GVS Family Newsletter

Grantham Village School

75 Learning Drive

Grantham, NH 03753

603-863-1681

frontoffice@gvshawks.org

Principal: Kristen Reed

kreed@gvshawks.org

We love every minute with our GVS students!

Arrivals after 8:30 are marked tardy.

Unless prior arrangements have been made with Mrs. Reed, student drop off should only be happening at the front entrance/playground.

We continue to have children dropped off before our staff is outside for morning recess. Sometimes a parent may be out there with his/her own children, which may make it confusing.

To try to alleviate confusion, we have added a sign.

If the side saying "NO Staff on duty!" is facing forward, please do not drop your child off on the playground.

Note: Our morning duty staff members flip the sign in the morning when they walk out with the morning program kids. It is very possible that they may get distracted in forget. If in doubt, please ask the person/people outside. Thank you!

Only students who are registered for the Before School Program (BSP) may attend the BSP. Those students who are registered should not be dropped off before 7:30 am. There is no staff on duty to watch children who are dropped off before 7:30.

We've been working hard to streamline our bus schedules to be more efficient. We consolidated three existing bus routes down to two, which was a difficult task requiring us to carefully balance factors like bus capacity, ridership, timing, and route direction.

We partnered closely with First Student to develop the most efficient, safe, and timely routes possible, with the limitation of two drivers.

These draft new bus schedules will be presented to the School Board for approval at their Tuesday, October 7th meeting. If the Board approves them, the new schedules will be effective on Thursday, October 9th.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we worked through this process.

Students in Grade 4 are learning about how NH Geography Impacts How People Live, Work, and Play. After several lessons on physical features, human features, natural resources, manufacturing and tourism, students build their own 3D maps to illustrate their learning about this special place we call home.

We are off to the races with our Math Mavericks Challenge this year, where students have the opportunity to challenge themselves with a variety of grade-level appropriate math problems.

If your student missed the first one, don't fret! The program runs through April 24, 2026. Every two weeks, a new set of problems is available. Please find the current math challenge attached, or hardcopies are available by the front office. The current challenge is due by noon on October 9th, 2025.

For more information and to see a list of last year's winners, check here. For questions, please contact our math interventionist, Ms. Sam Hutchins, at shuthincs@gvshawks.org.

• Tuesday, October 7 - Grantham School Board meeting - 6:30pm
• Friday, October 10 - No School for Students - Teacher Work Day
• Monday, October 13 - No School - Holiday
• Thursday, October 23 - GPTG Community Movie Night at 6:30pm
• Monday, November 3 - Photo retakes: Proofs that come in beforehand will have a code listed that is unique to your student for potential reorders. If you have any further questions, please let us know by emailing us at frontoffice@gvshawks.org

Photo retake day is Monday, November 3. The photographers will only be here for an hour or so, so make sure your student is at school first thing that morning if you plan to have your child's photo retaken. Please notify the office and your child's teacher if your student will participate in retake day.

If you preordered photos and want a retake, please send your photos back to school with your student so that we may return them to the photographers. Pre-Ordered photos have not yet been delivered to the school and will arrive prior to retake day.

The Lion’s Club vision screening was a success! We identified 8 students out of 115 screened that need further evaluation. Thank you to all families who participated. We will be offering this service again next year!

This weekend is supposed to be GORGEOUS! I hope you all get out and enjoy it.

Mrs. Carey

I hear the word "bully" a lot. It has become a catch-all word for mean behavior, but it is important for children and adults to know what being a bully really means. As well, it is important for everyone to understand that the school has a more formal (and serious) protocol when someone is accused of being a bully.

From policy JICK:

Bullying. Bullying is hereby defined as a single significant incident or a pattern of

incidents involving a written, verbal, or electronic communication, or a physical act or

gesture, or any combination thereof, directed at another pupil which:

(1) Physically harms a pupil or damages the pupil’s property;

(2) Causes emotional distress to a pupil;

(3) Interferes with a pupil’s educational opportunities;

(4) Creates a hostile educational environment; or

(5) Substantially disrupts the orderly operation of the school.

Bullying shall also include actions motivated by an imbalance of power based on a

pupil’s actual or perceived personal characteristics, behaviors, or beliefs, or motivated

by the pupil’s association with another person and based on the other person’s

characteristics, behaviors, or beliefs.

If you would like to file a formal bullying report at GVS, you can print out the form, fill it out, and return it to Kristen Reed, Principal of GVS. Alternatively, there is link to a Google form you can use. Responses to the Google form are received directly by the GVS school principal.

Does your student love to perform and problem solve? They may be a great fit for Destination Imagination, a STEAM-based program that promotes self-growth, teamwork, and creativity. All grades are welcome.

Please return the attached interest form and join us for an informational session to check it out on Wednesday, October 8th in Ms. Bechta's room (Room 141) at 5:00 p.m.

If any student would like to start practicing for the Spelling Bee, there is a free app from Scripps called Word Club. Using the app, you can study the grade level lists and the Words of the Champions list. Parent word nerds will love it too!

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/word-club-spelling-vocabulary/id1479862742

The Town of Grantham is a small but tight-knit community. Who better to provide input to the master-plan committee than the parents of the one and only school in town? Please contribute to the future of Grantham by giving your feedback to town hall via this survey. The deadline is October 15 and only takes a few minutes to complete. Please and thank you!

Sat. October 25 from 3:00-6:00 at The Grantham Rec Park, 19 Shedd Rd. - Join the Community for the BIGGEST Trunk or Treat in the area! Its sure to be a HOWLING good time.

For More Information Click HERE

Join in the fun and help us make this Trunk or Treat THE BEST YET. Read more about registering your "trunk" and sign up HERE

Grantham Recreation will accept donations of Halloween Candy starting on Wednesday, Sept. 10th. Donated candy will be distributed to the homeowners along Routes 10 and 114 who entertain the largest volume of trick or treaters on Halloween. Thank you for helping offset the Halloween candy costs for your neighbors along the Trick or Treat route.

Candy Donations can be dropped off in the donation bin located in the Town Hall lobby during regular business hours.

5:00-7:00 pm

Route 10. Downtown Grantham.

Be sure to visit the Town Building, Fire Station, Library, and the United Methodist Church on your trick-or-treating travels.

For more information, click HERE

GPTG is our local parent group. They put on amazing activities and fundraisers throughout the year and are some of the unsung behind-the-scenes people who make things happen for our students and staff.

Please note that the original newsletter sent out via C-folders had a type-o; correct date, incorrect day of the week. We hope to see you and your family for a movie under the stars on FRIDAY, October 24th. Movie-type snacks will be available for purchase.

For more information or to join the GPTG, please check them out here.

And thank you, GPTG, for all you do!

The Grantham Parent Teacher Group (GPTG) would like to invite anyone interested in showcasing their business to be a sponsor for our 2025-2026 GVS Student and Family Directory. This is a fantastic opportunity to enhance visibility to families in our community while simultaneously supporting our wonderful school.

Thank you for considering this partnership.

You’re invited to join the Grantham Village School CHaD HERO Team – The GVS Hawks!

This October, we’re teaming up for the annual CHaD HERO run/walk to show that kids can give back to

kids and that our GVS community can make an impact for our region’s only children’s hospital and for

the kids and families who need it most.

About the CHaD HERO:

The HERO takes place on Sunday, October 19th and is a family friendly community event that supports

the patients and families of Dartmouth Health Children’s and the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth

Hitchcock Medical Center (CHaD). This is the event’s 20th year!

To participate you can choose from the Half Marathon, 5K Run, 5K Walk, or 1-Mile Fun Run, or sign up to Volunteer. Plus, all participants receive the CHaD HERO t-shirt and celebrate with a full festival with kids activities right on the Dartmouth Green!

Anyone and everyone are welcome to join the team - current GVS students, staff, parents, families

and friends. Join us or support us with a donation today!

To join the team:

1. Go to chadhero.org and click “register now”

2. Choose any participation type – run, walk, volunteer or do your own virtual activity

3. Select “Join a Team” and search for GVS Hawks

4. Register for $0! (fundraising minimums apply for those 13+).

​On CHaD HERO Day participate as you wish but we'll plan to do a team photo during the day. Stay tuned for details!

Questions? Contact the CHaD HERO at chadhero@hitchcock.org or Andrea Denhart, GVS parent, at

andrea.denhart@gmail.com.

Thank you in advance for your support! HEROES together!