Happy Holidays from Seacoast Community School!

Events, Events, Events! The holiday season is usually filled with wonderful events at SCS and this year has been no exception!  The TurkeyTrot Roadrace successfully raised over $10,000 for the school as 1800 runners braved the cold on Thanksgiving morning, and the Portsmouth Holiday Parade resulted in our parade walkers handing out over 2000 cocoa packets to all the good little boys and girls of Portsmouth.  Special thanks go out to the many volunteers who helped out with these initiatives.

Santa Makes a Surprise Visit to The Meadows Preschool: The Jolly Old Elf himself showed up to join the Dragonflies and their families at a special holiday celebration this past week at the Meadows.  Kids participated in Gingerbread House Making and other fun activities before the big moment when gifts (books) were handed out to each little one in attendance.  Certainly a cheerful time was had by all!   

ECE Spirit Week is a huge success:  With every day a different theme, SCS Holiday Spirit Week helped ring in happy times for everyone involved.  Monday was Holiday Colors Day, Tuesday Whoville Hair Day, Wednesday Class Choice, Thursday Dress Like a Reindeer Day, and of course Friday was Holiday Pajama Day.  The competition for "Most Spirited" class was tight but ultimately the Sea Otters proved to be the most spirited group for the week. Congrats to everyone for lifting the spirit at SCS to new heights!

Whoville Hair

Help Us Make our Half Year Goal!  Trying to make our Annual Fund goal of $25,000 by January 1st may seem like a stretch but we are close!  Please help us by donating to SCS any amount you can during this joyous season of giving.  Contributions help the school at all levels from field trips and presenters in PEAK Programs to diapers and wipes in the infant class.  Your gift can REALLY help us make a difference in the lives of these children!

DONATE NOW:  http://www.seacoastcommunityschool.org/support-us

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving from Seacoast Community School!

Happy Thanksgiving from Seacoast Community School!

Happy Holiday to the SCS Community!  Have you ever considered SCS your family? We certainly do! At this time of year it is great to think about the good things that pull us together.  As a school dedicated to helping ALL children of the seacoast feel part of a whole, we love a time of year when we can do that as a group.  Families today can feel separated by geographic distances or busy schedules but we hope you feel that everyone here at SCS is as warm and comforting a family can be.  All the best during this holiday season!

Portsmouth Rotary Turkey Trot Roadrace TOMORROW: As beneficiaries of this beloved event this year we want everyone to sign up and run!  With over 1000 runners already enlisted, you will have plenty of company as you start out at Pierce Island and run 5K through Portsmouth.  Sign up here:  https://www.runreg.com/seacoast-rotary-club-turkey-trot. OR just sign up before the race starts!   

Portsmouth Holiday Parade December 7th:  Each year we parade our school in front of thousands of people (and prospective families) in this annual event.  This year it will occur on December 7th at 5:30-7:30pm and we would love to have you join us and have your kids IN THE PARADE!  Our theme again this year is "Hot Cocoa" and we are looking for parents and kids who would like to dress as marshmallows to hand out 2000 cocoa packets.  (Yup, you read that right!)  Contact Sarah Fleck sfleck@Seacoastcommunityschool.org if you want to take part!

SCS Strategic Plan Committees are in Motion:  With the new Strategic Plan fully launched the four main Pillar Committees have started to meet and design our future!  The Access Committee is working on making sure every family who wants to come to SCS can make it happen, the Talent Committee is analyzing and making recommendations for attracting and retaining the best of faculty and staff, the HOME Committee is working on finding and affording a permanent home for SCS, and the Program Committee is dedicated to insuring our offerings are cutting edge in our field.

Giving Tuesday is a GREAT day to Give!  How do we do so much as a school and still keep our tuition costs reasonable for families?  Why, the Annual Fund of course!  Because we never charge what it takes to fund the full experience for each child at SCS, we use our Annual Appeal to make up that difference.  Last year we set a record of raising $65,000 from our community and this year we will be shooting for $75,000.  PLEASE GIVE GENEROUSLY ON GIVING TUESDAY, DEC. 3rd!  Here is the Donation Page: http://www.seacoastcommunityschool.org/support-us

Fall Happenings at SCS!

SCS Grandparents/Special Friends Days a Big Success!:  Wow, what a turn-out for our annual celebration of kids and special adults in their lives!  Over 120 ECE and PEAK visitors showed to spend some quality time with loved ones.  Thanks to everyone who helped make this magical day happen as the classes and PEAK sites experienced games, art projects, and music at all our different levels.

Seacoast Wind Ensemble Thrills SCS Students:  If you have never heard a group of amazingly talented musicians perform "The Chicken Dance" using trumpets, clarinets, and tubas then you have really missed out!  That's exactly what happened recently when the Seacoast Wind Ensemble came to share their craft for everyone in our B-5 program.  Kids got to meet each instrument (and its player) up close and personal at the end, and it was a truly memorable affair for everyone.

Seacoast Rotary "Turkey Trot" Roadrace! Nov. 28th 8am:  As you know SCS has been chosen to be a beneficiary of this yearly Portsmouth event and YOU can participate in three ways to make it great!  First, you can sign up to be a runner at the link below - that alone would help make the event a success.  Second, you could volunteer to help Rotary and SCS organize the race on Thanksgiving morning (we need 15 volunteers!)  Third you can sponsor our TurkeyTrot SCS Team led by our own Ben Carter and raise even more money for this good cause!  Just follow the links to learn more about each:

Runners Sign-up LINK: Click HERE

SCS Go Fund Me Team LINK: Click HERE

Volunteers LINK:  SFleck@Seacoastcommunityschool.or

2019-20 Annual Fund Launches November 1st:  Our goal of $75,000 will be a new record and we are 100% excited to reach it!  Look for your chance to give through emails coming soon - or just drop of a check in the main office or at your PEAK site.  Thank you in advance for supporting SCS!

Storywalk Combines Outdoor Fun and Literature:  Built to have families experience a great children's book with a pleasant walk around the Community Campus, our new StoryWalk does both beautifully.  Readers/walkers can experience "The Old Woman Who Wasn't Afraid of Anything" in a whole new way starting at the northeast corner of the front parking lot and continuing all the way through the book until ending up at the back playground.  Serving as an Eagle Scout project by Noah Viens and designed to be reusable, the project employed lots of local folks to construct it.  Btw, this book is a fun story and a Halloween theme!  Open 24 hrs!

Full and Part Time Teaching Openings at SCS:  Are you interested in joining a great school and working with children anywhere from Infant to 10 year olds?  SCS may be a real opportunity for you or someone you know.  We have a few openings for select teachers who have degrees, or want to earn degrees, while they work.  We offer good pay, excellent benefits, and the chance to work with great kids and families.  Please contact either Jamie Schaaf (PEAK Program) or Alicia Tonelli (Early Childhood Program) if you are interested.

Afterschool - Jamie:  JSchaaf@Seacoastcommunityschool.org

Early Childhood - Alicia: Atonelli@Seacoastcommunityschool.org

A Fresh September Start!

SCS Grandparents/Special Friends Days are on the Horizon:  Our annual events celebrating grandparents, special friends, and of course our children are happening soon!  On October 17th we will be welcoming folks to all PEAK after school programs at our Little Harbor, Dondero, New Franklin, and Greenland Sites.  On October 18th we will be opening up classrooms at our Community Campus, Morning Pre-School at Little Harbour, and Meadows Site for kids up to 5yrs old.  SAVE THE DATES! Look for more information on signing up for these days coming soon!

Outdoor Assembly this Month

New Event: Seacoast Rotary "Turkey Trot" Roadrace! Nov. 28th 8am:  Our school has been chosen to be a beneficiary of this yearly Portsmouth event and YOU can participate in three ways to make it great!  First, you can sign up to be a runner at the link below - that alone would help make the event a success.  Second, you could volunteer to help Rotary organize the race on Thanksgiving morning (we need 15 volunteers!)  Third you can join our TurkeyTrot SCS Team led by our own Ben Carter and raise even more money for this good cause by running as a group!  Just follow the links to learn more about each:

Runners Sign-up LINK: https://www.runreg.com/seacoast-rotary-club-turkey-trot

Volunteers LINK:  SFleck@Seacoastcommunityschool.org

SCS Team LINK: benjamincarter@hotmail.com 

Hail Parents!  Can you Volunteer at SCS?:  Be sure to take our very short skills survey to let us know if you can help our school be the best it can be!  It's fast, easy, and a great help to us as we look to provide the best programs for your children or grandchildren!  Skills Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/YRS37FS

Full and Part Time Teaching Openings at SCS:  Are you interested in joining a great school and working with children anywhere from Infant to 10 year olds?  SCS may be a real opportunity for you or someone you know.  We have a few openings for select teachers who have degrees, or want to earn degrees, while they work.  We offer good pay, excellent benefits, and the chance to work with great kids and families.  Please contact either Jamie Schaaf (PEAK Program) or Alicia Tonelli (Early Childhood Program) if you are interested.

Afterschool - Jamie:  JSchaaf@Seacoastcommunityschool.org

Early Childhood - Alicia: Atonelli@Seacoastcommunityschool.org

Portsmouth Elks Helps Again with Imagination Library:  Last year the Elks helped us afford this great book service for SCS students and this year they are taking it big time with help for 40 "Families First" children up to age 5 too.  With a gift of $2000 we will be able to really reach out beyond our students to help others.  Bringing reading to every family is important and the Elks really get it!  Thanks certainly go to this wonderful civic organization for their support!

Outside Fun

Summertime Fun!:  Our Summer programs are so special- in many ways because we have such a penchant for getting kids outdoors, playing in small groups, and keeping away from the balkanizing effects of computer screens!  This year has been no different as the PEAK teachers had kids in motion and communing with nature multiple times per week, and the ECE faculty had their kids enjoying the benefits of the 90+ acres of woodlands around Community Campus.  Kids, sunshine, and lots of splashy water - what more could they ask for?

New Business Office Opens:  When the Foundation offers us space at the Campus we take it!  Despite using over 25,000 sqf of space in the Community Campus building already, we always agree to add more rooms when they become available here, and the new Business Office on the first floor is a welcome addition.  Allowing us to add staff in the form of new Finance Manager Kathleen Stephens, we appreciated the large, quiet, workspace located just beside the cafeteria.  When you have business to do with SCS be sure to go to where the business is indeed all business - right downstairs!

Strategic Plan Committees looking for Volunteers:  The four Pillars of the new Strategic Plan will be easier to envision when you get the official plan mailing in September, but until then consider volunteering to help us with one of the resultant committees listed below.  These groups will meet throughout the year and are made up of faculty, administrators, and Board members.  Volunteers should contact Amie Cole in the main office (603-422-8223 x110) or by email at acole@seacoastcommunityschool.org  Choose a committee and give us a call!

• Pillar #1 Access:  How do we improve enrollment by "All children of the Seacoast"?
• Pillar #2 Talent: How can we attract and retain the best teachers?
• Pillar#3 Program: Are we using the best methods to teach children?
• Pillar #4 Facilities: Rent, build, or expand?  Where is the best place for SCS?

New Website Design Initiative:  SCS is looking to engage a professional firm this year to revamp our online presence and bring our website into the 21st century.  Do you have experience in this area and/or would like to help us secure a great designer?  Please contact me, Peter Gilmore, at 603-422-8223 x115 or PGilmore@Seacoastcommunityschool.org and let us know.

Faculty Kick off Academic Year with August Meetings:  Last Friday the SCS faculty were hard at work with lots of opening sessions to start the new school year.  A presentation on our timely school theme this year: R-E-S-P-E-C-T was followed by a full experience training in crisis management, and a conference report by Lead Teacher Michelle Hall on the importance of getting kids outdoors.  Lunch was provided by our neighborhood BBQ joint and it was exceptional!  Starting the school year off right is important, but starting it off with great "Q" is super special!