 Good Samaritans at All-School Meeting****************************************************************************************
From the Desk of Steve Lorenz
Being a Good Samaritan
The faculty and staff at The Grammar School are continually on the lookout for students who are "Good Samaritans". Children who perform acts of kindness, who help others, who use kind words, who do their jobs etc.... are singled out by faculty and staff and praised and thanked. We also periodically recognize these "good samaritan" acts with a certificate presented at all school meeting.
 More Good Samaritans receiving recognition
Open House Thanks and Kudos
Thanks to one and all for a fabulous open house on this past Saturday. Kudos to Meg Lyons, Alli Lubin and the Bluebird Marionette Theater (Donald Saaf, Julia Zanes and their children, Ole and Isak). Thanks to our faculty and staff and to all of our current parents and students who attended.
Communication, Communication, Communication
In an effort to keep the lines of communication open I will continue to use the Wednesday Newsletter (From the Desk of ......), post a monthly report on my Head of School Page on the Web Site and will add a regular monthly Head of School Report via all school e-mail. I am considering sending a hard copy of the same report via either backpack express or direct mail.
Steve Lorenz
ANNUAL FUND RAFFLE!
By now I hope you have received the annual appeal. We hope that every family contributes as we aim for 100% parent participation. TGS has always had a strong showing of parent support, often as high as 90%, which is significantly higher than the norm for schools of our size in our region (according to NAIS statistics). Such a strong showing sends a clear message to other donors that TGS is supported by all members of the community. High levels of support also help with foundation funding as participation rates are often one of the first indicators examined when grantors consider a proposal. I am pleased to report that we have raised nearly $20,000 in gifts and pledges towards our goal of $85,000. You may give a gift on-line, by mail or drop off a check to Tammy. You may also pledge any amount to be paid by June 30th, 2010.
The RAFFLE for a new kayak or snowboard is off to a roaring start as many donors have met the challenge by either increasing their gift by a minimum of $50 or giving a new gift of $50 to be eligible. The raffle ends December 31st and the winner will be drawn at the first all-school meeting in January of 2010. A student will be selected to pull the winner from a basket of names. A PLEDGE meeting the raffle requirements will also be eligible!
Thank you for your support!
Mark R. Green
Director of DevelopmentThank you to those of you who came out for the presentation on internet safety "Technicool" last week. Kathy Kretz from Prevent Child Abuse Vermont spent the entire day working with each class grades 4 through 8 as well as a presenting to faculty/staff and parents. For those who were unable to attend, we cannot stress enough the importance of being up to speed on the culture in which our children are engaged and in particular, how technology plays a role in their daily lives.
Kathy remarked how delightful, receptive and inquisitive the children were and was pleased to hear the conversations continued long after her presentation.
Topics covered included appropriate use of cellphones, "Cyber-bullying", internet predators, social networking sites, appropriate and inappropriate postings of photos and conversations, privacy concerns and the like. A point of note, it is TGS Policy that no current faculty or staff member connect with current TGS students through social networking sites including Facebook, My Space, or instant messaging interfaces. We urge families to be acutely aware of your child's use of the internet and that they "friend' only those whom they know personally and even then to be certain that these connections are legitimate.
Some useful links:
Prevent Child Abuse Vermont
Cyber Crimes
Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use
Resources to help elementary age children learn about safety on the internet - http://www.safekids.com/ the magic of theater at TGS8th Grade Dessert Theater
Thursday, DECEMBER 3
"The Liberated Cinderella" yummy desserts served auction of delectable cakes, pies and fudge
a great night for all ages
7:00 arrive; 7:30 play; 8:00 auction
director, Laurie Fichter
Thanksgiving baskets - The Grammar School will continue its
tradition this year of contributing Thanksgiving baskets to the food shelf at
Putney Family Services. Today at all school meeting, buddies are filling and decorating the baskets to be delivered in time for the holiday.
Putney Food Shelf: THANK YOU FOR THE GENEROUS GIVING THIS FALL. For the month of November the kindergarten and fifth grade classes are collecting non-perishable items. Boxes are in these two classrooms, and there is a box in the main office hallway for those who wish to make donations.
Kids helping Kids--TGS Mitten Tree Project - We believe that students can make a difference in the community, and that through community service projects students learn respect, cooperation and the value of caring for others, and build self esteem. The Kindergartners would like to make sure that children in Windham county have warm mittens and hats this winter season. With the help of class parent Emily Weinberg, we are going to place a beautiful tree outside the office.
We invite the students of TGS to donate new or gently used mittens, gloves, and hats and hang them on the tree branches. At the end of the donation period, we will take the clothing to Morningside Shelter, the only homeless shelter in Southeastern Vermont. They have 25 beds for families, and an outreach program for families in need. They have also indicated a need for adult sized mittens, hats, and jackets for children and adults alike. Jackets and coats should be clean and in excellent condition, if not new. We would like to bring the donations to the shelter in the first couple of weeks of December, so please bring in your items as soon as possible. We will give everyone plenty of notice when the tree is ready to come down. You can check the shelter out at www.morningsideshelter.org. We thank you very much.
Teachers' Pages/Class Blogs - from the TGS website click on Program>Classrooms>select your classroom page - the link to the teacher's page is at the top of each class page. Teachers' pages also are linked from the Parent Resources page on the TGS website.
 7/8 Greenwood Tournament photo by Liz
SPORTS!
Sharpen your skates! Skating at the VA rink for 5th-8th graders will start Tuesday, Dec 1, the first day back from Thanksgiving. Skating dates: 12/1, 12/8, 12/15, and after the ski program ends on 2/23 and 3/1.
SPORTS FEES - Please pay your $20 sports fee if you haven't already.
Thank you.
SKIING AT GRAFTON & OKEMO - Forms went home last week via back-pack express. (You can also download forms from the TGS website on the parent resources and sports pages). Please return your forms with a check payable to TGS to Tammy. Thank you.
XC RUNNERS -please return your TGS running singlet or T-shirt to Deb's office!
Bill Koch Ski League cross-country ski program - will be
held at TGS on Wednesdays and Grafton Ponds on Thursdays, starting in January.
What is BKL? BKL, is
a child based cross-country ski program for 5-14 year olds that encourages kids
to have fun on skis while improving skills, playing games, and touring trails
with friends and family. It is a "learn by doing" program that is designed to
teach each child to participate to the best of his or her respective ability,
whether racing or playing games. It is a program whose philosophy is that
success is defined by effort, not victory.
As 1976 Olympic Silver Medalist Bill
Koch said,
"By exposing our children to cross-country skiing
we can help build
in them a love of
health, sport, nature, winter, and freedom.
Free the heel
and
the mind will follow."
Where? Hosted by TGS
on Wednesdays from 3:15-4:30 and at Grafton Ponds on Thursdays from 3:30-4:30,
with optional races on weekends, from January through early March.
Coaches: Head coaches Tim Weed (tim@goputney.com) and Rick Gordon (sudgor@yahoo.com), Poppet Boswell, and Mary Heller Osgood at TGS, and
Bill Salmon at Grafton Ponds.
Parent volunteers: Mark
Green, Charlie Boswell, and anyone else who would like to help out with
practices. No experience necessary. Please contact Tim Weed or Mary Heller Osgood.
Cost: $25 for
recreational skiers on Wednesdays only, $50 for racers' two day program on
Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Registration forms and more information: Outside Tammy's
office and on the TGS website on the Sports and Parent Resources
pages. For schedules, check the Putney Ski Club BKL website http://web.me.com/timweed/Putney_BKL_Site/Welcome.html.
Dear Putney Bill Koch League Skiers & Families,
We are pleased to announce that our official club
website has been updated for 2010! Please take the time now to open and
bookmark this link, as it will be updated with essential information throughout
the season. http://web.me.com/timweed/Putney_BKL_Site/Welcome.html
The website has all the latest information on the
weekly practice schedule, pre-season events, Ski for Ks, and the exciting 2010
race/special events schedule. Beginning as soon as the flakes fly and
continuing until snowmelt, the website will be updated weekly with information
on times and locations, waxing, weather, the latest photos, and more.
To get you started, here is a schedule of important
pre-season events. All BKL skiers are welcome.
12/2 WED 3:15-4:30 Dryland training & last day for ski sale equipment drop-off at
TGS.
12/4 FRI 3:15
Annual TGS ski sale. The best local source for affordable ski gear!
12/7 MON 3:15 Information meeting, equipment
rental and uniform pick-up at TGS
12/9 WED 3:30-5:30 First on-snow practice and potluck dinner kick-off event at Grafton
Ponds Outdoor Center
12/16 WED 3:15
Final pre-holiday practice (dryland if no snow) at TGS
We hope to see you there!
Warm regards,
Putney BKL Coaches and Parent Volunteers
P.S. This is a perfect chance to forward the information
in this email to any families you think might be interested in joining us. We'd
be happy to add interested parties to the BKL email list, just send a message
to tim@goputney.com.
P.P.S. We're looking for volunteers to lead one or two
Monday afternoon tours this year (click on the Practices section of the website
for more info). If you think you might be interested, please email Rick Gordon,
sudgor@yahoo.com.
Ski/Skate Sale
Our annual ski/skate sale will be Friday, December 4th at 3:15 in the theater. This is a fundraiser for the Bill Koch Ski League program, and also an opportunity for you to pass on your outgrown equipment and retain a percentage of the sale to purchase other equipment. We suggest a donation to the BKSL program of 20-50% of the items sold. Please use this month to go through your winter equipment and decide what you would like to recycle. For more information contact Deb Gray, 387-5364 ext. 107
View more photos of the Greenwood Tournament, the student/parent soccer game and more at TGS TOGETHER - our Shutterfly website. For an invitation to join, please email Alli.
COMMUNITY NEWS!
Local Musicians, Poets and Puppeteers help rebuild community spirit after fire. - The list of performers is growing: Lisa McCormick, Moonlight Davis, Sabine Rhyne, Mike Mrowicki, Leon Cooper, The Stockwell Brothers, Larry Bramble, and Sandglass Theater are among the artists who are lending their talent to the event. On the evening of November 20, at 7:30 pm, performers from Putney and Westminster West will gather at the United Church in downtown Putney in the spirit of rebuilding what was lost on the night of November 1st. These musicians, puppeteers, poets and theater artists will mix with area students and community members to present a show of songs, stories, and reflections that aim to boost the community spirit and look to the future. In addition, the Putney Craft Tour will be selling tickets for a raffle to benefit the rebuilding of the General Store. Most of the Craft Tour artists have donated beautiful pieces, so there will be 20 prizes in all. The drawing will be on February 12 at the Putney Community Supper. Tickets are $10 each, or 3 for $25.
On the night of November 1st, the raging fire burned down the General Store and several apartments in the Offerings building next door. Residents were driven from their homes and the community's plans to reopen the store, which was damaged in an earlier fire two years ago, were dashed. The General Store property is owned by the Putney Historical Society.
At the November 20th event, artists will address the fire and its effects on the community, give a framework to residents' reflections, and hear the words of local students as well. This will also be an opportunity to join community members in lifting the spirit of the town to look forward. Donations to the Putney Historical Society and to the displaced residents will be welcome.
The event is organized by Sandglass Theater. For information, call 387 4051.
NEW ENGLAND YOUTH THEATRE announces Winter Class Schedule - Check them out on line at www.neyt.org for more information.
Dear Artist Friends, (and friends of friends....)
We are approaching our Angels, Beasts, Shepherds and Kings' Event (Saturday, Nov 21st, 12 noon - 4 pm) to benefit our scholarship fund for children, teens and adults. For the month of December, we have an ongoing exhibit of hand made creations celebrating the holiday season.
We invite you to donate your own unique piece(s) for River Gallery School's annual holiday fundraiser. You are welcome to come by the school over the next couple of weeks for a selection of inspirational materials or, for space in which to work. A great time to work is at the Angel's workshop on Saturday, November 21st, 12 noon til 4 pm.
Your creative contributions in the past have been really appreciated. Tuition assistance is very important at River Gallery School. Your participation is a wonderful way to help. An amazing exhibit will be on display for the upcoming Gallery Walk on December 4th. Artwork will be available for sale throughout the month.
Please pass this on to anyone that you feel would be interested in making something for our exhibit and sale.
Do not hesitate to contact the school with any questions.
Thank you, Peace in the New Year,
Barbara M. Campman
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fax: (802) 387-4744
http://www.thegrammarschool.org
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Quick Links
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Sports News
CALENDAR
November 25-27
Thanksgiving Break
NO SCHOOL
November 30
Monday Faculty In-Service NO SCHOOL
December 3
Thursday 8th grade Dessert Theater & Auction 7 pm arrive 7:30 play 8:00 auction TGS Theatre
December 4
Friday Ski-Skate Sale 3:15 TGS Theatre
December 10
Thursday 5th-8th Winter Concert 6:30 pm
December 14
Monday 5th-8th Concert SNOWDATE
6:30 pm
December 15
Tuesday K-4th Winter Concert 6:30 pm
December 16
Wednesday K-4th Concert SNOWDATE
6:30 pm
December 17
Thursday Trustees' Meeting 7:00 pm
December 18
Friday
Noon Dismissal Vacation Begins
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