September 4, 2026

 

Griffin Memorial School News At GMS, We THRIVE

September 4, 2026 GMS Families,           The school year is officially underway and the first week could not have gone any better. With the few bumps ironed out we are now ready to go for a great and successful school year. Thank you to everyone for their help, support, cooperation and patience as we began the school year, especially in terms of arrival and dismissal.           Throughout the year we like to mix in some fun through Spirit Days. In order to give you a chance to plan and prepare for these days we have created THIS LIST. Hopefully a little preparation allows you to express your best spirit on those days. Reminders will be included in the upcoming dates section of this newsletter and more information will be coming regarding the special weeks we have planned.            Thank you for a great first week, here is to an amazing year, and have a great, relaxing long weekend. We will see you all again on Tuesday! Be Well, Be Curious, and THRIVE, Dan Mitchell, Principal Maura Clinton-Jones, Assistant Principal Upcoming Dates September 4 & 7, 2026 No School- Labor Day Long Weekend September 15, 2026 Picture Day (CORRECTED DATE) September 15, 2026 Open House- Pre K, K and Grade 1 - 6:00 PM September 17, 2026 Open House- Grades 2-4- 6:00 PM September 25, 2026 Griffy Store at Recesses GMS News Drama At GMS We’re excited to announce that GMS will be holding auditions for Seussical Jr.! Auditions are open to all students in grades 2–4, and no previous theater experience is required! Auditions: Wednesday, September 9, 3:10–4:30 PM in the Gym. Students should be prepared to sing a short portion of a song and/or read from the script. There will also be a short dance portion, so comfortable clothing is recommended. Students should go directly to the gym at dismissal. Pick-up is at 4:30 PM. Rehearsals: Mondays & Wednesdays, 3:10–4:30 PM (students will not be called to every rehearsal) Performances: December 4 & 5 at CHS If your child would like to participate, please complete the audition Google Form before auditions on September 9: https://forms.gleMbJUDpXBwhhhZ3aU6 Please reach out to Ms. Perry with questions. We can’t wait to bring the wonderful world of Dr. Seuss to life at GMS! News from Tech The parent portal in now open on Powerschool. Please see below in the News from Tech section, for instructions about completing your annual verification. As a reminder, these must be completed EVERY YEAR. MUST UPDATE AND CONFIRM POWERSCHOOL INFORMATION ANNUALLY.Please click the links below for updated information regarding powerschool and Chromebook information. A reminder that all parents Back to School Tech News Food Services Free and Reduced Meal Applications are available for families needing to apply.  Families can apply online HERE, or can fill out a paper copy, available at each school.  Families can apply at any time during the school year, all information is confidential, and there is no penalty for applying and not qualifying.  For any further information or assistance, please contact Lauren Crowley, SNS, Dining Services Director.  Free and Reduced Instructions Free and Reduced Application Free and Reduced Public Release 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 and 4th grades of all fitness abilities.  Practice Times: Mondays and Wednesdays 3:15 - 4:45PM  Start Date: September 14 Location: Griffin Memorial School  5K Celebration Event: November 14 (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 PTO News First PTO Meeting of the School Year Please join us for our first meeting on Tuesday, September 8th at 6:30pm via Zoom. Come meet the board and learn about the PTO! At this meeting, we will hear school updates from Mr. Mitchell & Mrs. Clinton-Jones, review the dates for the upcoming year, and vote on the proposed budget. A link will be provided on the PTO FB page as we get closer to the date. We look forward to seeing you! GMS Back to School Family Fun Night Join us on Saturday, September 12th as the Fisher Cats take on the Harrisburg Senators. First pitch at 6:03pm. Exclusive on-field experience for GMS students! Please click here for tickets and more information.  Griffy Gear We are excited that our Griffy Gear sale is back again this year! There are several items available in a variety of sizes and colors for both children and adults. Online orders can be placed until October 10th. Back to School PTO Forms Friendly reminder, please be sure to fill out the following forms by Friday, 9/11. *Complete the forms by tonight for a chance to be entered to win one of three $10 gift certificates to Lix. GMS PTO Family Directory Volunteer Form Room Parent Form Griffy Store The first Griffy Store of the year is right around the corner on Friday, 9/25. 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, so stay tuned. To keep the store running we need VOLUNTEERS during recess times. Please consider volunteering for one of the slots. You can sign-up here! **All of this information and more may be found on our Facebook Page: GMS PTO NH 2026-2027.** Community News Repeated News/ Long Term Info to Know 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, cut through the parking lot,  or stop at the front door if there is space in front to pull forward. We also ask that you NOT park in the parking lot and walk 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      From Nurse Sarah ·         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  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: 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. SafeArrival Sign Up SafeArrival FAQs SafeArrival Report an Absence End 68 Hours of Hunger and the Litchfield School District 2026-2027 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 Jess Carroll, School Social Worker, at jcarroll@litchfieldsd.org 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/