Dear Greenwood Families,
Happy Monday! Did everyone remember to “spring forward” this weekend for the start of Daylight Saving Time? I guess we’ll know who missed it by any hour-late arrivals here at school on Monday morning! While I’m more of a “give me all the early morning light” type of person, it does feel like everyone becomes a little happier when we have light into the later afternoon/early evening. And we like happy people!
Early Release - Friday, March 14th
Our next early release day for students is on Friday, March 14th. All students will be dismissed at 11:55am in order for WPS staff to have professional development sessions in the afternoon. While there will not be a scheduled lunch block during the morning, families will have the option to sign up for a “Grab & Go” lunch. See next blurb for details!
Grab & Go Lunches - Friday, March 14th
Due to the necessary adjustments to our instructional schedules on shortened school days, we will NOT have a scheduled lunch block during the morning on early release days (kids will still have snack!). However, we WILL be offering the opportunity for children to pick up a “Grab & Go” lunch before they leave the building or go to Wakefield Academy. While still free to access, families will have to sign up in order for their child to take a lunch on any early release day. I will be sending out a separate School Messenger with the sign-up link on Monday, March 10th. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions about this!
Greenwood Science Fair
The Greenwood Science Fair will take place on Saturday, March 15th from 9:00-10:30am in the Greenwood Gym. We’re hoping to see lots of scientific Gator minds participating! Visit the linked web page for more information and to register - those who sign up by Wednesday, March 5th are guaranteed a Science Fair t-shirt!
STEAM Night - Save the Date!
STEAM Night is an interactive showcase for K-4 students and families. The annual WPS STEAM Night will be held on Tuesday, April 15th from 5:30-7:00pm at the Galvin. Add it to your calendars! If you are interested in participating by either running your own table or fielding questions at the STEM Careers Q & A table, please fill out the STEAM Night Vendor/Career Table Interest Form.
“Executive Functioning Corner”
Executive functions are brain-based skills everyone uses to organize information and perform tasks. We all know the importance of these skills for not just school, but for life! Last year the Greenwood Instructional Leadership Team spent a lot of time learning more about executive functioning skills and discussing ways to share information with our entire Greenwood community. One of the biggest takeaways for many was that these are skills that must be taught, and we need families to join us in that work!
Last we shared, our focus area was on the skill known as working memory. This week we are going to look at the third of four executive functioning skills that are extremely important for elementary school students to learn, develop, and practice. This skill is called emotional control. Please take a moment to check out this chart created by the Greenwood ILT about emotional control. This chart includes a definition, what this skill looks like at various grade levels, and tips for teaching and developing this skill at home. We hope that families find this useful!
Lunchroom Volunteers
Our faithful volunteers will be delighted to know that the Sign-Up Genius has been cleaned up - no more scrolling through months of old dates to get to current opportunities!
Do you have any free time between 12:00-1:10pm on school days? Looking for a way to help out at Greenwood? Come join us as a lunchroom volunteer! 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 all the way up until April break!. 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
Keep the volunteers coming! Kids love to see everyone at lunchtime!
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