|
FROM THE DESK OF STEVE LORENZ
| Welcome to our Newest Staff Member
I would like to welcome Jessica Sardinas to our staff. She joins us as the new preschool assistant to Ken Brautigam. Jessica, mother of Hannah in first grade, has many years of experience as an early childhood and elementary school teacher. She will be assisting in the preschool on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday mornings where our student numbers have risen to 7 each morning. Thank you Jessica!
TGS and the "The Annies" Open House - A Success
This was a very successful Saturday as over fifty parents and young children joined us to hear and see The Annies perform and to learn about The Grammar School. As we continue to endeavor to fully enroll our school in the younger grades, events like this are important. Thank you to TGS parents who brought guests and encouraged families to attend. Thank you also to our preschool through third grade teachers, our music and art teachers, and the staff for helping with various aspects of preparing for and conducting the event!
First Annual Foreign Language Evening
 | |
French fencing project
|
Many thanks to our foreign language teachers, Johanna Gardner (French) and Susan Madrigan (Spanish) and the 6, 7, and 8th grade foreign language students for an evening of song, dance, and interesting and informative presentations. The evening had been in the planning stages for some time and truly was a very special night. Thank you to the students and parents who were able to attend and to the staff and faculty who helped during the evening.
Two years ago a Foreign Language
Committee of parents, staff, faculty, and community members was formed and the committee held meetings for the better part of the year. The committee was formed partially in response to the results of our annual Parent Survey. Goals set forth by the committee, among others, were to: seek ways to improve foreign language instruction; develop a plan to offer an alternative language other then French; and have foreign language become more of a presence in the school. This evening certainly exemplified and modeled the successful outcomes of those goals. The Grammar School continually seeks ways to improve the quality of instruction, not only in foreign language, but in all curricular areas.
Day of the Dead Spanish project on Foreign Language night
Global Education Theme Visitor From Tanzania
I would like to welcome Dr. Steven Kiruswa from Tanzania, who will be visiting classes on Friday morning to present and answer questions about life growing up as a Maasai, his work as an Wildlife Conservationist, and more. Dr. Steven is an acquaintance of Leyeyo and his American parents, Paul Weber and Sarah Messenger.
His schedule of visits for this Friday are: 8:45-9:30 for 3rd-4th grades; 10:00-10:45 for K-2nd grades; and 11:00-12:00 noon for 5th-8th grades.
Please feel free to join us !
Steve Lorenz
Head of School
|
|
SPORTS
| |
Congratulations for the 7-8 soccer team for finishing 2nd in the Greenwood Tournament last weekend!
Next week's Wednesday Notice will have links to forms for Bill Koch League, Okemo, and Grafton Ponds programs. Fall sports are finished for the season. Please return soccer jerseys and running singlets to Deb or Mary.
Bill Koch League XC dryland training sessions will begin in late November.
Winter PSD
Our winter PSD program is cross-country skiing for all grades. It is a wonderful opportunity to get outside and enjoy the snow while learning to ski, and to explore our back woods trails for those that are more experienced. This is a rare and cherished tradition here at school, and one we believe is a quintessential Vermont experience which promotes life long appreciation of the sport. All K-8th grade students will need XC equipment. Our annual ski/skate sale on December 1 and 2 provides occasion to find used equipment for your child. Other local shops like Burrows in Brattleboro and West Hill Shop in Putney have reasonable package deals. If all of this is perplexing, I suggest you talk to your child's teacher or with me. I will be glad to help out. TGS also has some boots and skis for rent for a nominal fee. This equipment is good for the older child that is only going to ski here at school. The skis are a "one size fits all" variety, no waxing required, but the child needs to weigh over 50lbs.
Tuesday Ski Days
For six Tuesday afternoons, beginning January 3, TGS students will have the opportunity to alpine ski or board at Okemo or cross-country ski at Grafton Ponds. This is a wonderful experience, and a chance to enjoy some of Vermont's greatest assets while learning to ski with friends and family. I look back at this program fondly as some of the best time spent with my child and his friends. The Grafton Ponds program is supported by the school's staff and bus transportation, while the Okemo program is a parent chaperone run program and requires parent oversight. Complete information, fees, and signup forms for these two programs will be coming home with next week's Wednesday Notice.
Bill Koch Ski League
TGS will again host the local BKSL club here on Wednesday afternoons for recreational and competitive skiers. This child based cross-country program for 6-14 year olds is an opportunity to learn and improve skiing skills while playing games and touring our trails and skimming across our neighbor's fields. We will need parent volunteers to help manage our enthusiastic skiers on these Wednesday afternoons. No skills required. An informational meeting and a chance to rent Putney Ski Club equipment and uniforms for BKSL is scheduled for December 2, 2011 at 3:15 in the gym. Sign ups for the BKSL program will be available next week on our website or in hard copy outside the main office.
Ski/Skate Sale
Our annual ski/skate and winter apparel sale will be Thursday, December 1 at 3:15 in the gym, and open all day Friday, December 2 until 4:00 pm. This is a fundraiser for the BKSL program, but 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 item sold and the donor recoups the rest. Please use this month to go through your winter stuff (clothing too) and decide what you can recycle. More info to follow.
Thanks, Deb and Mary
|
|
ART NEWS!
| |
Day of the Dead Art Project by Kindergarten-7th grade
November 1 and 2 are the celebration days in Mexico for Day of the Dead. This holiday has roots over 3000 years and is celebrated in various forms all over the world. The idea is that dead ancestors return to their graves and to their families to celebrate. Graves are cleaned, delicious food offerings are made, and everyone has a good time. We had interesting discussions around the difference between our "American" idea of Halloween being scary and spooky, and the joyfulness of this holiday. Most of all, Day of the Dead is filled with lots of beautiful art work. Alters are built in homes, schools, and government buildings. The religious symbols are left off of the public displays. These alters contain paper skeletons, marigolds, food offerings, and other artwork. Each grade in our school made a different type of Mexican inspired art. K-1st grade made paper flowers and the 2nd grade made large paper collage skeletons that hang on the wall. 3rd graders made mechanical skeleton toys to tie into their upcoming simple machine unit. 4th graders worked in clay and made all sorts of animal and people skeletons, with accessories. The 5th graders did embroidery on black burlap that shows scenes from Day of the Dead. The 6th graders created large skeleton sculptures and the 7th graders made elaborately decorated papier maché skulls. The three sugar skulls were lent by the Hopkins family.
William Chambers
Art Teacher
|
|
LETTER FROM SARA DUNBAR, RN
|
November 7, 2011 Dear Grammar School Families, Flu season has arrived! Now that the weather has started to turn colder and we are spending more time indoors, I wanted to take the opportunity to remind everyone in our community how to help reduce the spread of bacteria and viruses. I know a lot of this is common sense and common knowledge but I think it bears repeating. As adults in this community it is our job to model these healthy behaviors and teach them to our children and students. To help prevent the spread of flu, colds, or any other illness that can be spread from person to person: - Keep yourself healthy by getting proper rest, regular exercise, and eating a healthy diet.
- Drink plenty of fluids, especially water.
- Stay home if you are sick.
- Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue or your arm when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
- Wash your hands often and well with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub. (Especially after using the bathroom/changing diapers, blowing/wiping your nose, before eating/preparing food, after being in public places, etc.)
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth. Germs spread this way.
- Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
- If you are sick with flu-like illness, stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone, except to get medical care or for other necessities. (Your fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.)
- While sick, limit contact with others as much as possible to keep from infecting them.
I hope that we are all able to stay healthy through this season, but if your child does become ill please follow the sick day guidelines found on page 25 in the parent handbook: Children who are ill should not be in school. Parents should inform the office between 8:30 and 9:00 if they are keeping a child home. DO NOT send a child to school if: a)he or she has a fever (children must be fever free for 24 hours (without fever reducing medication) prior to returning to school); b)he or she has vomited the previous night; c)he or she has untreated head lice. Consider keeping a child home if: a)he or she is coming down with a cold; b)he or she is complaining of nausea, diarrhea, or abdominal pain. The Grammar School follows Vermont Department of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and recommendations regarding disease outbreaks. Visit www.cdc.gov or http://healthvermont.gov/index.aspx for more information. Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns:sdunbar@thegrammarschool.org or 802-869-6802. Thank you, Sara Dunbar, RN Nurse Consultant |
|
MONTREAL TRIP
|
5th-6th grade trip to Montreal Last weekend TGS 5th and 6th grade French students traveled to Montreal with Madame Jo and parent chaperones Lisa Stolper, Marjorie Ray, and Ned Childs. Students met their Montreal pen pals and teachers at Collège Stanislaus on Saturday afternoon, and after some games in the courtyard at the school, they went to tour the city with their host families. Sunday morning we met at the ONF, the Montreal Film Board, to make an animated film. TGS and CS students worked together to make a one minute movie (see the French page). After the activity, families took the TGS students out for the afternoon. On Monday morning we toured Collège "Stan" and met briefly with the Head of School. Students and their pen pals then went to a park to play games, and the final group activity was a meal together before we had to head home. TGS students noted that they had to make an extra effort to communicate with their pen pals who did not speak much English, but they still managed to enjoy each other's company. A few of their comments: "The stop motion movie we made was awesome!" "In Montreal I went to two really good Arabian restaurants." "The highlights of my trip were the Tour Olympique and the Biodome." A big thank you to our chaperones, and also to Collège Stanislaus and the host families who were incredibly generous in treating our children to a memorable visit to Montreal. The weather was magnificent we all had a wonderful trip.
Thanks,
Johanna
|
|
OPUS 23
| 11 STUDENTS FROM THE GRAMMAR SCHOOL ENTER OPUS 23 - Eleven composers from The Grammar School 6th and 7th grades, working with their teacher Alli Lubin, will submit their final entries to the Vermont Midi Project's Opus 23 competition on Friday, November 11. Those competing are 7th grader Colette Anton, 6th graders Molly Durling and Isaac Freitas-Eagan, and three teams: Kit Blazej and Roselle Lovell-Smith, Tyler Silbey and Luke Cuerdon, Ethan Foster and Robin McOwen, and William Parkman and Gabriel Feal-Staub.
The instrumentation for Opus 23 is brass, piano and percussion. The selected pieces will be performed live by professional musicians in the Opus 23 Concert on Monday, Dec.5, 2011 at the Elley-Long Music Center, St. Michael's College, Colchester, VT. |
|
PUTNEY FOOD SHELF
| PUTNEY FOOD SHELF: THIRD GRADERS ARE COLLECTING FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER. NON-PERISHABLE GOODS MAY BE BROUGHT TO BOXES OUTSIDE THE MAIN OFFICE OR THE THIRD GRADE CLASSROOM. Many, many thanks to all for your continued generosity.
|
|
ORDER TGS T-SHIRTS AND SWEATSHIRTS!
| |
|
|
MISSING FROM THE FAIRE!
| Yellow DeWALT 18V 1/2" cordless drill. Please email Chris Harlow at charlow@thegrammarschool.org if you find it!
|
| Upper School Boil Water Notice | Due to the need for system maintenance/repairs we are on a boil water notice at the Upper School only, until further notice. Please feel free to email Chris Harlow with any questions.
Thank you,
Chris Harlow
|
|
COMMUNITY NEWS!
| Are you hoping to be prepared for the holidays? Contact Laurie in the upper building to 1) support a TGS graduate and college student, 2) help fill the Putney Food Shelf, and 3) purchase gifts for your family and friends. My daughter, Gage, has been making and selling bead, feather and button jewelry for a year, and I have several display boards for shoppers to peruse. For each item of jewelry sold, I will donate $1 to The Putney Food Shelf. Her prices are fair, and she has discounts on purchases of 2 or more items. Contact me at lfichter@tgs-putney.org or give me a call. Thank you, Laurie
BLUEBIRD ORCHESTRA C.D RELEASE PARTY! RESCHEDULED! Saturday, November 12 · 7:00pm - 10:00 pm at THE HOOKER DUNHAM THEATER, Brattleboro, VT. For more info call(802) 254-9276.
Come see TGS Grads Molly Brennan '10, Nevie McOwen '11, and Wyeth Olmsted '11 in Vermont Academy's fall play production! On Friday, Nov 11th and Saturday, Nov 12th, Vermont Academy will present THE IMAGINARY INVALID by Moliere, an adaptation by Miles Malleson. This adaptation of Moliere's classic farce is the story of a modern man riddled with anxiety over his debilitating disease - life. Argan's obsession with the institution of medicine causes him to blindly jeopardize the happiness of his daughter, Angelica, by insisting that she marry a doctor for his own medical convenience. Angelica, however, is in love with another and is beside herself at her father's decree. Thanks to Argan's brash and clever maid, Toinette-Angelica's fervent defender-the scheme unravels quickly, in the end proving to Argan that true love can, and should, triumph over even modern medicine -and those who adhere too closely to its precepts. The punch line of this classic satire still hits us where it counts, and the outrageous comedy makes it an easy pill to swallow.
The performance will be in the Horowitz Performing Arts Hall on Vermont Academy's campus at 7:30 both nights. Run time is approximately 2 hours. Tickets are $10 at the door.
The Drowsy Chaperone, a musical with dancing, starring a wonderful cast of students from Leland and Gray including TGS grad Addie Mahdavi, will be playing on November 10, 11,12 and 13 in the Dutton Gym on Route 30 in Townshend. Times are Thursday at 7:00Pm, Friday at 7:30, Saturday at 3:00 and at 7:30, and Sunday at 3:00. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for students. If you have questions please email verbatim@svcable.net, or call 365-7355 X204. Tickets do sell out, so please reserve if possible.
Saturday, December 3 - Season Kickoff Biathlon Event at Grafton Ponds Outdoor Center
Get ready for the ski season! XC running or XC skiing (weather dependent) and laser shooting. 10 am start. Free for all abilities. On behalf of Bill Salmon, bill.salmon@graftonponds.com, 802-843-2400.
|
|
|
|
|
|
