Happy Sunday Families!
Thank you to everyone who came to visit us at our many community events this weekend. This week promises to be wild and wonderful! We have Spirit Week and Fall Festival, and, for many of our students, Halloween celebrations!
It’s both fun and harrowing to have so much going on, but the joy and positive energy buzzing around the school is more than worth it! If you see a staff member this week, please offer them a smile, a thank you, or maybe some chocolate!
Spirit Week: Our first Spirit Week of the year will be this week!
Monday: Soccer Mom and BBQ Dad
Tuesday: Wear Your Favorite Color Head-to-Toe
Wednesday: Country or Country Club
Thursday: Costume Day NO MASKS, GORE or WEAPONS PLEASE!
Friday: PJ Day
Fall Festival:This event is a K-8 activity that will take place during the school day on October 30th. Students will travel to a variety of stations led by volunteers. We still need your help! Are you interested in volunteering? Sign up here! Our donation request list is here. These are materials needed for stations and prizes.
Student Government Fall Bake Sale: October 31st and November 1st at lunchtime students will have the opportunity to purchase baked treats to contribute to funding swings for our playground! All items will be $1. Vegan and GF options available!
Book Fair November 4th-8th: Yay! Book Fair returns next week. Look for more details, including how to load your digital wallet, in the next few days as well as a volunteer sign up!
No Merrimack bus November 5th due to Election Day.
Donuts with the Director: What is the Community-Staff Organization? How can I Get Involved? Moved to Thursday, November 7th at 8:45am
Come learn more about our school and bring your questions and ideas. Meet community members and learn about ways to get involved in our Community-Staff Organization. This year Gate City is reorganizing its PTO. We have renamed it the CSO or Community Staff Organization. We are eager to have you be a part of making it the best it can be. We need your help! Please join us NEXT Thursday.
You’re Fired Fundraiser November 8th-10th: Earn some funds for the school by making REALLY COOL art! More information to follow!
No school November 11th due to Veterans Day.
Have a BOO-tiful week!
Onward and upward ALWAYS!
Jenn Blanchette
Director, GCCSA
Happy Monday!
Only in New England: last week I was writing about crisp, fall air, and this week it is predicted to be 80 degrees. I suppose the message in that could be that nothing stays the same, so we learn to expect the unexpected and embrace change. Although, I must admit that I am still working on that.
Last week we had a wonderful community meeting where we celebrated the mosaic work of grades K-8! It was so amazing to have everyone together in one place and enjoying art. We truly have a special school. We also had our first Information Night for families wanting to learn more about Gate City. Do you have a family with children that you think would be a good fit for Gate City? Invite them to head to our website and sign up for a tour or an Information Night. We rely on you and your recommendations to keep enrollment strong and our doors open!
As the days get shorter and the busyness of the year has settled in, we are noticing that many of our students are coming in very sleepy and/or tardy. Students are counted as tardy when they arrive after 8:45 am. We know things come up and some mornings are more challenging than others, but morning meeting/advisory is a very important part of their day. Please make every effort to arrive on time.
Guardian-Teacher Conferences: This week, beginning today, October 21st, teachers will be hosting brief guardian-teacher conferences. It’s not too late to sign up! Look for information from your student’s teacher.
Donuts with the Director: What is the Community-Staff Organization? How can I Get Involved? Thursday, October 24th at 8:45am Come learn more about our school and bring your questions and ideas. Meet community members and learn about ways to get involved in our Community-Staff Organization. This year Gate City is reorganizing its PTO. We have renamed it the CSO or Community Staff Organization. We are eager to have you be a part of making it the best it can be. We need your help! Please join us on Thursday.
Donations of the Week: Water, Paper, and Fall Festival Supplies (Look for the sign up tomorrow)!
*Please remember to send your student with at least one refillable or disposable water bottle EVERY DAY!
Spirit Week: Our first Spirit Week of the year will be the week of October 28th-November 1st. More information to follow!
Monday: Soccer Mom and BBQ Dad
Tuesday: Wear Your Favorite Color Head-to-Toe
Wednesday: Country or Country Club
Thursday: Costume Day
Friday: PJ Day
Fall Festival:This event is a K-8 activity that will take place during the school day on October 30th. Students will travel to a variety of stations led by volunteers.Interested in helping? Please email Danielle Johnson at Johnsond@gccs-nh.org. These events cannot happen without you! Look for a Sign-Up Genius in your email tomorrow!
Gate City Out and About: Saturday the 26th, join Gate City in Merrimack for two events. We will be at the Merrimack Halloween Party and Trunk-or-Treat beginning at 12pm and the Merrimack YMCA Halloween Celebration at 2pm.
Have a safe, healthy, and happy week.
Onward and upward ALWAYS!
Jenn Blanchette
Director, GCCSA
Happy Monday Evening Gate City!
I hope all of our families had a weekend packed with fall fun! F Scott Fitzgerald said, “Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” If that is the case, then the week before us is one of new beginnings.
Still Need Winter Gear? We still have many fall and winter items available. Come take a look. They are free to one and all!
Fall Weather: As it gets chillier, especially in the mornings, please send your students to school with light jackets and/or layers.
Lice/Illness: We have had a few reported cases of lice. For information on screening and treatment protocols you can visit the following link: https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/head-lice.html. Also, we have had many illnesses barrelling through GCCSA in the last few weeks. We understand that keeping children home is often logistically challenging, but please do not send students to school unless they have been fever and severe symptom (ie vomiting) free for at least 24 hours without fever-reducing medication.
Scarecrow Post Challenge: Our scarecrow is up! It is sitting proudly on the Main Street Bridge in downtown Nashua. Unlike in past years, this year there is no official voting contest for the community scarecrows. However, at Gate City we are still ready to show our community how amazing we are, and our 8th Grade students are hoping to earn recognition for their masterpiece. So, let’s see how many pictures with our scarecrow we can get out there on social media to spread the word about our school! 8th Grade has a goal of 100 posts! If they meet that goal, they get a prize! So post away! Don’t forget to tag Gate City in your post. All individuals posting will be entered into a raffle for an Amazon gift card! The winner will be announced November 1st and posted on Gate City’s socials.
iCivics Night: Tuesday, October 15 from 6pm - 8 pm. This event is a fun night of family Civics-related gaming with friendly competition between adults and students, prizes, and treats! All are welcome Kindergarten to adults - there are some choices for the younger family members, and we'll have coloring pages too!
Gate City Information Night: Wednesday, October 16th, from 5-6:30pm. Here is your chance! Share Gate City with your community and families! Do you know a family that might be interested in learning more about Gate City Charter School? Our first Information Session for students considering enrollment for the remainder of this year or the 2025-26 school year will be next Wednesday at 5pm! Attendees will take a tour, learn more about the school, and have the opportunity to ask questions! Know someone interested? Have them email Paige Duval at info@gccs-nh.org or sign up HERE to attend.
Guardian-Teacher Conferences: Next week, beginning October 21st, teachers will be hosting brief guardian-teacher conferences. We can’t wait to share all of the amazing things that your students have been up to. Sign ups will come from teachers directly.
Fall Festival: It’s almost time for our annual Fall Festival. This event is a K-8 activity that will take place during the school day on October 30th. Students will travel to a variety of stations led by volunteers.Interested in helping? Please email Danielle Johnson at Johnsond@gccs-nh.org. These events cannot happen without you!
Don’t forget to harvest joy this week!
Jenn Blanchette
Director, GCCSA
Happy Monday Gate City!
I hope you all enjoyed at least a moment or two of the splendor of the season this weekend. My daughter, a graduate of GCCSA, is attending UMass Amherst, and I had the opportunity to travel there this past Saturday. The drive was so picturesque! I was reminded that we are surrounded by the masterpiece of nature every day. In the rush of it all, I sometimes just forget to appreciate it.
Thank you to everyone who participated in the Alltown Car Wash fundraiser in Manchester this weekend!
A note of gratitude to everyone who has been bringing in water and tissues and other commonly needed supplies. It may seem like a small thing but it makes a big difference! We are very much in need of donations for our Winter Clothing Swap Wednesday! We all know how expensive winter gear can be, and it is often only used for a season. Don’t have items to donate but need some items? Join us!!! No worries!
Last week we kicked off silent reading, and our 8th Grade completed one of the coolest scarecrows in human history…if not the coolest! The scarecrow will be displayed on Main Street for the remainder of the month and is scheduled to go up this Monday or Tuesday. This year’s theme is Beetlejuice, in honor of our drama club’s upcoming 2025 spring performance. Thank you to our parent, Paul Shea, and to the Great American Downtown for organizing this fun activity.
Scarecrow Post Challenge: Let’s see how many pictures with our scarecrow we can get out there on social media to spread the word about our school! Don’t forget to tag Gate City! 8th Grade has a goal of 100 posts! If they meet that goal, they get a prize! So post away! All individuals posting will be entered into a raffle for an Amazon gift card! The winner will be announced November 1st and posted on Gate City’s socials.
I can already tell that this week is going to be extraordinary!
Potluck Community Dinner and Our Annual Winter Gear Clothing Swap on Wednesday, October 9th from 5:30pm-7pm
Our first Community Dinner of the year is just around the corner! Please RSVP and sign up to bring something to share: https://www.signupgenius.com/.../10C0945ACAE2CA0FCC61...
In conjunction, we will also be holding our second annual Winter Gear Swap! Prepare for the cold weather ahead and help our community to do the same! We will be accepting donations of outgrown, gently used outdoor wear now through October 9th. Please bring your donations to the front office. Please come by Wednesday, October 9th 5:30-7:00 to "shop" (all items are free!) and share a meal with our school community!
Reminder: NO SCHOOL Friday, October 11th and Monday, October 14th! Friday is a teacher PD day. Don’t forget to check out our website for the full school-year calendar!
iCivics Night: Tuesday, October 15 from 6pm - 8 pm. This event is a fun night of family Civics-related gaming with friendly competition between adults and students, prizes, and treats! All are welcome Kindergarten to adult - there are some choices for the younger family members and we'll have coloring pages too! There is more information in the attached flier.
Gate City Charter School Information Night: Wednesday, October 16th, from 5-7:00pm. Here is your chance! Share Gate City with your community and families! Do you know a family that might be interested in learning more about Gate City Charter School? Our first Information Session for students considering enrollment for the remainder of this year or the 2025-26 school year will be next Wednesday at 5pm! Attendees will take a tour, learn more about the school, and have the opportunity to ask questions! Know someone interested? Have them email Paige Duval at info@gccs-nh.org.
Spirit Week: Our first Spirit Week of the year will be the week of October 28th-November 1st. More information to follow!
Monday: Soccer Mom and BBQ Dad
Tuesday: Wear Your Favorite Color Head-to-Toe
Wednesday: Country or Country Club
Thursday: Costume Day
Friday: PJ Day
A Note on Costumes: Students are permitted to wear costumes on Halloween. However, these costumes should not have elaborate and expensive pieces that are challenging to keep track of, nor should they be something gory or scary. No masks or weapons please. Costumes should be something students can use the bathroom in and a change of clothing is advisable. Students wishing to use blow-up costumes will have a window of time that they can wear their costumes, but will not be able to wear them for the entirety of the day.
Fall Festival: It’s almost time for our annual Fall Festival. This event is a K-8 activity that will take place during the school day on October 30th. Students will travel to a variety of stations led by volunteers. Be on the lookout for a volunteer and supply sign up! These events cannot happen without you! Can't wait for the sign up? Want to be in the know right now? Email Danielle Johnson at johnsond@gccs-nh.org
Hope to see you all at the community dinner!
Onward and Upward!
Jenn Blanchette
Director, GCCSA
Main Office Hours
Mon - Fri 8:15 am - 3:30 pm
7 Henry Clay Drive, Merrimack, NH 03054
©2024 Gate City Charter School for the Arts
Book Fair! November 4th - 8th