News for parents – Green House School

In the wake of recent visits and other requirements we have found ourselves having to do an enormous amount of work in a very short period of time. It has been stressful; So much to do leaves little time for news. Mr. Danny’s recent injury has also been a setback. Thanks to Hugue for helping with painting.

At some point soon we intend to have a proper volunteer day and return to normal spring projects, like planting and sprucing up. Stay tuned. Soon we will have the dumpster gone and our basketball court back, and we can concentrate on fixing the pool heater etc.

There are rumors that alums are organizing to replace the backboard and hoop and revamp our little half court. Other alums hmu if you want to join this campaign. In any event we will definitely have some sort of basketball related session this summer, along with chess, art and everything else Greenhouse.

We also may have two CITs (Counselors in Training)—what we used to call our Teen Titans. Very excited, as we haven’t had this in awhile. Please remember our earlier guidance about consistency, camp hopping, timing of other activities etc. One thing this crisis has reinforced for us, and of which we are very proud, is that our commitment to in-person learning pays off in spades. Kids benefit from being with us as long as possible, and it shows.

Next month we will begin our push for our Spring Appeal. We are hoping to have a matching gift campaign again, maybe as successful as last year’s. We are now lining up leadership gifts and will send more details shortly.

Graduation plans are fluid, except for the fact itself. No way we’re going a second year without celebrating. DESE has released guidelines on ceremonies. Timing will have to be flexible since we will have it outside so it will be weather dependent. Unfortunately we probably won’t be able to have the party as food and drink are still off the table (see what we did there?). But as we have grown accustomed to saying, plans may change. Seems to be the only constant.

So, lots of pics of work going on plus many the many events: Easter egg hunt, ms. julia’s bday, our 13th Founder’s Day aka Ms. Welch’s 93rd birthday. GHS life is always busy behind the scenes even when more work distracts us. Stressful, yes, but we just pile it on. Keep on trucking…

Hello everyone,

Well, October is still crazy even with events cancelled and all. In some ways even more so. We are not immune: Fundraising is more important than ever,at a time when we have had to close intake and limit activities. We are still forging ahead with virtual Festival plans, starting with our Halloween masks project. 20 styles, $10 each. Please help spread the word.

Thanks to Bambolina, Royal Blends, and maybe Waterfront Hotel for agreeing to sell some for us. Other suggestions/offers welcome. Bit of a scary time as the uncertainty is very anxiety inducing, towns creeping toward RED and cold weather approaching.

We are still trying to do a different version of our usual things. Kids are working on posters even if Topsfield Fair is cancelled, ditto with the pumpkin display and other activities. We’re thinking different ways to do things such as Halloween–maybe intra-school trick or treating at our many exit doors. That sort of thing. Fortunately flexibility and adapting are second nature at GHS.

Please be aware of your voucher end date and make an appointment well in advance. They seem to be a bit lenient in terms of hours (giving a 6 month extension for not enough hours, for example) but still extremely rigid about appointments etc. Parent fees will likely start again soon–be ready!

Raffle tickets will be available soon, and we hope people will embrace virtual sales with the same zeal they have before (though probably not outside Stop & Shop). We can be creative.

We also found youth cardigans (finally) to add to our uniform wardrobe available. We are waiting for the patches, which are on order.

We expanded the day to 9-4 because we need more time to do what we do best, and because we believe strongly that there is no substitute for in person learning. With everything going on, we don’t know if or when another shutdown might come. We might be able to stay open longer than most because we are already under stricter state guidelines. And the recent Yale study is encouraging.

Still, we want to maximize the time we have, and as always we ask your cooperation in this. As we have stated before, please do not enroll in outside activities for the time being. We know that we are all more vigilant about staying home when sick. At the same time, the kids have already missed too much school, and we want to minimize further disruption.

Absences, late arrivals and early dismissals that can’t be avoided should be for the same reasons that justify missing any school time: illness, doctor’s appointments, emergency family travel, announced/approved vacations and the like. Please help us out; we’re fighting hard to keep it all going strong. It certainly doesn’t help that an expected $9000 grant from the state for COVID/reopening costs did not materialize. We just have to make do as we always do.

One of the casualties of Lockdown Summer was that we didn’t get to several fix it projects we wanted to do for volunteer days. Painting the flag railing, pool walls, roof over the art room, and now the dozen or so leaks we discovered last storm. If we can swing it, it would be nice to tackle one or two of these projects before the weather turns.

On a personal note, we are trying to resume as many things as we can that make up the core programs of the school. Ms. Julia and I have been doing this for quite a long time; yet we have been shocked at how exhausting and demoralizing it is that things take so much more time and energy in this environment. The saving grace for us is that we are back doing (most of) what we know and love. It is simply exhilarating to watch the kids blossom again, to feel and feed their energy and unquenchable thirst for learning. Somehow it makes it worth the stress. We think.

Thanks for your support, D&J

Sincerely, Daniel P Welch