GPS Summer Shark Splash

After a wonderful July 4th weekend, students dove into Week Two of our GPS Summer Programs with excitement and curiosity. Students have established routines and made friends, and are actively working toward their academic and social-emotional goals. They are on a roll!

Our students continue to engage in our district literacy and math curriculum. Students in our extended school year (ESY) program continue to work with their Special Education teacher and service providers toward IEP goals. And students in our math acceleration and high school online courses are making great gains.

During the summer, our schools are required to conduct one fire drill and one lockdown drill. These drills are important to practice emergency procedures so staff and students know what to do in the event of an actual emergency situation.

We successfully completed fire drills at New Lebanon and Western MS on Wednesday, July 9. Then, on Tuesday, July 15, we will conduct lockdown drills at each site in collaboration with the district director of school security and the Greenwich Police Department. Expectations and protocols will be reviewed with staff and students before the drill.

This week, we had a much smoother arrival and dismissal experience. Thank you again for your cooperation and patience.

As a reminder, please notify your school by 9:00 AM if your child’s dismissal plans change:

• New Lebanon: email brittany_veniga@greenwich.k12.ct.us or call (203) 531-9139

• Western: email ambar_coburn@greenwich.k12.ct.us or call (203) 531-5700

Even though our sun and planets are millions of miles away, we can feel its heat and see its light on Earth. After learning about the sun and planets in the planetarium, our PreK students safely used shaving cream and food coloring to make their own depictions of these elements of our solar system!

This week, our students and staff will engage in Outdoor Adventure activities! We look forward to sharing highlights in our next newsletter.

Are you looking for something your children can do after our summer school day is over? The YMCA has a program designed just for our students where they can join a camp in the afternoon. We have a bus that goes directly to the YMCA after school. Head to the YMCA website for more information.

• NASA Eyes on the Solar System: Explore Space as a family through NASA’s space simulation.

• Wow in the World Podcast: A great podcast for ages 5-12 to practice listening skills, build background and vocabulary and stay curious.

• Mars Sound Simulator: Find out what things sound like on Mars.

• What If?: Earth-Moon Fire Pole: How long would it take to slide down a fireman pole from the Moon to the Earth? Ask your child what we may need to know and then talk through how it can be calculated together. Great puzzle to talk through, even if you may not be quite ready for the math yet. It is still fun to find out the answer and how scientists can figure it out.

• What If?: Sun Bug: How many fireflies would it take to be as bright as the sun? Again, ask your child or family to figure out what we might need to know to get an answer. Then look at how it can be figured out and what the answer is. Fun family discussion!