From the Principal: 9/5/2023

Happy Tuesday, and welcome back!

It was great seeing so many Greenwood families at “Popsicles with the Principal” this afternoon. Every year I ask about the favorite flavor of popsicle, and every year I’m surprised when it’s not MY favorite flavor: orange. Guess that means people will always trade their orange ones to me! Moving on to the important things - the beginning of a new school year is always an exciting time for adults and children alike. Everyone at Greenwood is looking forward to welcoming students back into the building and beginning our new learning adventures together. We will see you all starting at 8:30 am on Thursday morning!

Hot Weather With temperature forecasts in the 90’s for Thursday and Friday, please be sure to send your children to school with their water bottles each day. Seems like weather that we should have had back in July, but don’t worry…we’ll be complaining about the snow before we know it!

September Lunch Survey As mentioned in the Back to School Letter and the email that went out Tuesday morning, if your child will be getting a school lunch during the month of September, please fill out our survey to indicate which days they will need lunch. (Yes, you need to fill one out for each child in your family.) This helps our kitchen with their food ordering counts. Here’s the menu for September so you can make your plans!

Beginning of the Year Paperwork Mostly gone are the days of giant stacks of paper coming home with your children on the first days of school! Families should have received an email from Ms. Paiva today with a letter linking to the “paperwork” that is required at the start of the school year. Please be sure to complete the required items in a timely manner, and don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions.

Arrival on Thursday and Friday The first day of school is Thursday, September 7th for all students, K-4. On both Thursday and Friday, there will be cones lined up across the blacktop area in front of the basketball hoop. Classroom teachers will be outside starting at 8:30 a.m. holding a sign with their name to help students figure out who they’re looking for. Grades 1-4 will line up with their classes and walk inside together shortly after 8:35 a.m. Students arriving after 8:40 a.m. will need to come to the front door and sign in at the office before heading to class. For the first day only, Kindergarten students will have a delayed start. Kindergarten teachers, paras, and other Greenwood staff members will meet our new Kindergarten students at 10:00 am out back on Thursday, September 7th. (If your child attended the Early Literacy Academy in August, this procedure will be very familiar!) Friday’s arrival routine will be very similar to Thursday’s but with Kindergarten students joining grades 1-4 to line up out back beginning at 8:30 am.

Lunchroom Volunteers It’s a new year, and we are again looking for adults to support students during lunchtime! Do you have any free time between 12:00 and 1:10 p.m. on school days? Or 10:30-11:50 am 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 through the end of September. Single days, multiple days, one-time slot, the whole lunch block…we welcome any and all helpers! Lunchroom volunteers will help students with those tricky thermoses, hand out napkins and utensils, support students while they sort items into composting/food rescue/trash, and help clean tables at the end of each lunch. Oh, and the most important thing - bring smiles and laughter! 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, and one of my personal goals this year is to show off the fun we’re having throughout Greenwood! 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 start to the school year!

Tiffany Back