Dear GCS Families,
The old adage that includes the saying, “April showers…” sure did ring true during this last week of April!! With our recent hydroseeding around the school grounds, we are so grateful for all the wonderful rain. Fingers crossed that it will help to bring us much wanted green grass! Some of the planned changes and upgrades to our playground are beginning to take shape. We are so thankful for a volunteer crew led by Team Crouse (Lincoln is in Pre-K Program) who worked diligently to level and prepare the grounds for our new swing set. Wood timbers were cut and laid to create the perimeter, the balance beams from across the street were reinstalled, and some flowers and grasses were transplanted. While it did take the installers two attempts to put in the concrete footings for our new swing set because of rain, they were finally successful! We will be in need of some extra hands next Saturday, May 8th, to help wheelbarrow the special wood fiber mulch for under the swings. Please see a sign-up genius coming soon if you have some muscle and an hour or two to spare.
WEEK OF THE YOUNG CHILD
The month of April also brings about special celebrations in honor of the Week of the Young Child! This national week focuses awareness on the rights and needs of young children, their families, and all of those that play significant roles in the lives of children. While COVID always seems to alter our plans as of late, we did recognize our talented teachers with two fabulous luncheons, decorated “construction” buckets filled with flowers and shared them around the community, added to our “GCS Bucket Filling Challenge” with acts of kindness, and had some very special activities in each of the classrooms. Take a moment if you can, to see the beautiful art display at the Groton Post Office. We continue to plant tiny seeds in the minds of our children to foster a sense of kindness, caring, and the awareness of others.
PLAYGROUND
Many families have expressed concern about tick season this year, and yes, our playground has been a prime candidate. Thank you for your patience. Because we didn’t yet have planted grass in many areas and we were still bringing in loam, it took some extra time to get the treatment set up. Hopefully folks have read the notice and prevention will take place this coming weekend. However, we are surrounded by woods and wetlands so it is good practice to be extra diligent about checking your children, especially with all the rain that has occurred.
VIRTUAL COOKING CLASS FUNDRAISER
Many thanks to Chef Chris Frothingham of Great Road Kitchen and Groton Publick House for his amazing cooking workshop last weekend on Zoom. It was a fabulous opportunity to participate with a fun group while cooking up a delicious meal with tips and lessons from a talented chef. We are grateful for his time and talent!
BID IT FORWARD
Don’t miss out on our exciting silent auction that is going on RIGHT NOW. Everything from an exciting weekend on Lake Winnipesaukee to delicious baked goods and some beautiful pieces of jewelry are in a bidding war as we speak. The event will culminate tomorrow night, virtually, including a fireside chat at the Groton Inn. There will be school sharings, updates on auction items, and a special guest appearance from town native, GCS alum, and Sports Columnist, Dan Shaughnessy. Please join us for special laughs and much fun. Who knows, you may be one of the lucky winners!
www.grotoncommunitychool.org/bid-it-forward
COVID UPDATE
Thank you for your continued cooperation and commitment to the health and safety of GCS, especially after our recent April break. While many family members and staff have received the COVID vaccine, we all know that this is just one piece of protection and prevention. Our licensing agency, Early Education and Care, just released updated guidance. While some of the guidelines have been changed slightly, most continue to be consistently in place. We have adapted to this new normal, most children don’t seem to miss a beat, and we continue to have fun while learning and growing each day. We are grateful to all of you for your patience and understanding.
THANK YOU!
A special thanks to the following volunteers for providing food & beverages for WOYC staff luncheons: Jodi Amichetti, Vanessa Black, Jen Burke, Beth Christoforo, Emily Davis, Kristen Frank, Sasha Harris, Cindi Lane-Hand, Kelly Lopez, Whitney MacIsaac, Shauna Morrison, Colleen Neff, Kate Vizen, Meg Waite, Brie Weider, and Karen Wiczynski.
Thank you to the following for their time and energy at our Spring Cleanup day: Tim Buck, Laura Cummings, Emily and Pat Crouse, Melissa Dewing, Rebecca Freeman, Kelly Lopez, Terri Martin, Michael Neff, Lisa Stafford, and Christina Sutherland.
Thank you to Kate Engstrom, Melissa Mixon, Melissa Suprizio and Matt Vella for providing refreshments for our hardworking volunteers at our Spring Clean Up day.
We would also like to thank the following families for their various donations to the school: The Burke Family for the “diner”; the Kramer Family for staff donuts; the Winroth Family for a train table; and the Wohlever Family for a “wooden lion”.
Happy Spring!
Linda Kosinski, GCS Director
