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From the Desk of the Head of School
| Social Media and Your Child
On Friday, May 11, from 8:45-9:45am in the TGS Library, there will be a presentation and discussion for TGS parents about social media and children. Karen Blumberg, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade Life Skills Counselor at TGS, will present and lead a discussion about this important topic. This event will be beneficial for parents of students of all ages! Ken Burns National Parks Event - A Success This past Friday, Ken Burns generously gave us two hours of his time as he presented an inspiring account of the history of the National Parks and the creation of the film, which was ten years in the making. The fundraising event was very successful, with 150 people in attendance. Many thanks to Landmark College and President Peter Eden for his support of the event, Tom Kosiba for his tech support, Pauline O'Brien, TGS Director of Development, The Grammar School Student Council, and TGS faculty and staff volunteers. Special thanks to current parents Ken and Julie Burns for their generous matching gift. Faculty Departure Announcement
Susan Madrigan, our 6th, 7th, and 8th grade Spanish teacher, will not be returning for the next school year. We owe Susan a great debt of gratitude for developing a stellar Spanish program. Three years ago a large committee of parents, staff, faculty, and community members, per our Strategic Plan, explored the possibility of adding another foreign language to our program. After a year of study we decided on Spanish, and after interviewing many candidates, we chose Susan to create the new program. Bringing her expertise from Northfield Mount Hermon and The School for International Training, Susan, with much enthusiasm and energy, introduced a dynamic and exciting Spanish curriculum to TGS. Thank you, Susan, and best wishes in your new endeavors. Steve Lorenz
Head of School |
FINAL WORKDAY REMINDER!
| Final reminder that this Saturday, April 28 is Spring Work Day at The Grammar School. The day begins at 9am and the work ends around noon. We will then have a BBQ serving burgers and dogs, chips, and drinks. There will be gardening and planting, trimming, and brush removal, as well as general clean up. Bring your tools, but clearly mark them so you get them all back. This is a great way to meet other parents and children from different grades all while improving our school and having fun.
Thank you in advance for your help,
Chris Harlow
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Painting the PSD shed
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The Bard Is Back!
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THE BARD IS BACK!!!
For never was a story of more woe, than this of Juliet and her Romeo! Second and Fifth grades will present Romeo and Juliet on: June 6 at All School Meeting and June 7 at 6:30 pm. A special sneak preview of Scene 7 will be presented during Grandparents day on May 18.
Admission to all performances is free. Mark your calendars - we'd love to see you!
Art Work by Abby B. in 5th Grade |
| HAPPY TOGETHER MAY 2-5 | |
Our 2012 7th and 8th grade Spring Musical, HAPPY TOGETHER, written and directed by Vicki Gohl, is coming to TGS on May 2, 3, 4, and 5 with performances at 7pm. CAST A performs WEDNESDAY and FRIDAY; CAST B performs THURSDAY and SATURDAY. Check the
Theater Page for the Cast List. Tickets are available at the door. Suggested ticket donation is $10/adults, $5/students and alumni, $25 maximum for families. The Thursday performance is a benefit for Putney Family Services. Reservations are strongly recommended - call Tammy at 387-5364. This adaptation of Shakespeare's As You Like It features 16 memorable classic songs from the 60s and an all-star pit band: Teese Gohl, piano, arranger; Jared Stolper, acoustic guitar; Billy Straus, electric guitar; Donald Saaf, banjo, mandolin; Bill Shontz, saxophone, flute, clarinet; Mark Grieco, bass; and Johnny Yuma, drums.
Thanks to The Putney School and Vermont Academy for sponsoring the show.
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SPRING SPORTS BEGIN THIS WEEK!
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Soccer (8 student minimum) for 1st-8th graders Mondays 3:15-4:30 Coach Chris Harlow
Zumba (3 student minimum) for 7th and 8th grades Mondays 3:15-4:30 Coach Pauline O'Brien
Mountain Biking and/or Running for 1st-3rd graders Wednesdays 3:15-4:00, with supervised play until 4:30 Coaches Amy and Zach Caldwell
Mountain Biking for 4th-8th graders - Wednesdays 3:15-4:30 - Coaches Charlie Boswell and Mary Heller Osgood
Yoga for K-8th graders - Thursdays 3:15-4:30
Coach Paul Hopkins
Lacrosse (12 student minimum) for 1st-8th graders Fridays 3:15-4:30 Coaches Jay Clarke and Fanning Hearon
(We are looking for a substitute coaches on May 4 - please let Mary know if you are interested in helping to coach lacrosse that afternoon.)
Children may participate in as many activities as they like, at a total cost of $20 for the spring. Please contact
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DONATIONS NEEDED FOR SPRING AUCTION
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On Friday, May 18, TGS parents will host the annual Spring Dinner/Auction. This fun evening of fundraising and community building will be the second and final parent-driven fundraiser for the school year. The event will feature music, a catered dinner, and both a Silent and Live Auction. The dinner/auction event is very important to our school, since all proceeds directly impact financial aid for families, teacher salaries, and curriculum programming. We are expecting 125+ in attendance and the goal is to raise a minimum of $20,000. Each TGS family is asked to contribute to the event by donating time, labor, and resources. One way you can be especially helpful is to donate an auction.
The success of the auction is dependent on the generosity of regional and national businesses, and TGS families. From restaurant and gift certificates, to travel items, vacation homes, vintage wines, cultural activities, and goods for children, TGS's auction is well know for its superior quality.
Please help us reach our goal by donating an auction item of your own or by soliciting a donation from an individual or business. Auction Donation forms are available. Your generosity is greatly appreciated and we will prominently display any promotional materials you may have to accompany your donation. Thank you for your time, consideration, and commitment to TGS. Should you have any questions or need assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me at pobrien@thegrammarschool.org or 802-387-5364, Ext. 106.
Best regards,
Pauline Blake O'Brien
Director of Development
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PUTNEY FOOD SHELF
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PUTNEY FOOD SHELF: The kindergarten crew and Libby are heading the April collection! Please feel free to bring items to their classroom or to the box outside Tammy's office. Happy Spring and Many Thanks!
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SUMMER IS COMING!
SAVE THE DATES FOR TGS SUMMER CAMP! |  SAVE THE DATES! TGS SUMMER CAMP WILL RUN JULY 9 THROUGH 27! Three week long programs taught by local artists and outdoor enthusiasts.
Course descriptions and signup forms are on the website.
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ART NEWS
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There is new art in the hallways and on the art blog. Please come and see work from grades 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, and 8, with more to come soon. The women artist posters by the eighth graders are in the Upper School mini-gallery.
Visit the art blog:http://tgsartpage.blogspot.com |
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TGS and the Strolling Heifers
| This year's "Strolling of the Heifers" parade will be on June 2 in Brattleboro. Once again TGS students will march in the parade to represent the school, and show our presence in the community. Following last year's success, after the parade TGS will have a booth on the Retreat lawn where we will have marketing materials for the school and sell crepes!
The parade is the signature event of a weekend of farm and food friendly activity that some estimate draws 50,000 people to the Brattleboro area. It is a great thing to be a part of, and important for TGS to have a presence. We are still working on a theme for our participation, ("Healthy food makes great kids?") and William will help with a creative project for kids to make. We will have T-shirts for all "Strollers" to wear.
Details on location to meet, exact timing, and other logistics will come later, but it has generally been on Flat Street at 9:00, and the parade is done by 10:30 at the Retreat.
We will need some parent chaperones to walk with the students and carry a school banner and we are still finalizing the help we will need on the retreat lawn, manning our booth and cooking crepes. Contact Michael Hornsby (mhornsby@brimstoneconsulting.com) if you are interested in joining in. |
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No Film Film Festival
| The "No Film Film Festival" is a competition for film makers. Film crews were given a genre and one week to write, design, film, and edit a piece. There are entries from all over the country, and TGS alum Julian Stolper, 8th grader Rudi Gohl, and his father Teese have produced a work that will be shown at the Festival this Saturday at the Bellows Falls Cinema. Julian, Rudi and Teese's picture,
"One Flew Into The Chicken Coop" will be shown during block 2, which starts at 2pm. We hope you and any interested friends will come and cheer this great effort along. For more information go to www.nofilmfestival.org.
Jared Stolper
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Wednesday Notice problems?
| If you are not receiving your Wednesday Notice by email, please let Mary know.
Thank you,
Mary
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Tick Information
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Notes from the Nurse
It has been brought to my attention that the TICKS are back and have started to come home with our students. I would like to provide some information about Preventing Tick Bites and Removing Ticks as well as some resources where you can go for more information. Please share this information with your children. The TGS teachers and staff will be helping to remind and reinforce these ideas with students.
Preventing Tick Bites
Avoid direct contact with ticks.
Walk in the center of trails.
Avoid leaning against trees or sitting on old logs.
Avoid wooded or bushy areas with high grass and leaf litter.
Wear long sleeved shirts and long pants.
Tuck pants into boots or socks.
Repel Ticks with DEET or Permethrin
Products containing permethrin can be used to treat clothing and gear, such as
boots, pants, socks and tents.
Repellents containing 20% or more DEET (N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide) can be
applied to the skin, and they can protect up to several hours. Always follow product instructions! Parents should apply this product to their children, avoiding hands, eyes, and mouth.
Other repellents registered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) may
be found at http://cfpub.epa.gov/oppref/insect/.
Find and Remove Ticks from Your Body
Wear light-colored clothing to more easily find ticks that are crawling on you.
Conduct a full-body tick check using a hand-held or full-length mirror to view all parts of your body upon return from tick-infested areas. Parents should check their children for ticks under the arms, in and around the ears, inside the belly button, behind the knees, between the legs, around the waist, and especially in their hair.
Examine gear and pets.
Shower soon after being outdoors.
Tick Removal
If you find a tick attached to your skin, there is no need to panic. Most tick bites are probably harmless and may cause no problems. Ticks that have never fed, if handled properly, will not cause any harm. The earlier a tick is removed, the less the likelihood that the tick transmitted any disease. Therefore prompt and proper tick removal is very important.
How to remove a tick
1. Use fine-tipped tweezers and protect your fingers with a tissue, paper towel, or
latex gloves. Avoid removing ticks with your bare hands.
2. Grasp the tick as close to the skin surface as possible and pull upward with
steady, even pressure. Don't twist or jerk the tick; this can cause the mouth-parts to break off and remain in the skin. If this happens, remove the mouth-parts with tweezers. If you are unable to remove the mouth easily with clean tweezers, leave it alone and let the skin heal.
3. After removing the tick, thoroughly disinfect the bite and your hands and the
tweezers with rubbing alcohol, an iodine scrub, or soap and water.
4. Once removed, don't crush the tick because you may transmit disease. Rinse it down a sink or flush it down a toilet.
*Avoid folklore remedies such as "painting" the tick with nail polish or petroleum jelly, or using heat to make the tick detach from the skin.
Follow-up
If you begin to experience a rash or fever within several weeks of removing a tick, see your doctor. Be sure to tell the doctor about your recent tick bite, when the bite occurred, and where you most likely acquired the tick.
This information is from the CDC's website (http://www.cdc.gov/ticks/) and the emedicine health website (http://www.emedicinehealth.com/ticks/article_em.htm) both of which contain lots of information about ticks and tick borne illness.
Sara Dunbar, School Nurse
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| ORDER TGS T-SHIRTS AND SWEATSHIRTS! | |
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COMMUNITY NEWS
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Clara, a French teenage girl, is looking for family to stay with as a Fille Aupair for part of the summer.
Loves music, children and traveling! She is a charming 16 year old, daughter of a friend of Madame Jo's.
Please see or email Madame Jo for more details!
jgardner@thegrammarschool.org
Share your fresh air with a child who gets very little! There are hundreds of New York inner city children waiting for an invitation to experience a week or two of our summers in New England. Open your hearts and homes one of these kids and receive an enriching experience for you and your family in return. Through the generosity of families and individuals from Virginia to Canada, the Fresh Air Friendly Town Program has given almost 2 million children the joys of clean air and summer fun since its founding in 1877. Please call Tom and Linda Kosiba for more information-(802)722-4315.
TGS Alum Jem Wilner at NEYT
"The thing I want to emphasize is, don't get the impression that life ends, just because you're knees aren't functioning properly."
Jem Wilner, in collaboration with New England Youth Theatre and Hilltop House, presents a new play, Stories of a Lifetime, a compilation of monologues and dialogues based on the interviews with residents of retirement communities across America.
Written and directed by Jem Wilner, Stories of a Lifetime is a compilation of monologues and dialogues based on the interviews that Jem conducted with residents of retirement communities, Hilltop House being among them. Jem has been an active student at New England Youth Theatre for many years and feels that the community there has helped him grow and cultivate his love for acting. This is the first play that Jem has ever written and directed. He will also be acting as the narrator of the show.
The show plays at New England Youth Theatre, 100 Flat St. Brattleboro on Friday, April 27 at 7pm, and Sunday April 29th at 2pm. Tickets will be by donation and are only available at the door. Suggested donation of $5, with the profits going to the Hilltop House activities fund, and the 'Angels in the Wings' Scholarship Fund, which helps children to enjoy the incredible programs New England Youth Theatre has created for the kids of the Brattleboro area.
SAVE THE DATES for Vermont Academy's Spring Musical: Crazy for You, a light-hearted musical featuring several Gershwin tunes, will run at Vermont Academy's Horowitz Performing Arts Center on Friday, April 27 and Saturday, April 28 at 7:30pm, and Sunday, April 29 at 3pm. Tickets are available at the door.
TGS graduates Eamon O'Keefe and Molly Brennan lead the show with several other familiar TGS faces in supporting roles.
The show is directed by Julia Tadlock, step-daughter of TGS' own Laurie Fichter!
Host a student from Spain - Host a student from Spain this summer with Home Stays USA. Every year students come to this area from Bilbao, Spain. "The experience for us was excellent. Our student was easy going, helpful, very pleasant and very motivated to learn English. We also really liked her as a person and became friends. We'd like her to come back! This was also such a great experience for my daughter to see how brave our student was to come here for a month. I hope that my daughter will consider a program like this to learn Spanish!"
Host mother Karen from Vermont
This year the dates of the program are June 29- July 30. The students range from 13 years to 17 years. Visit the organization's website at homestaysusa.org.
The host family receives a $600 stipend and the head leaders of the program will be here during the summer as well.
Please feel free to contact Liz Jackson (parent of Nathaniel in 1st grade). She has been working with this organization for a few summers now and can answer some of your questions.
!Gracias!
Liz Jackson (lizzyole@gmail.com)
Long term Putney area residents seeking a rental home - mid-May or June 1st occupancy. We are responsible, reliable people who know how to care for a house. Excellent credit and references. I am a health care professional who has worked in the area for 24 years and Johnny is a professional musician who has performed and taught in the area for 42 years. No pets, and we don't smoke.
Our hopes are for:
- sunny location, and a warm house with 1, 2 or 3 bedrooms
- easy access for 2-wheel drive cars
- high-speed internet access
- garden area for vegetables
- 2-year minimum rental
- space for practice/teaching in the home on a part-time basis
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