Dear Greenwood Families,

Happy Monday! Was it only a week ago that we had that unexpected burst of snow that greeted us at dismissal? You’d never know it to look around now! There are a lot of people wondering aloud whether or not we’ll continue this “low snow” winter…but all I can say is, “Remember what happened eight years ago?” I’m not trying to jinx anything, but that was a “low snow” January that turned into a jackpot February/March. Let’s see what the groundhog has to say about it this week - I’m sure that will be very enlightening!

FYI - Report Cards

There will be more information coming out about this, but we wanted to make everyone aware of a procedural change in how we will be sharing report cards. A printed copy of the report card will be sent home on Wednesday, February 15th with your child. This is due to some technical issues with PowerSchool and how report cards are displayed online. We are hoping to get back to the more environmentally-friendly method of online access, but right now the priority is making sure everyone HAS access.

Snow and Outside Play

We’ve gotten some questions about what outdoor recess looks like when there is snow on the ground. There are some parts of this we play by ear depending on the conditions, and decisions will always come down to what the adults on supervision duty believe makes more sense on a given day. However, these are some basic guidelines that will always hold true:

Students without boots will not be allowed on snow-covered areas. This includes the fenced-in playground section.
Students are not allowed on snow banks/piles of snow during the school day.
Snow and ice must not be thrown/tossed around.

Playing in the snow can be a lot of fun, but we don’t want anyone coming in from recess with wet clothes and/or feet. That makes for an unpleasant rest of the school day!

Family Math Night - Save the Date!

The WPS Math/STEM Curriculum Coordinators are excited to announce plans for a Family Math Night in collaboration with Reading Public Schools. The night will provide opportunities for families to experience what an Illustrative Math class looks like/feels like. It will take place on Wednesday, February 8th, 6:30-8pm at Birch Meadow School in Reading. The night will have an overview and a debrief hosted by Reading and Wakefield coordinators and the chance for families to participate in an authentic IM lesson hosted by Reading and Wakefield teachers. More information will be coming out to families this week, but we wanted to put it on your calendars!

Lost & Found

Once again we have amassed quite the collection of unclaimed clothing items! If your child is missing a sweatshirt, jacket, hat, or other piece of apparel, please feel free to drop by and check out the bin. Items that have not been claimed by the Friday before February break will be donated.

Wakefield Academy Reminders

If you are not receiving our email/text notices from Wakefield Academy, please log into your PowerSchool Account and check your communications settings to ensure you have selected to receive email notices and SMS texts. If you have any difficulties, you can submit an IT tech ticket to the parent IT support at Technology@wpsk12.org.
The Wakefield Academy February schedule is coming up fast. Please be sure to submit your February schedules as soon as possible. Do not use the drop-in feature to complete your February schedule. Go to your Eleyo Account, select your child and then select “change schedule” to update your child’s February schedule.

If you need the early release day, February 8th, please be sure to add it to your schedule, as it cannot be added as a drop-in day. A gentle reminder, each childcare account has three drop-in days available each month for emergency needs. If you require additional support, please reach out to your site coordinator.

Did you know that you can complete your WA schedule for the remainder of the school year? You can! You will still be invoiced monthly, but you won’t have to worry about changing your schedule each month. You will still be able to make changes at any time before it is invoiced if needed.
February Vacation Camp - We still have a few spaces left on Thursday, February 23rd. All other days are full. Come join the fun!
Calling all students in grades 2-8! Does your child enjoy singing and dancing? Do they want to be part of a show? There is an opportunity to join the Lynnfield Community Schools’ stage production of The Music Man Kids! This production is open to Lynnfield and nearby communities. Auditions are on January 30th or 31st from 5:30-6:30pm or 6:30-7:30pm. Please see the attached flyer for more information.

Greenwood School Council Update

At this past week’s School Council meeting, the following topics were on discussed as part of the agenda:

Budget Update
All-School Meetings
Compost/Food Rescue Program
Report Cards

If you have any questions or issues you’d like brought forth at the next meeting (March), the parent representatives on this year’s Council are Marlena Maier and Heather McCarthy.

Health Updates

As you are likely aware, Massachusetts has experienced an uptick in reported cases of COVID, Flu, and RSV. This may result in some families and staff members choosing to wear masks during the school day. We want to reaffirm that each individual’s choice in this matter is respected and encourage everyone to do what makes sense for their family.

Lunchroom Volunteers

Thank you to everyone who has given us some of your valuable time over the past few weeks! Updated time slots are being added at the current link and now go through the end of February.

Do you have any free time between 12:00-1:15pm on school days? Or 10:30-11:50am on early release days? Looking for a way to help out at Greenwood? We are finally bringing back lunchroom volunteer opportunities! If you’d like to come in and help support students while they’re eating lunch, please see the linked Sign-Up Genius to select time slots over the next two weeks. Single days, multiple days, one time slot, the whole lunch block…we welcome any and all helpers!

As an FYI, as we begin to implement the food rescue/composting program, we will be incorporating our lunchroom volunteers into this work. Don’t worry…it’s easy!

NOTE: You will need to have a CORI form completed before coming in for any lunch shifts - please contact Ms. Paiva about the process or to check if you have a current one on file

Greenwood School Social Media

We are on Facebook and Instagram! Check us out - @wpsgreenwood on both Instagram and Facebook!

As always, please do not hesitate to reach out with questions.

Thank you for everything you do to support your children and their learning! Let’s have a great week!

Tiffany Back