Pool Time, Cool Time with Friends and Families from each Grade Networking Too About Town. Include all students as you can in helping kids join events and programs.

For folks in the Tri-Corner MA/NY CT area (Say Sheffield to Sharon, and Goshen to Amenia), the Falls Village Pool may be a great place for a cool destination visit for you or others you'd like to plan to enjoy it with. Check the town recreation site for rules and fees.

They are fairly reasonable for individuals from other towns (5 dollars per person per day). For a three hour party, there's a fee of $125 so see how many folks you could invite to make that worth while. If schools will allow gatherings on their playgrounds (which I believe Sheffield is okay with and has a nice town park also) then perhaps these class gatherings could happen there  (or at any school but again one needs to check with school policies.)

Season passes are also available. And by the way, it'd be very helpful if anyone out in the big world wanted to move to Falls Village or Cornwall to help them keep their numbers up, especially if they have kids who would attend the public schools which are stellar by all accounts, including my own experience and observations over many decades...

Even meeting on a Town Green could be nice but takes applying to a town and often insurance riders need to be paid for a month or more in advance. So nix that idea. It Is okay usually to be on the sidewalk of a town however... but make sure 'it's worth it'.

Likely few will figure out a plan yet piggybacking events that are happening with refreshments afterward, such as a sports event or library event etc (again, ask and plan accordingly but Libraries Could be even more like Community Centers and avail themselves to encourage people to network as often happens with story hours for young children and their parents.

Sheffield Ma. has an exciting large room downstairs and likely is open to parents from the area using their facilities. Sometimes it's easier to 'not go throug the school' but a few concerted efforts would likely help one learn what works and what limitations there might be.

 If aiming for the three hour pool party time in FV for $125, maybe one age group could agree to share an hour of pool time then head off for a stroll down the new sidewalks downtown and visit Toymakers or Mountainside  (with rides from a parent etc ) for a yummy treat, or stay at the pool with the picnic area but pace how many are in the pool voluntarily lest numbers have to be kept in check.

This could be a way to have a mini summer reunion for younger grades and then older grades. Again, the weather can be tricky and raindates could be planned, though that would need to be cleared with the staff too.

There's always just meeting at a playground or a nature center (see Sharon Audubon, etc and call to run plans by whoever may need to know.) All of this could be more for years to come, but the seed is planted. Some do impromptu parties, and that's not always ideal. Parents don't want to have to say no, especially to teens, so better to have some ideas and guidelines in place.

Clarify with all kids And Parents that Unless you Say Yes (both MOM and DAD, etc) to any outing or risky activity, the answer is, "No." Towns could promote such wisdom near and far and encourage this practice that the job of a responsible child, teen or young adult is to Check with the Guidelines such as on this post and common sense from Scouting Guides like SafetyWise or Online resources for safety would promote.

Parents and Adults are Responsible for their own children and others they are watching, giving a ride to or allowing to do any activity or take a trip around town or out of town. Another post could highlight more areas for all to heed so we can help deter difficulties, dangers and injuries and fatalities which are final and all too costly on many levels. 

The pool is a dream come true after so much hard work by dedicated folks, all the more reason to find ways to network among classes and have parties, maybe one for girls and one for boys of close ages.Another idea is to have girls meet from 3-3:30 and then both meet from 3:30 to 4:30 then boys meet from 4:30-5pm.

This could start with expectant and babies through age 2, then through age 4, then Pre K and K, 1&2, Grades 3 &4, Grades 5&6, and Grades 7&8 maybe inviting Canaan kids over with Falls Village and Cornwall this summer and then with Salisbury and Sharon next year.

Doing programs and times for girls and boys separately (although their is the option to have time apart and then together) is just to be practical and allow kids to make friends with students from another grade and town.

These types of events ideally could be organized by the Recreation Groups or Parents informally.

Having events at public places, encouraging a parent chaperone for all youth (with individual parents agreeing to watch a few others from their town, etc) can keep insurance and liability issues in check. When people get busy, it's hard to find a time and day that works.

I put effort into encouraging this idea long ago. Having events from 3 to 5pm would make it easy to have some throughout the year at the same time of day. In terms of days, streamlining with the days of the month can be fun as in Grades 1 and 2 on Aug 1st (raindate Aug 2nd).

The Younger Ages could meet earlier that day or in the last week of the month on the 25th (and raindate the next day). 

In July local kids could meet at their own swimming areas according to the date that matches their grade, so 1st graders on July 1st from 3 to 5pm.

None of these ideas are sponsored by any school or town group or even by me. 

These are for people to use as they think might work and each person arranging or doing any such networking needs to assume responsibility for communicating the disclaimer about towns and schools not sponsoring the event (unless a recreation committee etc chooses to do so.)