Weekly GUFS Newsletter
September 17, 2021
A Message From The Principal
Dear GUFS Families,
We are officially in the swing of the new school year! We have already started field trips, scheduled visits to the school forest, and presented campaign speeches for the 8th grade student council. On Monday, we will have our 8th grade student leadership vote! We were so impressed with the candidates' speeches. Their goals and aspirations reflect their commitment to making GUFS the best place for kids to grow and learn. It has been exciting to see our new leaders emerge.
The vibe in the building is positive and warm as the children continue to transition back to school. It is wonderful to watch new friendships form and old ones strengthen. I am most impressed with how teachers have been engaging students in the learning process. Teachers hit the ground running with project based learning and hands on activities that captivated their students. I can feel and see that this is going to be an exceptional year!
With Gratitude,
Allison Emig
Principal
Calendar Reminders
For a detailed look at what's happening, visit the School Building Calendar for the 2021-2022 school year
- UPCOMING DATES:
- September 23rd: School Forest Field Trip -7th Grade with Chrissy Valvano and Rachel Arbor
- September 28th: Virtual Back to School Night (Open House)- MS (7pm-8pm)
- September 30th: Virtual Back to School Night (Open House) - ES (7pm-8pm)
- October 25th: Flu Clinic Sponsored by the Putnam County Dept. of Health
GUFS Picture Day - A Note From Our School Photographer
Dear GUFS Parent or Guardian,
I am excited to photograph the students at GUFS again this year!
I am a twenty-three year resident of Philipstown and the mother of three former GUFS students. I am also a prolific Hudson Valley photographer whose portraits have appeared in numerous magazines and books. In addition to school and commercial photography, I also photograph weddings, events, and families. Photographing children is my favorite type of photography and school photography is my jam! I am known for providing high-quality, natural, “non-cheesy" school photography that speaks to each child’s personality. I truly hope you appreciate my portraits as other parents have!
I will be photographing the students outdoors again this year. I will be wearing a mask at all times and will be using a long lens that will put me at least six feet away.
GUFS Picture Day is set for Tuesday, September 21st, 2021 - one week from today. The Rain Date is Wednesday, September 22nd, 2021.
The School Photo Makeup/Retake Day is Thursday, September 30, 2021.
Proofing and ordering will be done online. My pricing is competitive and you are not required to make a minimum purchase.
I will reach out with further instructions about viewing your children's gallery when the photos are ready.
Thank you!
- Christine Ashburn
info@HudsonValleyFamilyPhoto.com
(845) 661-4446
Kindergarten "Color Days"
Kindergarten will be participating in "Color Days" for the next 2 weeks. Each day is assigned a certain color and the kids can wear and/or bring something in that matches the color.
-Color Schedule-
Monday, 9/20- Red
Tuesday, 9/21- Orange*
*(Picture Day- no need to dress in orange.)
Wednesday, 9/22- Yellow
Thursday, 9/23- Green
Friday, 9/24- Blue
Monday, 9/27- Purple/Pink
Tuesday, 9/28- Black
Wednesday, 9/29- Brown
Thursday, 9/30- White
Friday, 10/1- Rainbow*
(*Wear & share your favorite color(s)*)
Sammartano's Tech-Tok: A Special Message for Middle School Parents
Hello Garrison Families,
We are off to a great start this year! All students have successfully logged in to their district devices using their new Clever badges, a tool that has really streamlined and simplified the process of using technology in the classroom! We will continue to share additional features of the Clever platform, including parent access, in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, please be sure you have completed the digital AUP form for each of your children enrolled in the district and have successfully logged in to the GUFS Parent Portal. Please reach out to datasupport@gufs.org with any technology or account related questions or issues.
Let the Games Begin! Soccer Starts This Week
Click Here for the full sport schedule this season (On the page, filter by School: Garrison Middle School / District: Garrison UFSD and enter Dates (today's date) and To (6/25/2022)).
Nurse Melissa's Corner
Flu Clinic on October 25:
Garrison School is fortunate to have Putnam County Department of Health sponsor a flu clinic at our school on October 25th! Parental consent is necessary to partake and paperwork will follow in October.
COVID-19 Testing Sign-Up:
Nurse Melissa continues to offer COVID-19 testing for GUFS students on Monday mornings. The next testing date is Monday, September 17th before school starts. If you wish to have your child tested, please email Nurse Melissa at mdefonce@gufs.org to schedule your appointment.
Community Organizations & Resources on The GUFS District Website
Stay connected to our community and see what's happening locally by visiting the Community Organizations & Resources page of the GUFS District Website
A Letter from the PTA
Hello, parents,
With a new school year about to start, we—the officers of your PTA—thought we’d check in.
To begin, here’s hoping you and your kids had the summer of your dreams. After the challenges of last year, you deserved it. This coming year will present its own hurdles (the campus is a construction zone, after all, and we’re still grappling with COVID), but we know we can clear them and help our students have fun in the process.
Speaking of that: We’re hoping to be a more active PTA this year. Changes in the school’s COVID policies should allow us to offer more afterschool programs than we did last year, especially if we focus on outdoor activities. We’ll announce those plans soon; if you have ideas and requests, please send them our way. We’re all ears.
Following is some information pertinent to the here-and-now to share. If you’ll allow a switch to list-format, here goes:
- The good people at Drug World in Cold Spring have made it possible to order school supplies online. Here’s a link. Thank you, Drug World!
- We need class parents. Someone in every class willing to serve as a contact and, to a lesser extent, representative. It’s not a huge time commitment—no more than a few hours per month—but it is important. Class parents provide a link between the PTA and the student body, an essential communication channel that helps us offer students the help, support, and opportunities they want. Interested? Please drop us a line.
- We encourage you to join the PTA as a member. To support the PTA is to support the kids at GUFS. Afterschool activities, the school directory, the book fair, class photos, faculty-appreciation breakfasts, Field Day—these are all PTA efforts. Your membership makes it possible. Here’s how to join.
With that, we’ll end, paradoxically, with a pair of introductions: Carly Arnold and Gradie Oakes have been sworn in as your PTA treasurer and secretary, respectively. Like Programming Chairman Jake Haelen and me, they are parents of very-soon-to-be First Graders. It’s the makings of a good team, and we’re excited to help give your kids a magnificent year at school.
Please contact us (our website is gupta.org) if you have questions, suggestions, or criticisms. We’re eager to hear from you.
Cheers,
Ned P. Rauch
President
We are GUFS!
Email: slusardi@gufs.org
Website: https://www.gufs.org/Domain/4
Location: 1100 NY-9D, Garrison, NY 10524
Phone: 845-424-3689
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/garrisonufs/