October 18, 2024

Griffin Memorial School News At GMS, We THRIVE

October 18, 2024 GMS Families,                     A short week and a full moon always lead to an interesting time at an elementary school, but growth and progress continued. The air is filled with excitement for next week's Scarecrow Jamboree and Pumkinfest. We can't wait to see the creativity come out in the students' creations. If you thought that was exciting, you can only imagine the enthusiasm there is for tomorrow's Community Clean Up. We can't wait to see you there starting at 10:00.           In just a few short weeks we will honor our local Veterans at a ceremony. We invite anyone who has served and is connected to GMS or Litchfield in anyway to join us on November 8th with refreshments at 8:45 and a ceremony beginning at 9:00. Please be sure to spread the word to any Veteran that you may know. Their presence and example are remarkable for our students.            One week down of a stretch of strange but exciting weeks. We are looking forward to everything the next few weeks will bring.  Please keep reading for info about Scarecrow Jamboree, Picture Retakes, Wall of Heroes, a special presentation on School funding, our Facilities Improvement Survey, and Updates from the PTO Be Well, Be Curious, and THRIVE, Dan Mitchell, Principal Maura Clinton-Jones, Assistant Principal Upcoming Dates October 19, 2024 GMS Community Clean Up 10:00 AM October 25, 2024 Scarecrow Jamboree, Pumpkinfest, Halloween Parties October 31, 2024 End of Quarter 1 November 4-5, 2024 Parent Conferences- Evening of 11/4, daytime of 11/5 November 7, 2024 Picture Retakes  November 8, 2024 Veterans Day Ceremony 9:00 AM- All Veterans Welcome GMS News Wall of Heroes A special tradition we have for the month of November is our Wall of Heroes. This Wall celebrates the service and sacrifice of the many Veterans in our lives, families, and community. If you have someone you would like added to this wall of over 150 Veterans, please fill out the link below. If you have filled it out in the past there is no need to fill it out again. Our intention is to hang the display on November 1 and have it displayed for the month of November. Also, if you are a Veteran please keep November 8 free as we would like to honor you at our Annual Veteran's Day Assembly. More info to come.           Wall of Heroes Picture Retake Retake day, November 7th,  is for new students and staff members, transfer students, or for anyone who may have missed the initial picture day, OR for anyone who was unhappy with their original picture and would like to give it another try. If a parent would like the student to retake a photo to replace the original photo, please have the student return the original picture package to the photographer on picture day. They will replace the original package at no additional cost. If this is the first time being photographed, just have the student/staff go to the camera and they will create a proof for them that will be sent to the school (and/or to their family email if we have that information). These proofs will be delivered approx. 4 weeks after picture day. An order code will be on the proof along with ordering instructions. Scarecrow Jamboree Parents in third and fourth grade should have received an email and papers will be coming home soon as well. If your child would like to participate they can sign up through the following links:  Team   Individual Fall Clean Up Day October 19th will be our first annual Fall Community Clean Up. The purpose of this day is to come together as a community to do some weeding, pruning, cleaning, and turning of our landscaping and grounds. The hope is to get the yard ready for Winter and then another event to beautify it in the Spring. If you are interested in donating or participating please fill out the following form: Community Clean Up Sign Up Facilities Improvement Survey         The District Facilities Improvement Committee is still 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. Counselors' Corner Be sure to read the first monthly issue of Counselors' Corner to find out all the news from Mrs. Hayes, Mrs. Perkins, and Mrs. Carroll. Counselor’s Corner News from the PTO Daybreak Dialogues The GMS PTO invites all parents and guardians to take a day break with us at 10am on Tuesday, October 22, 2024 at Veterans Park! Join fellow families for a relaxed hour of conversation. It's a great opportunity to unwind, chat, and connect. Feel free to bring your little ones along—they're always welcome. We hope to see you there! Pumpkin Festival  The 7th annual Pumpkin Festival is scheduled for Friday, October 25th from 6pm - 8pm. If you’re interested in helping out with the event, please consider donating an item or volunteering during the event. Thank you in advance for helping to make this event a success! Monthly Newsletters - October 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.  November PTO Meeting Please join us for our next meeting on Tuesday, November 12th at 6:30pm via Zoom. 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! **All of this information and more may be found on our Facebook Page: GMS PTO NH 2024-2025.** News from the Community The families and staff of Griffin Memorial School to attend a School Funding and Taxation presentation being hosted by SAU 27 and the NH School Funding Fairness Project on Wednesday, October 23rd at 6:30pm in the Campbell High School Learning Commons. NHSFFP is a small non-profit, nonpartisan organization based in Concord that advocates for equitable public school funding and taxation in NH.  In this hour-long presentation, we explain how New Hampshire's current school funding model creates disparities in tax bills from town to town & in the educational opportunities available in different parts of the state, and discuss how we can work together toward a more equitable approach. Attendees will learn about academic performance and financial costs within their own district as compared to nearby towns, so the information will be specific and relevant.  The presentation will also include discussion about the two current school funding lawsuits and will conclude with open Q&A. I've included a shareable graphic that gives important details about the event.  We ask that attendees sign up in advance through this link so we print enough copies of our handouts.  This is a fantastic opportunity for families and staff to engage with a topic that directly affects their students and community.   Kids’ Clothing Thrift Sale On Saturday, October 26th, there will be a Kids’ Clothing sale at the Litchfield Community Church Presbyterian located at 259 Charles Bancroft Highway. It will run from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the downstairs hall. All new or gently used clothing will start at $1.00 per item. As children out-grow their clothing, this is a good time to shop for those new sizes and the new season. Come and see the collection of styles and sizes available. Repeated News/ Long Term Info to Know In order to balance out our bus routes, some adjustments have been made. Please see the updated lists below.  2024-2025 GMS AM Bus Schedule - Updated 10.2.24 2024-2025 GMS PM Bus Schedule - Updated 10.2.24 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 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: 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/