Dear Greenwood Families,
Happy Monday! As I write this on Sunday morning, I can’t say I was too disappointed to look out my window and see mostly clear sidewalks after Saturday night’s weather. For those who also enjoy being able to get outside to run, the longer we can go without having to navigate icy patches, the better. I’m fine with running in the cold...running in the dark is not a big deal...but ice is a problem! Thank you for coming to my TED talk. :-)
Academic Support for Students in Quarantine
We are thankful that we have not had a huge number of students who have had to be out of school for 10 or 14 days in order to quarantine as a close contact or due to a positive test result, but I did want to clarify what we have in place for those occasions where a student is not able to attend school for an extended period of time. If a student needs to be out long-term (10 or 14 days), the classroom teacher is providing access to plans and activities for what is being done during in-person learning time. We are also setting up an opportunity for a live check-in each day with a Greenwood staff member—Mrs. Lacey, our Greenwood Interventionist, has been filling this role. It does usually take us a day after being notified of the need to quarantine to get this all scheduled, and we appreciate your understanding with that.
Again, this structure is in place for longer-term absences due to quarantine requirements. This is not something that would be put into place if a child is going to be absent for only a day or two. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or would like further clarification about this.
Specialist Classes
This is a general reminder to all families that specialist classes are part of our school instructional day, and it is expected that students will log on and participate each day. I will be reaching out to families this week if specialist class attendance has been of concern and there has not been communication with either the specialist teacher or with me about the reason for excessive absences.
Grab & Go Lunches
The December/January survey for Grab & Go lunch counts was sent out last Wednesday via School Messenger. Please make sure to sign your child up ahead of time if you want them to pick up a lunch from school on any given day.
Grab & Go Lunch Survey - December 2020 & January 2021
Cultural Arts Programs
The Cultural Arts Programs subcommittee of the Greenwood PTO has been busy trying to find ways to still bring interesting educational programs to Greenwood students this year...virtually, of course! They are in the process of booking programs for the whole school, grade levels, and individual classes on a variety of topics. All assemblies/workshops will be held on Wednesdays during asynchronous learning time and will include students from the hybrid and full remote models together. Our first one is a Brazilian Music performance group. It is scheduled for Wednesday, December 16th from 10:45-11:30am and will involve all grade levels. More information to come!
Mask Drive
Alyssa Toppi, a senior at WMHS this year, is organizing a mask collection drive over the next two weeks. All masks collected will be brought to a Boston-area Crayons to Cradles location for donation. Please see the linked flyer for more information.
Parent Workshop—Supporting Students in Remote Learning
The SEEM Collaborative is hosting a free workshop on Tuesday, December 15th from 7:00-8:30pm with strategies for social-emotional learning, executive functioning tools, and behavioral support techniques. More information and a sign-up link can be found on this flyer.
Technology Support
Please email the WPS Tech Department at technology@wpsk12.org if your child is in need of technology support while at home.
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