GREETINGS FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL 

With less than a month until graduation, TGS classes are very busy with end of the year activities, and we all celebrate an excellent year and look ahead to the summer. We've had major events each week this month, and this week is no exception with our upcoming Spring Concert on Thursday evening!

 

Last Thursday's second ever TGS golf outing and dinner was a great success. We had a record number of players and attendees and everyone had a good time. We hope you'll keep this event in mind for next year as an option for dinner when you host grandparents from out of town. We had a wonderful Grandparents Day celebration on Friday, as well. We love Grandparents Day at TGS, and this one was terriffic. We so appreciate all of the grandparents who came out to spend the day with us in celebration of this great school, and we are already excited for next year!

 

With all that is happening, I once again want to urge you to keep a close eye on the TGS calendar. On Saturday, June 6, TGS will participate in the Strolling of the Heifers parade. Mark Bowen has volunteered to drive his tractor and tow our student participants in his trailer. If you are able to come and participate, please email Tammy so we can have a head count. If you are interested in taking a lead role in decorating the float, please also reach out to Tammy to let her know. We have had great participation in this fun local event in the past and look forward to a wonderful day.

 

On Tuesday after the long weekend, we are excited to host our first session with the Board and Community Open Advisory Panel in the Library from 8:15-9:00. We hope to see many parents in attendance at this important event.

 

Sincerely, 
Dan 

BOARD AND COMMUNITY OPEN ADVISORY PANEL 
Tuesday, May 26 at 8:15-9:00am in the Library at TGS we will have our first meeting of the Board and Community Open Advisory Panel. This informal platform and entity will allow anyone (faculty, staff, parents, others) to meet with a few trustees each month, ask questions, gain clarity on issues, and together identify resources and approaches that will help Dan and all of TGS in our collective aim to keep this school strong. We look forward to seeing as many of you who can attend as possible.

K-6 SPRING CONCERT THURSDAY, MAY 21
Alli asks that students arrive at school by 6:10pm. K-1-2 will gather in the Kindergarten room, 3-4 in the 4th grade room, and 5-6 in the 5th grade room. (If you forget a recorder or music folder, please go right up to the theater when you arrive and see Carol Cutts to get what you need.)

 

BUS DRIVER NEEDED 

TGS is seeking a school bus driver for the 2015/16 school year. TYPE 1 CDL with passenger endorsement, up to date DOT physical card, and drug and alcohol testing are required. The job takes 3.5 hours a day during the school year, plus field trips. TGS will train and pay for testing. Please contact Kurt Lynch at 387-5364 x113.

 

PUTNEY FOOD SHELF
May is the final month for TGS contributions to The Putney Food Shelf! This month the Preschool will be collecting for the Food Shelf, and we hope to collect a large and diverse supply of non-perishable food and household items to share with our neighbors in the community. The need is great, so please think of picking up a few items next time you are at the store. Collection boxes are outside the Main Office and the Preschool classroom. Please help us to make this a record month! Many thanks. 
This summer Jess Sardinas will lead three weeklong sessions of preschool camp featuring plenty of fun, games, and general high adventure. (Think pirates, mermaids, and woodland fairies!) Summer Discovery Camp offers three sessions of classes in studio arts and nature exploration for kids age 6-12. 

Register online for Young Explorer Preschool Camp and Summer Discovery Camp, or email [email protected] with questions.

Mountain Bike Camp also will be held the weeks of July 6-10 July 13-17. The first week is a half-day program for beginners, and the second week is a full-day program for more advanced bikers who want longer, more challenging rides. Please email Jen Robb with questions or to register.

ART NEWS

Visiting Artists Next Wednesday

Chelsea Granger and Sophie Wood of Royal Frog Ballet will visit TGS for a day of making and sharing. These two artist-performer-writer-friend-collaborators are influenced by the physical landscape to create conceptual, cheeky, ritualistic, folk community performances. Their collaborations push their work as individual artists into new realms, and together they create a space for communities to gather, celebrate, commemorate, speculate, pause, and leap. These two talented individuals will lead workshops for our students and share their experience and insight on how and why collaboration has influenced their work, and why it is such an essential part of creation and expression. Please join us to hear them speak at All School Meeting on Wednesday, May 29.

 

Art Electives Exhibition and Film Screening, Friday, June 5

Art electives at The Grammar School are a wonderful opportunity for seventh and eighth graders to embark on a six-week intensive study of a single medium. Students have extended three-hour class periods, which allow for in-depth inquiry and the opportunity to explore longer projects in an area of new interest, or to further develop a known strength. This year, students are studying black and white 35mm photography at InSight Photography, video production with artist and TGS parent Rachel Portesi, and screen printing with TGS art teacher Hannah Richards. This is an exciting time for our middle schoolers to pursue focused projects that synthesize the concepts of art-making they've studied at TGS with an intensive study of their chosen medium.

The students' work will be on display at the Hooker-Dunham Theater and Gallery from May 22 until June 10, with a public opening with film screening on the evening of June 5, 2015.


DATE CHANGE! Crafting Bee for Medieval Faire 2015 will be FRIDAY, MAY 29 (NOT May 22)
Friday, May 29, anytime from after drop-off until noon at the Kent/Greenewalts 
Join us in crafting for the Medieval Faire's Marketplace. Learn some crafting skills, share your own expertise/interest, or just enjoy the company of folks while we busy our hands for the 2015 Faire. For this occasion, there will be a group working on making felted hats, in addition to whatever else folks bring to the mix. Experienced crafters and beginners alike are encouraged to come!  Please email Melanie Kent if you plan to attend, need directions, or would like to participate but can't make it on the 29th.

ESTATE SALE MAY 23-24 AT FLETCHERS
Jordan, Liam, and Aiden are moving to a house nearby and have a lot of great stuff that has to go (including 12 laying chickens and a most amazing rooster, Monsieur). TGS community has shown such unyielding love and loyalty to my family that we are inviting just the TGS community to this Grande Yard Sale. It will be by donation only (a box off to the side) and anonymous. No rain date since everything is in a barn or house.
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MAY

21 Spring Concert 6:30pm

25 Memorial Day
NO SCHOOL

JUNE

5 Art Electives Exhibition Reception at Hooker-Dunham 5-7pm

6 Strolling of the Heifers Parade

10 Last day of school and Field Day

11 GRADUATION! 
Thursday, June 11 at 4pm

COMMUNITY NEWS

DONATE BOOKS TO HELP BUILD A LIBRARY IN SIERRA LEONE
Putney School ninth grader Sarah Young has started a book drive to to donate 1000 books and $500 to the African Library Project. For more information, go to Sarah's Sierra Leone Library Project.

 

CircusNEXT:  The Circus Stars of Tomorrow!

Sunday, May 24, 1pm and 5pm - Come see the members of the New England Center for Circus Arts' Youth Performance Troupe share their talents in their end of year showcase. Trapeze, acrobatics, tumbling, juggling and more will be presented by youth ages 8-17. Tickets $10 adults, $5 youth under 12, under 2 free.

New England Center for Circus Arts, 74 Cotton Mill Hill, #300,  Brattleboro, VT 05301,  www.necenterforcircusarts.org   

 

BRATTLEBORO SWIM TEAM
The Brattleboro Swim Team (BST) is gearing up for another fun summer swim season and we are looking for motivated swimmers of all abilities, ages 5-18, to join our winning team! BST is accepting 2015 summer season registrations now through Sunday, June 7. Please visit www.offtheblocks.org/bst to learn more about BST and for registration information.    

 

MISSING XC SKIS

Willa's brand new XC skis - a Christmas gift from her grandma - went missing from the ski shed. They are black and yellow, no-wax, Fischer Sprint Crown Juniors, 160 cm. They had black tape near the tips. Also, 1 Norda aluminum pole, 120 cm, with her initials on the handle. Please double check what you or your child brought home!  Thanks, Alicia 

 

PUTNEY SCHOOL SUMMER PROGRAMS

Students are coming this summer from Cairo, Beijing, Munich, Tbilisi and Amsterdam - as well as Windham County and 23 States! Summertime at Putney School is simply a great crew of teens and adults who just need to keep doing their art - making films & animations, writing songs, singing, dancing, painting, weaving and much more. CONTACT Tom Howe, Director, The Putney School Summer Programs summer.putneyschool.org, 802-387-6234

 

GRAFTON NATURE MUSEUM SUMMER CAMPS   

The Grafton Nature Museum offers a variety of summer programs and camps.

www.nature-museum.org 

  

MAIN STREET ARTS SUMMER CAMPS
Main Street Arts in Saxtons River has a variety of youth summer camps available.
www.mainstreetarts.org
 
FAMILY YOGA AT PUTNEY MOVES on Saturdays 11:00-12:15pm 
Family Yoga is a great way to engage the whole family in some silly fun!  Traditional Hatha yoga poses are mixed in with creative games, positive music, art projects, and story time. Parents will also work side-by-side with their little yogis to create poses.  Classes focuses on core strength (strong tummies), creative play, healthy communication skills and an overall awareness of health and wellbeing.

 

Ages 2 and up. A parent or caregiver must attend and participate. 

$20 for 1 adult and 1 child | $5 for each additional adult or child. Putney Moves is located at 133 Main Street, 2nd Floor.  Learn more at: www.putneymoves.com.   


NEWS ITEMS
Please send your Community News items to Mary by Tuesday morning to be included in the Wednesday Notice. If you have news you would like to share with The Grammar School community, please contact Mary.