March the wind blows down the door—as the Chicken Soup With Rice song goes. T.S. Elliot may have been wrong about April. March seems like the cruelest month, at least in New England. We are undaunted.
More pics of the kids doing cool stuff, including a joint window dressing project for kids from preK through the middle schoolers. Also proud of our Not-So-Little-Anymore-Guys… Mica and Talise pictured together at APH, Marcus conquering his MCAT ordeal and getting ready to start at UMASSMED in the fall, Max winning his first BC pitching test of the season. Bursting with pride!
Absolutely amazing having the kids make their own valentines and mailboxes. Such an explosion of creativity and ingenuity – combined with commitment to community. Incredibly heartwarming, and reassuring that we are on the right track. We all wore some version of red.
Preparing Valentines Day Brunch for the kids. What a blast! Stone soup in action. Kids brought in plenty to supplement Mr. D and Ms. J’s brunch plans. Valentine’s Brunch is a relatively new GHS tradition…Kids have long memories and won’t let us change routine so easily. You should have seen the teeth pulling it took just to take down the Christmas decorations!
And the love just keeps on flowing.We love everything about holidays at GHS, and Valentine’s Day is no exception. The repurposing to make mailboxes out of everyday trash; the kids’ creativity and productivity in making their own valentines; the intensity they show as they work.
We get it–they’re not completely sure they will have more holiday celebrations at school. Valentine’s Day was the last one they got before the pandemic hit.
I know we’re a bit late with our Thanksgiving pics but everything is a bit off this year and we are under a lot of pressure.
Despite it all we were able to keep most of our traditional holiday activities that make the Greenhouse School so special.
The banquet style setup with turkey at the head of the table were a no go of course. But with proper precautions we were able to enjoy a communally prepared meal–separately–and give our Thanksgiving speeches.
Even had alumni visit, alone, after hours for a take home plate (and to get knitting advice!). And as always we were able to expose children to the historical truth about the settlement of the Americas and treatment of indigenous peoples. All in a GHS day’s work.
We also have a passel of December birthdays – pics to come. We will likely have extra closing over the holiday week Dec 27-31 to take a bit of a break as covid continues to spike.
Dec 14th is the 25th anniversary of Mr. Frank’s passing (Mr. Danny’s dad), who used to drive the bus and fix things around school. We will have a small ceremony in his memory.
Let’s enjoy the holiday season as best we can despite everything swirling around us. Peace and joy to all. Thanks, D&J
Halloween was fantastic! Sure, there were some things we couldn’t do given restrictions and the snow (!) Donuts on a string (one at a time) a slightly scaled back haunted art room set up by Ms. Julia and middle schoolers; the big kids reciting The Raven; and a modified trick-or-treat round to insure the kids wouldn’t go home without their expected hoard of treats. Mr. Danny pleads guilty to 14 counts of 2nd degree spoiling.
Really neat holiday, kids loved it, and we enjoy finding out how we can creatively do almost what we traditionally do. Quite the journey.
Speaking of..next stop on our journey is Fall Festival. Raffle tickets have been mailed out. Probably can’t do our selling stations outside stop & shop this year but hope folks can get creative at selling.
Callbacks for donations needed as always. Silent auction will be online, as well as gift and craft sales. We got a decent head start with the Halloween sales online and downtown at Bambolina; but wii need help sharing, spreading the word and drumming up interest.
All in all we are off to a very good Fall and looking to head into winter with as little disruption. Still amazed at how eager the kids are to learn, soaking up school time like oxygen. Enjoy the pics as well as this brief but welcome stretch of weather while it lasts. Thanks, D&J
To re-paraphrase Mark Twain, tales of the demise of Halloween in Salem have been greatly exaggerated. We will have as much of our usual celebration as we can on Friday, October 30.
As with all our programs, we are trying to come up with a COVID version or as many things as possible. Obviously bobbing for apples is out (Bobbing for corona?) Hide but don’t seek? Who will NOT march along in the Halloween parade? Ring around the rosie? Opportunities abound….
Please see the masks, soap and other products we want to sell to raise money for Halloween and beyond… Please share to your social media… Also let us know if you would like masks or other items yourselves.
Kids should come in costume–same rules as always. No weapons, no full face masks. New plea from teachers.. PLEASE no glitter heavy outfits.. We are exhausted from all the extra cleaning as it is. Remember that we will still have to wear our regular masks, so take this into account.
Not sure treats are needed (or tweatsh, as a certain four year old says). Mr. Danny is accused of his usual ‘spoiling’ of the kids by buying too much candy in advance. Outrageous accusations! I never! Well maybe just a bit.
If you have a favorite, just ask and we will try to accommodate. Leftover snacks rarely go uneaten…
We will also have our own mini version of trick-or-treating at various doors on campus. No need for the kids to miss out on the experience.
Some great pics of kids doing neat stuff. Making soap, harvesting their own potatoes, learning to ride a bike.. or as we call it at Greenhouse, a Tuesday. Still love having them back (ask again in January…) More later… Thanks, D&J
Salem Masks – 20 Halloween styles! $10 each. Three ply, reversible, comfortable. The same mask Ms. Julia has been honing for months and donating to frontline organizations when there were none to be found. Users swear by them, especially with our copper nose wire that limits fogging when worn correctly. Label touts ‘made in Salem,’ so you can get for friends or use as your honorary visit!
Also check out our Mask Magic, handmade soap, witch dolls and other one-of-a-kind products. Proceeds benefit The Greenhouse School, a 501(c)(3) organization. Please help spread the word. Made in Salem, Halloween’s Hometown!
Of course, many of our offerings outlast Halloween. A wide variety of masks in other designs, soap and freshener, even some with a witch-y Salem theme will be available year round. Please check back for our latest handmade crafts.
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.
Everybody in, nobody out. Do you see what I see…when expectations are that EVERYBODY helps? Joy!
“From growing the pumpkins to churning the butter all the way through to the speeches–just a wonderful, beautiful process. So many teaching moments, and so much growth.” ~Daniel P Welch
All hands on board—your keyboard that is. Please consider a donation to GreenHouse School on Giving Tuesday, Nov 27, 2018, no matter how large or small. We have a chance to qualify for matching donations. Set your alarm clock for 8am EST 😆
FaceBook and Paypal have collaborated to create Giving Tuesday, a day they will match gifts to non-profits. A friend of GHS has created a fundraiser for us on Facebook. Matching donations will be distributed on a first come, first served basis, starting 8am EST Tuesday Nov 27—until midnight or the money runs out, whichever comes first.
This is a terrific opportunity for us and we hope you’ll take advantage of it with your kind donation.
Thanks for coming in to take a peek inside “the place with the flags,” participating in our raffle and auction, kids’ room, face painting and other activities. Our silent auction was again available online, and we received many high bids.
Thanks to all the local artisans who donated handmade soaps, jewelry, pottery, sculpture and artwork. This event wouldn’t be possible without their help and the help of all the volunteers who spent the weekend with us.
Please continue to explore our site. See our About us section, for example, especially if you are unfamiliar with our school.
Thanks for coming in to take a peek inside “the place with the flags,” participating in our raffle and auction, kids’ room, face painting and other activities. Our silent auction was again available online, and we received many high bids.