GUFS Weekly Newsletter
December 17, 2021
Principal's Message
Dear GUFS Community,
It's beginning to look and feel a lot like... we all could use a really fun, long winter break! Students and teachers have been working hard at GUFS and we are all in need of some down time to recharge. December 23rd is our last day of school before winter break. We encourage parents to use this time to think of how you will structure your child's time off of school. Kids deserve a brain break and it's important to schedule time to catch up on hobbies, to play with friends and visit family, to travel, and to explore interests outside of school. It's also important to build in some structure so that their transition back to school on January 3rd will be an easier one. If your child will be spending the break at home, think about scheduling some reading time every day, plan for daily physical activity (let it snow!), and place a limit on the amount of daily screen time your child will have. Take a look at Covid-safe events happening in your community and reach out to peers to plan play time outdoors. We all want our students to return to GUFS healthy, recharged and ready for a new year of learning! Please keep all of this in mind as you plan for your upcoming holiday break.
We look forward to seeing 6th-8th grade students at the dance this evening at 7pm. Remember to wear your masks!
Sincerely,
Allison Emig
Calendar Reminders
For a detailed look at what's happening, visit the School Building Calendar for the 2021-2022 school year
- UPCOMING DATES:
- December 24th-December 31st: Winter Holiday Recess (School Closed)
- January 3rd: Students return to school after the winter break
- January 17th: School Closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day
5th Grade Pumpkin Project Updates
Kindergarten Forces & Motion Studies With Ms. Ricci & Ms. Arbor
1st Graders Dive into Space Exploration with Ms. Katz, Ms. Greene & Ms. Arbor
Lost & Found Gallery
Take a peek at our Lost & Found Gallery (updated weekly) to see if any items belong to your child! Many of these items may have already made their way home to you. If you are still missing one of these items, please contact the main office to let us know! slusardi@gufs.org or cmariani@gufs.org
Nurse Melissa's Corner
A Reminder from Nurse Melissa and the Department of Health
Any student or staff out of school with a symptom of COVID (fever, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, fatigue, diarrhea or vomiting, runny nose or muscle aches) will need a COVID test prior to their return to school. Contact Nurse Melissa if you need help finding testing.
COVID-19 Vaccination Status
If your child has received the COVID 19 vaccination, please let Nurse Melissa know. Once they are "fully vaccinated" they will be exempt from quarantine if they remain symptom free.
COVID-19 Testing
Hello Garrison Community,
We continue to keep our eye on ways to keep our school safe and open. There is one mitigation tool we feel is under-utilized and that is our testing. Testing is a tool used to identify people who may be contagious even without knowing they are. It is a way to keep our school a safe environment. We would like to expand our testing program to include more students. To this end, we will expand our testing availability into the school day, with help from the Putnam County Department of Health. If you would like to sign your child(ren) up, please complete the attached consent form. With an increased pool of students to test, we expect to test individual students on a rotating basis, so each student would be tested appropriately once a month. The tests we use are BINAXNow which are rapid antigen tests and results are shown in 15 minutes. A nurse would communicate the results to you.
Please consider completing the consent form to sign your student up for testing. If you have any questions please contact Melissa DeFonce, mdefonce@gufs.org or 845-424-3689 x226.
Thank you for your support,
Melissa DeFonce, RN
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
PTA Corner
Philipstown Recreation
Other Community Happenings...
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/