Dear Greenwood Families,

Happy Monday! After all of the excitement surrounding Halloween last week, it seems strange to be suddenly moving on. We have plenty to keep us busy here at Greenwood, though!

Early Release - Wednesday 11/6

Wednesday, November 6th is an early release day for our students. Lunch will be served at school before we dismiss at 11:55am.

Inclement Weather

We’re in the season of questionable weather conditions. You know those days...the ones where you can’t quite tell if it’s raining, about to rain, or not raining! For our morning arrival, the staff on duty will make a decision about lining up outside or in the gym based on current conditions at 8:30am. If it is not actively raining, we may choose to remain outside. If there are large puddles where students line up, we may wait inside. Temperatures below 20 degree Fahrenheit (with wind chill) or steady rainfall will always mean lining up in the gym. For the purposes of both morning arrival and lunch recess, please make sure your child comes to school with the appropriate clothing/gear for being outside. Thanks for your help with this!

Parent/Teacher Conferences

Fall conferences are almost upon us (11/6 and 11/13), and classrooms have been scheduling meeting times to share information about how the beginning of the school year is going. If you have not yet scheduled a time with your child’s teacher, please do so, as conferences are a key opportunity to build and strengthen home-school connections! Here are a few thoughts about why these conferences as so crucial, as shared in an “Education Update” article:

Conferences help build continued relationships and trust between home and school. If there are questions or concerns about academic or social issues, do not wait until the conference to bring them up. Phone calls and email help lay the groundwork for productive conversations at the face-to-face conference.
Conferences are a time to clarify learning outcomes. While the conference is not a time to process the entire year’s learning standards, all families should have access to and understanding of grade-level curriculum expectations. This provides a better understanding of how your child will learn and grow over the course of the school year.
Conferences are a time to listen. Both parents/guardians and teachers should have the opportunity to share their observations about who the child is as a learner, as well as any concerns they may have at this point. It is crucial that everyone take the time to hear what the other person is saying in order to help the child have a successful year.
Conferences should involve students! Talk with your child about their perspective on the start of the school year. How do they feel things are going, both academically and socially? What are their goals and challenges? This will help to better inform the conversation.

Greenwood Specialists at Conferences

If you would like to make an appointment to meet with your child’s Art, Music, PE, or Library/Media teacher, they will be at Greenwood during the following times for the fall conference block:

Mr. Hennessey (PE) - 11/6 from 12:30-3:15pm
Ms. Drago (Art) - 11/13 from 12:30-3:15pm
Ms. Brighenti (Music) - 11/13 from 12:30-3:15pm
Ms. Buckley (Library/Media) - 11/6 from 5:00-7:00pm

Pumpkin Recycling—Tuesday!

Your Jack o’ Lanterns and decorative gourds have done their October duty...drop them off for composting on Tuesday morning! There will be a tarp on the playground basketball court for collection, and Black Earth Composting will pick them up before lunch recesses begin (fingers crossed!) How many pumpkins will we collect?

Lost & Found

If you saw the Instagram post from Thursday, you know that we currently have a lot of “lost” and would like to increase the amount of “found”! During conferences on Wednesday afternoon and evening, items will be removed from the bin and displayed on a table across from the library. Please take a look and see if you can claim any of your child’s items!

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

Tiffany Back