October 2022
Dear Families,
Well, we certainly have been spoiled by some very warm weather as of late. Despite the rain during the past week, there were still many opportunities for classrooms to spend time outside on our beautiful Playscape. Let’s hope the warmer temperatures continue into next month, as extra playground time is especially wonderful when you don’t have to be bundled up in multiple layers.
FALL PHONE CALLS
October has proven to be quite a busy time here at GGS. We began the month with Fall Phone Calls to families. Communication is so important to us, and we appreciate the opportunity to connect and share how your child’s start to the school year has been. While we are cherishing the times that we now get to see you in person, intimate phone conversations have also allowed us to share developmental goals and accomplishments, as well as any concerns. A special thank you to our Head Teachers who have devoted extra personal time to make these connections and phone calls happen.
CURRICULUM DAY
Our Curriculum Day last week was amazing! We know that these days can be difficult to navigate for families with all the varying schedules, and we are so very grateful for your support. Curriculum Days are actually one of the few times during the school year that the entire staff can be together for a day of staff development and team building. We were able to take part in some technology training for our new interactive flat panels in the Library, Staff Room, and Big Room, welcomed a presenter that helped us all look at behavior management and helpful strategies that promote self-acceptance and strong emotional well-being, gathered together for a working lunch, and familiarized ourselves on some upcoming NAEYC Accreditation materials. Finally, we welcomed Deputy Chief Rachel Mead and Officer Omar Connor, both from the Groton Police Department, for an afternoon of training regarding preparedness in an emergency. While we are all only too familiar with the difficult stories that come across the news, we work with our staff to be aware, alert, and ready if a situation were to ever arise.
FIRE DEPARTMENT VISIT
We are also so very grateful to the Groton Fire Department for their wonderful visit earlier this month for Fire Safety Month. They made repeated trips to GCS so each and every class could learn about fire safety! They were wonderfully kind, patient, and kid-friendly as they taught us about the tools they use and the fire protection gear they wear. Children were able to see, touch, and climb aboard the firetruck and ambulance, having the chance to sit in the seats and even try on a fire helmet. It was really helpful to meet – up close, in person – firefighters and EMTs in a friendly atmosphere, so that they are familiar faces in the event of an emergency.
TAKE A CHANCE
Thank you to all of you, our families, for donating so many amazing items for our Classroom Chance Baskets. It will be exciting to see the beautiful collections on display in our lobby in the coming weeks. We also have a special chance calendar for the month of January in the works with some wonderful prizes that you will all want to take a chance on. Stay tuned for the fun and excitement!!
FALL FIX-UP
Thank you to many helping hands that gathered on the playground last Saturday for our Fall Fix-Up. It was wonderful to accomplish many tasks to help keep our playscape safe and ready for little ones. Garden beds were cleared, perennials cut back, grass seed planted, our trike track repaired and our GCS Greenhouse is nearly complete. With many hands – even for a short time – it is amazing what we can accomplish together! We are grateful to Board Members Jessica Barie and Kelly Lopez for leading this endeavor along with many of our own family and staff members: Laura Babin, Otonye Braide-Moncoeur, David Bushery, Hao Cai, Greg Doyle, Nick Giangregorio, Peter Golands, Shelley Grove, Beverly Harris, Julianna Hogan, Justine Mannix, Barton Phinney, Trevor Phipps, Brian Simakauskas, Lisa Stafford, Andy Tirella, Virgil Vaillancourt, Brie Weider, Brendon Wilder, and Meghan Zocchi.
HALLOWEEN HAPPENINGS
For many of our GCS families, the end of October also welcomes Halloween. Witches, goblins, ghosts, sugar and candy make for some interesting times. Each class is finding some special and fun ways to celebrate, and we as a school, have chosen to wear our pajamas for the day and to also learn about sharing and caring for others. While so many of our children often get bags of treats for Halloween, there are just as many young children out there that don’t even have the essentials for a healthy breakfast to begin their day. We are cooperatively collecting breakfast items to donate to the local food bank, Loaves and Fishes, over in Devens. Consider using this opportunity as a teachable moment for your child – shopping together, perhaps even doing some chores around the house to earn money to purchase food items, and talking about the needs of others is a good place to start. We will be looking for some volunteers to help deliver the goods next month as well, if anyone is interested.
NEW TO THE BOARD
GCS would like to welcome Justine Mannix to the Board of Directors. Her daughter, Nora, is in the MWF PM Blue Room program.
THANK YOU!
We’d like to take this opportunity to thank the families who contribute to “Stock the Fridge” with snacks & beverages for the Staff each month. It is very much appreciated! A special thank-you to Jessica Crowley for a Keurig coffee maker & coffee for the Staff Room. We’d also like to thank families for the many donations to the school this past month: The Babin family for staff snacks, Sue Lizotte for art/construction paper, Mairead Orpen for an author-signed book, the Pettee family for books, the Phinney family for Pull-Ups, Betsey Reeves for recycled materials, and the Smith-Hall family for toys & curriculum materials.
Wishing you all Happy Halloween weekend with your families!
Sincerely,
Linda Kosinski, Director
DATES TO REMEMBER:
Monday & Tuesday, Oct. 31st & Nov. 1st Schoolwide PJ Days
Friday, November 11th Veteran’s Day – NO SCHOOL
Monday, November 14th Board Meeting – 7:30 PM
Wednesday – Friday, Nov. 23rd – 25th Thanksgiving Recess–NO SCHOOL
Click the PDF above for the full newsletter!