Dear Greenwood Families,
Happy Sunday! Is everyone ready to “gain an hour” this weekend with the end of Daylight Saving Time? Based on what I saw during arrival on Friday morning after all the Halloween festivities, everyone can use it! While I don’t love both starting and ending my days at Greenwood in the dark, I will admit that the time shift makes it a little easier to get up in the morning and actually feel awake (but that’s probably because I’ve never been a late-night type of person anyway). Let’s go, November!
No School for Students - Tuesday, November 5th
On Tuesday, November 5th there will be no school for students due to elections being held at the Galvin. All WPS Staff will be involved in professional development on that day.
6th Annual Pumpkin Drop - Wednesday, November 6th
Wakefield’s Department of Public Works and Environmental Sustainability Committee are proud to partner with Black Earth Compost for their Annual Pumpkin Drop on Wednesday, November 6th. If your jack-o-lantern or doorstep pumpkin is ready for a new life, bring it to school so it can be composted. Last year, Black Earth and communities across the state diverted 22 tons of pumpkins from the waste stream.
On the morning of Wednesday, November 6th, a tarp will be out back at Greenwood, just waiting for your pumpkins! Collection by Black Earth Compost will occur at 12:00pm. Please remove glitter, stickers, plastic decorations, and candles/wax from your pumpkin prior to drop off. If you bring your pumpkin over in a plastic bag, please do not include the bag in the compost pile.
No School - Monday, November 11th
Monday, November 11th is a no school day in observance of Veterans Day - all WPS schools and offices will be closed on that day.
Conferences - December 5th & 6th
We're still a little ways out from these dates, but they will sneak up on us quickly! Our first date for conferences is on Thursday, December 5th, which is an early release day for students. There will be time slots for both afternoon and evening conferences on that day. Our second conference day is Friday, December 6th, another early release day, and time slots for afternoon conferences will be available. Teachers will be reaching out with the sign up times options. Please note: the format of conferences is up to family preference. Both in-person and Zoom conferences are options for any given time - please let your child’s teacher know which you would like to have. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions about this!
From the Wakefield Educational Foundation (WEF) - Online Auction Items
The Wakefield Educational Foundation will be holding its annual online auction from Nov 13th through 22nd, and we are seeking unique donations from our community. If you have access to items or experiences you could donate to WEF to add to the auction, please contact Cary Mazzone at cary.mazzone@wef01880.org with details. Examples include tickets to concerts, plays or sporting events, gift cards to experiences for youth or adults, dining gift cards, art...the list goes on and we welcome your creativity! This is a great way to support WEF and Wakefield's public schools. Thank you!
Cary Mazzone
WEF President
WPS Community Forum - The Science Behind Later School Start Times
The Wakefield Public Schools Student Services Subcommittee and the WPS Administration welcome community members to hear from Dr. Judy Owens about the science behind later school start times. The community forum will take place at Galvin Middle School Auditorium at 7:00 p.m on Wednesday, November 20th. This is the first of three community forums that will be held in the coming months to hear about the science behind sleep and later school start times, along with opportunities and challenges communities have faced in making this change. At the close of the three community forums, the administration and the subcommittee will present recommendations to the larger School Committee.
If you have questions about the upcoming meeting, please contact Deidre Sandonato, Assistant to the Superintendent at deidre.sandonato@wpsk12.org.
Contacting the Main Office
Again, since Ms. Paiva is out on leave, anything you would normally email her about can be sent to both me (tiffany.back@wpsk12.org) and Majed Chankhour (majed.chankhour@wpsk12.org), who is filling in for Marie during this time period. And as always, don’t forget to include the classroom teacher as appropriate!
Lunchroom Volunteers
Keep the volunteers coming! Kids love to see everyone at lunchtime!
Do you have any free time between 12:00-1:10pm on school 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 month of December. 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 week!
Tiffany Back
Principal, Greenwood School