A warm welcome to our new and returning GCS families!
I hope that you are enjoying this beautiful autumn. The Board of Directors (BOD) is excited about the new school year and opportunities to connect. We encourage you to participate in classroom events and playdates and/or suggest an activity to your room parents! In addition, check out our walking club (kids welcome!) and a book club for grown-ups.
First, please consider coming to our Annual General Meeting on Monday, October 6th. This adults only meeting is a great way to be introduced to the work the Board of Directors does for the school as well as mingle with the Board, staff, and room parents.
Later in October is the annual Fall FixUp – more information about volunteering can be found in the Building & Grounds section below. It’s a wonderful way to help the school and meet other parents & guardians.
Our biggest fundraiser of the year will be an online Auction scheduled for November 16th-22nd. We are especially excited for the classroom-based projects that will be featured. We welcome any donations of auction items, experiences, or services you or your family members might be able to provide. Please email the Board of Directors with any potential donations. The more prizes we have, the more we can help our non-profit school! Also, we’d love for you to spread the word about participating in the auction – bidding is open to all extended family, friends, and community members.
As always, please reach out with any thoughts, ideas, or questions. We love to hear from you!
Warmly,
Kaitlyn Brokaw
President, GCS Board of Directors
boardofdirectors@grotoncommunityschool.org
Buildings and Grounds Update
Save the Date: Our Fall Fix Up is scheduled for Saturday, October 18th from 9 AM to 1 PM. The Fall Fix Up is a great way to get outside and meet other GCS parents while helping with simple tasks to keep our grounds beautiful for everyone to enjoy. Hope to see you there!
We have some special carpentry and repair projects in the greenhouse that could use your help! If you love to build and fix, please reach out to Jesi Clinton at: buildingandgrounds@grotoncommunityschool.org
Parent Representative Update
We are so excited to begin another school year at GCS! We have had many parents volunteer to be room parents, and would like to thank each of them for their dedication to our children and wonderful teachers! Make sure to become familiar with your child’s room parent and keep an eye out for information from them regarding events throughout the year, teacher gifts, and other important news!
We also have many great volunteers who help with teacher appreciation throughout the year. One of our regular efforts is the monthly “Stock the Staffroom” where we collect snacks and drink donations for the staff room each month. Look for an e-mail this week with more information for those of you who signed up!
Questions? Contact Luella Simakauskas and Samatha Wall at: parentrepresentatives@grotoncommunityschool.org
Fundraising Update – Every Bit Counts!
As a nonprofit organization, GCS relies on fundraising to bridge the gap between tuition revenue and operating costs. There are several opportunities for you to contribute to our 2025-2026 fundraising efforts, including ongoing campaigns and an exciting event happening this fall:
- The Annual Fund. Many employers have a generous matching gift option – be sure to check with your employer!
- The Groton Community School Online Silent Auction, November 16-22. Stay tuned for more details! We look forward to featuring unique items collected from our community, including special items painted by children in each classroom.
- Fall Apparel Sale. Thank you to the families who participated in our sale! Limited GCS merchandise will be available for purchase year-round in our lobby’s School Store.
- RaiseRight Gift Card Fundraiser. Purchase gift cards through RaiseRight at any time throughout the year and GCS will receive a rebate on every card purchased with no extra cost to you! Turn holiday (or everyday!) shopping into savings for our school by simply using gift cards instead of cash or credit cards. Plus, with eGift cards and a mobile app, earning has never been easier!
- Box Tops for Education. Download the Box Tops for Education app and select “Groton Community School” as your school. Simply take photos of paper receipts or upload digital receipts in the app and earn money back for GCS.
Please see our Year at a Glance HERE for fundraising opportunities throughout the school year, and look out for reminders and new fundraising events in the Weekly Update emails.
On behalf of GCS, we thank you so much for all the ways you support Groton Community School! Every dollar we raise counts and our success depends on the community spirit of all of you!
Questions? Email Catherine West and Danielle Recco at Fundraising@grotoncommunityschool.org
Grotonfest
The Board of Directors had a great time representing GCS at Grotonfest!
It was a wonderful day meeting community members, current GCS families and it was fun to catch up with GCS alumni who have moved on!
2025-2026 Board of Directors
Kaitlyn Brokaw, President
Melissa Sulprizio, Vice President
Linda Kosinski, Director
Lisa Stafford, Assistant Director
Kristina Hepburn, Treasurer
Justine Mannix, Secretary
Bri Borek and Abbey Lambert, Public Relations
Jesi Clinton and *Open Position*, Buildings and Grounds
Catherine West and Danielle Recco, Fundraising
Luella Simakauskas and Samantha Wall, Parent Representative
Mai Tirella and *Open Position* Members-at-Large
If you can’t make the GCS Annual General Meeting we welcome you to attend any of our monthly Board of Director’s meetings. Ask questions and learn about all of the exciting things happening at GCS! We’d love to meet you. Can’t make the meeting but still want to learn more?
Email boardofdirectors@grotoncommunityschool.org and arrange a coffee date!
Stay Connected with GCS
