Dear Greenwood Families,
Happy Monday! It feels like it took awhile to get here, but we are now into Phase 3 of our WPS Reopening Plan. Starting last Tuesday, we saw students participating in the hybrid model come into buildings for in-person instruction while our students taking part in the full-remote model transitioned to their online academic teachers. And everyone worked incredibly hard to make it all happen! There’s no denying that this is an extremely unusual school year, however, I continue to feel very lucky to have the Greenwood community supporting all of our efforts.
No School—Monday, October 12
Just a reminder that Monday, October 12th is a “no school” day for all WPS students and staff. The rest of the week will continue on our normal Phase 3 schedule.
Update for Grades 3 & 4 - iReady Math
Please take a moment to read this letter from our Elementary STEM Coordinator, Valerie Drinan, regarding the iReady Math Diagnostic assessment that will take place during your child’s asynchronous learning time the last week of October. If you haven’t yet, you will also receive this information from your child’s classroom teacher.
Massachusetts COVID-19 Travel Order
With the long weekend coming up, there have been a few questions about out-of-state travel and what WPS guidelines are in place for students, families, and/or staff. Wakefield has not created additional guidelines or policies beyond what has been put into place by the Commonwealth, so please refer to the Massachusetts COVID-19 Travel Order issued by Governor Baker on August 1, 2020 for information about current requirements for out-of-state travel.
Arrival & Dismissal
This information remains the same as last week - if you’re looking for a refresher, you can find it in our Greenwood Safety Procedures for Families document.
Any student who gets to school after the arrival window must enter through the main front door and check in at the office.
If you have an unexpected change in dismissal plans on any given day, especially if your child goes to either Wakefield Academy or the Wakefield Boys’ & Girls’ Club, please notify both the classroom teacher and Ms. Paiva in the main office to help us keep track of everyone more efficiently. We appreciate it!
Grab & Go Lunches
Last week we had between 15-24 students each day participate in the Grab & Go lunch program at Greenwood. If you would like your child to get one of these lunches, please fill out this survey to let us know. We will keep the survey open and check it regularly, however, if you suddenly realize your child needs to pick up lunch one day and you didn’t fill out the survey, don’t panic. We will have a few extra lunches on hand just to make sure we're not missing anyone.
Just as a reminder - AM cohort students will bring their lunch home with them. PM cohort students will have the opportunity to eat this as their afternoon snack.
Facilities Update
Each classroom and learning space at Greenwood has been supplied with an air purifier and twin window fan to further facilitate air flow and exchange. Air purifiers are turned on during morning room checks and set to run throughout the day. Window fans have been placed in front of an open window and are set to bring air in or push air out of the room, depending on where it is located in relation to classroom seating.
Technology Support
Please email the WPS Tech Department at technology@wpsk12.org if your child is in need of technology support while at home.
YMCA Fall Programming
Please see this flyer for more information about YMCA sports programs and clinics for kids that start this week in Reading.
Health Updates
As we start the school year, we want to ask parents to support us in our efforts to keep everyone safe by practicing and promoting safety precautions, which include hand hygiene, mask-wearing, social distancing, and avoiding large group gatherings and travel to high-risk states where the rates of transmission are high. We are also asking for you to keep children home if they are experiencing any of the following symptoms:
Fever of 100.0 or higher, and/or chills
Cough (not due to other known cause such as chronic cough, asthma, allergies)
Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
New loss of taste or smell
Sore throat
Headache when in combination with other symptoms
Muscle aches or body aches
Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
Fatigue when in combination with other symptoms
Nasal congestion or runny nose when in combination with other symptoms and not due to other known causes such as allergies
Unusual rash when in combination with other symptoms
Our school nurse, Mrs. Doherty, is always happy to answer any questions you may have or provide clarification.
As always, please do not hesitate to reach out with questions. Thank you for everything you do to support your children and their learning!
Tiffany Back