GRANVILLE – Officials from the Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional School District held a meet and greet at the Granville Village School on Thursday evening.
When the school committee voted in favor of closing the Granville Village School on Feb. 7 the district created a transition team that would help students from the Granville Village School ease their way into their new schools. The school closing will be put into effect for the start of the 2017-18 school year.
The transition team consists of three members from the school district office, three from administration, five parents, four guidance counselors, with each segment containing members from both Southwick and Granville, and one school committee member .
During Thursday night’s meet and greet, staff from the school district office were present and formally introduced themselves to the Granville parents. Superintendent Jen Willard discussed the fact that the transition team’s objective is to plan the Granville students for the future.
Granville parents came out to the meet and greet to ask any questions they had regarding the transition for next school year. (Photo by Greg Fitzpatrick)
With Granville parents having questions about the transition, the rest of the meet and greet was opened up for an informal conversation between the school district and the parents.
Willard found that the questions from Granville parents are extremely important towards the transition.
“Everyone needs to know this is a school district,” said Willard. “We want to be able to answer questions face to face so parents have the most accurate information.”
Pam Petschke, who is the Granville representative for the school committee, is also a member of the transition team, and she believes that parents will have an opportunity to lose any anxiety they have.
“The more information that students and parents have, the less anxiety they experience,” said Petschke.
The transition team has created a number of upcoming activities that are centered on the Granville students and parents.
On Monday March 20, there will be a family open house at both the Woodland School and Powder Mill School. It will give Granville parents and students the chance to get familiar with the buildings and also meet some of the staff.
The school district office formally introduced themselves to Granville parents. (Photo by Greg Fitzpatrick)
Ronnie Stratton, who is a member of the transition team, has two children that will be at Woodland and Powder Mill for the 2017-18 school year. Stratton feels that the open house is an integral part of making the students comfortable with their new school.
“I think the open house is going to be very important for the kids to attend,” said Stratton.
The transition team also has a Peer Exchange program that will take place on March 28 for Granville students attending Powder Mill, and another on March 29 for the students that will attend Woodland School. The peer exchange will allow the Granville students to spend the day with peer ambassadors and get them to know the other children that are already in the schools.
Pen Pal Visits occur on May 24 for kindergarten through second grade students, and then again on May 25 for third grade through sixth grade students, in which both will be at Granville Village School. There will be pen pal students from Southwick that will visit the Granville Village School and have another opportunity to get more familiar with their future peers in Granville.
