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FROM THE DESK OF STEVE LORENZ
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TGS: A Happy Place to Be Our school continues to be a happy, positive, and supportive place for students, faculty, staff and parents. This has been noted by many of our recent admissions visitors, our parent surveys, and by the 8th grade students I have been interviewing. I believe the satisfaction level for our parents and students is at an all time high. We continue to look for ways to improve our services for all of our customers and constituents, and I am told that this continuous improvement process is appreciated by one and all. Two processes that will support our striving to the best school possible are the development of a new five year strategic plan and the self study and reaccreditation process for the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. These two initiatives are at the very beginning stages and the entire community will be asked for input and participation over the course of this school year and into the next.
to the Board of Trustees this month highlights many happenings and information that may be of interest to you. The November report touches upon some of the following topics: use of parent surveys, new science gift, admissions, the student leadership council, the teacher inservice day, Putney Student Corps, visiting other independent day schools, 8th grade student recommendations, meetings with other local Heads of Schools, and more. I hope you will find this informative.
Toys for Kids - Putney Corps is a student run community service group in the Putney area. The first community service effort that we are organizing is to gather toys for young kids whose families do not have the resources to buy them many gifts for Christmas. Donations would greatly appreciated. If you donate, please be sure that the items are new or in pristine condition. Some gift ideas: coloring books and coloring utensils, books, dolls/action figures, games, LEGO, and puzzles (with all the pieces!). Many other items are acceptable: if you have anything of high quality in top condition that a child would like for Christmas, please bring it to any of the toy boxes in the Lower School. If you are not able to bring your donations to school, please contact Carrie Brautigam, Libby Green, or Ellinore Todd Long, members of The Grammar School Student Leadership Council.
Thank you!
Steve Lorenz
Head of School
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SPORTS
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Ski Forms due today!
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 and transportation.
Thursday, Dec. 8 at 3:15 pm - Brief MANDATORY meeting for all Okemo parent chaperones in the 6th grade room
Ski/Skate Sale - Our annual ski/skate and winter apparel sale will be this Thursday, December 1 at 3:15 in the gym, and open on Friday, December 2 from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. We especially are looking for introductory level fishscale skis for younger skiers. All items, including clothing, should be clean and marketable. This is a fundraiser for the BKL 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 BKL program of 20-50% of the item sold and the donor recoups the rest.
Bill Koch Ski League - TGS will again host the local BKL 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 BKL is scheduled for December 2, 2011 at 3:15 in the gym. Forms for the BKL program are available here, on our website, and in hard copy outside the main office.
Bill Koch League - Wednesday, November 30 from 3:15-5pm - Dryland training at TGS Check the Bill Koch League website for more information about the schedule for the upcoming ski season. 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 that 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 50 lbs. Thanks, Deb and Mary |
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Vermont's Young Composers in Concert
|  Congratulations to the following local students for having their compositions chosen from the many original student compositions submitted for the Vermont MIDI Project's Opus 23 concert: From The Grammar School in Putney:
· Molly Durling ("Chasing Squirrels")
· Tyler Silbey & Luke Cuerdon ("Fairy Tale")
· Ethan Foster & Robin McOwen ("Summer Fanfare")
Students from schools all around Vermont and also in Connecticut submitted compositions for feedback by professional composer mentors and 16 pieces were selected for the live performance on December 5. This is a special event to celebrate the unique talent of Vermont's young composers.
Opus 23 is a live concert of original student compositions performed by professional musicians. The concert in brass, percussion, piano, and voice will be held on Monday, December 5 at the Elley-Long Music Center at St. Michael's College in Colchester VT at 6:30 pm. Admission is free but donations are gratefully accepted. Opus 23 is a production of the Vermont MIDI Project, a nonprofit organization that serves over 5000 students as they explore music composition.
Please visit www.vtmidi.org for more information and a complete listing of students whose winning compositions will be performed on December 5.
Sandi MacLeod, Ed. D., project coordinator Vermont MIDI Project, Inc.,30 Steeplebush Rd., Essex Jct, VT 05452 sandi@vtmidi.org, http://www.vtmidi.org
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Benefit for the Cure
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Molly Durling is collecting the pink lids from Yoplait yogurt to benefit the Susan G. Komen for the Cure. For each lid collected, Yoplait sends 10 cents to the fund. Last year Molly collected over 500 lids, and she would like to beat that number this year.
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ORDER TGS T-SHIRTS AND SWEATSHIRTS!
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COMMUNITY NEWS! | MEDICATION FUNDRAISER - Molly Durling is busking with her fiddle around Walpole to collect money to buy medication for a clinic in Sierra Leone. Her goal is $100, which will be matched eleven times by pharmaceutical companies, giving $1100.00 to a needy clinic. If you see her at the Walpole Fire Department Holiday Sale or at the Walpole Farmers Market, please have a listen and donate a bit of your loose change. Thank you, Daria Durling
PENELOPE WURR RETAIL STORE- Bring in a can or packet of food for the local food bank and Penny will offer a 10% discount on any one item * Fine Contemporary Glass * Local and European Gifts * New arrivals * Decorate your tree with the best Christmas decorations * Shop for him and her * Silk ties, merino Wool wraps, unisex scarves and hats, unique jewelry from Scandinavia, England, and local artisans * Christmas Puds, British Candy and Grocery items * SHOP LOCAL* We have it all in downtown Putney.
TIRES FOR SALE - 205/16 set of four almost new tires for $100 - email Kathy Richardson at kyoung@thegrammarschool.org for more information.
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, , 802-843-2400.
THE FLYING NUT - Flying Nut Holiday Show into the
See TGSer Ella W in NECCA's Circus interpretation of the Nut Cracker which will runs from Dec 16-Dec 18 at the Cotton Mill Hill.Tickets are available at New England Circus Center of Arts website
NEXT STAGE ART PROJECT proudly announces a brand new series!
The Community Artist Performance Series Each event in the series will feature a locally based performance artist along with an opportunity for the audience to engage with the artist following the show.
Please join the Next Stage Arts Project board of directors immediately following the December 4th concert for a full afternoon tea and reception downstairs at 15 Kimball Hill. A wonderful afternoon of music and community engagement awaits!
Please join Next Stage Arts Project in welcoming pianist and author Gordon Jones on December 4 at 3:00 pm for an afternoon of Bach piano music, followed by discussion with the artist. Signed copies of Gordon's book, "Bach's Choral Music: A Listener's Guide," will be available for purchase. In addition, your ticket admits you to a screening of the film "Amadeus" taking place on Saturday evening, December 3, at 7:00 pm at Next Stage. So please come out for a wonderful weekend of music in Putney and support Next Stage Arts Project at the same time!
Tickets are $15 for and all proceeds will benefit the Next Stage Arts Piano Fund. More info: 387-8500. Tickets available at The Front Porch Cafe, Putney, or online. |
NEW ENGLAND WOMEN'S XC SKI DAY Jan. 29, 2012 Email Mary with questions.
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ARISE AND HAIL!
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