Friday, April 11, 2025

April 11, 2025

 





Griffin Memorial School News

At GMS, We THRIVE

April 11, 2025

GMS Families,  

       Week one of fourth quarter is in the books and while the calendar says Spring we haven't seen much of it outside, but we remain hopeful. Parents should have received two important emails today. The first one included and attachment with a code to access student report cards and a second one containing the report card. Please let Mr. Mitchell know if there were an issues.

        National Volunteer Week is April 20-26th, and GMS is fortunate to have so many volunteers.  Let us show our appreciation!  Pleas click for an Invitation to Volunteer Social.  We hope that you can make it!

          As we prepare for Field Trip season we know that many parents would like to be considered for chaperoning. In order to chaperone, parents must be volunteer trained and then reverified each year. Please make sure your paperwork is up to date for consideration. If you have never gone through the initial training, we will be offering a few coming up:

Thursday, April 17 at 7:00am (In School) & 7:00 PM (Remote)

Monday, April 21 at 12:00pm( In School)

Wednesday April 23 7:00 PM (Remote)

If you would like to attend one of these trainings please let Mr. Mitchell or Mrs. Clinton-Jones know. Remember that all of the reading must be done and the forms must be completed before the training. A link to the directions on where to find the online reading and forms that have to be filled out can be found below.

Volunteer Orientation Directions

           This Sunday our GMS First Lego teams will be sharing their projects and participating in activities at their First Lego Expo.  The CHS Robotics team, Potential Energy, will be assisting at the event and running demonstrations of their robot.   Our teams are sponsored in part by BAE Systems. The event will run 12:30-2:30 at CHS and is open to the public.  Feel free to come see what Octobricks, Hydrolegos, Team Marine Creatures, Navy Sharks, and Lego Sharks have worked on this year. Please come and share in these students' hard work and success.

           Now let the Boys' Night Out Fun Begin....

Be Well, Be Curious, and THRIVE,

Dan Mitchell, Principal

Maura Clinton-Jones, Assistant Principal

Upcoming Dates

April 23, 2025
Volunteer Appreciation Social
April 17, 21, & 23, 2025

Volunteer Trainings



April 28- May 2, 2025Spring Vacation

 GMS News

Field Day Donations

Well it's that time of year again....we are busy planning our GMS Field Day 2025!!  It's hard to believe we are already at this point!  I am attaching an amazon wish list of items that we were hoping to have donated.  These items are used for all our kiddos and the art projects that they do on that day!

Amazon Wishlist

sidewalk chalk from Target  (10)

Thank you in advance for your support!!!

News from the PTO

Boys Night Out
We are looking forward to seeing you TONIGHT from 6pm - 8pm in the GMS gym for Boys Night Out! This year’s event will feature a professional BMX athlete who will perform for us. We hope to see you there!

Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week
This year Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week is scheduled for May 5th - 9th (the week immediately following school vacation). The PTO has a fun week planned and flyers will be sent home soon. If you’re interested in donating an item to help make the week a success, please click here. We are also accepting raffle prizes as well as homemade local items for our “farmers market day”.  If you’d prefer not to shop, we are also accepting Venmo donations and those may be sent directly to @sarah-vasil-1. Please contact Sarah Vasil at sarah_willis01338@yahoo.com with any questions.

Sweetheart Dance
The Sweetheart Dance is scheduled for May 9th from 6pm-8pm in the GMS gymnasium.  Leave a little sparkle wherever you go! Shine bright, Be Kind, Stay Curious!  If you would like to contribute to help make the night a success, we would greatly appreciate your contributions. Sign up here. We will be adding volunteer sign-ups as we get closer to the date! Our next planning meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 17th, 2025, 6:30pm-7:30pm  over google meets. If you are unable to make the meeting but would like to help, please reach out to Katie LaBrie bardsleykatie@gmail.com and/or to Erika Charbonneau at erikacharb@gmail.com. To contribute to the We look forward to another successful dance!  

Monthly Newsletters - April

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. 

Griffy Store

The next Griffy Store will be on Friday, 4/18. 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. Inventory photos will be available on the GMS PTO Facebook account the week of the Griffy Store. To keep the store running we need VOLUNTEERS during recess times. Please consider volunteering for one of the slots. You can sign-up here!

May PTO Meeting

Our next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 13th 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. At this meeting we will also be voting for all board positions for the 2025-2026 school year. If you’re interested in a board position, please fill out this interest form. If you are interested in a coordinator role, please fill out this interest form. If you have any questions, please reach out to Erica Ruggles and/or Trixy Gardner at ptonhgms@gmail.com.  We hope to see you there!

Calling all 4th Grade Families!

Photo Submissions

Last call for yearbook photos. We are currently requesting SPRING photos. Deadline for ALL submissions is May 1st so get your photos in now! 

As a reminder, all of the yearbook information is posted on the class page: Class of 2033, Litchfield NH. 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

“Kids and Adults” Clothing Thrift Sale

The Kids and Adults Clothing sale will be held on April 12th at the LitchfieldCommunity 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 and 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 Spring season. Come and see the collection of styles and sizes available.

Cleat Swap

Litchfield Youth Soccer League is hosting its first Cleat Swap on Saturday, April 12th from 8:30am – 11am at the Sawmill Brook Fields.

Cleat Swap Info

Repeated News/ Long Term Info to Know

Kindergarten Pre-Registration is Open.

           Go to the Litchfield District Web page and click the "Student Registration" icon in the middle of the page. There are a number of documents required as part of the process. The documents should be emailed to:   jwilcox@litchfieldsd.org        

          If your child is currently enrolled in our 4yr old PK program, you do not need to re-register for Kindergarten. Please be sure to share this with any family that you know has a kindergartner for next year but may not already be connected to GMS.

Pre-Registration for the 25-26 Preschool program will begin March 17th.

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 now use a more efficient student absence reporting system called SafeArrival.  This  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.

SafeArrival Sign Up

SafeArrival FAQs

SafeArrival Report an Absence

From Nurse Alexa

·         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 



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/


                                                                                                





Friday, April 4, 2025

April 4, 2025

 





Griffin Memorial School News

At GMS, We THRIVE

April 4, 2025

GMS Families,  

           It is hard to believe, but today marks the end of the third quarter. With that, report cards will be sent out next Friday. Be on the lookout for two emails next Friday, one sending an access code and then another sending the report card. We now enter the fourth and final quarter. There is still so much to do, learn, and experience and we are excited to see all that can be accomplished between now and the end of the year. 

         We are now officially in the "plan for next year" phase of the school year. One item we will be working diligently on is placement for next year. As part of this process we give parents an opportunity to provide any information that you feel would be helpful and beneficial in providing your child the best opportunity next year. Please refrain from requesting specific teachers, but do share any information that you think would be relevant and important for us to consider. Information can be provided HERE.

         Well it's that time of year again....we are busy planning our GMS Field Day 2025!!  It's hard to believe we are already at this point!  I am attaching an amazon wish list of items that we were hoping to have donated.  These items are used for all our kiddos and the art projects that they do on that day!

Amazon Wishlist

sidewalk chalk from Target  (10)

Thank you in advance for your support!!!

Be Well, Be Curious, and THRIVE,

Dan Mitchell, Principal

Maura Clinton-Jones, Assistant Principal

Upcoming Dates

April 4, 2025Third Quarter Closes- Report Cards Sent home 4/11

April 7, 2025

Litchfield Child Find 12-2



April 23, 2025

Volunteer Appreciation Social 



April 28- May 2, 2025Spring Vacation

 GMS News

News from the Counseling Suite

Be sure to check out this month's edition of the Counselors' Corner for updates from Mrs. Hayes and Mrs. Perkins.

March Counselors’ Corner

Kindergarten Pre-Registration is Open.

           Go to the Litchfield District Web page and click the "Student Registration" icon in the middle of the page. There are a number of documents required as part of the process. The documents should be emailed to:   jwilcox@litchfieldsd.org        

          If your child is currently enrolled in our 4yr old PK program, you do not need to re-register for Kindergarten. Please be sure to share this with any family that you know has a kindergartner for next year but may not already be connected to GMS.

Pre-Registration for the 25-26 Preschool program will begin March 17th.

News from the PTO

Boys Night Out
We are just ONE week away from this year’s Boys Night Out, scheduled for Friday, April 11th from 6pm  - 8pm in the GMS gym. This year’s event will feature a professional BMX athlete who will perform for us. To help make this night a success, please consider volunteering your time or donating an item. Thank you for your consideration! We are looking forward to a fun night!

Sweetheart Dance
The Sweetheart Dance is scheduled for May 9th from 6pm-8pm in the GMS gymnasium.  Leave a little sparkle wherever you go! Shine bright, Be Kind, Stay Curious!  If you would like to contribute to help make the night a success, we would greatly appreciate your contributions. Sign up here. We will be adding volunteer sign-ups as we get closer to the date! Our next planning meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 17th, 2025, 6:30pm-7:30pm  over google meets. If you are unable to make the meeting but would like to help, please reach out to Katie LaBrie bardsleykatie@gmail.com and/or to Erika Charbonneau at erikacharb@gmail.com. To contribute to the We look forward to another successful dance!  

Monthly Newsletters - April

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. 

April PTO Meeting

Our next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 8th 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. At this meeting we will also be accepting nominations for all board positions. If you’re interested in a board position for the 2025-2026, please fill out this interest form. If you are interested in a coordinator role, please fill out this interest form. If you have any questions, please reach out to Erica Ruggles and/or Trixy Gardner at ptonhgms@gmail.com.  We hope to see you there!

Griffy Store

The next Griffy Store will be on Friday, 4/18. 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. Inventory photos will be available on the GMS PTO Facebook account the week of the Griffy Store. To keep the store running we need VOLUNTEERS during recess times. Please consider volunteering for one of the slots. You can sign-up here!

Calling all 4th Grade Families!

Photo Submissions

Last call for yearbook photos. We are currently requesting SPRING photos. Deadline for ALL submissions is May 1st so get your photos in now! 

As a reminder, all of the yearbook information is posted on the class page: Class of 2033, Litchfield NH. 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

“Kids and Adults” Clothing Thrift Sale

The Kids and Adults Clothing sale will be held on April 12th at the LitchfieldCommunity 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 and 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 Spring season. Come and see the collection of styles and sizes available.

Cleat Swap

Litchfield Youth Soccer League is hosting its first Cleat Swap on Saturday, April 12th from 8:30am – 11am at the Sawmill Brook Fields.

Cleat Swap Info

Repeated News/ Long Term Info to Know

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 now use a more efficient student absence reporting system called SafeArrival.  This  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.

SafeArrival Sign Up

SafeArrival FAQs

SafeArrival Report an Absence

From Nurse Alexa

·         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 



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/


                                                                                                




April 11, 2025

  Griffin Memorial School News At GMS, We THRIVE April 11, 2025 GMS Families,          Week one of fourth quarter is in the books and while ...