Dear GCS Families,
December is here, as are all the festivities that come with this time of year. The school is full of hustle and bustle with gifts and cards being made, music and song up and down the hall, and lots of glitter and glue for homemade crafts and giftwrap. Oh, what fun we are having here at GCS. While children typically think about this time of year as magical, it is not always quite so for adults. The busy calendar, craziness of shopping, trying to meet others’ expectations, and the financial stresses can overload us all. Take some time to enjoy the decorations, taste the delicious desserts, and relish in your child’s excitement – it will be gone before you know it!!
All GCS Families are invited to join us for our annual Holiday Sing-a-Longs to celebrate the season on Friday, December 22nd at 11:15 AM and 1:15 PM.
Curriculum Day
We had an absolutely fabulous Curriculum Day last Thursday. Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to gather as a staff to learn and train together. It was an enjoyable, busy day as Shelley and Heidi shared the ideas and resources that they experienced while attending the NAEYC Annual Conference for early childhood educators in Atlanta. It was an exciting, fun-filled day, and not a minute was wasted. Thanks to the following GCS “bakers” who contributed refreshments: Denielle Babey, Donna Haggerty, Aga Krajewska, Elizabeth Ly, and Mairead Orpen. Thank you to Starbucks of Littleton for their donation of coffee & muffins, as well.
Home Tour News
While the fabulous Home Tour was just about a month ago, it is still fresh in all of our minds. I want to thank our board, staff, families, volunteers, and the entire community for coming together as one and facilitating such a fabulous day for the community and the school. The numbers are in, and we successfully raised over $24,000. A tremendous thank you again to everyone who attended and to those who participated for their time and effort in making this such a successful community and school endeavor. It was such an exciting and memorable event, and was only topped off by the incredible amount of dollars raised to close the gap in our non-profit, break-even budget. Fundraising is essential to our budget, and we try to integrate it in ways that are useful, entertaining, and also include outside resources. Tuition alone does not cover the cost of each child’s placement in our programs. We strive to keep tuition costs manageable and to maintain the high quality of standards that GCS aspires to, including exceptional teacher-to-child ratios, excellence in curriculum, longevity and education in our staff, and the ability to maintain outstanding consultants that help to extend our thinking and responsiveness to children.
New Members
Please join me in welcoming three new members to our fabulous board:
Cyndi Lane-Hand – George is in the T/Th AM Yellow Room
Brianne Weider – Trent is in the T/Th PM Pink Room
Jessica Snow – Parker is in the Kindergarten Program
We always have room for more if you are interested in joining a fun and talented group of hard working volunteers. You are welcome to come as a guest to any board meeting, or feel free to stop by and we can chat.
Parking Lot Safety
As the cold and snowy weather is upon us and will be here to stay for a while, I urge you to please take caution in our parking lot. Most importantly, please avoid climbing the snow banks in the parking lot to access the school. It is far safer to walk around, as the snowbanks become icy when snow is packed down and freezes. We purposely do not shovel access paths because the exposed timbers become icy, and little children cannot be seen when walking between the piles. While it is more cumbersome, please take the extra time to walk around for safety from slipping and traffic.
Calendars
And finally, we still have a few “Portrait of Me” calendars left at the front desk if anyone is interested. It is a wonderful keepsake, illustrating developmental growth in your children. Calendars are $7 each or 2 for $12.
Congratulations!
Congratulations to the Phipps family on the birth of their son (sister, Sunny, is in the AM Pre-K class) and to the Igoe family on the birth of their son (brother, Mac, is in the Aqua Room).
Thank You!
We’d also like to thank families for their contributions to GCS last month: The Burgess family for spare clothing, Lorrie Morgan for Keurig K-Cups, and the Woodbury family for craft supplies.
Thank you, Courtney Till, for beautifully decorating our front entrance for the holidays.
Happy Holidays to all!
Linda Kosinski, Director
