From the Principal: 4/24/23

Dear Greenwood Families,

Happy Monday!  I hope everyone was able to enjoy some (if not all!) of the April vacation week.  As crazy as it seems, we are really on the “home stretch” of the 2022-2023 school year now.  My staff newsletter now has “Upcoming Events” that run all the way through the last day of school, which is the sure “tell” of how close we’re getting.  However - we still have a lot of great things to accomplish between now and then, so let’s go!


No School - Tuesday, April 25th

There is a professional development day for all WPS staff on Tuesday, April 25th.  This means there will be no school for students.  We know it’s strange timing coming back from break, however, the PD day was placed here to align with Wakefield’s election day due to the use of Galvin Middle School for townwide voting.

May Kindergarten All-School Meeting - Date Change

Due to some necessary shifts in scheduling, the May All-School Meeting hosted by Kindergarten will now be on Monday, May 8th at 9:00am.  Each grade level is responsible for sharing about a positive attribute that we want our Greenwood community to embrace and embody.  We would like to invite Kindergarten parents/guardians to attend if you are able to do so.  (Seating will be up in the balcony.)  


FYI - Grades 3 & 4 MCAS Makeups

We have a handful of students who missed one or both sessions of the ELA testing that took place before break, and we will need to do makeup testing with those students before the end of the school day on Friday, April 28th when the MCAS testing window for ELA closes.  If your child was not in school on the testing days, we will be holding the makeup sessions on Wednesday, April 26th and/or Thursday, April 27th.  If any student is absent on those days, we may extend to Friday, April 28th.  Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions about this.


End of the Year Dates

I haven’t gotten many “What’s the date of the last day of school? emails yet, but I anticipate they’ll be coming soon!  So…remember that “sewer day” we had back in February?  That’s going to add a school day onto the calendar for only Greenwood students and staff.  I know this discrepancy is going to be the most challenging for those families with students in multiple school buildings, so we’ll be giving lots of reminders!  Here is a list of a few key dates for your June calendars:

  • Monday, 6/5 - All-School Meeting, 1st Grade Hosting

  • Tuesday, 6/6 - Field Day

  • Friday, 6/9 - Field Day Rain Date

  • Tuesday, 6/13 - Grade 4 Moving On Ceremony 

  • Monday, 6/19 - No School (Juneteenth)

  • Tuesday, 6/20 - Last day for Greenwood Kindergarten

  • Wednesday, 6/21 - Greenwood Kindergarten Screening 

  • Thursday, 6/22 - Last day for Greenwood 1st-4th Grades


STEAM Night 

STEAM Night is back!  This year it will take place on Thursday, May 11th from 5:30-7:00pm at the Galvin.  This interactive elementary math and science showcase will feature hands-on experiences from iRobot, Lark Studio, Curious Creatures, and Spot the Robot Dog, along with many offerings from WPS staff members and PTO groups.  It’s sure to be a good time!

Greenwood Food Rescue Program Data

We have really saved a lot of food items from being thrown away!  Overall, over 3 months, we diverted >2700 items to non-profit centers in collaboration with Food Drive-Melrose and Teen Center-Stoneham.  This information was compiled by Shyan Ong, who has been an invaluable champion of this initiative from the start.





Food Rescue Program - Volunteer Drivers Needed

Our lunchtime composting and food rescue programs are going strong!  However, we could use some help in getting the food donations picked up at Greenwood and delivered to the designated locations in Wakefield, Stoneham, or Melrose.  Food pickup can be done anytime after 1:30pm on a selected date.  Please visit the link below for more information and to sign up.  Thanks in advance!  

Food Rescue Volunteer SignUp


Lunchroom Volunteers

Thank you to everyone who has given us some of your valuable time over the past few weeks!  Updated time slots are being added at the current link and now go through the end of April.

Do you have any free time between 12:00-1:15pm on school days?  Or 10:30-11:50am 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 over the next two weeks.  Single days, multiple days, one time slot, the whole lunch block…we welcome any and all helpers!

As an FYI, we will be incorporating our lunchroom volunteers into the food rescue/composting program work.  Don’t worry…it’s easy!

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!  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