September 25, 2026

 

Griffin Memorial School News At GMS, We THRIVE

September 25, 2026 GMS Families,           This week we welcomed the season of Fall. In our own GMS way we welcomed Fall by kicking off the Scarecrow Jamboree this afternoon with our third and fourth graders. The students heard about the program, got some inspiration from past scarecrows, and even enjoyed a few scarecrow jokes. Third and Fourth grade families should have received an email this afternoon about signing up for either an individual or group scarecrow. We can't wait to see what these creative minds can come up with for the big event on October 30.            Today was also our first Griffy Store of the year. The students excitedly headed out to recess to see the offerings and scope out all that their money could buy. Decisions were made, but it seems like everyone was happy with their purchases. A special thank you to the PTO and volunteers who bring this store to us throughout the year.           As a reminder, please complete your Powerschool annual forms, if you haven't already. On October 1, any student whose information is not complete WILL LOSE Chromebook privileges and the ability to take out Library books. We want to avoid this, so please reach out if you are having any issues with these forms. Information can be found below in the From Tech Section.         Stay safe, stay dry, and enjoy the weekend! Be Well, Be Curious, and THRIVE, Dan Mitchell, Principal Maura Clinton-Jones, Assistant Principal Upcoming Dates October 6, 2026 Tiger Tribe Kick Off 3:00 - 4:00 PM October 9 & 12, 2026 No School- PD Day and Columbus Day October 13-16, 2026 School Lunch Week October 14, 2026 Bring Your Stuffy to School/Work Day October 19-23, 2026 Great Kindness Challenge Week GMS News From the School Counselors We are excited to share this month's Counselor's Corner newsletter with you!  Our updates will now be shared on a monthly basis, packed with valuable resources, strategies, and insights to help support your child at home and school.  We encourage you to read through and stay connected with us throughout the year!  Counselors’ Corner Art Club for 3rd and 4th Grade Students The fall Art Club applications are open. Art Club will be Tuesdays after school. Projects this session will be in support of the play. Art Club participants will work on costumes, props and set design for the upcoming Seussical Jr. play. If your child is not interested in helping with the visual arts for Seussical Jr, a second session of Art club will be offered later in the school year. If you have questions please email Mrs. Starrett, kstarrett@litchfieldsd.org. Here is a link to the application form: https://forms.gle/5sNcFRskqmJGPoKa8  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 From the Nurse's Office To keep our whole community healthy, please keep your student home if they are sick:  o    a fever (>100.4°)They must be fever free for 24 hours without fever reducing medications o   Vomiting in the past 24 hours o   Diarrhea more than two bowel movements above what a child normally experiences in a 24 hours period o   Respiratory virus symptoms are worsening or not improving and are not better explained by another cause, such as seasonal allergies.  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  Friendly reminders: The weather is getting colder please send your student to school with a sweatshirt. Also,  don't forget to send a water bottle daily! If your student has allergens please consider bringing in a packaged treat for them to have stored in my office for those special birthday occasions celebrated throughout the year labeled with their name. Feel free to reach out to Mrs. Vasil with any questions or concerns. PTO News Pumpkinfest Planning Meeting The 9th annual Pumpkin Festival is scheduled for Friday, October 30th from 6pm - 8pm. Join us for our next planning meeting on Wednesday, September 30th at 6:30pm via Zoom (link will be shared on the PTO FB page). We'd love your help as we plan a fun night for the GMS community!   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. October PTO Meeting Please join us for our first meeting on Tuesday, October 13th 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 as well as updates about the PTO events and happenings. A link will be provided on the PTO FB page as we get closer to the date. We look forward to seeing you! **All of this information and more may be found on our Facebook Page: GMS PTO NH 2026-2027.** Community News The Girl Scout of New Hampshire have an upcoming Expo. Please click on the following link for more information about this upcoming, fun event. Girl Scout Expo Flyer Spirit of Litchfield is hosting their Fall Fest on October 3 at Roy Memorial Field. Click the link for more information, we will see you there! Spirit of Litchfield Fall Fest Repeated News/ Long Term Info to Know Spirit Days 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.  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      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 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 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/