September 9, 11, and 13 after school. If you’d like to sign your child up, please fill out the following form!

https://forms.gle/aGokFLHbSWkHBJ1b7

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.

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

PTO Forms

Friendly reminder that TODAY (September 6th) is the last day to fill out the PTO forms.

Please note the directory will NOT be posted on Facebook - only those who sign up will be emailed a link.

GMS Back to School Family Fun Night

Join us TOMORROW, September 7th as the Fisher Cats take on the vs. Portland Seadogs. First pitch at 6:35pm. Exclusive on the field experience for GMS students! Please click here for tickets and more information!

Pumpkin Festival Planning Meeting

The 7th annual Pumpkin Festival is scheduled for Friday, October 25th from 6pm - 8pm. Join us for the first planning meeting on Monday, September 9th at 6pm via Zoom. We'd love your help as we plan a fun night for the GMS community!

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 (GMS PTO NH 2024-2025). We look forward to seeing you!

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!

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

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:

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
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/

Registration is now open for Litchfield Basketball Travel Try-Outs and Recreational Programs.

Travel Try-Outs are open to our 3rd-8th grade girls and boys. Players must be registered to try-out by October 4th. For more information and to Register to try-out visit here: https://lrbl.sportngin.com/register/form/170843416 *Try-outs will take place the week of October 7th*

Recreational Registration is open for girls and boys in PreK-8th grade. Please register by November 1, 2024.

Lil' Dribbler and Instructional (grades PreK-2), please register here: https://lrbl.sportngin.com/register/form/803938347

Recreational Program (3rd thru 8th), please register here: https://lrbl.sportngin.com/register/form/707497105 . We are exploring league options for this program and need players to register by 11/1/24.

Our programs are made possible by volunteer Coaches, interested volunteers must express interest here: https://lrbl.sportngin.com/register/form/691146723

For more information about our programs please visit our website at www.lrbl.net, e-mail the board at lrblboard@gmail.com, or visit our social media page here.

We look forward to seeing you back on the courts soon!

Calling all soccer families!!! Fall recreation soccer and cubs registration is open until August 25th. Each child that is registered before the August 25th deadline is guaranteed to be placed on a team. Registrations after the deadline will incur an additional $10 late charge per player. These players are not guaranteed to be placed on a team and will be added as long as there are available places.

For more information about our programs please visit: https://litchfieldyouthsoccer.com .

To register go to https://system.gotsport.com/programs/45G439506?reg_role=player .

Please email lysl.rec@gmail.com with questions.

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.

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:

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

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/