October 4, 2024
We are looking forward to welcoming families to see our classrooms and school next week. Open House is scheduled for grades K and 1 on Tuesday, October 8th and for grades 2-4 on Thursday, October 10th. The hours on both evenings are from 6:30-7:30. Parents and guardians are invited along with their students to visit their classrooms, meet their teachers and see the other shared areas of our school. Please remember that this is not a teacher conference evening as those are scheduled for November. It’s an opportunity for you to meet the adults spending time with your student each day and for you to see the school. The PTA is also hosting a costume sale in the cafe from 6:00-6:30 and from 7:30-8:00. Classrooms, teachers and the shared spaces around the school will only be available between 6:30 and 7:30. Parking will be available in the main campus parking lot. Accessible parking for those needing it is located near the front entrance of our building at the top of our driveway.
Don’t forget to stop by the lost and found table in the cafeteria during your open house visit. There are a variety of sweatshirts and water bottles that have been left behind since the start of the year. Please claim any missing items. All items remaining at the end of next week will be donated through the collection bin in the main parking lot.
We are asking for your support with our parent/guardian pickup process. I’m noticing that some cars are arriving well before 3:00pm when our dismissal of students doesn’t begin until 3:22pm. This is causing a backup of cars that can extend into the common driveway for our main campus. This creates an unsafe situation when someone leaves the line and travels in the wrong lane to get to the middle school parking area and driveway. We are working with the contractor and the police to make sure this is not a continuing safety issue. You can help by planning your arrival closer to the actual dismissal time. Thank you.
I am excited to announce that our school will be working with NEADS World Class Service Dogs to enhance our students’ learning experience while supporting an important cause. Throughout the coming months, trainers from NEADS will bring service and assistance dogs in training to our school.
These incredible dogs are being trained as Service Dogs to support individuals, including veterans, with hearing and physical disabilities, as well as veterans and children with autism or other developmental disabilities. NEADS also trains Assistance Dogs, which are placed with professionals who work in classrooms, hospitals, courthouses, and other therapeutic settings. By introducing these dogs to a real school environment, we aim to help the trainers ensure that each dog is matched with the client who is the best fit, fostering successful partnerships.
This initiative not only provides valuable training for the dogs but also offers our students a unique opportunity to learn about empathy, responsibility, and the role of service animals in our community. We encourage you to discuss this exciting program with your children and to reach out if you have any questions. Please let me or your child's teacher know about any severe allergies or fears so that we can ensure that your child feels secure and safe during the visits.
Here is a link to some additional information from NEADS about the role of a service dog.
If you need to connect with the office, please reach out to either Christine Walzel, cwalzel@gdrsd.org or Melanie Kretas, mkretas@gdrsd.org. We certainly miss Betty, but Mrs. Bennett is now relaxing in her retirement and no longer responding to parent emails.
If you are interested in getting involved in scouting, Groton Pack 12 is welcoming new members!
Fall kicks off a new scout year for boys and girls in grades K-5! Curious about scouts? Come join us for skits, songs and S'mores at our annual camp fire kickoff at Cutler Field on 10/25 at 7pm and visit http://bsapack12.org to sign up as a member of the pack. See you then!
Enjoy the weekend.
Brian