Dear GCS Families,
This beautiful weather has been so welcomed by staff and children. It is such a delight to spend much more time out on our playscape without having to lug heavy bags of winter clothing and gear around and spend precious time dressing (albeit this process is fabulous for growth and development). Swings are open, the Dinosaur Den is fully occupied, the basketball hoop is seeing lots of action, and our greenhouse is thriving with plants that will soon adorn the many planters alongside the trike track. We are in the midst of participating in Wet and Wild Days with our giant slide, sprinklers, and super fun water games. And of course, a fun day in the sun wouldn’t be complete without some delicious ice cream and popsicles to make the day. And speaking of our playground, it wouldn’t be possible without the hands of many wonderful families, board members, and staff who gathered early on a Saturday morning to lay mulch, edge and weed gardens and take care of some small maintenance tasks. We are grateful for the time and support to keep our school safe and looking spiffy, while also helping to keep the budget in check. All of these hands impact the bottom line of our nonprofit budget, keeping tuition costs down and affordable. Thank you to Jeremy Chapman and Dan Quinn for leading this effort and also for securing fencing around our greenhouse to keep some friendly bunnies from nibbling on our new plantings.
Remembering Memorial Day
As I write this Kitelet, we still have the moments fresh in our minds from gathering together as a school to participate in a beautiful Memorial Day Remembrance Ceremony at our Memory Garden. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect, and we were honored to have past family member, Army Sergeant Curran Huff, as a special guest to help us learn more about this special day. It is so much more than just cotton candy and cookouts, but a day to honor and remember. Classes joined together to sing special patriotic songs, recited the Pledge of Allegiance, and placed small American Flags in our memory garden. The special moments came when Sergeant Curran shared a personal story that reminded him of home during his deployment in Afghanistan, and when he went around and personally greeted each young child (and parents, too).
Staff Longevity
We are so fortunate to enjoy incredible longevity of our staff at GCS. At our annual Staff Board Social this month, we celebrated the longevity milestones of Creative Movement Instructor, Patty Barr (21 years), Occupational Therapy Consultant, Sue Lizotte (20 years), Blue and Big Room Teacher, Patty Hammond (15 years), and Yellow Room Teacher, Tracy Gerner (5 years). Thank you for your dedication and service to Groton Community School!!
Class Photos
Sending a reminder that Class photos are displayed on each classroom bulletin board and available to purchase. The deadline is today. A special thank you Erin Chapman (Raegan is in the T/Th AM Yellow Room) for volunteering her time and services to take these photos for us.
Friends of the Trees
A special thank you to the Groton Friends of the Trees for visiting GCS this past week with a special tree for us to plant and many special books about trees as gifts for our Children’s Library. The children were treated to special readings by each of the members, and we shared a special GCS theme song, “Planting Seeds of Love” with them.
Soccer Stars
We had a ball with Eileen Hackney, soccer enthusiast and past GCS Parent, along with her wonderful staff members from the Tyngsboro Sports Center recently! They shared their teaching and soccer skills with every classroom, and also gave each child a t-shirt! Thank you so for the sensational sports experience for our GCS children! Families are invited to contact www.tyngsborosportscenter.com to learn more about their youth programs.
Thank You!
Many hands made light work on our annual Spruce-Up day earlier this month. We’d like to thank the following volunteers who helped make it happen: Ashley Barron, Drew Barron, Jen Burke, Jeremy Chapman, Pat Crouse, Kate Ferriola, Aaron Green, Shelley Grove, Ed Hand, Cindi Lane-Hand, Colin Igoe, Pete Martin, Terri Martin, Karl Noone, Trevor Phipps, Lauren Prestia, Dan Quinn, Bill Rochefort, Chris Snow, Trent Snow, Heather Spinney-Laidlaw, Lisa Stafford, Joe Walch, and Scott Winroth.
Thank you to Cindi Lane-Hand and Tracy Noone for decorating the front entrance this month.
Special thanks to Bill Rochefort (Aqua Room parent & Board Member) and Phoenix Screenprinting for special end-of-the-year T-Shirts for the staff.
We’d also like the following families for various donations made to GCS: The Ferriola & Jaz-Lynde families for Staff snacks, the Engstrom family, Fieberg family & Betsey Reeves for recyclables; the Lynde family for craft supplies, the MacInnis family for Melissa & Doug puzzle sets, and to Paul Nuccio (Inga’s husband) for an Edible Arrangement for the Staff.
Until next time,
Linda Kosinski, Director
Groton Community School
