News and Information

For AM Preschool / PreK families, starting Tuesday October 26th those who are picking their child up will do so from the Main Entrance (not the back of the building).  Parents can park in any of the spots in the front loop (TK & K-5 Pick-Up/Drop-Off Area).  Pick-up time is unchanged - 11:45am.  Bus students will continue to be dismissed from the back entrance and escorted to their buses.  (PM Preschool / PreK Pick-Up is unchanged - please come to the back entrance.)

Our School Nurse would like to remind parents of Preschool and PreK students that they are required to get a flu shot before December 31st!

If your child has any of the following symptoms please don't send them to school. Call the Main Office to connect with our School Nurse or email Mrs. Greaney.

Symptoms: Cough, fever, chills, shortness of breathe, difficulty breathing, loss of taste or smell. 

Weekly Update 10/15/21

Dear Families and Friends of TRMS,

It was a short but productive week of learning. Students are in full swing of Workshops for Reading, Writing and Math.

A couple of new projects are happening during “Nature Time” Enrichment with Ms. Emma. Grade 2 students are making insect homes.  They talked about how a lot of insects probably lost their habitat when we created the new schools, so we are making some habitats to put around the school property to help. Grade 4 students are designing the outdoor space and are experimenting with making greenhouses with various recycled materials. Lastly, Ms. Emma is collecting recycling materials, so that she can create a recycling sorting game to use when we start our recycling program.

We practiced a Lockdown Drill this week. Youth Officer de la Cruz accompanied by another Police Officer were present with me and Mrs. Allen during the drill. They provided excellent and helpful feedback during and after the drill.

The SBAC 2021 Students Report came home today in backpacks if your child took the SBAC last year in Groton.

PTO met this week as well. Great ideas were generated. We started our first fundraiser and are looking to start an apparel sale with our fantastic turtle mascot/logo.

Please make sure to sign-up for a Parent Conference as soon as possible as the sign-up does close on Monday at 9pm.

Jamie Giordano

We at Thames River Magnet School:
Believe in ourselves, Engage and explore, Learn from each other, 
Open our minds and hearts, Never give up, and Grow together!

IMPORTANT REMINDERS:

Please remember to Sign-up for a Parent Conferences time using the handy link posted to the TRMS website. It does close at 9pm Monday 10/18.

Early Dismissals Wednesday, Thursday, Friday of next week for Parent Conferences (October 20, 21, 22). We begin dismissal procedures at 1:00pm for K-5

Grades 4 and 5 grade students return the Permission Slip by 10/21 that went home today if interesting it the Comic Book Club with Mrs. Kohary and Mrs. Fargo.

If your child took the SBAC last Spring, look in their backpack for the report.

Flyers were sent home this week for our Online Only Book Fair which is online this year. See the link below: https://www.scholastic.com/bf/thamesrivermagnetschool (the link goes live for shopping on 10/18)

 

 

 

Weekly Update 10/8/21

Dear Families and Friends of TRMS,

I was so excited to highlight our school on the Channel 8 segment “What Right in Our Schools” this week! (See the link below to the segment) I shared our Mission Statement which I announced on Morning Announcements Tuesday. The Mission Statement is based upon the word BELONG as that is such an important goal for all to feel they belong to TRMS. We want the mission to be dynamic, one that students know well, and one that truly capture who we are! Each statement from the letters that spell belong are teachable, achievable, reachable!

We at Thames River Magnet School

Believe in ourselves,

Engage and explore,  

Learn from each other, 

Open our minds and hearts,  

Never give up, and

Grow together!

Growing was definitely a topic in the Magnet Room this week during Enrichment with Ms. Emma. Students were discussing composting and measuring the growth of their plants. Some grade levels are experimenting with growing without soil and comparing how seeds are growing in soil vs. not in soil with just sun and water. Students were also excited to see fish and other critters in the tanks in the Magnet Room. Our Americorp Members will be adding to the tanks and explaining how salinity, density, and temperature affect the sea life. 

 I hope you have a wonderful LONG weekend!

Jamie Giordano

Link to the Channel 8 Segment

https://www.wtnh.com/on-air/whats-right-with-schools-on-air/whats-right-with-schools-new-thames-river-magnet-school-opens-in-groton-focus-on-community-stem/

 IMPORTANT DATES and REMINDERS:

·         PTO Meeting Tuesday, October 12 – Zoom link posted to the PTO page

·         Please remember to Sign-up for a Parent Conferences time using the handy link posted to the TRMS website. It does close at 9pm Monday 10/18 at 4pm

·         Early Dismissals this month:

o   October 20, 21, 22, 26 – We begin dismissal procedures at 1:00pm.

Start with Hello is a program from Sandy Hook Promise that aims to create a climate of inclusivity and connection and decrease social isolation. At TRMS, we recognized Start with Hello week by talking with students about the ripple effects of kindness! Students explored different ways to say hello and the positive impact that something so small can have on someone’s day! Each student made and decorated their own unique handprint and included their favorite way to say hello!

Weekly Update 10/1/21

Dear Families and Friends of TRMS,

I can’t believe it is October already! September flew by.  I am so proud of how our students have adjusted to new school year and are really navigating the new building incredibly well.

 

This week we started having Bus Leaders help during dismissal. Bus Leaders are students in Grades 4 and 5 who help to lead their buses in line modeling safe, responsible, and respectful behaviors for the peers. They are off to an excellent start. We have so many leaders that were chosen to participate, that we will be able to rotate the Bus Leaders throughout the year.

 

Also, this week we took all of the student handprints and spelled out the word “Hello” to greet students as they cross the bridge. Making a friend often starts with just saying hello and it ties into our One Book One School of building a community of friends.

 

Some additional updates on our Magnet Theme development:

·      Grade 4 students went to Bluff Point yesterday to start to gathering critters for tanks that NESS will be setting up in the Magnet Room.

·      We are working with our Magnet Coordinator to develop a composting system with worms that will produce soil to use for plantings in our Magnet Room and then eventually in our outside gardens. 

·      We have also been working to get the recycling carts to begin our recycling systems in the cafeteria and in the classrooms.

We have been getting requests about sending cupcakes in for Birthdays. Due to many allergies and Covid restrictions, we cannot have outside food come into the school. If you would like to send something in for the class to celebrate, you could send something such as special pencils, stickers, a book to share or you can purchase the GPS Food Services special “In-Class Celebrations,” that would be great. Here is the link to Food Service celebrations:

https://www.grotonschools.org/parent-and-students/foodservices/in-class-celebrations

In addition, we have very exciting news that we have started to draft the first Mission Statement for Thames River Magnet School. Our main goals or the Mission is for it to be dynamic and used, said everyday on Morning Announcements, and truly capture who we are as a school community.  Stay tuned for us to share it out soon!  

Thank you for your support over the last month! Have a super week! 

Jamie Giordano

  SOME IMPORTANT DATES:

·      Please review the letter and an email I sent about Parent Conferences. I sent it yesterday 9/30.

·      Sign-up for Parent Conferences starts Monday 10/4 at 4pm

·      Picture Day Friday, 10/8

CONTINUED REMINDERS:

·      We are still waiting for water bottles to come in for students, so in the interim, please send in a water bottle with your child(ren), so they can refill it at our water bottle stations as opposed to using the water fountains.

·      Please continue to call the school’s main office with ANY CHANCES in DISMISSAL as early as possible in the day, so that the message is clearly made to classroom teachers.

·      If you have questions about Powerschool, please call Melanie Russell, School Secretary or email her at mrussell1@groton.k12.ct.us.

·      Please make sure to call the school if your child will not be coming to school that day and be sure to follow-up with a note upon their return.

Preschool and Pre-K parents who pickup their child, please make sure to stay in your car unless you are in a designated parking spot. Your child will come out to you. We cannot leave a car unattended as it blocks buses and if there is an emergency, emergency vehicles will not be able to come through.