Dear Lower School Parents:
I am still smiling following last week’s Group III/IV talent show! The performances themselves were impressive, but what has stayed with me is the way our LS girls supported each other in this special community moment. Prior to the talent show, I spoke with the girls about sharing their voices (our monthly theme) and bringing their passions to the stage, and they did not disappoint. Dancers, artists, gymnasts, singers, musicians, and roller bladers alike all demonstrated joy in sharing a bit of themselves with us, and we all left assembly feeling great. I hope many of you were able to view the talent show live on Bleachers. If not, you can still watch the show “on-demand” by activating your account at www.gobleachers.com/tour. All GA families are eligible for a complimentary subscription for the 2015-16 school year. The upcoming Groups I and II talent show will be shown/archived here as well.
I would be remiss if I didn’t provide a recap of the outstanding festivities on October 29 at our LS Halloween Celebration. Our incredibly creative Group IV girls outdid themselves once again with games like Pumpkin Bowling, Guess the Goo, Pumpkin Ring Toss, Find The Monster and Fortune Teller. The Haunted Hayride with Mark Cerniglia from our maintenance staff never seems to get old, even for our Group IV girls. The PC/CC parade can only be described as adorable and heartwarming! Our youngest students walk in costume to six different locations on campus to sing their Halloween songs and receive candy treats for their performance. I always love it when the girls come to the LS Office to sing. It is quite a sight to see everyone in their costumes, ranging from princesses to favorite animals to ninjas! All of this took place prior to their grade-level class parties. Be sure to come by the Lower School Office to see all of the pictures! A small sample can be found here:
https://greenwichacademy.smugmug.com/20152016/Lower-School/Halloween-Games/
I felt so lucky to have visited Group II today just as they were being treated to a Diwali presentation by four of the Group II girls. The girls did a wonderful job explaining the history of this Indian festival and then shared treats, including delicious, homemade, Halwa (most akin to a sweetened/spiced cream of wheat) with all. Thank you to the Evans, Layman, Marsh, and Khera families for sharing this celebration with us!
We took a moment in our Group I-IV Assembly today to note the significance of Veterans Day. After saying the Pledge of Allegiance as we do at the beginning of each assembly, I spent a few moments talking to the girls about the importance of recognizing those who have served our country in the armed forces and encouraged them to reach out to any veterans in their families today to share their gratitude.
Some upcoming events…
F.U.N. DANCE and F.U.N. BREAKFAST
A F.U.N. weekend is in store for Lower School dads, uncles, or other male family friends!
The dance (for Groups I-IV) and the breakfast (for PC/CC) offer some real quality time for our girls and their special guests. Dinner will be served on Friday, November 13 at 6:00 PM in the dining hall followed by dancing in Ramsing Gymnasium until 8:30 PM.
Tickets are $40 per person. To register, click on Quicklinks on the the GA website or go to www.greenwichacademy.org/fundance.
Please email gapalsrep@gmail.com with any questions.
The breakfast will be held on Saturday, November 14 from 9:00-10:00 AM in the PC and CC classrooms.
GA LOWER SCHOOL ICE SGator FRIDAYS - REGISTER NOW!
This NEW class-specific program for Groups I-IV at Chelsea Piers CT (CPCT) in Stamford is a fantastic opportunity for your daughters to socialize as a class, be entertained for an afternoon, and get on the ice. Dates for these awesome events, by group, are:
Group I - December 11
Group II - December 4
Group III - November 13 (Quickly approaching!)
Group IV - November 20
The program begins at school dismissal and ends at 2:45 PM, for pick-up at GA.
Cost of $40 (billed to student billing accounts) includes lunch in the GA Dining Hall, transportation to and from CPCT on the school’s athletic bus, instruction (for those who need it), and skate and helmet rentals. To register please click: https://www.greenwichacademy.org/lsice. Also available via Quicklinks on the GA website.
Civvies may be worn by the entire class on the Friday of their class-specific Ice SGator event. Civvies should be comfortable for an ice-rink environment for those participating.
The girls will be chaperoned by parent volunteers. You may register to chaperone here: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0c4aaeab2aa5f85-galsice. Parent volunteers are not expected to ice skate!
Please contact Miriam Kreuzer (gapalsrep@gmail.com) with any questions.
DRESS CODE NOTE
Please note that, while we can be somewhat flexible in the color/style of the headbands the girls wear to school, headbands with animal ears are not allowed. Thank you for your partnership in helping us honor the integrity of the uniform.
INGATHERING ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24
Groups I-IV will participate in GA’s traditional Ingathering assembly on November 24 at 2:00PM in Raether Athletic Center. Students from each division, including one each from Groups I, II, III and IV, will give a speech about our community service projects. Mrs. King will give a speech and the Madrigals will sing for us as well.
LS dismissal (Group I-IV on the main campus) will be the usual staggered dismissal starting at 3:00PM (or as close to it as possible given that the assembly may run over). There will be no Study Hall on Tuesday, November 24. If you would like to pick up your MS and LS daughter together at the earlier LS dismissal time, you will need to let Mrs. Tormey know in the MS office.
Please note there will be no Serendipity classes on November 24, nor LS music lessons.
Yearlings pick up will be at 4PM.
Students in each grade level have been asked to bring in specific food items/supplies for this assembly, which will be donated to needy families. See below for LS donations.
NOVEMBER COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECT
Thank you all for your generous donations to last month's book drive for the Boys and Girls Club of Greenwich, sock drive for local homeless shelters, and clothing drive for Syrian refugees. We are grateful for the donations. Our November community service project is to bring in specific food items for Ingathering on Tuesday, November 24. Please have your daughters bring in the following items by Monday, November 23:
PC/CC: one box of cookies (not in a bag, please so they won’t get crushed)
Group I: one bath towel (for Midnight Run)
Group II: mittens, hat, or scarf (for our mitten tree)
Group III/B: one bag of apples
Group III/H: one bag of oranges
Group IV: three cans of cranberry sauce
As always, we are amazed by the support of our girls and families for Lower School community service projects. Thank you so much!
MAC BARNETT TO VISIT GA
Renowned author Mac Barnett will be visiting Greenwich Academy on Wednesday, December 2. Please return the form sent home today with your daughters, no later than Nov. 17 if you would like books autographed on the day of his visit.
Important Dates:
NOVEMBER
THURSDAY, 12 LS PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCE DAY-NO SCHOOL (PC-IV)
Friday, 13 Group III Ice SGator Friday
LS Fall F.U.N. Dance (Groups I-IV), Dining Hall/RAM, 6:00-8:30 PM
NO FRIDAY AFTERS CLASSES
Saturday, 14 PC/CC F.U.N. Breakfast, RAC Classrooms, 9:00-10:00AM
Wednesday, 12 Group III/IV Talent Show, YAH, 1:30PM
Sunday, 15 NSCF Chess Tournament at GA, 9:00AM-4:00PM
Tuesday, 17 Chess Team, Dining Hall, 7:15 AM
Wednesday, 18 Groups I/II Talent Show for LS, YOung Assembly Hall, 1:30 PM
Thursday, 19 LS Thanksgiving Feast for Groups I-IV, Ramsing, 12PM
Friday, 20 End of First Trimester
Make-up Friday Afters Classes if needed
Group IV Ice SGator Friday
TUESDAY, 24 NO CHESS TEAM MEETING
PC/CC Thanksgiving Feast, RAC Classrooms, 11:30AM
Ingathering, Groups I-XII Assembly, RAE, 2:00 PM
REGULAR DISMISSAL FOR THANKSGIVING BREAK (11/25-11/29)
No Serendipity Classes, No Study Hall, No Music Lessons
It seems that once we start November, the days start to fly by. While I will be covering the holiday concert schedule in my next letter to you, please note that you may find these dates/times on the GA website calendar. If the weatherman is right in his predictions, please send your girls in with LABELED warm coats, gloves, boots and mittens as we will have recess unless the temperature dips below 20 degrees.
Warmly,
Jon Ross-Wiley
Head of Lower School