November 1, 2024

Griffin Memorial School News At GMS, We THRIVE

November 1, 2024 GMS Families,                     It is hard to believe we are already in the month of November. The month of Thanksgiving, Parent Teacher Conferences, and Veterans Day. The month is full of events and tends to go by in a blur. This afternoon a number of volunteers helped to hang our Wall of Heroes. This year we have over 170 Veterans and Service Members honored. Please take a moment to spend some time there when you come for conferences next week. Thank you to everyone who makes this possible each year. If you are or know a Veteran we look forward to having you next Friday at our Veterans Day Ceremony. Please join us starting at 8:45 with some refreshments.          We look forward to seeing you all either Monday evening or Tuesday during conferences. These are an important way to partner in the success of your child. We hope these conversations are fruitful, informative, and helpful.         It was the day after Halloween in an elementary school so that is all we have the energy to convey today. Please keep reading for more information about events happening at CHS, upcoming volunteer trainings, and news from the PTO. Be Well, Be Curious, and THRIVE, Dan Mitchell, Principal Maura Clinton-Jones, Assistant Principal Upcoming Dates 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 We will once again offer volunteer orientation during our Parent Teacher Conferences on Nov. 4 and 5. If you have never attended a volunteer orientation but anticipate volunteering at GMS this year as a classroom volunteer, field trip chaperone, etc., please plan to attend one of these 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 see below for full directions). *On Nov. 4 we will offer volunteer orientations at 4:30pm and 6:30pm. *On Nov. 5 we will offer volunteer orientations at 9:00am and 12:00pm.  All volunteer orientations will take place in the GMS gym. Please attend the day and time that works best for your schedule. If you are a returning volunteer and you have not yet updated your volunteer paperwork for the 24-25 school year, please stop by the gym anytime on Nov. 4 or 5. We will have a table set up with copies of the necessary paperwork for returning volunteers to complete. 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. 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 Holiday Store Volunteers Needed! The holiday season is upon us, and we need our amazing Holiday Wrapping Elves to help wrap gifts for the GMS Holiday Store! Please sign up here to pick up items to wrap.  The holiday store will open the week of December 10th for K-4 students. Later this month we will solicit volunteers to help at the store.  Questions? Contact Jen Ireland at jen17c@hotmail.com. Thank you for helping make the holiday magic happen! 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! Monthly Newsletters - November 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.  Calling all 4th Grade Families! It is time to start thinking about the 4th grade yearbook. Now is the time to start saving photos to send to us for the yearbook. Be on the lookout for an email requesting photos from all the kids fall activities; soccer, scouts, football, karate, dance, gymnastics, cheer, etc!  Yearbook Advertisements Each year the GMS PTO is proud to present each of our graduating fourth graders with a yearbook that captures memories from their last elementary school year at no cost to families. If you are interested in partnering with us for the upcoming publication, please fill out the sponsorship form. Please contact the yearbook coordinators at GMSyearbook2025@gmail.com with any questions. Thank you for your consideration and support! **All of this information and more may be found on our Facebook Page: GMS PTO NH 2024-2025.** News from the Community The CHS Spanish National Honor Society will be hosting a movie night featuring Coco on Saturday, November 2nd from 5:45 pm to 7:45 pm in the CHS Learning Commons. Students of all ages, particularly elementary aged students, are invited to attend for a suggested $5 donation per child (all proceeds go to Spanish NHS).  Supervision will be provided so families do not have to stay for the movie (but can if they want). Refreshments provided! The CAL (Campbell Athletic Leaders) are hosting a 5k Turkey trot on Nov 30th) they are looking for baskets to raffle off at the end but mostly runners! If you are interested in donating a basket from your business or personally please let me know and I will let the CAL club know. Here is the link to sign up for the run/walk if you’re interested. They are hoping to have runners signed up by 11/15 so they can order the shirts in time. The money raised will go to the NH mental health and sport organization in support of November being mental health awareness month. All runners will receive a free shirt. There will be a limited amount of shirts for anyone that wants to purchase one at the event that is not running. All proceeds from the shirts also go to the organization. The cost to run/walk is $30 cash/check can be brought race day or can be mailed to Campbell high school (please put Turkey trot in the notes) so the school knows what the money's for. Litchfield Youth Wrestling If you are interested in learning more about Wrestling here in Litchfield, Litchfeild Your Wrestling will be holding a Free Clinic and Registration Soon. More information can be found in the flyer below: Litchfield Wrestling 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/