Dear GCS Families,
Another wonderful year at GCS has come to a close, but not without a lot of celebration, as well as some emotional farewells, too. While it is always difficult to say goodbye, we are so excited by all of the growth and many successes that each child has gained throughout their time here with us. Some words of thought to share:
“The important thing is not so much that every child should be taught, as that every child should be given the wish to learn.” John Lubbock
NAEYC ACCREDITATION
You may have noticed the big banner in front of the school announcing our big news…GCS is Proud to be Nationally Accredited! After working diligently together for the whole school year, and receiving a visit from Assessors this spring, we received the word that Groton Community School has once again earned the honor of Accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children. We first earned national accreditation in 1993, and have made this a priority ever since. This self-study process thoroughly examines all the work we do for children, families, staff and in our community, to be outstanding in the field of early childhood education. Read more about accreditation and the high standards we uphold on NAEYC website.
BOARD TRIBUTES
Speaking of saying goodbye, we are so fortunate to have the amazing support and guidance of our volunteer Board of Directors that have been available each and every day to lend an extra pair of hands, organize events, host fundraisers, and to help enrich the experiences of our children, families, and staff. Thank you to the wonderful individuals who are moving on from their positions. Please see the attached tributes to Shannon Baxevanis (Secretary), Jen Burke (Parent Rep), Dan Quinn (Building & Grounds), Jessica Snow (Treasurer), Heather Spinney-Laidlaw (Fundraising), and Trisha Winroth (Vice-President). Best wishes to you all!
Board of Directors Good-byes 2019
FAMILY SURVEY
Thank you to the many families who were able to share their thoughts and feedback with us through the Family Survey. Each year the school goes through an evaluation process to get feedback from staff, Board of Directors members, Trustees, and of course our GCS families. We utilize the information shared to enhance our programs and facility, set goals, and best serve our entire community. Thank you to all those who shared their time and opinions with us! We truly value your feedback.
Family Survey Highlights 2018-2019
FAMILY TO FAMILY FUND
We are so appreciative to many GCS families for their part in our “Family-to-Family Fund”. This fund has been used to welcome new babies, send well wishes, congratulations, or “thinking of you” to many families, friends, and staff. The Executive Board of Directors manages this fund, and we are happy to share more detail if anyone would like more information. Please be sure to let us know if there is someone in our school community who may need support or congratulations of any kind.
GCS SCHOLARSHIPS
It is with great honor that we share the recipients of our Groton Community School Scholarships that are awarded to college-bound high school seniors who attended GCS as young children. Please join me in congratulating Bryson Roberts and Wesley Cline for receiving scholarships in memory of Taylor Benjamin Young and Derek Breton for receiving the scholarship in memory of Christopher Barton. These young adults were honored during our most recent Board of Directors meeting earlier this week. We know they will continue to represent GCS and embody the guiding principles of Taylor and Christopher. Please read more about them at www.grotoncommunityschool.org/gcs-scholarships/.
WITH GRATITUDE
As we move from the school year to summer camp, we would like to express our gratitude to all of our families for their generous contributions, kind words, extra pair of hands when needed, and never-ending support. As they say, “It takes a village”, and this village is what makes GCS the best that it can be! And finally, a last expression of appreciation for our fabulous staff, their unwavering dedication, and endless amount of energy and ideas. Congratulations to our own Jennie Fitzkee for 35 years and counting at GCS – that is truly a remarkable feat!! We will see you all around town, when you visit, or during camp if you have signed up. Please remember that we are always here, so please call upon us if we can ever be of help.
A FINAL WORD FROM PATTY BARR
I would like to thank you for another wonderful year of Imagimotion Kidz classes, AKA “Patty Barr”, this past year. Our final classes were at the end of May, and the weather cooperated the last few weeks so that we could enjoy creative movement activities outside. This allowed the children the extra space to run and move more freely. We had such fun with the giant 48-inch beach ball, as we played “beach ball volleyball”. The gazebo is the perfect space for this activity, with the children seated around the edge. Everyone gets into the tapping of the ball to keep it up in the air, as well as in the gazebo. One class was even able to make over 100 taps before the ball flew outside of the gazebo!
Wishing you a wonderful summer as you relax and spend special time with your children.
CONGRATULATIONS!
Congratulations to the Beckwith/Basile family on the birth of their son Kade (brother, Landon, is in the MWF AM Blue Room).
THANK YOU!
A final thanks to this month’s decorator, Andrea Wilson, for enhancing our front entrance with summer flair.
Special thanks to Jessie Brothers (of Willow & Twine) for making a beautiful sign for our Memory Garden, and to Bill Rochefort (of Phoenix Screen Printing) for all of his help & generosity with various apparel for the school, Board and Staff.
We’d also like to thank the Pugh family for their donation of shoes & boots, and to the Ramsay-Gudelot family for toys, books, paper products, and craft supplies.
Thank you to the following families for their food donations to Staff: To the Haggerty family for brownies, the Khare family for pizza, the McAdams family for DD coffee, the Wilder family for DD munchkins, and the Zocchi Family for scones. Finally, thank you to our Board of Directors along with Amanda Barry, Donna Haggerty, Leslie Howard, Elizabeth Ly, Loretta Mckeown, and Stacy Scott for treating staff to a fabulous luncheon while they were busy cleaning, packing, and prepping the school for summer. We are always excited to receive delicious treats for staff!
Happy Summer!
Linda Kosinski, Director
DATES TO REMEMBER
- Monday, June 17th, First Day of Full Day Camp
- Tuesday, July 2nd, First Day of Session 1
- Thursday & Friday, July 4th & 5th, NO CAMP K, Independence Day
- Monday, July 15th, 2019-20 Enrollment Forms Due to GCS
- Tuesday, July 16th, First Day of Session 2
- Tuesday, July 30th, First Day of Session 3
- Thursday, August 29th, GCS Family Orientation