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Need this newsletter translated? Please contact the Bilingual/World Languages Department at 617.349.6468. Questions about the G&P newsletter? Please contact Lauren Morse.
A Note from Principal Tony Byers
September is a busy month, packed full of welcoming events, routine setting, and an incredible amount of paperwork. I enjoy opening the school year and welcoming our new and returning students, but it’s also nice to have all the excitement behind us as we head into October. October is a more settled month, where the day-to-day hum of school life returns and academic learning begins in earnest. I hope you’ve all settled into your school-year routine, too.
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Stay Connected
 There are many ways to stay in touch with the G&P Community!
School Messenger: Everyone should be getting emails directly from the school (usually from Tony or Lauren) with school updates. If you are not, please check your spam or junk mail folder! You must “Report as Not Spam.” If that doesn’t help, please call or stop by the Main Office to verify your contact information with Mrs. D. You can also update your contact information using Gateway, the online Annual Enrollment Forms website.
Backpack Express: Notices are sent home in your child’s backpack from teachers, the Main Office or local organizations to keep families up to date. Don’t forget to check your child’s backpack every night!
Newsletter and Email Updates: Take a moment to read the monthly newsletters and weekly email updates from Lauren Morse, G&P Family Liaison to find out what’s happening at G&P.
GP21: Receive and exchange messages with G&P families, alumnae and staff, particularly about Cambridge events and opportunities. To sign up: Send an email to [email protected], explaining your connection to G&P (i.e. parent of a 2nd grader).
G&P Web Site: Grahamandparks.cpsd.us. Great resource for Family Handbook, school calendars, staff directory and more.
Facebook: Like us on Facebook to get updates from the School!
Volunteering at Graham & Parks
There are many ways to stay get involved with the G&P Community! We need you! Here are a few ways to get involved...
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Friends of Graham & Parks
Hi. If you’re new to the school, let us introduce ourselves — we are a nonprofit group of Graham and Parks parents and we volunteer our time and harness your enthusiasm to organize fundraising and community building events. Last year, with your help, we raised $19,500 — money that will cover some of the cost of this year’s field trips, pay for additional in-class projects, and support school-wide events such as Math Night, Poetry Night, our International Potluck and Dance Festival, and more. But every year we start anew, raising money to support next year’s events.
Friends of Graham & Parks kicked off the year with a coffee to meet and greet our new JK and K parents. And we were thrilled that so many of them returned the next morning for our first meeting of the year. If you missed that meeting and are interested in what we do — please join us in the lobby after drop-off on the first Friday of every month. Next up is Friday Nov 1st. We look forward to seeing you.
This year Friends has already promised to pay for Wingmasters to bring owls into the 1st grade classrooms as part of their unit learning about vertebrate animals. And we’ve supported the 2nd graders’ upcoming trip to Castle Island. And there’s more to come.
In the meantime, here are some important dates:
–Nov. 5: We need donations and volunteers for the Election Day Bake Sale
–Dec 6: Movie Night! Support the 5th grade trip to Thompson Island
–And of course, our meetings on the first Friday of every month.
Family Cultural Exchange Friday Coffee
 Meet new Graham & Parks families!
Friday, 10/18 at 8:30AM
One Friday a month, we will meet in the ?Main Lobby of G&P at 8:30AM and walk together to Bourbon Coffee. All are welcome, and we especially hope that new families and international families will join us.
Bourbon Coffee is at 1815 Mass Ave. It’s a short walk, and you can meet us there at 8:45AM if you prefer.
Free Clothes from Cradles to Crayons
 Need new and like-new clothes? Thanks to the partnership between Food for Free and Cradles to Crayons, G&P families can request free new and used clothes, shoes, outdoor gear, books and school supplies from Cradles to Crayons. Cradles to Crayons provides “KidPacks” with individuals for your child based on their size and needs. Families are able to request KidPacks for siblings, ages birth through 12 years old, who do not attend G&P. Cradles to Crayons forms are available in the Main Office or by contacting Lauren, [email protected] or Mildrid, [email protected].
G&P Market:
FREE Food in Our Main Lobby
 Please join us for our first G&P Market of the year on Thursday, October 10th from 2:15-3:30PM in the G&P Main Lobby. The G&P Market is open to ALL families and staff, and is a great way to get free, fresh vegetables and fruit as well as common food like pasta, cereal, rice and beans, peanut butter and more! Thanks to the support from Food for Free and the Mayor’s office, we are thrilled to have the G&P Market again this year. If you’d like to participate, please bring a shopping bag with you, just like in Cambridge stores. And we need volunteers to keep the market going! Please email Lauren at [email protected] if you can help anytime between 11AM-3PM on market days.
Physical Education Update
Madelyn Regan and Susan Harris, Physical Education Teachers
Welcome back to an exciting new school year in physical education! We hope you all had a great and active summer! Our mission is to provide meaningful, relevant learning opportunities to support all students in developing the skills, knowledge and attitudes necessary to be healthy, physically active and engaged in their own health and wellbeing. Please have your child wear or bring sneakers on their physical education days. Be on the lookout for great opportunities for parent volunteering during the school year!
Music Notes
Debbie Sullivan, Music Teacher
Music classes are in full swing - dance pun intended! Along with lots of singing, students have been learning or reviewing folk dance moves ahead of the International Potluck and Dance Festival that will be held on Thursday, October 3.
Grade 5 students “auditioned” several instruments and have now chosen one to focus on for the rest of the year. On Wednesday, October 10, 2019 they will be bringing their instruments home. Please encourage them to make a habit of practicing at least 10 minutes a day/70 minutes a week.
Do you play an instrument? Please contact Debbie Sullivan at [email protected].
Concert Dates: Mark Your Calendar
Here are the music concert dates for the upcoming year! K-4 concerts are held in the Graham and Parks auditorium.
–Grade 3-4 - January 31, 2020 | 8:45-9:30AM
–Grade 1-2 - March 13, 2020 | 8:45-9:30AM
–JK/Kindergarten - May 8, 2020 | 8:45-9:15AM
–Grade 5 - June 1, 2020 - held in the CRLS auditorium
Art Update
 Liana Trail, Art Teacher
The artists at Graham and Parks started the year by making cards with positive messages to spread kindness throughout the school. Then, grades 1-5 learned how to look at and think about art using Visual Thinking Strategies to examine some of the wonderful murals around Cambridge. Jr. Kindergarteners and Kindergarteners have learned to practice Mindfulness to help their bodies settle and be ready to learn. They are also busy experimenting with lines, shapes, and lots of imagination!
Library News
Greetings from Ann the librarian! I've been at the Graham and Parks for over a decade and I love sharing great books with students and helping them find the information they need.
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G&P Steering Committee
Please welcome the 2019-2020 Parent Representatives on the G&P Steering Committee! Learn more about each of them below.
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New Staff at G&P
Please give a warm welcome to our new staff members!
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OSS Parent & Family Handbook and Procedures Manual
 As you know, we have updated our Parent & Family Handbook for the 2019-2020 School Year. Our Parent and Family Handbook is currently available on our website under our Highlights section or in the Parent and Guardian Resources section. The handbook is also available online in Spanish and Haitian/Creole.
In addition to the Parent and Family Handbook, Office of Student Services has developed a Procedures Manual for our Teams, which provides guidance on policies and procedures to ensure a responsive inclusive environment based on each student's individual needs. The Procedures Manual is currently available on our website in English, Spanish, Haitian/Creole and will soon be available in Amharic.
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