Dear Greenwood Families,
Welcome to one and all as we get ready to start another new school year! It was a quiet (and hot…and humid…) summer here at Greenwood without the energy that students (and adults) bring to the building. Now that we’re staring down the end of August, we are all looking forward to welcoming your children back to school to begin our learning adventures together! The building looks wonderful as a result of everyone’s hard work and dedication. Special thanks go out to our custodial staff, Larry Mathewson and Dave Walsh, who worked throughout this past summer to prepare the building for everyone’s return.
There is a lot of information in this letter, so sit back and make yourself comfortable!
Main Office Contact Information
Greenwood School Phone: 781-246-6460
Principal: Tiffany Back (tiffany.back@wpsk12.org)
Administrative Assistant: Marie Paiva (marie.paiva@wpsk12.org)
School Nurse: Alicia Warner (alicia.warner@wpsk12.org)
Communication
Schoolwide email messages are sent out to families using School Messenger, which pulls email information from PowerSchool. If you are not receiving any school updates OR if only one member of your household is getting the emails, you must update your contact information in PowerSchool. Please see the following instructions on how to do this. If you are still having issues, please reach out to Ms. Paiva and let her know so that we can get things squared away.
District Website
Wakefield Public Schools has launched a new website! While the old website is still active, it will not continue to be updated. Check your bookmarks and set them to www.wpsk12.org to stay up to date!
School Calendar
Please check out the official WPS District Calendar for information about early release days, school holidays, and other district events. We will also communicate information through classroom newsletters and the weekly “Gator Tales” newsletter on Monday mornings.
First Days of School
The first day of school is Thursday, September 5th 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 at 8:30am 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 8:35am. Students arriving after 8:40am 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. This means that the Wakefield Academy Before-School Program is not available for Kindergarten students on the first day. Kindergarten teachers, paras, and other Greenwood staff members will meet our new Kindergarten students at 10:00am out back on Thursday, September 5th. (If your child attended the Early Literacy Academy in August, this procedure will be very familiar!)
Everyone’s dismissal time on Day 1 is at 2:50pm. This is a time change from previous years for everyone!!
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 8:30am.
On Monday, our “rolling arrival” (described in the next section) will be in full force.
Arrival
We start our day with a “rolling arrival,” where all students enter Greenwood through the back playground door during a 10-minute block of time. When the first bell rings at 8:30, staff members will open the door and students will enter the building and head directly to their classrooms. Classroom teachers will be waiting in their rooms to receive them, while other Greenwood staff members monitor the back door, hallways, and stairwells.
Important note: Please make sure your child comes prepared for weather conditions if they arrive before 8:30am, as they will be waiting outside.
At least one staff member will be on duty at the back door until the second bell rings at 8:40am, at which time the back door is closed. Students who arrive after 8:40am must enter through the front main entrance of the school, check into the office, and receive a tardy slip. This is an important safety step in our daily attendance procedures.
Another important note: our instructional day begins promptly at 8:40am. When students are not in their classrooms by 8:40am, they have less of a chance to get organized and settled before teaching begins. In order to set everyone up for success, we appreciate your efforts to ensure your child arrives at school in a timely manner.
Dismissal
All students in Grades 1-4 will be dismissed at 2:50pm through the back door onto the blacktop. Kindergarten students will be dismissed starting around 2:45pm on the K side (shed side) of the building. Kindergarten students will be dismissed directly to adults one-by-one by the classroom teacher and paraprofessional. Please make sure that anyone who will be picking up is listed as a known contact in PowerSchool, and let the teacher know if someone different will be picking up.
For Grades 1-4, we ask that family members waiting for students stand away from the building (closer to the basketball court) to give room for teachers to bring classes out and dismiss in an organized fashion. Students are expected to give their teacher a “thumbs up” or “I see mine!” signal when they see the person who is picking them up. It is important that your child’s teacher knows their dismissal plan (pickup, walking, riding bike, going home with a friend, etc.) so that we can keep track of everyone. Students attending Wakefield Academy or the Boys & Girls Club will be dismissed directly to their designated location (WA Room for Academy, Main Office for BGC) based on the registration lists that we are given by WA and BGC. Any changes or adjustments to that schedule on any given day must be communicated to the classroom teacher, Main Office, and Wakefield Academy or BGC.
The end of the day is a very busy time in the office, and we kindly ask families to send notes to school (email is fine!) if your child’s dismissal routines are going to change. Last-minute calls to the office at the very end of the day, while occasionally unavoidable, can be challenging and confusing to our dismissal routines. Children like routines, and Greenwood adults like to make sure everyone goes where they need to be!
Arrival & Dismissal Safety
Making sure that kids get to school safely and leave without any problems at the end of the day is extremely important to us. As an elementary school, it falls to the adults to make appropriate choices and follow directions in order for that to happen. It is extremely important not only for those in vehicles to obey posted signs, but also for everyone to listen to and comply with the instructions and/or guidance given by our crossing guards on Main Street and Greenwood Avenue. Along with student safety, they are monitoring the big picture and working hard to keep the flow of traffic moving.
A couple of specific safety points:
Please cross Main Street and/or Greenwood Avenue utilizing marked crosswalks. When there is a crossing guard present, wait for directions from them.
If you are driving via Greenwood Avenue - if you need to park longer than quickly dropping your child off and/or you need to exit your vehicle for any reason, please do so outside of the live drop-off zone (designated by “No Parking - Bus Only” signs). Children should be able to exit and enter vehicles independently if you are using that zone.
Non-school vehicles are not allowed to enter the front driveway circle around arrival (8:20-8:40am) and dismissal (2:40-3:00pm). Please park along Main Street if you have school business during those times.
The back parking lot is for the use of Greenwood staff members. Families dropping off or picking up students should not be pulling into the lot to do so.
Please, please, please do not walk or bike through the back parking lot at arrival or dismissal time. Stay on the sidewalk until you reach the playground fence. There are staff members arriving and leaving at various times, and it is not safe to “cut through” that way.
Everyone’s cooperation in this is not simply appreciated, but necessary. Thanks!
School Hours
Greenwood’s doors open at 8:30am for students. Instructional school hours for all grades are from 8:40am to 2:50pm Monday through Friday. On our Friday Early Release days, which can be found on the WPS District Calendar, students will be dismissed at 11:55am.
Once again, early release days are now on Fridays…so many changes this year!
New Greenwood Staff
We do have a few new staff members (and some familiar faces in new positions) joining the Greenwood community this school year! Please be sure to welcome them warmly.
School Psychologist Alyssa Kaplan
Grade 1 Paraprofessional Katelyn Sartori
Kindergarten Paraprofessional Emily LeBrun
Reading Interventionist Christine Horton
Math Interventionist Kelly Miller
We wish a fond farewell to Jenny Beardslee, who has moved on to another school district, Deb Lacey, who is now enjoying a well-deserved retirement, and Larissa Sullivan, who will continue to work in Wakefield with preschool students. They will be missed at Greenwood!
Handbook and Important Forms
Our WPS Elementary Handbook is a resource for a lot of valuable information and should be reviewed by families. Please use this form to acknowledge your receipt and review of our elementary school handbook and policies. Additionally, please complete this form only if you DO NOT want your child’s photo taken during school hours/events. If you have any questions about these documents, feel free to reach out.
New to the Elementary Handbook - Personal Electronic Communication Devices
“Personal electronic communication devices” are understood to mean any device that can send, receive, or play messages, audio, photos, videos, and/or record audio/video. This includes cell phones and smart watches, as well as earbuds and headphones not provided by WPS or requested as part of student supply lists.
Students bring devices to school at their own risk.
Personal electronic communication devices are not permitted to be used during school hours.
Once students enter the building for the school day, devices must be turned off and kept in
backpacks
School staff will confiscate any device if a student is using it during the school day.
Gator Tales
The weekly Gator Tales newsletter will be emailed to all families every Monday morning, unless you choose to opt out. Please know that this newsletter is an important way we communicate with families, so be sure to read it each week! My Principal’s Message in Gator Tales each Monday is how we alert families to any events happening during the week, as well as providing many other types of important information.
Back to School Night
We are very excited to welcome families into Greenwood for Back to School Night this year! The event will take place on the evening of Thursday, September 19th, with a more detailed schedule to be shared in the upcoming weeks.
School Lunches
If you’re a returning family you already know this, but for all of our new Gators, we are very lucky here in Massachusetts in that school lunches are universally free for all students in the Commonwealth. Many children still do bring lunches from home - just please be aware that it is a Wakefield Public Schools policy that our buildings are nut-free. No nut products are permitted in snacks or lunches for the safety of all of our students.
Children do not need to sign up in advance in order to receive a school lunch. Students will receive one complete lunch without any fee. Given our limited kitchen resources here at Greenwood, we do not have the capacity to offer a paid second lunch (if you have older children you may know that Galvin and WMHS have that option).
Additionally, please see the following letter from our Wakefield Food Services Department for more information.
Lunch menus can also be found on their website.
Greenwood School Council
As mandated by the Education Reform Act of 1993, each public elementary, secondary, and independent vocational school must establish a school council. These councils play a vital role in shaping our school's direction by assisting principals in various areas:
Setting educational goals
Addressing student needs
Budget review
Improvement planning
Parent members are elected to serve two-year terms. Given that we elected two parent members last fall, they will serve the second year of their term this year. These representatives are Sarah Volkenant (children in 2nd grade) and Samantha Giangregorio (child in 1st grade), and they bring an important perspective to our work!
Wakefield Academy Before & Afterschool Program
Are you looking to enroll your child(ren) in the before- or after-school program? In case you missed it, the following message was sent out to WPS Families by Estelle Burdick, Director of Wakefield Academy, on Friday, August 9th:
The start of the school year is coming up fast! Our Wakefield Academy registration system is now open for enrollment for the upcoming 2024-2025 school year. IMPORTANT NOTE: our early release day enrollment has changed. They are now set up as a NON-SCHOOL DAY (NSD). You will create your normal contract for BSP and ASP but then add the NSD to your account as well. You will be prompted when creating your contract to add any NSDs, if you need them. Just as last year, Drop-Ins will not be available on early release days. Our annual registration fee remains at $50 per child or $80 per family maximum.
If you want to only complete an annual registration at this time, you must select at least one day for your application to be processed (I suggest a date in June). Alternatively, you may enter as many days as you know you need throughout the school year. Once your contract is approved, you can simply select “change schedule” (left sidebar) in your account to modify and update your schedule. Please do not complete another contract as this will start the approval process over again. Invoicing will be done month to month as in the past. You will have the option to prepay as many months as you would like but only one month prepayment is required to continue enrollment. Lastly, we accept all forms of payment (except child care vouchers), and Wakefield Academy pays all fees, so there are no additional costs associated with your payment method. If you are new to Wakefield Academy and need to create an Eleyo account, please follow the steps shown below.
CREATING A NEW ELEYO ACCOUNT
If you are new to this system, our Eleyo registration system will allow you to register for our Wakefield Academy before and after school programs as well as any other WA program including enrichments and vacation camps. Additionally, you will be able to see which days and programs you have enrolled in and check your account balances. Please note that if you already have an Eleyo account, you will only need to add a new contract for your child or children. Do NOT create a new account; however, you will need to register for the new year.
Eleyo NEW account steps:
You will create your own parent account.
You will then add your child or children to your parent account.
Please use the link provided here, or you can go to our website and select “registration” for more information and next steps.
If you have any questions or difficulties, please contact Estelle Burdick at Estelle.Burdick@wpsk12.org or Trudy Conley at Trudy.Conley@wpsk12.org.
Welcome from the Wakefield SEPAC! (Special Education Parent Advisory Council)
Parent Advisory Councils are required by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education as outlined in the Massachusetts Special Education Law Chapter 71B. The purpose of the Wakefield SEPAC (Special Education Parent Advisory Council) is to promote awareness of special education services, to be a source of information and support for families whose children receive special education services in Wakefield, and to work with the district regarding meeting the needs of these students.
We welcome all families to join us at SEPAC events throughout the school year. We are working on finalizing our 2024-2025 programming, and all are welcome to attend our events. Our fall programming includes a virtual presentation and question and answer session on the new IEP format with Special Education Director Rosie Galvin on September 11 at 7pm, and a workshop for families on Stress and Anxiety Management on Wednesday, October 23rd, from 7:30-8:30pm via Zoom hosted by Mass General for Children’s ASPIRE program. The Aspire program specializes in helping children, teens and adults on the autism spectrum achieve
success. Ms. Galvin will also be hosting a Special Education Community Call for families on November 13, 2024 at 7pm.
Please see our website www.wakefieldsepac.org or Facebook page for more information. Please contact us at wakefieldsepac@gmail.com with questions or if we can assist you and your child in any way. We also are looking for more parent volunteers to join the SEPAC. We wish everyone a successful start to the school year!
Chrissy Loftus and Ann Herzog
Wakefield SEPAC Co-Chairs
As much as I’ve said here, I’m sure there are still questions out there! If you would like to reach me for any reason, please send an email (tiffany.back@wpsk12.org) or phone the main office during school hours (781-246-6460). On behalf of the entire Greenwood staff, thank you in advance for everything you have done, are doing, and will continue to do to support the growth and learning of your children, both in and out of school.
Greenwood is a great place to be, so let’s have an amazing year!
Sincerely,
Tiffany Back
Principal
Greenwood School